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Throwback Tuesday: The One New Pilot You Won’t See on TV This Year (But Maybe You Should)

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Here is a Throwback Tuesday article that I wrote back in January 2017, as a part of my “dream” pilots that would be great to see on TV if only they were real. Enjoy!

For the past seven years, I have been creating “dream” pilots for each new TV season for the major and/or cable networks, focusing either on remakes of past hit shows or making up new drams that sound like they would be fun to watch.

This coming TV season is no different, however, just like last year I have decided to focus on one new show that I think would be a great new event series for ABC (especially given that the network really needs a hit series).

Inside Our Life – This family dramedy will be in the vein of NBC’s series This Is Us combined with the complicated storylines of the Freeform (formerly ABC Family) dramas The Fosters and Switched At Birth.

The series will focus on the Worthington-Santiago family, a successful mixed-race family with a teenage daughter of their own as well as three adopted children, dealing with the myriad issues of any family.

Kelly Worthington – to be played by actress Bianca Lawson (Queen Sugar, Rogue and Teen Wolf) – is an attorney for a prestigious Washington D.C. firm originally founded by her great uncle and she is in charge of her family’s trust that focuses on helping troubled teens;

Jesse Santiago – to be played by actor Manolo Cardona (Covert Affairs and Narcos) – is a world-renowned chef and co-owner of the successful D.C.-based restaurant El Puente;

Rachel Santiago-Worthington – to be played by actress Amandla Stenberg (Sleepy Hollow and the original box office film The Hunger Games) – is Kelly and Jesse’s teenage daughter, who is a freshman at Georgetown University, working toward her Fine Arts Degree;

Kiko Santiago-Worthington – to be played by teen actress Ashley Liao (Fuller House) – is the 16-year-old adopted daughter of Jesse and Kelly, who dreams of becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon;

Eddie Santiago-Worthington – to be played by young actor Jackson Geach (Fresh Off the Boat and the upcoming film Baywatch) – is the 14-year-old adopted son of Jesse and Kelly (and younger brother of Kiko), who wants to be an architect; and,

Evie Santiago-Worthington – to be played by young actress Alyvia Alyn Lind (The Young and the Restless and both Dolly Parton made-for-TV movies) – who lost the hearing in her left ear when she was a baby was adopted by Jesse and Kelly at the age of 3; she hopes to become an advocate for those with disabilities when she grows up.

Kelly’s right-hand woman at the law firm – Ashley Jones – will be played by Erin Karpluk (of Being Erica fame) while Jesse’s partner at El Puente – Samuel Garcia – will be played by Jay Hernandez (The Expanse and the box office film Suicide Squad).

While this is just a make-believe event series, it should would be interesting to see it – or something similar come to life.

Please check out last year’s “dream” event series here.

[Featured Image: Courtesy of TV Line]

Using her favorite online handle, Rueben is an East Coast-bred gal who is now a permanent Californian and a lifelong tv-oholic. She watches at least 25 TV shows a week, goes to the movies as often as possible, listens to music every waking moment, reads every day and “plays” on the internet every chance she can. Some of her current favorite TV shows are Outlander, Sweet Magnolias, Wednesday, The Mandalorian, The Equalizer, Fire Country, Miss Scarlet, Hudson & Rex, SkyMed, The Rookie, Cobra Kai, Virgin River, The Witcher, Leverage: Redemption and School Spirits. She is looking forward to the long-awaited return of Bridgerton, is curious about the debut of Orphan Black: Echoes and the 3rd and final season of Sweet Tooth coming in June, and the season finales of the abbreviated 2023-2024 TV season. Follow her at @ruebenrambling or contact her at rueben@nicegirlstv.com.