Blue Skies Ahead: USA Network Bringing Back Breezy Dramas As It Reenters Original Scripted Series Space
deadline.comEXCLUSIVE: USA Network‘s “blue sky” series of the 2000s and early 2010s are having a moment this year between Suits‘ blockbuster run on Netflix, which broke streaming records and led to a potential offshoot series at NBC, and the Monk reunion movie, which premieres today on Peacock and already is getting awards recognition.
Now the brand is making its way back to where it started, on the USA Network. NBCUniversal’s ad-supported cable net is plotting a return to original scripted programming with light, frothy character-based procedurals in the mold of the lineup from the “blue sky”era that included Monk, Burn Notice, Psych, Royal Pains, White Collar and Suits, Deadline has learned.
After the end of the WGA strike, NBCU scripted executives put out feelers about their USA plans and already have identified a handful of ideas they are considering for development but there are no deals yet, sources said.
The goal is to roll out the first new series in 2025. Mindful of the economic realities of basic cable, which has been heavily impacted by cord-cutting and the overall decline in linear viewing, I hear budgets are being capped at $2M-$3M an episode.
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