11-time Emmy Award-winner David E. Kelley and author Michael Connelly are teaming up on a series adaptation of Connelly’s short story Avalon. ABC’s given Avalon a straight-to-series order and expects the drama to join the network’s primetime lineup during the 2022-2023 season.
“Excited to reunite with Michael Connelly,” said David E. Kelley. “He’s written a fantastic short story, a great protagonist. Can’t wait to get started.”
“Being on a project with David E. Kelley again is amazing,” said Michael Connelly. “This whole team of David, A+E and Ross Fineman has been wonderful to work with previously; and now joining up with ABC, well, I can’t wait to start. Catalina is full of mystery and good storytelling. We’re going to put it on the screen.”
Connelly’s Avalon was published in 2021’s When A Stranger Comes To Town. David E. Kelley and Michael Connelly created the series and will executive produce. Kelley’s also confirmed to write the pilot. Additional executive producers include Ross Fineman (Fineman Entertainment) and Barry Jossen & Tana Jamieson (A+E Studios). The series will be produced by A+E Studios and 20th Television.
“David E. Kelley is one of the great storytellers of our time and we are excited to continue our successful relationship with him on what we believe will be his next epic series on ABC,” stated Craig Erwich, president, Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment. “Michael Connelly’s short story is ripe with mystery and intrigue, and we can’t wait for David and Michael to bring this eerie and captivating world to life.”
ABC released the following description of Avalon:
Based on a short story by Connelly, the series takes place in the main city of Avalon on Catalina Island, where LA Sheriff Department Detective Nicole “Nic” Searcy heads up a small office. Catalina has a local population that serves more than 1 million tourists a year, and each day when the ferries arrive, hundreds of potential new stories enter the island. Detective Searcy is pulled into a career-defining mystery that will challenge everything she knows about herself and the island.
