The Jenji Kohan revival continues. On the heels of Orange Is The New Black’s critical success on Netflix, the Weeds creator has landed an as-yet-untitled drama series at HBO, set during the Salem witch trials. The 17th century is new ground for Kohan, whose previous series have all heavily referenced modern culture. But it does allow for the exploration of another group of women ostracized from the general population and dubiously punished for their actions.
Kohan will write the script with Bruce Miller (Alphas, Eureka) and Tracy Miller, and produce through Kohan’s overall deal with Lionsgate TV. (Coincidentally, the pick-up follows on the back of HBO's acquisition of Open from Ryan Murphy—who’s got his own witch story going on the current season of American Horror Story.) The second season of Orange Is The New Black is currently in production, but considering Netflix and HBO don’t operate on traditional broadcast shooting schedules, the shows wouldn’t necessarily conflict, potentially allowing Kohan to run both.