Proving just how viable an option streaming services like Netflix have become, NBC revealed that it’s developing two pilots for its Cruel Intentions adaptation, including one that will be aimed at its online competition. The plan was announced during the network’s day at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, which included discussion about how the fate of This Is Us probably rests on Milo Ventimiglia butt.
The Cruel Intentions series is not part of the network’s fall schedule because, as NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke put it, the “soapy spot” in the lineup where it could have fit instead went to This Is Us (or, as it’s known among trailer enthusiasts, This Is Ass). But according to Salke, NBC’s not quite giving up the retelling ship, and is now entertaining the idea of developing the series for an online platform.
I think there would be two versions of the show. If it ends up on some alternative platform, we would have more leeway, but it is designed to be dishy and fun and push the envelope as far as sexuality. It’s not something we’re inviting kids in to watch.
So NBC is hedging its bets, producing one merely coquettish pilot for broadcast—that’s the “Annette Hargrove” model—while also developing a racier, “Kathryn Merteuil” version for streaming audiences. There’s currently no word on which pilot will feature a partial guest appearance from Ventimiglia’s backside.