Influence Set For ABC
According to reports at Deadline, writer/showrunner Kyle Killen has already received an offer for his upcoming third television project. Influence. Killen’s latest drama project has received a put pilot commitment from ABC to end what was a small bidding war for the project. The series will mark the third show of Killen’s and ABC will be the third network he has written for. His first two projects, Lone Star at Fox and Awake at NBC, were canceled during each series’ first season. Although Awake finished a short run and came to some small amount of closure, Lone Star was pulled after airing just two episodes.
Influence is currently being described as
[a] provocative workplace ensemble centered on the complicated relationship between two brothers—a bipolar genius in human psychology and a slick ex-con—who head a unique agency designed to solve their clients’ problems using the real science of human motivation and manipulation.
The show seems to mark an attempt by Killen to broaden out a bit after the commercial disappointment of his first two works. Both Lone Star and Awake followed a main character living a double life with strong serialization between episodes. In Lone Star, the main character was a con man living a lie while maintaining two identities (including separate families), and in Awake the main character was living in and experiencing two separate realities.
The put pilot commitment will almost guarantee the show will see the air, as the commitment would trigger heavy fines for the network should they shelve it. As a fan and frequent cheerleader for Killen’s work — including his feature The Beaver — I am hoping that the series will earn the full pickup. Although he has had difficulty in the past keeping shows on the air, both series prior to this one have been excellent entries in the medium and worth a watch. Check back in for more information on Influence as it become available.
