Last last month, we learned that Lifetime was looking to expand on their growing list of original content by giving a series order to Marc Cherry's Devious Maids, a drama originally aimed for ABC but passed over by the network. ABC's loss may be Lifetime's gain. And now it appears the cable network is looking at two potential series adaptations for two books.
Deadline posted Lifetime's announcement, which states that they've orderd drama pilots for The Secret Lives of Wives (working title) and Witches of East End, both for 2013. The Secret Lives of Wives is a book by Iris Krasnow that explores "the unvarnished truth behind the marriages of four different women, breaking down the creative ways each close friend nurtures, maintains and endures what many see as an impossible convention of modern life." Jill Gordon wrote the pilot, which will aim to approach the subject of emotional and sexual longevity within romantic relationships.
Witches of East End is based on Melissa de la Cruz's best-selling novel about two adult sisters living in a secluded area out east on Long Island, "both of whom unknowingly are their family’s next generation of witches." After one of them gets encaged, their mother eventually has to reveal to them that they're powerful and immortal witches.
Both projects seem suited for Lifetime, though the latter suggests that the cable channel may be looking to branch out a bit more on the kinds of shows they feature. Granted, there are some supernatural qualities to Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva, but for the most part, the network's original programming is grounded in reality… relatively speaking. It should be interesting to see who is cast in these pilots and whether or not the network decides to move forward with either of them.
