Josh Safran's 'Mixtape' Revived at Netflix With Series Order
The musical drama had been piloted at Fox.
Mixtape isn't dead, after all. The Fox pilot, one of many passed up at the network this spring, is moving forward at Netflix with a series order.
The streamer is giving ten episodes to the musical drama from Gossip Girl scribe Joshua Safran, with almost all of the original cast — Callie Hernandez, Jenna Dewan, Campbell Scott and Madeleine Stowe, included — in place. It comes from Annapurna Pictures in association with 20th Century Fox Television and Fox 21 Television Studios
Mixtape was considered among Fox's pilot season front-runners, with 20th TV head of casting Sharon Klein going so far as to declare Callie Hernandez a "star" and calling her one of the studio's big gets. While the drama cooled in the days leading up to Fox's official series orders, Mixtape had remained in contention for a midseason pickup. However, given "New Fox's" direction, producers 20th TV opted to shop the series, which no longer fit the multicamera comedy and procedural mandate at the network.
Executive produced by Joshua Safran, Megan Ellison, Sue Naegle and Ali Krug, Jesse Peretz directed the original pilot. Cast members Jahmil French, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Megan Ferguson and Evan Whitten are returning. The staring role of Sam, originally played by Raúl Castillo, will be recast — as the actor just booked a recurring role on fellow Netflix comedy One Day at a Time.
The series is described as "a romantic musical drama that looks at the love stories connecting a diverse, disparate group of people in contemporary Los Angeles through the music that lives inside their hearts and minds."
Mixtape is the latest pilot to move to a new home after being passed over at its original network. Charter Communications recently picked up Bad Boys II spinoff L.A.'s Finest, starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba, after NBC passed. Meanwhile, ABC recently extended the cast options for the stars of comedy pilot Steps, with the Ginnifer Goodwin and Kyle Bornheimer family comedy remaining in contention. ABC drama False Profits, starring Scandal favorite Bellamy Young, also had options on its cast extended along with an order for three backup scripts. Amazon Studios, whose new head Jennifer Salke developed Guess Who Died, is eyeing the Norman Lear comedy after NBC's pass.
Network jumping is becoming increasingly common in the Peak TV landscape where one outlet's pass is another's hit. For its part, Netflix has already revived Lucifer after Fox's pass and is eyeing ABC's Designated Survivor. NBC also had one of the season's biggest stories when the network revived Brooklyn Nine-Nine 30 hours after Fox's cancellation.
Safran is repped by UTA and Ziffren Brittenham.
Netflix
