James R | On 06, Jan 2015

Amazon’s 2015 season of TV pilots will premiere on Thursday 15th January, including six new kids series alongside the already confirmed programmes from Ridley Scott, Shawn Ryan and others.

The new slate of potential Amazon content will include a total of 13 shows, including comedy, drama, kids offerings and the VOD service’s first ever docu-series.

The pilots come from an impressive roster of talent, as Amazon Studios attract bigger and bigger names to work with them, including Ridley Scott, Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files), Carlton Cuse (Lost), Randall Wallace (Braveheart), Shawn Ryan (The Shield), Brad Silberling (Lemony Snickets…), Mark Waters (Mean Girls), Angela Santomero (Blue’s Clues), Carol Greenwald (Arthur) and Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney (The Armstrong Lie).

The line-up will range from hour-long shows Cocked from Samuel Baum (Lie to Me) and Sam Shaw (Manhattan – TV series), Mad Dogs from Cris Cole (The Bill) and Shawn Ryan (The Shield), Man in the High Castle from Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files), and Point of Honor from Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Randall Wallace (Braveheart) to half-hour shows Down Dog from Robin Schiff (Are You There, Chelsea?) and Salem Rogers from Will Graham (Onion News Network) and newcomer Lindsey Stoddart, plus Amazon’s first documentary series, The New Yorker Presents, inspired by non-fiction and fiction material from one of the most acclaimed and longest running publications, The New Yorker.

Alongside the already announced adult series, though, will also be a range of six kids pilots, including preschool projects Buddy: Tech Detective, Sara Solves It and The Stinky & Dirty Show, as well as 6-11 animated show Niko and the Sword of Light, and 6-11 live-action shows Table 58 and Just Add Magic.

All pilots will be available through Prime Instant Video, with customers once again invited to watch and provide feedback on the shows they want to see turned into full series.

“WWe are working with great storytellers on some fascinating ideas for the year’s first pilot season,” says Roy Price, Vice President, Amazon Studios. ““We look forward to seeing our customers’ response to these new projects.””

For more information on the adult shows, click here. Read on for the lowdown on the kids TV pilots:

Buddy: Tech Detective (for preschool-aged children)

Based on an original idea by Chris Dicker (What’s Your News?) and created by Jon Burton (The Lego Movie), Dicker and Jocelyn Stevenson (Fraggle Rock), and developed for television by Jennifer Hamburg (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Henry Hugglemonster), Buddy: Tech Detective is an exciting preschool whodunit that follows super-sleuth Buddy, his inventor best friend Trudy, the funny furry ferret Ferdo and you, the smarty-pants viewer! Using a myriad of interactive technologies, Buddy and his team gather evidence, follow cues and crack the case. The project is a TT Animation/The Foundation (a part of Zodiak Kids) production, and is animated by Jellyfish Animation Limited.

Sara Solves It (for preschool-aged children)

This animated musical comes from the talented minds of Carol Greenwald (Arthur, Martha Speaks, Curious George), and Angela C. Santomero (Super Why, Blue’s Clues, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Creative Galaxy, Wishenpoof!) with animation production handled by DHX (Martha Speaks, Kid vs. Kat, Inspector Gadget). Produced by WGBH and Out of the Blue Enterprises with Greenwald, Santomero and Samantha Freeman executive producing, Sara Solves It follows 9-year-old whiz kid Sara and her younger brother Sam as they work together in order to solve mysteries in their apartment building, at school and beyond using creative problem solving! Each mystery is an interactive problem, steeped in musical goodness. In this first episode, viewers will use maths and music in a creative way as they help Sara and Sam solve the cheesiest pizza mystery!

The Stinky & Dirty Show (for preschool-aged children)

The Stinky & Dirty Show, based on the “I Stink!” book series by Kate & Jim McMullan, is written by Guy Toubes (The Adventures of Chuck & Friends, Littlest Pet Shop, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi) and animated by Brown Bag Films, Ltd (Peter Rabbit, Octonauts, Doc McStuffins). The Stinky & Dirty Show follows the adventures and mishaps faced by best friends and unlikely heroes, Stinky the garbage truck and Dirty, the backhoe loader. Whether it’s rescuing their pal Mighty the tugboat, or moving a giant boulder blocking the highway in their town of Go City, Stinky & Dirty are a dynamic duo of resourcefulness who make plenty of mistakes along the way. For them, hilariously failing turns out to be the most fun path to success.

Niko and the Sword of Light (for children ages 6-11)

Niko and the Sword of Light is based on the motion graphic comic by Imaginism Studios, Inc., the studio behind character and concept designs for Tim Burton’’s Alice in Wonderland and Men in Black 3, and Studio NX (The Carrot and Rabbit Show, Tree Fu Tom). Written by Rob Hoegee (Generator Rex, League of Super Evil, Storm Hawks, Teen Titans) and animated by Titmouse (Motorcity, Metalocalpyse, Turbo FAST, Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja), Niko and the Sword of Light follows ten-year-old Niko who is the last of his kind in a strange, fantastical world. He must embark on an epic quest to defeat the darkness and bring the light back to his land. Armed with his magic sword, brave Niko journeys to the Cursed Volcano, making new friends and powerful foes along the way, all while uncovering secrets about his mysterious past. Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants) and Jim Cummings (Shrek) lend their vocal talent.

Table 58 (for children ages 6-11)

Written by May Chan (Phineas & Ferb, Bucket & Skinner’s Epic Adventures), Table 58 is a single-camera live-action pilot directed by Gil Junger (10 Things I Hate About You, Greek). In Table 58, they’re not a part of the popular crowd, and they’re not a part of the geek crowd. The only thing they’re a part of is Table 58: the odd table in the lunchroom, made up of kids from all different cliques who have been ousted from the table where they seemingly belong. When new kid Logan moves to town, he rallies the group of six mismatched middle schoolers to form a tenuous partnership in order to help each other get back to their rightful place in the cafeteria. The project stars Grace Kaufman (Bad Teacher), Johnnie Ladd (Melissa & Joey), Jacob Melton (The Middle), Nathaniel Potvin (Girl Meets World), Juliana Rigolioso (The Smurfs), and Zack Shires (Wilfred).

Just Add Magic (for children ages 6-11)

Based on Cindy Callaghan’s young adult book of the same name and adapted by Joanna Lewis & Kristine Songco (Sullivan & Son, Fairly Odd Parents, My Little Pony), Just Add Magic is a single-camera live-action pilot directed by Joe Nussbaum (George Lucas in Love, Awkward). The story centres on Kelly Quinn and her two BFF’s, Darbie and Hannah, who stumble upon her grandmother’s mysterious cookbook in the attic and discover it has some interesting recipes. The Shut’em Up Shortcake actually silences Kelly’s pesky little brother and when the Healing Hazelnut Tart quickly heals Darbie’s ankle, the girls discover they have the power of magic. The project stars Olivia Sanabia (Extant), Abby Donnelly (Suburgatory), Aubrey Miller (Austin & Ally), and Judah Bellamy (Home).

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