PILOTS: Primetime gets political

Network and studio execs had politics and government on their minds this development season, ordering several pilots with a D.C. bent.

On Thursday, ABC added another one to the mix, greenlighting the comedy pilot “Wright vs. Wrong.”

Sitcom, from scribe Stephnie Weir (“Mad TV”), centers on a sexy, female conservative pundit and her staff.

Weir is exec producing along with Tantamount’s Mitch Hurwitz, Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum. Sony Pictures TV is the studio.

“Wright vs. Wrong” reps the second ABC comedy pilot set in the world of politics: The net’s “Freshmen,” from Greg Malins and Arianna Huffington, centers on a group of Congressmen who share a Washington apartment.

At Fox, an untitled comedy from writer Brent Forrester and Imagine TV (and based on an idea by Ron Howard) is set at a Internal Revenue Service office. And Fox’s drama pilot “Worthy” focuses on a politician who is blackmailed by the mafia.

NBC’s “Justice,” from John Eisendrath, centers on a former Supreme Court justice, who starts his own legal firm.

And then there’s the slew of C.I.A.-themed pilots in the works at the nets: Fox’s comedy “The Station,” about a C.I.A. field office in South America; CBS’ Tom Spezialy-penned “Chaos,” also set in the world of the C.I.A.; and NBC’s J.J. Abrams/Josh Reims entry “Undercovers,” about a husband and wife who are reactivated as, yes, C.I.A. agents.

The networks haven't had much success with political or D.C. series beyond shows like "The West Wing." 

That may be why, despite the focus on political backdrops, most of these shows are still much more rooted in their specific genres. "Freshmen," after all, is at its heart a roommate/relationship comedy. "The Station" and the I.R.S. project are workplace comedies. And in a primetime filled with shows about government agencies (NCIS, FBI, etc.), the CIA reps another drama staple.