Studios USA Television Signs Development Deal With Mark Levin & Jennifer Flackett

Posted on September 16, 1999

Studios USA Television has signed the team of Mark Levin & Jennifer Flackett to a multi-year drama development deal. In addition, the writing and producing team are creating a drama entitled The Mysteries of 71st Street which has been ordered as a pilot by CBS for Fall 2000, it was announced by David Kissinger, programming president, Studios USA Television.

"We are delighted to bring this very exciting project to CBS and appreciate their commitment to it. This show will embody all of the qualities that we love in Mark and Jennifer's work: Great storytelling with tremendous wit, insight and invention. We believe it can be a signature show for us and CBS," said Kissinger.

The Mysteries of 71st Street follows a young married couple in New York City, as they delve into the mysteries of modern life, both large and small. Described as a cross between Mad About You and Murder, She Wrote, the series is about real people getting pulled into real adventures, in the spirit of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window.

The married team of Levin & Flackett have spent the last few years writing features. These include Drive, which was purchased by producer Scott Rudin and Paramount Pictures. They wrote the screenplay for Tri-Star Pictures' Madeline and Speed Racer for producer Lauren Shuler-Donner and Warner Bros. They have just completed work on Two Weeks In Love, a romantic comedy set at Wimbledon with Hugh Grant attached to star for Working Title Pictures.

In television, Levin worked on the ABC series The Wonder Years, where he was a writer and producer on over fifty episodes. He also co-created and executive produced the Universal Television/Amblin Entertainment series Earth 2 for NBC. Flackett's television credits include the Steven Bochco series Civil Wars and L.A. Law. The team began writing together in 1995, where they co-created the Universal Television pilot Roadie for ABC.

Flackett & Levin are represented by manager Gavin Polone of Hofflund/Polone and agents Nancy Josephson and Paul Hass of ICM and attorney Don Walerstein. Studios USA, a USA Company develops, finances and distributes first-run, network and basic cable product.