Football Wives
Encyclopedia
Football Wives is a television pilot
developed for U.S. television network ABC
, which would have aired in the fall 2007 season had it been picked up for a series order. The show is based on the successful British
television series Footballers' Wives
(though it features American football
rather than the British original's association football), and follows the dramatic private lives of the players from the fictional NFL team the Orlando
Stingrays. The pilot was written by Marco Pennette
and directed by Bryan Singer
.
Though ABC did not pick up Football Wives when the network announced its 2007-2008 line-up on May 15, 2007, a June 28, 2007 article in the The Hollywood Reporter
reported that production company ABC Studios had extended its options on the show's cast, and suggested the possibility that the network might have still been interested in the series. The Reporter also speculated that Football Wives had a chance for pickup by another network, with NBC
and FOX
reportedly interested.
Football Wives was one of at least six pilots turned down by ABC, and reportedly "tested very well with women and only so so for the men."
, speculated that Football Wives was not picked up due to potential conflicts with the National Football League
. ABC's sister network ESPN
carries Monday Night Football
, and itself dropped a similar series called Playmakers
after an 11-episode run in 2003.
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
developed for U.S. television network ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, which would have aired in the fall 2007 season had it been picked up for a series order. The show is based on the successful British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television series Footballers' Wives
Footballers' Wives
Footballers' Wives is a British television drama surrounding the fictional Premier League Association football club Earls Park F.C., its players, and their wives. It was broadcast on the ITV network from 8 January 2002 to 14 April 2006...
(though it features American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
rather than the British original's association football), and follows the dramatic private lives of the players from the fictional NFL team the Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
Stingrays. The pilot was written by Marco Pennette
Marco Pennette
Marco Pennette is an American television producer and screenwriter.-Early life:Pennette was born and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut where he grew up loving theatre: "I want to go into theatre; TV sort of lured me away." He attended New York University where he studied at the Tisch School of the...
and directed by Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer is an American film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and superhero genres for his work on the X-Men films and Superman Returns.-Early life:Singer was born in New...
.
Though ABC did not pick up Football Wives when the network announced its 2007-2008 line-up on May 15, 2007, a June 28, 2007 article in the The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
reported that production company ABC Studios had extended its options on the show's cast, and suggested the possibility that the network might have still been interested in the series. The Reporter also speculated that Football Wives had a chance for pickup by another network, with NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
reportedly interested.
Football Wives was one of at least six pilots turned down by ABC, and reportedly "tested very well with women and only so so for the men."
NFL controversy
A number of websites, including the British media website Digital SpyDigital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
, speculated that Football Wives was not picked up due to potential conflicts with the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. ABC's sister network ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
carries Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
, and itself dropped a similar series called Playmakers
Playmakers
Playmakers is an American television series that aired on ESPN from August 26, 2003 to November 11, 2003. It depicted the lives of the Cougars, a fictional professional football team in an unidentified city. The show starred Omar Gooding, Marcello Thedford, Christopher Wiehl, Jason Matthew Smith,...
after an 11-episode run in 2003.
Cast and characters
The pilot's cast includes:- Gabrielle UnionGabrielle UnionGabrielle Monique Union is an American actress and former model. Among her notable roles is as the cheerleader opposite Kirsten Dunst in the film Bring it On. Union starred opposite Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the blockbuster film Bad Boys II and played a medical doctor in the CBS drama...
as Chardonnay Lane - Brian J. WhiteBrian J. WhiteBrian Joseph White is an American actor, dancer, football player, lacrosse player, stock broker and youth activist.-Personal life:...
as Kyle Jameson - Lucy LawlessLucy LawlessLucy Lawless, MNZM is a New Zealander actress and singer best known for playing the title character of the internationally successful television series Xena: Warrior Princess....
as Tanya Austin - Kiele SanchezKiele SanchezKiele Michelle Sanchez is an American actress who stars in the A&E Network drama The Glades. Previously she starred as the second-eldest Sorelli sister, Anne, a therapist in her mid-twenties, in The WB's comedic ensemble drama, Related. She was cast as a co-star in the third season of the ABC...
as Donna Reynolds - Eddie CibrianEddie CibrianEdward Carl "Eddie" Cibrian is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as Cole Deschanel on Sunset Beach, Jesse Cardoza in CSI: Miami, Jimmy Doherty on Third Watch and Russell Varon in Invasion.-Early life and career:...
as Jason Austin - Ving RhamesVing RhamesIrving Rameses "Ving" Rhames is an American actor best known for his work in Bringing Out the Dead, Pulp Fiction, Baby Boy, Don King: Only in America, and the Mission: Impossible film series.-Early life and education:...
as Frank Wallingford - James Van Der BeekJames Van Der BeekJames William Van Der Beek, Jr. is an American television, film, and stage actor, known for his portrayal of Dawson Leery in The WB series Dawson's Creek...
as Brian Reynolds - Arielle KebbelArielle KebbelArielle Caroline Kebbel is an American model and actress. Arielle is perhaps best known for her roles in films such as American Pie Presents: Band Camp, John Tucker Must Die, Vampires Suck, and Aquamarine, as well as TV series including The Vampire Diaries, Gilmore Girls, and Life Unexpected, on...
as Nicole Holt - Holly Robinson-Peete as Jackie Jameson
- Christopher McDaniel as Sal Biagi
- Annette Chavez as Yolanda
- Sarah RaffertySarah RaffertySarah Gray Rafferty of New Canaan, Connecticut is an American television and film actress. She is known mainly for her roles as Dr. Casey Matthews in the short-lived 2003 science fiction TV series Tremors, and for her more recent role as Donna, a main character on the USA Network legal drama Suits...
as Kelly Cooper - Kelly MonacoKelly MonacoKelly Marie Monaco is an American model, actress, reality television contestant and winner of Dancing with the Stars in Season 1. She is well known for playing the character of Sam McCall on the soap opera General Hospital, a role she originated in 2003.-Modeling:In April 1997, Monaco became the...
as Ruby Munroe - Joel MichaelyJoel MichaelyJoel Michaely is an American actor and film producer.He has appeared in such films as Can't Hardly Wait, But I'm a Cheerleader, Ghost World, The Rules of Attraction, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Cruel World, Factory Girl and Itty Bitty Titty Committee. On television, Michaely has appeared in Unhappily Ever...
as Simon Sills - Spencer GarrettSpencer GarrettSpencer Garrett is an American actor who has appeared in television programs, television films, films, and a few blockbuster productions like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Public Enemies, and Air Force One....
as Coach Hicks