Cinemax is moving to add to its original programming lineup with a pilot order for the William Petersen hitman drama Hurt People. The CSI veteran will both executive produce and star in the pilot, which had been shopped around to cable networks due to its “dark tone”. It could certainly help Cinemax in its efforts to create a new image as a serious contender in cable programming.
Deadline points out that Hurt People is actually the first ever pilot order for Cinemax, whose other original programming has always gone straight to series. Hurt People will focus on a Hollis Brown, a hitman played by Petersen, who works for the very crime family who killed his wife and have employed him to hunt down his own daughter and cut off her search for vengeance in her mother’s death. Talk about a conflict of interest in the workplace.
The pilot was written by Peter MacManus, a former production exec for AMC, and he’ll also be on board to produce. I expect we’ll get further casting news on this one in the near future. This project has the potential to be big news for Cinemax if it goes forward to series. Petersen is a major name, and international star, and he adds some serious weight to the network’s bid to be counted among the real players in original programming on cable. His nine years on CSI made him a household name and a worldwide star, so bringing him back to television for the first time is definitely a coup for Cinemax.
