David E. Kelley moves to WBTV
Writer/producer finalizes three-year pact
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Word first emerged last week that Kelley -- whose deal with 20th is up shortly -- was chatting with Warner Bros. about a potential move; Warner Bros. TV confirmed Monday that it had finalized a three-year overall development and production pact with the prolific, Emmy-winning scribe-producer.
Pact, valued around eight figures, spans drama and comedy projects, as well as nonscripted and digital, for both broadcast and cable television.
Kelley has long had a close relationship with Warner Bros. TV prexy Peter Roth, who previously ran 20th in the early- to mid-1990s when Kelley's career was taking off with "Picket Fences" and "Chicago Hope." Roth was also head of programming at Fox Broadcasting Co. in the late 1990s when Kelley scored there with "Ally McBeal."
"From our days together working on 'Picket Fences' to 'The Practice,' from 'Chicago Hope' to 'Ally McBeal,' his creative vision and leadership are virtually unparalleled," Roth said.
Kelley has been affiliated with 20th Century Fox TV since the mid-1980s, when he began his TV writing career as a scribe on NBC's "L.A. Law." Kelley said he was "thrilled to be reuniting with Peter Roth" but that the move was bittersweet.
"I am also saddened, however, to be leaving Twentieth, the only studio I have worked at for 22 years," he said. "Through various regimes, there was never a single day that I was not treated exceptionally well."
In a joint statement, 20th Century Fox TV chairs Dana Walden and Gary Newman said both sides were parting ways "on the very best of terms."
Kelley continues to exec produce ABC's "Boston Legal" through 20th; show was picked up for one final, 13-episode season. Providing one of the more dramatic negotiations during this month's upfronts, Kelley secured the pickup in exchange for giving up rights to "Life on Mars," the new Alphabet drama produced by 20th and ABC Studios. Kelley's future credit on the show is still being ironed out.
Kelley has won 10 Emmy Awards through his career, and he's the only producer ever to score Emmys for both comedy and drama in the same year -- 1999, when both "The Practice" and "Ally McBeal" won.
It's unclear whether David E. Kelley Prods. will continue at its Manhattan Beach HQ beyond production on "Boston Legal's" final 13 segs. Shingle's lease with Raleigh Manhattan Beach Studios is up in January.
