AMAZON orders TV Pilots from ‘X-FILES’ CREATOR CHRIS CARTER & ‘THE WIRE’ writer

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Amazon continues to attempt to bring original content to their streaming service that comes with Amazon Prime. Ya’ll know they’re staring at Netflix’s success and just self-flaggelating in a puddle of their own existence. Their newest attempt features a pilot from my boy Chris Carter.

Amazon Studios has ordered pilots for two hour-long dramas, as the company’s instant video service looks to compete with the wild success of Netflix series like House of Cards. One series, The After, will have its pilot written and directed by Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files. As you might imagine, the series will include mysterious elements, though Amazon isn’t saying much else just yet. “It’s more fun if it’s kept a mystery!” Carter says in a statement. “So let me just say that this is a show that explores human frailty, possibility, terror, and the triumph of the human spirit.”

The second series, Bosch, is based on a best-selling detective series by Michael Connelly, which follows an LAPD homicide detective named Harry Bosch. Connelly will be a writer on the pilot alongside Eric Overmyer, who has previously written for The Wire. The series will follow Bosch as he stands trial for murder while continuing the chase after the killer of a 13-year-old.

Both series fall far outside of Amazon Studio’s scope so far, which has been a mix of comedies and children’s shows. But Amazon is likely eager to receive the same type of accolades that Netflix has for original dramas — something that would greatly help to legitimize it as a production company and streaming platform. Amazon is also rumored to be working on an hour-long period drama set in Los Angeles in 1910. Rumor of the period drama comes from Deadline, which accurately broke stories on both The After andBosch months before Amazon’s announcement today, so there’s a good chance that it really is on the way.

[The Verge]