Tony Winner Glenn Close to Star in Amazon Pilot SEA OAK

Amazon today announced THE LINEUP for its forthcoming fall pilot season which will debut on November 10th in over 200 countries and territories exclusively on Amazon Prime Video for all customers to stream. The new pilots include SEA OAK, based on a short story of the same name from creator and award-winning author George Saunders (Lincoln In The Bardo). The pilot stars two-time Tony Award winner Glenn Close (SUNSET BOULEVARD, BARNUM, DEATH AND THE MAIDEN) and is directed by Hiro Murai (Atlanta), and executive produced by Jonathan Krauss and showrunner Evan Dunsky (Nurse Jackie)

Also on tap for the pilot lineup is Love You More from creators Bridget Everett (Patti Cake$), Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City, The Comeback, 2 Broke Girls), Bobcat Goldthwait (God Bless America) and Carolyn Strauss (Treme); and The Climb, created by a fresh, powerful new voice, Diarra Kilpatrick (American Koko, The Last O.G.), directed by Chris Robinson (The New Edition Story, Star) with showrunner Christina Lee (Search Party, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp).

Since Amazon Prime Video's expansion to more than 200 countries and territories around the globe last December, customers from all over the globe can now stream the latest pilots. Amazon customer feedback on pilots has helped make some of the most critically-acclaimed and popular series to date, including multi Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning series Transparent, multi Golden Globe-winning series Mozart in the Jungle, and the most-streamed scripted Amazon Original Series ever by Prime members globally, The Man in the High Castle, winner of two Emmys. All pilots will be available via the Amazon Prime Video app for compatible TVs, connected devices and mobile devices, or online at Amazon.com/amazonvideo.

"We're excited about, and committed to, telling diverse and risky stories from the best storytellers in the world," said Joe Lewis, Head of Comedy, Drama and VR, Amazon Studios. "We can't wait for customers to see these incredible new universes from Diarra, Bridget, Michael and George."

Amazon's upcoming half-hour pilots include:

SEA OAK is a genre-bending comedy from renowned author and creator George Saunders (Lincoln in the Bardo), starring Emmy-winner Glenn Close (Damages, The Wife), directed by Golden Globe-winner Hiro Murai (Atlanta) and executive produced by Jonathan Krauss through his Affiliated Pictures banner. Murai will also serve as an executive producer as well as Evan Dunsky (Nurse Jackie). Lael Smith and Keir McFarlane serve as co-executive producers. Aunt Bernie, a working-class woman in a Rust Belt city (meek, unmarried, no kids), dies tragically in a home invasion. Compelled by sheer force of dissatisfaction, she comes back from the dead full of rage, determined to get the life she never had. She proceeds to inflict a range of demands on what's left of her nuclear family (a quasi-stripper nephew and two feckless nieces), who live in a low-end subsidized hellhole of a housing complex called Sea Oak. Sea Oak is from Amazon Studios.

THE CLIMB: From creator and star Diarra Kilpatrick (American Koko, The Last O.G.) and The Mark Gordon Company comes a comedy about the new American Dream set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing Detroit. The Climb follows an office assistant who seeks an extraordinary life through internet fame, with her best friend always in tow. Chris Robinson (The New Edition Story, Star) directed the pilot, which shot on location in Detroit. Christina Lee (Search Party, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp) served as showrunner on the pilot episode. The Mark Gordon Company (Designated Survivor, Ray Donovan) is producing and serving as the studio on the project along with Amazon Studios.

LOVE YOU MORE stars New York City cabaret sensation Bridget Everett (Patti Cake$) as Karen Best, with Bobcat Goldthwait (God Bless America) directing and Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City, The Comeback, 2 Broke Girls) showrunning. Karen Best is a big girl with a big personality and a big love of Chardonnay, which occasionally causes her to make some big mistakes with men. But the biggest thing about Karen is her big heart, which she uses to excel at her job as a counselor at an independent living residence for young adults with Down syndrome. And sometimes, Karen's need to stand up for all the little people in life manifests into a fantasy rock music number, where we discover she also has a big and beautiful voice. Love You More is from MPK Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and Amazon Studios. King, Goldthwait, Strauss and Everett co-wrote the pilot. King and Goldthwait serve as executive producers, and Everett is co-executive producer.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos