Freeform Picks Up THE WATCHFUL EYE Drama Series

Freeform has ordered new scripted series, "The Watchful Eye," from Ryan Seacrest Productions. It is created by Julie Durk ("Grace and Frankie"), who also serves as consultant. Emily Fox ("Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist") is showrunner and executive producer. Ryan Seacrest Productions' Ryan Seacrest, Nina Wass, Andrea Shay and Jeffrey Reiner serve as executive producers with Reiner ("Dirty John") directing the pilot. The series is produced by ABC Signature.

"The Watchful Eye" follows Elena Santos, a young woman with a complicated past, maneuvering her way into working as a live-in nanny for an affluent family in Manhattan. She quickly learns that everyone in the mysterious building has DEADLY SECRETS and ulterior motives. What they DON'T know, however, is that Elena has some shocking SECRETS OF her own.

"I'm incredibly excited about this series because it presents a contemporary twist on the classic mystery and thriller genre," stated Jamila Hunter, EVP of Programming and Development for Freeform. "Julie, Emily and everyone on the team have created a surprising world of haves and have-nots that's perfect for Freeform's audience."

"We are so excited to be working with our partners at Freeform and ABC Signature on 'The Watchful Eye,' an updated twist on a classic Hitchcockian thriller featuring an empowered female lead who's got an ax to grind," say Fox, Wass and Shay. "An elegant New York City apartment building called The Greybourne provides a backdrop where nothing is as it seems and where the palace intrigue has an undercurrent of terror. Elena Santos is very much a force to be reckoned with, and the Manhattan POWER PLAYERS who underestimate her may soon realize they've met their match. In this day and age, who doesn't secretly long to eat the rich?"

"The Watchful Eye" cast is led by Mariel Molino ("Promised Land") who plays Elena Santos, a bright, savvy young woman hired as the live-in nanny to a wealthy widower and his young son. When Elena moves into The Greybourne, a landmark Manhattan apartment building, she quickly learns about the complex politics among its wealthy inhabitants and a history riddled with mystery and tragedy.

Luckily, Elena is more than equipped to handle anything that comes her way on her own terms. Warren Christie ("The Village") plays Matthew, a self-made architect dealing with grief and confusion over his wife's death and its impact on his young son. Kelly Bishop ("Gilmore Girls") portrays Mrs. Ivey, a lifelong resident of The Greybourne who rules the roost and is accustomed to getting her way through a potent combination of wealth, power and sheer force of will.

Additional cast includes Amy Acker ("The Gifted") as Tory, a woman who instantly dislikes the fresh-faced, eager young nanny hired by her handsome brother-in-law, Matthew. Jon Ecker ("Firefly Lane") stars as Scott, Elena's sharp and cunning boyfriend who has helped arrange for Elena to get a live-in job at The Greybourne.

Lex Lumpkin ("All That") portrays Elliott, a precocious teenager who lives in The Greybourne and strikes up an instant friendship with Elena. Henry Joseph Samiri ("The Bold and the Beautiful") as Jasper, Matthew's son, an intelligent but withdrawn child still reeling from the recent death of his mother. Aliyah Royale ("The Walking Dead: The World Beyond") rounds out the cast as Ginny, who works alongside Elena as a nanny and is one of the few people who can get past her new friend's tough outer shell.

Freeform's distinct brand of coming-of-age programming helps to position it as the No. 1 primetime cable network in entertainment among Adults, Women and Men 18-34 in the 2021/2022 TV season to date. Connecting to audiences with its bold original programming and immersive social engagement, Freeform channels the force and momentum of its young adult audience in its quest for progress with authentic, groundbreaking original series such as Emmy®-nominated "grown-ish," "Good Trouble," "Motherland: Fort Salem," "Single Drunk Female" and "Cruel Summer," which was the No. 1 new cable drama of 2021 among Women 18-34. Last year, Freeform aired four of the Top 15 scripted cable original series among Women 18-34 - more than any other network, with "grown-ish" ranking as cable's No. 1 live-action comedy series of the year in the demo.

One of the Disney Television Studios, ABC Signature produces many of ABC Entertainment's most significant hits, including "Grey's Anatomy," and "Station 19"; co-productions "The Good Doctor," "A Million Little Things," "The Rookie," "The Rookie: Feds" and "Home Economics," and late-night talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" ABC Signature's returning and upcoming series include "grown-ish" "The Watchful Eye" and "Everything's Trash" for Freeform; "The Wilds" for Amazon and "Godfather of Harlem" for EPIX; "Bad Sisters" and "Five Days at Memorial" for Apple; "Reasonable Doubt" and "This Fool" for Hulu. For streaming service Disney +, series include "The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers," "Big Shot" and the upcoming "National Treasure: Edge of History" and "Muppets Mayhem."

Ryan Seacrest Productions (RSP) is an Emmy-winning entertainment production company, founded by Seacrest in 2008. RSP produced the E! hit cable series "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and its spin-offs, as well as the new Hulu series "The Kardashians." The production company has a lengthy resume of other projects including Netflix's "Insatiable," NBC's drama series "Shades of Blue," "E! Live from the Red Carpet," and Bravo's "Shahs of Sunset." The company also produced the Emmy Award-winning reality series "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution."

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