20th Television is developing an untitled young adult drama series written by playwright Kimberly Belflower. The project follows a teenage girl's summer awakening amid a church scandal and her first job at a waterpark. Kim Rosenstock will serve as showrunner and executive producer.
20th Television has acquired an untitled YA drama series penned by Kimberly Belflower, known for her play John Proctor Is The Villain. The story centers on a sheltered teenage girl in the rural South who turns 16 and undergoes a significant personal awakening during the summer. She deals with a scandal unfolding at her local church while starting her first job at a waterpark, where she meets a new circle of friends. There, she grapples with romantic feelings for a troubled local boy and an newcomer from the city, symbolizing opportunities beyond her hometown.
Kim Rosenstock, whose credits include Dying for Sex, New Girl, and Only Murders in the Building, is attached as showrunner and executive producer. Thomas Kail and Jennifer Todd will also executive produce through their company Old 320 Sycamore. For 20th Television, Chloe Hales and Mia Del Duca are overseeing the development.
This project reflects a broader movement in television to draw from the character-focused narratives of contemporary playwrights. Belflower's acclaimed play John Proctor Is The Villain offers a sharp examination of teenage girlhood and is currently being adapted into a feature film at Universal Pictures by Tina Fey and Marc Platt. Rosenstock similarly transitioned from theater—writing the play Tigers Be Still—to successful TV series such as Glow and Only Murders in the Building. Such backgrounds may lend the series authentic, emotionally deep characters, distinguishing it from typical teen dramas.
