EPIX Makes Original Series Splash With Adaptation Of 'Get Shorty'

While film-to-TV adaptations have had a mixed level of success, that's not stopping the major networks from trying to find one that connects with audiences.

The latest network to give it a shot will be Epix with "Get Shorty." Based on the 1995 film (which itself was based on a novel by the late literary great Elmore Leonard), the series will center on a mobster who tries to leave the criminal life behind and start fresh in Hollywood, only to find that he just brought the chaos with him.

Davey Holmes, who currently executive produces "Shameless" and in the past has worked on "In Treatment," "Pushing Daisies" and "Damages" is behind the new show, which has a eye on a summer 2017 debut.

"Get Shorty" is the third order in the original series field by Epix, which is looking to move beyond being a movie-only network. Executives had previously ordered "Belin Station" and "Graves" from studio siblings Viacom (NYSE: VIA)'s Paramount and Lions Gate (NYSE: LGF). "Shorty" completes the tri-fecta as it hails from MGM.

Epix is a joint venture between the three studios.