Fox Orders ‘Zoobiquity’ Medical Procedural Drama Pilot

UPDATED: Fox has given a pilot order to Zoobiquity, a light medical procedural based on the best-selling book of the same name by Dr. Barbara Natterson-Horowitz and Kathryn Bowers.

Written by Bones executive producers Stephen Nathan and Jon Collier, the project follows the unlikely pairing of a successful, driven cardiologist as she risks career suicide by teaming with a socially-challenged veterinarian who relates better to animals than people. They try to put aside their competitive natures to cure the incurable using a unique blend of cross-species medicine that’s never been tried before.

Collier and Nathan executive produce alongside Spencer Medof. Natterson-Horowitz and Bowers serve as producers. 20th Century Fox TV is the studio.

Fox originally set out to develop Zoobiquity, which channels the tone of its long-running light procedural Bones, during the 2014-15 season with Nathan and Collier writing/exec producing and Medof exec producing. The script had a penalty attached but didn’t go to pilot.

The network brought the project back this development season with a new writer, Satisfaction creator Sean Jablonski. Nathan, Collier and Medof remained on board. I hear Jablonski and the producers parted ways amicably midway through the development process, and Nathan and Collier wrote the revamped script that got the pilot order.

Collier serves as co-showrunner on Bones alongside fellow exec producer Michael Peterson. The two succeeded Nathan in the role. Fox is expected to decide soon on the future of the veteran procedural, now in its 11th season.