Mila Kunis and Reese Witherspoon both sell mystery shows to ABC

By Sam Barsanti  |  October 15, 2015 | 1:23am
Aux Features TV

Outside of Battle Of The Network Stars (which hasn’t been on TV in a long time), it’s rare to see celebrities forced to compete against each other. Sure, people who get nominated for awards are sort of competing, but award winners are usually chosen by judges or voters, so you can’t really use them to determine which celebrity is objectively the best. However, ABC seems to have hit upon an idea that will actually work: Order two similar shows from two separate celebrities at the same time, and then whichever one lasts the longest is the winner.

Evidently, that’s exactly what the network is doing with Mila Kunis and Reese Witherspoon. According to The Hollywood Reporter, ABC has picked up a pair of projects from both Kunis and Witherspoon, with both shows being described as “mystery thrillers.” Kunis’ is an adaptation of Raymond Benson’s Black Stiletto books, which are about a young woman in the ‘50s who becomes a masked vigilante. She’s one of the executive producers, with Lost writer Javier Grillo Marxuach handling the script.

Witherspoon’s show is reportedly a “romantic mystery” about the relationship between a billionaire who was recently acquitted for the murder of his wife and “the female detective who almost succeeded in putting him away.” It’s still untitled, but we’d suggest something soapy like “Crimes Of Passion.” Witherspoon will executive produce, and Rob Long (Cheers and Sullivan & Son) will write the script.

As you can see, both of these shows are pretty evenly matched, so whichever celebrity’s show can outlive the other—even if neither goes to series—will mean that celebrity is objectively superior. Vote in the comments if you’re #TeamKunis or #TeamWitherspoon!

 
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