ABC has given its first series order for the 2020-2021 season to a drama from David E. Kelley.

Titled “The Big Sky,” the series is described as a procedural thriller about private detective Cassie Dewell, who partners with ex-cop Jenny Hoyt on a search for two sisters who have been kidnapped by a truck driver on a remote highway in Montana. But when they discover that these are not the only girls who have disappeared in the area, they must race against the clock to stop the killer before another woman is taken. It is based on the C.J. Box book “The Highway.”

Kelley will serve as writer and executive producer on the series, with Ross Fineman and Box also executive producing. The show will be produced by A+E Studios and 20th Century Fox Television.

Although Kelley cut his teeth on broadcast television — having created critically-acclaimed shows like “The Practice,” “Chicago Hope,” “Ally McBeal,” and “Boston Public” — he has mostly been working in premium cable for the past several years. He developed the Emmy-winning HBO series “Big Little Lies” and also developed and served as showrunner on the Audience Network series “Mr. Mercedes.” He most recently developed and serves as showrunner on the upcoming HBO series “The Undoing,” which reunites him with “Big Little Lies” star and executive producer Nicole Kidman. He also co-created the Amazon streaming series “Goliath” starring Billy Bob Thornton.

He is repped by Gendler & Kelly. Box is repped by APA and Ann Rittenberg Literary Agency.

Until now, ABC was the only broadcaster to not have handed out a series order for next season. Among the shows already ordered for next season is “Young Rock” at NBC, based on the early life of Dwayne Johnson, as well as “Superman & Lois” at The CW. ABC has ordered six pilots to date with two comedies and four dramas. Among those is sequel series to the classic drama “Thirtysomething” and “Rebel,” which is based on the career of Erin Brockovich with Katey Sagal attached to star.