I swear this next sentence is true and not the result of a Mad Lib: The CW is developing a “hyper-stylized, gritty adaptation” of Little Women with Michael Weatherly (NCIS) executive producing. Whatever you’re about to say, I KNOW.


Here’s the synopsis, according to Deadline:

Written by [Alexis] Jolly, Little Women is described as a hyper-stylized, gritty adaptation of the 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott, in which disparate half-sisters Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy band together in order to survive the dystopic streets of Philadelphia and unravel a conspiracy that stretches far beyond anything they have ever imagined – all while trying not to kill each other in the process


Yes, remember the conspiracy at the center of Little Women? And the part where the sisters try to kill each other? AND PHILADELPHIA AS THE SETTING? If you changed the names and asked someone what famous book this was based on, no one would be able to tell you.



There is every chance that this will be good on its own, so long as you divorce it entirely from the work it’s “based” on. We’ve seen that happen before. Who knows. It’s the CW, and they’re pretty good at this kind of show.

I’d also like to congratulate Jolly and Weatherly — getting from Little Women to this concept took a lot of creativity. Giant, steaming piles of it.

Contact the author at katharine@io9.com .