Lifetime has greenlit the two-hour original movie-backdoor pilot Sworn to Silence, starring Neve Campbell (Scream, Party of Five). The show revolves around a peaceful Amish farming community of Painter’s Mill, Ohio. That peace is shattered when a series of brutal murders leaves the town with a sense of frailty and loss of innocence.
Among the most affected by the tragedy was Kate Burkholder (Campbell), a young girl who survived the terror and, as a result, left the Amish life behind. Fifteen years later, Kate returns to the town as its Chief of Police. Certain she’s come to terms with her past, Kate’s renewed life in her hometown is shattered when a murder investigation triggers deep-seated emotions from her childhood and exposes dark secret that could destroy her.
Based on the book by Linda Castillo, Sworn to Silence will be executively produced by Barbara Lieberman (Lifetime’s upcoming The Pregnancy Project, Murder in the Hamptons) and Poppy Montgomery (Lifetime’s Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story, Unforgettable), co-executive produced by Campbell, directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal (Girl Fight, Homegrown) and written by Mark Malone (Law & Order: Criminal Intent).
Additionally, Campbell has entered into a development deal with Lifetime involving scripted dramas and original movies.
In August, Lifetime also picked up the original one-hour series The Client List, starring and executive produced by Jennifer Love Hewitt, to launch next year. Based on the network’s hit 2010 original movie, the series is about a Texas housewife (Hewitt), who, after being deserted by her husband, is left in deep financial straits and takes a job at a seemingly traditional day spa where massages aren’t the only services on the menu but she partners with the parlor’s owner to run the business.
