NBC Orders Miniseries from 'Other Desert Cities' Playwright Jon Robin Baitz

NBC has ordered eight episodes of the miniseries "The Slap," adapted by 'Other Desert Cities' playwright Jon Robin Baitz. The project is based on the critically-acclaimed Australian project of the same name that aired in 2011.

Written by Baitz ("The West Wing," "Brothers & Sisters") the show will be produced by Universal Television. "The Slap" is a complex family drama that explodes from one small incident where a man slaps another couple's misbehaving child. This seemingly minor domestic dispute pulls the family apart, begins to expose long-held secrets, and ignites a lawsuit that challenges the core American values of all who are pulled into it.

Baitz, who was a Pulitzer finalist for his semi-autobiographical play "A Fair Country," will write all episodes and executive produce with Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, Ted Gold and Tony Ayres. Baitz received a 2012 Tony Award nomination for Best Play for Broadway's Other Desert Cities.

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