Billy Joel anthology TV series is in the works

The Hollywood Reporter

MGM Television is teaming with Universal Music Publishing Group and Billy Joel for a scripted "arc-thology" series inspired by his music, titled Scenes From an Italian Restaurant. "The show, which takes its title from Joel's favorite song from his sizable catalog, will see each episode based on lyrics of his hits and populated by characters from his songs, including 'The Stranger,' the 'Piano Man,' 'Mamma Leone' and 'Sgt. O'Leary,'" reports The Hollywood Reporter's Lesley Goldberg. "The tracks will be reimagined and rearranged by Joel's music team — with his input — and take his tunes in new directions." The potential series will be shopped to networks. This will mark the first time that an artist's entire catalog will be the basis for a TV series. (Last season, ABC rejected a pilot based on John Mayer's song "Heart of Life.") "Billy Joel is a beautiful storyteller, and it just so happens that his stories are accompanied alongside remarkable songs," says Steve Stark, MGM TV president of development and production. "This series is going to focus less on Billy's life and more on the stories inside his catalog of classic songs."