‘Law & Order: SVU’ Producer Developing ‘Serial Killer Whisperer’ at NBC

The network has given a script order to the drama project based on the upcoming book about traumatic brain injury survivor Tony Ciaglia. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

BY LESLEY GOLDBERG OCTOBER 12, 2011 7:00PM

NBC is expanding its Law & Order universe with consulting producer Judith K. McCreary.

The network has given a script order to Serial Killer Whisperer, an hourlong drama project loosely based on the life of traumatic brain injury survivor Tony Ciaglia.

The character-driven project with procedural elements will revolve around a fictional version of Ciaglia, who after suffering a traumatic brain injury that renders him incapable of judging or feeling repulsion winds up becoming a confidant to convicted serial killers.

Ciaglia’s story is the subject of Pete Earley’s The Serial Killer Whisperer: How One Man’s Tragedy Helped Unlock the Deadliest Secrets of the World’s Most Terrifying Killers, which Simon & Schuster unit Touchstone will publish in January.

McCreary has been with NBC’s long-running Law & Order: SVU for the past eight years, serving as a co-EP, writer and supervising producer and will adapt the Universal Television project.

Beyond SUV, McCreary’s credits include serving as a co-EP on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Criminal Minds.

The project comes as SVU is the only remaining piece of Dick Wolf’s franchise still on the air. The procedural is airing its 13th season – and first without original star Christopher Meloni – and showing signs of ware, averaging 7.6 million viewers per week, down from last year’s 8.84 million average.

McCreary is repped by ICM, Darryl Taja and attorney Phil Klein. Ciaglia is repped by manager Al Ciaglia and attorney Stephanie Schroeder.