Showtime greenlights pilot from 'In Treatment' writer and creator

Showtime has granted a pilot order to a provocative relationship drama entitled The Affair.

Based on an original concept (I know, I gasped too) by In Treatment's writer Sarah Treem and creator Hagai Levi, The Affair recounts the illicit relationship that develops between Noah, a married father of four, and Allison, a married woman mourning the loss of her child, after a chance meeting at the beach. The show will explore their extra-marital relationship and its effect on the two families it disrupts, with the story told from the male and female perspectives separately.

Mark Mylod (Shameless, Entourage) will direct the pilot from a script penned by Treem. Levi serves as an executive producer.

Showtime has already ordered two drama pilots from big-name creative teams this season. Written by Paul Attanasio (Donnie Brasco, Homicide: Life on the Street) with the legendary Ridley Scott attached to direct, The Vatican is described as a contemporary thriller about spirituality, power, and politics set against the modern-day political machinations within the Catholic Church.

The other Showtime pilot is a "psychosexual" horror series from Skyfall writer John Logan and director Sam Mendes entitled Penny Dreadful, which gathers together some of literature's most terrifying characters in Victorian London. This one was ordered straight to series due to the concept and the names attached.

Which of these three projects sounds most interesting to you?