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A&E orders American remake of ‘The Returned’

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A&E is set to enter into the well-trod road of loved ones inexplicably coming back from the dead with its American remake of the highly regarded French series, “The Returned.” The channel ordered a 10-episode first season on Tuesday.

Former “Lost” co-showrunner Carlton Cuse and former “True Blood” writer Raelle Tucker are executive producers and writers of the new series, which is expected to begin filming this summer.

The original French series, which has already aired in the U.S. on the Sundance Channel, is set in a small town where the dead former residents are inexplicably returning. No, they aren’t brain-munching zombies. They don’t seem to realize they died, which is the set-up for the creepy twists and turns of the story.

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If that set-up sounds familiar, it’s because ABC recently premiered a limited run series with nearly the exact same premise called “Resurrection.” That series is adapted from a novel by Jason Mott titled, “The Returned.” Got it?

“Resurrection” has performed decently for ABC in the ratings, but there’s no word yet on whether the series will end with the May 4 episode or be renewed for another run of episodes.

Meanwhile, A&E is hoping Cuse is their lucky charm. The writer-producer also helped get the channel’s hit “Bates Motel” off the ground. That series recently got picked up for a third season. And he’s also executive producing “The Strain,” based on the novels co-written by Guillermo Del Toro, at FX.

A second season of the French version of “The Returned” is in production.

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