NBC, heady with the long unfamiliar smell of success, is snatching up projects, most recently jumping onto the fantasy train by finalizing a deal for Wonderland, executive produced by CSI creator Anthony Zuiker.  Wonderland is a drama set in the years after the events in Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland book, and is said to focus on Alice and a new character, Clara.

Elsewhere, the CW has picked up the J.J. AbramsKen Olin and Bryan Burk-produced project Electropolis, described as an undercover cop show meets (in my own interpretation) Skins.  For more on both of these projects and why every network seems primed to have an Alice in Wonderland story next year, hit the jump.

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There are elements of Wonderland that sound an awful lot like ABC's Once Upon a Time.  According to one description of the plot:

"Seven years ago, Clara’s life took an unexplained turn for the worse, and a mysterious stranger tells her there may be an explanation after all… an explanation that lies in the fantastical world of Wonderland. To revive her dreams and get her life back on track, Clara must wage war against Wonderland’s reigning Queen, the woman we once knew as Alice."

According to Zuiker, he sees his screenwriting partner Whit Anderson as "a true visionary," and is extremely excited about the re-imagining of the character of Alice.

The CW has its own Alice in Wonderland project in development called Wunderland, a contemporary view of Alice from McG and Chad Hodge, based on the Wonderland graphic novels.  And speaking of Once Upon A Time earlier, that series has also featured Alice themes as well.

As for Electropolis and Abrams' busy executive producing schedule (though for once this series has absolutely nothing in common, seemingly, with anything Abrams usually does, so we can be thankful for a lack of "this is the new Lost!" references), Abrams is sharing the load with Olin, with whom he worked with on the ABC series Alias (and who is also set to direct).  Abrams recently extended his deal with Warner Bros TV through 2012, so look for more projects from him to surface soon.

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