NTSC USER

CBS has ordered new sci-fi drama Extant to series.

The project - from Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television - will bypass a pilot order and shoot 13 episodes.

Extant is a futuristic thriller about a female astronaut trying to reconnect with her family when she returns after a year in outer space.

Her experiences lead to events that ultimately will change the course of human history.

Spielberg will serve as an executive producer for the series, which will be distributed worldwide by CBS Studios International.

"Extant is a very original concept with layers of humanity, mystery and surprise that reveal [themselves] throughout the script," said Nina Tassler, President of CBS Entertainment.

The series will premiere in summer 2014, with CBS hoping to replicate the success of this year's summer ratings hit Under the Dome.

"Our partnership with Amblin for Under the Dome showed that viewers respond to high-quality event programming in the summer," Tassler continued.

"We look forward to building on that with Extant and offering CBS audiences another high-concept, unique event for summer television."