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What if the colonies lost the War of Independence in 1783, and there was no United States? That’s the premise behind The Thirteen, a new series in development for ABC, according to a report at Deadline.

The series is set today, but “takes place in a world in which the colonies lost their bid for independence, and America is still fighting the British for freedom”. It is the brainchild of producer  Allison Shearmur, and writers Jim Agnew & Sean Keller.

Alternate histories have been a cornerstone of literary fiction for many years, but aren’t as commonplace on television – in recent times, Fringe showed an alternate world, and Heroes’ Peter Petrelli could alter past and future events while of course Star Trek has its “mirror universe” (although there are multiple explanations as to when that diverged from “our” history). The Thirteen is closest in concept to The Two Georges, the novel by Harry Turtledove and Richard Dreyfuss.