Development News - March 3, 2015
ABC's The Adversaries, L.A. Crime, Quantico & Uncle Buck; CBS' Angel From Hell, Doubt, Life In Pieces, Rush Hour & Supergirl; The CW's Cheerleader Death Squad & Cordon; FOX's Frankenstein, The Grinder, Studio City & Untitled Dana Klein; HBO's The Devil You Know; and NBC's Sharing & Superstore.
ABC's THE ADVERSARIES
- Emmy winner Christine Lahti (Chicago Hope, Hawaii Five-0) has been cast on the drama pilot written by David Zabel. She will play Katherine, the sexy, strong, sensitive, witty and tough estranged wife of Charlie (Terry O'Quinn). She brings his estranged daughter back into the fold of Fisher, Fisher and Herrero to lead the team to prove Charlie's innocence. Devastated by the loss of her son, she refuses to talk about him, even though he is constantly on everyone's mind. A former litigator herself, Katherine also holds a grudge against Charlie for his affairs over the years.
CBS' SUPERGIRL
- Smash alum Jeremy Jordan will appear on the drama pilot starring Melissa Benoist. He will play Winslow "Winn" Schott, a superstar IT whiz who works alongside Kara (Benoist) at CatCo.
FOX's FRANKENSTEIN
- Rob Kazinsky (True Blood) has landed the lead role on the drama pilot written by Rand Ravich. He will play Ray Pritchard, a morally corrupt retired cop who is given a second chance at life when he is brought back from the dead. The "monster" is athletic, strong and handsome - the reanimated version of a much older Pritchard, a former Marine who was recently murdered. Pritchard's body may be new, but his mind is still that of a 75-year-old, badass curmudgeon.
CBS' DOUBT
- KaDee Strickland (Private Practice) is set as the lead on the drama pilot written by Tony Phelan and Joan Rater. Also cast on the pilot today is Dreama Walker (Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23). Strickland will play Sadie, a smart, chic, successful defense attorney at a boutique firm who shockingly gets involved romantically with one of her clients who may or may not be guilty of a brutal crime. Walker will play Tiffany, a smart, hard-working second year associate from Iowa.
NBC's SUPERSTORE
- Colton Dunn, Mark McKinney and Nico Santos have joined the cast of the comedy pilot written by Justin Spitzer. Dunn will play Garrett, the often-sarcastic narrator of the piece who frequently shares his philosophical insights and wry comments over the store intercom. McKinney will play Gleen, the intensely religious store manager of Cloud 9 who isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. Santos will play Mateo, a brown-noser from an impoverished background with 11 brothers and sisters, who believes this job will take him to the top.
NBC's SHARING
- Greta Lee (New Girl, Girls) has booked the female lead on the comedy pilot written by Jeremy Bronson. She will play Heidi Salazar, the face of Giftr who is desperate for the app to make Wired magazine so she doesn't have to go back to her old accounting job.
FOX's UNTITLED DANA KLEIN PROJECT
- Nancy Lenehan and Izzy Watts have been cast on the comedy pilot starring Jenna Elfman. Lenehan will play Anita, mother to Matt (Matt Letscher) and Jack (Brian Austin Green) who is often the unwitting participant in a battle of wills between her sons' wives (Elfman, Liza Lapira). Watts will play Frankie, Ellen and Matt's daughter.
CBS' ANGEL FROM HELL
- Glee star Jane Lynch has signed on as one of the two leads on the comedy pilot written by Tad Quill. She will play Amy, a larger-than-life, brassy and flamboyant woman who enters Allison's life claiming to be her guardian angel - although it's unclear if she is really an angel or just nuts.
FOX's STUDIO CITY
- Heather Graham (Californication) will co-star on the drama pilot starring Eric McCormack. She will play Stevie, Rob's (McCormack) third wife. A former stand-up comedian, she is generous and kind, with the mind of a teenager, filled with passionate ideas - just not very good ones.
ABC's QUANTICO
- Believe star Jake McLaughlin has been tapped for a regular role on the drama pilot written by Joshua Safran. He will play Ryan, an athletic, charming, charismatic, smart, honest and direct guy who hooks up with Alex (Priyanka Chopra) when the two meet on a flight to Washington, D.C., but he's not the veteran returning home he claims to be to her.
FOX"s THE GRINDER
- Fred Savage (The Wonder Years) is returning to TV - after focusing on directing for the past decade - with a role on the comedy pilot starring Rob Lowe. He will play Stewart Sanderson, Dean's (Lowe) hard-working younger brother who is constantly in his shadow. When Dean returns home looking for a new direction in life, everyone is dazzled by his charm and celebrity - except Stewart, whose nerves are quickly frazzling. But when Dean preempts an eviction case and makes it a cause celebre, Stewart is outraged by Dean's effrontery.
CBS' LIFE IN PIECES
- Dan Bakkedahl (Legit, The Mindy Project) has been cast on the comedy pilot written by Justin Adler. He will play Tim, who does his best to navigate the politics of his wife's (Betsy Brandt) family, mostly by sticking his foot in his mouth.
THE CW's CHEERLEADER DEATH SQUAD
- Aylin Bayramoglu (The Glee Project) has landed a regular role on the drama pilot written by Marc Cherry, Neal Baer and Dan Truly. She will play Fatima, the lonely girl at school that no one seems to notice.
HBO's THE DEVIL YOU KNOW
- Eddie Izzard, Nadia Alexander and Ismenia Mendes have been cast on the drama pilot (formerly New World) written by Jenji Kohan, Bruce Miller and Tracy Miller. Izzard will play Thomas Putnam, the conservative, rigid and devoutly Puritan patriarch of the powerful Putnam family. He is a leader in agrarian Salem Village, but his top position is being threatened from many sides. Alexander will play Ann Putnam Jr., a bright and ambitious who is unsure of her role as a woman in this world but determined to discover her place in it. Mendes will play Mercy Lewis, a captured servant girl from Maine who must summon her inner resources.
THE CW's CORDON
- Claudia Black (Farscape, The Originals) has joined the cast of the drama pilot written by Julie Plec. She will play Dr. Sabine Lommers, representing the department of health and human services, she is the face of the government's response. Determined to keep the public from panicking, she battles not only the deadly disease but the public's perception as well.
ABC's L.A. CRIME
- Karolina Wydra (True Blood, House) will co-star on the drama pilot written by Steven Baigelman. She will play Diane, a beautiful, resilient detective working undercover as a barmaid on the Sunset Strip.
ABC's UNCLE BUCK
- Mike Epps (Survivor's Remorse) and Nia Long (The Divide) have been tapped to play the lead roles on the comedy pilot written by Steven Cragg and Brian Bradley. Epps will play Buck Russell, a childish man who learns how to be an adult by taking care of his brother Will's kids in a very childish way. Long will play Will's strong-willed and smart wife.
CBS' RUSH HOUR
- Jon Foo (Tekken) is set as one of the two leads in the series adaptation of the movie. He will play Detective Lee, a top detective with the Hong Kong police department, a dedicated professional and master martial artist, a man of few words who knows how to get the job done.
