2015-03-10



This new article will bring you the latest casting news for various pilots as they come in. This replaces the existing daily roundup so that you can see the casting news a lot sooner.

New casting news will be posted at the top and you can click on the [More Info] link to read a bit more about the casting.

For Details of the actual Pilots/Synopsis, see our Pilot Watch.

10th March
[More Info] Tony Rock Joins ABC’s untitled Judah Miller Comedy Pilot
[More Info] Sonia Braga Joins 'The Curse Of The Fuentes Women'
[More Info] Britne Oldford, Sam Page Join ABC’s ‘Mix’
[More Info] Delroy Lindo Joins ABC Pilot ‘Boom’
[More Info] Steven Weber joins CBS Comedy Pilot ‘Joe Time’
[More Info] Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Natalie Morales & William Devane Join Fox Pilot ‘Grinder’
[More Info] Don Johnson joins ABC's drama pilot Boom

9th March
[More Info] Chloe Sevigny, Ted Levine, John Hawkes, Leven Ramblin, Don Harvey and Nathan Keyes Cast In Indie Drama Pilot ‘Dr. Del’
[More Info] Malina Weissman cast as young Supergirl

8th March
[More Info] Alan Van Sprang To Topline ‘Cheerleader Death Squad’, Abbie Cobb To Co-Star

7th March
[More Info] Alexandra Chando to Co-Star in CW's 'Dead People'
[More Info] Jaina Lee Ortiz Lands Female Lead In Todd Harthan Pilot; ‘Ben & Kate’ Star Also Cast
[More Info] David Witts & Lindsay Pearce Join ABC Family Series ‘Recovery Road’
[More Info] Joy Bryant To Co-Star In ABC Pilot ‘The Advocate’; Coby Bell Also Cast
[More Info] Aimee Garcia & Jessika Van Cast In CBS’ ‘Rush Hour’
[More Info] Kelly O’Sullivan Joins CBS’ Dan O’Shannon Pilot
[More Info] Lauren Ambrose To Star In ABC’s 'Broad Squad'; Michael Gaston, Others Also Cast
[More Info] Melanie Griffith To Star In ABC Comedy Pilot About Family With Genius Kids
[More Info] Mark-Paul Gosselaar to Star in NBC's 'People Are Talking'
[More Info] Parminder Nagra Cast In ABC Pilot ‘The Kingmakers’
[More Info] Matthew Lillard To Star In ‘Problem Child’ NBC Pilot
[More Info] Joe Spano Cast In Fox’s ‘48 Hours Til Monday’
[More Info] Daniel Sharman To Star In CBS Pilot ‘LFE’
[More Info] Newcomer Elvy Yost Joins The Catch
[More Info] Lenny Platt Cast In The Adversaries
[More Info] ‘True Blood’s Rutina Wesley To Star In ‘Broad Squad’
[More Info] Supergirl To Square Off Against Iron Man and Star Trek Actor Faran Tahir
[More Info] Kimberley Crossman Joins ‘Fantasy Life’
[More Info] Florence Pugh To Star In Fox’s ‘Studio City’
[More Info] Martha Plimpton To Star In Dan Savage ABC Pilot ‘Family of the Year’
[More Info] Christina Vidal To Star In ‘The Curse Of the Fuentes Women’, Daphne Rubin-Vega Also Cast
[More Info] Ben Hollingsworth Joins ‘Code Black’
[More Info] Charity Wakefield To Star In ‘Endgame’
[More Info] Jack Cutmore-Scott To Play Title Role In Fox Pilot ‘Cooper Barrett’s Guide’
[More Info] Peter Gallagher & Olivia Thirlby Join Fox Pilot ‘Detour’ Inspired By Rivers Cuomo
[More Info] Real-life Siblings Talitha Bateman & Gabriel Bateman Join Mamma Dallas
[More Info] Mia Serafino Cast In Suzanne Martin Pilot
[More Info] Griffin Gluck Joins NBC’s ‘Cuckoo’
[More Info] Olivia Colman, Tom Hollander, Elizabeth Debicki Join AMC’s ‘The Night Manager’
[More Info] Aly Michalka & Maulik Pancholy Join ABC’s Chevy Chase Pilot

5th March
[More Info] Adam Rothenberg To Star In ‘L.A. Crime'
[More Info] Hanna Mangan Lawrence joins CW’s ‘Cordon’
[More Info] Jeanine Mason Joins Fox Pilot ‘Studio City'
[More Info] Meta Golding, Colin Donnell, Monet Mazur Join NBC Pilot ‘Love Is A 4 Letter Word’
[More Info] Ray Winstone to Star in ABC Biblical Drama 'Of Kings and Prophets'
[More Info] Jon Dore Cast As The Lead In ‘The Half Of It’
[More Info] Giovanni Ribisi gets lead in Sneaky Pete
[More Info] Raza Jaffrey To Co-Star In CBS Pilot ‘Code Black’

4th March
[More Info] Andy Mientus Cast In ‘LFE’
[More Info] Anika Noni Rose To Topline ‘For Justice’ CBS Civil Rights Pilot
[More Info] ABC's Shondaland Drama 'The Catch' Casts Newcomer Damon Dayoub as Male Lead
[More Info] Kris Lemche To Star In ‘Tales From The Darkside’ CW Pilot
[More Info] Lina Esco Hellbent For ‘Lucifer’
[More Info] Elliot Knight Joins ‘The Advocate’
[More Info] Peter Riegert Joins Fox’s Dana Klein Pilot
[More Info] Dana Davis Added To ‘Unveiled’
[More Info] Ben Aldridge To Play The Lead In Fox Pilot ‘Detour’, Joey Morgan Also Cast
[More Info] Luis Guzman To Star In CBS’ ‘Code Black'
[More Info] Cody Horn Cast In ABC’s ‘Broad Squad’
[More Info] Holt McCallany To Star In NBC Pilot ‘Warrior’
[More Info] Carrie Preston To Star In Suzanne Martin Empty-Nester NBC Comedy Pilot

3rd March
[More Info] Jon Foo To Play Detective Lee In ‘Rush Hour’ CBS Pilot
[More Info] Mike Epps To Topline ABC Comedy Pilot ‘Uncle Buck’, Nia Long Also Cast
[More Info] Marc Cherry’s CW Pilot ‘Cheerleader Death Squad’ Adds Newcomer Pepi Sonuga
[More Info] Karolina Wydra Boards ABC's 'L.A. Crime' Anthology
[More Info] 'The Originals' Newbie Claudia Black to Co-Star in Julie Plec's CW Pilot Cordon
[More Info] Eddie Izzard, Nadia Alexander & Ismenia Mendes Cast In HBO Pilot ‘The Devil You Know’ From Jenji Kohan
[More Info] Aylin Bayramoglu Cast In CW’s ‘Cheerleader Death Squad’
[More Info] Dan Bakkedahl Joins CBS Pilot ‘Life In Pieces'
[More Info] Dreama Walker Cast In CBS Pilot ‘Doubt’
[More Info] Jake McLaughlin joins ABC's Quantico
[More Info] Fred Savage joins FOX Pilot Grinder
[More Info] Heather Graham Joins Fox’s ‘Studio City’
[More Info] Jacky Ido and Jay Hayden Join ABC's The Catch
[More Info] KaDee Strickland To Topline CBS Pilot ‘Doubt’
[More Info] Jane Lynch To Star In CBS Comedy Pilot ‘Angel From Hell’
[More Info] Jeremy Jordan to Play CatCo Tech Guru in Supergirl
[More Info] Nancy Lenehan & Izzy Watts Join FOX's Dana Klein Pilot
[More Info] Greta Lee Cast As Lead in ‘Sharing'
[More Info] Jason Antoon Cast In ‘46 Percenters’
[More Info] James Remar Joins ‘The Shannara Chronicles'
[More Info] Colton Dunn, Mark McKinney & Nico Santos Join NBC Pilot ‘Superstore’
[More Info] Rob Kazinsky Is Fox’s ‘Frankenstein’ Monster
[More Info] Christine Lahti Joins ABC Pilot ‘The Adversaries’

2nd March
[More Info] Wilmer Valderrama Joins Minority Report
[More Info] Malcolm-Jamal Warner Cast In Fox Comedy Pilot 48 Hours Til Monday
[More Info] The Killing's Mireille Enos To Star in Shondaland's The Catch
[More Info] Christine Woods To Star In NBC’s Aseem Batra Comedy Pilot

1st March
[More Info] Gia Mantegna Cast In ‘Cheerleader Death Squad’
[More Info] Matthew Glave Joins ABC's NBA Pilot

28th February
[More Info] Kim Raver To Topline ABC Drama Pilot The Advocate
[More Info] Colm Feore Joins ‘The Kingmakers’
[More Info] Daniel Stern To Star In ‘Strange Calls'
[More Info] Nazneen Contractor joins The 46 Percenters
[More Info] Mix - Walter Perez joins cast
[More Info] Boom - Rebecca Rittenhouse and India de Beaufort join cast
[More Info] Ving Rhames Joins ABC NBA Pilot
[More Info] Briga Heelan To Star In NBC Comedy Pilot ‘How We Live’
[More Info] Lacey Chabert Joins ABC’s ‘Family Fortune’
[More Info] Elliott Gould Cast In CBS’ Pilot ‘Doubt’
[More Info] Terry O’Quinn Cast As Male Lead In ABC Pilot ‘The Adversaries’
[More Info] Patrick Warburton To Star In Suzanne Martin NBC Comedy Pilot
[More Info] Dave Annable & Melissa George Cast In NBC Pilot ‘Heart Matters’
[More Info] Sarah Chalke To Star In Fox’s ‘48 Hours’

27th February
[More Info] JoAnna Garcia Cast as Female Lead in Tommy Johnagin CBS Pilot
[More Info] Craig Ferguson joins ABC Comedy Pilot ‘The King of 7B’
[More Info] Annie Funke joins CBS’ ‘LFE’
[More Info] Noah Galvin Joins ABC’s Dan Savage Comedy Pilot
[More Info] Supergirl Casts the Heroic Helen Slater and Dean Cain in Top-Secret Roles
[More Info] Tom Ellis Lands Satanic Title Role in Fox's Lucifer
[More Info] Michael Cassidy To Star In Aseem Batra Pilot
[More Info] Sam Huntington joins ‘How We Live’ Pilot
[More Info] Parker Young Cast In ‘Family Fortune’
[More Info] Suzy Nakamura & Tisha Campbell-Martin Cast In ABC Pilot ‘Dr. Ken'
[More Info] Stark Sands To Star In ‘Minority Report’
[More Info] Jack Davenport & Kerri Kenney Cast In HBO’s Sarah Silverman Pilot
[More Info] Brent Sexton Cast In ABC's ‘Runner’
[More Info] Priyanka Chopra Joins ABC’s ‘Quantico';
[More Info] Alison Pill Cast In Jenna Bans ABC Pilot
[More Info] Will Kemp & Connie Nielsen To Co-Star In NBC Pilot ‘Unveiled’
[More Info] Danny Pudi Toplines NBC’s ‘Strange Calls’
[More Info] Joan Allen To Star In Jenna Bans ABC Pilot
[More Info] Chyler Leigh & David Harewood Cast In ‘Supergirl’ Pilot
[More Info] JLo's NBC Cop Drama Shades of Blue Adds Ray Liotta, Drea de Matteo
[More Info] Megan Hilty To Star In Judah Miller Pilot
[More Info] Merrin Dungey joins Fox’s ’48 Hours’
[More Info] Dougray Scott Cast In ABC’s ‘Quantico’
[More Info] James Brolin To Co-Star In CBS Pilot ‘Life In Pieces’
[More Info] Blondy Baruti gets lead in ABC’s NBA Comedy Pilot
[More Info] Brooke Ishibashi cast in ‘People Are Talking’
[More Info] Stacy Keach Cast In Suzanne Martin Pilot
[More Info] Diego Boneta To Co-Star In Fox Series ‘Scream Queens'
[More Info] Margot Bingham joins ABC’s ‘Flesh And Blood’
[More Info] Diane Guerrero Joins CBS’ ‘Super Clyde'
[More Info] 'CSI: Miami's' Adam Rodriguez Books Male Lead in ABC's 'Runner'
[More Info] Meagan Good To Star In ‘Minority Report’ Fox Pilot

Tony Rock Joins ABC’s untitled Judah Miller Comedy Pilot

Rock will play Ty, Gary’s brother-in-law who’s married to his twin sister Susie. A foil to Gary, Ty is oblivious of how he unnerves his brother-in-law.

Source: Deadline

Sonia Braga Joins 'The Curse Of The Fuentes Women'

Braga will play Orquidia, the estranged sister of Esperanza (Ticotin). Orquidia has been harboring an enormous grudge against her sister for decades.

Source: Deadline

Britne Oldford, Sam Page Join ABC’s ‘Mix’

Ravenswood alum Britne Oldford, Sam Page (House Of Cards) and Joaquim de Almeida (Fast Five) have booked regular roles on ABC’s pilot Mix, from Warner Bros. TV and Rashida Jones and Will McCormack’s studio-based Le Train Train. The dramedy explores the realities of modern-day families — multi-cultural, multi-generational, built through divorces, affairs and adoptions — set against the backdrop of a revered family restaurant at a crossroads. Oldford is Remy, who’s trying to stay clean after recently being release prison on a drug charge, but is finding life on the outside tougher than she anticipated. An extremely talented chef, she might be just what her father needs to turn the restaurant around. Page will play James, a recovering addict who is described as a warm, charming and intelligent man. He is immediately intrigued when he meets Remy at a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. De Almeida will play Ray, owner of the popular Austin restaurant.

Source: Deadline

Delroy Lindo Joins ABC Pilot ‘Boom’

Delroy Lindo (Believe) is set to co-star opposite Don Johnson in the ABC drama pilot Boom, from producer Tony Krantz and ABC Studios. Written by Josh Pate and Rodes Fishburne and directed by Jonas Pate, Boom examines the biggest oil discovery in American history — bigger than Texas and as big as Saudi Arabia — which has triggered a geopolitical shift and an economic boom in North Dakota on a scale not seen since the 1849 California Gold Rush. Lindo will play Tip Hamilton, the Sheriff of Williston County, a wise and sly man who has seen it all and is inclined to administer the law as impartially as possible — but with an attitude and edge.

Source: Deadline

Steven Weber joins CBS Comedy Pilot ‘Joe Time’

fter a string of hourlong series, Wings star Steven Weber is returning to his multi-camera camera roots with a starring role in Joe Time, CBS’ multi-camera comedy pilot from Warner Bros. TV and former Modern Family executive producer Bill Wrubel. Directe by veteran James Burrows, who also helmed the Wings pilot 25 years ago, Joe Time centers on Joe (Weber), a family man who struggles with the fact that everyone around him is pursuing their dreams and enjoying their lives more than he is. He’s starting to wonder if he’ll ever be able to follow his own desires, whatever that may be.

Source: deadline

Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Natalie Morales & William Devane Join Fox Pilot ‘Grinder’

Mary Elizabeth Ellis (New Girl), Natalie Morales (Parks & Recreation) and William Devane (24: Live Another Day) will co-star opposite Rob Lowe and Fred Savage in The Grinder, Fox’s comedy pilot from Andrew Mogel, Nick Stoller and Jarrad Paul. Written by Mogel and Paul and directed by Jake Kasdan, The Grinder stars Lowe as beloved TV lawyer Dean Sanderson (aka “The Grinder”). When his long-running hit series comes to an end, he finds himself at a crossroads in life and decides to move back to his small hometown thinking he has the experience to take over his family’s law firm where he butts heads with his brother, Stewart Sanderson (Savage).

Ellis will Stewart’s wife Debbie who dated Stewart’s brother, Dean, back in the day, and he still thinks of her as the one that got away. Morales will play Claire, the paralegal who works at Stewart’s law firm. She has never seen an episode of Dean’s TV show and is unimpressed with his celebrity. Devane will be playing Dean Sr., the sweet, old-fashioned father of Stewart and Dean and head of the family’s law firm. Lowe executive produces alongside Mogel, Paul, Stoller and Kasdan. 20th TV is the studio.

Source: deadline

Don Johnson joins ABC's drama pilot Boom

Don Johnson may be returning to network television: The Miami Vice and Nash Bridges alum has joined the cast of ABC’s drama pilot Boom, EW has learned.

The drama tracks the epic pilgrimage of a young, ambitious couple to the oil fields of the Bakken—the home of the biggest oil discovery in American history—seeking their fortune and a better life, following their trials and tribulations in a modern day “Wild West,” they negotiate a colorful ensemble of roughnecks, grifters, oil barons, criminals, and fellow prospectors against a stark and beautiful backdrop.

Johnson will play Hap Boyd, a mega alpha male oil icon and veteran of the oil wars of the last 40 years where he’s come up a winner in every battle. The patriarch of the Boyd family, Hap is disgusted with his son Wick’s (Scott Michael Foster) lazy worthless life, but has no notion that his rotten brat of a kid would try to steal from him… or worse.

Source: EW

Chloe Sevigny, Ted Levine, Leven Ramblin and Others Cast In ‘Dr. Del’

Katie Jacobs and Nick Wechsler have cast their independently produced medical drama pilot Dr. Del, with Chloe Sevigny (American Horror Story) and Ted Levine (The Bridge) set for co-star opposite star John Hawkes. Also cast in the project, inspired by Peter Hessler’s New Yorker piece “Dr. Don,” are Leven Ramblin, Don Harvey and Nathan Keyes.

Sevingy plays Brandy Sommers, a former ski-champ and the proprietor of the only bar in town who moved to Isotope to escape her colorful past. Levine will play Tanner Doggerty, the mayor of Isotope whose grand vision for the town and himself is at odds with Del’s (Hawkes). Rambin plays Shayna Canyon, Del’s estranged daughter, who is struggling to raise her young son, Stinger, while grappling with addiction. Harvey plays Denny Roper, sheriff of Isotope and Del’s childhood best friend. Keyes plays Cody Roper, Denny’s son and Del’s former son-in-law whom he believes is a bad influence on his grandson, Stinger.

Source: Deadline

Malina Weissman cast as young Supergirl

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Malina Weissman has booked a key role in the network's DC Comics take on Supergirl, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The drama pilot centers on Kara Zor-El (Glee and Whiplash alum Melissa Benoist), Superman's cousin, who was born on the planet Krypton and escaped amid its destruction years ago. After arriving on Earth, Kara was taken in by a foster family, the Danvers, who taught her to be careful with her extraordinary powers (which she shares with her famous cousin).

Weissman, who played the young April (Megan Fox) in TMNT, will guest-star in the pilot as a young version of Kara, confirming speculation that the potential series will flash back to the DC heroine's early years as a child.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

Alan Van Sprang To Topline ‘Cheerleader Death Squad’, Abbie Cobb To Co-Star

Coming off his role as King Henry II on Reign, Alan Van Sprang has been tapped as the lead in another CW/CBS TV Studios drama project, pilot Cheerleader Death Squad. Also cast as a lead in the project, written by Marc Cherry, Neal Baer and Dan Truly and directed by Mark Waters, is Abbie Cobb (Suburgatory). Cheerleader Death Squad, from CBS TV Studios, centers on Stone (Van Sprang), a disgraced CIA agent-turned-history teacher at an elite Washington, D.C. prep school. When he realizes that his students have high-level access through personal connections, he trains three mean girls, Grace (Gia Mantegna), Ursula and Maddie (Cobb), to be his eyes and ears into the world of international espionage and help him earn his way back into the agency.

Source: deadline

Alexandra Chando to Co-Star in CW's 'Dead People'

The CW has found Andrew J. West's Dead People former bride.

The Lying Game star Alexandra Chando has booked a co-starring role on the network's drama pilot Dead People, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

The drama centers on Floyd, a down-on-his-luck, semi-alcoholic but roguishly charming cab driver (The Walking Dead's West) who, after a near-death experience, suddenly has the ability to interact with ghosts, including his late ex-wife who he has never gotten over.
See more The Faces of Pilot Season 2015
Chando will play Pearl, described as perceptive, sweet and funny and a perfect match for Floyd. Unfortunately, she’s dead. Now, she helps him to move on with his life.

Source: THR

Jaina Lee Ortiz Lands Female Lead In Todd Harthan Pilot; ‘Ben & Kate’ Star Also Cast

Jaina Lee Ortiz is set as the female lead opposite Morris Chestnut in Fox’s untitled Todd Harthan drama pilot, a closed-ended procedural written/executive produced by Todd Harthan and directed by Richard Shepard. Also cast in the pilot, produced by 20th TV, is young Ben And Kate star Maggie Elizabeth Jones. It centers on Dr. Beaumont Rosewood Jr. (Chestnut), a gifted, charismatic private pathologist who can read living and dead bodies like a book.

Ortiz, a newcomer out of New York, who got her break when Chris Carter cast her in his Amazon pilot The After, will play Karissa Villa, a former NYPD detective who recently moved back to Miami and ends up helping Dr. Rosewood.

Source: deadline

David Witts & Lindsay Pearce Join ABC Family Series ‘Recovery Road’

ABC Family has rounded out the cast for its drama Recovery Road, which was picked up to series in December. British actor David Witts (EastEnders) has joined as a series regular, and Lindsay Pearce (The Wedding Ringer) has been tapped for a recurring role. Written by Bert V. Royal and Karen DiConcetto based on the popular young-adult novel by Blake Nelson, Recovery Road centers on Maddie (Jessica Sula), a party girl and a highly functioning addict who doesn’t think she has a problem until she’s confronted one day by her school guidance counselor and is forced to choose between expulsion and rehab. Maddie makes the difficult decision to live with other recovering addicts at a rehab facility, while facing the daily pressures of her teenage life.

Witts will play Craig, the counselor at Springtime Meadows, though not a recovering addict himself. He might come off as absent-minded, but nothing gets past Craig, and he’s an effective counselor who really cares about his patients. This was a guest star/recurring role in the pilot but was changed to regular for the series. Pearce is Rebecca. She and Maddie grew up together and once were very close. Rebecca now blames Maddie for everything that’s gone wrong in her life, since Maddie was the one who revealed that Rebecca had an addiction.

Source: deadline

Joy Bryant To Co-Star In ABC Pilot ‘The Advocate’; Coby Bell Also Cast

Parenthood‘s Joy Bryant is set as the co-lead opposite Kim Raver in the ABC drama pilot The Advocate. Also cast in the project, from Sheldon Turner and Jennifer Klein’s Vendetta Prods. and Warner Bros TV, is Burn Notice and The Game alum Coby Bell.

Written by Turner and directed by Michael M. Robin, The Advocate was inspired by the real story of former talent agent Byrdie Lifson-Pompan, who teamed with Valerie Ulene, a medical doctor and a health education specialist, to launch a healthcare consulting company. It centers on Francis “Frankie” Reese (Raver), a tough, resourceful, type-A businesswoman at the top of her game who has a medical scare and experiences firsthand the hazards of our healthcare system. Shocking her friends and family, she leaves her career behind, becoming instead a brilliant and relentless advocate for anyone caught in the chaotic and ever-changing maze that is modern medicine. Bryant plays Frankie’s partner, Dr. Ryan Clarke, a brilliant doctor who meets Frankie by chance, helps her out of a tight spot and subsequently opens a patient advocacy firm with her hard-driving new friend. Bell plays Chris, who is trying to keep the medical firm afloat. And Freddie Thorpe was cast as Frankie’s son.

Source: deadline

Aimee Garcia & Jessika Van Cast In CBS’ ‘Rush Hour’

Dexter alumna Aimee Garcia is set to co-star opposite Jon Foo in CBS’ hourlong pilot Rush Hour. Also cast in the project, based on the hit movie franchise, is Jessika Van.

Written/executive produced by Bill Lawrence and Blake McCormick and directed/exec produced by Jon Turteltaub, the pilot centers on Lee (Foo), a stoic, by-the-book Hong Kong police officer assigned to a case in Los Angeles, where he’s forced to work with Carter, a cocky black LAPD officer who has no interest in a partner. Garcia will play Didi Diaz, a sergeant with the LAPD who chose to leave the streets once she became a mom. Didi is Carter’s former partner who knows him better than most people and is not afraid to call him out. Van will play Det. Lee’s (Foo) younger sister Kim, one of the few female officers with the Hong Kong Police Department.

Source: deadline

Kelly O’Sullivan Joins CBS’ Dan O’Shannon Pilot

Kelly O’Sullivan (Sirens) is set as a lead in CBS’ untitled comedy pilot from former Modern Family executive producer Dan O’Shannon and writer Peter Warren (Happyland). It revolves around a group of friends and family at three different times in their lives. O’Sullivan will play Katie, a fun, feisty and likable woman who’s been a fireball her entire life. She is soon to be married, and we see her throughout the vibrant and wild days of her past.

Source: deadline

Lauren Ambrose To Star In ABC’s 'Broad Squad'; Michael Gaston, Others Also Cast

ABC has set the four leads in its period female-cop procedural drama pilot Broad Squad, with the last one going to Lauren Ambrose, currently seen in USA’s limited series DIG. Also cast in the pilot, written by Bess Wohl and directed by Coky Giedroyc, are Michael Gaston (The Mentalist), Kenneth Mitchell (Jericho) and Alberto Frezza.

Broad Squad, from Kapital Entertainment, Fake Empire and ABC Studios, is a fictionalized account of the graduating class of Boston’s first female patrol officers in 1978. The project centers on four newly minted cops — Eileen (Ambrose), Molly (Charlotte Spencer), Lisa (Cody Horn) and Joanne (Rutina Wesley) — who arrived at a tumultuous time in the city’s history and have to navigate rival neighborhoods as well as the conflicting attitudes toward them.

Gaston plays Capt. Donahue, who oversees his boys’ club precinct with a take-charge affability, clearly amused and annoyed by the intrusion of four female rookie cops. Mitchel plays Jim Pearce, a police officer, now sidelined due to an injury, and Eileen’s supportive husband. Frezza plays Officer Frank, a rookie cop on the BPD, a charming ex-high school football star who “found a higher calling.”

Source: deadline/a>

Melanie Griffith To Star In ABC Comedy Pilot About Family With Genius Kids

Melanie Griffith is set to co-star in ABC’s untitled Molyneux comedy pilot (formerly The Brainy Bunch), from Imagine TV and 20th TV. The single-camera project, written/executive produced by Wendy & Lizzie Molyneux and directed by Jamie Travis, is inspired by the book by Kip and Mona Lisa Harding. Through a combination of genetics and dynamic home schooling, Kip and Mona Lisa Mitchell find themselves raising extraordinarily intelligent kids. Griffith will play Mona Lisa’s mom Celeste, a former pageant queen who has graciously invited her daughter’s family to live with her in Orange County.

Source: deadline

Mark-Paul Gosselaar to Star in NBC's 'People Are Talking'

Mark-Paul Gosselaar is returning to NBC.

The Franklin & Bash star — and Saved by the Bell alum — has booked the leading role in NBC's comedy pilot People Are Talking, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

From Growing Up Fisher's DJ Nash, the multicamera comedy will examine sex, race and everything else your parents told you never to talk about.
Gosselaar will star as Mitch, a neurotic guy who tends to overthink things, which is completely offset by his optimism, humor and likability.
Mitch is a college ethics professor, which may explain why he
goes through life with a heightened attention to justice. Mitch knows he can't change the world, but he's determined to alter his corner of it.

Source: THR

Parminder Nagra Cast In ABC Pilot ‘The Kingmakers’

The Blacklist alumna Parminder Nagra has joined the cast of the ABC drama pilot The Kingmakers. Written and executive produced by Sallie Patrick, Kingmakers, from ABC Studios, centers on Eli, a young man whose sister Julia is found dead during her freshman year at an elite Ivy League university. He adopts a new identity to infiltrate the school and its century-old secret society – consisting of privileged students, ambitious faculty and high-profile alums – in order to investigate her death.

Nagra will play Radha, a beautiful British professor who is framed for supplying Julia with drugs and disposing of her body after her overdose. Radha calls Eli to warn him that Julia was murdered and to give him the information and contacts he needs to assume a new identity. She is fighting not only to save her own skin but to uncover the intricate web of lies and trail of trouble.

Source: deadline

Matthew Lillard To Star In ‘Problem Child’ NBC Pilot

Matthew Lillard is set as the male lead opposite Erinn Hayes in Problem Child, NBC’s single-camera comedy pilot inspired by the 1990 Universal Pictures/Imagine feature that starred John Ritter and Amy Yasbeck as a couple conned into adopting a troubled 7-year-boy who wreaks havoc in their lives and leaves a path of destruction anywhere he goes. The TV adaptation, written by Scot Armstrong, is described as a family show about the cat-and-mouse game between a set of parents and their brilliant but mischievous child. Lillard has been cast as the dad, a role played in the movie by Ritter.

Source: deadline

Joe Spano Cast In Fox’s ‘48 Hours Til Monday’

Joe Spano (NCIS) has booked a regular role in Fox’s single-camera comedy pilot 48 Hours ‘Til Monday, written/exec produced by Charlie Grandy. 48Hours, from Universal TV, chronicles husband and father of three Charlie’s (Rob Riggle) desperate struggle not to let every weekend go completely to hell. Spano will play Doug McGill, Louise’s (Jane Curtin) husband. They are living at Kelly (Sarah Chalke) and Charlie’s (Riggle) house until he’s recovered from a back injury and can go back to work

Source: deadline

Daniel Sharman To Star In CBS Pilot ‘LFE’

Teen Wolf star Daniel Sharman has been cast as a lead in the CBS medical drama pilot LFE, from The Dan Jinks Co. and CBS TV. Written/co-executive produced by Paul Downs Colaizzo, LFE is described as a high-octane medical procedural revolving around second-year residents at New York City’s top hospital as they attempt to balance their god complexes with their humanity. Sharman will play Joe, a good-hearted, expertly talented surgical resident.

Source: deadline

Newcomer Elvy Yost Joins The Catch

Newcomer Elvy Yost (Old Boy) has booked a regular role in ABC drama pilot The Catch, from ABC Studios and Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland. Written and executive produced by Jennifer Schuur based on the novel by Kate Atkinson, The Catch centers on Alice (Mireille Enos), who is about to get married to Kieran (Damon Dayoub) and about to get conned. Unbeknownst to her slippery fiancé, our heroine — who investigates fraud for a living — is not all she claims to be. And when Kieran’s expertly planned con collides with her perfectly constructed lies, they plunge into a dangerous game of cat and mouse. Yostwill play Maria, who loves her job at Meyer, Morrison and Rose, and despite the fact that her mom keeps sending her job posts for big law firms, is happy exactly where she is.

Source: deadline

Lenny Platt Cast In The Adversaries

Lenny Platt (One Life To Live) has joined the cast of ABC drama pilot The Adversaries, from ABC Studios and writer/executive producer David Zabel and ABC Studios, It centers on the patriarch of a New York legal dynasty, Charles Fisher (O’Quinn), who becomes embroiled in a trial of his own, and his federal prosecutor daughter must decide which side she will fight on. Platt will play Danny, the smart, energetic, high strung, straight out of Queens attorney and devoted employee. Platt recurred on How To Get Away With Murder.

Source: deadline

‘True Blood’s Rutina Wesley To Star In ‘Broad Squad’

Rutina Wesley, coming off playing Sookie’s best friend Tara on True Blood for seven seasons, has been cast as one of the four leads in ABC’s period female-cop procedural drama pilot Broad Squad, written by Bess Wohl and directed by Coky Giedroyc. A fictionalized account of the graduating class of Boston’s first female patrol officers in 1978, the project centers on four newly minted cops — Eileen, Molly (Charlotte Spencer), Lisa (Cody Horn) and Joanne (Wesley) — who arrived at a tumultuous time in the city’s history and have to navigate rival neighborhoods as well as the conflicting attitudes toward them from everyone.

Source: deadline

Supergirl To Square Off Against Iron Man and Star Trek Actor Faran Tahir

Faran Tahir, recognizable to fans of Iron Man and Star Trek, has joined the cast of CBS' in-production Supergirl pilot, ComicBook.com has learned.

Tahir is playing The Commander, an alien military expert leading the forces aligned against Supergirl.

That is, he is an alien who is also a military expert. Start your engines speculating who he might be. While nobody springs immediately to mind, it's hard to imagine that some of the characters from recent storylines like "New Krypton" and "H'El on Earth" won't be getting a good, long look from fans in the coming days and weeks.

In the "New Krypton" storyline, she foiled an assassination attempt made by Commander Gor, a member of the Kryptonian Military Guild in Kandor, against Labor Guild member Tam-Or.

Tahir is a prolific talent, having appeared on The West Wing, JAG and in Elysium, among others. He's a guest star in the pilot, with the possibility to become recurring on Supergirl.

Source: ComicBook.com

Kimberley Crossman Joins ‘Fantasy Life’

Kiwi actress Kimberley Crossman has booked a series regular role in Fox’s multi-camera/hybrid pilot Fantasy Life, written by Tim McAuliffe based on the memoir by one of U.S.’ top fantasy experts, ESPN’s Matthew Berry. When a hard-working guy, Mitch (Kevin Connolly) lands his ultimate dream job hosting a fantasy football show, he’s forced to navigate office politics while becoming the star he never thought he could be. Crossman will play Summer Dale, the daughter of the network president, who’s gotten her the job as host of Mitch’s (Connelly) new Fantasy Football league on Fox.

Source: deadline

Florence Pugh To Star In Fox’s ‘Studio City’

UK native Florence Pugh has been cast as the female lead opposite Eric McCormack in Fox’s family dramedy pilot Studio City, written by Krista Vernoff and directed by Sanaa Hamri. Inspired by Vernoff’s real-life experience growing up as the daughter of a drug dealer to the stars, Studio City is set in present-day Studio City, CA and tells the story of a young singer’s path to stardom, as she comes of age living with her songwriter father Rob (McCormack) — who turns out to be a drug dealer to the stars.

Pugh will play Cat, a rising singer/songwriter whose life has been a celebration of dysfunction – with her mother an unstable alcoholic and her father (McCormack) a drug-dealing musician. She’s a survivor, though, and somehow has managed to keep her sense of humor, her romanticism and her dreams alive, despite it all.

Source: deadline

Martha Plimpton To Star In Dan Savage ABC Pilot ‘Family of the Year’

Raising Hope star Martha Plimpton is back on pilot duty with another role as a mom in a single-camera family comedy. Plimpton is set as a lead in ABC’s Family Of The Year. Written by David Windsor and Casey Johnson loosely based on the life of gay activist and author Dan Savage, Family Of The Year revolves around the O’Neals, a seemingly perfect All-American family. When the youngest son, Kenny (Noah Galvin), comes out of the closet, all the family secrets are revealed and the family proves to be quite typical and not so perfect. Plimpton plays Danny’s mom, Eileen, who appears to be the perfect mom in every way. She’s very proud of her family however, in actuality, her marriage is on the rocks and her life hasn’t been all that easy and fun.

Source: deadline

Christina Vidal To Star In ‘The Curse Of the Fuentes Women’, Daphne Rubin-Vega Also Cast

Christina Vidal is set as a lead in The Curse Of The Fuentes Women, NBC‘s drama pilot from Warner Bros TV. Also cast in the project, written/executive produced by Silvio Horta and directed by Jason Ensler, is Daphne Rubin-Vega (Smash).

Daphne Rubin VegaWhen a magical and mysterious young man (Adan Canto) inexplicably emerges from the ocean, he breathes new passion into the lives of the Fuentes women – the beautiful but lonely Lola (Vidal), her ailing mother Esperanza (Rachel Ticotin) and her troubled daughter Soledad (Katie Sarife). Lola has given up on love and dedicated herself to caring for her daughter Soledad, her mother Esperanza and their floundering family restaurant – until a mysterious stranger enters her life, opening up a world of possibilities. Rubin-Vega, who originated the role of Mimi Marquez in the Broadway musical Rent, plays Remelda, a Santeria priestess who lives with and acts as an adviser to Orquidia, Esperanza’s estranged sister.

Source: deadline

Ben Hollingsworth Joins ‘Code Black’

Ben Hollingsworth (Cult, The Tomorrow People) has booked a regular role in CBS pilot Code Black. The medical drama, written by Michael Seitzman and directed by David Semel, is based on Ryan McGarry’s feature documentary. It is set in the busiest and most notorious ER in the nation and revolves around four residents who are getting their first taste of ER medicine and the medical staff who mentor, teach and terrify them. Hollingsworth will play Mario, an eager, cocky new resident in the ER.

Source: deadline

Charity Wakefield To Star In ‘Endgame'

Charity Wakefield (The Raven) has landed the female lead opposite Philip Winchester and Wesley Snipes in NBC drama pilot Endgame, written by John Rogers and directed by Bharat Nalluri for Davis Entertainment and Sony TV. Described as a high-octane thriller set in the high-stakes world of Las Vegas, it centers on Alex (Winchester), a former intelligence officer turned security expert who is drawn into a mysterious conspiracy that forces him to complete a series of heroic challenges in order to save innocent lives. Wakefield will play Cassandra, a rule-breaker who aids Alex in his quest even as she manipulates him for her own secret agenda. A whip-smart tech genius with her own history in the intelligence and counter-terrorist world, she is far more dangerous than she at first appears to be.

Source: deadline

Jack Cutmore-Scott To Play Title Role In Fox Pilot ‘Cooper Barrett’s Guide’

Jack Cutmore-Scott, who starred in the Fox comedy pilot Cabot College last year, has been cast by the network as another comedy pilot lead. The young Broadway actor has landed the title role in single-camera Cooper Barrett’s Guide To Surviving Your 20s, from 20th Century Fox TV and Gail Berman’s the Jackal Group. Written by Jay Lacopo, Cooper Barrett’s Guide celebrates the mistakes and misadventures of post-college life. It centers on 26-year-old Cooper Barrett (Cutmore-Scott), who, during a particularly disastrous experience, decides it’s time somebody let the under-20 crowd know about the unexpected challenges of life after college.

Source: deadline

Peter Gallagher & Olivia Thirlby Join Fox Pilot ‘Detour’ Inspired By Rivers Cuomo

Peter Gallagher and Olivia Thirlby will co-star opposite Ben Aldridge in Fox’s single-camera comedy pilot Detour, from 20th Century Fox TV.

Inspired by the real-life story of Weezer lead singer Rivers Cuomo, Detour centers on Michael Sturges (Aldridge), a charming rock star who made the unexpected choice at age 30 to quit his band and go back to college. Gallagher plays the notorious Professor Zaring, while Thirlby plays Gabrielle, his confident teaching assistant. The pilot was written by Psych creator Steve Franks and will be directed by The Wedding Ringer’s Jeremy Garelick. Franks, Cuomo, Dan Field, Chris Henze and Willie Mercer executive produce.

Source: deadline

Real-life Siblings Talitha Bateman & Gabriel Bateman Join Mamma Dallas

Real-life siblings Talitha Bateman and Gabriel Bateman have booked regular roles opposite Augustus Prew in Mamma Dallas, HBO’s comedy pilot by Enlightened creator Mike White. Written, directed and executive produced by White, the half-hour project follows a conservative family in Texas who unwittingly hire a hard-living drag queen, Liberty (Prew), as their live-in nanny. The siblings play the children who are cared for by Liberty.

Source: deadline

Mia Serafino Cast In Suzanne Martin Pilot

Mia Serafino has booked a role in NBC’s untitled multi-camera Suzanne Martin pilot, from Hazy Mills and Universal TV. It chronicles how things backfire for recent empty-nesters Mike Gunn (Patrick Warburton) and Martina Gunn (Carrie Preston) when their children and their parents move back home. Serafino will play Stella, a charming, struggling actress.

Source: deadline

Griffin Gluck Joins NBC’s ‘Cuckoo’

Griffin Gluck (Red Band Society, Back In The Game) has been cast opposite Flula Borg in NBC’s comedy pilot Cuckoo, an adaptation of the breakout BBC Three comedy series, which starred Andy Samberg. NBC’s Cuckoo is the story of a middle-class family whose daughter comes back from a summer abroad married to a charming but infuriating eccentric named Cuckoo (Borg), much to her father’s annoyance. Gluck will play Dylan, Ken and Lori’s youngest child that has completely embraced life in his older sister’s shadow though he still holds it against her every chance he gets.

Source: deadline

Olivia Colman, Tom Hollander, Elizabeth Debicki Join AMC’s ‘The Night Manager’

Olivia Colman (Broadchurch), Tom Hollander (Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest) and Elizabeth Debicki have joined the cast of AMC’s The Night Manager, the television adaptation of John Le Carre’s espionage drama. AMC co-produces with BBC and The Ink Factory on the miniseries that is set to begin filming this spring. Colman, Hollander and Debicki join previously announced Hugh Laurie and Tom Hiddleston. Susanne Bier is directing from a script by David Farr.

The first television adaptation of a le Carré novel in more than 20 years, The Night Manager mini-series will bring together love, loss and revenge in a complex story of modern criminality. It follows former British soldier Jonathan Pine (Hiddleston) who is recruited by an intelligence operative named Burr (Colman) to navigate the shadowy recesses of Whitehall and Washington where an unholy alliance operates between the intelligence community and the secret arms trade. To infiltrate the inner circle of lethal arms dealer Richard Onslow Roper (Laurie), which includes girlfriend Jed (Debicki) and an associate named Corcoran (Hollander), Pine must himself become a criminal.

Source: deadline

Aly Michalka & Maulik Pancholy Join ABC’s Chevy Chase Pilot

Aly Michalka (Two And A Half Men) and 30 Rock alum Maulik Pancholy are set to co-star opposite Chevy Chase in ABC’s comedy pilot toplined by the Saturday Night Live alum. The project, from Brad Copeland, Kapital Entertainment and ABC Studios, centers on a baby boomer couple (Chase, Beverly D’Angelo) who are fun, relevant and living a selfish retirement when their world is turned upside down and they are suddenly left to raise their grandchildren. Michalka plays the couple’s sourpuss daughter Molly; Pancholy is Molly’s medical student boyfriend. Also cast in the pilot is Grace Kaufman (Bad Teacher) as one of the grandchildren.

Source: deadline

Adam Rothenberg To Star In ‘L.A. Crime'

Ripper Street star Adam Rothenberg is set as a lead in ABC’s drama pilot L.A. Crime, from ABC Studios and Mandeville. Also cast fainin the character-driven “true-crime” procedural is Holley Fain (Grey’s Anatomy). Written by Steven Baigelman and directed by Tom Shankland, L.A. Crime explores sex, politics and popular culture across various noteworthy eras in Los Angeles history. In the first installment, L.A. Crime: The Sunset Strip, two LA cops, Jack Roth (Rothenberg) and Paco Contreras, will be searching for a Bonnie & Clyde-esque serial-killing team amid the coke-infused rock ‘n’ roll, revelry of the 1980s Sunset Strip. Fain plays Roth’s loving and protective wife.

Source: Deadline

Hanna Mangan Lawrence joins CW’s ‘Cordon’

Hanna Mangan Lawrence (Spartacus) has joined the cast of the CW drama pilot Cordon, from Warner Bros TV. Written by The Vampire Diaries and The Originals showrunner Julie Plec based on a Belgian format and directed by David Nutter, Cordon chronicles the aftermath of a deadly epidemic outbreak in Atlanta. Lawrence will play Teresa, a pregnant teenager eager to escape her mother’s judgment by running away with her boyfriend, she just misses her opportunity to leave the quarantine zone.

Source: Deadline

Jeanine Mason Joins Fox Pilot ‘Studio City'

Jeanine Mason (Bunheads) has been cast in Fox’s family dramedy pilot Studio City, written by Krista Vernoff and directed by Sanaa Hamri. Inspired by Vernoff’s real-life experience growing up as the daughter of a drug dealer to the stars, Studio City is set in present-day Studio City, CA, and tells the story of a young singer’s path to stardom as she comes of age living with her songwriter father Rob (Eric McCormack) — who turns out to be a drug dealer to the stars. Mason will play Zoe, Stevi

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