Hi everyone, below you'll find all the casting announcements for the new pilot season. We'll try our best to keep this updated with all new casting as quickly if possible. If you find any that aren't posted, please do submit them in.
The latest pilot castings will be posted at the top.
The Great Indoors - Christine Ko Joins Cast
Christine Ko has been cast opposite Joel McHale in The Great Indoors, CBS‘ multi-camera pilot written and executive produced by Mike Gibbons. The project, from CBS TV Studios, centers on Joel (McHale), an adventure reporter who must adapt to the times when he becomes the boss to a group of millennials in the digital department of the magazine.
Ko will play Emma,the magazine’s millennial social media expert who views Joel (Joel McHale) as an out-of-touch relic from another time. Ko, repped by Abrams Artists Agency and Arsonhouse, recently appeared in HBO’s Ballers.
Source:
Deadline
Recon - Yasmin Kaur Barn Cast in Lead Role
EXCLUSIVE– Yasmin Kaur Barn has landed a leading role in the Fox TV drama Recon, the first Fox pilot order from an outside studio (Warner Bros TV) this season. Recon is about a rookie FBI agent who embeds herself in a suspected terrorist family. Barn will play the role of Oshin.
Recon is written by The Vampire Diaries exec producer Caroline Dries and exec produced by TVD co-developers/exec producers Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. Dries wrote the script and is exec producing with Williamson and Plec through Warner Bros. TV and Williamson’s Outerbanks Entertainment.
Source:
Deadline
Superior Donuts - David Koechner & Sarah Stiles Join Cast
The Office alum David Koechner, Rules of Engagement alumna Megyn Price and Sarah Stiles have been tapped for co-starring roles opposite Brian d’Arcy James and Jermaine Fowler in Superior Donuts, CBS’ multi-camera comedy pilot written by Bob Daily and Neil Goldman & Garrett Donovan and directed by James Burrows.
Superior Donuts follows the relationship between the owner of a donut shop, Arthur (James), his new young employee, Franco (Fowler), and their patrons in a gentrifying neighborhood of Chicago.
Koechner will play Tush, Arthur’s most loyal customer, who comes in every morning for breakfast and often stays through lunch and dinner, occupying his regular stool at the counter. Price is Randy, a sarcastic and matter-of-fact street cop. Superior Donuts is part of her beat.
Stiles will play Dana, a professor at nearby Loyola University with a weakness for jelly donuts and a soft spot for Arthur and her fellow patrons.
Source:
Deadline
Still Star Crossed - Ebonée Noel Joins Cast
Tottance Coombs is segueing from one costume drama set in 16th century Europe to another. The Reign co-star has been cast in Still Star Crossed, ABC’s Romeo & Juliet sequel drama pilot from Shondaland. Also cast in the project, written by Heather Mitchell, are Wade Briggs (Home and Away) and Ebonée Noel.
Newcomer Noel will play Livia, protagonist Rosaline’s sister. She is a stunning beauty in a more conventional way than her sister, but not as smart.
Source:
Deadline
Still Star Crossed - Torrance Coombs, Wade Briggs & Medalion Rahimi Join Cast
ABC's Romeo and Juliet follow-up is beginning to take shape.
Reign star Torrance Coombs and Home and Away's Wade Briggs have nabbed key roles in the network's Shondaland drama pilot Still Star-Crossed, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Based on the book by Melinda Taub, the period drama picks up where Romeo and Juliet left off, charting the treachery, palace intrigue and ill-fated romances of the Montagues and Capulets in the wake of the young lovers’ tragic fate.
Coombs — who has starred for three seasons as Bash on The CW's Reign — will exit the drama at season's end and take on the role of Count Paris, who is described as ""your basic Prince Charming."" The Count of Mantua, he is betrothed to marry Juliet — whom he's never met — and is saddened when she dies. The character is rumored to be the show's central villain.
Briggs, meanwhile, is set as the male lead of Benvolio Montague, the dark, dangerous and handsome guy who is able to play both the good and bad guy. The character believes no good will come from mixing Montague and Capulet blood. He's Lord Montague's nephew and is betrothed to marry a woman he doesn't love — though that is called off because of his bad behavior. He agrees to look after Romeo at his uncle's request and is later ordered to marry Capulet Rosaline in the hope that their union will create peace in Verona.
They join a cast that also includes Medalion Rahimi.
Grey's Anatomy and Scandal's Heather Mitchell will pen the script and exec produce the ABC Studios drama alongside Shondaland's Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers. Michael Goldstein is also on board as an EP with Michael Offer set to direct the pilot.
Source:
The Hollywood Reporter
Reese Witherspoon's Divorce Drama - Anna Paquin to Star (Now Titled "Broken"
Anna Paquin is returning to TV. The True Blood alum has been tapped to star in ABC's Reese Witherspoon-produced divorce drama, which is now called Broken, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The drama pilot centers on Gemma (Paquin), a ruthless Dallas divorce attorney whose life begins to unravel when her emotionally damaged, love-addicted sister resurfaces. That triggers her self-destructive tendencies and exposes long-hidden family secrets.
Paquin's Gemma is described as ambitious, ruthless and whip smart with all the qualities of a hunter. She has been in survival mode since her troubled childhood — doing whatever it took to leave her trailer park past behind and build herself into a success story. She is now one of the most sought-after divorce attorneys in Dallas — having made a fortune off of the heartbreak of wealthy Texans. But beneath her carefully constructed facade are layers of vulnerability, self-destruction and deeply buried trauma.
Source:
The Hollywood Reporter
Four Stars - Steven Bauer Joins Cast
Ray Donovan co-star Steven Bauer is set for a key series regular role opposite Bruce Greenwood in Four Stars, CBS’ drama pilot from playwright/TV writer Becky Mode, CBS TV Studios, and studio-based Timberman/Beverly Productions.
If Four Stars goes to series, Bauer, who is a regular on Ray Donovan, playing Ray’s (Liev Schreiber) right-hand man Avi Rudin, will be able to do both shows as part of an arrangement between the sister networks.
Cuban-American actor Bauer (born Esteban Ernesto Echevarría Samson) will play the patriarch of the Rodriguez clan, General Rodriguez, the four‐star general in charge of the entire Middle East – and the consummate soldier‐statesman. Greenwood plays his rival, four-star general Buckley, with Ashley Zukerman cast as Buckley’s son and Wilmer Valderrama and Ana Cruz Kayne as Rodriguez’s offspring.
Source:
Deadline
The Death of Eva Sofia Valdez - Debra Mooney Joins Cast
Everwood alumna Debra Mooney has been cast opposite Eric Close and Gina Torres in ABC’s drama pilot The Death Of Eva Sofia Valdez. Written by Cuban-American playwright Charise Castro Smith, The Death Of Eva Sofia Valdez is described as a sexy revenge drama with a supernatural twist. It centers on Eva Sofia Valdez (Torres), a Cuban immigrant who rose from rags to riches and is a celebrated Miami entrepreneur and a champion for immigrant rights. But her success is fueled by an insatiable ambition that could destroy her family, a vendetta against the lover Blair Monroe (Close) who betrayed her, and ghosts from the past who threaten to reveal the dark sacrifices Eva Sofia made to attain the American Dream.
Mooney will play Clara, one of the three “shadow women” who help Eva Sophia implement her mission of vengeance. Mooney was a regular on Everwood for five seasons and recurred on ABC’s Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy.
Source:
Deadline
Miranda's Rights - Ruffin Prentiss Joins Cast
Ruffin Prentiss has booked a series regular role opposite Rebecca Breeds in NBC pilot Miranda’s Rights. Written/co-executive produced by Katie Lovejoy and executive produced by John Glenn, Miranda’s Rights is a one-hour legal soap about an idealistic group of lawyers who not only work together but live together at their start-up firm.
Prentiss will play Shaun, one of the partners at YLG (Young Law Group). Open and mischievous, he fearlessly describes himself to Miranda (Breeds) as ‘a half-black, half-Mexican bi-sexual from small town Texas’. Prentiss, repped by Abrams Artists Agency, has recurred on Starz’s Power and CBS’ Madam Secretary.
Source:
Deadline
Furst Born - Talitha Bateman Joins Cast
Talitha Bateman (Hart of Dixie) is set as a series regular in CBS’ single camera comedy pilot Furst Born. Written by Dan O’Shannon, Robyn Butler and Dan Hope, Furst Born is an extended family show inspired by the Australian format, Upper Middle Bogan, about a wife and mother who learns she was adopted and that her birth parents are a flamboyant but loving family of race car drivers.
Bateman will play Erin, Bess and Danny’s judgmental daughter and Owen’s twin sister. Bateman recurred on The CW’s Hart of Dixie and appears in features The 5th Wave, Nine Lives and So B.
Source:
Deadline
Bunker Hill - Aaron Jennings Joins Cast
Aaron Jennings (Movie 43) has been cast as a series regular in Bunker Hill, CBS’ medical drama pilot written by Jason Katims and directed by David Semel. The project follows James Bell (Augustus Prew), a young Silicon Valley tech titan who enlists Walter Wallace (Dermot Mulroney), a veteran surgeon with a controversial past, in starting a hospital with a cutting-edge, “new school” approach to medicine.
Jennings will play Dr. Malik Water, who defies our traditional idea of a doctor. Raised dirt poor, Water is tired of seeing his friends and family members receiving sub-optimal heath care and has spearheaded an effort to provide 24/7 monitoring of an entire community.
Source:
Deadline
Sebastian - Vanessa Lachey Cast as the Female Lead
NBC’s Sebastian is filling out its cast.
The comedy pilot has found its female lead in Vanessa Lachey. The Truth Be Told alum will play Lana, Sebastian’s easy-going wife. She’s described as a “pretty, sweet and bubbly woman” who “enjoys people, trusts everyone (at times to a fault), and is always living in the positive.” The only problem? She wishes her husband would stop only following his father’s advice and start to considering hers.
Source:
The Hollywood Reporter
Toast - Jono Kenyon Cast as the Male Lead in ABC's Shondaland Comedy Pilot
Jono Kenyon (Step Dave) has landed the male lead in Toast, ABC’s hybrid comedy pilot from Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers’ Shondaland, Scott Foley and Greg Grunberg. Also cast in the project is Grey’s Anatomy alumna Tessa Ferrer, reuniting with Grey’s creator Rhimes, Shondaland and ABC .
Written by Foley and Grunberg and directed by Gail Mancuso, Toast revolves around engaged couple Max Leeds (Kenyon) and Paige (not yet cast), who, over their wedding rehearsal dinner, have their eclectic family and friends give toasts recalling anecdotes about the couple — but flashbacks reveal that the toasts don’t always get it right, as we watch the true story of their complicated, funny and relatable road to marriage.
Kenyon’s Max is awkwardly handsome, charming and unassuming, and worried about what his bride-to-be’s family thinks about him. After all, they couldn’t be more different; Paige is a sorority girl from a close-knit wealthy Austin family and he’s a college dropout with a questionable credit history and a father in prison.
Ferrer is Jules, an up-for-anything Texas tomboy who is Max’s closest friend, his biggest champion and business partner. Fiercely loyal and protective, she knows Max better than he knows himself, and worries that he is too focused on the wrong things when it comes to meeting the right woman. Gregg Mettller serves as showrunner.
Source:
Deadline
Time - Goran Visnjic Joins NBC's Time Travel Drama
ER alum Goran Visnjic is returning to NBC with a key role in Time, the network’s action adventure drama pilot from Supernatural creator Eric Kripke and The Shield creator Shawn Ryan.
The project, from Sony Pictures TV and studio-based Davis Entertainment, is described as “Back to the Future meets Mission: Impossible.” It is a high-octane drama following an unlikely trio (Abigail Spencer, Matt Lanter, Malcolm Barrett) who travel through time to battle a master criminal (Visnjic) intent on altering the fabric of human history with potentially catastrophic results.
Vulnerable, damaged and oddly emotional, Visnjic’s Garcia Flynn is a dangerous man, who’s recently stolen a time machine and traveled with his team of soldiers to the hours prior to the Hindenburg’s explosion. Flynn is guided by a strange journal from some other period of time, and while his full plan is still shrouded in mystery, it’s clear that he must be stopped.
Source:
Deadline
Real Good People - David Keith Joins Cast
David Keith has been cast as the male lead in CBS’s multi-camera comedy pilot Real Good People written/executive produced by Stephnie Weir, directed/executive produced by James Burrows and executive produced by Greg Garcia.
Keith will play James, the family patriarch and one half of what is possibly the world’s happiest couple. His wife is being played by Beth Hoyt. CBS TV Studios is the studio.
Source:
Deadline
Drew - Debra Monk Joins Cast
Emmy and Tony-winning actress Debra Monk rounds out the cast of Drew, CBS’ drama pilot based on the Nancy Drew character from the classic mystery book series. Written by Joan Rater and Tony Phelan and directed by James Strong, Drew is described as a contemporary take on the character, with Nancy (Sarah Shahi), now in her 30s, working as a detective for the NYPD where she investigates and solves crimes using her uncanny observational skills, all while navigating the complexities of life in a modern world.
Monk will play one of the main characters in the books, Hannah Gruen, the Drew family’s trusted cook/housekeeper who served as a surrogate mom for Nancy following the death of her mom, an ally, shoulder to cry on and disciplinarian. With Nancy all grown up and out of the house, Hannah went back to school, trained to be a paralegal, and now is Nancy’s dad Carson’s (Anthony Edwards) right hand in his law practice.
Source:
Deadline
Time After Time - Regina Taylor to Co-Star
I’ll Fly Away alumna Regina Taylor is set for a key co-starring role opposite Freddie Stroma, Josh Bowman and Genesis Rodriguez in Kevin Williamson’s ABC pilot Time After Time.
Using the 1979 novel by Karl Alexander and movie as a starting point, Time After Time will chronicle the epic adventures of young H.G. Wells (Stroma).
Taylor will play trusted Wells’ ally Vanessa Anders, the billionaire businesswoman who owns and protects the Time Machine in 2016 New York City. Confident and strong, she has a warm welcoming smile, but make no mistake, she’s also a respected, sometimes feared CEO.
Source:
Deadline
Four Stars - Bruce Greenwood Joins Cast
CBS' Four Stars has cast one of its key generals. The River alum Bruce Greenwood has boarded the military drama pilot, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The project revolves around two powerful rival families in the military community of Tampa, Fla., who make decisions at the highest levels in the interest of national security.
Greenwood will play Gen. Buckley, a four-star general in charge of worldwide special operations for the U.S. military who is fiercely protective of his brood.
Source:
The Hollywood Reporter
Real Good People - Beth Hoyt Joins Cast
Actress, comedian and writer Beth Hoyt is set as a series regular on Real Good People, CBS’s multi-camera comedy pilot written/executive produced by writer-actress Stephnie Weir and executive produced by Greg Garcia. The project (aka Y’all In The Family) centers on a conservative, small town family forced to reconcile their values when they discover their children’s lives are less than perfect.
Hoyt will play Beth, the dramatic middle child who fled conservative Texas to pursue love and fashion in NYC, only to wake up a decade later bitter, broke and single, and grateful to have a loving home to return to. Named one of the New Faces at Montreal’s Just For Laughs festival,
Source:
Deadline
Spark - Alex Lanipekun Joins Cast
Alex Lanipekun (BBC’s Spooks) has booked a series regular role in ABC pilot Spark, from writer Michael Cooney and producers Ian Sander & Kim Moses. Spark is a lavish primetime drama series of passion, greed and hope in a Steampunk reality, circa 2016. Set in an alternate history where gas and coal fuel the world, the drama centers on the battle for power between two rival families and a rebellious young woman with a spark of invention that could level both their empires.
Lanipekun will play Christian, Philippe’s son and Alex’s older brother. Handsome and autocratic, he’s been raised in an atmosphere of great wealth and absolute power, but privilege has spoiled him, and he now has an exalted sense of his own omnipotence.
Source:
Deadline
Square Roots - Katie Walder Cast as the Female Lead
Katie Walder has been cast as the female lead in ABC single camera comedy pilot Square Roots, written and exec produced by Vijal Patel. Michael Fresco (Suburgatory) is directing. Square Roots is about a man from a family of logic-driven engineers who is determined to use his “gift” to help the people he loves with their everyday issues. . .whether they like it or not.
Walder will play Ruth, Dan’s (Adhir Kalyan) wife and mother to their two kids. Ruth is as far from an engineer as you can get and she has a much more normal, non-productive fun approach with the kids. In addition to Kalyan, she joins previously cast Noureen DeWulf, Bernard White and Nina Wadia.
Source:
Deadline
No Tomorrow - Tori Anderson Cast as the Lead
Seven years ago, the CW cast a young Canadian actress coming off a Canadian series airing in the US on TeenNick — Degrassi: The Next Generation‘s Nina Dobrev — as the lead of its pilot The Vampire Diaries. Now the network is doing the same with another Canadian actress — Tori Anderson of Open Heart, which has aired in the US on TeenNick. Anderson has been cast as the lead of the CW pilot No Tomorrow, from the Jane The Virgin duo of writer/co-executive producer Corinne Brinkerhoff and executive producer Ben Silverman.
Like Jane The Virgin, No Tomorrow is based on a Latin American format, this time from Brazil’s Grupo Globo. Directed by Jane the Virgin pilot director Brad Silberling and written by Brinkerhoff and the comedy writing-directing team Scott McCabe and Tory Stanton aka Two Trick Pony, No Tomorrow centers on Evie, formerly Sarah (Anderson), a risk-averse, straight arrow, female procurement manager at an Amazon-like distribution center who falls in love with a freewheeling man who lives life to the fullest because he believes the apocalypse is imminent, to comedic and poignant results as they embark on a quest together to fulfill their individual bucket lists. Brinkerhoff and Silverman executive produce for CBS TV Studios and Electus.
Source:
Deadline
Recon - Amanda Warren Joins Cast
Amanda Warren (The Leftovers) is set as a series regular in Recon, Fox’s drama pilot executive produced by The Vampire Diaries’ co-developers/exec producers Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec. Recon centers on Alexa (Tracy Spiridakos), a young, driven FBI analyst tasked with embedding herself in a suspected terrorist family.
Warren will play Rashida Malik, the Special Agent in Charge of the Milwaukee FBI division and a follower of Islam who is spearheading the mission to prevent another homegrown terrorist attack.
Source:
Deadline
The Death of Eva Sofia Valdez - Melora Hardin Joins Cast
Melora Hardin (Transparent, The Office) is set for a lead role opposite Eric Close and Gina Torres in ABC’s drama pilot The Death Of Eva Sofia Valdez. Written by Cuban-American playwright Charise Castro Smith, The Death Of Eva Sofia Valdez is described as a sexy revenge drama with a supernatural twist. It centers on Eva Sofia Valdez (Torres), a Cuban immigrant who rose from rags to riches and is a celebrated Miami entrepreneur and a champion for immigrant rights. But her success is fueled by an insatiable ambition that could destroy her family, a vendetta against the lover Blair Monroe (Close) who betrayed her, and ghosts from the past who threaten to reveal the dark sacrifices Eva Sofia made to attain the American Dream.
Hardin will play Courtney Monroe, Blair Monroe’s aristocratic wife, patrician and beautiful, she is determined to be the First Lady of Miami. Politically astute and more than a little ruthless, she assists Blair in his mayoral campaign and is not above using dirty tactics to achieve her ends.
Source:
Deadline
MacGyver - George Eads Joins Cast
CSI co-star George Eads is returning to CBS and CBS TV Studios with a role in their pilot MacGyver, a reimagining of the 1985 series about a resourceful and ingenious agent who improvises his way out of sticky situations using everyday items like rubber bands, chewing gum and a Swiss Army knife. Saw and Furious 7 director James Wan, who had been shepherding the project from the get-go, was slated to direct but has pulled out due to a scheduling conflict with post-production on his latest film, The Conjuring 2.
Eads is the first actor cast in MacGyver, which features twentysomething Angus MacGyver who is recruited into the clandestine organization from the original series where he uses his knack for solving problems in unconventional ways to help prevent disasters from happening. Eads will play Lincoln, a man who could easily be written off as an eccentric conspiracy theorist but he’s a legit government employee with great capability for compassion.
Also joining the MacGyver reboot is the original’s creator Lee David Zlotoff who will be an executive producer.
Source:
Deadline
Untitled Laura Steinel FOX Comedy Pilot - Jon Daly Joins Cast
Jon Daly (Zoolander 2) has been cast opposite Judy Greer in Fox’s untitled Laura Steinel comedy pilot (aka HR). The project, from 20th Century Fox TV, centers around Jane (Greer), the over-used and under-appreciated head of H.R. for a plastic molding plant, who is caught between trying to manage her charmingly incompetent human resources department and a new eccentric CEO who dreams of bringing the New Jersey plastics plant into the future.
Daly, who appears in Zoolander 2 and the Coen Brothers’ Hail Caesar!, will play Gene.
Source:
Deadline
What Goes Around Comes Around - Dougie Baldwin Joins Cast
Dougie Baldwin (Nowhere Boys) has booked a series regular role opposite Jason Lee in What Goes Around Comes Around, CBS’ single-camera comedy pilot from Dan Kopelman and Aaron Kaplan. Written by Kopelman and directed by Tim Story, the project centers on two fortysomething parents — Kenny (Lee), a husband, father and owner of a hip music management company; and Robin — who were wild and reckless teenagers now face their worst nightmare—raising three teenagers of their own.
Baldwin will play Daschel, either the smartest person in the world or the dumbest – no one’s quite sure. He’s a typical high school junior who’s only capable of thinking a maximum of 5 seconds into the future.
Source:
Deadline
Frequency Reboot - Devin Kelley Joins Cast
Resurrection alumna Devin Kelley is set for a lead role opposite Riley Smith and Peyton List in Frequency, the CW’s drama pilot based on Toby Emmerich’s sci-fi thriller.
The TV series, written by Supernatural showrunner Jeremy Carver, centers on Raimy (List), a female police detective in 2016 who discovers that she is able to speak via a ham radio with her estranged father, Frank Sullivan (Smith), also a detective, who died in 1996. They forge a new relationship while working together on an unresolved murder case, but unintended consequences of the ‘butterfly effect’ wreak havoc in the present day.
Kelley, repped by Door 24 and APA, will play Julie, Raimy’s (List) mother, whose life may be tragically knocked for a loop when Raimy starts interfering with the past via her father’s old ham radio.
Source:
Deadline
Training Day - Lex Scott Davis Joins Cast
Lex Scott Davis, coming off playing Toni Braxton in Lifetime’s biopic Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart, has been cast as a series regular opposite Bill Paxton and Katrina Law in CBS’ drama pilot Training Day, a present-day reimagining of Antoine Fuqua’s acclaimed 2001 feature.
Set 15 years after the film left off, the TV show, written by Will Beall and directed by Danny Cannon, centers on an idealistic young African-American police officer, Kyle Craig, who is appointed to an elite squad of the LAPD where he is partnered with seasoned, morally ambiguous detective Frank Rourke (Paxton).
Davis will play Kyle’s smart and cynical wife Alyse Arrendondo, a history teacher who loves and greatly admires her husband and his insatiable drive — despite his reckless displays of heroism.
Source:
Deadline
Notorious - Sepideh Moafi Joins Cast
Sepideh Moafi (Black Box) has booked a series regular role opposite Daniel Sunjata and Piper Perabo in ABC’s drama pilot Notorious. The project, from Sony Pictures TV and Jeff Kwatinetz’s The Firm, was inspired by the relationship between famed criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos and long-time Larry King Live executive producer Wendy Walker. Written by Drop Dead Diva creator Josh Berman and blogger Allie Hagan, Notorious is described as a provocative look at the interplay of criminal law and the media. It follows the professional and personal relationship between charismatic attorney Jake Gregorian (Sunjata) and powerhouse television producer Julia George (Perabo) as they attempt to control the media, the justice system, and ultimately – each other.
Moafi will play Megan Byrd, a sexy and savvy TV news producer responsible for scheduling and managing guests.
Source:
Deadline
The Jury - Kevin Rankin Joins Cast
Gracepoint alum Kevin Rankin is set as a series regular opposite Jeremy Sisto and Archie Panjabi in ABC’s murder trial drama pilot The Jury. Written by VJ Boyd and Mark Bianculli and executive produced by Carol Mendelsohn, The Jury examines “the ultimate social experiment” that happens thousands of times a day in the U.S.: A person’s fate is placed in the hands of 12 strangers. Described as “12 Angry Men meets the podcast Serial,” the series follows a single murder trial a season as seen through the eyes of the individual jurors, exploring the biases and experiences that influence the jurors’ judgment and how their preconceptions change along the way.
Rankin will play Troy, a blue-collar hard-ass who doesn’t own a pair of boots without dirt on them, but he’s not some stupid redneck, and resents it greatly when people assume that. Beneath his rough exterior is an extremely dedicated single father who was hardened by a few experiences that left him with a pretty understandable chip on his shoulder.
Source:
Deadline
Lethal Weapon - Kevin Rahm to Co-Star
Mad Men alum Kevin Rahm is set as a series regular opposite Damon Wayans Sr. in Lethal Weapon, Fox’s hourlong pilot based on the hit buddy cop action comedy movie franchise.
In the pilot, written by Matt Miller and directed by McG, when Texas cop and former Navy SEAL Martin Riggs suffers the loss of his wife and baby, he moves to Los Angeles to start anew. There, he is partnered with LAPD detective Roger Murtaugh (Wayans), who, having recently suffered a “minor” heart attack, must avoid stress in his life.
Rahm will play the successful yet humble Captain Avery, more politician than cop, dressing the part of top brass since his early days as Murtaugh’s partner. Avery, who paired up Murtaugh with Riggs, hoping the younger cop can put a little vigor back in Murtaugh’s career, enjoys the corner office that came with his recent promotion to Captain.
Source:
Deadline
Transylvania - Luke Allen-Gale Cast as the Male Lead; Evan Stern Also Joins Cast
British actor Luke Allen-Gale (Dominion) has been cast as the male lead opposite Aussie Laura Brent in the CW genre-themed drama pilot Transylvania. Also cast in the pilot, from CBS TV Studios, is Canadian actor Evan Stern.
Written by Hugh Sterbakov and directed by Jason Ensler, Transylvania is set in 1880 and centers on Victoria (Brent), a headstrong young woman in search of her missing father who ventures from NYC to Transylvania where she teams with a wrongfully disgraced Scotland Yard Detective, Inspector Godfrey (Allen-Gale), and together they witness the births of the most famous monsters and villains in history. Stern will play Igor, a gentle hunchback known for his technical genius.
Source:
Deadline
Model Woman - Nicole Ari Parker, Caitlin Carver and Madeline Blake Join Cast
Nicole Ari Parker (Rosewood) Caitlin Carver (The Fosters) and Madeline Blake (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) are set as series regulars in ABC drama pilot Model Woman.
The project, from Sony TV’s TriStar Television and ABC Studios, is a fictionalized family soap inspired by Robert Lacey’s book Model Woman: Eileen Ford And The Business Of Beauty, the recently published biography of the outspoken and controversial woman who started as a model and went on to co-found the famous Ford Modeling Agency with her husband Jerry.
Parker will play Helenjane Harris, a former model who runs her own modeling agency, the top competition for Bertie Geiss’ Geiss Agency. Carver will play Michelle, a reluctant beauty and aspiring photographer who is both intellectual and talented; an artist who marches to the beat of a different drummer. Blake is Gemma, the next new face at Geiss Agency. She is determined to meet Bertie so she camps out in the office every day for a week with high hopes.
Source:
Deadline
Model Woman - Andie McDowell to Star
Andie MacDowell will star in ABC’s drama pilot “Model Woman,” which is inspired by Ford Models and the notorious modeling wars of the 1970s, Variety has learned.
Based on Robert Lacey’s 2015 biography of Ford co-founder Eileen Ford, the pilot is a fictionalized family soap set in the late ’70s, centered on the tempestuous matriarch and uncompromising businesswoman at the helm of an internationally renowned modeling agency named Bertie, who will be played by MacDowell.
Source:
Variety
Time After Time - Genesis Rodriguez Cast as the Female Lead in ABC's Time Travel Drama
Genesis Rodriguez (Tusk, Big Hero 6) has been cast the female lead opposite Freddie Stroma and Josh Bowman in Kevin Williamson’s ABC pilot Time After Time.
Using the 1979 novel by Karl Alexander and movie as a starting point, Time After Time will chronicle the epic adventures of young H.G. Wells (Stroma).
Rodriguez will play Jane Walker, the museum curator who captivates H.G. Wells (Stroma) upon his arrival in modern day New York.
Source:
Deadline
Conviction - Eddie Cahill Cast as the Male Lead
CSI: NY alum Eddie Cahill is set as the male lead opposite Hayley Atwell in ABC’s legal drama pilot Conviction, from The Mark Gordon Co. and ABC Studios.
Cahill will play the confident and self-assured New York District Attorney Wayne Wallis. Incredibly handsome, magnetic and charismatic, Wallis radiates charm, smarts and political power; he has a clear-cut political future that is as brilliant as his million dollar smile; he is politically ambitious and sharp as a tack. Wallis announces the creation of the Conviction Integrity Unit – and appoints Hayes to lead the charge. There is a history between the two of them – and the dynamic is equal parts lust and hatred.
Source:
Deadline
The Exorcist - Geena Davis to Star
Geena Davis is returning to the small screen.
The actress, fresh off a multiple-episode arc on ABC's Grey's Anatomy last season, has booked a starring role in Fox's reboot of The Exorcist.
Described as a modern reinvention, the Fox drama pilot is inspired by William Blatty’s 1971 book. The potential series is a propulsive, serialized psychological thriller following two very different men (Alfonso Herreraand Ben Daniels) tackling one family’s case of horrifying demonic possession, and confronting the face of true evil.
Davis will play Angela Rance, a naturally beautiful, regal and proud woman who is weighed down by stress, she does everything she can to stay positive and keep her faith even though her family is currently struggling. She can't help but think, however, if perhaps her nightmares about a demon are a sign of what's wrong.
Source:
The Hollywood Reporter
Future Man - Glenne Headly & Ed Begley Jr. Join Cast
Glenne Headly (Don Jon) and Ed Begley Jr. (Blunt Talk) have been tapped for lead roles opposite Josh Hutcherson in Future Man, Hulu’s half-hour comedy pilot from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.
Written by Kyle Hunter and Ariel Shaffir and executive produced by Matt Tolmach, Future Man is a high-concept comedy that centers on Josh Futterman (Josh Hutcherson) a janitor by day/world-ranked gamer by night who is tasked with preventing the extinction of humans after mysterious visitors from the future proclaim him the key to defeating the imminent super-race invasion.
Headly will play Diane, Josh’s nurturing, ever-supportive mother. Her love for him, while unyielding and sweet, is also a detriment to his growth. She makes it almost impossible for Josh to move out; she does all his cooking, cleaning, laundry and dotes on him constantly. She’s recently retired and is getting back into smoking pot on a regular basis.
Begley is Gabe, Josh’s loving, cheerful, well–intentioned dad. He is always thinking of ways to bolster his Josh’s low self esteem, and constantly makes excuses for all of his son’s failings. Like Diane, he’s also retired and back into smoking pot. Eliza Coupe and Regina Hall also star.
Source:
Deadline
I'm Not Your Friend - Jenna Fischer Cast as the Female Lead
The Office alum Jenna Fischer has nabbed the female lead in CBS' Matt LeBlanc starrer, formerly known as I'm Not Your Friend, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The Friends alum stars in the multicamera comedy pilot as a contractor who learns that raising his kids is more challenging than expected when his wife goes back to work.
Fischer will play Andi, Adam's (LeBlanc) wife who decides she wants to go back to her job as a medical lab technician, so Adam agrees to take over the parenting chores while she's at work.
Source:
The Hollywood Reporter
Midnight, Texas - François Arnaud Cast as the Lead
François Arnaud, who recurs on NBC’s breakout freshman drama Blindspot, has been cast as the lead in the network’s drama pilot Midnight, Texas, which is based on the bestselling trilogy by Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse books that were adapted into HBO’s vampire drama True Blood.
Written by Monica Owusu-Breen and directed by Niels Arden Oplev, Midnight, Texas is described as “Twin Peaks meets True Blood” in Midnight, Texas, a remote town where your neighbor could be a vampire, a witch, a werewolf, or even an angel. The show centers on traveling psychic Manfred Bernardo (Arnaud) who, having grown tired of life on the road, takes the advice of his dead grandmother and decides to settle in the small Texas down of Midnight. Perfectly content with going about his business letting others think he’s a hack, Manfred soon realizes that he has much more in common with the locals than he originally thought. It would seem that he’s found more evil than he left, so he’ll have to bond with his supernatural neighbors to figure out what’s going on.
Source:
Deadline
The Death Of Eva Sofia Valdez - Eric Close Cast as the Male Lead
Nashville alum Eric Close is set as the male lead opposite Gina Torres in ABC’s drama pilot The Death Of Eva Sofia Valdez.
Written by Cuban-American playwright Charise Castro Smith, The Death Of Eva Sofia Valdez is described as a sexy revenge drama with a supernatural twist. It centers on Eva Sofia Valdez (Torres), a Cuban immigrABC Logoant who rose from rags to riches and is a celebrated Miami entrepreneur and a champion for immigrant rights. But her success is fueled by an insatiable ambition that could destroy her family, a vendetta against the lover Blair Monroe (Close) who betrayed her, and ghosts from the past who threaten to reveal the dark sacrifices Eva Sofia made to attain the American Dream.
Close’s Blair Monroe is a handsome and wealthy Miami aristocrat whose family has ruled the city for decades. Once deeply in love with Eva Sofia, he abandoned her, leaving her pregnant and destitute. Now a candidate for mayor, he meets Eva Sofia by chance at a public function — and pretends he has no recollection of her. However, he vividly recalls their affair — and in truth, there’s still a powerful attraction between them, even almost 30 years later. But his insulting and cowardly reaction to their chance meeting enrages Eva Sofia, whose thirst for vengeance may have tragic consequences for all involved.
Source:
Deadline
Real Good People - Ross Kimball Joins Cast
Ross Kimball has been cast opposite Nick Zano and Lenore Crichlow in Real Good People (formerly known as the Untitled Garcia/Weir Project, Y’all In The Family). CBS’ multi-camera comedy project, written/executive produced by writer-actress Stephnie Weir and executive produced by Greg Garcia, centers on a conservative small-town family forced to reconcile their values when they discover their children’s lives are less than perfect.
Kimball will play Beau, the eldest son, a good ol’ boy who adores his momma (TBD) and worships his father (TBD), but didn’t inherit their strong moral compass.
Source:
Deadline
Notorious - Ryan Guzman Joins Cast
Ryan Guzman (Heroes Reborn) is set as a series regular opposite Piper Perabo and Daniel Sunjata in ABC’s drama pilot Notorious. The project, from Sony Pictures TV and Jeff Kwatinetz’s The Firm, was inspired by the relationship between famed criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos and longtime Larry King Live executive producer Wendy Walker. Written by Drop Dead Diva creator Josh Berman and blogger Allie Hagan, Notorious is described as a provocative look at the interplay of criminal law and the media. It follows the professional and personal relationship between charismatic attorney Jake Gregorian (Sunjata) and powerhouse TV producer Julia George (Perabo) as they attempt to control the media, the justice system, and ultimately each other.
Guzman will play Ryan Mills, Julia’s eager-to-please intern, son of the network president. Despite his youth and innocent facade, he’s ambitious and conniving, desperate to prove himself to his overbearing father.
Source:
Deadline
I'm Not Your Friend (Matt LeBlanc CBS Comedy Pilot) - Matt Cook & Grace Kaufman Join Cast
Matt Cook (Clipped, The Comeback) and Grace Kaufman (Bubble Guppies, Clarence) have joined the cast of CBS comedy pilot the Untitled LeBlanc Filgos Project, written by Jeff and Jackie Filgo. The project stars Matt LeBlanc as a contractor who learns that raising his kids is more challenging than expected when his wife goes back to work.
Cook will play Lowell, a sweet, offbeat intellectual dad at Adam’s (LeBlanc) school who is drawn to his “alpha male” vibe.
Kaufman will play Kate, Adam and Andi’s (not yet cast) oldest child, a bright but hormonal teenage girl who initially is delighted when Adam takes over as the main caregiver of their family. She quickly learns that if she thinks Adam is going to be the pushover she expected, she has another think coming.
Source:
Deadline
The Jury - Brian Howe & Jayne Taini Join Cast as a Series Regular
UPDATED: Brian Howe (Masters of Sex) and Jayne Taini (Ray Donovan) have booked series regular roles opposite Jeremy Sisto and Archie Panjabi in ABC’s murder trial drama pilot The Jury. Written by VJ Boyd and Mark Bianculli and executive produced by Carol Mendelsohn, The Jury examines “the ultimate social experiment” that happens thousands of times a day in the U.S.: a person’s fate is placed in the hands of 12 strangers. Described as “12 Angry Men meets the podcast Serial,” the series follows a single murder trial a season as seen through the eyes of the individual jurors, exploring the biases and experiences that influence the jurors’ judgment, and how their preconceptions change along the way.
Howe will play Reverend Jim Pyken, who is obviously a religious man, the kind to say grace before eating his morning bagel, or to reference scripture in his arguments. But he’s also an avuncular Texan who can crack a joke to ease the tension in a room, or use charming Southernisms while making a complex point.
Taini will play Maria, a maternal grandmother, who seems a bit dotty and irrelevant, but when people start listening to her, they notice she’s a lot sharper than they assumed and makes some more enlightening revelations in the case.
Source:
Deadline
Pearl - Richard Masur Cast as a Series Regular
Richard Masur is set as a series regular opposite Candice Bergen in ABC’s single-camera comedy pilot Pearl. Written/executive produced by Andrew Reich and directed by Smith, Pearl centers on Pearl (Bergen), a larger-than-life family matriarch who, after she finds out she has cancer, becomes intent on controlling and orchestrating every aspect of her family’s life before she dies. Perkins will play Virginia, Pearl’s daughter who has the not-so-easy task of trying to get along with her mother, given the news about her health.
Masur will play Len, Pearl’s second and current husband, a retired plastics engineer, a sweet nerd who is interested in everything and everyone he meets. He clearly adores Pearl and is in total denial that she’s got six months to live.
Source:
Deadline
Miranda's Rights - Monique Coleman and Noel Fisher Cast as Series Regulars
Monique Coleman and Noel Fisher have booked series regular roles opposite Rebecca Breeds in NBC pilot Miranda’s Rights.
Written/co-executive produced by Katie Lovejoy and executive produced by John Glenn, Miranda’s Rights is a one-hour legal soap about an idealistic group of lawyers who not only work together but live together at their start-up firm.
Coleman will play Emily Ellison, one of the founding partners and attorney at YLG (Young Law Group), described as friendly, warm and even-keeled, the resident peace keeper.
Fisher is Jacob Mizrahi, another partner with YLG. Described as no-nonsense, curt, and the eternal straight-man, he does what he has to in order to rein in his rage (even if that means sitting on zafu pillows and striking meditation bowls). In addition to Breeds, they join previously cast Jamie Chung and John Gabriel.
Source:
Deadline
Reese Witherspoon's Divorce ABC Drama Pilot - Charity Wakefield & Thad Luckinbill Join Cast
The Player alumna Charity Wakefield and Thad Luckinbill (The Young and the Restless) have booked series regular roles in ABC’s untitled Meaghan Oppenheimer drama pilot, executive produced by Reese Witherspoon.
Written by Oppenheimer, the project follows the personal and professional life of Gemma, a ruthless divorce attorney in Dallas, which begins to unravel when her emotionally damaged, love-addicted sister resurfaces, triggering self-destructive tendencies and exposing long-hidden family secrets.
Wakefield will play Jules, Gemma’s younger sister. Described as manic, emotionally unstable, and lacking any trace of a filter, Jules is the epitome of loneliness gone wrong. Whereas her older sister Gemma has built up walls of icy protection around her, Jules is desperate for any bit of love she can get.
Luckinbill is Oliver, Gemma’s trophy fiance, the preppy trust fund kid with classic good looks. He would be detestable if he weren’t such a nice guy.
Source:
Deadline
The Enforcers - Ryan Hansen to Co-Star in FOX's Comedy Pilot
Veronica Mars alum Ryan Hansen has booked a co-starring turn on the pilot starring Christine Woods and Niecy Nash, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The single-camera buddy comedy focuses on two wildly different single mothers (Woods, Nash) with dreams of being police officers who find themselves partnered as inspectors in the Code Enforcement Department. Instead of fighting crime, they have been relegated to handling petty code breaking like noise complaints, tree trimming and water misues.
Hansen will play the series regular role of Sean, a sexy, charming senior ""code cop"" in the office who doesn't take the job too seriously.
Source:
The Hollywood Reporter
Untitled Dan O'Shannon Comedy (Now Titled 'Furst Born') - Kelli Goss Joins Cast
Kelli Goss (The Young and the Restless) is set as a series regular opposite Katey Sagal and John Carroll Lynch in CBS comedy pilot Furst Born (aka untitled Butler/Hope/O’Shannon). Written by Dan O’Shannon, Robyn Butler and Dan Hope, the extended-family show is about a wife and mother who learns she was adopted and that her birth parents are a flamboyant but loving family of drag racers.
Goss will play Brianna, the youngest of the three legitimate children of Wayne and Julie, who can add glitz and glitter to a public event just by showing up.
Source:
Deadline
Hail Mary - Sarah Baker Joins Cast
Go On alumna Sarah Baker has been cast opposite Casey Wilson in ABC’s single-camera comedy pilot Hail Mary, from Sony TV and ABC Studios. Written by The McCarthys creator Brian Gallivan and directed by Julie Anne Robinson, Hail Mary centers on Mary Wolf (Wilson), a young small-town mayor named who has dysfunctional siblings, a dying father, disgruntled citizens, a nearly bankrupt town and the mafia breathing down her neck. Only a miracle can help her. So … she fakes one.
Baker will play Mary’s older sister, Janice, an upbeat mess who doesn’t realize she’s a mess. She’s also highly dramatic. Baker was a series regular on NBC’s Go On, appeared on Louie and recurs HBO’s Big Little Lies.
Source:
Deadline
Hail Mary - Retta to Co-Star in ABC's Comedy Pilot
Retta is returning to primetime. The Parks and Recreation favorite has booked a co-starring role in ABC comedy pilot Hail Mary, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Based on the Austrian Broadcasting Corp. series Braunschlag, created by David Schalko, the single-camera comedy centers on a young small-town mayor named Mary Wolf (Happy Endings star Casey Wilson) who has dysfunctional siblings, a dying father, disgruntled citizens, a nearly bankrupt town and the mafia breathing down her neck. Only a miracle can help her — so she fakes one.
Retta, who fielded multiple pilot offers this season, will portray Ruthie, Mary's friend.
Source:
The Hollywood Reporter
Dream Team - Wanda Sykes to Co-Star
Wanda Sykes is staying put at ABC. The actress, who has recurred on the network's Black-ish, has booked a co-starring role in family comedy pilot Dream Team.
The single-camera comedy revolves around Marty Schumacher (Justin Long), who coached his last club soccer team for 10 years, ultimately taking them to the national championships. He now has to start from s