Thursday, February 22, 2018

Development News - Bellamy Young to Star in 'False Profits'; Natalie Morales Books Lead on 'Abby's'; Plus 12 More Updates!

Development News - February 22, 2018

ABC's False Profits, The Greatest American Hero, Safe Harbor, Untitled Justin Noble, Untitled Pam Veasey & Whiskey Cavalier; CBS' Fam, L.A. Confidential & Pandas in New York; The CW's Spencer; FOX's Our People; and NBC's Abby's, In Between Lives & The Village.



ABC's WHISKEY CAVALIER
  • Ana Ortiz has been cast on the drama pilot starring Scott Foley and Lauren Cohan. She starred for four seasons in ABC's Ugly Betty and four seasons in Lifetime's Devious Maids.
  • She will play Susan Sampson, the FBI's top behavioral scientist based out of the New York office and Will's (Foley) best friend. However, that doesn't stop her from developing a fast friendship with Will's rival (and future partner), Frankie (Cohan).
ABC's SAFE HARBOR
  • Josh Randall and Vanessa Vasquez have joined the cast of the drama pilot starring Lynn Collins. Randall starred in four seasons of NBC's Ed and appeared in ABC's Ten Days in the Valley. Vasquez starred in four seasons of Hulu's East Los High.
  • Randall will Charlie Scooderro, Mudd's (Aasif Mandvi) longtime partner and friend.
  • Vasquez will play Esme Chiso, an officer at Harbor Division who's feeling conflicted about her brother, who's now running with a dangerous gang.
ABC's UNTITLED PAM VEASEY PROJECT
  • Amirah Vann will star in the drama pilot written by Pam Veasey. She starred for two seasons in WGN America's Underground and has recently recurred on TNT's Major Crimes, ABC's How to Get Away With Murder and USA's Unsolved.
  • She will play Ella, one of the five main sisters. Smart, kind and principled, she patrols her childhood neighborhood in Queens. She is a stand-up cop who goes out of her way to prove that police officers can still be good guys who treat people fairly. Married for 18 years, Ella is also a mother of three who struggles to balance her home life with her job. When she chooses to disregard protocol, her partner gets shot, putting his life and her career in jeopardy.
ABC's UNTITLED JUSTIN NOBLE PROJECT
  • Elizabeth Ho has booked a series regular role on the comedy pilot starring Kat Dennings. She starred in Netflix's recently cancelled sitcom Disjointed.
  • She will play Belinda, the type-A, control-obsessed and recently-promoted staff manager at the hotel. Eager to get the hotel in shape and make Ellie (Dennings) and Gabe suffer, Belinda goes a little overboard on new policies. The only thing keeping her in check is the fact that the hotel owner's son has just become her new assistant manager - and she's too paralyzed by the need to impress to protest.
ABC's FALSE PROFITS
  • Bellamy Young has landed the lead role on the drama pilot written by Kayla Alpert. Her casting keeps her at ABC after a seven-season starring role on Scandal.
  • She will play Laura, a single mom with two kids who is the kind of level-headed woman who makes the best of a bad situation - and the last couple years have been bad indeed. Tired of being ten steps behind, Laura signs up for a multilevel marketing scheme for selling cosmetics.
CBS' L.A. CONFIDENTIAL
  • Brian J. Smith is set for the lead role on the drama pilot written by Jordan Harper. He starred for two seasons in Netflix's Sense8.
  • He will play Ed Exley, who is cold (though not without a conscience), brilliant, authoritative and ambitious. He's a uniformed L.A. cop and the son of former hero detective-turned-real estate developer, Preston Exley. He is determined to make his mark and to become a hero in his father's eyes. Competing against the memory of his deceased brother, his father's favorite, Ed will do anything to prove himself. He wants nothing more than to make detective and is single-minded in his pursuit.
THE CW's SPENCER
  • Taye Diggs will co-star on the drama pilot written by April Blair. He starred for six seasons in ABC's Private Practice and three seasons in TNT's Murder in the First. He has recently recurred on CBS' The Good Wife, FOX's Rosewood and FOX's Empire.
  • He will play Billy Baker, an alum of Crenshaw High himself and the head coach of Beverly Hills High's football team. He has an intense desire to see Spencer, a transfer from Crenshaw, succeed - on and off the field - even if his efforts impact his relationship with his own son.
NBC's THE VILLAGE
  • Warren Christie has been cast on the drama pilot written by Mike Daniels. He starred in USA's Eyewitness and Syfy's Alphas. He has also recurred on FOX's The Resident, ABC's The Catch and NBC's Chicago Fire.
  • He will play Nick, an ex-special forces operative who lost his leg while on tour. He returns to Manhattan to a welcoming community that constantly thanks him for his service, which he finds uncomfortable. He's just trying to adjust back to a normal life after serving.
CBS' PANDAS IN NEW YORK
  • Nishi Munshi has booked a series regular role on the comedy pilot written by Ajay Sahgal. She previously recurred on The CW's The Originals and appears in the upcoming film Halfway There.
  • She will play Gita Panda, tough and like a second parent to her siblings, she's also an orthopedic surgeon and a mother to triplets.
FOX's OUR PEOPLE
  • Lea Thompson has joined the cast of the comedy pilot written by Vali Chandrasekaran. She starred in four seasons of NBC's Caroline in the City, five seasons of ABC Family's Switched at Birth and the Back to the Future film franchise.
  • She will play Lisa, Jenny's mother, a fleece and birkenstocks hippie who can be just as feisty and opinionated as her daughter.
CBS' FAM
  • Odessa Adlon has landed a series regular role on the comedy pilot written by Corinne Kingsbury. She previously had a recurring role on CMT's Nashville.
  • She will play Shannon, Clem's younger half-sister who shows up on her doorstep unannounced. She is a wild child who has bounced back and forth between neglectful parents, and picked up some very bad habits along the way.
ABC's THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO
  • Dennis Andres is set as a series regular on the comedy pilot starring Hannah Simone. He has made guest appearances on FX's The Strain, Syfy's Dark Matter and CBS All Access' Star Trek: Discovery.
  • He will play Justin Hayes, the creative director at the marketing agency where Meera (Simone) works. Adorable and friendly, he cares about the environment, gets Meera's humor and is a potential love interest for her.
NBC's IN BETWEEN LIVES
  • Harriet Dyer will play the lead role on the drama pilot written by Moira Kirland. The casting marks her American television debut. Her Australian television credits include Love Child, No Activity, Rake and Hyde and Seek.
  • She will play Cassie, a mysterious young woman who reluctantly uses her gift of clairvoyance to help a veteran LAPD detective and a damaged ex-FBI outsider solve the most unnerving and challenging cases the city encounters. This eerie ability also opens the door for her to see and talk to the dead, who are seeking help for unresolved problems, whether she likes it or not.
NBC's ABBY'S
  • Natalie Morales will star in the comedy pilot written by Josh Malmuth. Her casting reunites her with Parks and Recreation co-creator Mike Schur, who executive produces the pilot, after recurring on that comedy. She has also starred in FOX's The Grinder and ABC's Trophy Wife.
  • She will play Abby, a no-nonsense, slight but strong ex-military staff sergeant in the army who did two tours of duty in Afghanistan. Warmly convivial but never openly sentimental, she has found her calling, hosting friends and newcomers in her open-air backyard bar where locals find camaraderie and a kind of sanctuary. It's her livelihood, her lifeblood and she's clearly unnerved when her new landlord shows up citing all kinds of reasons why the whole venture is illegal.