Friday, March 9, 2018

Development News - Kelly Rutherford, Sydney Park, Eli Brown and Hayley Erin Join 'The Perfectionists'; Plus 22 More Updates!

Development News - March 9, 2018

ABC's False Profits, The Finest, The Fix, For Love, Get Christie Love, Grand Hotel, The Mission, Most Likely To, Three Rivers & Untitled Justin Noble; CBS' Fam, Main Justice, Pandas in New York & Red Line; The CW's Dead Inside, The End of the World as We Know It & In the Dark; FOX's Untitled Erin Foster; Freeform's The Perfectionists; and NBC's The Enemy Within, Friends-in-Law, Manifest & Untitled Aseem Batra.

ABC's THE MISSION
  • Wood Harris has been cast on the drama pilot (formerly Safe Harbor) starring Lynn Collins. He starred for three seasons in HBO's The Wire. He recently starred in BET miniseries The New Edition Story and VH1's one-season drama The Breaks.
  • He will play Sergeant Frank Griffith aka Griff, Ori's (Collins) training officer, a veteran cop whose lackluster enthusiasm for the job rankles her.
NBC's FRIENDS-IN-LAW
  • Devere Rogers, John Gemberling and Nicole Parker will star in the comedy pilot written by Brian Gallivan. Rogers is a recent BFA theater graduate from NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Gemberling recurs on Comedy Central's Broad City and recently starred in FOX's Making History. Parker starred for six seasons in FOX's MADtv.
  • Rogers will play Brian, who fears that his best friend Margaret's potential marriage to Randy will leave him left out. He forms an unlikely partnership with Randy's best friend, Jake, to disrupt their union.
  • Gemberling will play Randy, who is lovable and optimistic and Jake's best friend since kindergarten. He is ready to live the rest of his life with Margaret, even if Jake does not support his choice.
  • Parker will play Margaret, a sweet, sarcastic middle school librarian, who is looking forward to a lifelong relationship with Randy despite the objections of her best friend, Brian, and Randy's best friend, Jake.
ABC's FOR LOVE
  • Lex Scott Davis will play the lead role on the drama pilot written by Michael Cooney. Also cast on the pilot today are Wolé Parks and Chloe Wepper. Davis starred in CBS' short-lived drama Training Day and played the lead role in Lifetime's Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart. Parks starred in one season of Lifetime's Devious Maids. Wepper was a series regular on ABC's Manhattan Love Story.
  • Davis will play Hope Castille, a hardworking journalist for the Times-Picayune. She has experienced great tragedy, but does not live life with a heavy heart. She has found love after losing her fiancé (Jon Ecker) five years ago, and is ready to restart her life with Gabriel Dumaine (Ethan Peck). But she will soon discover that something strange stirs in New Orleans, when she receives a clue that will lead her to discovering that magic exists in the shadows of the city.
  • Parks will play Mateo Silva, who works under the guise of a local tour guide, but in truth is part of the secret magic world of New Orleans.
  • Wepper will play Nessa, a museum curator, Charlie's sister and Hope's best friend.
FREEFORM's THE PERFECTIONISTS
  • Kelly Rutherford, Sydney Park, Eli Brown and Hayley Erin will co-star on the drama pilot starring Sasha Pieterse and Janel Parrish. 
  • Rutherford (Gossip Girl) will play Claire Hotchkiss, the matriarch of the Hotchkiss family. Along with her husband, she is the founder of Hotchkiss Industries and the respected Beacon Heights University. She believes perfection is attainable and is the person who pulls the strings behind the scenes to get what she wants.
  • Park (The Walking Dead) will play Caitlin, who is smart, driven and thrives under pressure. The perfect daughter of two perfect mothers, she has set her sights on following in her mother's Senatorial footsteps.
  • Brown - a newcomer - will play Dylan, a gifted cellist who grew up feeling judged in his small hometown and now feels the need to be the best in all of his endeavors. He is deeply committed to his two passions, his music and his boyfriend, Andrew.
  • Erin (General Hospital) will play a mysterious, unnamed role.
CBS' MAIN JUSTICE
  • Deborah Ayorinde has joined the cast of the drama pilot starring Bokeem Woodbine, Timothy Hutton and Peter Gallagher. She appeared in the film Girls Trip and had a recurring role on Netflix's Luke Cage.
  • She will play Ursula, the newly appointed Assistant Attorney General. A force of nature, she won't let anyone or anything get in her way.
NBC's MANIFEST
  • Luna Blaise has booked a series regular role on the drama pilot starring Josh Dallas. She has recurred on all four seasons of ABC's Fresh Off the Boat.
  • She will play Olive, Cal's twin sister who never really got over the devastating loss of her father and brother on that mysterious flight. Now that they're back, the bond between siblings is still as close as ever - even though they're now years apart in age.
THE CW's IN THE DARK
  • Kathleen York and Derek Webster have landed series regular roles on the drama pilot starring Perry Mattfeld. York starred in Lifetime's The Client List and recurred on NBC's The West Wing. Webster has been recurring on Showtime's Ray Donovan and CBS' NCIS: New Orleans.
  • York will play Joy, a joyless and cynical woman who has given up hope that Murphy (Mattfeld) will ever make anything of her life. Still, when Murphy starts turning over a new leaf, Joy is cautiously optimistic - although she's not ready to celebrate until Murphy has given her a little more proof that she has turned her life around.
  • Webster will play Hank, Joy's husband, an earnest, well-intentioned man who never loses patience with his daughter, no matter how wildly and irresponsibly she behaves. He and Joy have sunk all their savings into a company that trains dogs for the blind, hoping that such a venture would give Murphy a new interest in life.
ABC's UNTITLED JUSTIN NOBLE PROJECT
  • Derek Richardson is set as a series regular on the comedy pilot starring Kat Dennings. He starred in two seasons of ABC's Men in Trees and all 100 episodes of FX's Anger Management.
  • He will play Gordon, the super positive but largely incapable son of the hotel owner who throws him into important corporate positions that he's ill-suited for. He tries getting his hands dirty by working the ground floor at the hotel.
ABC's THREE RIVERS
  • Stephanie Styles has been cast on the comedy pilot starring Annaleigh Ashford and John Larroquette. This is her first television credit. She previously starred in the first national tour of Newsies the Musical.
  • She will play Leanne, a real Southern beauty who's always pageant ready.
THE CW's DEAD INSIDE
  • Lyndon Smith has been tapped to replace Joey King in the lead role on the drama pilot. The recast happened for creative reasons following the first table read. Also cast on the pilot today is Erica Cerra. Smith has had recurring roles on NBC's Parenthood, Showtime's White Famous and The CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Cerra starred for three seasons in Syfy's Eureka and had a major recurring role on The CW's The 100.
  • Smith will play Emmy Gates, who is tougher and stronger than she thinks she is, and what she lacks in confidence, she makes up for with determination, humor and snark. Her life is turned upside down when her brother (Freddie Stroma) dies and returns to her as a ghost, forcing her to team up with him to solve a murder and resolve his unfinished business.
  • Cerra will play Chief Melody Vargas, the tough but fair chief of the Portland Police Department. She always idolized Zach, while Emmy was invisible. In time though, she begins to see Emmy's value to the team.
CBS' PANDAS IN NEW YORK
  • Hina Abdullah, Dan O'Brien, Bernard White and Gita Reddy have joined the cast of the comedy pilot written by Ajay Sahgal. Abdullah previously recurred on TNT's The Last Ship. O'Brien starred for two seasons in NBC's Whitney. White appears in a recurring role on HBO's Silicon Valley. Reddy has recurred on Netflix's Orange Is the New Black and Hulu's The Mindy Project.
  • Abdullah will play Asha, Rishi's younger sister and a bit of a rebel. She is the least traditional of his two sisters. Unlike Gita (Nishi Munshi), she has no desire to tell Rishi how to live his life - she wants him to live the life he wants.
  • O'Brien will play Jim, Gita's husband, a perpetually tired, low-key guy who is the father of their triplets. Also a physician, he needs to make a lot of money, because he's been running the numbers for tuition times three, and they're pretty scary.
  • White will play Om, the father of Rishi, Gita and Asha. Also a physician, he's a happy, very traditional father who wants Rishi to behave in a traditional manner: marry a nice Indian girl (with a medical degree), carry on the dynasty, and join the family practice. A man who is trying and failing to master the art of golf, he is knocked flat when he learns that Rishi intends to reject the Panda family values.
  • Reddy will play Pushpa, the mother of Rishi, Gita and Asha, and a world-class expert in ACL surgery. In spite of her cutting-edge approach to medicine, her approach to family life is traditional: she expects Rishi to marry an Indian girl (a doctor, to be certain), continue the Panda family line with honor, and join the Panda family orthopedic clinic. Convinced that this is the best and only plan for Rishi, she is flabbergasted when he digs in his heels and insists on joining the Bronx Free Clinic.
CBS' RED LINE
  • Howard Charles and Elizabeth Laidlaw have booked series regular roles on the drama pilot starring Noah Wyle. Charles starred for three seasons in BBC One's The Musketeers. Laidlaw previously had a recurring role on Starz's Boss.
  • Charles will play Ethan, Tia's (Emayatzy Corinealdi) warm, kind husband who works as a train operator on Chicago's Red Line. While he supports his wife's political career, he cautions about reconnecting with her biological daughter.
  • Laidlaw will play Vic, a hard-working mother of two children and the devoted police partner of Pete Evans (Noel Fisher), who shot an African-American doctor. Her unconditional loyalty to her partner led her to take a questionable action.
ABC's MOST LIKELY TO
  • Lesli Margherita will play the co-lead opposite Yvette Nicole Brown on the comedy pilot written by Diablo Cody. She can currently be seen recurring on Showtime's Homeland and Netflix's Seven Seconds.
  • She will play Liz Cooney, a fabulous train wreck who lives by her own rules. Forced to exit Los Angeles for her hometown when her marriage fell apart, her secret insecurities begin to show around Markie McQueen (Brown).
NBC's UNTITLED ASEEM BATRA PROJECT
  • James Buckley has landed a series regular role on the comedy pilot starring Sarayu Blue and Paul Adelstein. He starred for three seasons in E4's The Inbetweeners.
  • He will play Chewy, who works with Emet (Blue) at Gameblast. He isn't the most articulate and refined, but he has played and beat just about every video game known to man.
CBS' FAM
  • Brian Stokes Mitchell and Sheryl Lee Ralph will co-star on the comedy pilot written by Corinne Kingsbury. Mitchell has recently appeared in recurring roles on USA's Mr. Robot and Hulu's The Path. Ralph recurred on Amazon's One Mississippi and next appears in the second season of TNT's Claws.
  • Mitchell will play Walt, Jay's father. Sophisticated, intellectual and affluent, he comes from old money, but like his son, he's unaffected, with a great sense of humor. He adores Clem, and vice versa, and is delighted when Clem and Jay announce their engagement.
  • Ralph will play Rose, Jay's mother. She's an elegant, sophisticated, intellectual society matron who is completely unaffected, with a great sense of fun. She's also thrilled when Jay and Clem announce their engagement.
FOX's UNTITLED ERIN FOSTER PROJECT
  • Christine Woods is set as a series regular on the comedy pilot written by and starring Erin Foster. She starred in the HBO comedy Hello Ladies. She has recently recurred on AMC's The Walking Dead, CBS' The Odd Couple and NBC's About a Boy.
  • She will play Jane Andi's (Foster) sister, the perfect member of the family who is married and takes joy in Andi's failures.
THE CW's THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT
  • Liam Garrigan has been cast on the drama pilot starring Gage Golightly and Quinta Brunson. He has recurred on ABC's Once Upon a Time and FOX's 24: Live Another Day. He next appears in AMC's The Terror.
  • He will play Gah'ree, a reptilian alien sociopath with razor teeth and an intellect to match. He is one of the most dangerous criminals in the galaxy. Now free on Earth, he eludes capture by taking on the form of different humans.
NBC's THE ENEMY WITHIN
  • Kelli Garner has joined the cast of the drama pilot starring Jennifer Carpenter and Morris Chestnut. She starred in ABC's short-lived drama Pan Am and played the title role in Lifetime's The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe.
  • She will play Kate Ryan, the FBI technical analyst on Keaton's (Chestnut) team. She is very smart, good at her job, hard-working and open-minded.
ABC's GRAND HOTEL
  • Lincoln Younes has booked a series regular role on the drama pilot starring Demián Bichir and Roselyn Sanchez. The Australian actor starred for four seasons in Home and Away.
  • He will play Danny, a very handsome, charming young man who's recently started working at the hotel. He strikes up a romantic interest with the hotel owner's daughter (Denyse Tontz).
ABC's THE FINEST
  • Eric Balfour, Dorian Missick, Gerard Celasco and Zoë Robins have landed series regular roles on the drama pilot starring Amirah Vann. Balfour starred in five seasons of Syfy's Haven. Missick recurred for two seasons in TNT's Southland. Celasco has recurred on OWN's The Haves and the Have Nots. Robins starred in Nickelodeon's Power Rangers Ninja Steel.
  • Balfour will play Detective Oz Darosa, Nicole's partner.
  • Missick will play John Archer, Serena's (Aubin Wise) husband.
  • Celasco will play Jessie Castiano, Nicole's ex-boyfriend.
  • Robins will play Taylor Montgomery, Anise's (Tisha Campbell-Martin) daughter.
ABC's THE FIX
  • Marc Blucas is set as a series regular on the drama pilot starring Breckin Meyer. He starred for two seasons in The WB's Buffy the Vampire Slayer and two seasons in USA's Necessary Roughness. He also recurred on WGN America's Underground.
  • He will play River "Riv" Allgood, Maya's partner on the farm in Oregon.
ABC's FALSE PROFITS
  • Marcus Coloma will co-star on the drama pilot starring Bellamy Young and Vanessa Williams. He has had recurring roles on ABC Family's Make It or Break It and TNT's Major Crimes.
  • He will play Clark Steedler, Lila's baby daddy and Hilary's (Shelley Hennig) ex who has been in and out of her life ever since she got pregnant.
ABC's GET CHRISTIE LOVE
  • Juan Javier Cardenas has been cast on the drama pilot starring Kylie Bunbury. He starred in the first season of FX's Snowfall and recurred on USA's Damnation.
  • He will play Jonas, the oldest member of the counterintelligence unit.