Ben McKenzie to Star in ABC Medical Drama Pilot ‘The Hurt Unit’

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Star Trek: Discovery” will end with the upcoming Season 5 at Paramount+, Variety has learned. In addition, the fifth and final season will now debut in early 2024 as opposed to this year as originally thought. Filming is mostly complete on Season 5, but according to an individual with knowledge of the situation, there will be some additional filming that has yet to take place.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Demi Singleton is the latest addition to the cast of the “Bass Reeves” series at Paramount+, Variety has learned exclusively. Singleton will appear in the period drama as a series regular opposite series lead David Oyelowo, who will star as the titular legendary lawman. Additional cast members include Barry Pepper, Dennis Quaid, Forrest Goodluck, Lauren E. Banks, and Grantham Coleman. Per the official logline, the show “will bring the legendary lawman of the wild west to life. Reeves, known as the greatest frontier hero in American history, worked in the post-Reconstruction era as a federal peace officer in the Indian Territory, capturing over 3,000 of the most dangerous criminals without ever being wounded.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Nic Pizzolatto has set up a western drama series at Amazon with a series commitment, Variety has confirmed with sources. The untitled series is said to “revolve around a former outlaw who must reckon with a threat from his past in order to keep the life and family he has worked so hard to build,” according to sources. Amazon declined to comment. Pizzolatto is best known for creating the HBO anthology drama series “True Detective,” which exploded onto the scene in 2014 with a first season starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson that received substantial critical and popular acclaim. Two more seasons have aired to date, with a fourth season starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis on the way. Issa López is writing Season 4 with Pizzolatto attached as an executive producer.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Zachary Quinto has been cast in the lead role of the NBC drama pilot “Wolf,” Variety has learned. The project was first ordered to pilot at the broadcaster back in January. It is inspired by the books “The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat” and “An Anthropologist on Mars” by Oliver Sacks. Per the official logline, “Wolf” will follow “a revolutionary, larger-than-life neurologist (Quinto) and his team of interns as they explore the last great frontier, the human mind, while also grappling with their own relationships and mental health.” Quinto’s character is named Dr. Oliver Wolf. He is further described as “head of neurology at Bronx General and an obsessive genius. He’s drawn to people that society has deemed “other” and helps them find hope and purpose. He embraces differences rather than suppressing them.”

Heroes star Zachary Quinto is returning to NBC as the titular character in NBC’s Wolf, a one-hour medical drama pilot from writer-producer Michael Grassi, producer-director Lee Toland Krieger and executive producer Greg Berlanti. The project comes from Warner Bros Television, where all three are under overall deals.

EXCLUSIVE: Ashley Romans (Y: The Last Man) has been cast as a series regular opposite Ben McKenzie, Melissa George, Michelle Ortiz and Augustus Prew in ABC’s medical drama pilot The Hurt Unit. She replaces Bull alumna Jaime Lee Kirchner who had been originally cast in the pilot, written by Matt Lopez and John Glenn and to be directed by Marc Webb.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Apple has given a series order to the drama “The Last Frontier” with Jason Clarke set to play the lead role, Variety has learned. The series hails from creators Jon Bokenkamp, who previously created the hit NBC series “The Blacklist,” and Richard D’Ovidio, who previously worked with Bokenkamp on the 2013 film “The Call” as well as on “The Blacklist” and “The Blacklist: Redemption.” In the 10-episode series, Clarke will star as US Marshal Frank Remnick, the lone Marshal in the barrens of Alaska. Per the official logline, “Frank’ s jurisdiction is turned upside-down when a prison transport plane crashes in the remote wilderness, setting free dozens of violent inmates. Tasked with protecting the town he’s vowed to keep safe, he begins to suspect the crash wasn’t an accident, but the first step of a well-crafted plan with international political implications.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “The Goldbergs” is ending after 10 seasons at ABC, Variety has confirmed with sources. The Season 10 finale set to air in May will serve as the single-camera comedy’s series finale. More to come…

EXCLUSIVE: Melissa George has been tapped as the female lead opposite Ben McKenzie in ABC’s medical drama pilot The Hurt Unit, written by Matt Lopez and John Glenn and to be directed by Marc Webb.

Michelle Keegan has excitedly announced her latest acting gig, as she will be starring in a new Netflix thriller based on a book by popular author, Harlan Coben. The 35 year old star has enjoyed a successful career so far, with roles on ITV's Coronation Street, BBC drama Our Girl, and Sky comedy series Brassic.

BreAnna Bell “Blood & Treasure” won’t be returning for a third season at CBS or Paramount+, Variety has confirmed. The action-adventure drama followed an antiquities expert Danny McNamara and a cunning art thief Lexi Vaziriwho teamed up to catch a cold-blooded terrorist who funds his attacks through stolen treasure. “When terrorist Karim Farouk absconds with a priceless artifact and kidnaps Danny’s mentor Dr. Anna Castillo, Danny recruits Lexi to help him bring Farouk to justice and rescue Anna. As they chase down Farouk, they encounter unscrupulous individuals who may either be useful allies or dangerous enemies, including Aiden Shaw, an arms dealer who acts solely in his self-interest, and Simon Hardwick, an expert at procuring pilfered artifacts,” reads the official series description.

It’s official. Action-adventure series Blood & Treasure will not return for a third season.

EXCLUSIVE: Bull alumna Jaime Lee Kirchner has been cast as a series regular opposite Ben McKenzie, Michelle Ortiz and Augustus Prew in ABC’s medical drama pilot The Hurt Unit, written by Matt Lopez and John Glenn and to be directed by Marc Webb.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Daniel Sunjata has joined the cast of the drama pilot at ABC based on the French detective series “HPI,” Variety has learned. Sunjata will star in the pilot alongside previously announced lead Kaitlin Olson. The project was first ordered to pilot at ABC in September. Per the official logline, “Single mom Morgan (Olson) with three kids and an exceptional mind helps solve an unsolvable crime when she rearranges some evidence during her shift as a cleaner for the police department. When they discover she has a knack for putting things in order because of her high intellectual potential she is brought on as a consultant to work with a by-the-book seasoned detective, and together they form an unusual and unstoppable team.”

announced to star in the pilot as as Danny, a surgeon whose heroic yet perilous risk-taking tendencies tend to come with some serious consequences.The official logline for the pilot is as follows: “‘The Hurt Unit’ is a cutting-edge medical drama about a highly skilled team of trauma surgeons and nurses who race into the field to treat the patients who won’t make it to the hospital in time.

EXCLUSIVE: Augustus Prew has been cast as a series regular opposite Ben McKenzie and Michelle Ortiz in ABC’s medical drama pilot The Hurt Unit, written by Matt Lopez and John Glenn and to be directed by Marc Webb.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter HBO Max has ordered the drama series “Duster” from J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan with Josh Holloway and Rachel Hilson set to star. The eight-episode series is set in 1972. Per the official logline, “the first Black female FBI agent (Hilson) heads to the Southwest and recruits a gutsy getaway driver (Holloway) in a bold effort to take down a growing crime syndicate.” “‘Duster’ is an amalgam of all my favorite things – high octane storytelling with deep characters and so much heart,” Morgan said. “It’s a dream project and I’m supremely grateful to all the folks at Warner Bros. and HBO Max for believing in this show. And I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in crime than J.J. to build this incredible world.”

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Star Trek: Picard” Season 3 is bringing the “Next Generation” cast all back together for the first time in over 20 years, and series showrunner Terry Matalas is well aware of the high expectations fans are going to have. In an interview with Variety, Matalas said it was “beyond an honor” to work on the third and final season of “Picard,” but added “there’s an incredible pressure to that, as well.” “The second I had the story in my brain as sort of a final ‘Next Generation’ story — the moment it became a reality — I didn’t sleep for about nine months straight. I was just too terrified of screwing it up,” Matalas said.

EXCLUSIVE: Michelle Ortiz (This Fool) has been cast as a series regular opposite Ben McKenzie in ABC’s medical drama pilot The Hurt Unit, written by Matt Lopez and John Glenn and to be directed by Marc Webb.