Quinta Brunson to Write, Star in ABC Comedy Pilot ‘Harrity Elementary’

Joe Otterson TV ReporterTessa Blake has signed on to direct the untitled nun dramedy pilot at The CW, Variety has learned exclusively.The project centers on two millennial nuns: one a true believer and the other a new arrival who hasn’t taken her final vows. The two strangers become sisters on a spiritual – and spirited – journey to understand their own faith and their place in the Catholic Church.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterFX has ordered a pilot based on the Octavia E. Butler novel “Kindred.”The pilot will be written and executive produced by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBrandy Norwood, best known by the stage name Brandy, has signed on for one of the lead roles in the ABC drama pilot “Queens.”The pilot is about four estranged and out-of-touch women in their 40s who reunite for a chance to recapture their fame and regain the swagger they had as the Nasty Bitches – their ’90s group that made them legends in the hip-hop world.Brandy will play Naomi, better known as Xplicit Lyrics — the highly skilled musical engine of the Nasty Bitches.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterRay Liotta has signed on the upcoming Apple drama series “In With the Devil,” Variety has confirmed.Liotta joins previously announced series leads Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser.The six-episode series would be based on the 2010 novel “In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption” by James Keene and Hillel Levin.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterSaycon Sengbloh is the first cast member confirmed for the “Wonder Years” reboot pilot at ABC.The project will show how a black middle-class family in Montgomery, Alabama in the turbulent late 1960s, made sure it was The Wonder Years for them too.Sengbloh will star as family matriarch Lillian Williams. Sharp as a tack, Lillian is confident, kind, perceptive and has a good sense of humor. She knows exactly the right thing to say to convince you of anything.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterAlec Mapa has signed on to star alongside Alec Baldwin and Kelsey Grammer in an ABC multi-cam comedy series, Variety has learned.The untitled series revolves around three men who were roommates in their twenties until their warring egos drove them apart. Now, the trio are reuniting decades later for one more run at the lives they’ve always wanted.Mapa will star as Andre, the third roommate from the old days in New York.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterIone Skye has joined the HBO Max series “Made for Love” in a guest star role, Variety has learned exclusively.The dark comedy series follows Hazel Green (Cristin Milioti), a thirty-something woman on the run after 10 years in a suffocating marriage to Byron Gogol (Billy Magnussen), a controlling tech billionaire.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple has ordered a new anthology series from “GLOW” creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch with an all-star cast attached, Variety has learned.The show, titled “Roar,” will star Nicole Kidman, Cynthia Erivo, Merrit Wever, and Alison Brie. The anthology is described as a series of darkly comic feminist fables.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterCBS has given out a pair of pilot orders to comedy projects from Sarah Cooper and Mark Gross.Cooper’s untitled single-camera project is inspired by her book, “How to be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings.” It follows three women at different stages in their careers at a male-dominated company who help each other navigate modern gender politics in their professional and personal lives.Cooper will serve as co-writer and executive producer, with Cindy Chupack also

Joe Otterson TV ReporterFreeform has given a series order to the single-camera comedy “Single Drunk Female.”The series stars Sofia Black-D’Elia and Ally Sheedy in the lead roles. In the show, after a spectacularly embarrassing public breakdown, irreverent alcoholic Samantha Fink (Black-D’Elia) is forced to move back home with her “Smother” (Sheedy) to sober up and avoid jail time.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJeremy Renner has signed on to star in the Taylor Sheridan series “Mayor of Kingstown,” which is moving from Paramount Network to the streaming service Paramount Plus.In addition, Antoine Fuqua has boarded the series as an executive producer.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterABC has given out a pilot order to the drama project “Promised Land.”The show is described as an epic, generation-spanning drama about two Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley.Matt Lopez is set to write and executive produce the pilot, with Adam Kolbrenner also executive producing. ABC Signature will serve as the studio.Lopez has developed a number of projects with ABC and other broadcasters in the past.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterEve is set to play a leading role in the ABC drama pilot “Queens,” Variety has learned.The pilot is about four estranged and out-of-touch women in their 40s who reunite for a chance to recapture their fame and regain the swagger they had as the Nasty Bitches – their ’90s group that made them legends in the hip-hop world.Eve will star in the role of Brianna.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterUzo Aduba has signed a multi-year producing deal with CBS Studios, Variety has confirmed.Under the deal, she will star in and executive produce a new drama series titled “Low Country” that is also executive produced by CBS favorites Robert and Michelle King. Dewayne Jones, who previously worked on the Kings’ shows “Evil” and “Your Honor,” will write and executive produce.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA “Real Housewives of Miami” revival was among the programming announcements Peacock made on Wednesday as part of its Television Critics Association presentation.The original “RHOM” aired on Bravo from 2011-2013 for four seasons.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBilly Campbell has been cast in a lead role of the ABC drama pilot “National Parks,” Variety has learned.Per the series official logline, while the national parks are known for their sweeping, beautiful landscapes, there is also a darker, more sinister side to these parks that attract a vast array of criminal activity.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterIssa Rae has landed an eight-episode series order at HBO Max for the half-hour comedy “Rap Sh*t.”The project was first announced as being in development in October 2019. It follows two estranged high school friends from Miami who reunite to form a rap group.Rae is writing the pilot for the series and will executive produce under her Hoorae production banner, with Montrel McKay of Hoorae also executive producing.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA “True Lies” series adaptation has scored a pilot order at CBS, Variety has learned.Like the film of the same, an unfulfilled suburban housewife is shocked to discover that her bland and unremarkable computer consultant husband is a skilled international spy.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe CW has made a number of orders for the 2021-2022 season, including a pilot order for the live-action “Powerpuff Girls” series.In total, The CW announced three pilot orders and one straight-to-series pickup, with the latter being a reboot of the USA Network series “The 4400.” The other two pilots are for the DC project “Naomi” from Ava DuVernay and Jill Blankenship and an untitled religious dramedy from Claire Rothrock and Ryann Weir.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe HBO Max comedy series being led by Jean Smart is rounding out its main cast.Variety has learned that the show has cast two series regulars and eight recurring guest star roles. The single-camera comedy series explores a dark mentorship that forms between Deborah Vance (Smart), a legendary Las Vegas comedian, and an entitled, outcast 25-year-old (Hannah Einbinder).Einbinder has been cast as Ava, the young writer that Deborah is forced to hire.