CBS has decided not to order a Nancy Drew series starring Sarah Shahi because it was reportedly "too female" despite the pilot testing well. According to the network, however, this isn't the case.
In a pre-upfronts breakfast in New York on May 17, Glenn Geller, CBS Entertainment president, clarified that the network did not pass up the Nancy Drew series because it was "too female." Rather, they had a number of pilots to choose from and simply chose the best available.
The following day, CBS unveiled its schedule for the fall and reporters were quick to ask network executives about how male-centric the lineup was.
Geller again countered claims that the network rejected the Nancy Drew series for being "too female" and is preferring male leads, pointing out they have lots of female leads as well, which provide great balance.
"Actually our new series are more diverse this year than last year. We are definitely moving in the right direction," he said, particularly proud of Doubt, the first broadcast show to star a transgender actor as a series regular.
He's talking about the show Laverne Cox will be in, but Doubt is likely to premiere late in the winter or in early spring next year during the midseason and not this coming fall.
Had CBS picked up the Nancy Drew series, it would have followed the famous sleuth, who is now part of the NYPD as a detective in her 30s. Nancy Drew will still be solving crimes as she's had but now she's an adult and she'll also be navigating complexities of living in the modern world.
The Nancy Drew pilot was written and executive produced by Tony Phelan and Joan Rater. It starred Sarah Shahi as Nancy Drew and Anthony Edwards as her father. Also to have been part of the series were Vanessa Ferlito as Nancy Drew's former partner on the force; Steve Kazee as Ned, Nancy Drew's ex-boyfriend; and Felix Solis, an NYPD lieutenant unnerved by Nancy Drew's confidence and willingness to stand up to him.
Shahi was last seen in CBS' Person of Interest.
