Gardell returns to CBS in new sitcom
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — After taking a three- year break from sitcoms following the end of “Mike & Molly,” Swissvale native Billy Gardell is back in CBS’s “Bob [ Hearts] Abishola” ( 8: 30 p. m. Sept. 23, KDKA- TV), playing a Detroit businessman who falls for his cardiac nurse, a Nigerian immigrant named Abishola ( Folake Olowofoyeku).
Like “Mike & Molly,” “Bob [ Hearts] Abishola” is from megaproducer Chuck Lorre (“The Big Bang Theory”), who says the new series may appear to be a romantic comedy but that’s not the aspect of the story he’s most interested in.
“It is our entrance point to the series, these two very different people meeting over a very slow process [ developing] a relationship,” Mr. Lorre said during the CBS portion of the Television Critics Association summer 2019 press tour. “The story I wanted to tell is about the greatness of first- generation immigrants, about the focus and discipline, the hard work and rigorous honesty that goes with coming here and grabbing hold of the American dream.
“The premise of this is Immigrants Make America Great,” Mr. Lorre continued, putting on a yellow hat with the letters IMAG on it.
Bob is an entry into Abishola and her immigrant family, a story Mr. Gardell says shouldn’t be considered controversial even in these highly politicized times.
“My dad passed away in September and he told me two things I hold with me every day,” he said. “If you’re an example of kindness, it catches on. I think we should all be advocates of kindness. … He also said be careful who you hang out with because that’s who you become and I feel like I’m hanging out with the right people.”
2 steps forward, 1 step back
Criticized in the recent past for a lack of diversity, CBS shows more forward momentum this fall in more fully representing current American demographics by adding new series with women and people of color in lead roles.
Building on last year’s additions of “The Neighborhood,” “God Friended Me,” “FBI” and “Magnum PI” with minority stars, this fall CBS adds “Bob [ Hearts] Abishola,” new legal drama “All Rise” ( 9 p.m. Sept .23), featuring“Luke Cage” actress Simone Missick as a new Los Angeles judge, and “Evil” (10 p.m. Sept .26), starring“Good Wife” veteran Mike Colter as a paranormal- investigating priest-in-training.
Now the focus turns to CBS’s reality shows, particularly “Big Brother” where racism — either in how African- Americans are edited or racist comments from white contestants being left out — has been an issue. This season one contestant said she was told by a producer to act “more black.”
Thom Sherman, CBS senior executive vice president of programming, acknowledged that in an attempt to get a sound bite from a contestant a producer “overstepped,” was reprimanded and subsequently received unconscious bias training along with all producers on “Big Brother.”
As for the somewhat surprising renewal of “Bull” for a fourth season after CBS paid actress Eliza Dushku $ 9.5 million to settle harassment claims after her firing by executive producer Glenn Gordon Caron when she alleged lewd behavior by series star Michael Weatherly, CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahl said Mr. Weatherly and Mr. Caron are in “leadership coaching” to set a positive example on set.
When “Bull” was renewed, producing partner Amblin
Entertainment, headed by Time’s Up movement supporter Steven Spielberg, dropped out of the series.
“Even after these allegations came out,” Mr. Kahl said, “people continued to watch.”
Eliciting ‘ Evil’
The most promising broadcast network drama this fall, CBS’s genuinely spooky “Evil,” offers a bit of an “X- Files” vibe as it explores the origins of evil as it relates to science and religion through a skeptical female psychologist ( Katja Herbers, “Westworld”) and a priest- in- training ( Mike Colter). The show was created by the husband- andwife team of Michelle and Robert King, the masterminds of “The Good Wife” and “The Good Fight,” who say the topics in “Evil” they have been discussing for 30 years. He’s a devout Catholic; she’s an agnostic Jew.
Mr. King said “Evil” won’t be an exorcism- of- theweek show — the second episode is about miracles — and explore the question of what is genetically based villainy and what is something bigger and perhaps more supernatural.
“The show is trying to avoid the binary,” he said. “We want to explore how much social media has changed the terms of what is evil and how evil is moved from one person to another. We’re making it a real focus of this first season.”
Series set in W. Pa.
Pittsburgh is already humming with TV production on “Manhunt: Lone Wolf” and Netflix’s “I Am Not Okay With This” and Showtime just ordered a series that appears ideally suited for local production, although a network representative said a filming location has not yet been determined.
The cable network gave a straight- to- series order to “Rust” starring Jeff Daniels (“The Newsroom”) as Del Harris, chief of police in a Rust Belt town in southwestern Pennsylvania. When his girlfriend’s son is accused of murder, Harris must decide how far he will go to protect the accused.
“Rust” is based on author Philipp Meyer’s 2009 novel “American Rust,” set in the fictional Mon Valley town of Buell, Fayette County.
The book was set up as a series at cable’s USA Network in November 2017. In that iteration Mr. Meyer collaborated with Lee Shipman and Western Pennsylvania native Brian McGreevy (“Hemlock Grove”).
The USA version of “American Rust” was scrapped in January 2018 after producers were unable to secure a lead actor for the series. Mr. McGreevy and Mr. Shipman are not involved in Showtime’s “Rust.”
Kept/ canceled/ remade
CBS renewed “Love Island” for a second season to air next summer.
Netflix renewed “Trinkets” for a second and final season. It also renewed the controversial “13 Reasons Why” for a fourth and final season in advance of its third season premiere Aug. 23.
FX canceled “Baskets” after four seasons. The final episode airs at 10 p. m. Aug. 22.
CBS All Access ordered “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” an original series based on the Walter Tevis novel and the 1976 film that starred David Bowie.
Stephen King will write a new ending to CBS All Access’ adaptation of his novel “The Stand,” which will star James Marsden and Amber Heard.
Channel surfing
2000 Carnegie Mellon University grad Matt Bomer will star opposite Chris Messina and Bill Pullman in season three of the USA anthology “The Sinner.” … CBS has re- teamed with David E. Kelley ( CBS’s “Picket Fences”) and ordered a series based on David Connelly’s “Lincoln Lawyer” about an attorney who works out of the back of his Lincoln Town Car. … Characters from Freeform’s “Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger” will cross over to Hulu’s “Marvel’s Runaways” ( returning for its third season Dec. 13). … WarnerMedia’s HBO Max will be the exclusive streaming home to all 11 seasons of “Doctor Who” along with future seasons after they make their linear premiere on BBC America.