CBS has four new dramas joining its schedule for the 2022-2023 season, and it has released extended looks at all of them.
First, in the fall are East New York, starring Amanda Warren as Deputy Inspector Regina Haywood, the newly promoted boss of the 74th Precinct, Fire Country, with Max Thieriot as Bode Donovan, a young convict seeking redemption and a shortened prison sentence by joining a prison release firefighting program, and So Help Me Todd, starring Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin as attorney Margaret Wright and her son, the talented but aimless Todd, whom she hires as her firm’s in-house investigator. Then, CBS’ True Lies, inspired by James Cameron’s 1994 film, is joining the schedule in the midseason.
Check out first looks at all four below.
East New York (Sundays, 9/8c)
“I’ve been a street cop most of my career and like you, I have ideas what should be done better,” Regina tells the officers in her precinct. “Now I get to see if some of those ideas might actually work.” Among those ideas: having some of them live near where they work. Watch the trailer below for a look at how Regina leads, conflict in the precinct, and more.
East New York comes from the executive producers of NYPD Blue and follows the officers in the working-class neighborhood on the edge of Brooklyn in the midst of social upheaval and the early seeds of gentrification. Regina has family ties to the area and aims to protect her beloved community, but she has to get her officers and detectives — some of whom are skeptical to her promotion and others resistant to her proposed changes — on board.
Her team includes her mentor, shrewd veteran two-star Chief John Suarez (Jimmy Smits); a highly respected training officer and expert on the neighborhood, Marvin Sandeford (Ruben Santiago-Hudson); Detective Tommy Killian (Kevin Rankin), who has some old-school approaches to policing; her right hand Captain Stan Yenko (Richard Kind); Detective Crystal Morales (Elizabeth Rodriguez), who is intuitive and can’t be intimidated; trainee Andre Bentley (Lavel Schley), who comes from an upper middle-class background; and ambitious patrol officer Brandy Quinlan (Olivia Luccardi), the only one to volunteer to live in a local housing project per Regina’s proposal.
William Finkelstein, Mike Flynn, Michael M. Robin, Christine Holder, and Mark Holder are executive producers. Andrew Maher is a co-executive producer. Robin directed the pilot from a script by Finkelstein and Flynn.
Fire Country (Fridays, 9/8c)
“Your life is pretty simple. I’m going to teach you guys to remove the vegetation from the forest floor, so the fire has no fuel to burn. You work hard, you do what I tell you, you’ll reduce your sentence and go home to your friends and family sooner,” Manny (Kevin Alejandro) tells the inmates, including Thieriot’s Bode, part of the firefighting program. Watch the trailer below to meet the rest of the cast, find out why Bode is there — and why he left — and more.
In Fire Country, inmates are partnered with elite firefighters to extinguish massive, unpredictable wildfires across the region. Bode’s back in his hometown, where he was once a golden All-American son, with a big secret and seeking redemption as part of the Cal Fire program. It is inspired by Thieriot’s experiences growing up in Northern California fire country, and he serves as an executive producer.
The series also stars Billy Burke as Vince, Diane Farr as Sharon, Stephanie Arcila as Gabriela, Jordan Calloway as Jake, and Jules Latimer as Eve. Tia Napolitano, David Grae (pilot only), Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, and KristieAnne Reed also executive produce. Executive producer James Strong (pilot only) directed from the story co-written by Phelan, Rater and Thieriot and a teleplay by Phelan and Rater.
So Help Me Todd (Thursdays, 9/8c)
After thinking she’s helped Todd “too much” — his license is revoked due to his flexible interpretation of the law — Margaret offers to help him get back on his feet with a job at her law firm as its in-house investigator. But they couldn’t be more different, as the trailer below shows.
In So Help Me Todd, working together is the first step towards the mother and son mending their fragile, dysfunctional relationship, and they may even come away with a better understanding of each other at this pivotal point in their lives.
The series also stars Madeline Wise as Allison, Tristen J. Winger as Lyle, Inga Schlingmann as Susan, and Rosa Arredondo as Francey. Scott Prendergast, Liz Kruger and Craig Shapiro (pilot only), Elizabeth Klaviter, Dr. Phil McGraw, Jay McGraw, and Julia Eisenman are executive producers. Executive producer Amy York Rubin (pilot only) directed the pilot from a script by Prendergast.
True Lies (Midseason)
In True Lies, Harry (Steve Howey) tells his wife, Helen (Ginger Gonzaga) he’s busy with conferences (“please don’t be mad,” he asks), while really he’s an international spy for the U.S. intelligence agency Omega Sector. But when his career leads to their marriage being at risk, he decides to bring her along for his next mission in Paris. That, of course, ends up putting her on the path to finding out the truth — and getting involved, too. Watch the trailer below.
Once Helen knows the truth, Omega brings in the language professor who has formidable skills (thanks to Tae Bo and yoga) to join Harry’s team of top-notch operatives on their covert missions around the globe. That renews the couple’s bond and adds the sizzle they need to their emotionally distant marriage and upends the top-secret world of Omega Sector.
True Lies also stars Erica Hernandez as Maria, Omar Miller as Gib, Mike O’Gorman as Luther, Annabella Didion as Dana, and Lucas Jaye as Jake. Matt Nix, Cameron, Rae Sanchini, McG, Mary Viola, Corey Marsh, and Josh Levy are executive producers. Anthony Hemingway (Anthony Hemingway Productions) is an executive producer and directed the pilot from a script by Nix. Sean Hoagland and Whitney Davis are co-executive producers.
