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Michiel Huisman has joined Taylor Shilling in the pilot for NBC's What the Dead Know, based on the memoir by Barbara Butcher.
Posted in: NBC, TV | Tagged: What The Dead Know
NBC Casts Michiel Huisman for "What the Dead Know" Drama Pilot
Michiel Huisman has joined Taylor Shilling in the pilot for NBC's What the Dead Know, based on the memoir by Barbara Butcher.
Article Summary
- Michiel Huisman joins Taylor Shilling in NBC's drama pilot What the Dead Know, based on Barbara Butcher's memoir.
- Huisman plays NYPD detective William Grant, teaming with Shilling's death investigator Ava Ledger on tough cases.
- NBC's schedule is crowded with sports and long-running series, making it tough for new pilots to get picked up.
- Produced by Beth Rinehart and Wolf Entertainment's Dick Wolf, the series faces stiff competition for airtime.
NBC has added Michiel Huisman to star opposite Taylor Shilling in a new drama pilot titled What the Dead Know. The pilot is based on the memoir by author Barbara Butcher. The pilot was written by Beth Reinhart. Huisman will play William Grant, an experienced NYPD homicide detective who "thinks justice is simple – black and white", while Shilling is playing "highly intelligent, hyper-vigilant" death Investigator Ava Ledger, who is really good with dead bodies. She teams with the NYPD to solve the cases that give them the most trouble. Deadline reported Huisman's casting.
NBC Doesn't Have Much Room On Its Schedule
NBC is in an interesting spot when it comes to the pilot season. Because of all of the sports deals they have made, they really do not have too many spots left to give to original content on their schedule. They have deals in place now with the NFL, MLB, and NBA, and those run through the entire year, with MLB and NBA games taking slots during the week, not just on Sundays like the NFL. Then you factor in the Chicago shows, Law & Order SVU, and their reality offerings, and you'd better come strong with your pilot, or else you are not going to series. That is how cutthroat pilot season has become on network television. Does this give me the vibe of a show that could make it? Nope, in fact, when I read the description, it gave me the vibes of the fake show Kristen Bell stars in at the end of Forgetting Sarah Marshall. But I have been wrong before.
Beth Rinehart executive produces What the Dead Know with Wolf Entertainment's Dick Wolf, Tom Thayer, Peter Jankowski, and Anastasia Puglisi. Kevin Plunkett, Rebecca McGill, and Butcher co-executive produce. Fred Berner is the director/executive producer. NBC is no stranger to working with Wolf, of course, and if anyone is going to get a new series on the air at that network, with its limited slots on its schedule, it is he.
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