Marcia Gay Harden May Replace Geena Davis in CBS’ Mother-Son Legal Drama Pilot

Update (3/23/2022):

Marcia Gay Harden may be starring in a CBS drama again.

Geena Davis has left the network’s untitled legal drama about a mother and son, according to Deadline. Harden (Code Black) is in talks to take over her character, the overbearing mother to Skylar Astin’s character.

The series follows Astin’s Todd, a talented but directionless P.I. and the black sheep of the family. He agrees to work for his overbearing mother, a successful attorney who’s dealing with the recent dissolution of her marriage, as an in-house investigator.

ORIGINAL STORY (3/15/2022):

Oscar-winner Geena Davis and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist star Skylar Astin are set to star opposite one another in CBS’ mother-and-son legal drama pilot from Scott Prendergast and Dr. Phil McGraw.

The untitled pilot, which was first announced last month, centers around talented but directionless private investigator Todd (Astin), who is the black sheep of his family. Despite a turbulent relationship, Todd agrees to work as the in-house investigator for his overbearing mother, Joan (Davis), a successful attorney dealing with the fallout of her recent divorce.

According to Deadline, Todd is described as a “problem child” who lost his private investigator license after some messy misunderstandings. His tactics are said to be “unorthodox,” quick to tell a lie to get what he wants. He’s also adept in tech, scrappy surveillance, and social media.

Joan, on the other hand, is a razor-sharp attorney who put herself through law school to support her three kids after her husband passed away. Described as “very controlling” and always focused on appearances, Joan has to rely on Todd, her least reliable child, when her second marriage falls apart. While she can’t condone Todd’s tactics, she is impressed by his skills in sleuthing out information.

Astin is perhaps best known for playing Max in the musical dramedy Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, which aired for two seasons on NBC. He recently joined ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy for a recurring role. His previous credits include the role of Jesse in the Pitch Perfect movies, the voice of Branch in the animated series Trolls: The Beat Goes On!, and Greg Serrano in the final season of the CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

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Davis, meanwhile, is best known for her award-winning turns in films such as The Accidental Tourist and Thelma & Louise. She most recently starred in the Netflix comedy-drama GLOW as Sandy Devereaux St. Clair. Her other credits include the political drama Commander in Chief, for which she won a Golden Globe, Grey’s Anatomy, and Fox’s horror series The Exorcist.

Untitled Legal Drama, TBA, CBS