Going firmly against the grain of recent programming decision-making, the CW, home to non-scripted fare and foreign acquisitions, has ordered two new scripted series for 2024.
The announcement came today from Liz Wise Lyall, Head of Scripted Programming for the Network.
The crime-solving procedural Wild Cards dips into a cache of CW alumni, with Riverdale’s Vanessa Morgan and Reign’s Giacomo Gianniotti taking the lead.
The series is a crime-solving procedural with a comedic twist that follows the unlikely duo of a gruff, sardonic cop and a spirited, clever con woman.
Ellis (Gianniotti), a demoted detective, has unfortunately spent the last year on the maritime unit, while Max (Morgan) has been living a transient life elaborately scamming everyone she meets.
But when Max gets arrested and ends up helping Ellis solve a local crime, the two are offered the opportunity to redeem themselves, with Ellis going back to detective and Max staying out of jail. The catch? They have to work together, with each using their unique skills to solve crimes.
For Ellis, that means hard-boiled shoe leather police work; for Max, it means accents, schemes and generally befriending everyone in sight, while driving Ellis absolutely nuts. The two will have to learn what it means to trust another person and maybe actually become partners.
Wild Cards is from by Blink49 Studios and Front Street Pictures for commissioning broadcaster CBC in Canada. The series is created by Michael Konyves.
Executive producers include Konyves, pilot director James Genn, Shawn Piller, Lloyd Segan, and writers Alexandra Zarowny, James Thorpe, Noelle Carbone and Morwyn Brebner.
Meanwhile, Sight Unseen, stars newcomer Dolly Lewis (The Dutchman’s Pipe), Agam Darshi (DMZ), Jarod Joseph (The 100), Daniel Gillies (The Vampire Diaries), Alice Christina-Corrigan (Doctors), and Tony Giroux (Motherland: Fort Salem).
The series follows Tess Avery (Lewis), a top homicide detective who is forced to quit the job she loves after nearly killing her partner and being diagnosed as clinically blind.
Reluctant to accept help, Tess uses an assistance app and connects with Sunny Patel (Darshi), a professional seeing-eye guide and an agoraphobe living 3,000 miles away. After losing her vision, Tess is haunted by the unsolved cases she left behind. Using a hidden camera and earpiece, Sunny remotely steers Tess through life’s obstacles – and crimes – as the two challenge preconceptions about ability, trust and where to draw the line.
The CW tells us the series is inspired by one of the co-creators’ experiences with sight loss.
Sight Unseen is produced by Blink49 Studios and Front Street Pictures in association with Sisters Troubetzkoy Productions for commissioning broadcaster Bell Media’s CTV in Canada.
“Wild Cards and Sight Unseen are two unique, binge-worthy shows that reflect The CW’s commitment to compelling, top-tier storytelling that will appeal to our loyal fans and attract a wide range of new viewers,” said Wise Lyall, Thursday. “We are thrilled to collaborate with our partners at Blink49 Studios, Front Street Pictures, Piller/Segan [Wild Cards] and Sisters Troubetzkoy Productions [Sight Unseen] to bring these dynamic series to life and highlight just how expansive The CW brand can be.”
Both series are produced under the jurisdiction of ACTRA and the WGC in Canada. The licensing deal for both series was brokered by Blink49 Studios, who controls the distribution rights in the U.S. and Canada.
Both Wild Cards and Sight Unseen are slated to premiere in 2024 on the CW.
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