Michael Cudlitz may be deader-than-dead on “The Walking Dead,” but he’s coming back to TV life in the form of a broadcast comedy.
Cudlitz has signed on to star in ABC’s hourlong pilot “The Trustee,” Variety has learned.
“The Trustee” is described as a fun female buddy cop comedy. The pilot follows a stubborn detective who finds unlikely help from her precinct’s trustee, a larger-than-life ex-con finishing out her prison sentence doing menial tasks for the police department. Though the duo has completely opposing views on crime and punishment, a highly entertaining and successful partnership is born.
Cudlitz will play Captain Timothy Waits, a wry and sardonic police captain who has learned to appreciate Eliza Radley’s — played by Meaghan Rath– unorthodox policing methods.
Jay Scherick and David Ronn penned the pilot and will serve as executive producers, along with Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman. Warner Bros. Television is producing, along with Banks and Handelman’s company, Brownstone Prods.
Cudlitz has courted a couple of pilot offers this season, both broadcast and drama. Fresh off of “The Walking Dead” on which his fan-favorite character Abraham was brutally killed last year, Cudlitz also starred on “Southland.” Following the shocking episode of “Walking Dead” when he was killed off, Cudlitz came to Variety‘s offices for an interview and told us that even though he will miss the zombie show, he was excited to explore new roles.
Cudlitz is repped by APA, Anonymous Content, and Stone Genow Smelkinson binder & Christopher, LLP.
