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‘Home Economics’, ‘The Rookie: Feds’ & Backdoor Pilot ‘The Good Lawyer’ Still In Limbo At ABC

Peter White
·4 min read

ABC still has some decisions to make on its scripted slate.

The network has yet to make final calls on renewals for comedy Home Economics and The Rookie: Feds as well as The Good Lawyer, a backdoor pilot spinoff of The Good Doctor.

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It comes after ABC passed on four of its pilots: Anthony Anderson-fronted Public Defenders and Ellie Kemper-led Keeping It Together, which is a remake of British comedy Motherland, as well as dramas The Hurt Unit, starring Melissa George and Ben McKenzie, and Judgement starring Sex/Life’s Sarah Shahi.

Deadline understands that ABC is unlikely to make all of these decisions until the writers strike is over and the future of the fall season is clearer. A decision on Home Economics may come first out of the three.

RELATED: 2023 ABC Pilots & Series Orders

Part of this lies in the fact that cast options for broadcast shows generally expire at the end of June so if ABC is still keen to keep any of these shows, it will either have to make a decision before that expiration or extend the casts. Extending the cast on The Good Lawyer will be the most straightforward as it was a backdoor pilot with only a small original cast including Kennedy McMann and Felicity Huffman.

Home Economics comes from Michael Colton and John Aboud and stars Topher Grace.

Inspired by Colton’s real-life experiences, the series documents the uncomfortable yet heartwarming relationships of three siblings in very different situations: one in the ultra-rich, one in the middle class and one scraping by.

The series also stars Caitlin McGee, Jimmy Tatro, Karla Souza, Sasheer Zamata, Shiloh Bearman, Jordyn Curet, Chloe Jo Rountree and JeCobi Swain.

The third season premiered in September and its 13-episode season ended in January.

Colton and Aboud serve as executive producers alongside Grace and Eric and Kim Tannenbaum of The Tannenbaum Company, whose Jason Wang co-executive produces along with Tucker Cawley and Julieanne Smolinski. Dean Holland directed the pilot and multiple episodes and also serves as an executive producer. Home Economics is produced by Lionsgate and ABC Signature.

The Rookie: Feds is a spinoff of the long-running police drama series and stars Niecy Nash-Betts. The series, which premiered at the end of September, scored a full season order in October following solid numbers, particularly with delayed multiplatform viewing.

It stars Nash-Betts as Simone Clark, the oldest rookie in the FBI. Clark is a force of nature, the living embodiment of a dream deferred – and she works together with her new colleagues at the Bureau to bring down the country’s toughest criminals.

It also stars Frankie R. Faison, James Lesure, Britt Robertson, Felix Solis and Kevin Zegers.

Alexi Hawley and Terence Paul Winter are co-creators, co-showrunners and executive producers. Mark Gordon, Niecy Nash-Betts, Nathan Fillion, Michelle Chapman, Bill Norcross, Corey Miller, Michael Goi and Bibby Dunn exec produce.

The lead studio eOne, which produces with ABC Signature.

The Good Lawyer is a spinoff of The Good Doctor. ABC aired a backdoor pilot in March starring Nancy Drew’s Kennedy McMann and Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman, in her first broadcast acting gig since she completed a short prison sentence for her role in the college admission scandal.

The legal drama’s backdoor pilot episode said The Good Doctor’s Dr. Shaun Murphy, played by Freddie Highmore, seeking legal representation to help him win a case and puts his faith in a promising, young lawyer, Joni DeGroot (McMann) who has obsessive compulsive disorder.

The brilliant, funny and self-aware Joni is relatively new to her prestigious law firm when she takes Shaun’s case. Living with OCD, Joni has never wanted to be treated differently. While her symptoms take a toll on her personal and professional life, her attention to detail allows her to see cases through a different lens.

Huffman plays Janet Stewart, a highly regarded attorney and partner at the law firm with a fierce intellect and dry wit. A seasoned veteran, Janet has represented Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff) in several legal matters over the years, so he turns to her to represent his beloved protégé. But when Shaun declares that he wants Joni to represent him, Janet is forced to let Joni take lead on the case.

The drama comes from The Good Doctor executive producers/co-showrunners David Shore and Liz Friedman. Sony Pictures Television and ABC Signature produce in association with Shore’s Sony-based Shore Z Prods.

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