Scott Bakula Eyes Return to CBS for New Procedural Drama
Veteran actor Scott Bakula is looking to bring his long-running streak of network television leads to CBS once again. According to early development reporting, the actor is set to star in and executive produce an untitled high-concept detective procedural currently in early development at the network. The project marks another chapter in Bakula’s enduring career, which has seen him anchor everything from Star Trek: Enterprise to NCIS: New Orleans.
The collaboration would pair Bakula with producer Dean Devlin and his company, Electric Entertainment. This partnership comes as the veteran actor navigates a busy post-reboot career, having recently concluded his turn as the lead of the Quantum Leap revival and preparing for new work in film.
A High-Concept Detective Story Set in Los Angeles
The untitled series is being positioned as a high-concept detective procedural set in Los Angeles. While details remain scarce as the project sits in the development phase, the premise appears designed to showcase Bakula in a role distinct from his most recent television work.
In a nod to Bakula’s history with time-traveling narratives, his character in the new series is described as quite a “leap” from the one he played on NCIS: New Orleans. This distinction suggests the writers intend to avoid simply recasting Bakula as another police officer, instead leaning into the versatility that has defined his two-decade career in leading men roles.
The Creative Team Behind the Pilot
Bringing the script to life is Michael Sussman, who will write and executive produce the project. Sussman is best known as the co-creator of the USA Network drama Perception. Beyond his showrunning credits, he has a working relationship with Bakula, having served as a writer-producer on one of the actor’s signature series, Star Trek: Enterprise.
| Key Figure | Role | Notable Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Scott Bakula | Star, Executive Producer | NCIS: New Orleans, Quantum Leap, Enterprise |
| Dean Devlin | Producer (Electric Entertainment) | Leverage, The Librarian |
| Michael Sussman | Writer, Executive Producer | Perception, 12 Monkeys, The Last Ship |
Quantum Leap star Scott Bakula is repped by CAA, Anonymous Content, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, while Sussman is represented by Echo Lake Entertainment and Myman Greenspan Fox.
Bakula’s Long History of Returning to Network TV
Bakula’s reputation for carrying major genre franchises is well-earned. His resume includes a seven-season run as the lead of NCIS: New Orleans, alongside starring roles on NBC’s Quantum Leap and UPN’s Star Trek: Enterprise. Outside of the procedural and sci-fi genres, he also played one of the leads in TNT’s acclaimed comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age.
His career accolades include five Emmy nominations to date, four for Quantum Leap and one for the HBO movie Behind the Candelabra.
Before this new procedural, Bakula is next expected to be seen in Netflix’s hockey drama The Sticks. The upcoming film project highlights a period of transition where the actor is testing his presence in both streaming film and traditional network television simultaneously.
Electric Entertainment Steps Into Broadcast Television
For Dean Devlin’s Electric Entertainment, this project represents a significant strategic shift. The studio made its mark as an independent producer with its own financing and distribution, carving out a niche as a supplier of efficiently produced, high-end scripted programming to basic cable networks.
Electric’s portfolio is famous for genre franchises such as The Librarian and Leverage. The Bakula project would mark the company’s first broadcast show, expanding its footprint from cable to the major network stage. This move aligns with a broader industry trend of established cable production companies seeking the wider audience reach of broadcast networks.
Michael Sussman’s Track Record with Genre Television
Sussman’s involvement provides a bridge between Bakula’s sci-fi past and the new procedural present. His series credits extend beyond Perception to include work on The Last Ship and 12 Monkeys. Both shows are examples of high-concept genre television with global stakes, suggesting that the “high-concept” tag attached to the Bakula project may involve complex storytelling rather than a standard police-of-the-week format.
What to Watch For Next in Bakula’s Career
If the series moves from early development to a pilot order and eventually a series pickup, Bakula would be returning to network television with a renewed creative partnership. His ability to anchor long-running procedural franchises makes him a valuable asset for CBS, which continues to lean on established stars for its schedule.
Whether the new show delivers a character leap big enough to match his past successes remains to be seen. For now, the reporting confirms a partnership between a television veteran, a genre-savvy producer, and a network looking for its next procedural hit.
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