A Retooled CBS Pilot That Starred This ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Actress Lands at The CW
After it was in development at CBS and passed over last year, a television project that was set to be fronted by a former Grey’s Anatomy star is back in the works at a new network.
The Republic of Sarah while CBS
During the 2019 pilot season, The Republic of Sarah was ordered as a pilot at CBS.
The logline of the series reads: “A small New Hampshire town is thrust onto the world stage when the discovery of a valuable resource within its borders compels the residents to declare themselves an independent nation, setting the unlikely young mayor and her cabinet of inexperienced locals on the path of running a brand new country.”
Sarah Drew of Grey’s Anatomy fame was the lead and titular Sarah. The main cast also included Kirsten Nelson, James Lesure, Kimberly Guerrero, Daniel Ings, Annie Funke, Jonathan Slavin, Carlos Leal.
CBS ended up passing on the series and it did not move forward. The shows that did get series orders at the network included Mike Colter in Evil and Simone Missick in All Rise.
The series is now in the works at another network
A year after the initial pilot was ordered at CBS, The Republic of Sarah is back in development. This time, it is in the works at CBS’s sibling network, The CW. Both networks are under ViacomCBS, along with other ones like Showtime, MTV, BET, and more.
While the general theme of the show is the same, several key components of the original pilot script have been changed.
Deadline reports, “The Republic of Sarah is said to have a Northern Exposure feel. Faced with the destruction of her town at the hands of a greedy mining company, rebellious high school teacher Sarah Cooper utilizes an obscure cartographical loophole to declare independence. Now Sarah must lead a young group of misfits as they attempt to start their own country from scratch.”
As far as we know, Drew will not be in this new pilot. The new Sarah, as well as the main cast, should be announced in the coming weeks.
We will find out around May if The Republic of Sarah will get picked up to series at The CW.
