CBS has a script deal in place for a drama series, inspired by the life of Gloria Allred, Variety has learned. The project hails from writer/exec producer Deborah Schoeneman. Inspired by the life of the famed feminist attorney Allred, the fictional drama revolves around a fearless, outspoken lawyer who takes on the toughest civil rights cases and is masterful at using the media in order to get justice.
Allred will serve as an exec producer, along with Schoeneman, a former staff writer on the CW’s “90210.” Peter Principato (Netflix’s “Wet Hot American Summer”) and Paul Young (FX’s “Married”) are also EPs. The untitled legal drama is produced by CBS Television Studios.
Known for her high-profile cases, many involving women’s rights, Allred has represented many clients in suits again celebrities, including Michael Jackson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Anthony Weiner and the family of Nicole Brown Simpson during the O.J. Simpson murder trial.
“With Hillary Clinton running for President, campus assault becoming a national crisis, and the number of Bill Cosby accusers continuing to swell, I think now is the perfect time for a legal drama inspired by Gloria Allred,” Schoeneman, who also worked on HBO’s “The Newsroom,” tells Variety.
“When I was finished working on the last season of ‘The Newsroom,’ I was trying to figure out what kind of show I wanted to develop,” she adds. “Gloria Allred was in the center of the stories in the news that most interested me, particularly about women seeking justice. I was thrilled that she was receptive and excited about partnering with Paul Young and me on this project. She was a lot of fun to pitch with … I feel lucky to have the opportunity to work with Gloria Allred to create a dynamic, passionate and polarizing character based on her. Gloria’s an amazing storyteller with a deep well of perfect material for television.”
