CBS Reboot 'Early Edition' With Female Lead

[ZariusTwo]

This is a strange one...who the hell even reads a newspaper these days?

CBS is rebooting the Kyle Chandler-starring late-‘90s fantasy newspaper drama Early Edition and has handed the project a pilot order.

The reboot with a female lead comes from Citadel exec producer Melissa Glenn, DeVon Franklin and Bob Brush, who developed the original.

It follows an ambitious but uncompromising journalist who starts receiving tomorrow’s newspaper today and finds herself in the complicated business of changing the news instead of reporting it.

Glenn, who has written for series including Hawaii Five-0, Beauty and the Beast and Zoo, is writing the series and exec producing alongside producer and author Franklin and Brush.

Franklin Entertainment’s Jenna Nicholson is co-exec producer of the project, which comes from Sony Pictures Television and Affirm Television, Sony TV and Affirm Films’ co-venture for family, faith, inspirational and aspirational content, in association with CBS Studios.

The original series, which was created by Ian Abrams, Patrick Q. Page and Vik Rubenfeld, aired on CBS from 1996-2000. It was set in Chicago and starred Chandler as Gary Hobson, who received the Chicago Sun-Times a day in advance and tries to prevent the tragedies described in the paper.

It also starred Shanesia Davis-Williams, Fisher Stevens and Kristy Swanson, while guest stars included the likes of Louis Gossett Jr., Anna Chlumsky, Felicity Huffman, Jane Krakowski, Pauley Perrette, Michael Shannon and Cynthia Nixon.


Early Edition marks CBS’ third in-cycle drama pilot of the 2021-22 development season following Cal Fire, a drama from SEAL Team star Max Thieriot, Grey’s Anatomy alums Tony Phelan and Joan Rater, Jerry Bruckheimer Television and CBS Studios and a mother-and-son legal drama from Scott Prendergast and Dr. Phil McGraw.

https://deadline.com/2022/02/early-e...bs-1234929233/

[mrmaczaps]

Originally Posted by ZariusTwo

This is a strange one...who the hell even reads a newspaper these days?






https://deadline.com/2022/02/early-e...bs-1234929233/

So its going to suck. Cool. No thanks. Is the original streaming somewhere? Probably CBS's service (do they have one?)?

[superstaff]

Originally Posted by ZariusTwo

This is a strange one...who the hell even reads a newspaper these days?

Old people, and weirdos like me.

I actually vastly prefer physical media over using a phone for everything. I still look through magazine racks at my local Rite Aid. I prefer manga and trades/floppies to skimming through a reader online too. Don't shoot me, guys.

As for Early Edition, I really like shows that are about righting wrongs like Quantum Leap and My Name is Earl. I also liked the original, though I didn't see too much of it.

I think it's a concept that could get remade properly if tweaked a bit. It'll be on CBS, which is old people/weirdo central, so it'll likely do well-ish. Problem is, for those of us who just want a fun, cheesy show about a dude/lady going around trying to stop 'headlines' from being made, it's very likely the show will be jam packed with bad writing and political posturing. At least, there's a good chance of it happening, even on CBS.

Edit: I was reading through the Wikipedia article for Early Edition and found something curious:

In season four, episode 20, "Time" (the series finale that aired a few episodes early), it is briefly explained why Gary started receiving the paper. Apparently, he was given the responsibility by Lucius Snow (the man who received the Chicago Sun-Times before Gary), after Snow saved Gary's life when Gary was a child. The responsibility is represented by a pocket knife imprinted with the initials of the person next to receive the paper (Lucius gave Gary the red Swiss Army knife). The initials mysteriously change every time the current person decides on a new person to receive the responsibility. At the end of the same episode, Gary passes on the same pocket knife to a young girl named Lindsey Romick who had just lost her grandfather, and it is implied that Lindsey will begin receiving the paper when Gary is no longer able to carry on the responsibilities.

It'd be interesting if the show used that character in this reboot thing. In fact, it'd be the smart thing to do. The show ended in 2000, so it'd be 22 years since that happened, making the little girl likely in her 30s-40s.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by superstaff

At least, there's a good chance of it happening, even on CBS.

Especially on CBS.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by superstaff

Old people, and weirdos like me.

I actually vastly prefer physical media over using a phone for everything. I still look through magazine racks at my local Rite Aid. I prefer manga and trades/floppies to skimming through a reader online too. Don't shoot me, guys.

As for Early Edition, I really like shows that are about righting wrongs like Quantum Leap and My Name is Earl. I also liked the original, though I didn't see too much of it.

I think it's a concept that could get remade properly if tweaked a bit. It'll be on CBS, which is old people/weirdo central, so it'll likely do well-ish. Problem is, for those of us who just want a fun, cheesy show about a dude/lady going around trying to stop 'headlines' from being made, it's very likely the show will be jam packed with bad writing and political posturing. At least, there's a good chance of it happening, even on CBS.

Edit: I was reading through the Wikipedia article for Early Edition and found something curious:



It'd be interesting if the show used that character in this reboot thing. In fact, it'd be the smart thing to do. The show ended in 2000, so it'd be 22 years since that happened, making the little girl likely in her 30s-40s.

Now that would be a clever way to add a female lead that isn't 'we need female lead for wokeness sake' but I doubt it. Would be cool if Gary made an appearance but I don't want him to see him become an inept soyboy to cater to modern day sensibilities.

[mrmaczaps]

Logical reboots if done well could be decent but we live in a world where logic has been mostly thrown out the window...

[Andrew NDB]

I wouldn't mind an Ally McBeal revival. But you just know what it would be like if made today.

[ZariusTwo]

Looks like the pilot didn't impress CBS and they've scrapped the project

https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/ear...ed-1235265717/

[superstaff]

Probably for the best. I'd rather they not potentially ruin another show.