Katey Sagal is staying put at ABC.
The actress has been tapped to lead the cast of Rebel, a TV series that would pick up following the 2000 Erin Brockovich movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Here is the official logline:
‘Rebel’ is inspired by the life of Erin Brockovich today. Twenty years after a movie made her famous, Annie “Rebel” Rebelsky is still working as a legal consultant without a law degree.
A funny, messy, brilliant and fearless real-life superhero who cares desperately about the causes she fights for and the people she loves, when Rebel applies herself to a fight she believes in, she will win at almost any cost.
Krista Vernoff, the showrunner of both Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19, is behind this new series, which will mark her third series at ABC if it goes to series.
Vernoff penned the pilot and executive produces alongside her husband, Alexandre Schmitt. This is through their overall deal at ABC Studios.
Brockovich will also be part of the creative process, working as an executive producer alongside John Davis and John Fox.
Rebel is the network’s fourth drama pilot order this season, joining Greg Berlanti-produced The Brides, the Thirtysomething sequel, and family drama Harlem’s Kitchen.
Vernoff is well-known for steering Grey’s Anatomy in the right direction after several seasons that were not met with a good response from fans. ABC is hoping she will be able to do the same with firefighter spinoff Station 19.
What we do know is that the worlds of Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy will be more integrated as a result, and that ABC has given Station 19 the 8 PM slot on Thursdays, pushing Grey’s back an hour.
As for Sagal, she is currently recurring on The Conners Season 2. She was brought back after a well-recieved gust stint on The Conners Season 1.
The actress is well-known for her roles in Married … with Children, Sons of Anarchy, and 8 Simple Rules.
The Erin Brockovich movie starred Julia Roberts and found Brokovich working as a paralegal on a pro bono real estate case in which she discovered that a public utility company was contaminating a small town’s water supply.
After delving deeper into the conspiracy, Brokovich helped plaintiffs win $333 million in damages in one of the most prominent class-action lawsuits in history.
Okay, TV Fanatics. What are your thoughts on this news?
Hit the comments below.
And we sure would appreciate a follow of our new Twitter account as we work to rebuild our audience!
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.