TV Casting: MADAME X, CHEERLEADER DEATH SQUAD, Chris Chalk in GOTHAM

Madame X, Cheerleader Death Squad, Gotham, and other TV productions have made recent TV show casting, TV movie casting, and TV directing news. These shows and movies air on HBO, The CW, and Fox.

Untitled Todd Harthan drama pilot (Fox)

Jaina Lee Ortiz is set as the female lead opposite Morris Chestnut in Fox’s untitled Todd Harthan drama pilot, a closed-ended procedural written/executive produced by Todd Harthan and directed by Richard Shepard. Also cast in the pilot…is young Ben …Maggie Elizabeth Jones. It centers on Dr. Beaumont Rosewood Jr. (Chestnut), a gifted, charismatic private pathologist who can read living and dead bodies like a book.

Ortiz…will play Karissa Villa, a former NYPD detective who recently moved back to Miami and ends up helping Dr. Rosewood.

Jones plays Millie, Rosewood’s neighbor and an aspiring chef who spends a lot of time with him and very regularly provides him with insight beyond her years.

Of Kings And Prophets (ABC)

Maisie Richardson-Sellers…will play a lead in Of Kings And Prophets, ABC’s drama pilot written by Adam Cooper & Bill Collage and directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff…Richardson-Sellers…will play Michal, the youngest child of King Saul (Roy Winstone).

Untitled Johnny Knoxville family comedy

Julie Ann Emery (Better Call Saul) and Julie Ann Emery (Ascension) have joined the cast of the untitled Johnny Knoxville family comedy, written/executive produced by Victor Fresco and directed by his brother Michael Fresco. Narrated by Knoxville and based on his life, it follows the exploits of 12-year-old Johnny navigating the “outlaw culture” of his family and small hometown of Knoxville, TN, and documents the childhood experiences that inspired him to become one of the greatest pranksters of a generation. Emery…will play Genevieve, Johnny’s shamelessly narcissistic and caring mother. Carter…will play “Jukebox” Johnson Jr, an employee of his father Ray’s tire shop, who got his name from stealing from a jukebox right in front of the store owner.

Untitled Judah Miller comedy pilot

Efren Ramirez (Napolean Dynamite) has landed a role in the untitled Judah Miller comedy pilot…Ramirez…will play Jose Luis one “The Three Bears” — three large men (of varying sizes) who are Irene’s gay Greek chorus. They are the one thing in the suburbs that remind Irene of her days living in Manhattan.

The Advocate (ABC)

Joy Bryant is set as the co-lead opposite Kim Raver in the ABC drama pilot The Advocate. Also cast in the project…is…Coby Bell.

Written by Turner and directed by Michael M. Robin…Bryant plays Frankie’s partner, Dr. Ryan Clarke, a brilliant doctor who meets Frankie by chance, helps her out of a tight spot and subsequently opens a patient advocacy firm with her hard-driving new friend. Bell…plays Chris, who is trying to keep the medical firm afloat. And Freddie Thorp was cast as Frankie’s son.

Rush Hour (CBS)

Aimee Garcia is set to co-star opposite Jon Foo in CBS’ hourlong pilot Rush Hour. Also cast in the project…is Jessika Van.

Garcia will play Didi Diaz, a sergeant with the LAPD who chose to leave the streets once she became a mom. Didi is Carter’s former partner who knows him better than most people and is not afraid to call him out. Van will play Det. Lee’s (Foo) younger sister Kim, one of the few female officers with the Hong Kong Police Department.

Untitled comedy pilot (CBS)

Kelly O’Sullivan (Sirens) is set as a lead in CBS’ untitled comedy pilot…O’Sullivan…will play Katie, a fun, feisty and likable woman who’s been a fireball her entire life. She is soon to be married, and we see her throughout the vibrant and wild days of her past.

Untitled Tommy Johnagin comedy pilot (CBS)

Talia Tabin (Parks And Recreation) has booked a regular role opposite Tommy Johnagin in CBS’ untitled CBS comedy pilot inspired by the comedian’s life. The pilot, from writers Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker…stars Johnagin as Tommy, a stand-up comic raising a family in a small Midwestern town. Tabin…will play Stacy, Tommy’s younger sister, and a single mom with a 2-year-old son.

Recovery Road (ABC)

David Witts (EastEnders) has joined as a series regular, and Lindsay Pearce (The Wedding Ringer) has been tapped for a recurring role. Written by Bert V. Royal and Karen DiConcetto…Recovery Road centers on Maddie (Jessica Sula), a party girl and a highly functioning addict who doesn’t think she has a problem until she’s confronted one day by her school guidance counselor and is forced to choose between expulsion and rehab. Maddie makes the difficult decision to live with other recovering addicts at a rehab facility, while facing the daily pressures of her teenage life.

Witts will play Craig, the counselor at Springtime Meadows, though not a recovering addict himself. He might come off as absent-minded, but nothing gets past Craig, and he’s an effective counselor who really cares about his patients…Pearce is Rebecca. She and Maddie grew up together and once were very close. Rebecca now blames Maddie for everything that’s gone wrong in her life, since Maddie was the one who revealed that Rebecca had an addiction.

Gotham (Fox)

Chris Chalk (12 Years A Slave) has been cast as Lucius Fox in the Fox drama series. He will appear in the penultimate Episode 21 of the current first season with an option to return in Season 2.

Lucius Fox is Wayne Enterprises’ resident tech genius. In a corporation shadowed by nefarious dealings, Fox emerges as a moral beacon for young Bruce Wayne. His desire to help Bruce uphold Thomas Wayne’s legacy eventually will earn him a spot as one of the boy’s most important confidants. Indeed, in the comics, Fox goes on to become Wayne Enterprises President/CEO when Bruce Wayne becomes Batman.

Heart Matters (NBC)

Shelley Conn (Terra Nova) has booked a regular role in NBC’s drama pilot Heart Matters…the medical soap follows the outspoken Alex Panttiere (Melissa George), one of the rare female heart-transplant surgeons. Alex brings an innovative eye to treating patients week to week while also balancing the complications of her professional and romantic life. Conn will play Millicent. She and Alex are not exactly rivals but they do not get along.

Untitled multi-camera Suzanne Martin pilot (NBC)

Carlease Burke (Switched At Birth) has been cast in NBC’s untitled multi-camera Suzanne Martin pilot…Burke will play Alice, Bob’s (Stacy Keach) second wife and Mike’s mother.

Broad Street (ABC)

ABC has set the four leads in its period female-cop procedural drama pilot Broad Squad, with the last one going to Lauren Ambrose…Also cast in the pilot…are Michael Gaston (The Mentalist), Kenneth Mitchell (Jericho) and Alberto Frezza.

The project centers on four newly minted cops — Eileen (Ambrose), Molly (Charlotte Spencer), Lisa (Cody Horn) and Joanne (Rutina Wesley) — who arrived at a tumultuous time in the city’s history and have to navigate rival neighborhoods as well as the conflicting attitudes toward them.

Gaston plays Capt. Donahue, who oversees his boys’ club precinct with a take-charge affability, clearly amused and annoyed by the intrusion of four female rookie cops. Mitchell…plays Jim Pearce, a police officer, now sidelined due to an injury, and Eileen’s supportive husband. Frezza plays Officer Frank, a rookie cop on the BPD, a charming ex-high school football star who “found a higher calling.”

Untitled Molyneux comedy pilot (formerly The Brainy Bunch) (ABC)

Melanie Griffith is set to co-star in ABC’s untitled Molyneux comedy pilot (formerly The Brainy Bunch)…written/executive produced by Wendy & Lizzie Molyneux and directed by Jamie Travis…Griffith will play Mona Lisa’s mom Celeste, a former pageant queen who has graciously invited her daughter’s family to live with her in Orange County.

Madame X (HBO)

HBO is in negotiations for Madame X, a period miniseries…which would be toplined by True Blood star Anna Paquin.

Written by Julia Hart (The Keeping Room) and to be directed by Lynn Shelton (Your Sister’s Sister), Madame X, which will go through development, is set in Victorian New York City. Described as “a love story, a family saga, and the confessions of a charismatic and passionate woman who changed the lives of countless others”, it centers on Axie Muldoon (Paquin), one of the wealthiest and controversial women of her day. Inspired by the story of an infamous female physician, Axie helped her husband build a thriving midwife business and defied the law in the name of women’s reproductive rights.

Cheerleader Death Squad (The CW)

Alan Van Sprang has been tapped as the lead in…pilot Cheerleader Death Squad. Also cast as a lead in the project…is Abbie Cobb (Suburgatory). Cheerleader Death Squad…centers on Stone (Van Sprang), a disgraced CIA agent-turned-history teacher at an elite Washington, D.C. prep school. When he realizes that his students have high-level access through personal connections, he trains three mean girls, Grace (Gia Mantegna), Ursula and Maddie (Cobb), to be his eyes and ears into the world of international espionage and help him earn his way back into the agency.

Problem Child (NBC)

Matthew Lillard is set as the male lead opposite Erinn Hayes in Problem Child…Lillard has been cast as the dad

LFE (CBS)

Daniel Sharman has been cast as a lead in the CBS medical drama pilot LFE…Sharman will play Joe, a good-hearted, expertly talented surgical resident.

48 Hours ‘Til Monday (Fox)

Joe Spano (NCIS) has booked a regular role in Fox’s single-camera comedy pilot 48 Hours ‘Til Monday…Spano will play Doug McGill, Louise’s (Jane Curtin) husband. They are living at Kelly (Sarah Chalke) and Charlie’s (Riggle) house until he’s recovered from a back injury and can go back to work.

The Adversaries (ABC)

Lenny Platt (One Life To Live) has joined the cast of ABC drama pilot The Adversaries…Platt…will play Danny, the smart, energetic, high strung, straight out of Queens attorney and devoted employee.

The Catch (ABC)

Elvy Yost (Old Boy) has booked a regular role in ABC drama pilot The Catch…Yost…will play Maria, who loves her job at Meyer, Morrison and Rose, and despite the fact that her mom keeps sending her job posts for big law firms, is happy exactly where she is.

Untitled Alec Baldwin series (HBO)

Alec Baldwin will star in and executive produce an untitled series for Universal Television and HBO. The series will be scripted by Wells Tower, and Baldwin will play Joe Byrne, a billionaire real estate developer philanthropist, and celebrated socialite/tabloid fixture, who is unexpectedly rocketed into NYC politics when tragedy strikes the incumbent mayor and he is drafted to replace him.

It will be an hour drama that explores celebrity and the political landscape in New York City, dark but not as pitch black as House Of Cards.

Studio City (Fox)

Florence Pugh has been cast as the female lead opposite Eric McCormack in Fox’s family dramedy pilot Studio City, written by Krista Vernoff and directed by Sanaa Hamri.

Pugh will play Cat, a rising singer/songwriter whose life has been a celebration of dysfunction – with her mother an unstable alcoholic and her father (McCormack) a drug-dealing musician. She’s a survivor, though, and somehow has managed to keep her sense of humor, her romanticism and her dreams alive, despite it all.

Jeanine Mason (Bunheads) has been cast in Fox’s family dramedy pilot Studio City…Mason…will play Zoe, Stevie’s child from a previous relationship with a Latino lover. A brilliant, code-writing college student in financial trouble, she has moved back home but lives in the garage.

Fantasy Life (Fox)

Kimberley Crossman has booked a series regular role in Fox’s multi-camera/hybrid pilot Fantasy Life…Crossman will play Summer Dale, the daughter of the network president, who’s gotten her the job as host of Mitch’s (Kevin Connolly) new Fantasy Football league on Fox.

Cordon (The CW)

Hanna Mangan Lawrence (Spartacus) has joined the cast of the CW drama pilot Cordon, from Warner Bros TV…Lawrence…will play Teresa, a pregnant teenager eager to escape her mother’s judgment by running away with her boyfriend, she just misses her opportunity to leave the quarantine zone.

Dead People (The CW)

Alexandra Chando has landed the role of Pearl in the CW’s pilot “Dead People”

“Dead People” centers on a down-on-his-luck, alcoholic cab driver, Floyd (West), who gains the ability to interact with ghosts after a near-death experience.

Pearl is the perfect match for Floyd — she’s perceptive, sweet and funny. Unfortunately, she’s dead. Now, she’s helping him move on with his life.

Leave your thoughts on this TV show casting news below in the comments section. For more TV show news, visit our TV Show News Page, our TV Show News Google+ Page, our TV Show News Facebook, and consider subscribing to us by Email, “follow” us on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, or “like” on Facebook for quick updates.

Source: Variety, Deadline