In May, we reported that the then untitled Richard LaGravenese/Tony Goldwyn original scripted drama, starring Damon Gupton, might end up on AMC Networks‘ female-focused WEtv channel instead of AMC, as was originally planned.
The network officially announced today that the series will indeed become a WEtv show, and a 10-episode order has been made for what has now been titled The Divide, with a 2014 debut scheduled.
The legal thriller stars Damon Gupton stars as Adam Powell – a district attorney who uncovers new evidence that prompts the re-investigation of a sensational murder case.
Aunjanue Ellis co-stars alongside Gupton, playing his wife, Billie Powell, a successful partner in a private equity firm.
Also, Seth Gilliam (The Wire), as well as Clarke Peters (also of The Wire, Treme, and more) play supporting roles as Adam’s younger brother, a novice, naive cop, and Adam’s (Damon’s) father, Isaiah Page, a retired cop and the former Philadelphia police commissioner.
Marin Ireland (Homeland, Mildred Pierce) rounds out the cast of what has always read like a stellar project to me, based on what we know of it thus far.
LaGravenese writes and executive produces alongside Tony Goldwyn, who directs.
As I noted in my last post on this, even though I wondered whether the series would be a fit for WEtv, the good thing is that we’ll get to see the series somewhere, even if it’s on a network that I don’t watch. But I suppose maybe that’s the point – to draw audiences to a network that could use a lift. Although it could also be detrimental to the series because it’s not a network that the target audience for the series watches. At least I don’t think so, based on what we know of the project thus far.
Granted AMC and WEtv both are owned by AMC Networks, so it’s all in the family. However, as I noted earlier, WEtv just doesn’t seem like a proper fit for the series. This is a channel with a slate that’s heavy on reality TV series, and one of its most popular shows is Braxton Family Values. It’s also home to Bridezillas, and an upcoming spin-off called Marriage Boot Camp: Bridezillas.
Not exactly weighty, dramatic, suspenseful, dark scripted material. So I don’t get it, and it could actually hurt the show. Although I haven’t seen any of it, so I could be in for a surprise, if we discover that it’s actually closer in style to a series like Scandal, than it is to Homeland, or Breaking Bad, for example; and would fit very well into WEtv’s programming lineup, given the channel’s demographic.
By the way, speaking of Scandal, Tony Goldwyn plays President Fitzgerald Grant on Shonda Rhimes‘ Scandal; he’s a director in his own right, helming episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, Damages, Private Practice, Dexter, Justified, and others.
But it’s a done deal, and it’s coming to WEtv in 2014, so let’s see what develops here.
