CBS has set a Wednesday, February 15th premiere for the network’s new series “Doubt” – a legal that drama hails from the husband-and-wife writing/executive-producing team, Tony Phelan and Joan Rater (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Madam Secretary”), that stars Katherine Heigl as Sadie Ellis, a brilliant attorney at a boutique firm who starts to fall for her charismatic client, Billy Brennan (Steven Pasquale), an altruistic pediatric surgeon recently accused of murdering his girlfriend 24 years ago. Sadie is hiding her growing feelings from everyone, including her close friend and colleague, Albert Cobb (Dulé Hill), who thinks he knows everything about her. Working on other cases at the practice is Cameron Wirth (Laverne Cox), a transgender Ivy League graduate who fights passionately for her clients since she’s experienced injustice first hand; Tiffany Simon (Dreama Walker), a second-year associate who is quickly learning the ropes from Wirth; and Nick (Kobi Libii), a former felon who earned his degree while serving time. They all consider it a privilege to work for Isaiah Roth (Elliott Gould), a revered legal lion and “lefty” legend, whose approval is their holy grail. Sadie’s decision to become involved with her client could put her career, as well as her happiness, at risk if Billy is found guilty, which means she needs to work all the harder to prove reasonable doubt, even if she has some herself.
Laverne Cox of “Orange Is the New Black” fame co-stars as Cameron Wirth, a transgender Ivy League-educated attorney, described as “fierce and funny” as well as “competitive as she is compassionate,” who has “experienced injustice first hand,” and is inclined to “fight all the harder for her clients,” per the CBS press release. This would be a TV history-making event for Cox who previously made history, becoming the first openly transgender actress to earn an Emmy nomination. Her role in “Doubt” is the first broadcast TV transgender series regular character who is also played by an openly transgender actress. Prior to Cox, Candis Cayne made similar headlines in 2007 for portraying transgender mistress Carmelita on ABC’s prime time drama “Dirty Sexy Money,” becoming the first openly transgender actress to play a recurring transgender character in primetime TV (emphasis on “recurring” which is different from “series regular” which is what differentiates Cayne’s accomplishment from Cox’s).
Also Dulé Hill’s Albert Cobb is Heigl’s law firm partner and close friend who is working with her on a very high-profile case, representing a member of a prominent New York family.
And Kobi Libii’s Nick Brady is described as a smart, ambitious and enterprising recent law school graduate who is determined to work with the best criminal defense attorney in New York.
This may prove to be CBS’ replacement for “The Good Wife,” another legal drama that ended its 7-season run last year. Although a spin-off series, “The Good Fight,” is heading to CBS’ SVOD platform, CBS All Access later this month.
In the video below, released today by CBS, co-star Laverne Cox discusses playing the first series regular transgender role on a scripted network television series; she also speaks briefly about the character she plays, her co-stars and the diversity within the series. The clip also includes some scenes from next week’s first episode. Watch below:
