SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

WGN America unveiled two new originals, exhibiting the full spectrum of the beloved detective procedural genre: lighthearted detective comedy Carter, starring Jerry O'Connell (Mistresses, Sliders, Crossing Jordan), Sydney Poitier Heartsong (Chicago P.D.) and Kristian Bruun (Orphan Black), and crime drama Gone, starring Chris Noth (Sex and the City, Law & Order, The Good Wife), Leven Ramblin (The Hunger Games) and Danny Pino (CSI: Miami). Carter is a sharp, 10-episode series that revolves around Harley Mackay (O'Connell), an actor playing a detective on a hit television show until he is forced to retreat to his sleepy hometown after an embarrassing public meltdown in Hollywood. Now that he's back, he taps into his acting experience to become a real-life detective, partnering with his two best friends, Sam Shaw (Heartsong) and Dave Leigh (Bruun). Carter will make its debut on WGN America on Tuesday, August 7.

Gone follows the story of Kit "Kick" Lannigan (Rambin), survivor of a highly publicized child-abduction case, and Frank Novak (Noth), the FBI agent who rescued her. Determined never to fall victim again, Kick trains herself in martial arts and the use of firearms. She finds her calling when Novak persuades her to join a special task force he created dedicated to solving abductions and missing persons cases. Paired with former Army intelligence officer John Bishop (Pino), Kick brings her unique understanding of a predator's mind to the team. The series is set to premiere early 2019.

Four girls living in Small Town, Florida confront their stagnant lives when their only ambitious friend moves away to follow her dreams, in Florida Girls, an original scripted half-hour comedy commissioned by Pop TV, a network owned by CBS Corporation and Lionsgate. Florida Girls heads into production this fall. Lionsgate, which recently acquired a majority ownership of 3 Arts Entertainment, will produce Florida Girls alongside 3 Arts and JAX Media. Series creator and executive producer Laura Chinn (The Mick) will star in the 10-episode series, which is based on Chinn's real-life.

Lilly Burns of JAX Media directed the pilot and serves as an executive producer of the series. Tony Hernandez of JAX Media, and Oly Obst and Josh Lieberman of 3 Arts Entertainment also serve as executive producers. Florida Girls follows a quartet of female friends who are partying under the poverty line while navigating very relatable problems as they try to better their situations. Living in a dilapidated beach town full of alcoholics, these street-wise women haphazardly attempt to find self-worth and learn to "adult" in a society that deems poor, uneducated women as valueless. Their backbone ultimately lies within their tight-knit, non-judgmental and loving friendship.