CBS has cast one of the leads for the Greg Berlanti pilot Golden Boy, and he’s a familiar face in television. Chi McBride will play Detective Owen in the cop drama, which was picked up to pilot by the network not long ago. It's one of several new projects Berlanti is behind this season. The casting lends a little more strength to the project, which so far seems like another average cop drama.
Deadline reported today that McBride will return to Warner Bros. TV< where he has worked on his three last series, to co-star in the pilot. Golden Boy, not surprisingly considering its name, follows the rise of a cop through the ranks of the police department eventually becoming commissioner. McBride will play said boy wonder’s new partner in the pilot.
McBride most recently came off of Human Target but has a long list of TV credits, including Boston Public which really launched his TV career. He also worked on the quirky Pushing Daisies which expanded his image. His name was one of those bandied about as a possible replacement for Lisa Edelstein as Dean of Medicine on House; he had a recurring role on that series back in 2005. That role went to House regular Omar Epps, but McBride is apparently bouncing back.
McBride certainly has what it takes to deliver in a cop drama, but that might not be enough to raise this one above the rest in a sea of procedurals, especially at CBS. The actor who is cast in the lead will certainly bear plenty of weight on the sinking or surviving of this ship. Cop dramas are a dime a dozen so writing and casting have to really shine; Chi McBride is definitely a step in the right direction.
