Mandy Moore has set her sights on a brand new gig. The singer-turned-actress has signed on for the CBS drama pilot The Advocates, a show that will follow a lawyer and an ex-con who work to fight the wrongs in the legal system. The pilot is coming from Rome and The Mentalist mastermind Bruno Heller and will be directed by frequent TV collaborator David Nutter, who most recently has directed episodes of Game of Thrones and Shameless.
Moore will star in the advocates as the female lead, Shannon Carter. Carter was once an Assistant District Attorney, but left that side of the law to help those who may be getting screwed over by the court system. According to Deadline, her character will be working closely with an ex-con, who will be played by Southland’s Ben McKenzie, which may mean Southland is currently finishing up its final season since more than one of its actors seem to be looking elsewhere.
Moore was initially signed on for a completely different sort of pilot earlier this season. She took a lead role in the ABC comedy pilot Pulling, but the script progressed and her character changed, leading to her decision to leave the project. I wasn’t sure the actress would be able to find a pilot gig this late in the game, but she seems to be in pretty high demand, and maybe a drama will be a better fit for Moore than a comedy. We’ll let you know whether The Advocates moves forward at CBS.
