CBS’ ‘BrainDead From ‘Good Wife’ Creators To Debut in Summer 2016

In a case of perfect timing, CBS this morning officially unveiled its next straight-to-series, 13-episode summer-series order: BrainDead, about an eager young Hill staffer starting her first job in Washington who discovers the federal government has stopped working – because alien spawn have eaten the brains of Congressmen and other Hill staffers.

The one-hour comic-thriller from The Good Wife creators/executive producers Robert and Michelle King will be broadcast next summer – CBS’ fourth consecutive summer drama series from CBS Studios with a 13-ep order following Under The Dome, Extant and Zoo.

BrainDead is the first project from the Kings as part of their three-year producing deal with CBS Television Studios, announced last September. That deal calls for the Kings to continue as executive producers and showrunners of CBS’ acclaimed courtroom drama while developing new projects through their King Size Prods. At the time of that announcement, BrainDead was a put-pilot order, described as The West Wing meets The Strain, Sen. Lindsey Graham’s private cell phone number was largely private, Sen. John McCain’s war-hero status was not a subject of debate, and no one seriously thought Donald Trump would hijack the presidential election cycle by throwing his hat into the race, except, of course, Mr. Trump.

BrainDead re-teams of the auspices of The Good Wife: creators, the Kings; producers, CBS TV Studios and Scott Free Productions; and CBS. It will be executive produced and written by the Kings, with Ridley Scott, David Zucker and Liz Glotzer serving as executive producers for CBS TV Studios, Scott Free and King Size. And, Judy Smith will serve as co-executive producer.

“We wanted to do a show that was a mix of genre-pulp and high-brow politics,” Robert and Michelle King said in today’s news, explaining, “It seemed like the best way to address the news today – not straight, but as the opening act of a horror movie.” The Kings are repped by Paradigm and Jon Moonves.

BrainDead will be distributed domestically by CBS Television Distribution and worldwide by CBS Studios International.

“Robert and Michelle have developed an intriguingly original concept with layers of humor, suspense and the supernatural,” CBS Entertainment chairman Nina Tassler said in today’s announcement, adding, “We look forward to launching it to U.S. viewers and a worldwide audience next summer.”

In today’s announcement, CBS reiterated the Kings will continue to serve as executive producers/showrunners of The Good Wife when it returns for its seventh season October 4.