CBS Developing Female Mayor Drama From Barbara Hall, Nina Tassler & Denise Di Novi

Barbara Hall’s CBS drama series Madam Secretary features a female Secretary of State. Now the veteran creator has set her sights on a new drama project for CBS about a woman in a position of power, Ms. Mayor.

The project, which has received a put pilot commitment at the broadcast network, hails from former CBS chairman Nina Tassler and producer Denise Di Novi via their PatMa Productions. Written by Hall, in Ms. Mayor, when a young activist runs for Mayor of NY on a whim, her surprise victory launches her onto a political stage that she’s not prepared for, but is determined to take on with her idealistic enthusiasm.

Hall, Tassler and Di Novi executive produce. CBS Television Studios is the studio.

Tassler and Di Novi launched independent studio PatMa Productions earlier this year with focus on diverse voices, gender parity, and giving women and people of color more opportunities both in front of and behind the camera

In her positions as head of drama, entertainment president and chairman of CBS, Tassler worked on several projects with Hall, three of which went to series, the 1999 Judging Amy, one of Tassler’s first drama hits at CBS, Joan of Arcadia and Madam Secretary. Hall is repped by UTA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Ziffren Brittenham.

This past season, ABC had comedy series The Mayor, about an outspoken, idealistic rapper (Brandon Michael Hall) who runs for office as a publicity stunt and actually gets elected.