Catherine Haena Kim Joins Milo Ventimiglia In ‘The Company You Keep’ ABC Drama Pilot

Catherine Haena Kim (FBI) has been cast as the female lead opposite This Is Us star Milo Ventimiglia in The Company You Keep, ABC’s drama pilot, which will be shot off-cycle to accomodate Ventimiglia’s commitment to the departing NBC family drama series.

The project, which is based on Korean format My Fellow Citizens that ran for more than 30 episodes on KBS2, follows con man Charlie (Ventimiglia) and undercover CIA officer Emma (Kim). A night of passion leads to love between the pair, who unknowingly are on a collision course professionally. While Charlie ramps up the “family business” so he can get out for good, Emma’s closing in on the vengeful criminal who holds Charlie’s family debts in-hand — forcing them to reckon with the lies they’ve told so they can save themselves and their families from disastrous consequences.

2022 ABC Pilots & Series Orders

Kim’s Emma is the self-deprecating black sheep of an Asian American political dynasty. She never been afraid to carve her own path despite the objections of her impressive family. Sparks fly when she meets Charlie by chance in a bar, and the two wind up falling in love. But with Emma unaware that Charlie is a lifelong grifter, while he is unaware that she’s a CIA officer on the tail of the very mobster who’s blackmailing his family, they’re on a collision course that could not only ruin their relationship but the lives of their two polar-opposite families.

The pilot is being written and exec produced by Julia Cohen. Ventimiglia will exec produce via his DiVide Pictures banner alongside Russ Cundiff with Deanna Harris as producer.

Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu also will exec produce via his Electric Somewhere label with his partner Caitlin Foito. The Resident showrunner Todd Harthan and The Good Doctor co-exec producer Lindsay Goffman are also exec producing the project, which comes from studio 20th Television, where Ventimiglia’s DiVide Pictures is based.

Kim, an alumna of Disney Television Discovers: Talent Showcase (fka ABC Discovers Diversity Showcase), most recently recurred on FBI and the last season of Ballers for HBO. She also starred in Hallmark’s Boyfriends of Christmas Past. She is repped by Pakula King & Assoc.