Samantha Mathis & Norm Lewis Join NBC Drama Pilot ‘Blank Slate’

Samantha Mathis, Norm Lewis Courtesy of John Andrew Fredrickson; Peter Hurley

EXCLUSIVE: Samantha Mathis and Norm Lewis and are set as series regulars opposite Matt Passmore and Floriana Lima in Blank Slate, NBC’s drama pilot from Dean Georgaris, John Fox, Davis Entertainment and Universal Television.

Created by Georgaris and Fox, written by Georgaris and to be directed by Richard Shepard, Blank Slate draws some parallels to Davis Entertainment’s long-running NBC series The Blacklist. In Blank Slate, Special Agent Alexander McCoy (Passmore) is a legend in law enforcement, the agent we all hope is out there, the agent we’d all like to be. The only issue is — he doesn’t actually exist. He’s a ghost, a phantom. So what happens when a man claiming to be Alexander McCoy walks through the door with all of his skills and knowledge but with an agenda nobody will see coming?

Mathis will play Dr. Sylvia Matthews, the team’s forensic psychologist.

Lewis is Jeff Stroll, the Deputy Director of Homeland Security and Maya’s boss. Stroll is called in when his team encounters the legendary agent Alexander McCoy.

In addition to Passmore and Lima, Mathis and Lewis join previously announced series regulars Abhi Sinha and Dave Annable.

Georgaris executive produces via his Dean Georgaris Entertainment 2.0; John Davis and John Fox executive produce for Davis Entertainment. Shepard also executive produces. Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, is the studio.

Mathis can be seen in the upcoming feature Pet Sematary 1969 as well as The Georgetown Project, opposite Russell Crowe and Sam Worthington. Her most recent credits include the independent feature Being Frank, alongside Jim Gaffigan and Anna Gunn; the thriller The Clovehitch Killer and Ewan McGregor’s feature directorial debut, American Pastoral. On the TV side, Mathis has appeared in Billions, Jason Blum’s Hulu anthology series Into the Dark, Guillermo del Toro’s The Strain and The Good Wife. She was just seen on Off-Broadway in Whisper House and in Second Stage Theater’s Make Believe. Mathis is repped by MGMT Entertainment and Innovative Artists.

Lewis’ film and TV credits include Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, Pose, Mrs. America, Law & Order, Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert, Scandal, Christmas in Tune, Women of the Movement and six PBS specials. On stage, Lewis recently starred in the hit Broadway comedy Chicken & Biscuits. Most recently, he made his solo debut at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops. Lewis is also a founding member of Black Theatre United, an organization that stands together to help protect Black citizens in theater and communities across the country. He’s repped by Paradigm and The Katz Company.