Having just wrapped his stint playing Dwight Schrute for nine seasons on NBC’s “The Office,” Rainn Wilson is trying his hand at a drama series for a change. Or at least, drama-ish.
The actor has signed on for the CBS pilot “Backstrom,” created by a man known for bringing a darkly comedic touch to heavy subject matter: “Bones” creator Hart Hanson. Wilson will star as title character Everett Backstrom, an “overweight, offensive, irascible” detective who constantly struggles with controlling his “self-destructive” tendencies. He joins the previously-cast Page Kennedy, Kristoffer Polaha and Dennis Haysbert in the pilot, which WIlson will also produce. The prospective series is based on the Swedish book series by Leif G.W. Persson.
NBC recently passed on Wilson’s “Office” spin-off “The Farm,” which he co-created, though the “back-door pilot” did air as last week’s episode of “The Office” Season 9 (you can check out Alan Sepinwall’s review here).
All details courtesy of Deadline.
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