John Lithgow returns to TV for NBC comedy pilot / ‘Making a Murderer’ spoof

There is nothing these days that is big quite like what Netflix has going with “Making a Murderer” or what HBO has been doing with “The Jinx.” These shows have somehow managed to capture the country’s imagination, even though they are hardly that revolutionary when you think about some of the other similar programs that have aired over the years. They’ve just had a little more creative freedom to go in-depth.

It was only a matter of time before someone decided to give these shows an epic sort of spoof treatment, and it has been determined now that this said someone is going to be NBC. Per Deadline, the network is ordering a comedy pilot for “The Trail,” a show meant to be seen as a fun romp playing up some of the tropes from these series. The show follows a young lawyer named Josh Simon from the big city, and the efforts that he makes in order to solve a murder in a small town.

Lithgow specifically is set to play in the pilot Larry Henderson, a poetry professor who is the suspected killer. He may have some secrets, but who is to say that he is actually guilty of such a crime? Meanwhile, Sherri Shepherd of “The View” fame is going to play Anne, an assistant of Simon’s who suffers from face blindness and a variety of other issues that come with a wide array of complications.

there is a little bit of obvious irony to the idea here of Lithgow playing a professor, at least due to the fact that this is a role that he famously played for many years on “3rd Rock from the Sun.” Also, there’s some other irony to him playing a possible murderer, given how terrifying he was as the Trinity Killer during one of the best seasons of “Dexter.”

For now, let us know your excitement level about this news in the comments, and head over here to get some other TV news on all we cover, sent right over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: NBC.)