‘The Walking Dead’: Former exec Frank Darabont officially lands ‘L.A. Noir’
Frank Darabont now officially has an opportunity to be known for something in TV other than “The Walking Dead” … even if he is bringing a good many former actors from the show along with him for the ride.
On Wednesday, TNT confirmed that they are going to take a chance on the writer and executive producer’s new series “L.A. Noir” by ordering it to series, which certainly marks a bold move that shows that they have faith in a man who clashes with AMC so much during his last gig that he was ultimately dismissed and replaced during season 2 producer by Glen Mazzara. (Since Darabont’s exit, the series has gone on to be the highest-rated in cable history.) So what is the new show from Frank about? Basically, it is going to be the same sort of “flashback drama” that we have with “Mad Men,” with a touch of a classic crime drama thrown in there as well:
“This new series tells the true story of a decades-long conflict between the Los Angeles Police Department, under the determined leadership of Police Chief William Parker, and ruthless criminal elements led by Mickey Cohen, a one-time boxer who rose to the top of L.A.’s criminal world. The new drama stars Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead) as Joe Teague, an ex-Marine now working as an LAPD cop in an era rampant with police corruption. Jeffrey DeMunn (The Walking Dead, The Shawshank Redemption) plays Det. Hal Morrison, who heads up the LAPD’s new mob squad, with Jeremy Strong (The Happening, Lincoln) as Det. Mike Hendry, Morrison’s second in command. Neal McDonough (Captain America, Desperate Housewives) is Capt. William Parker, Teague’s boss who is determined to weed out corruption and bring down Mickey Cohen. And Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes) plays Ned Stax, who fought alongside Teague during World War II but who now works as a lawyer with connections to the mob. In the pilot, Simon Pegg (Star Trek, Shaun of the Dead) guest-stars as Hecky Nash, a third-rate comedian and mob hanger-on.”
The idea of having Bernthal and Simon Pegg on the same show excited us greatly, and now our mere hope is just that the show does not collapse under the weight of its own expectations. If nothing else, this does sound like a foray by the network into more serialized fare following the success of a number of classic murder-mystery shows. Will this bring in a younger audience? Ironically considering the time period, that may very well be the hope.
Are you interested in watching Darabont’s new show?