CBS Developing PI Drama ‘Topangaland’ With Scott Caan To Star, From ‘SEAL Team’ Creator
Former ‘Hawaii Five-0’ star Scott Caan could be returning to CBS has it’s announced he will co-write, exec produce and star in ‘Topangaland’, a new LA-based private detective drama from the creator of ‘SEAL Team’.
The hour-long drama, which is currently under development at the network, would see Caan as a laid-back ex-cop who works for his legendary father’s private detective agency, solving cases that take him from Malibu mansions to Topanga hippie communes to Venice back alleys and everywhere in between – all while navigating a thorny relationship with his dad and the rest of his unconventional family.
The series comes from a conversation Caan had with Jerry Bruckheimer Television about developing a new drama for the network. They teamed him up with Benjamin Cavell, creator of ‘SEAL Team’, and Stephen King miniseries ‘The Stand’. Cavell also worked on beloved drama ‘Justified’, the critically acclaimed ‘Homeland’, and the brilliant ‘Sneaky Pete’.
Caan himself has, of course, recently come off a 10-year stint on ‘Hawaii Five-0’ playing Danny “Danno” Williams. The role saw him nominated for a Golden Globe, along with winning a TV Guide Award for “Favorite Bromance” with co-star Alex O’Loughlin. As you may remember, Caan started to reduce his role on the series towards the end so he could spend more time with his family in LA, so this new project being LA-based should suit him quite well. CBS had been keen on bringing Caan back to the network, and pre-bought the drama from JBTV rather than let it go to the open market.
The series will be co-written by Caan and Cavell, with Cavell expected to serve as showrunner. The duo would also exec produce alongside Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman and KristieAnne Reed for Jerry Bruckheimer Television. There is no other casting as yet, and, as lovely as it would be to have Scott’s real-life father, James Caan, play the dad in the series, that is apparently not currently on the cards.
‘Topangaland’ is technically “in development” at the moment, but all signs point to the likelihood of a series pick-up. We’ll let you know when we hear more.
