‘Rush Hour,’ ‘Limitless,’ ‘Criminal Minds’ Spinoff Among CBS Series Orders

Upfronts 2015: New offerings follow “Supergirl” onto network slate

CBS has placed orders for four dramas and two comedies, including adaptations of the films “Rush Hour” and “Limitless.”

Other orders include the Marti Noxon medical drama “Code Black” and the Tad Quill comedy “Angel From Hell,” starring Jane Lynch and Maggie Lawson.

“Rush Hour,” based on the New Line Cinema feature film, stars Justin Hires and John Foo in the story of a stoic, by-the-book Hong Kong police officer who’s assigned to a case in Los Angeles, where he’s forced to work with a cocky African-American LAPD officer who has no interest in a partner.

Bill Lawrence and Blake McCormick are writing as well as executive producing with Arthur Sarkissian, Brett Ratner, Jeff Ingold and Jon Turteltaub, the latter of whom is also directing. Warner Bros. Television is producing.

“Limitless,” meanwhile, is an adaptation of the 2011 Bradley Cooper film. The series, which stars Jake McDorman, Jennifer Carpenter, Hill Harper and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, follows Brian Finch as he discovers the power of the mysterious drug NZT, and is coerced into using his newfound drug-enhanced abilities to solve weekly cases for the FBI.

The drama, from CBS Television Studios in association with K/O Paper Products and Relativity Media, has Craig Sweeny as writer and executive producer and Marc Webb as director and executive producer. Also executive producing: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Heather Kadin, Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips, Ryan Kavanaugh, Tucker Tooley and Tom Forman.

Originally hatched as a planted “Criminal Minds” spinoff, “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders” focuses on a division of the FBI that helps American citizens who find themselves in danger abroad, with Gary Sinise, Daniel Henney and Tyler James starring. Erica Messer is writing and executive producing, with Mark Gordon and Nick Pepper also executive producing, and Glenn Kershaw directing. “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders” is produced by ABC Studios in association with CBS Television Studios and The Mark Gordon Company.

The medical drama “Code Black,” which counts Marti Noxon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) among its executive producers, is set in the busiest and most notorious ER in the nation where the extraordinary staff struggle in the face of a broken system to protect their ideals and the patients who need them the most. Michael Seitzman is writing and also executive producing the ABC Studios-produced drama. Linda Goldstein-Knowlton, Ryan McGarry and David Semel are also among the executive producers, with Semel directing as well.

On the comedy front, “Angel From Hell” stars Lynch, Lawson, Kyle Bornheimer and Kevin Pollak. The series revolves around Amy and Allison, who form an unlikely friendship when the former claims to be the latter’s guardian angel. The single-camera offering, produced by CBS Television Studios, is written and directed by Tad Quill, with Don Scardino directing and executive producing.

Finally, “Life in Pieces” is a comedy about a family told through the separate stories of its different family members. Dianne Wiest, James Brolin, Zoe Lister Jones, Colin Hanks, Angelique Cabral, Thomas Sadoski, Betsy Brandt, Dan Bakkedahl, Niall Cunningham, Holly J. Barrett and Giselle Eisenberg star in the comedy, which is written and executive produced by Justin Adler. Aaron Kaplan and Jason Winer are also executive producing, with the latter directing. Kapital Entertainment is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television.

Previously, the network had given a series order to “Supergirl,” based on the DC Comics character.

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