ABC recently ordered a drama pilot from This Is Us writer/director Kay Oyegun, and now according to Variety, that pilot has cast five actors.
Left to Right: Sendhil Ramamurthy, Johnny Simmons, Rachel Hilson
What’s Happening:
- The untitled drama pilot has cast Sendhil Ramamurthy, Johnny Simmons, Rachel Hilson, Demitrius Grosse and Rahnuma Panthaky.
- The pilot follows five therapists at the Mindful Insight Therapy Group in Philadelphia who find unique ways to solve problems in their patients’ lives while grappling with their own. Ellen Roman, the owner of the practice and a brilliant therapist, has her life shockingly turned upside down when she begins working with a sociopathic patient who may hold the key to the disappearance of her sister five years earlier.
- Ramamurthy (Never Have I Ever) will play Amit, a big-hearted and well-respected relationship therapist. Amit and his wife Sonali are known for their very successful Dara Method for helping rescue marriages. Amit can read his wife just by sitting next to her and believes that they are perfectly in sync with each other both in and out of the office.
- Simmons (Jennifer’s Body) plays Clay, a charming and confident (perhaps overly-so) military veteran and therapist. He has the quick, agile humor to be Ellen’s favorite verbal sparring partner and is the kind of guy you want to hate a little but just can’t. Much of Clay’s charm and bluster is a shield under which he hides the wounds and demons he struggles to keep at bay.
- Hilson (Love, Victor) plays Naomi Josef, a smart and fresh-faced, smart and enthusiastic idealist who leads with her heart and radiates warmth. She joins the practice as a recent graduate. Naomi worships Ellen and has deeply-held religious beliefs, which she uses to guide her as she tries to navigate her way into the real world.
- Grosse (Fear the Walking Dead) plays detective Theodore Ghanem, who is described as “blue-collar Chicago handsome,” cocky and rough around the edges. Once you get to know him, he’s a good guy with solid principles, but he definitely isn’t opposed to bending the law when it’s necessary.
- Panthaky (Scandal) plays Sonali, an intuitive and impeccably put-together relationship therapist. Though she and Amit seem like a perfect couple, she has some unvoiced concerns about their marriage.
- The project comes from 20th Television and is written and executive produced by Oyegun.