The network is in negotiations with Warner Bros. TV for a reboot of Cold Case, which aired on CBS for seven seasons from 2003-2010. The sequel comes from series creator/executive producer Meredith Stiehm.
The as-yet-untitled Cold Case reboot is set fifteen years after the final episode of the original series and is said to follow a new team of tenacious detectives investigating cold cases in the Southwest.
This is a new location, as the original Cold Case was set in Philadelphia. The move would allow the potential new series to introduce a new group of characters tackling unsolved murders.
Steihm writes the script. She co-produces with JBTV's Jerry Bruckheimer and KristieAnne Reed for WBTV and CBS Studios. Talks between CBS and WBTV have been going on for weeks and sources emphasize that the two sides are not yet close to a deal. Representatives for the network and studios declined comment.
The original series follows Detective Lilly Rush (Kathryn Morris), a homicide detective with the Philadelphia Police Department who specializes in cold cases and who spent most of the series working with Detective Scotty Valens (Danny Pino).
There is no talent attached to the reboot at this time, although Pino is rumored to have had informal talks to reprise his fan-favorite character Det. Scotty Valens to reprise, possibly in a major way. Sources say Morris has not yet been contacted about the reboot, but is aware of it and could possibly appear in a (likely limited) capacity to provide additional continuity, as she helmed the original series for seven seasons.
The main cast of Cold Case also included John Finn, Jeremy Ratchford, Thom Barry and Tracie Thoms.
Before they can move forward with talent talks, WBTV must strike a deal with CBS, which sources say is a challenge. The sticking points appear to include some of the issues the two sides had during renewal negotiations for East New York, which was a new series for WBTV last spring and which reportedly included a request from the network for additional streaming rights.
After months of back-and-forth, these talks failed. The Cold Case reboot would mark the studio's first drama sale to CBS since then, as the two sides attempt to strike a new deal. The studio and network have an ongoing relationship on the comedy side through Chuck Lorre's The Big Bang Theory franchise which recently got another derivative series, Georgie & Mandy, for next season.
There is no real rush, because CBS' 2024-25 schedule is already full of three new drama series: Matlock (2024), which was delayed due to the strike, NCIS: Origins and Watson.
Since the end of Cold Case after 156 episodes, Stiehm has served as executive producer on Showtime's Emmy-winning drama Homeland and was co-developer and executive producer of FX's The Bridge (2013), based on the Danish-Swedish format.
In addition to CSI: Vegas, which is currently in its third season, JBTV has the CBS drama series Fire Country, which has been renewed for a third season and is being explored for a possible spin-off centered on a sheriff as the main character.
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