TV CBS orders a Frankenstein drama pilot. Yes, he solves crimes By James Hibberd James Hibberd James Hibberd is the former editor at large at Entertainment Weekly. He left EW in 2021. EW's editorial guidelines Published on January 31, 2019 04:30PM EST Photo: Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock; iStockphoto/Getty Images He’s alive! And on the case. CBS has ordered a drama pilot titled Frankenstein. This latest and very loose adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel follows a San Francisco homicide detective who “is mysteriously brought back to life after being killed in the line of duty. But as he resumes his old life and he and his wife realize he isn’t the same person he used to be, they zero in on the strange man behind his resurrection – Dr. Victor Frankenstein.” (Duh-nuh!). The Det. Frankenstein drama (yes, we know, he’s technically Frankenstein’s monster) will be in consideration for next season’s primetime lineup. Writer Jason Tracey (Burn Notice, Elementary) is responsible. All CBS needs now are vampire doctor and mummy attorney shows and they could have an unbeatable Thursday night drama block. If the Franken-cop concept sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because there was another similar show just a few years ago: In 2015, Fox developed a drama called Frankenstein. Fox retitled the show The Frankenstein Code. Then Fox retitled it again, to Lookinglass. And then Fox retitled it yet another time as Second Chance. The short-lived series starred Rob Kazinsky as a morally corrupt retired cop who was given a second chance at life when he was brought back from the dead. CBS also ordered two other pilots Thursday. There’s the intriguing Republic of Sarah, which is about “a small New Hampshire town thrust onto the world stage when the discovery of a valuable resource within its borders compels the residents to declare themselves an independent nation, setting the unlikely young mayor and her cabinet of inexperienced locals on the path of running a brand new country.” Jeffrey Paul King (Elementary) is writing that one. And there’s another pilot titled Courthouse, which is precisely what you think it is. Related content: Drunk History: Seth Rogen, Evan Rachel Wood preview bonkers story behind Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Second Chance premiere recap: ‘A Suitable Donor’