Ben McKenzie To Topline CBS Pilot ‘The Advocates’, Brit Morgan To Co-Star

Southland‘s Ben McKenzie has been cast as the male lead in the CBS drama pilot The Advocates. True Blood alumna Brit Morgan also has been cast in the pilot, written by Bruno Heller and directed by David Nutter. For McKenzie, the casting is in second position to Southland, which is currently airing its fifth season. The critically praised cop show, which originated on NBC, has never been a big ratings performer and is once again on the bubble, but it has been a prestige series for TNT, which has not made a decision on its future. Both The Advocates and Southland are produced by Warner Bros. TV. Advocates centers on lawyer Shannon Carter and ex-con Henry Bird (McKenzie) who team up as “victim advocates,” going to the very edge of the law to right wrongs and fight for the underdog. Morgan, repped by Innovative Artists, David Dean Management and lawyer Stuart Rosenthal, will play Henry’s sister Rose, a tattooed and pierced supermarket cashier. She also did a guest stint on Southland opposite McKenzie last year. McKenzie is with CAA, Management 360, and attorney PJ Shapiro.

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