TNT’s original programming efforts just got a little more interesting. Variety reports that the network has ordered six episodes of Frank Darabont’s period crime drama, which we first heard about back in January, but is apparently no longer going by the name LA Noir. The show, which focuses on the intense power struggle between the LAPD and the mob back in the 1940s and ’50s, reunites the ousted Walking Dead creator with two of his former actors, Jon Bernthal (as its lead, an ex-Marine turned cop) and Jeffrey DeMunn (as the detective heading up the new mob squad). The ensemble cast also includes Heroes’ Milo Ventimiglia, playing a lawyer who has mob ties, and Justified’s Neal McDonough as Capt. William Parker of the LAPD, a man determined to fight the greed and corruption.
We don’t know about you, but we’re pretty excited to see the pilot for this one. Darabont’s skilled storytelling in films like The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile demonstrate that he’s more than capable of bringing period pieces to life for modern audiences. Plus, the way he was pushed out of his last show over budget issues never sat well with us. Hopefully this gig will prove to be a better long-term fit — and will continue to provide safe refuge for killed off Walking Dead cast members!