CBS’s Cagney & Lacey reboot has cast its new leads in Sarah Drew and Michelle Hurd. In an age where shows like Roseanne and The X-Files are returning to fan acclaim, CBS is getting in on the game, riding the wave of television reboots with Magnum P.I and Cagney & Lacey. The former has found its star and a director for its pilot, with CBS turning its eye to Cagney & Lacey, the second pilot order from the network.

The original Cagney & Lacey ran on CBS from March 1982 to May 1988. A police procedural, the show was notable for focusing on two women, revolutionary for the era that the show was produced in. The original series centered on Cagney, a career-oriented single woman, and Lacey, a working single mother navigating Manhattan’s fictional 14th precinct. The series’ lead actresses won Emmys for six straight consecutive years with original star Tyne Daly (Lacey) winning four times and Sharon Gless winning twice.

MORE: CAGNEY & LACEY Reboot GETs PILOT ORDER AT CBS

According to Deadline, Grey’s Anatomy star Sarah Drew will be playing Christine Cagney in the latest incarnation. Michelle Hurd (Blindspot) will be playing Mary Beth Lacey. Drew will play Lacey’s protege, a former track and field star who acts as a more easygoing counterpart to Hurd’s empathetic and straightforward Lacey. The series will move from New York City to Los Angeles, with the pilot being written by Bridget Carpenter and directed by Rosemary Rodriguez (The Walking Dead).

Drew’s announcement that she’d exit Grey’s Anatomy at the end of its current 14th season met with strong fan backlash. The actress played Dr. April Kepner for nine seasons, beginning as a recurring character in season 6. Hurd’s credits make her no stranger to both shows with strong fan followings. The actress’s turn as the villainous Shepard in Blindspot’s second season took the show in a new and exciting direction. Her other credits include a second reboot with Fox’s Lethal Weapon and Netflix’s Daredevil.

The trend of reboots has taken Hollywood by storm with every network capitalizing on its previous backlog of creative properties. The race to find a new and creative intellectual property to draw in crowds on major nights has met with mixed results. The so-called “Golden Age” of television has made great strides in telling new stories. It’s easy to assume that this might go too far and leave other creatives with new unique stories without an outlet.

In the wake of Hollywood’s interest in furthering diversity and inclusion, however, an updated Cagney & Lacey might be just the ticket for CBS. The network’s choice of director and star for Magnum P.I has broken boundaries. Everything about Cagney & Lacey seems to promise a reboot that will be just what Hollywood’s direction to work toward more female-centered stories. However, time will tell if a reboot of the property, instead of creating original content, will pay off.

Source: Deadline