ABC has made its first upfronts series orders, giving comedy The Mayor and dramas For the People, The Crossing, and The Gospel of Kevin the go-ahead for next season. The quartet of shows join Marvel’s Inhumans as freshman on ABC’s 2017-18 schedule.
Executive produced by Daveed Diggs (Hamilton), The Mayor follows an idealistic rapper (Brandon Mychal Smith) who wins a mayoral election he only entered as a publicity stunt. Surprising everyone (including himself), he has a natural ability for the job and soon discovers things about himself he never knew.
In addition to Smith, The Mayor stars Lea Michele (Glee), Yvette Nicole Brown (Community), and David Spade (Rules of Engagement).
Executive produced by Shondaland’s Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers (Grey’s Anatomy), For the People is set in the Southern District of New York Federal Court and follows brand new lawyers working for both the defense and prosecution. The series stars Britne Oldford (The Path), Ben Rappaport (Mr. Robot), and Anna Deveare Smith (Nurse Jackie).
From Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters (Agent Carter), The Gospel of Kevin stars Jason Ritter (Parenthood) as Kevin, a man tasked by God with a mission to save the world. The series also stars India de Beaufort (Jane by Design), JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Once Upon a Time), and Cristela Alonzo (Cristela).
The Crossing tells the story of refugees from a war-torn country who start showing up to seek asylum in an American town. Only the country they’re from is America and the war they are fleeing is 250 years in the future. The series stars Steve Zahn (Treme), Natalie Martinez (APB), and Sandrine Holt (Hostages).
