CBS orders Silence of the Lambs sequel

US broadcast network CBS has ordered two dramas and a comedy for its 2020/21 slate, including a follow-up to hit 1991 thriller movie The Silence of the Lambs and a reworking of 1980s crime series The Equalizer.

Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs

Clarice is from exec producers Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet and stars Rebecca Breeds (Pretty Little Liars) in the title role.

It delves into the personal story of FBI agent Clarice Starling, the central character of The Silence of the Lambs, as she returns to the field in 1993, six months after the terrifying events shown in the film.

MGM Television and CBS Television produce in association with Secret Hideout, with Heather Kadin exec producing and Aaron Baiers co-exec producing.

Meanwhile, The Equalizer is a reimagining of CBS’s 1980s crime series of the same name.

Queen Latifah plays the protagonist, an enigmatic woman with a mysterious background who uses her skills to help those with nowhere else to turn.

Andrew Marlowe, Terri Miller, Dana Owens (Queen Latifah), John Davis, John Fox, Debra Martin Chase, Richard Lindheim (co-creator of the original Equalizer TV series), Shakim Compere and Liz Friedlander are exec producers for NBCUniversal-owned Universal Television, which is producing in association with CBS Television Studios.

Finally, B Positive is a comedy from exec producer, writer and creator Chuck Lorre and Marco Pennette, about a therapist and newly divorced dad who is faced with finding a kidney donor when he runs into a woman from his past who volunteers her own.

Lorre and Pennette exec produce for Warner Bros Television and Chuck Lorre Productions. James Burrows directed the pilot.

The new commissions follow last week’s news that CBS was renewing 23 of its existing series for the 2020/21 broadcast season.

From last year’s new crop, drama All Rise, comedy Bob (Hearts) Abishola, Evil, FBI: Most Wanted and drama The Unicorn are all returning.

Bull, Blue Bloods, MacGyver, Magnum PI, SWAT, Seal Team and the LA and New Orleans versions of NCIS are among the longer running dramas coming back.

Evil, Mom, Survivor, The Amazing Race and Young Sheldon had all had their renewals confirmed earlier.

Pauley Perrette’s new sitcom Broke, however, is not returning. That was cancelled along with police drama Tommy, Patricia Heaton vehicle Carol’s Second Act and Matt LeBlanc family sitcom Man With A Plan.