CBS rejects David E. Kelley's The Lincoln Lawyer after giving it a 13-episode commitment

Deadline

CBS' passing on Kelley's high-profile legal drama is believed to be the first project rejected in the 2020 pilot season. "Even in the context of a highly irregular pilot season decimated by the pandemic, the pass on The Lincoln Lawyer is a jaw-dropper as it is a well known title, comes from one of the top legal drama creators in the business, Kelley, and had a huge commitment," reports Deadline's Nellie Andreeva. "I hear no force majeure has not been invoked yet but the two sides are yet to get into the nitty-gritty of settling the big series penalty. It is unclear yet whether leading studio A+E Studios would shop the series elsewhere; it is a likely scenario." As Andreeva notes, a lot has changed at CBS since giving Kelley the 13-episode commitment last year, including George Cheeks taking over as president and CEO of CBS Entertainment.