ABC orders new Shondaland drama and more

ABC has given series order to Shondaland drama For the People, refugees from the future project The Crossing, Jason Ritter dramedy The Gospel of Kevin, Freedie Highmore medical drama The Good Doctor, plus the comedies The Mayor and another starring Zach Braff, EW has learned.

Legal drama For the People, set in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) Federal Court, a.k.a. “The Mother Court,” follows brand new lawyers working on opposite sides — for both the defense and the prosecution — as they handle the most high-profile and high-stakes cases in the country, all as their personal lives intersect.

The series is created by Shondaland’s Paul William Davies and is executive produced by Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers. Britne Oldford, Lyndon Smith, Ben Rappaport, Susannah Flood, Wesam Kees, Rege-Jean Page, Ben Shenkman, Hope Davis, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Anna Deavere Smith star.

In The Crossing, refugees from a war-torn country start showing up to seek asylum in a small American town. Only the country these people are from is America and the war they are fleeing is 250 years in the future. The local sheriff with a past, a federal agent, and a mother in search of her missing refugee daughter drive this allegory with a surprising conspiracy at the center.

Dan Dworkin and Jay Beattie will write and executive-produce with Jason Reed. Sandrine Holt, Steve Zahn, Natalie Martinez, Jay Karnes, Marcuis Harris, Tommy Bastow, Simone Kessel, Bailey Skodje, Rick Gomez, Kelley Missal, Rob Campbell, John D’Leo, Grant Harvey, and Luc Roderique star.

The Gospel of Kevin stars Jason Ritter as Kevin Finn, a cluelessly self-serving person, who is on a dangerous path to despair. In a downward spiral, Kevin returns home to stay with his widowed twin sister (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) and niece. On his first night there, an unlikely celestial being named Yvette (Cristela Alonzo) appears to him and presents him with a mission — to save the world.

The series hails from Agent Carter‘s Michele Fazes and Tara Butters. Chloe East, Dustin Ybarra, India de Beaufort, and J. August Richards also star.

In The Mayor, after an outspoken, idealistic rapper (Brandon Michael Hall) runs for office as a publicity stunt and actually gets elected, he surprises everyone (including himself) when he has a natural knack for the job and slowly transforms City Hall.

Jeremy Bronson will write and executive-produce with Daveed Diggs, Jamie Tarses, and James Griffiths. Lea Michele, Bernard David Jones, Marcel Spears, Yvette Nicole Brown, and David Spade also star.

The untitled Braff comedy is inspired by the podcast StartUp and tells the story of Alex Schuman (Braff), a brilliant radio journalist, husband, and father of two who is about to do something crazy — quit his job and start his own company. He quickly discovers it’s going to be a lot harder than he thought. Zach Braff stars, directs, and is executive producer with Matt Tarses.

Tiya Sircar, Hillary Anne Matthews, Michael Imperioli, Elisha Henig, and Audyssie James also star.

The Good Doctor stars Freddie Highmore as a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, who relocates from a quiet country life to join a prestigious hospital’s surgical unit. Alone in the world and unable to personally connect with those around him, Shaun uses his extraordinary medical gifts to save lives and challenge the skepticism of his colleagues.

David Shore will write and executive-produce with Daniel Dae Kim, David Kim, and Sebastian Lee. Richard Schiff, Antonia Thomas, Nicholas Gonzalez, Chuku Modu, Hill Harper, Irene Keng, and Beau Garrett also star.

Stay tuned for more news from ABC as they pick up new series ahead of upfronts next week.