USA Network has announced its first new original series for 2007, “In Plain Sight,” starring Mary McCormack (“Traffic: The Miniseries,” “The West Wing”). A weekly one-hour light drama from NBC Universal Television Studio, “In Plain Sight” was picked up as a pilot with 11 additional episodes ordered. Directed by Mark Piznarski (“Veronica Mars,” “Everwood”), executive produced by Paul Stupin (“Dawson’s Creek,” Beautiful People) and written by David Maples (“Home Improvement,” “Huff”), who will also serve as executive producer. Production on the series is slated to begin in the summer for a launch in the fourth quarter this year or first-quarter 2008. The announcement was made today by Jeff Wachtel, USA’s executive vice president, original programming.
“The Federal Witness Protection program is a secret world that really hasn’t been explored in a TV series. The unexpected twist of the show is that the identity of a Federal Marshal cannot be revealed. If discovered, the Marshal’s enemies would be tracking them down to eliminate witnesses. Our way into this franchise is through the character of Mary Shannon, a tough, funny, sexy woman with a high-risk, high-impact job,” says Wachtel. “And Mary McCormack is one of the few actresses around who can pull it off.”
“In Plain Sight” stars McCormack as lead character Mary Shannon, a U.S. Federal Marshal whose friends and family can never know just how dangerous a job she has. As a Federal Marshal, Mary works for the highly secretive Witness Protection Branch. Her job is to manage relocated Federal Witnesses who are career criminals, compulsive liars, thieves and murderers. On the other hand she has the innocents – people who have suffered the misfortune of witnessing a crime or worse, falling victim to one – and testifying meant giving up their lives, changing identities and relocating. All of these people have one thing in common – someone wants them dead. Mary’s job is to see that doesn’t happen. Her biggest challenge is balancing “baby-sitting” her protected witnesses and her own dysfunctional family: a delinquent sister played by Nichole Hiltz (“NYPD Blue,” “Strong Medicine”) and her mother, Jinx, played by Lesley Ann Warren (“Desperate Housewives,” “Will & Grace”), who is pretty much in denial about everything.
“In Plain Sight” also stars Frederick Weller (“Law & Order: Criminal Intent) as Marshall Mann, Todd Williams (“Third Watch”) as Bobby D. and Cristian de la Fuente (“CSI: Miami”) as Mary’s boyfriend Raphael.
