Another Classic TV Show Is Getting a Reboot: Ty Burrell to Star in 'Tightrope' Revamp

Crime drama 'Tightrope!' ran for one season from 1959 to 1960 on CBS and starred Mike Connors.

By Megan Behnke

Ty Burrell is staying busy with a brand new show on the way, and it's another reboot. According to Deadline, Roku has greenlit a reimagining of the short-lived 1950s CBS crime drama Tightrope! Bryan Cranston will serve as an executive producer on the series, which will reshape "the drama of the vintage 1950s series into a slapstick comedy, where Burrell plays a lone wolf detective following cases city to city, while he searches for his long-lost love who got away."

"Since Tightrope! is a comedy about a detective (and finding a Wallenda seemed off-brand) we're thrilled to have Ty Burrell and Bryan Cranston join us at Roku for this imaginative, funny series," Charlie Collier, President, Roku Media shared in a statement. "What a joy to welcome Ty and Bryan to the Roku Originals lineup, along with the Moonshot and Desert Whale teams and our partners at Village Roadshow Television. We're pleased to add Tightrope! to our growing originals slate to delight our audiences." 

Burrell will also serve as executive producer for Desert Whale Productions while Cranston executive produce via his Moonshot Entertainment alongside James Degus. Village Roadshow Television produces Tightrope!, with Adam Small and Fax Bahr serving as executive producers and directors. Morgan Pichinson, on behalf of Roku Originals, will oversee the series.

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Tightrope! will mark Ty Burrell's latest new series. In March, it was announced that ABC had ordered the new pilot for new sitcom Forgive and Forget. Initially announced in January 2023, the series centers around Burrell's Hank, who "reconnects with his responsible adult son Ben in the hopes of making new memories together" after getting an unexpected diagnosis. The show is still in pilot stages, so there's no guarantee the network will order it to series. But if both Forgive and Forget and Tightrope! move forward, then it's going to be a busy time for the Modern Family alum.

Airing for a single season from September 1959 to September 1960, Tightrope! starred Mike Connors as an undercover agent named Nick, who was assigned to infiltrate criminal gangs. It also included appearances from Jesse White, Ted de Corsia, Lewis Charles, Jan Arvan, Stuart Randall, Art Baker, and Tom McKee, among others. Tightrope! was created by Clarence Greene and Russell Rouse. Despite the show's popularity, the series was canceled after one season due to creative differences and its violent nature. Hopefully, the new Tightrope! will do better, especially since it will be a lot different. More information should be released soon, so fans will just have to sit tight.

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