CBS Bringing Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic to Network as New Series

While cancellations were the week’s theme in television ahead of annual upfronts, some renewals and a few new additions were mixed in, including one that Deadline says had a delayed announcement.

McG, Matt Nix and 20th Television are finally bringing True Lies to CBS as a midseason target, the production company’s first in 12 years after some “complicated” drama. The reboot of James Cameron’s 1994 action reunion with Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger, the director’s closer for his early career work before the juggernaut of Titanic and Avatar in years that followed.

According to Deadline, director McG has wanted to translate True Lies to television for a while, with the outlet pointing out his friendship with Cameron. The idea has its origins back in 2016 and has made the rounds, landing at Fox before only making it to the script stage and then moving on with rumors of a Disney+ premiere. McG had his hands on another reboot property at the streamer with Turner & Hooch and teamed with Nix there, combining their powers on the True Lies reboot. CBS actually picked up the series in 2020, pushing it to pilot in 2021 and holding that until this year.

The outlet confirms that the show will follow similar plot lines to the film, with Steve Howey of Shameless fame in the Schwarzenegger role as an agent hiding his profession from his wife, Ginger Gonzaga. She believes him to be a lowly computer consultant. The show is meant to have a lighter tone than your typical CBS spy thriller.

Nix brings his time working on Burn Notice to the table as a writer, with Anthony Hemingway of True Blood and Shameless directing the series. And as Deadline notes, the series is an opportunity for the show to tackle some of the criticism of the film and update it from a modern point of view. Though they bring up xenophobia as one of the red flag issues, which isn’t entirely something film and television have gotten behind to this point. It has gotten better, but the bad guys are still trouble on several levels unrelated to their evil on-screen plans.

Still, the show is coming and it is now time to shine despite the several aborted starts and delays. Hopefully, it fairs better than some of McG’s past projects on television, including the similar Human Target, which suffered from creative shifts after a successful first season. Fans would definitely love a run more like Burn Notice.