Karen Robinson (Schitt’s Creek), Joe Regalbuto (Murphy Brown), Kathleen Chalfont (The Affair), Maxwell Whittington-Cooper (Human Capital) and Abubakr Ali (Power Book II: Ghost) are set as series regulars opposite Caitlin Kinnunen and Bella Ortiz in the CW’s untitled drama pilot executive produced by Jennie Snyder Urman.
Written by Claire Rothrock and Ryann Weir and directed by Tessa Blake, the Untitled Urman/Rothrock/Weir Project centers on two millennial nuns – a devout true believer (Kinnunen), and a new arrival (Ortiz) who has yet to take her final vows – who start as strangers and become sisters on a funny, spiritual journey to understand their own faith and place in the Catholic church.
Robinson will play Sister Mary Annette Shiloh (“Smash”), the loving, defacto head-nun-in-charge, slyly trying to slingshot the Church into the 21st Century by mentoring the next generation.
Regalbuto is Father Quinn, the power of the Church personified. A charming, political, old-school priest who believes that nothing and no-one can ruffle his feathers, especially not one of the sisters.
Chalfont portrays Sister Joyce, the elder-states-nun with a heart of gold and a belly full of brandy. From the breakneck pace of her mobility scooter, she’s raisin’ hell and out of damns to give.
Whittington-Cooper is Laurie, a musical prodigy and the parish choir director, trying to spread a radical message of love, compassion and joy.
Ali plays Rahim, the sensitive heartthrob whose wit and charm are matched only by Sr. Maggie, who he will try and tempt into a tricky grey-area.
Rothrock and Weir executive produce with Urman and Joanna Klein via Urman’s Sutton St. Productions for CBS Studios where the company is based.
Robinson is known for her role as Ronnie Lee in the hit comedy series Schitt’s Creek, which swept the 2020 Emmy TV comedy categories and just won a Golden Globe for Best TV Series – Musical or Comedy. Robinson next will be seen recurring in the upcoming Netflix series Tiny Pretty Things. She is currently shooting recurring roles on Titans for Netflix, A Million Little Things for ABC, and a series regular role on the CBC buddy cop comedy Pretty Hard Cases. Robinson is repped by OAZ and Innovative Artists.
Regalbuto portrayed Frank Fontana on the original Murphy Brown series and most recently reprised his role on the revival, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award. He also guest-starred in dozens of series including Curb Your Enthusiasm, Castle and Major Crimes. He also has amassed more than 150 directing credits on top-rated comedy series, including Murphy Brown, George Lopez, Hot in Cleveland and Friends, among others. Regalbuto is repped by Worldwide Artists Group & The Michael Abrams Group.
Chalfant’s numerous television credits include The Affair, The Strain, The Americans, House of Cards and Rescue Me. On the film side she can be seen in Isn’t it Delicious?, R.I.P.D., The Bath, In Bed With Ulysses, Lillian, Duplicity, The People Speak, Lackawanna Blues, among others. She was nominated for the Tony and Drama Desk Awards for her role in Angels in America on Broadway and received the 2018 Obie Award for Lifetime Achievement. Chalfant is repped by DGRW and AMT Artists.
Whittington-Cooper can be seen in the Maven Pictures feature Human Capital with Marisa Tomei and Liev Schreiber, as well as Universal’s The Photograph, with Issa Rae. He’s also appeared on Mrs. Fletcher for HBO, Godfather of Harlem for Epix and Ava DuVernay’s award winning miniseries When They See Us for Netflix. Maxwell is repped by A3 Artists Agency and Authentic Talent & Literary Management.
Ali recurs on the Starz series Power Book II: Ghost and also recurred on the CW’s, Katy Keene. Other credits include CBS’ Tommy and Apple TV+’s Little Voice. Ali graduated from the Yale School of Drama in 2019. He’s repped by APA and Authentic Talent and Literary Management.