CBS Orders Drama Pilots from Chris Columbus, Nicholas Pileggi and Ilene Chaiken

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Chris Columbus

CBS has ordered to pilot dramas from Nicholas Pileggi, Chris Columbus and Ilene Chaiken.

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The first, the untitled Ralph Lamb project, is a period piece set in the 1960s revolving around the true story of the former cowboy turned longtime Las Vegas sheriff.

Lamb, who served as sheriff from 1961 to 1979 helped form the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. He’s known for confronting the Mafia and Hell’s Angels, who in his 18-year legal career, never shot anyone. While often engaging in fistfights with crime personalities, Lamb grew up working on ranches.

From CBS Television Studios, GoodFellas scribe Pileggi and Without a Trace writer Greg Walker will pen the pilot and executive produce alongside Walk the Line's James Mangold, who will also direct. Cathy Konrad and Arthur Sarkissian will exec produce.

Second, the network will produce a pilot for Applebaum, an hourlong drama based on Ayelet Waldman's Mommy Track Mysteries series of books in which a former public defender becomes a private investigator to keep from being bored to death as a stay-at-home mom.

Columbus will executive produce and direct the project, alongside Jennifer Levin, Sherri Cooper and Waldlman, who will pen the script for the CBS Television Studios project.

Columbus (Stepmom, Mrs. Doubtfire, Home Alone), who recently inked a three for one deal with CBS, is also involved with the network's Rifleman.

Third, The L Word creator Chaiken will write and executive produce Quean, which revolves around an edgy and independent millennial hacker girl who teams with an Oakland police detective to solve crimes.

Joel Silver will executive produce the Warner Bros. Television project, which is one of two Chaiken has this development season. She had the female PI drama Hail Mary in contention at the network last pilot season.  

Levin, Cooper and Columbus are all repped by WME.

The projects join dramas Baby Big Shot, Elementary, Golden Boy, Trooper and Widow Detective in contention at the network this pilot season.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit