'Deception' Creator Brushes Off 'Revenge' Comparisons

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Meagan Good and Victor Garber

Among the many topics -- race, class, the traps of serialized storytelling -- covered during the Television Critics Association winter press tour panel for NBC's Deception, the one that seemed the most glossed over was its similarity to ABC's Revenge.

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Both creator Liz Heldens and EP Gail Berman were asked if, at any point, their show was billed as NBC's answer to the soap -- and both tried to imply that any similarities are a coincidence. 

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"Two of my favorite movies are Donnie Brasco and The Departed," said Heldens. "I was thinking, 'How can you do a undercover show with a female protagonist?'"

NBC was actively looking to add a soap to its primetime lineup during the last development season, which is when Heldens says she brought her pitch.

"Could Donnie Brasco and Sabrina have a baby?" she said, trying to sum up her series. "And that was how it happened."

Deception (previously titled Infamous and Notorious) stars Meagan Good as a undercover detective (Joanna), living with the wealthy family for whom her mother once worked as a maid, trying to solve the death of her childhood best friend. And should the show be a success, Heldens says that central mystery won't drag on too long.

"Our plan has always been to reveal to the audience who the killer is," she said. "Joanna will have a pretty good idea, and the second season will be about her proving it."