We know the identity of the nonwhite actress CBS president Glenn Geller pledged to cast as Nancy Drew in the TV adaptation of the teenage detective book series. Sarah Shahi, who is of Spanish and Iranian descent, has been cast as the lead in Drew, the TV pilot about the now-thirtysomething sleuth. The actress currently stars on another CBS crime show, Person of Interest.
According to TVLine, Shahi's Nancy Drew will now be a member of the NYPD, and her personal life will also be a featured storyline. Drew has only been given a pilot order so far, but CBS seems to be banking on a series order, as Person of Interest is believed to be ending after its upcoming fifth season. TVLine reports that if Person of Interest were renewed for a sixth season, Shahi's commitment to Drew would be in first position.
"My guess is [Season 5] is the final season,” Person of Interest executive producer J.J. Abrams said at TCA in January. “The only heartbreak there is how much good story there was to come if it were to have continued.”
Also at TCA last month, CBS's Geller articulated his commitment to casting a "diverse" actress in the Nancy Drew pilot. “She is diverse, that is the way she is written," he told reporters. “I’d be open to any ethnicity. … We’re not casting color-blind, we’re casting color-conscious. It’s not ‘the best actor wins,’ it’s the right roles for diversity. … It really is about being conscious of what America looks like. It is always going to change, it’s going to evolve, and we’re aware of that, which is why we’re making efforts every year to get more diverse.”
Shahi was previously a regular on Chicago Fire, Fairly Legal, Life and Showtime's The L Word. Curiously, Anthony Edwards (ER, Top Gun) has been cast to play Nancy's father in the pilot. The Good Wife‘s Felix Solis is also joining the cast as Nancy's boss.
