The Adventures of Abortion Barbie?
Deadline: Wendy Davis made national headlines in 2013 for filibustering anti-abortion legislation in the Texas Senate. Now the former Democratic state senator is poised for more national attention as the inspiration for a dramedy series in development at NBC.
Written by Jennifer Cecil, the untitled project centers on a female Democratic senator who, after losing the Texas governor’s race, gets her world turned upside down. In the vein of The Good Wife, while she pieces her pride back together, she goes to work in the law firm of her best friend — a black male Republican — and discovers that with no political future to protect, she can unshackle her inner badass.
Cecil and Davis executive produce alongside Sue Naegle via her Naegle Ink banner and Karen Sherwood. Universal TV is the studio.
A Harvard-educated lawyer, Davis represented District 10 in the Texas Senate from 2009-15. She made national news in June 2013 when she staged an 11-hour filibuster to block a Senate bill imposing major new restrictions on abortions. The filibuster, which drew support from President Obama, was successful, but the bill ultimately passed. The move made Davis a political star, leading to a run for governor last year, which she lost in the general election. Since then, Davis had been working on a new women’s equality initiative targeting millennials.
Former Private Practice executive producer/co-head writer Cecil is an an executive producer on NBC’s upcoming medical drama Heartbreaker. Her résumé also includes stints as a co-executive producer on AMC’s Hell On Wheels and CBS’ Hostages.
DCG