CBS orders Congress satire 'BrainDead'

CBS has ordered an entire new series to mock Congress. The network has given a straight-to-series order to BrainDead, an hour-long comedy thriller from the creators of The Good Wife.

The official story pitch: “BrainDead follows a young fresh-faced Hill staffer getting her first job in Washington, D.C. and discovering two things: 1. The government has stopped working, and 2. alien spawn have come to earth and eaten the brains of a growing number of Congressmen and Hill staffers.”

“We wanted to do a show that was a mix of genre-pulp and high-brow politics – The Strain crossed with The West Wing,’” explained executive producers Robert and Michelle King. “It seemed like the best way to address the news today – not straight, but as the opening act of a horror movie.”

Praised CBS Entertainment Chairman Nina Tassler: “Robert and Michelle have developed an intriguingly original concept with layers of humor, suspense and the supernatural. We look forward to launching it to U.S. viewers and a worldwide audience next summer.”

Executive producers include the Kings along with Ridley Scott, David Zucker and Liz Glotzer. The project is the first from the Kings as part of their new three-year producing deal for the nework. The show will premiere next summer as part of CBS’ effort to launch genre dramas during broadcast’s slowests months (previous titles include Extant, Under the Dome and Zoo). No actors have yet been cast.