Variety is reporting that The CW is adding two new shows to its development slate, neither of which, amazingly, has its origins in Greg Berlanti’s old comic-book longboxes for once. The first is Mata Hari, from NCIS star and Bull lead Michael Weatherly, about the alleged seductress and spy, while the second is Stick Man, from Heroes creator Tim Kring.
Mata Hari will follow the famous Dutch dancer as she descends into the world of espionage after her fiance’s brutal death. It’s being billed as a “sexy spy thriller,” albeit the rare instance of the breed that ends with its star being executed for spying in 1917. Weatherly is executive producing, while Jane The Virgin’s Micah Schraft is set to write.
Meanwhile, Stick Man centers on a woman investigating the circumstances around her brother’s death, and finding herself doubting whether the man convicted for the crime actually committed it. (Also, there are “supernatural elements,” suggesting that the show might be the Making A Murderer–meets-vampires-and-werewolves series the world didn’t know it needed.)
Kring is set to produce, along with Justin Levy, Dan Friedkin, and Helix creator Cameron Porsandeh. The CW is just the latest network to roll the dice on the Heroes and Crossing Jordan creator, whose most recent high-concept efforts—including Dig on USA, Touch on Fox, and the sequel series Heroes Reborn—have failed to capture the lightning-in-a-bottle success of NBC’s mid-2000s superhuman hit.