Weep not for The Shield creator Shawn Ryan—firstly, because weeping is a sign of weakness, which has no place in Shawn Ryan’s world, and secondly, because he’s already bounced back from the canceled The Chicago Code with two new series on two separate networks. For CBS, Ryan will once again revisit the police procedural with a show co-produced by Criminal Minds’ Simon Mirren and inspired by the true story of UC-Irvine neuroscientist James Fallon, who discovered that he shared a “psychopath gene” that linked him to some of history’s most famous serial killers. The as-yet-untitled drama will follow a similar scientist as he helps the FBI track down various killers who share his DNA. If they were smart, they would name his character “Gene,” and then they could call the show Psychopath Gene. But instead they’ll probably name it Blood Ties or something. Or maybe The Linker.
Over on ABC, Ryan will branch out into politically tinged sci-fi with The Last Resort, a show set in a dystopic near future that concerns the crew of a U.S. nuclear submarine that finds itself hunted after refusing an order to fire its missiles, eventually holing up at a NATO outpost and declaring itself the world’s smallest nuclear nation. The script comes from Karl Gajdusek, who recently dealt with thrillers set in tight spaces and the perpetual threat of calamity by writing the Nicolas Cage-starring Trespass. Ryan says it will explore the crew’s makeshift society, its interactions with the natives they meet, and “examine what is going on in this country in micro form.” Which sounds about right, as sometimes our whole ship of state feels like one big boat of crazy people with bombs.