The network is developing a new version of the script from Monk duo Andy Breckman and Randy Zisk.
Albert Einstein's brilliant but directionless great-grandson spends his days as a comfortably tenured professor until his mischief gets him in trouble with the law and he has to help a local police detective solve her most puzzling cases.
This is the third attempt to develop the project for CBS. In 2019, Monk creator Breckman and director Zisk developed a version of the series, which ran for three seasons in Germany. The following year, the network teamed up with Insatiable creator Lauren Gussis and American Gothic creator Corinne Brinkerhoff for a version of the series in which the main character is a woman who added a new perspective on policing, in the wake of the killing of George Floyd.
There was also a version of Einstein (2017) in the works at NBC in 2018 from Michael Reisz and Carol Mendelsohn.
Four years later, Breckman and Zisk give the series another chance. Breckman will write and Zisk will direct. Both are executive producers. It is produced by CBS Studios in association with Red Arrow Studios International.
The project is helmed by Intrigue Entertainment's Tariq Jalil, who is also producing and was involved in all four efforts.
The German Einstein (2017) series, written by Martin Ritzenhoff and Matthias Dinter based on the film they wrote in 2015, was broadcast for three seasons on Sat.1. Tom Beck starred as Professor Dr. Felix 'Einstein' Winterberg and Annika Ernst as Police Commissioner Elena Lange. The series was produced by Zeitsprung Pictures.
CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach recently spoke about the network's programming strategy. She said she still expects to pick up some development rooms and "possibly even one or two comedy series pilots."
“I like to say that we’re just not being beholden to a certain calendar. But in terms of pilots or going straight-to-series, or maybe picking up development rooms and all of that, we want to be bespoke in the way that we do our R&D on shows. So yeah, we’re not going to necessarily be stuck in that calendar year. To me, it’s pilot season now all the time,” she said.