ABC/Jeff Niera(LOS ANGELES) — Sara Gilbert, the star and executive producer of ABC’s The Conners, is reportedly taking a look into the so-called Varsity Blues college cheating scandal, as part of her new fact-based HBO Max series called Verbatim.
Deadline reports the show will be based on the New York Times‘ digital documentary series of the same name, which re-enacts actual events, using the subjects’ own words as a script.
The trade notes that The Office alum Rob Huebel, veteran character actor Leland Orser, and Chris Messina, the latter of whom was recently seen in Birds of Prey, are also set to star in the pilot. Deadline says Gilbert will “likely” play one of the FBI agents integral to the investigation into wealthy people who got caught trying to grease their children’s admission into various colleges.
In all, the scandal snagged 53 wealthy individuals, including Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman, and Fuller House star Lori Loughlin and her designer husband Mossimo Giuanulli. They were each sentenced to jail for their roles in the scam.
By Stephen Iervolino
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