Jimmy Smits Portrays Chief Justice in new NBC Series Pilot

By Luis Reyes

Jimmy Smits will play Cyrus Garza, a by the book Supreme Court Justice who excuses himself from the bench to go into private practice and fight constitutional injustices in an untitled one hour NBC legal drama. Veteran Mexican actor Pedro Armendariz has also been cast as his political activist father who inspires him. Smits will also serve as a producer on the series.

The pilot is currently shooting on location in Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Atlantic City.

Smits most recently headlined the short lived CBS Latino family drama Cane. He also co-starred on NBC’s The West Wing and did a season long arc on Showtime’s Dexter. which earned him his 12th Emmy Nomination (He won in 1990 for L.A. Law). The former NYPD Blue star is coming off a Broadway run in Gods of Carnage and next appears in Rodrigo Garcia’s upcoming theatrical feature to be released in May, Mother and Child.

The NBC drama is being developed by John Eisendrath, Universal Media Studios and Conan O’Brien’s production company.

Let’s hope this pilot makes it to series. It would be an important step forward to see a major Latino actor as a series lead in such a positive role as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice and lawyer.