The EINSTEIN Detective series is back in the works at CBS from the creators of MONK

CBS is developing a new version of the scripted crime series Einstein from Monk pair Andy Breckman AND Randy Zisk.

“Brilliant but directionless, the great-grandson of Albert Einstein spends his days as a well-to-do tenured professor until his bad-boy antics land him in trouble with the law and he’s pressed into service to help a local police detective solve his most baffling 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 show, which ran for three seasons in Germany. The following year, the network partnered with Insatiable creator Lauren Gussis and American Gothic creator Corinne Brinkerhoff for a gender-flipped version of the show that added a new perspective to police work in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.

There was also a version of Einstein in the works at NBC in 2018 from Michael Reisz and Carol Mendelsohn.

Four years later, Breckman and Zisk are at it again. Breckman will write and Zisk will direct with both executive producing. It is produced by CBS Studios in association with Red Arrow Studios International.

The project was led by Intrigue Entertainment’s Tariq Jalil, who also serves as executive producer and was involved in all four attempts.

Written by Martin Ritzenhoff and Matthias Dinter based on the 2015 film they wrote, The German Einstein The series aired on Saturday 1 for three seasons. It starred Tom Beck as Professor Dr. Felix “Einstein” Winterberg and Annika Ernst as Police Commissioner Elena Lange. It was produced by Zeitsprung Pictures.

CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach recently sat down with Deadline to discuss the network’s programming strategy.

He said he still expects to pick up some development rooms and “potentially even a comedy pilot or two.”

“I like to say that we’re not just locked into a certain calendar. But in terms of pilots or going straight to series, or maybe taking development rooms and all that, we want to be tailored in how we do our R&D on shows. So yeah, we’re not necessarily locked into that calendar year. For me, it’s always pilot season now,” he said.