Shaun Cassidy is stepping into the ranch family drama game with “Unbroken,” a drama pilot ordered by NBC. The show, which hails from Universal Television and Shaun Cassidy Productions, centers on three dynastic ranch families on the central coast of California, who make love and war in a passionate struggle to survive. Ultimately, this sets the stage for a group of fiercely determined young women to win big for all at the National Championship of Rodeo.
Cassidy will write and executive produce the pilot episode. If the series gets fully picked up by NBC, it will join a modern resurgence of westerns on TV — “Yellowstone” and “1883” on Paramount Network, “Walker” on the CW and western-adjacent shows like “The Mandalorian” on Disney Plus, “Westworld” on HBO Max, plus new Latinx vineyard family series “Promised Land” on ABC.
Cassidy, a singer, actor, writer and producer, is no stranger to the television landscape on-screen or behind-the-scenes. The entertainment executive currently serves as a writer and EP on the NBC show “New Amsterdam,” and has created or produced “Invasion,” “Hysteria,” “Cold Case,” “American Gothic,” “Emerald City,” “Cover Me” and “Roar,” among others. He has had a long-running contract with Universal Television. As a young actor, Cassidy starred in the ABC series “The Hardy Boys Mysteries,” and later spent much of his acting career on the stage.
“Unbroken” joins three other drama pilots recently ordered by the broadcaster — a “Quantum Leap” sequel series from writers Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt, a “Life Goes On” sequel series from Nkechi Okoro Carroll with original series star Kellie Martin set to return and another pilot from Carroll entitled “Found.”