Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey‘s Team Downey production company are already responsible for one detective show – HBO’s Perry Mason reboot – and now they’re moving on to another. The Downeys are teaming with Apple TV+ to produce a new detective series that Downey Jr. might also appear in. Based on a true story, the series follows a detective trying to solve a decades-old cold case.
Variety has the news on the Robert Downey Jr. Apple TV+ detective series. The show comes from writer Adam Perlman, and Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey will executive produce along with Amanda Burrell. There’s also a chance that Downey Jr. plays a “supporting role.” The series is based on the Toronto Life article “The Sting,” written by Michael Lista. The article’s subhead states:
Police were convinced Alan Dale Smith killed his neighbour, so they set up an elaborate scheme to nail him for the murder. It failed completely. The inside story of a brutally botched undercover operation
The show “follows a frustrated Canadian detective who takes on a decades-old cold case in hopes of winning a confession and becoming a hero. The case quickly spirals out of control when the undercover cop attempts an elaborate sting, adding playacting cops, taxpayer resources, and an unexpected friendship with the peculiar target.”
Team Downey also recently produced another detective series – HBO’s Perry Mason. At one point, Downey Jr. was considering starring in that as well, but the lead role ultimately went to Matthew Rhys.
The deal for this new series is just the latest high-profile get for Apple TV+, who keep signing big names for original projects, none of which seem to have made as big as an impact as Apple would like. In addition to releasing the Tom Hanks movie Greyhound, Apple is also poised to release Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, the Will Smith action thriller Emancipation, and more. On the TV front, Apple TV+ recently signed a deal with Leonardo DiCaprio, plus programs they’ve already debuted and given second seasons to, like Servant, Dickinson, and The Morning Show.
It’ll be interesting to see if Downey Jr. really does appear in the series. As of recently, he only really appeared in Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, with brief excursions into less-than-beloved films like The Judge and Dolittle. It would be nice to see him back in action again, as he’s a genuinely good actor. Then again, if I were extremely wealthy like Robert Downey Jr., I’d probably be taking it easy, too.
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