Steven Soderbergh’s Erin Brockovich (2000) led to an Oscar win for Julia Roberts and the household-name elevation of the environmental activist who persisted with her cause (justice!) despite all odds. Add in some Gemma Teller flavor on behalf of Sons of Anarchy‘s Katey Sagal, and you’ve got one heck of a spicy protagonist. This seems like a natural progression in Sagal’s return to a TV series regular role (long after Married… with Children) after most recently appearing in Shameless as a character who gave Frank a run for his grifting money. Also fittingly enough, this new show, Rebel, is executive produced both by Brockovich and Grey’s Anatomy showrunner Krista Vernoff, who also wrote on Shameless, so things are all coming together.
By coming together, I mean that now we’ve got Sagal wielding a shotgun and refusing to take any lip from anyone, although the trailer makes it look like Rebel (as she is so nicknamed) isn’t having whatever John Corbett is selling. He’s portraying a male lead, as is Andy Garcia, and I hope Rebel out-badasses both of them after they get under her skin. Don’t lie, you’ll enjoy it, too. Yes, this show is very much inspired by Brockovich’s life, so please enjoy this synopsis:
Inspired by the life of Erin Brockovich today, Annie “Rebel” Bello is a blue-collar legal advocate without a law degree. She’s a funny, messy, brilliant and fearless woman who cares desperately about the causes she fights for and the people she loves. When Rebel applies herself to a fight she believes in, she will win at almost any cost.
ABC’s Rebel will arrive on April 8.