CBS Grabs Michael Rapaport

Michael Rapaport has inked a development deal with CBS. The actor will develop, star in and produce an hour long project for the network. It will be produced by Denis Leary and Jim Serpico’s Apostle Pictures, Sony TV and CBS Paramount TV.

The untitled project, to be written by Basketball Diaries scribe Bryan Goluboff, is based on an idea Rapaport has tossed around for four years. It revolves around the lives of social workers in New York and is inspired by the experiences of a good friend of Rapaport’s who is a social worker in the Big Apple.

The blend of drama and comedy and the setting, an ensemble of public-service workers in New York, is reminiscent of Apostle’s trademark series, FX’s Rescue Me, which stars Leary and is also co-produced by Sony TV.

Rapaport’s past TV credits include recurring roles on Friends and My Name is Earl, Boston Public and the short-lived Fox sitcom The War at Home.

He’s currently starring in season four of Prison Break.