As reported exclusively by Variety, Emmy Award winners Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond) and Richard Schiff (The West Wing) will lead the cast of Public Interest, a new legal drama television pilot from MPI Original Films. Heaton will also serve as an executive producer on the project.

The ensemble cast also includes James Wolk (Mad Men), Liana Liberato (Scream VI), Tiana Okoye (Twisted Metal), Carter Redwood (FBI: International), and Josh McKenzie (La Brea). Production is set to begin this month in Toronto.

Produced by MPI Original Films in partnership with Kemodo Entertainment, Public Interest is a character-driven legal drama set inside a nonprofit public interest law firm in Washington, DC. The series follows Ingrid Erickson, an attorney unexpectedly thrust into the organization’s top leadership role after its longtime president suffers a heart attack. Alongside her unconventional team, Ingrid takes on high-stakes legal battles while navigating office tensions, personal relationships, and the challenges of pursuing justice in an increasingly complicated world. 

Through cases involving eminent domain, regulatory disputes, and civil asset forfeiture, the pilot blends sharp humor with human-centered storytelling to explore themes of individual rights, government accountability, and the personal costs of confronting powerful institutions.

“What immediately connected me to Ingrid was her sense of conviction and responsibility,” Heaton said. “She’s someone who believes deeply in helping people, even when the path forward is messy or uncertain. Public Interest explores the tension between idealism and reality in a way that feels incredibly timely, but it also has warmth, humor, and heart at its center.”

The pilot is directed and executive produced by David Barrett, whose credits include Blue Bloods, Tracker, Law & Order, The Mentalist, Twisted Metal, and Star Trek: Discovery. Over the course of his career, Barrett has directed more than 160 television episodes and produced more than 225 episodes across some of the industry’s most successful franchises.

“Public Interest isn’t about advancing a single ideology or telling people what to think. It’s about defending the civil liberties that allow honest disagreement to exist in the first place and ensuring that no one in power gets to decide which voices deserve to be heard,” said Barrett. “That’s why I love working with MPI. They give me the freedom to engage with difficult and sometimes tense subject matter honestly and thoughtfully, without pressure to conform to an ideological agenda. We’ve had these conversations with the actors and crew throughout prep, which has created an inspiring energy. With this show, we hope to give America a roadmap for how to have those conversations.”

“Public Interest reflects the kind of storytelling central to the work of MPI Original Films—compelling stories that explore the dignity of the human person, the meaning of justice, and the importance of freedom,” said Rob Pfaltzgraff, president of MPI Original Films. “With Patricia Heaton leading an outstanding cast and David Barrett bringing tremendous creative vision, this timely legal drama embodies our commitment to stories that entertain while engaging deeper questions.”

The pilot was written by David H. Steinberg & Keetgi Kogan, with revisions by Marc Guggenheim.Read Variety‘s exclusive announcement here.