CBS passes on Sly's priest drama | 153012__stallon_l
'LEFTY' BEHIND Stallone's show gets dropped
Sylvester Stallone: Armando Gallo/Retna

If all else fails, blame the Church. That's what Sylvester Stallone did when CBS didn't pick up ''Lefty,'' the television drama he exec-produced starring ''Titanic'''s Danny Nucci as a tough-talking priest. Stallone believes the Catholic Church's current troubles led the Eye to pass on the pilot. ''Danny was fantastic,'' says Stallone. ''And to come out with a show about priests at this particular time...I think people are waiting for something to help them exhale.''

Stallone's the one who needs to take a breather, says one source close to the negotiations. It wasn't the priest-pedophilia scandal but ''Lefty'''s soft, ''Touched by an Angel'' sensibility that prompted CBS to reject it in favor of sharper fare like ''Without a Trace,'' a missing-persons drama with Anthony LaPaglia, and the cop-themed ''RHD/LA,'' which stars Tom Sizemore and is exec-produced by ''Heat'''s Michael Mann. Says the source, ''The network wants to go in a certain direction, with younger-skewing, harder-edged shows with an urban feel.''


Sign up for EW.com's What to Watch Newsletter!

What to watch on TV. Hear what's on tap for the night ahead and get witty, morning after recaps of top shows (sent weekday mornings).

You Might Also Like