CBS Gives Drama Pilot Order to Detective Drama ‘Einstein,’ From ‘Monk’ Creator

CBS has given a pilot order to “Einstein,” from “Monk” creator Andy Breckman. Breckman is adaptinf “Einstein” from a German format; the show revolves around the great grandson of Albert Einstein — described as “brilliant but directionless.” The character is a tenured professor who gets into trouble with the law — and for retribution, must help a local police detective solve her cases.

Breckman is writer/exec producer on the project, while Randy Zisk is director/exec producer. The series, from CBS Studios, will also be executive produced by Tariq Jalil; Rose Hughes, Rodrigo Herrera Ibarguengoytia and Laura Beetz (Seven One Studios International).

The original “Einstein” started as a TV movie in 2015 starring Tom Beck (“Alarm for Cobra 11”) and from writers Martin Ritzenhoff and Matthias Dinter. Ritzenhoff and Dinter then turned it into a series through Zeitsprung Pictures; the show ran for three seasons and was distributed to over 100 territories.

An “Einstein” adaptation has been in the pipeline for years. Michael Reisz and Carol Mendelsohn tried one for NBC in 2018, and then Breckman and Zisk developed a version in 2019 for CBS, but that ultimately didn’t move forward. The Eye net tried again with a gender-swapped version in 2020 from Lauren Gussis and Corinne Brinkerhoff, but that too ultimately didn’t move forward.

Here was the original logline for the German show: “As the youngest professor to have ever taught theoretical physics at his university, Felix is a genius. However, life has its challenges: Felix is terminally ill with hereditary Huntington’s disease, and he faces a prison sentence when accused of stealing illicit stimulants to help manage his condition. He is saved from jail when the police recognize that his brilliance could help them solve some of their most complex cases and recruit him as a police consultant. Partnered with strong, quick-witted detective Elena, ‘Einstein’ sees the pair investigate a complex bank robbery which comes to light following the murder of a dog walker, the case of a suspected suicide, and uncover the truth behind the poisoning of a group of senior citizens – all using the intelligence and innovation Felix’s grandfather is famous for.”

News comes a day after CBS also gave out a pilot order to the single-camera workplace comedy “DMV,” as well as a writers’ room for the single-cam titled “Eternally Yours,” from the producers behind “