‘The Last Ship’s Jocko Sims To Co-Star In NBC’s David Schulner Medical Drama Pilot
The Last Ship series regular Jocko Sims has been cast in a leading role opposite Ryan Eggold in NBC’s untitled medical drama pilot from David Schulner, Peter Horton and Universal TV.
Written by Schulner and directed by Kate Dennis, the character-driven medical drama is produced by Dr. Eric Manheimer, the former medical director at New York City’s Bellevue Hospital and author of Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital, the memoir that inspired the series.
The project centers on the maverick approach of a hospital’s new director (Eggold) that disrupts the status quo while always prioritizing patient care.
Sims will play Dr. Floyd Pearson, an intelligent, virtuous and honest-to-a-fault attending cardiac surgeon. A graduate of Yale who came from humble beginnings, Pearson loves his work but still carries a chip on his shoulder for having to work twice as hard to get there. In addition to Eggold, he joins previously cast Janet Montgomery, Freema Agyeman and Anupam Kher.
Sims, who plays Lt. Carlton Burk on TNT’s The Last Ship, is in first position on the NBC pilot.
There was a flurry of rumors last September about The Last Ship coming to an end after the upcoming fifth season when cast member Travis Van Winkle posted (and subsequently deleted) an Instagram note about wrapping production on Season 5, which he referred to as “series wrap,” reminiscing on the show’s five-year run. People involved in the series told Deadline at the time they did not expect the series to go beyond five seasons, and other cast members, including star Eric Dane, had since been pursued to star in other series. Last year, Sims also was cast in a pilot for Amazon, The Climb, which did not go to series.
TNT has not responded to Deadline’s request for comment. Here is the network’s statement from last September.
“We shot two seasons simultaneously, the fourth is currently on the air and the fifth will return next summer. We greenlit the fifth with the idea that it could be the final season, however it’s far too early to make that determination.”
Sims’ other credits include a lead role in Starz’s Crash, and recurring roles on the new Fox series The Resident, as well as Masters of Sex, Castle and Franklin & Bash. His feature work includes Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. He is repped by APA, Benedetti Entertainment, and Skrzyniarz & Mallea.
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