Joss Whedon Returning To TV As Producer On New Female Detective Show For Freeform

Joss Whedon didn’t have the best 2017. The filmmaker behind “The Avengers” and the cult-classic TV series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was hired to massively rework Zack Snyder’sJustice League” and ultimately, the film crashed and burned at the box office and with critics. Since then, Whedon has left his in-development “Batgirl” film, and had a dash of personal drama play out in public. But now we know what Whedon has cooked up for his next project.

According to Variety, Whedon has signed on as executive producer of a new series titled “Pippa Smith: Grown-Up Detective.” The series is described as a dark comedy that will follow Pippa Smith, who used to play a kid detective on TV, but now, as a twentysomething, she is dealing with relationships and addiction, as well as trying to solve mysteries. ‘Pippa Smith’ is in development to air on Freeform.

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The series is created by Siobhan Thompson and Rebecca Drysdale. Thompson is perhaps best known for her work at CollegeHumor, while Drysdale has written for shows like “Key and Peele,” “Baskets,” and “High Maintenance.”

Judging by the plot description and the talent involved, it sounds like ‘Pippa Smith’ is a perfect fit on Freeform. The channel is known for their shows with strong female characters and attracts a younger female audience. The series also marks the return of Whedon to TV, after he successfully launched “Agents of SHIELD” over 5 years ago. And obviously, the director is known for his TV shows with strong female characters.

It’ll be interesting to see how the fandom embraces Whedon after his most recent controversies and lackluster effort on “Justice League.” Perhaps, a return to producing TV and working on something a bit more in his wheelhouse is what he needs to land back on his feet. Along with ‘Pippa Smith,’ Whedon has also talked about working on a new film, but there are no details yet.