Laverne Cox Toplining New CBS Series ‘Doubt,’ Marking a First for Transgender Actresses on TV

The legal drama “Doubt” has been given a series order by CBS, reports Deadline, and in doing so is adding another “first” to Laverne Cox’s list of accolades. The “Orange Is the New Black” star, who in 2014 became the first transgender performer to receive an Emmy nomination, will now star in the first broadcast series in which a trans character is actually played by a transgender actress.

Katherine Heigl and Steven Pasquale headline the procedural. Here’s the logline: “A smart, chic, successful defense lawyer at a boutique firm starts to fall for her charismatic client who may or may not be guilty of a brutal crime.” The two characters mentioned are presumably played by Heigl and Pasquale, with Cox being billed third. “Doubt” has already been filmed as a pilot twice, with the two leads changing but Cox co-starring in both iterations.

It isn’t Cox’s only high-profile gig announced recently, as she’ll star in Fox’s “The Rocky Horror Picture Show Event” this fall as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a role originated by Tim Curry.

For more, watch the trailer for “Orange Is the New Black’s” upcoming fourth season: