Damon Wayans Jr. is set to star in NBC’s drama pilot Puzzled, marking the network’s second topline casting for the network in recent days.
Wayans (New Girl, Shrinking) will play a character named Mike Brink in the pilot, which is based on Danielle Trussoni’s Puzzle Master series of novels. His casting follows that of David Boreanaz, who will star in NBC’s Rockford Files reboot, as the network stages a mini-revival of pilot season.
Puzzled will center on Mike, a former college athlete who suffered a traumatic brain injury, which caused him develop acquired savant syndrome — which gives him exceptional skills in puzzle solving, higher math and pattern recognition. He now makes a living betting on sports, but the show will have him using his rare abilities to assist police in solving difficult cases.
Joey Falco (The CW’s 2018 Charmed reboot, Sleepy Hollow) is writing the pilot and will executive produce with Jordan Cerf of Linden Entertainment. Trussoni is a producer. Universal Television is the studio.
Wayans has a recurring role on Apple TV’s Shrinking. He starred with his father, Damon Wayans Sr., in the CBS comedy Poppa’s House last season. Other recent credits include the Netflix movies Kinda Pregnant, Players and The Harder They Fall and ABC’s Happy Endings. He is repped by UTA and Ziffren Brittenham.
Puzzled is one of eight pilots (five dramas and three comedies) NBC has ordered so far this year, up from just three in the 2025 development cycle. In addition to Wayans and Boreanaz in The Rockford Files, the network has also cast lead roles for two of its comedies: Jane Lynch and Katey Sagal will star in an untitled show from creator Kari Lizer, and Tea Leoni will lead Newlyweds from creator Gail Lerner.
