'Bad Teacher' Comedy, Legal Drama From 'Mentalist's' Bruno Heller Score CBS Pilot Orders

CBS added to its 12 pilot orders Wednesday, picking up a TV adaptation of Cameron Diaz starrer Bad Teacher and a drama from The Mentalist creator Bruno Heller.

Hot writer Hilary Winston will pen the script and executive produce Bad Teacher, which CBS gave a script order to in October.

Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, the screenwriters behind the Columbia Pictures feature that grossed more than $216 million worldwide, are on board to executive produce, alongside Sam Hansen and Jimmy Miller.

Like the Diaz feature, the single-camera comedy revolves around a sexy, foul-mouthed divorcee who becomes a teacher in order to find her next husband. The pilot hails from Sony Pictures Television and Mosaic.

The project marks the latest for Happy Endings and Community scribe Winston, who in April inked a new two-year deal to remain at SPT. This past pilot season, Winston had a workplace comedy Happy Valley starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Mena Suvari set up at NBC. The network passed on the single-camera project in May.

Stupnitsky and Eisenberg, both long-time writer/executive producers on NBC's The Office,also penned the upcoming Ghostbusters III and Year One. They're repped by WME and Mosaic.

Bad Teacher marks Eisenberg and Stupnitsky's third pilot order this season, joining ABC comedy Pulling, which revolves around three dysfunctional women in their 30s living their lives the way they want, even if society tells them they should have it all figured out by this point as well as ABC's Trophy Wife.

On the drama side, the network has picked up The Advocates, a female-fronted legal project from The Mentalist creator Heller. The Warner Bros. Television effort revolves around a female lawyer and male ex-con who team as "victim advocates" and go to the edge of the law to right wrongs and fight for the underdog.  

Heller will pen the script and executive produce the vehicle, which CBS gave a pilot production commitment to in September. Heller's The Mentalist is in its fifth season at the network and has proven a valuable asset to CBS, drawing an early renewal last season. Heller is repped by WME and Hansen Jacobson.

Wednesday's orders join the seven comedies -- including two from Raising Hope's Greg Garcia and one from Chuck Lorre -- as well as five dramas at the network this pilot season.