UC Riverside Acting Assistant Professor Kimberly Guerrero is co-starring in the CBS pilot “The Republic of Sarah.”

The story unfolds in Morrisville, New Hampshire, a small town that wakes up to find the eyes of the world upon them after a valuable resource is discovered within its borders. After finding out about a cartographical error that would allow them to declare independence, residents take a vote, unraveling a story where Guerrero’s character, Mary, offers her inner strength and self-reliance to support the young woman tapped to become the leader of the new nation, Sarah Cooper (Sarah Drew, “Grey’s Anatomy”). 

After Morrisville votes and declares its independence, Mary, the town veterinarian, becomes part of the town’s Select Board responsible for governing the new nation.

 

“The Republic of Sarah” is described as “Northern Exposure” meets “The West Wing” and was written by Jeffrey Paul King and directed by Marc Webb, who directed the feature films “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “500 Days of Summer.”

Guerrero has previously had recurring roles on the TV series “Longmire” and “Blood & Oil.” She also originated the role of Johnna Monevata in the Tony Award winning play, “August: Osage County” on Broadway. Earlier this year, Guerrero played a supporting role in Julie Taymor’s upcoming feature film, “The Glorias: A Life on the Road.” 

Daniel Ings (“The Crown”), Annie Funke (“Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders”), Jonathan Slavin (“Santa Clarita Diet”), Kirsten Nelson (“Psyche”) and James Lesure (“Good Girls”) also co-star in the pilot.  

“I’m thrilled to be part of this pilot,” said Guerrero, a professor with UCR's Department of Theatre, Film, and Digital Production. “It is a very special show with a powerful message of how we can figure out ways to still like— even love — each other and find ways to move forward when we don’t agree politically. I can’t think of a better time than now for a story like this to be on network television each week. I’m certainly hoping CBS feels the same way.”