Viola Davis to Star and Exec Produce Paramount+ Ascent

Viola Davis will return to television as the star and an executive producer of "Ascent," a new character-driven thriller series greenlit by Paramount. The show, announced on August 4, 2026, marks Davis's first series regular television role since "How to Get Away With Murder" ended in 2020.

Davis will portray Catriona Vail, an elite corporate fixer operating in the world of global corporate crisis and damage control for high-value clients. The thriller's plot becomes personal when Vail's estranged daughter is put in danger, forcing her to deploy her formidable skills to protect her family.

The series was created by acclaimed screenwriter John Logan, who will also serve as showrunner and executive producer. Logan is a three-time Oscar nominee known for films including "Gladiator," "The Aviator," and "Skyfall," and is the creator of the Showtime series "Penny Dreadful." Davis expressed her enthusiasm for the project, stating she is "overwhelmingly excited about this journey with the great John Logan. We won the lottery with this one! Work in which both story and character are bold, awe-inspiring and deeply unique is why I became an artist." She and her husband Julius Tennon will...