Cubs News: CBS to launch TV show based on Andre Dawson’s life

A new CBS drama will be based on the life of Chicago Cubs legend Andre Dawson.

Even though he only played six seasons for the Chicago Cubs, Andre Dawson remains one of the franchise’s most celebrated figures. During his run with the team, he was named to the NL All-Star team five straight times and won NL MVP honors, including hitting for the cycle, in 1987 even though the Cubs weren’t good that year.

Dawson eventually made the Hall of Fame for his achievements on the field, and in retirement, he has been running a funeral business with his wife, Vanessa. Now, CBS has decided to launch a TV drama series based on Dawson’s post-retirement life.

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CBS will be putting its one-hour drama series, Closure, into development. The show is based loosely on Dawson’s life, and the legendary slugger will serve as a consultant for the show. According to Deadline, here’s a brief description of the show:

"[A] beloved baseball Hall of Famer takes over his uncle’s funeral home in an unexpected second chapter of his career in the wake of the unsolved disappearance of his adult son. Rocked by his family’s loss, he and his three daughters — a homicide detective, coroner and trauma nurse, who each have their own parallel journeys in the business of death — commit themselves to helping others find the peace and closure their family hasn’t been able to yet."

Dawson had a long and successful 21-year major league career that also included time with the Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox, and Florida Marlins. He was an eight-time Gold Glove Award winner, eight-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger Award winner, a Rookie of the Year, and an MVP.

We shouldn’t be surprised that Dawson, now 66, has found another successful calling in retirement. He first got into the funeral business in 2003 and became the owner and operator of Paradise Memorial in Florida in 2008. Apparently, he got someone at CBS to take notice and turn his achievements into a TV show.

It will be interesting to see what comes of this project; hopefully, it will be a hit. Here’s hoping that Dawson continues to find success long into his retirement.