A Lorimar Television pilot for CBS TV, with scenery built by the KTLA construction department, set up and video taped at the KTLA-Paramount TV Studio in Hollywood. The pilot was sold but the sets had been struck and destroyed. The pilot"s Art Department staff were working on other projects, unavailable for the series. A change in Lorimar's Art Department Management had destroyed the pilot's drawings, plans and elevations. New scenery had to be built for the pilot revival.
Annie Potts was originally cast as the lead but dropped out shortly before production. She was replaced with Caroline McWilliams
The pilot's title was "Cass Malloy" which was renamed She's the Sheriff (1987) when the pilot was picked up for series with Suzanne Somers. 44 episodes in first run syndication for two seasons were broadcast.
The Lorimar Television group wished to expand into the television comedy three camera format with a live audience participating. Located at Culver City's MGM Studio, producing the project required bringing in independent video remote truck technical facilities units. The decision was to move the pilot and use the Paramount-KTLA Hollywood/Sunset Boulevard studio. This decision provided an umbrella operation which included (union) IATSE 33 construction shop (carpenters, painters [816], property, electrical technicians)and the television-studio facility, which included staffing for the cameras, sound, video-taping and necessary equipment. Richard Mann, Lorimar Art Department Supervisor, hired Hub Braden and Mary Dodson to Production Design the project because of their experience in "live television production". The producing staff were all novice inexperienced family members of the Lorimar executive division, handed a project for learning "production". Dealing with getting approvals from the Producing team and inexperienced director was frustrating to the art department team. The set was designed for cameras to move inside the set (plan), with aisles for the cameras to move inside the stage set areas for reverse shots of the performers. With the inexperience of the director, he set up a horizontal line for the multiple cameras to take shots from static positions. The original sheriff station, jail, and sheriff office layout plan was a very deep set. The series set did not match the original pilot concept, with the director repeating the horizontal tracking camera positions. Shot like watching a stage proscenium, typical of three camera sitcom style.