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Channel Surfing: Kathryn Erbe to Return to Law & Order: CI, Echelon, Jaimie Alexander to Nurse Jackie, Body of Proof, Chuck, and More

Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.

Kathryn Erbe will be heading back to Law & Order: Criminal Intent for the series' tenth and final season, where she will reunite with Vincent D'Onofrio. “I’m excited and grateful that Katie has decided to rejoin one of the best detective teams in the history of television,” said executive producer Dick Wolf in a statement. The eight-episode final season is expected to premiere sometime in 2011. (via press release)

NBC has ordered a pilot script for sci-fi/espionage drama Echelon from 20th Century Fox Television and Imagine Entertainment. Project, written by Michael Gordon (300), will revolve around ECHELON, the electronic eavesdropping technology that sifts through all data signals. According to the project's logline, while the data is sent out to various law enforcement agencies, "there is, however, less than one percent of the data that nobody wants to touch. These are the classified video files that seem to have captured the unexplainable." That data will be investigated by "G.H.O.S.T. (Global Hierarchical Observation Strategy Taskforce), whose assignment it is to investigate this paranormal data." (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Jaimie Alexander (Kyle XY) has been cast in a multiple-episode story arc on Showtime's Nurse Jackie, where she will play Tunie, described as "Jackie's wild, immature sister-in-law," the younger sister of Dominic Fumusa's Kevin. Alexander is expected to appear in at least four episodes of Jackie's upcoming third season. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

ABC's Dana Delany procedural drama Body Of Proof is being reexamined in the wake of Paul Lee's appointment as entertainment president and the low ratings of the current crop of freshman dramas. Originally intended to launch in the Friday at 9 pm ET/PT timeslot this fall, Body of Proof has been pushed to midseason and is now thought more likely to land a more favorable place on the schedule, such as Wednesdays at 10 pm (where The Whole Truth is currently lagging) or Tuesdays at 10 pm, if Detroit 1-8-7 doesn't improve soon. (Variety)

Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has a first look at Timothy Dalton on NBC's Chuck, where he will most definitely not be playing a variation on James Bond. "It’s not the kind of character you’d [expect] him to play,” said co-creator Josh Schwarts. “There’s nothing suave or debonair about him.” However, Dalton, who will appear in multiple episodes beginning with his November 1st debut, does share a connection to Chuck's mom (Linda Hamilton). Hmmm... (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)

Al Pacino will play Phil Spector in an upcoming untitled HBO biopic that will be written by David Mamet and directed by Barry Levinson. (Variety)

It's official: Capts. Sig Hansen and Johnathan and Andy Hillstrand will return to Discovery's Deadliest Catch, after all, reports Hollywood Reporter's Matthew Belloni. "We're happy we worked everything out with Discovery," the trio told the Hollywood Reporter in a statement. "A deal's a deal. We're heading up to Dutch Harbor to start filming the new season of Deadliest Catch and hopefully it will be the best one yet." (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)

Penn Jillette will guest star in the November 11th episode of CBS' The Defenders, where he will play Reuben Charles, described as "a colorful Sin City magic shop owner/magic scholar" who "gets wrapped up with the Defenders when they take on a case involving Las Vegas' most famous magician, a David Copperfield-like phenom intent on protecting his secrets," according to TV Guide Magazine's Will Keck. (TV Guide Magazine)

Right on top of that, Rose... Yeah, it's not just you who thinks that this sounds almost exactly like Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead: ABC Family has given a pilot order to drama What Would Jane Do, about "a 16-year-old girl who juggles life as a teenager and a demanding new job as a full time assistant for a design company." Project hails from writer April Blair and executive producer Gavin Polone. (Hollywood Reporter)

Deadline's Nellie Andreeva is reporting that Donald Todd (Samantha Who) has set up two new projects at CBS, including a take on comic strip Zits and a drama True Detectives, based on Jonathan Kellerman's novel. (Deadline)

Elsewhere, FOX has given a put pilot order to an untitled comedy from writer/executive producers Joe Port and Joe Wiseman and 20th Century Fox Television. "The project, which has a 24 and Big Day-type twist to it, centers on a headstrong patriarch who, determined to get some quality family time, embarks on a vacation with his extended family," writes Andreeva. "Much like 24 and short-lived ABC comedy Big Day where each season chronicled the events that took place during the course of one day, each season of the Port/Wiseman comedy will take place during one summer vacation." (Deadline)

USA will launch legal drama Fairly Legal (formerly known as Facing Kate) on January 20th, the same night that Royal Pains returns to the lineup. Meanwhile, White Collar will return on January 18th. (Variety)

Laura Ling, the freed journalist who was imprisoned in North Korea last year, will host hour-long news magazine program E! Investigates beginning December 8th, according to The New York Times's Brian Stelter. Ling's new show will have a stronger hard news approach than other E! shows. "Her first two programs will explore the causes of teenage suicide and the lives of military wives," writes Stelter. (New York Times's Media Decoder)

ABC has ordered a pilot script for single-camera family comedy Suburgatory, which revolves around "a teenage girl who is moved from the big city to her version of hell -- the suburbs." Project, from Warner Bros. Television, is written/executive produced by Emily Kapnek (Parks and Recreation). (Hollywood Reporter)

20th Century Fox has signed a two-year overall deal with Modern Family co-executive producers Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh, which will keep them aboard the hit ABC comedy as well as allow for future development. (Deadline)

ABC Family has picked up an additional 20 episodes of comedy Melissa & Joey. (Variety)

Stay tuned.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Al Pacino, David Mamet and Barry Levinson!! Wow! I can't wait!!!!!

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