Fox Picks Up New Pilots

Thanks to Michael Schneider at Variety...

Fox is big on franchise dramas this fall, picking up two cop dramas (one about an immortal officer, the other about the force in New Orleans), a "Terminator" spinoff and a legal show centered on a female D.A.

Meanwhile, on the comedy side, the net plans to rely on some big-name stars and producers to up its stable of live-action laffers.

Net isn't confirming, but pilots given the series go-ahead Friday included "K-Ville," "New Amsterdam," "The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and "Canterbury's Law," while sitcoms yukking it up all the way to the airwaves include "Back to You," "Return of Jezebel James" and "Rules for Starting Over.

On the drama tip, "K-Ville" focuses on the lives of cops in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. Jonathan Lisco exec produces.

"New Amsterdam," from Regency TV, centers on a homicide cop who harbors a secret: He's old. Really old. Like hundreds of years old. He's looking for a way to end that, while solving crimes along the way.

Exec producers include Lasse Hallstrom, Michael Hausman, Leslie Holleran, Allan Loeb, David Manson, Steven Pearl and Christian Taylor.

Then there's "Sarah Connor," starring Lena Headey as the famed character from the "Terminator" movies. Show focuses on the character as she attempts to stop the famed terminator robots as they attempt to harm her son.

Josh Friedman, Mario Kassar, Andrew Vajna, Joel Michaels and James Middleton exec produce the Warner Bros. TV skein.

"Canterbury's Law" stars Julianna Marguilies as a tough-talking district attorney. Sony Pictures TV is behind the show; Denis Leary and Jim Serpico exec produce for Apostle Films.

As for the comedies, "Back to You" had already been given a series commitment, so its greenlight was a no-brainer. Making it even more of a no-brainer: Its auspices include exec producers Steven Levitan and Chris Lloyd, and stars Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton.

Net is expected to pair "Back to You" with the Brad Garrett starrer "'Til Death," making for a late '90s retro flashback. 20th Century Fox TV produces.

Viewers mourning the loss of "Gilmore Girls" may find solace in "Return of Jezebel James," from "Gilmore" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. Series, starring Parker Posey and Lauren Ambrose, centers on a woman who asks her estranged sister to carry her child.

Regency TV - having a good day at Fox, with two pickups - is behind the show. Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino exec produce.

Also new to the net: "Rules for Starting Over," from the Farrelly Bros. Show follows a man who re-enters the dating scene.

Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly, Brad Johnson and Bradley Thomas exec produce. Twentieth Century Fox TV is the studio.

In other upfront buzz, NBC may very well pick up just one comedy -- and for midseason, at that. "The IT Crowd" appears to have been given a six-episode order for a mid-year bow.