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As it picked up drama pilot Perception to series today, I hear TNT passed on the other two pilots that had been in contention: Mike Robe's Bird Dog, about a father-daughter cop team, and Allan Loeb's untitled project based on Marshall Karp's novel The Rabbit Factory. The single series order to come out of the three pilots leaves some shelf space as TNT is yet to receive the two highest-profile pilots from this batch: the Dallas reboot, which is in pre-production, and the Robert Redford-produced Generations, which is in early stages of casting.

Four actors have joined the cast of a forthcoming TNT drama pilot from writer and producer Allan Loeb. Based on Marshall Karp novel The Rabbit Factory, the currently untitled project will star Steven Weber and D.L. Hughley as a pair of mismatched police detectives. Deadline now reports that Blake Clark will play the father-in-law of Mike Lomax (Weber). Clark's previous television roles include the character of Harry on Home Improvement and guest appearances in My Name Is Earl and (more)...

According to Deadline.com, Blake Clark, Brett Rice, General Hospital's Bradford Anderson and Rhea Seehorn are set as the supporting cast of TNT's untitled Allan Loeb pilot. Based on Marshall Karp's novel "The Rabbit Factory," the Allan Loeb project centers on recently widowed police detective Mike Lomax (former As The World Turns actor Steven Weber) and his newly married partner, Det. Terry Biggs (D.L. Hughley). Rice will play their boss. Clark will play Lomax's father-in-law who serves as his surrogate father. Seehorn will play a hot and smart medical examiner. Anderson will play a top computer investigator working at the homicide offices.

Exclusive: Meagen Fay has been tapped for the last lead role on ABC Family's half-hour multicamera pilot The Great State of Georgia, while Blake Clark, Brett Rice, Bradford Anderson and Rhea Seehorn are set as the supporting cast of TNT's untntitled Allan Loeb pilot. The Great State of Georgia centers on Georgia (Raven Symone), an exuberant curvy performer from the south, and her science geek best friend Jo (Majandra Delfino) who try to make headway in New York City. Fay will play the flamboyantly effusive Aunt Honey, a Southern grande dame in a silk Open robe and fur-trimmed mules, who is Georgia and Jo's landlady and a dear friend of Georgia's late mother. Fay, repped by SMS and Main Title, recurs on Two and a Half Men as the mother to Charlie Sheen’s girlfriend and on How I Met Your Mother as Alyson Hannigan’s mother. Based on...

Former Dexter director-producer Michael Cuesta, who most recently helmed the pilot for CBS' cop family drama Blue Bloods, has signed on to direct Showtime's drama pilot Homeland, a psychological thriller from former 24 showrunner Howard Gordon based on an Israeli format. In other notable recent pilot director signings, former Six Feet Under director-executive producer Alan Poul has been tapped to direct and executive produce TNT's drama pilot Perception starring Eric McCormack as a brilliant neuroscientist helping the FBI, Gregory Hoblit (Untraceable) is set to direct another TNT pilot, the untitled Allan Loeb cop drama project starring Steven Weber and D.L Hughley, which is based on Marshall Karp's novel The Rabbit Factory. On the broadcast side, Danny Cannon has come on board to direct Fox's drama pilot Alcatraz. The gig marks Cannon's first collaboration with J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot, which is co-producing the pilot with Warner Bros. TV. Cannon,...

Former Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip stars Steven Weber and D.L. Hughley are to reunite in a new TNT drama pilot. It was previously announced that Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps writer Allan Loeb was adapting the Marshall Karp novel The Rabbit Factory for the cable channel Deadline now reports that Weber will play widowed Los Angeles detective Mike Lomax in the project. Hughley has also (more)...

Steven Weber joined his former “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” co-star D.L. Hughley on the new cop drama pilot from “Wall Street” Money Never Sleeps” scribe Allan Loeb. According to “Deadline,” TNT picked up the pilot based on Marshall Karp’s novel “The Rabbit Factory.” Weber signed on to play Detective Mike Lomax, recently widowed and trying to figure out the singles world. Hughley joined the show as Terry Biggs, Lomax’s newly married partner.

D.L. Hughley will be reuniting with his Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip co-star Steven Weber to star in a new drama series to air on cable network TNT.

The program is based on Marshall Karp’s novel The Rabbit Factory, and centers on a recently-widowed police detective (Weber) and his newly-married partner (Hughley), who “delve into a world of mystery, intrigue and occasional hijinks.”

Weber’s character receives weekly “humorous and heartfelt” letters from his dead wife, while trying to reenter the singles dating pool, and also keeping up with his duties as on of L.A.’s finest.

Nothing has been revealed about Hughley’s character, although, reading Amazon.com’s review of the novel the show is based on, he’s “drop-dead funny,” and both are described as “irreverent as two guys can be.” As already noted, he’s married. However, the book review adds that his...

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Gene Shalit is leaving NBC's 'Today.' According to Variety, Shalit, who has been with the show for 40 years, will depart the morning program on Thursday.

"It's enough already," Shalit said in a statement.

The film reviewer said he will still be active in the media scene, but focusing on publishing, Web work, radio and commercials. Look for 'Today' to air a special retrospective about Shalit's lengthy career on his last day, Nov. 11.

In other TV news ...

o. Steven Weber and D.L. Hughley has been tapped to star in a new TNT pilot. Weber and Hughley will play police officers, Weber's character is newly widowed and Hughley's a newlywed. The project comes from 'Wall Street : Money Never Sleeps' writer Allan Loeb and is based on Marshall Karp's novel "The Rabbit Factory." [Deadline Hollywood]

o. Shohreh Aghdashloo will guest star on 'Law & Order: Svu.' The Emmy-winner will play Sunny Qadar,...

TNT and TBS have ramped up their development by taking a chance on four new projects from producers and writers like Dean Devlin (Leverage); Kenneth Biller and Mike Sussman (Star Trek: Voyager), and Allan Loeb (The Switch, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps). TNT ordered three pilots: An update of TV’s long-running Dallas, which will focus on rivals J.R. and Bobby Ewing, from Cynthia Cidre (The Mambo Kings); Perception, a drama from Biller and Sussman that’s about an eccentric neuroscientist who help the Feds solve complex cases, and the untitled Loeb project, a drama based on The Rabbit Factory by novelist Marshall Karp.

New York -- TNT on Wednesday unveiled 11 original series for the 2010-2011 TV season and announced projects in development with such big-name talent as Don Cheadle, Jamie Foxx, Mark Gordon, Mark Burnett, Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Steven Bochco and Dean Devlin.

This summer, TNT will air seven new or returning originals: "The Closer," "Saving Grace," "Dark Blue," "Leverage," "Memphis Beat," "Rizzoli & Isles" and "Hawthorne." Later this year, "Men of a Certain Age" returns.

In 2011, the network will debut a new series from Steven Spielberg and starring Noah Wyle called "Fallen Skies," with "Southland" returning as well. It has also in recent days picked up buddy lawyer series "Franklin & Bash." starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer.

Among the development shows are:

* An untitled Don Cheadle medical show:

With Cheadle as an executive producer, it focuses on 1971 Los Angeles, where a group of idealistic doctors open an urgent-care clinic in hopes of...