In the Trades Today

The Fox network has picked up the drama AMERICAN CRIME,  a Jerry Bruckheimer show about
attorneys who tackle high-profile/celebrity cases. Victor Garber, Rebecca Mader, and Eamonn Walker star. This news contradicts earlier media reports that Fox was lukewarm on the pilot.

The trades are reporting that ABC has renewed BOSTON LEGAL
for a third season and yanked COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF from the airwaves for May
sweeps…and, most likely, for good. CinC went from the biggest hit of the new
season to one of its most disasterous flops in record time…at least Geena Davis
got a Golden Globe out of the deal before she was impeached.

In a week or so, the broadcast networks will be announcing
their fall pick-ups from among the crop of new pilots (sample episodes of
proposed series). Reporter Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood has the latest
gossip from the network screening rooms.

Variety reports that Fox has picked up the new Brad Garrett sitcom TIL DEATH and the serialized drama VANISHED.

"Vanished," from 20th Century Fox TV and
creator Josh Berman, revolves around a senator’s wife who goes missing
as part of a larger conspiracy.

Inspired by the country’s ongoing
fascination with missing women, the story behind "Vanished" will unfold
throughout the season, as told through the eyes of law enforcement,
family members and the media.

Mimi Leder
(who directed the pilot) and Paul Redford exec produce the drama, which
stars John Allen Nelson, John Patrick Amedori, Ming-Na, Chris Egan,
Robert Hoffman, Margarita Levieva, Joanne Kelly, Gale Harold and
Rebecca Gayheart.

"We’ve had success with epic sagas over the
last few years, and this one is delicious in the way that any great
mystery novel is," Erwich said. "There’s also a great franchise at the
center of it."

E! is reporting that a guy named Jack Bunick is suing Jennifer Lopez for allegedly ripping off his idea for the flop UPN series SOUTH BEACH:

The hourlong show
premiered Jan. 11 and lasted eight episodes, proving that there is a
limit to how much tanning, nightclubbing and stereotypically snooty
behavior viewers can stand. Bunick is seeking monetary
damages and an injunction barring any further broadcasting of South
Beach (well, that second part sounds like a given anyway).

The report has amused the folks at MediaBistro:

This shows true savvy: Suing over a cancelled show. Clearly, loads of money to be gotten there.

Variety reports that Scifi is developing CAPRICA, a spin-off from BATTLESTAR GALACTICA set fifty years before the events in the hit series. GALACTICA showrunners Ronald D. Moore and David Eick will exec produce, Remi Aubuchon will write the pilot script. GALATICA webisodes are also in development.

Fox News is reporting that LAW AND ORDER could be facing the ax…and that there are big shake-ups happening on both sides of the camera. For one thing, Annie Parisse has abruptly quit as the A.D.A. and, according to Fox, Dick Wolf is having trouble recasting when word-on-the-street is that the show maynot be coming back. They also report that S. Epatha Mekerson walked off of a "crossover" episode with L&O:CRIMINAL INTENT in a dispute over how her character was being written.

There’s a significant morale problem, too. Sources say that there
have been "a lot" of firings, including a portion of the camera crew.

"None of the original writer-producers are there anymore," a source
said. "They’ve all been replaced by people from L.A. who don’t get the
show."

[…] If "Law & Order" does get cancelled, or renewed just long enough
to do a finale season, it won’t be a tremendous surprise. Sixteen
years, after all, is twice the length of the run of a regular hit show.
Still, insiders blame the constant reruns on TNT for over-saturating
the brand.

"Even they’re cutting back now," a source said.

NBC declined comment except to say: "It is the producers’ desire to
keep the season finale of ‘Law and Order’ under wraps because of some
surprising developments."

UPDATE 4-28-06: NBC renewed all three LAW & ORDER series today. The jury is still out on CONVICTION.

Variety reports that JJ Abrams has been signed to write, produce and direct the 11th STAR TREK movie, along with his LOST team of Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk.  Abrams will co-write the movie, which follows the Starfleet Academy years of Kirk and Spock, with his ALIAS and MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci.