Jason Ritter (Third) will star in "The Event," a mystery, which will air in the fall on Mondays at 9 PM ET, following "Chuck." Ritter will play an ordinary man who discovers "a cover-up so big that even the President [is] on a need-to-know basis." Created by Nick Wauters ("Eureka") and Steve Stark ("Medium"), the show will also feature Sarah Roemer, Scott Patterson ("Gilmore Girls"), Blair Underwood ("In Treatment," Encores' Purlie) and Tony nominee Zeljko Ivanek (The Pillowman, Two Shakespearean Actors, Brighton Beach Memoirs).
The Wednesday night fall schedule will kick off at 8 PM ET with "Undercovers," a tale of "sexpionage" featuring Boris Kodjoe (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Ophelia to Jude Law's Hamlet) as a married couple who decide to reignite their marriage by rejoining the CIA. Gerald McRaney (Dividing the Estate) also stars in the series, which was created by J.J. Abrams ("Fringe," "Lost") and Josh Reims ("Brothers and Sisters"). "Law & Order: SVU" continues the Wednesday lineup at 9 PM ET and will be followed by "Law & Order: Los Angeles," the recently announced fourth spin-off in the "Law & Order" franchise, which will replace the canceled original show. Casting has not been announced for the series, which will be produced by "Law & Order" creator Dick Wolf and follow the LAPD's crime-solving escapades. Like its parents, the new spin-off will likely feature a variety of actors with stage backgrounds in regular and guest roles.
The third running "Law & Order" spinoff, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," airs on the NBC Universal-owned USA cable network; its fate will be determined at a later date.
"Ugly Betty" and cabaret star Becki Newton (Encores' Girl Crazy) will star in the romantic comedy "Love Bites" (Thursdays, 10 PM ET), playing a virgin who carefully navigates the contemporary dating scene with her best friend (Jordana Spiro). The series, which will follow different love stories every week with Newton and Spiro as the only regulars, was created by Cindy Chupack ("Sex and the City") and is co-produced by Working Title Films ("Love, Actually," "Bridget Jones' Diary").
Fridays at 10 PM ET will see God of Carnage and "NYPD Blue" star Jimmy Smits in "Outlaw," as a Supreme Court justice who gives up his bench post to go back to being an attorney. "Determined to represent 'the little guy,' he's using his inside knowledge of the justice system to take on today's biggest legal cases. And making plenty of powerful people unhappy along the way." The network's mid-season lineup is scheduled to include the cop-turned-superhero drama "The Cape"; "Harry's Law," created by David E. Kelley ("Boston Legal"), which follows three unlikely people starting a law firm together in a shoe store; and "The Paul Reiser Show," a new comedy from the "Mad About You" star.
"The Cape" will star Australian actor David Lyons as a policeman who is framed for murder and forced to hide from his family and who, inspired by his son's comic books, decides to fight crime his way. James Frain (The Homecoming), Jennifer Ferrin (The 39 Steps) and Keith David (Othello, Seven Guitars) also star.
Academy Award winner and Tony Award nominee Kathy Bates (Misery, "'night, Mother"), Ben Chaplin (The Retreat from Moscow) and Aml Ameen play the unlikely upstart lawyers in "Harry's Law." Bates is the only one with (former) law experience, in patents; Chaplin plays a fired high school teacher and Ameen is a young man with no direction. Brittany Snow ("Hairspray," "American Dreams") also stars.
"The Paul Reiser Show," which casts the comedian as "himself, an ex-TV star who's searching for his next big gig," also stars Tony and Emmy nominee Ben Shenkman ("Angels in America," Proof).
For more information and to view video previews of the new shows, visit nbc.com.
