The drama headed by Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman will bring Close back to the cable network on which she recently appeared in the cop drama "The Shield." Sony TV (which also has a hand in "The Shield") is attached to the new pilot. The untitled show will feature Close as "a hard-hitting lawyer," the trade magazine reports. The show is described as "a character-driven legal thriller set in New York," and Patty Hughes, Close's character, was written with the actress in mind.

Close won her three Tonys for her performances in Sunset Boulevard, Death and the Maiden and The Real Thing. The actress, known for such movies as "Fatal Attraction," "Dangerous Liaisons," and the Mel Gibson "Hamlet," also appeared onstage in The Play What I Wrote, Benefactors, The Crucifer of Blood, Rex and Barnum — for which she earned her first Tony nomination. She starred in TV versions of South Pacific (opposite Harry Connick, Jr. in 2001) and The Lion in Winter (with Patrick Stewart in 2003).

Allen Coulter will direct the pilot that plans to begin production in February.