Smits, who appeared on Broadway in God of Carnage and Anna in the Tropics and is known for his TV roles on "NYPD Blue" and "The West Wing," has been cast in an untitled drama pilot for NBC. The Stephen Gaghan ensemble project is set in Los Angeles and follows ambitious Mayor Alfonso Morales (Smits) and his Special Investigations Unit, led by detective Terry Mullins (Noah Emmerich). "24" star Kiefer Sutherland, currently on Broadway in That Championship Season, will star in "Touch," a drama pilot for Fox, in which he will play the father of an autistic, mute son who, Sutherland's character discovers, can predict events before they occur. Production on the pilot is expected to begin in May or June because of Sutherland's commitment to Championship Season, with a possible mid-season air date if the project is picked up. "Touch" is written by "Heroes" creator Tim Kring.

Donald Sutherland (Ten Unknowns, "Dirty Sexy Money," "M*A*S*H") will co-star in the NBC comedy pilot "My Life as an Experiment." Sutherland will play a successful and arrogant heart surgeon who hates his son-in-law, magazine journalist A.J. Wilder (Jon Dore), who is married to his daughter Stacie (Paget Brewster).