ABC Orders Pickups for Five New Series

• Aug 26, 2008 02:57 AM ET
• by TV Guide News

In an unusual move for the time of year, ABC on Monday ordered to series five pilots, including two police procedurals, a pair of comedies and a remake, Variety reports.

Among the greenlit fare, Nathan Fillion will be starring in Castle, which focuses on a novelist who helps solve murder cases. Lost alum Harold Perrineau and Joan of Arcadia's Amber Tamblyn, meanwhile, are among the cast of The Unusuals, a police drama set in an atypical precinct.

On the lighter side you have Single with Parents, a sitcom starring Charmed beauty Alyssa Milano, and Better Off Ted, starring Jay Harrington as an office worker trying to make his way up the ranks.

ABC has also picked up Cupid, a Rob Thomas-helmed remake of the late-1990s show about a man (played by Bobby Cannavale) who believes he's Cupid and the psychologist (Sarah Paulson) who works with him.

Do these series seem like a good direction for the net? With five fresh shows to pick from, the odds are in ABC's favor. - Anna Dimond

Related:
" Alyssa Milano, Nathan Fillion May Star in New Pilots
" Pilot News: Amber Tambyln Cops Unusual Role
" Veronica Mars Boss in Love with Cupid Again
" Fall TV Preview: Your First Look