ABC Orders Pickups for Five New Series

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 DimondRelated:&...

TV GuideNews Aug. 25, 2008 at 11:57 p.m. PT