It's a Done Deal: Christian Slater to Topline ABC's The Forgotten

Christian Slater has signed on to The Forgotten, a new ABC crime drama from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, TVGuide.com has learned.

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Premiering Tuesday, Sept. 22 (leading out of the Dancing with the Stars results show), The Forgotten revolves around The Forgotten Network, a team of amateur sleuths who work on cases involving unidentified victims.

As the synopsis from ABC puts it, "After the police have given up, this group must first solve the puzzle of the victim's identity in order to help catch the killer" — and thus help remember "the forgotten."

Slater will play Alex Donovan, a former lawman who heads up The Forgotten Network. The role was filled in the pilot by British actor Rupert Penry-Jones (BBC's Spooks).

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Last TV season, Slater fronted NBC's short-lived My Own Worst Enemy, playing a superspy and his mild-mannered/unwitting alter ego.

The Forgotten is still not quite production-ready: The role of Linda, a homebody who serves as The Forgotten Network's resident computer wonk, is still being recast. She was played in the pilot by Reiko Aylesworth (24).

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