Exclusive: ABC Courting Veronica Mars Boss

Rob Thomas is inching closer to lining up his first post- Veronica Mars gig.

Sources confirm that Thomas - who has proven quite the hot commodity since Mars' unofficial cancellation earlier this month - is in advanced negotiations to take the reins of ABC's new midseason comedy Miss/Guided. This comes just weeks after CBS approached Thomas to come on board its new musical-drama hybrid Viva Laughlin as showrunner, an offer he ultimately refused.

Contacted via e-mail, Thomas declined to comment on the Miss/Guided talks, but he did say this of the show's leading lady: "I heart Judy Greer - in a big way."

That makes two of us. Confession time: My unhealthy Judy Greer crush started during Arrested Development (she was George Bluth Sr.'s hysterically loopy breast-baring assistant Kitty), intensified on Love Monkey (she was Tom Cavanagh's BFF) and is threatening to boil over with Miss Guided, a show I was wildly anticipating even before Thomas threw his hat into the ring. Check out a clip of the show at ABC.com and you'll see what I mean.

You're probably wondering how all this affects a possible Veronica Mars feature film and, well, that's a good question. I'm willing to bet Thomas is fairly proficient at multitasking.