Prinze moves to ‘Atlanta’; 2 will ‘Gossip’

Freddie Prinze Jr. has been tapped to star on CBS’ comedy pilot “Atlanta,” Blake Lively and Leighton Meester are set to star in the CW’s drama pilot “Gossip Girl” and Charles S. Dutton will play a lead role in ABC’s drama pilot “Suspect.”

In other castings, Kristin Chenoweth will co-star on ABC’s drama pilot “Pushing Daisies,” Eddie Cibrian landed a role in ABC’s drama pilot “Football Wives,” Bridget Regan has joined Fox’s “Supreme Courtships,” and Dorian Brown will be a lead in Fox’s untitled Liz Meriwether comedy pilot, lifting the contingency on the project.

Additionally, Natalie Zea has joined ABC’s drama pilot “Dirty Sexy Money,” Tyler Labine has come aboard the CW’s drama pilot “Reaper,” Amanda Walsh has been cast in NBC’s comedy pilot “The Mastersons of Manhattan,” and Jim Rash has joined Fox’s comedy pilot “Hackett.”

“Atlanta,” from CBS Paramount Network TV and Paul Reiser, revolves around a man (Prinze) and a woman who meet at a funeral and can’t stay away from each other. Prinze’s character is a funny and charming ad executive.

The actor most recently starred last season on ABC’s comedy “Freddie.”

“Gossip,” from Warner Bros. TV and Josh Schwartz, is based on the best-selling book series and centers on the rivalry between two rich Manhattan girls, Serena (Lively) and Blair (Meester), at a private school.

Lively, who starred in the feature “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” next appears in one of the title roles for “Elvis and Anabelle,” which will debut next month at the South by Southwest Film Festival. She is repped by the Gersh Agency and attorney Jeff Bernstein.

Meester (Endeavor, Leverage Management), who co-starred on NBC’s “Surface,” next appears in the film “The Beautiful Ordinary.”

“Suspect,” from Sony Pictures TV and 25 C Prods., is a fast-paced procedural drama uncovering the crime’s perpetrator by tracing the suspects in a lineup. Dutton will play Detective Joe Sampson, who is concerned with his weight and is the most emotional among his colleagues.

Dutton (Gersh, manager Sherry Marsh), recently seen on Showtime’s “Sleeper Cell” opposite “Suspect” co-star Michael Ealy, next will be seen in the feature “The Third Nail.”

“Daisies,” from WBTV, is a romantic procedural about an owner of a pie shop (Lee Pace) who can touch dead people and bring them back to life. Chenoweth will play a waitress at the shop and a love interest for her boss.

Tony winner Chenoweth’s recent credits include the features “Deck the Halls,” “Running With Scissors” and “Stranger Than Fiction.”

“Wives,” from ABC TV Studio, revolves around the wives of professional football players. Cibrian, who most recently starred on Fox’s “Vanished,” will play a quarterback who cheats on his wife (Lucy Lawless).

“Courtships,” from 20th TV, is a soapy comedic drama about the lives of six Supreme Court clerks and the judges they work for. Regan (Gersh, TMT Entertainment Group) will play a hardworking clerk who is not ashamed of her alpha-girl personality. She next will be seen in “The Babysitters.”

The untitled Liz Meriwether project, from 20th TV, revolves around three sorority sisters who try to clean up their act after graduating from college. After casting Brown (Origin Talent, McKeon-Myones) and Molly Stanton as two of the three leads, the network lifted the contingency on the pilot.

“Dirty,” from ABC TV Studio, centers on an idealistic young lawyer (Peter Krause) who gets to represent the Darlings, a rich, powerful family. Zea (Stone Manners, manager Robert Semon) plays Karen Darling, a thrice-married socialite who runs the family foundation. Zea’s credits include FX’s “The Shield” and ABC’s “Eyes.”

“Reaper,” from ABC TV Studio, centers on a 21-year-old (Bret Harrison) who becomes the devil’s bounty hunter. Labine, who recently recurred on ABC’s “Boston Legal,” will play his best friend.

“Mastersons,” from NBC Uni TV, centers on two socialite sisters (Molly Shannon, Natasha Richardson) in New York. Walsh (ABC’s “Sons & Daughters”) will play their younger sister.

“Hackett,” from Sony TV and Apostle, centers on a bad-boy luminary who finds himself among the ultra-PC ranks of teachers at an Ohio public high school. In the pilot, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, Rash (ABC’s “Help Me Help You”) will play the school’s vice principal.