Shannon takes ‘Manhattan’

Molly Shannon has been tapped to star on NBC’s comedy pilot “The Mastersons of Manhattan,” while Ving Rhames is set for ABC’s one-hour pilot “Football Wives.”

Additionally, Jayma Mays has landed the lead on ABC’s comedy pilot “Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office,” Samaire Armstrong and Zoe McLellan have joined ABC’s drama pilot “Dirty Sexy Money,” Chi McBride is set to co-star in ABC’s drama pilot “Pushing Daisies,” Jodi Lyn O’Keefe has landed a lead in ABC’s comedy pilot “The Call,” Nestor Carbonell has been cast in CBS’ untitled Cynthia Cidre drama pilot, Yara Martinez has come aboard Fox’s drama pilot “The Apostles” and Jennifer Esposito has been cast in ABC’s comedy pilot “Sam I Am”

  “Mastersons,” from NBC Universal TV Studio, is a serialized soap revolving around two socialite sisters (Shannon, Natasha Richardson). Shannon will play the younger sister who is on trial for murder.

Shannon next will be seen in the feature “Grey Matters.” She also stars in Mike White’s “Year of the Dog,” which premiered at last month’s Sundance Film Festival and is slated to open in April.

She is repped by ICM and manager Steven Levy.

  “Wives,” from ABC TV Studio, focuses on the wives of professional football players. In the pilot, directed by Bryan Singer, Rhames will play the GM of a football team.

Rhames (Innovative Artists) recently completed the Adam Sandler comedy “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.”

  “Nice,” from 20th TV and Imagine TV, centers on the struggles of a “nice girl” (Mays) trying to make it in the corporate world. Mays (Gersh, Framework) recently did a multiepisode arc on NBC’s “Heroes.”

  “Dirty,” from ABC TV Studio, stars Peter Krause as an idealistic lawyer who gets to represent the Darlings, a rich and powerful family. Armstrong will play Juliet Darling, a Paris Hilton-type heiress. McLellan will play Krause’s wife.

Armstrong (ICM, Thruline Entertainment, attorney Rick Genow), whose recent credits include Fox’s “The O.C.” and the feature “It’s a Boy Girl Thing,” next will be seen in the Lifetime telefilm “The Staircase Murders.”

McLellan (Domain, Lovett Management) was a regular on CBS’ “JAG.”

  “Daisies,” from WBTV, centers on a man (Lee Pace) who can touch the dead and bring them back to life. McBride will play a PI who goes into business with him.

  “The Call,” from 20th TV, revolves around paramedics, one of them played by O’Keefe.

  The untitled Cynthia Cidre project, from CBS Par Network TV and ABC TV Studio, stars Jimmy Smits as a man who is given the reins of a powerful Latin American family that works in the rum business. Carbonell will play one of the sons who believes he is the rightful heir. Carbonell (Paradigm, Thruline) recently was seen in the feature “Smokin’ Aces.”

  “Apostles,” from 20th TV, follows cops in their off-duty time. Martinez (APA, manager Danielle Allman) will play an LAPD cop married to another cop, with whom she has a baby.

  “Sam,” from ABC TV Studio, centers on a woman with amnesia who must rediscover her life. Esposito will play the woman’s best friend.

In other pilot news:

  “Reba” co-star JoAnna Garcia (WMA, Lovett Management) has joined ABC’s comedy pilot “The Captain.”

  Virginia Williams has been cast in ABC’s comedy pilot “Travelling in Packs.”

  Ryan Devlin (Innovative, Grant Management) and Hank Harris have been cast in the CW’s untitled Tom Wheeler one-hour pilot.

  Ryan Merriman has been cast in the CW’s drama “Gravity.” He next will be seen in CBS’ “Comanche Moon.”

  Allison Munn has joined ABC’s comedy pilot “Carpoolers.”

  Bailee Madison has joined ABC’s drama pilot “Judy’s Got a Gun.”