NEW YORK - Looking to topline a sitcom next fall, Courtney Thorne-Smith will leave "Ally McBeal" at the completion of her third season on the show.
     When Thorne-Smith left a long run on "Melrose Place," her plan was to segue into a half-hour sitcom. But she sparked to David E. Kelley's comedy-drama hybrid and agreed to do the hourlong show for one season, playing Ally's co-worker Georgia. That has stretched into a three-season stay, and she has just notified Kelley of her decision to leave at the completion of the season. She is already receiving scripts as webs cast up pilots to fill fall schedules. Her exit plans follow the revelation that Gil Bellows will move on as well. He plays Billy, the estranged husband of Thorne-Smith's character.
     "We've had a great run with these characters, who we originally planned to use for the first season only. Billy and Georgia will re-occur next season, and new characters will be introduced this year," Kelley said in a statement.