'Gilmore,' 'Melrose' Alums Sign on to Pilots
LOS ANGELES - A "Gilmore Girls" father and son, a former resident of "Melrose Place" and an "NYPD Blue" cast member are among the latest folks to sign on to pilots for next season. Milo Ventimiglia, Jess on "Gilmore Girls," has taken a part in ABC's drama "Gramercy Park," about the residents of a New York apartment building. He'll play the troubled son of a surgeon who returns to his parents' home, girlfriend and new baby in tow. Elizabeth Mitchell ("The Lyon's Den"), Travis Schuldt ("10-8") and Izabella Miko ("Coyote Ugly") will also appear in the pilot. Rob Estes, who played Jess' estranged father on two episodes of "Gilmore Girls" last season, has joined Kristoffer Polaha and "The O.C.'s" Navi Rawat in the cast of FOX's "Oahu," which centers on a luxury hotel in Hawaii. The former "Silk Stalkings" and "Melrose Place" star will play one of the hotel's partners. Estes' one-time "Melrose" co-star, Laura Leighton, and "NYPD Blue's" Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon have signed on to "Eyes," an ABC drama about a well-connected risk-management company. Leighton co-starred in FOX's short-lived "Skin" this season, while Beauvais-Nilon appears in "Barbershop 2" in addition to her "Blue" role. The rest of the casting news: Kat Dennings ("Raising Dad") has joined the cast of CBS' "Sudbury," a drama about a family-of modern-day witches. The show is executive produced by Sandra Bullock and Denise DiNovi, who starred in and produced the similarly themed feature film "Practical Magic." Rocky Carroll ("The Agency"), Kali Rocha ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") and Sarah Shahi ("Alias") will star opposite Caroline Rhea in the ABC comedy "Plan B." Rocha will play Rhea's younger sister, Carroll a co-worker and Shahi Rhea's assistant. Also at ABC, Jamie Denton ("Threat Matrix") and Ricardo Chavira ("Six Feet Under") will play a single neighbor and a husband, respectively, in "Desperate Housewives," while Marisol Nichols ("Resurrection Blvd.") will star opposite Ron Eldard in "Blind Justice." "Robbery Homicide Division's" David Cubitt has signed on to CBS' untitled project about father-and-son bounty hunters from Spelling TV. Cubitt will play one of the sons. |
Rob's last show set in Hawaii, Tikiville, never made the schedule. Let's hope he has better luck with this one.