PILOTS: Kyle MacLachlan Joins Baby Big Shot, Steven Bauer In Ray Donovan

Kyle MacLachlan is set to co-star in CBS drama pilot Baby Big Shot. The project, from writer Dana Calvo, showrunner Kevin Falls, Sony TV and Julia Franzs Fanfare, is a legal drama centered on Martina (Janet Montgomery), a working-class woman who uses her street smarts to compete with her more polished colleagues at top NY law firm Stark & Cohen. MacLachlan, who was holding two pilot offers, will play the head man at Stark & Cohen, a rhino who booms confidence and big-picture philosophy. He sees something in Martina and gives her a promotion. MacLachlan, repped by Gersh and Management 360, is back on the final season of Desperate Housewives, reprising his role as villainous Orson Hodge. Steven Bauer, who recently recurred on AMC’s Breaking Bad, has joined the cast of Showtimes drama pilot Ray Donovan starring Liev Schreiber. Written by Ann Biderman and directed by Allen Coulter, the Showtime-produced project centers on Ray (Schreiber), a professional fixer for LAs rich and famous who can make anyones problems disappear, except the ones created by his own family. Bauer, repped by Global Artists Agency and Lawrence Kopeikin, will play Avi, Rays No. 1 man at his detective agency. Also cast in the pilot is newcomer Devon Bagby as Ray’s son Conor. Matt Cook has been added to CBS untitled comedy pilot from Greg Berlanti and Greg Malins. The Warner Bros/Berlanti Prods project, also known as Oh F**k Its You, centers on Nick (Bryan Greenberg), a notorious womanizer who, after surviving a health scare, realizes that The One he has never found is actually his best friend of 15 years, Wendy (JoAnna Garcia). The problem is that Wendy is engaged to a guy Nick likes; she and Nick own a business together; and their attempt at dating back in college was a disaster. Cook, repped by Stone Manners Salners and Michelle Jannone, will play the IT wizard at Nick and Wendy’s travel business.

Ratings: Breaking In Returns to Mixed Results

Anthony Edwards ER's Anthony Edwards is positioned to produce his return to prime time since the lead of ABC's pilot Zero Hour, TVGuide.com has confirmed. Deadline first reported the casting.Edwards may have a novel editor who'll get attracted into most likely probably the most compelling conspiracies ever after his wife is kidnapped.The Whole Pilot Report: ABC's got Mandy Moore, Reba McEntire and Natalie Portman!Prison Break's Paul Scheuring written the drama pilot and may executive-produce with Lorenzo DiBonaventura and Serta McDermott.Scott Michael Fosterand Addison Timlinwill also star.The role marks Edwards first series regular role since he starred as Dr. Mark Eco-friendly on ER. Edwards other credits include Northern Exposure, Top Gun, and Fast Occasions At Ridgemont High.

Fox takes pole position in rankings

Daytona 500 "The American Idol ShowInch NBC's "The Voice" was among the week's top rankings draws.Fox discontinued script a week ago with "The American Idol ShowInch and also the Daytona 500 to dominate the primetime rankings race. Though still a substantial demo -- "Idol's" three models rated one of the week's top four shows in grown ups 18-49 -- television's greatest hit of history decade is constantly on the sag in year-to-year evaluations, especially among grown ups under 35. Also of note a week ago, the nets began moving out their final batch of recent midseason shows, with both NBC's Thursday drama "Awake" and ABC's hourlong Sunday comedy "GCB" falling within the OK/could-have-been-worse category. CBS, meanwhile, did not have the week's top 5 programs in grown ups 18-49 but wound up with 12 from the top 25 -- a lot more than ABC (five), Fox (five) and NBC (one) combined. Overall, based on national estimations from Nielsen for that February. 20-26 frame, Fox cruised in adults18-49 having a 3.4 rating/9 share, then CBS (2.2/6), ABC and NBC (both 1.9/5), Univision (1.5/4) and top cabler The best spinner's (1./3). Internet also centered in grown ups 25-54 (4.3/10 to three.1/8 for CBS) as well as edged out CBS as a whole audiences (10.5 million to 10.two million). For Fox, "The American Idol ShowInch broadcast six hrs across three nights, including its best Thursday amounts of year (5.4/15 in 18-49, 18.45 million audiences overall) that telecast tied NBC's own singing competish, "The Voice," because the week's top attract the 18-49 demo. A unique Tuesday "Idol" (5.1/13, 16.11m) and Wednesday's regular seg (5./13, 17.23m) were not far behind. "Idol" saw its median age climb above 50 for 2 of their three shows a week ago. And Thursday's two-hour seg revealing the show's 13 runners up was off 34% in grown ups 18-49 (5.4 versus. 8.2) versus. the comparable evening last year, by a level bigger 41% in grown ups 18-34 (3.6 versus. 6.1). Fox was increased through the rain-postponed Daytona 500 Dale earnhardt jr . race Monday (4.5/13 in 18-49, 13.67m), which edged out NBC for that evening. Although not employed by the internet, a minimum of in the first week, was limited-run Saturday series "Q'Viva: The Selected" (.8/2, 2.20m), a Jennifer Lopez-fronted look for Latin American music talent. Elsewhere, CBS wrapped the Feb sweep that ended Wednesday having a surprise second-place finish in front of Fox in grown ups 18-49 (NBC easily won because of the Super Bowl). Fox has centered this month throughout the "The American Idol ShowInch era, however the Eye's consistency won out this time around. The net's Monday comedy block was hit by special competish in the Daytona 500, but "2 Broke Women" (3.8/10, 10.18m), "The Way I Met Your Mother" (3.6/10, 9.07m) and "2 . 5 Males" (3.6/9, 11.92m) all arrived within the week's top ten. Also one of the top shows was Tuesday vet "NCIS" (3.5/9, 18.20m), which tied with AMC's "Walking Dead" because the week's No. 1 drama in 18-49 whilst standing because the most-viewed scripted program overall. "The Large Bang Theory" did well in repeat Thursday (3.2/10, 11.11m), leading in to the season finale of rookie half-hour "Take advantage of" (2.6/7, 8.93m), the industry contender to come back within the fall following a fairly solid eight-week run. Also wrapping its first season, but possibly not searching as prone to return, is Friday drama "A Gifted Guy" (1.5/4, 9.70m), which finished on the strong note following "Undercover Boss" (2./7, 9.53m). At ABC, "Modern Family" might have rated fifth for that week in grown ups 18-49 (4.8/12), however it could vault to No. 1 when full-week Digital recording device playback is incorporated. The comedy, especially since it's facing "The American Idol Show,Inch has skyrocketed in Digital recording device playback, posting record-setting gains of two.7 rankings points recently. The net's Friday is constantly on the click with "Shark Tank" (1.6/5, 5.69m) and "Primetime: How Would You React?Inch (1.5/5, 5.16m), carrying out nearly along with its Tuesday, where "Last Guy Standing" (2.2/6, 7.50m) might be the night's only show still standing come next season. A few days wrapped having a modest preem for Southern-fried hourlong comedy "GCB" (2.2/6, 7.56m), although it did retain nearly 90% from it "Desperate Average women" lead-in (2.5/6, 8.21m) and virtually maintained its audience throughout. NBC did not cash going beyond "The Voice," though lead-out "Smash" stable (2.3/6, 6.64m) after which increased nicely on Monday from the current week (2.7/7, 7.76m), benefiting from repeats on ABC and CBS. Drama "Awake" bowed with decent amounts Thursday (2./5, 6.25m), growing from the soft "Up Through The Night" lead-in and beating the repeats on ABC and CBS in 18-49. "Being a parent" wrapped its season with an uptick (1.9/5, 5.16m), and Sunday's "Celebrity Apprentice" (2.3/6, 6.67m) gone to live in the 18-49 lead using its final half-hour. Contact Ron Kissell at ron.kissell@variety.com

Netflix Settling To Become Cable Service: Report

A week ago Netflix Boss Reed Hastings saidthat the possibilities of getting cable operators offer his streaming video plan to their clients was “not for the short term” like a possibility — but was “in natural direction in the long run. His meaning of “short” and “long” is available to debate, though: He’s already in talks with “some from the biggest U.S. cable companies,” Reuters reviews. It adds thatby year finish at leastone cable company could offer Netflix with an experimental basis.The storyline doesn’t identify the operators settling with Netflix Comcast lately revealed its very own movie service known as Streampix. A Netflix-cable alliance could diminish the discuss cord cutting. Some experts state that pay TV customers searching to save cash progressively will cancel the $65 per month video service and change it with Netflix’ $7.99 per month package, which mostly includes older Television shows and films. Additionally, it gives cable customers an alternative choice to premium channels brought by Cinemax. Yet some experts question whether Netflix’s talks with cable are an indication of weakness. It “could signal that (Netflix) needs new systems they are driving sub growth which it may be worried about the pending implementation” of broadband usage based prices — which may make heavy customers pay greater costs — states Janney Capital Marketplaces’ Tony Wible. He adds that Cinemax could respond by providing its Cinemax Go streaming service straight to customers, rather than needing these to first sign up for fundamental cable. That may turn the premium funnel right into a formidable competitor to Netflix. Still, traders appear to love this news: Netflix shares are up 3.9% in pre-market buying and selling.

Dork Stewart in tune with documents

Cinedigm Entertainment Group,has signed rock icon Dork Stewart to produce a quantity of documentary films to movie theaters in the recurring time slot. Produced by Stewart's Weapons of Mass Entertainment, the movies will probably be released beneath the "Dork Stewart Presents ..." title. The series will feature Stewart and numerous musical site visitors all abilities "Getting made numerous music documentaries and videos throughout the final 12 several days together with your best at Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, Stevie Nicks while others has truly whet my appetite to take and putting amazing songwriting collaborations on cinema screens," Stewart mentioned. Cinedigm mentioned the series will be the to start recurring alternative programming distributed into movie theaters via its digital cinema model - suggested as enabling cinema being designed as being a cable funnel. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com