J.J. Abrams gives comedy a try, 'Southland' does some more recasting

J.J. Abrams has the science-fiction/serialized mystery stuff pretty well in hand, so for his next TV project he's branching out -- to a comedy.

Abrams, the co-creator of "Lost" and "Fringe" and writer-director of "Star Trek," is executive producing a half-hour comedy for FOX. Mike Markowitz ("Duckman," "Becker") is writing the script, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Details about the show are scant; all that's known now is that it's a medical comedy. FOX has ordered a pilot presentation, which Abrams, Markowitz and Bryan Burk, Abrams' partner at Bad Robot, will exec produce.

Elsewhere around the dial:

- NBC's cop show "Southland" is continuing to tweak its second season, letting "Prison Break's" Amaury Nolasco go and bringing in Clifton Collins Jr. as a regular.

Nolasco was brought on board the show, which premieres Oct. 23, in August as a new partner for Regina King's character. He lasted for only three episodes, though, before being let go, the HR says.

Collins, whose recent credits include "Extract" and "Sunshine Cleaning," will be playing a new character named Ray Suarez, whose story is still being developed.

- Laura Linney's Showtime pilot "The C Word" has hired Bill Condon ("Dreamgirls") as its director.

Condon and Linney worked together on the 2004 movie "Kinsey." He also directed several TV movies early in his career, before breaking into feature films with "Gods and Monsters."

"The C Word" will star Linney (who's also exec producing) as a woman dealing with a recent cancer diagnosis and trying to find the positives as she undergoes treatment. Darlene Hunt created the show.

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