It's only been a month since Christopher Meloni stepped down from 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,' but producers are reportedly screen-testing his possible replacements in New York today.

Production on the upcoming Season 13 is due to get underway soon and, according to Deadline.com, 'SVU' creator/executive producer Dick Wolf and NBC have narrowed the field to a short list of five.

The actors, who have all doubtless just spent a sleepless night in the Big Apple rehearsing their lines, have been named as: Danny Pino ('Cold Case'), Kevin Alejandro ('True Blood,' 'Southland'), David Conrad ('Ghost Whisperer'), Michael Raymond-James ('Terriers') and Rhys Coiro ('Entourage').

Each one will test today with Meloni's co-star, Mariska Hargitay, who plays Det. Olivia Benson on the drama. Both Alejandro and Raymond-James recently guest-starred on 'SVU,' so could be feeling like they've got the edge.

The hot afternoon sun is sweltering on the Toronto set of 'Combat Hospital,' a new medical drama that's supposed to be taking place in Kandahar, Afghanistan. As the sun beats down on the expansive set meticulously lined with shipping containers, a military helicopter, blast walls and a sign that says 'Welcome to Kandahar Airfield,' it's easy to forget we're standing in the middle of Toronto and not out in the sweltering Afghan desert.


'Combat Hospital' stars movie vets Elias Koteas ('The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,' 'Shutter Island') and Deborah Kara Unger ('Crash,' 'The Hurricane') in their first TV roles. This isn't the first time they've worked together -- they both starred in David Cronenberg's 'Crash' in 1996, and were thrilled to team up again.

"I adore Deborah. She's probably the smartest person in the room at any given time," says Koteas. Unger is happy they're both losing their TV virginity together. "This is an exciting adventure for us," she says.

Michelle Borth (Hawaii Five-0'), Arnold Pinnock ('Life With Derek'), Luke Mably ('The Gates') and Terry Chen ('Almost Famous') round out the primary cast.

When you're playing the game of "chicken," you have to fully commit. Two people are headed together on a collision course -- the first one to flinch loses the game. On the other hand, if no one flinches -- then everyone loses. And on 'Hawaii Five-0' (Mon., 10PM ET on CBS), that could lead to death.

[Warning: Spoiler alert.]

On the new episode, Navy SEAL Graham Wilson (Adam Beach) is accused of a crime he didn't commit. Wilson is blamed for the death of his wife -- as a result, he goes berserk. The solider grabs a bunch of hostages. He demands that the cops find the real killer -- or else.

Graham is playing chicken, but so are policemen Danno and McGarrett (Scott Caan and Alex O'Loughlin). As a former SEAL, Steve McGarrett sympathizes with Graham. But his partner Danny "Danno" Williams just thinks the guy is a murderer.

'Top Chef''s Padma Lakshmi has signed a sitcom deal with NBC, which will reportedly have the Emmy nominee starring in her own half-hour series. We'll eat to that.

Also in the news today: Production on 'The Beautiful Life' gets delayed, while Sean Bean learns to play the 'Game.'

See more of today's top TV headlines after the jump.

Something was amiss during the last three seasons of Law & Order: SVU. With Mariska Hargitay's pregnancy leave, changes in Christopher Meloni's character, the introduction and departure of some cast members, and the demotion of Detective Munch to a desk, the show seemed to have lost its way. It was tough to watch as more melodrama seeped into the show and pushed away the criminal procedurals that have made this Law & Order franchise so popular.

However, change may be on the horizon. With the first two episodes of the tenth season now under their belt, there's a feeling of normalcy that has returned to the show. A sense that the producers may be done tinkering with the program for the time being, despite the introduction of Michaela McManus as new A.D.A Kim Greylek. Some melodrama is still there - they are human beings after all - but the cases are first and foremost for the show.

There's been another transfer out of the squad at NBC. Detective Chester Lake has turned in his badge. Actor Adam Beach is leaving Law and Order: SVU. He'll be on the show till the end of this season -- his one and only with Law and Order: SVU.

Adam Beach, who was also excellent in the Clint Eastwood feature Flags of Our Fathers as the troubled serviceman Ira Hayes, uncomfortable with the acclaim he received as one of the men who rose the flag at Iwo Jima, received a number of award nominations for his role on the HBO mini-series Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee. It was on that project that he worked with producer Dick Wolf.

"From the first day I met him on the set of Bury My Heart, I was knocked out by his commitment, dedication and total immersion in the film's most crucial role," said Wolf.

NBC's got a lot of new shows this fall. The panels have been non-stop and swag-free today -- and not without a bit of controversy.

First up was Law & Order creator Dick Wolf and new Law & Order cast members Alicia Witt (CI), Adam Beach (SVU), and Jeremy Sisto (Law & Order).

Sisto's character on L&O comes with emotional baggage that makes the angst he carried around as Rachel Griffith's brother on Six Feet Under seem like a birthday party, which is interesting since Wolf is no fan of serial drama.

This original movie from HBO Films is based on Dee Brown's famous book of the same name, stars Anna Paquin, Aidan Quinn, and Adam Beach, and was executive produced by TV veteran Dick Wolf.

Beach is sort of Hollywood's go-to-guy who portrays a Native American character in everything from John Woo's WIndtalkers to Clint Eastwood's Flags of our Fathers. Now don't get me wrong, I think he's a good actor, but aren't there any other Native American actors out there who can step into roles like this?

The movie, like the book, is about the massacre at Wounded Knee, and the extremely heavy-handed attempt of the U.S. government to assimilate Native Americans and homogenize them, much like the Borg does on Star Trek:TNG.

They did this by moving them onto reservations and giving them "Christian" names, and allowing them to "hunt" for food ... by chasing penned calves around with a rifle. It's a heart-breaking and tragic story, and according to the creative team has ties to the current U.S. situation in Iraq.

Quote of the panel:

• Anna Paquin: "Sadly, stories like this are not unique in the United States." She can act, and she's political. Watch out folks.
• Fred Thompson, former U.S. senator and actor who has is always typecast as a hard-assed senator, admiral, and politician in general plays President Ulysses S. Grant. When aproached by executive producer Dick Wolf and asked if he wanted to play him, Thompson replied: "Not if I have to grow the damn beard."