Who'd have guessed that Larry Charles - the mysterious director known for his ZZ Top beard and for aiding and abetting the comic provocations of Larry David and Sacha Baron Cohen - was a big ol' sci-fi fanboy?

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Charles is working on two sci-fi-themed TV comedy pilots. In October, he signed on to rewrite the Fox pilot 'Boldly Going Nowhere,' a comedy set on a spaceship, the brainchild of 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' creators Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton. And now, he's signed with 'Terminator: Salvation' director McG and NBC to co-produce a semi-scripted series, which Variety says revolves around a group of small-town sci-fi fans who make a fan-film version of their favorite canceled show.

The world is about to end just the way you would expect -- televised on FX.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, FX has snagged the television rights to the budding blockbuster '2012', which follows the story of a group of average civilians trying to escape a world-ending disaster foretold by the ancient Mayan calendar. Directed by apocalypse auteur Roland Emmerich ('The Day After Tomorrow', 'Independence Day'), '2012' opened to an impressive $225 million worldwide over the weekend.

After eight years on the USA Network, the production company behind 'Monk' has found a new home: ABC.

According to Variety, Mandeville honchos Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman , whose signature series 'Monk' comes to an end next month, has inked a deal with ABC to provide pilots for five new shows including a grittier detective drama about homicide cops in Motown titled '1-8-7 Detroit'.

It's not all mystery and crime, however; among the other shows in production is the workplace comedy 'Kegs', which takes place in a brewery and 'Tarrytown', a drama about a single mom who starts a new life when she inherits a house in Texas.

Here's a little ditty about Jack and Dan, two American cops doing the best that they can. Apologies to John Mellencamp, but 'Jack and Dan,' a new action comedy from Fox, has found its leads: Colin Hanks and Bradley Whitford.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hanks, who is the son of beloved Hollywood icon Tom Hanks, will play Jack, a straight-laced detective in the Los Angeles Police Department whose ambitions have been thwarted by his own mistakes. Whitford will play his new partner Dan, a loose cannon whose drinking and womanizing are only tolerated because of an act of heroism earlier in his career.

Some of the most respected actors in television history have made their name playing lawyers on legal dramas, and now you can add another master thespian to the list: Jim Belushi.

Yes, Variety is reporting that the mind behind 'According to Jim' is currently developing a courtroom drama that will feature Belushi as a friendly lawyer who defends both the innocent and the guilty with equal determination.

It's not TV ... it's Funny or Die.

Funny or Die, the site founded two years ago by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, is deep into filming for 12 half-hour episodes for HBO,

According to the New York Post, the site is reversing its stance on syndicating its content beyond the standalone Web site. "It will definitely get more viewership of our videos and, to us, that's the important thing -- we want the work that's created to be seen by as many people as possible," Dick Glover, the site's CEO, told the Post. A Funny or Die YouTube channel will launch sometime this month.

Bret Easton Ellis, the author best known for eviscerating Manhattan yuppies in his slasher/social satire novel 'American Psycho,' will be exploring similar territory in a new HBO series.

Variety reports that Eliis will write 'The Follower,' an adaptation of Jason Starr's 2008 crime novel. The series will be a satirical look at the romantic lives of a group of New Yorkers in their twenties, as seen from the point of view of a stalker.

Back in June, on Father's Day, father-of-two Barack Obama issued a call to the nation's dads to "step up" and take responsibility. That call has inspired VH1 to do the same.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, VH1 is planning a show called 'Dad Camp,' in which first-time dads go to boot camp to learn how to be responsible fathers. "In a lot of ways, men aren't what they used to be," executive producer J.D. Roth told the Reporter. "We've made it so easy for men to walk away from their responsibilities. These guys still want to hang with their buddies, and it's time for them to man-up and take responsibility."

But it's not just these baby daddies who are trying to clean up their act. It's also VH1.

Move over, David Blaine, because there's a new magician coming to town who will preform a real trick: capturing criminals.

According to Variety, NBC is teaming with Universal Media Studios to develop a series about a agoraphobic magician who is recruited by a government organization to help them solve especially tricky crimes. The project, which was created by producer David Percelay and director Jon Amiel, will be penned by Dan Fesman, whose writing credits include 'NCIS' and 'Dead Like Me'.

Comedy Central is looking to continue their expansion into the world of animation. With new episodes of 'Futurama' heading to the network in 2010 after Fox initially canceled the series back in 2003, fans of 'The Goode Family' and 'Sit Down, Shut Up' may have reason for hope.

Despite being canceled by ABC and Fox respectively, Variety reports that Comedy Central has picked up repeat rights for 'Goode' and is negotiating to add 'Sit Down' to their schedule as well.

NBC may be struggling in the ratings, but there's no sign of a creative letdown, as they've announced their next groundbreaking idea: a legal drama.

Okay, so the concept may not be fresh, but the face behind the project certainly is. British actor Idris Elba, formerly of 'The Wire' but probably more familiar as Charles Miner on 'The Office', has inked a development deal with NBC to play the lead role in a legal drama created by 'Battlestar Galactica' executive producer David Eick.

Elvis Presley. George Clooney. It sounds like a match made in hunk heaven, but soon it may be coming to a much more accessible locale: your television. TNT has ordered a pilot for 'Delta Blues,' an off-beat police drama about an effective but unusual cop who lives with his mom and lives a second life as an Elvis impersonator.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series, which is set in Presley's home town of Memphis, will be co-executive produced by Clooney and his collaborators at Smokehouse Pictures.

NBC isn't giving up on scripted series just yet. After making the decision to put 'The Jay Leno Show' on five nights a week, NBC was able to drastically scale back their new series development.

But now, with some series like 'Heroes' and 'Trauma' sagging in the ratings, NBC is back at the development drawing board. The network also ordered more episodes of new fall shows 'Community' and 'Mercy.'

Get out your trampolines, because the dream team is back together. Adam Carolla and Jimmy Kimmel, whose late night cable series 'The Man Show' became a cult hit thanks to such innovative contributions to society as their "Girls Jumping on Trampolines" segment, are teaming up once again for a new NBC sitcom.

According to Variety, NBC has inked a deal with Carolla to star as a contractor whose wife leaves him. Kimmel would co-produce. Since the end of 'The Man Show',' Kimmel has gone on to greater success with 'Jimmy Kimmel Live', while Carolla has appeared on 'Dancing With the Stars.'.

There's good news and bad news today for the devout. The good news is that 'Rapture' will be coming to television in the near future. The bad news: it's only on cable. Lisa Kudrow is returning to the world of cable television with 'Rapture', a comedy being developed for Showtime

According to Variety, the series is based on a memoir by indie actor Craig Chester titled 'Why the Long Face?: The Adventures of a Truly Independent Actor,' and will follow the life of a 9-year-old boy who has to deal with his religiously devout -- and possibly insane -- mother.