Stockard Channing will headline '17th Precinct,' the new magic-based pilot from 'Battlestar Galactica' mastermind Ron Moore.

According to Deadline Hollywood, the 'West Wing' veteran will play Mira, a former homicide detective who now covers robberies. '17th Precinct' is set in the fictional city of Excelsior, a place where magic and the supernatural rule.

When NBC picked up the show to pilot, it was described as a 'Harry Potter'-type show for grown-ups.

In other TV news ...

• 'Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe' will premiere April 17 at 9PM on USA. The prequel is set in 2005 and directed by 'Burn Notice' star Jeffrey Donovan. [Entertainment Weekly]

• Gary Cole has joined the cast of Fox's comedy pilot 'Tagged.' Cole will play James Percy, a coroner who works with his son. [Deadline Hollywood]

• Will Paget Brewster leave 'Criminal Minds'? The actress is currently fielding comedy pilot offers from Fox. Her final 'Criminal Minds' episode of the season will end with a cliffhanger, A.J. Cook is returning to the series to possibly whisk her away. [Deadline Hollywood]

We at TV Squad tend to think that we're blogging in a bubble; we post from homes and offices that are scattered around the country and truly don't expect many people to see what we write (at least I don't... just a little quirk of mine). So when not one, but two actors from a show you've covered comment on a post about that show, you sit up and take notice.

That's what happened last week, when both Christopher Gorham and Paula Marshall wrote comments on a post I wrote about their show, Out of Practice, getting shelved, along with fellow Monday at 9:30 exile Courting Alex. So, I reached out to both of them to respond and vent. Both answered, and Chris was the first that was willing to talk. We spoke by phone this past Friday.

In Out of Practice, the 31-year-old actor plays Benjamin Barnes, youngest son of a family of doctors. Ben's the only one who didn't finish medical school, instead becoming a marriage therapist. The ironic thing is, he's probably the sanest person in the Barnes family.

The show boasts a top-notch cast, which -- besides Marshall and Gorham -- also includes Henry Winkler, Stockard Channing, Ty Burrell, and Jennifer Tilly. It's executive producers are Chrisopher Lloyd and Joe Keenan, who were long-time producers on the classic sitcom Fraiser.

In this interview (after the jump), Chris discusses his frustrations with how his show is being treated, gushes on the writers and his castmates, and responds to people who say he and Marshall are "show killers".

[Photo: Lester Cohen/WireImage]

Ok, we've done our lists of the hottest female TV personalities over 40 and the hottest over 50. We were happy to see that we came up with plenty of names for both lists. But would we be able to come up with five women to make hearts go thump amongst the TV ladies over 60? No problem!

For this list, I decided to consider all women over 60, not just the ones that were between 60 and 69. The reason for that was simple: can you think of any woman on the air that's over 70 or 80? I can only think of two over-70 women, both of whom are on the Honorable Mentions list. And the one over-80 woman I can think of is Betty White, whom I've never really considered to be all that sexy (covers head waiting for the tomatoes to fly in). Oh, and for those who say "Diane Keaton": I love her and think she's extremely sexy, but I still primarily think of her as a film actress, even though she's been doing a lot of TV movies lately.

So, after the jump, my list of women who would make for a hot date and get a discount at the movies at the same time. Who could beat that?

Best:
5. The Backyardigans A preschoolers' show I'd watch if I didn't have kids. Yes, when you drove past my house the other day, that was me dancing along to "I love being a princess!"
4. Law & Order: Criminal Intent  I thought I couldn't watch the show without Vincent D'Onofrio. But Chris Noth and Annabelle Sciora have the kind of vulnerable-yet-professional chemistry that I never dreamed possible between Chris and Sarah Jessica Parker or Annabelle and James Gandolfini.
3. Grey's Anatomy  It's kooky, it's outlandish, and all the characters, I can't help but love 'em despite their annoying peccadilloes. And who knew I'd fall in love with Dr. Bailey?
2. Medium  I'd watch it just for the family drama. But the mysteries are fantastic, the writing eloquent and witty, the twists always fool me until 52 past the hour.
1. The 4400  Sci fi that transports, characters that draw me in, and it's coming back in 2006. Hurray!

Worst:

5. Saturday Night Live  My husband still gets excited about Saturday nights. Until I remind him, honey, it's just not funny!
4. ER  I'm so sad that I hate Thursdays now. I used to love Thursdays.
3. 7:30 p.m. timeslot  There's nothing good on at 7:30 p.m., not even on the Food Network. I hate 7:30 p.m.
2. Sandra Lee's Semi-homemade Cooking  Make it from scratch or buy it from the store. And either way, aren't we all old enough now to admit whether we can, or cannot, cook?
1. Out of Practice  Stockard Channing, Henry Winkler, what have ye wrought?