'Smash's' Debra Messing to Star in CBS Comedy Pilot

 With Smash relegated to Saturdays, star Debra Messing already has moved on.

The Will & Grace Emmy winner has landed the starring role in CBS' untitled comedy pilot from Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Based on an Israeli format, the single-camera effort centers on Shira (Messing), a happily married but harried mother struggling to balance family, life and work. Between her job as a ghost writer for a demanding celebrity chef and having three children -- ranging in age from preschool to 7 -- she feels like the world's worst mother because of her tendency to cut corners.

PHOTOS: The Faces of Pilot Season 2013

Messing, who is the first person cast in the pilot, also will receive a co-executive producer credit on the comedy from CBS Television Studios. Her casting is in second position to Smash, which is not expected to return for a third season on NBC.

Sex and the City and Smash alums Rottenberg and Zuritsky will write and executive produce the pilot. Avi Nir, Ran Telem, Daniella London-Dekel and Dana Eden also will serve as EPs.

The role marks Messing's return to series comedy, following two seasons playing beleaguered playwright Julia Houston on NBC's Smash and starring as Molly Kagan for a season on USA Network's The Starter Wife.

STORY: TV Pilots 2013: The Complete Guide

Messing is a six-time Emmy nominee: five for her role as Grace Adler on NBC's Will & Grace -- including a 2003 win -- and one as lead actress in a miniseries or movie for Starter Wife. She's repped by Gersh, 3 Arts and Stone Meyer.

The casting further cements the demise of Smash, which NBC banished to Saturdays starting April 6. The pricey Broadway drama crashed and burned in its second season. Since opening its sophomore season to a disappointing 1.2 rating in the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic, Smash has continued to slide, most recently drawing a measly 0.8.

Messing becomes the latest actor this point season to book an insurance policy in second position. Southland

's Ben McKenzie (CBS' The Advocates) and Shawn Hatsoy (CBS' Reckless), Deception's Tate Donovan (CBS' Hostages) and Up All Night's Will Arnett (CBS' unauthorized Greg Garcia comedy), among others, have all booked CBS pilots this season.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; 

Twitter: @Snoodit

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Seth Green Joins Fox's Seth MacFarlane Comedy 'Dads'

 Seth Green is expanding his relationship with Fox.

The actor, part of the core voice cast of the network's and Seth MacFarlane's Family Guy, has landed the starring role in Fox's Dads -- the live-action comedy series from the writers behind Ted, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

PHOTOS: The Faces of Pilot Season 2013

The six-episode series centers on successful video game entrepreneurs Eli (Green) and Warner (The Mindy Project's Tommy Dewey). In their thirties, their lives are turned upside down when their nightmare dads unexpectedly move in with them. Eli's father is played by Peter Riegert, while Martin Mull plays Warner's dad.

STORY: TV Pilots 2013: The Complete Guide

Ted's Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild are on board to serve as writers on Dads, with MacFarlane on board to executive produce the 20th Television multicamera comedy. The Big Bang Theory's Mark Cendrowski will direct the pilot. Brenda Song and Tonita Castro co-star.

The casting reteams MacFarlane with Green, who voices Chris Griffin and a slew of other roles on Family Guy. The deal comes a two weeks after Lucasfilm postponed Green's animated Star Wars Detours series.

Green is repped by UTA, Koopman Management and Sloane Offer. Adult Swim renewed Green's Robot Chicken for a seventh season; the series is set to return this year.

E-mail: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; 

Twitter: @Snoodit

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