CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- The latest development news, culled from various wire reports each morning:

ABOUT A BOY (FOX) - Patrick Dempsey ("Once & Again") will star in FOX's adaptation of the Hugh Grant film. The project, which has a pilot presentation commitment, comes from Tribeca, Working Title and Universal Network TV. Matthew Carlson ("God, the Devil and Bob") will write and executive produce. Dempsey will play the lead character of trust fund slacker Will, who winds up befriending an unusual 12-year-old. Producers are still scouting for an actor to play the boy.

CRAZY LOVE (CBS) - Emmy winner Peter MacNicol has been tapped to star in the CBS comedy pilot "Crazy Love," from Touchstone Television and CBS Prods. The casting of MacNicol lifts the cast-contingency on the project, which revolves around a baby-boomer couple who adopt a girl from China. Bob Stevens has penned the pilot and will executive produce alongside Jamie Tarses. MacNicol will serve as a producer.

CRIMINOLOGY 101 (CBS) - Gary Cole ("Family Affair") has signed on as Roy Franks in the 20th/Spyglass produced CBS drama pilot. Nell Scovell, Roger Birnbaum, Bery Berber and Meghan Wolpert are the prodcuers.

EXPERT WITNESS (CBS) - Anna Deavere Smith ("The West Wing," "Presidio Med") will have a recurring role in the Eye drama pilot. Hart Hanson and Keith Ablov are executive producers.

HAPPY FAMILY (NBC) - Tyler Andrews ("American Dreams") will play Tim in NBC's comedy pilot.

KAREN SISCO (ABC) - Bill Duke ("National Security") has joined the cast of ABC's "Karen Sisco" as Amos, a U.S. Marshal and Sisco's boss.

THE LAW & HENRY LEE (CBS) - Bill Smitrovich ("Life Goes On") is on board the Danny Glover led project from Spelling TV and Cheyenne Enterprises. The actor, who will continue his recurring role on "The Practice," plays Sgt. Bobby Pasternak, a vet homicide detective and Glover's partner.

LINES OF DUTY (A.K.A. UNTITLED YOUNG F.B.I. AGENT PROJECT) (ABC) - ABC has greenlit its first new scripted series of the 2003-04 fall season, ordering 13 episodes of scribe-helmer Rod Lurie's crime drama, now tentatively titled "Lines of Duty."

RAVENS (WB) - James Lafferty ("Emeril") will play Nathan on the WB drama pilot.

SWEET POTATO QUEENS (WB) - Allison Munn ("That '70s Show") has joined the cast of the WB's "Sweet Potato Queens."

UNTITLED FRATERNAL TWINS PROJECT (FOX) - Carrie Butler ("Hairspray") has joined FOX's untitled Glouberman/Orenstein pilot from Warner Bros. TV as Molly.

UNTITLED JENNY MCCARTHY PROJECT (ABC) - Missi Pyle ("The Wayne Brady Show"), Robin Bartlett ("Mad About You"), Geoff Stults ("7th Heaven") and Dan Lauria ("The Wonder Years") have joined the cast of Touchstone's Jenny McCarthy project at ABC. The half-hour stars McCarthy as a spoiled, rich socialite who discovers what life is like for everyday people when her father is jailed for embezzlement and their money disappears overnight. Don Beck is scribe-executive producer, and Gil Junger is directing.

UNTITLED TRACY MORGAN PROJECT (NBC) - Tamala Jones ("Head of State") will play the loving and funny wife to Morgan, whose character incurs a series of mishaps as he tries to land a huge ambulance account for his automotive repair shop. Jim O'Doherty, David Israel, Marcy Carsey, Tom Werner, Caryn Mandabach, Lorne Michaels, Dave Becky and David Miner are executive producers.

VIOLENT CRIME (CBS) - Theresa Randle ("Bad Boys 2") and Paul Adelstein ("Breaking News") have joined the CBS drama pilot. Randle is on board as a Boston detective who is partners with the character portrayed by Jennifer Esposito. Adelstein ("Breaking News") plays the boss of the violent-crimes unit. The project is executive produced by Samantha Howard Corbin, Ian Sander and Kim Moses.

WEAPON X (UPN) - Matt Czuchry ("Eight Legged Freaks") was added to the cast of UPN's nanobot drama pilot.

Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Reuters