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Alright, so according to a new report from Soaps.com,we're about to see Bill plot out a new, big scandal. If this scandal works, it could definitely put him back in the driver's seat at Spencer Publications. This is why Bill is going to needs some very specialized help to pull it off. That's where this new guy Ken will come into play. It's being reported by both Soaps.com and TVinsider.com that Bill is going to hire a tech wiz guy named Ken to hack into the Spencer Publications computer files in an effort to retrieve the incriminating recording that Liam has of Bill confessing to setting the Spectra building on fire. Obviously, if Bill can get his hands on it, Liam would have nothing to continue blackmailing Bill with. That would set the stage for Bill to return and take back his company. The big question...

Exclusive: With USA Network now officially in the comedy business with its first half-hour pilot orders, the network has hired a dedicated comedy executive. ABC Studios’ Melanie Frankel has joined USA as VP Original Comedy Series. She will oversee comedy development and production, reporting to USA’s Svp original scripted programming Bill McGoldrick. “As we aggressively expand our scripted portfolio to include half-hours, this is the perfect time to add an experienced comedy executive to our team,” McGoldrick said. “We feel lucky to have found someone with Melanie’s keen instincts, depth of experience and collaborative spirit as we create our own distinctive brand of comedy with the most talented minds in the genre.” Frankel comes from ABC Studios, where she was most recently director of comedy and served as ABC Studios’ primary comedy executive for studio-based pods/producers the Mark Gordon Co, the Warren Littlefield Co, Stu Bloomberg, Mandeville,...

Rough cuts of pilots in contention for next season are starting to trickle into the broadcast networks, and some very early front-runners are emerging.

Such pole position titles are often replaced a few times during the weeding-out process as more footage comes into the networks. At this stage, name-recognition titles like CBS' "Hawaii Five-o" and NBC's "Rockford Files" continue to enjoy a halo effect, but some fresh titles are also turning heads.

Starting with NBC, the network is looking to pick up as many as six dramas to plug its holes in the schedule and has plenty of A-list producers in contention. A remake of "Rockford Files" from "House" showrunner David Shore is considered a near-lock. Same with J.J. Abrams' spy drama "Undercovers," whose completed pilot is getting rave reviews ("looks great, with gorgeous leads").

David E. Kelley's latest legal drama "Kindrids" is very hot, and executives like...

Three days into filming, ABC has made a casting change on the dramedy series "Scoundrels."

David James Elliott has been tapped to co-star on the show, replacing Neal McDonough.

In pilot casting news, three NBC comedies have landed leads: Nick D'Agosto has joined "This Little Piggy," Jessica Lucas has boarded "Friends With Benefits," and Ashley Madekwe has been cast in "The Pink House."

Based on the New Zealand series "Outrageous Fortune," "Scoundrels" centers on the matriarch (Virginia Madsen) of a family of criminals who decides it's time for her brood to go straight after her husband (Elliott) is sentenced to a long prison term.

Former "Jag" star Elliott, repped by Paradigm, recently starred in the miniseries "Impact" and "The Storm."

"Piggy" centers on an underemployed woman (Brooke Bloom) and her materialistic brother (D'Agosto) who move in with their older sibling (Ben Koldyke).

"Benefits" revolves around five twentysomething friends who, until they find "the one,...

TV network pilot season rules. We love trying to pick out the latest, greatest hits that become cultural phenomenons. But for every Gossip Girl, there's a Beautiful Life.

Or some better analogy. But you get our point. So many shows in their infancy sound great for next fall. The list you are about to read does not include any of them.

Here are ones you can only hope fail, at least from what we've heard so far:

10. Kindreds (NBC)

A grouchy patent lawyer and a group of oddball associates work at a quirky law practice. Kathy Bates, Ben Chaplin, and Brittany Snow star. Still, we're unconvinced.

9. Body of Evidence (ABC)

Dana Delany and Jeri Ryan in a new show about neurosurgeon/medical examiner who butts heads with all of her bosses. Because we need more medical dramas?

8. $h!t My Dad Says (CBS)

This one is not only based on a Twitter account,...

Jimmy Wolk has landed the lead in Fox's Marc Webb-directed drama pilot "Midland," and "Avatar" co-star Laz Alonso will star in another hourlong Fox pilot, "Breakout Kings."

Elsewhere, "Prison Break" alum Amaury Nolasco has joined NBC's Jerry Bruckheimer-produced pilot "Chase," "Crossing Jordan" alumna Kathryn Hahn has boarded Fox's comedy pilot "Most Likely to Succeed," Erinn Hayes has landed a lead in NBC's comedy pilot "This Little Piggy," Utkarsh Ambudkar will co-star in Fox's comedy pilot "Nevermind Nirvana" and Damon Wayans Jr. has come aboard the ABC comedy pilot "Happy Endings."

"Midland," from 20th TV, is a soap set against the backdrop of an oil business that centers on a polygamist (Wolk) living a double life. Wolk, who toplined the ABC pilot "Solving Charlie" last season, is repped by Wme.

"Breakout," from 20th, is a procedural about a team of marshals and ex-cons that works to apprehend criminals who break out of prison.