A&E orders cop pilot with Aussie actor

By Nellie Andreeva

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - A&E has given the green light to "Sugarloaf," an hour-long pilot starring Australian actor Matt Passmore.

The cable network also has hired Jeffrey Nordling, John Heard and Michael Arden to co-star opposite Radha Mitchell in its other drama pilot, "The Quickening."

"Sugarloaf" centers on Jim Longworth (Passmore), an ex-Chicago cop who gets kicked off the force after being shot by his ex-captain, who wrongfully accused him in having an affair with his wife. After receiving a payout, Longworth, an observant detective with a sly sense of humor, moves to a small Florida town and joins the state police.

A&E had been high on the project for a while but didn't want to commit to a production order until it found the right lead actor. Passmore became available this week, and A&E pounced.

Mitchell, another Aussie, stars in "Quickening" as Maggie Bird, a homicide detective demoted to a desk job after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Nordling will play her former partner, an ex-cop who left the force to run a detective agency after Maggie took a bullet for him and saved his life. Nordling appears on ABC's "Desperate Housewives" this season as Drea de Matteo's husband. Arden ("Kings") will play an enthusiastic doctor assigned Maggie's evaluation. Heard will play Maggie's boss.

"Sugarloaf" and "Quickening" will vie for a summer launch, with A&E looking to pick up one or both to series. After a six-year hiatus, A&E re-entered the scripted-series arena with recent dramas "The Cleaner" and "The Beast." "Cleaner" lasted two seasons; "Beast," which starred Patrick Swayze, lasted one.

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