Dichen Lachman

ABC has picked up its first new series for the 2012-13 season, adding a musical drama starring Friday Night Lights’ Connie Britton, a nuclear drama from The Shield’s Shawn Ryan, a crime drama with Radha Mitchell, mystery hours featuring ER’s Anthony Edwards and Lost’s Terry O’Quinn and four comedies. our editor recommends

Broadcast TV’s Returning Shows for 2012-13 Season

Here’s a look at what’s been ordered to series:

Multicamera comedy Malibu Country stars Reba McEntire as a woman who moves her mother (Lily Tomlin) and three kids from Nashville to Malibu after her "good ’ol boy" rock star husband cheats on her and burns through most of their money. Once there, she’ll try to reignite her own singing career and keep herself and her kids from being corrupted by the materialistic and rarefied Malibu world she now calls home. Sara Rue, Julietta Angelo, Justin Prentice, Jai Rodriguez and Owen Teague co-star, with Jeffrey Nordling guest-starring in the pilot with the option to recur. Kevin Abbott penned the pilot for the ABC Studios effort, which will be exec produced by McEntire, Mindy Schultheis, Michael Hanel, Pam Williams, Dave Stewart and Narvel Blackstock.

Ryan’s Last Resort centers on the crew of a U.S. nuclear submarine (led by Andre Braugher) who, after ignoring an order to fire nuclear missiles, wind up being hunted and escape to a NATO outpost where they declare themselves to be the world’s smallest nuclear nation. Felicity’s Scott Speedman, Daisy Betts, Autumn Reeser, Jessy Schram, Daniel Lissing, Camille de Pazzis, Sahr Ngaujau and Dichen Lachman co-star; Omid Abtahi, Matt Geral and Bruce Davison recur, while Robert Patrick and Glee’s Max Adler guest star in the pilot. Ryan penned the pilot alongside Karl Gajdusek, with both on board to exec produce alongside Marney Hochman Nash and Martin Campbell, who directed the Sony Pictures Television pilot.

666 Park Ave. features a young couple (Dave Annable, Rachael Taylor) who accept an offer to manage one of the most historic apartment buildings in New York City as they unwittingly begin to experience supernatural occurrences that complicate and endanger the lives of everyone in the building. Based on the book by Gabriella Pierce. Lost’s Terry O’Quinn, Vanessa Williams, Mercedes Masohn, Robert Buckley and Helena Mattsson co-star; Erik Palladino appears in the pilot. David Wilcox penned the pilot and wil exec produce alongside Leslie Morgenstein, Gina Girolamo and Matt Miller; Alex Graves directed the Warner Bros., Alloy Entertainment drama.

How to Live With Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life stars Sarah Chalke as Polly, a recently divorced single mom who moves in with her eccentric parents, Elaine (Elizabeth Perkins) and Max (Brad Garrett), a couple who are full of life but know no bounds. Orlando Jones, John Dore, Rachel Eggleston and Rebecca Delgado Smith co-star in the single-camera comedy frm 20th Television and Imagine TV. Claudia Lonow penned the pilot and will exec produce the single-camera comedy alongside Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Francie Calfo.

Nashville is described as a family soap set against the backdrop of the Nashville music scene revolving around one star at her peak (Britton) and another on the rise (Hayden Panettiere). Eric Close, Powers Boothe, Sam Palladio, Clare Bowen, Jonathan Jackson, Robert Wisdom and Charles Esten co-star in the ABC Studios, Lionsgate and Gaylord Entertainment-produced hour which filmed in Nashville.

Red Widow (previously Penoza) is based on the Dutch format and revolves around the widow (Mitchell) of an assassinated criminal who is forced to adopt her husband’s role in a crime syndicate in order to protect her family. Lee Tergesen, Luke Goss, Rade Sherbedzija, Wil Traval, Suleka Mathew, Jaime Ray Newman, Sterling Beaumon, Jakob Salvati, Erin Moriarty and Mido Hamada co-star in the ABC Studios/Endemol hour. Hell on Wheels’ Anson Mount guest stars in the drama penned by Twilight’s Melissa Rosenberg, who will exec produce alongside Alon Aranya and Howard Klein.

Family Tools (previously Comeback Jack, Red Van Man, White Van Man) is a comedy based on the British format that revolves around a man (Kyle Bornheimer) who is forced to put his dreams on hold in order to take over the family handyman business from his father (J.K. Simmons). Leah Remini, Edi Gathegi, Johnny Pemberton and Danielle Nicolet co-star in the single-camera comedy penned by Bobby Bowman, who exec produces alongside Mark Gordon, Andrea Shay and Paul Buccieri. The project hails from ABC Studios and the Mark Gordon Co.

Zero Hour marks the return of ER’s Edwards, who stars as a man who’s spent 20 years as the editor of a skeptics magazine who is launched into one of the most compelling conspiracies in human history. Michael Nyqvist, Carmen Ejogo, Scott Michael Foster, Addison Timlin and Jacinda Barrett co-star in the ABC Studios drama. Paul Scheuring penned the pilot and will exec produce alongside Lorenzo DiBonaventura and Dan McDermott.

Neighbors (previously the untitled Dan Fogelman project) centers on a family (Lenny Venito, Jami Gertz, Isabella Cramp, Clara Mamet, Max Charles) that moves into a coveted New Jersey gated community only to discover that the entire neighborhood is comprised of aliens disguised as humans. Simon Templeman, Toks Olagundoye Tim Jo and Ian Patrick co-star in the single-camera comedy penned by Fogelman, who exec produces the ABC Studios single-camera comedy alongside Chris Koch and Aaron Kaplan.

The pickups join the previously announced drama thriller Mistresses, which was picked up straight to series, from Gossip Girl’s KJ Steinberg at the network.