Tim Minear

"Angel" vet Tim Minear is close to signing on as exec producer/showrunner for the 20th/Imagine-produced high school undercover drama set to bow later this season on Fox.

He replaces Todd Kessler as exec producer; another scribe-producer on the skein, Glenn Kessler, also has ankled the skein.

Tim Minear will write and film a new pilot for the series, which is being targeted for an early 2005 debut. Rachel Nichols and Peter Facinelli still are set to star in the hour, which revolves around a law enforcement agent (Nichols) who poses as a student at a trouble-plagued high school.

Fox execs have been high on the concept of "The Inside" and are said to be particularly confident in Nichols’ status as a potential breakout star. The original pilot didn’t wow execs, however, leading to the change in showrunners.

In addition to working on Joss Whedon’s "Angel" and "Firefly," Tim Minear most recently exec produced the critically hailed Fox skein "Wonderfalls."