CBS brings Show to 'Swingtown'

Pilot watch
By VARIETY STAFF


CBS: Casting -- Grant Show ("Melrose Place") will star as Tom Decker in the CBS Paramount Network TV-produced '70s-themed drama "Swingtown." He'll be joined by Jack Davenport ("Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"), who has been added as Bruce Miller.

CW: Pickup -- "Paige Armstrong," drama from scribe Rod Lurie ("Commander in Chief") about a twentysomething congressional aide who decides to run against her boss. Lurie will exec produce and direct the pilot; Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey and Marc Frydman also exec produce. Touchstone TV is producing, along with DreamWorks TV.

Fox: Casting -- Norbert Leo Butz, a Broadway thesp who won a Tony for "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," has been cast as Jake in comedy pilot "Playing Chicken." Project is from Warner Bros. TV and Werner-Gold-Miller.

NBC: Casting -- Brooke Shields is back at the Peacock, signing on for the plum role of Wendy in "Lipstick Jungle," the sudsy drama based on the Candace Bushnell book. Shields, who starred in "Suddenly Susan" for NBC, most recently appeared in "Nip/Tuck." NBC Universal TV Studio is behind the pilot.

Casting -- Daryl "Chill" Mitchell ("Ed") has joined the cast of the comedy "I'm With Stupid" as Sid. Also in the cast: Christopher Thornton ("Alias") will play Paul, while Kevin Daniels ("Smallville") will play Sheldon. Laffer, from NBC U TV Studios, BBC Worldwide, Reveille Prods. and Conundrum Entertainment, revolves around an unlucky guy who meets a man who uses a wheelchair -- and moves into his group home.