Lake caught in the 'Middle'

Biggs is in 'Hell'
By JOSEF ADALIAN, MICHAEL SCHNEIDER


ABC
Casting -- Former talkshow gabber Ricki Lake is plotting another return to TV, signing on to star in the comedy pilot "The Middle."

Lake will play Frankie, the mother of a middle-class family living in the Midwest. Single-camera laffer comes from Warner Bros. TV.

Lake most recently hosted CBS' "Game Show Marathon." She was also a recurring character on the Eye's "The King of Queens," and appeared in films such as "Cecil B. Demented" and "Mrs. Winterbourne." Lake hosted her self-titled talkshow for 11 seasons.

CBS
Pickup -- "I'm in Hell," a half-hour single-camera laffer, will mark the primetime series debut of Jason Biggs ("American Pie"). Aron Abrams and Greg Thompson wrote the CBS Paramount project and will exec produce.

Biggs will play Nick, a Wall Street maven who's killed in a Blackberry-related car accident. Since Hell's overcrowded, he's assigned to "Hell on Earth" -- a new life, devoid of all the trappings of his previous existence and in which Murphy's Law is always just around the corner. Biggs and Peter Kiernan will serve as producers.

On the feature front, Biggs just wrapped a pair of features: "The Pleasure of Your Company" with Isla Fisher and "How I Met My Boyfriend's Dead Fiancee" with Eva Longoria and Paul Rudd.

Casting -- It's a big day for "American Pie" alums at CBS: Chris Klein has joined "The Captain." He'll play Marty, the best friend of the show's main character (Fran Karnz). Also new to the cast: Al Madrigal ("The Ortegas"), who'll play Jesus.

Klein was seen last year in "American Dreamz." Upcoming credits include the indie pic "The Good Life."

CW
Casting -- Penn Badgley ("John Tucker Must Die") has joined "Gossip Girl."