Now, I know that my interest in anything involving Noah Wyle should be covered in caution–as the man is responsible for a significant period of TV depression in my life following his premature exit from ER and the Carter/Abby relationship–but, by, God, you had me at alien invasion.

I didn’t know until this morning that they’ve actually already shot the pilot; it hasn’t officially been picked up by TNT, the network it was made for, but considering the talent running the show (haha, not Noah, but Mr. Spielberg), it’ll get on the schedule.  I’m not great at cable speculation, but I’d imagine it’s ripe for a spot on the summer calendar.

Plot details are still hard to come by, but we can deduce a couple of things from the pilot’s cast, which can be viewed here.

It seems a little bit like The Road meets V.  Noah (yeah, we’re on a first-name basis; the man did break my heart) plays Tom, a leader of a group trying to defeat evil aliens six months after they’ve taken over the planet and decimated the human race.  From the cast list, it looks like he’s joined by his two sons–one high-school age (Hal)  and one who’s about eight (Matt).  (It’s possible that Hal is his younger brother.)  The whole cast seems pretty heavy on males, with only one female actress confirmed for the pilot–Jessy Schram, a pretty blonde girl who I imagine will end up being a love interest for Hal.

As for a love interest for Noah’s character, well, that’s yet to be determined.  (Probably just waiting for Maura Tierney to get better and then they’ll bring her on.)

Hopefully more information about the plot will start to come out soon.

And finally, here’s a photo from behind the scenes of the pilot:

wilderness gap chic // imdb.com

Ummmm … yes, please?

• The show is based on a series of mystery novels.
• It centers on the unlikely partnership between a medical examiner and a cop.
• The showrunner, Janet Tamaro, used to write for Bones.

At first glance, it sounds like the case of somebody who saw a successful format and ran with it.  But here’s what you might not know.  The main characters are both female, for one, which is interesting.  Unlike blatant Bones rip-off Castle, this show doesn’t seem from the get-go to be pushing sexual tension, although I’ve never even heard of the books, so who knows?

Also, Janet Tamaro didn’t just write for Bones, she wrote “Aliens in a Spaceship,” y’all, the episode that introduces the Gravedigger.  The LiveJournal community 206_bones has done a fan survey on favorite episodes every year for the the last three years, and that’s been named the favorite three times in a row.  ”Aliens in a Spaceship” is to Bones fans what 30 Rock is to Emmy voters.  (She also wrote “The Man in the Mud,” which I also love because of my inappropriate feelings for Lance Sweets.)

Oh, and while we’re at it, she also wrote the Lost episode “Do No Harm,” the Jack-centric episode where Boone dies and Kate delivers Aaron in the jungle.

I’m kind of just excited that this woman could get her own show.