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Portia de Rossi, Sarah Paulson Join ABC Lineup in “Better Off Ted” and “Cupid”

Newlywed Portia de Rossi, 35, will be returning to prime time television early next year in Better Off Ted, one of five pilots picked up by ABC for its midseason lineup.

The satirical office comedy revolves around a successful but morally conscious man, Ted (played by Jay Harrington), who runs a research and development department at a morally questionable corporation, Veridian Technologies.

No achievement is too far fetched and no invention too unorthodox for Veridian. Need a suicidal turkey? Done. Need a metal that is hard as steel but bounces – and is edible? Done and done. Ted loves his seemingly perfect job; he loves his superhuman boss, Veronica, and colleagues Lem, Phil and Linda, but he’s starting to take a closer look at the company’s extremely questionable practices … especially when they try to cryogenically freeze one of Ted’s scientists for testing purposes.
De Rossi plays “superhuman boss” Veronica. The comedy also stars Andrea Anders, Jonathan Slavin, and Malcolm Barrett. ABC has yet to announce when the series will debut on its 2008-2009 schedule.

De Rossi, who married Ellen DeGeneres last week, made her first cinematic appearance in the movie Sirens (1994). But it was her role as icy lawyer Nelle Porter on Ally McBeal from 1998-2002 that catapulted her to fame. She went on to co-star in the low-rated but critically acclaimed Fox comedy Arrested Development from 2003-2006, and she most recently guest-starred as a lesbian on the FX drama Nip/Tuck.

Out actor Sarah Paulson, 33, will be joining ABC’s prime-time lineup early next year in Cupid. The remake of Rob Thomas’s 1998-1999 ABC series of the same name is about a man (played by Bobby Cannavale) who believes he’s the mythical god of love.

Here’s how the official press release describes the premise:

Cupid is a romantic dramedy about Trevor, a larger than life character who may or may not be the Roman god of love, Cupid, sent to earth to bring couples together. As fate would have it, Trevor is under the care of famous psychologist and self-help author Dr. Claire Allen, who is also dedicated to helping lonely hearts find their soul mates. While she agrees with his cause, she questions whether he’s crazy or really is Cupid.
Paulson, who most recently co-starred on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006-2007), plays Dr. Allen. As the series progresses, Claire and Trevor develop feelings for each other but can’t act on them: She doesn’t want to violate professional boundaries; he’s immortal and destined to leave Earth. Cupid also stars Rick Gomez and Camille Guaty. The premiere date has not yet been announced.

Paulson’s partner, Tony award-winning actress Cherry Jones (Doubt), can also be seen on prime-time television early next year, as President Allison Taylor on the seventh season of the popular Fox series 24 (which airs a special two-hour prequel on Nov. 23).

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