USA Network has given a series pickup to its newest original action comedy, To Love & Die (working title), starring Shiri Appleby (Six Degrees, Roswell), Frances Fisher (Titanic, Laws of Attraction) and Tim Matheson (The West WingAnimal House). The series also stars Kristin Dattilo (Courting Alex) and Christine Adams (Home Again). Sara Goodman is the creator and executive producer along with Carla Kettner and JoAnn Alfano as executive producers and Andrew Singer as producer. The project is from Lorne Michaels Broadway Video Television in association with Universal Media Studios. The series is slated to launch in 2008 with 12 episodes. The announcement was made by Jeff Wachtel, USA's executive vice president, original programming.

"To Love & Die has a high-concept character with a light tone and a slightly twisted soul at its core, which fits our brand perfectly," said Wachtel.

To Love & Die centers on Hildy (Appleby), a sassy young woman with intimacy issues who is convinced that her dating problems will be resolved if she can track down the father (Matheson) she never knew. When she finds him and discovers that he's a contract killer, she realizes she has a real knack for her father's line of work. Hildy's intrusive and overbearing mother (Fisher) is a refined, meddlesome woman who is on her seventh husband and who constantly inserts herself into her daughter's messy love life. Hildy often seeks advice from her older sister, Nancy (Dattilo), who, unlike herself, has played it safe in life, opting for a quiet suburban home, two kids and a nice, boring husband. Then there is Eddie (Adams), a key member of Matheson's contracting organization -- a bi-sexual technical genius whose skill in creating advanced weapons and high-tech gadgets often comes in handy when planning and executing her boss's latest hit. Ivan Sergei co-stars in the pilot as Hildy's father's protege, who meets his match when he meets the boss's daughter.