Paul Brittain has already exited Saturday Night Live for other pursuits and now it appears the late night sketch comedy show might lose another cast member. EW has learned that Abby Elliott (who, in case you didn’t know, is the daughter of SNL alum and recurring How I Met Your Mother guest star Chris Elliott) is nearing a deal to lead a new Fox comedy pilot called Ben Fox is My Manny (which I think combines the words “man” and “nanny”) and it just might have her leaving SNL. The series, from Couples Retreat writer Dana Fox, follows an uptight single mother (Elliott) and her laid-back brother who move in together to raise a child. Hit the jump for more, including news on a new series for The West Wing alum Bradley Whitford.

Though Fox ultimately decided to pass on the series adaptation of the graphic novel Locke & Key, audiences will still get a chance to see the pilot. Deadline reports IDW Publishing, the company behind the book, is hosting a special screening of the pilot complete with a panel discussion featuring creators Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, the pilot’s writer/executive producer Josh Friedman and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. However, the audience won’t be all that huge since the screening has been set in Room 8 (with the panel following in Room 9) on July 22nd at 10:30am. So if you’re desperate to see the fallen pilot, this might be your only chance. Of course, if fan reaction is big enough, perhaps the network will reconsider. For those just joining us, details on the story are after the jump.

Jesse McCartney (Greek) has signed on to play what is effectively the male lead in the Fox drama pilot Locke & Key, based on the comic book by Joe Hill.  According to Deadline, McCartney will play Ty, one of the three children of Nina Locke (Miranda Otto) — Sarah Bolger and Skylar Gaertner play the other two.

The story begins shortly after the murder of husband and father Rendell Locke.  The family return to Keyhouse, Rendell’s old family home in Massachusetts, where they are haunted by an evil entity.  Ty retreats into his music as a way to cope with the death of his father, which ought to show off McCartney’s particular skill set as an actor/songwriter.  I was charmed by McCartney in his guest arc on Greek, so I’m happy to see him at the center of a series I have high hopes for.

Steven Spielberg, Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), and partners Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Fringe) are producing.  Mark Romanek (Never Let Me Go) will direct the pilot.

We knew that the screenwriting team of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci is spearheading an adaptation of the comic book series Locke & Key, written by Joe Hill.  Thanks to Vulture, we have a couple new pieces of info.  First, Locke & Key will be a television series rather than a film, as initially reported.  The tale of “a spooky New England mansion filled with mystical doors that transport [three kids] to different worlds and give them special powers” is apparently more episodic in nature.

Secondly, Steven Spielberg is now involved under his DreamWorks TV banner.  Spielberg has teamed with the boys previously for the Transformers franchise (they script, he produces), and both parties currently have a show on the Fox network (he has Terra Nova, they have Fringe).  Meanwhile, Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) has joined the series as writer and producer — given the busy schedules of Kurtzman, Orci, and Spielberg, I imagine Friedman will assume showrunning duties if the show makes it to air. Locke & Key does not yet have a network, though Fox seems a likely home given that Spielberg, Kurtzman, Orci, and Friedman each have a flag planted there.

It was recently announced that the upcoming tenth season of Smallville will be its swan song, but show creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar won’t be anywhere near the small Kansas town at the time of the signoff.  The duo, who left the Superman series after season seven, will head over to ABC to assume scripting duties for the Charlie’s Angels reboot in development at the network.  Gough and Millar will replace Josh Friedman (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles), under whose guide the remake was targeting a Fall 2010 launch.  With Gough and Millar on board, Angels could descend upon ABC by midseason.  According to The Live Feed, Drew Barrymore, Leonard Goldberg and Nancy Juvonen are producing.

To get a taste of the original 1976 series, hit the jump.

After two blockbuster films and two prior attempts at a TV comeback, the classic 70s action show Charlie’s Angels could soon be returning to television on ABC with Sarah Connor Chronicles creator Josh Friedman giving orders through the speaker box.  The remake would be updated to the modern day and geared towards a new audience while still paying homage to the original.  Hit the jump for more details along with a timeline of how many attempts have been made to bring Kelly Garrett, Jill Munroe, and Sabrina Duncan back to the small screen.

As a science fiction nerd, I was onboard Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles at the word “Terminator”.  The show focuses on the bond between Sarah and her son John as they work together with the first cute Terminator, Cameron, to stave off Armageddon.  Were they successful?  Was it entertaining?  More after the jump.