Nellie Andreeva

Shrine AuditoriumEXCLUSIVE: I hear Sarah Chalke is in talks to co-star in the CBS comedy Mad Love, which is close to a 13-episode midseason order at the network. She would replace Minka Kelly who was originally cast in the role. The project would reunite the Scrubs alumna with former Scrubs writer-producer Matt Tarses who created Mad Love and is executive producing it with Jamie Tarses.

Mad Love is an ensemble comedy about four friends in New York – Henry (Jason Biggs), Kate (Chalke), Larry (Tyler Labine) and Connie – who are looking for love. Connie was played in the pilot by Lizzy Caplan as a guest star and that role is now being recast as Caplan couldn’t commit to the series.

This is the second round of recastings on Mad Love, which replaced Dan Fogler with Labine and Ashley Austin Morris with Caplan just before the pilot was shot. Chalke’s character Kate is described as a pretty, clean-scrubbed Midwestern who is a sweet but strong-willed romantic. She falls in love with Henry at the top of the Empire State Building and often tackles her cousin and best friend, Connie, to the ground in order to get her way.

Mad Love, produced by Sony TV and CBS Studios, is expected to be joined by the 20th TV-produced midseason drama Chaos, whose pickup deal at CBS is said to be nearing completion. Shalke was in demand and did two pilots this year, ABC’s Freshmen and CBS’ Team Spitz, which also was produced by Sony.

TV Editor Nellie Andreeva - tip her here.