Pilot scoop: ‘Private Practice’s’ Kate Walsh, ‘Arrow’s’ Kelly Hu, and James Spader

When we saw Kate Walsh announce her decision to leave “Private Practice,” even before the decision was made that this would be the final year for the show, we had assumed that the actress was probably going to take some significant time off to try and relax and recover. Well, this just goes to show you that first impressions are not always on the money.

According to Deadline, NBC is considering picking up a late pilot entitled “Bad Judge,” based on an idea in part from Anne Heche focusing on a judge who plays loose with the law and has a complicated personal life to go along with it. Walsh is being heavily courtesy for the part, and we are hearing that the show’s chances at the moment hang in the balance based on whether or not they can get Walsh to come on board. While this is hardly much of a break from the end of “Private Practice,” it would at least be a chance for her to do something very different beyond just playing the character of Addison.

In other pilot news, former “Boston Legal” star James Spade (most recently of “The Office”) has signed on to play the leading role in “The Blacklist,” which focuses on the world’s most-wanted criminal who suddenly turns himself in, and starts to offer up a surprising amount of information about a number of other top criminals.

Finally, we’re hearing that “Arrow” guest Kelly Hu is joining the ranks of other actors who have appeared on the show this season (see Jessica De Gouw and Seth Gabel) to secure pilot orders elsewhere. Hu is joining “The 100,” a CW series about juvenile delinquents hoping to re-popular the earth after a nuclear disaster.

Do you think any of these pilots are particularly promising? If you want to check out some more pilot scoop, you can do so by heading on over to the link here.

Photo: ABC