TVSquad

If you're under the age of 30, you probably only know Leslie Nielsen as a comedic actor. It's understandable, as he's only done a small handful of dramatic roles since he was in Airplane! twenty-six (!) years ago. It seems like almost every role he's taken since then has been a variation on Det. Frank Drebin, the bumbling cop he played in Police Squad! and the Naked Gun movies. Sometimes that gets good results, sometimes it's God awful, as anyone who's seen the Scary Movie series can confirm.

So I don't know what to make of the news that Nielsen has signed on to the pilot Lipshitz Saves the World, an NBC comedy pilot written by Cars writer Dan Fogelman. He'll play the part of the man to help the 17-year-old outcast in the title become the savior that he is supposed to be. Fogleman wrote the part with Nielsen in mind, so it may be a part that gives Leslie a little more room to roam. Hopefully, at his advanced age -- he turned 80 this year -- he'll be able to read lines better than he was able to play game shows, because the poor guy looked a little lost when he was on Gameshow Marathon earlier this summer.