TVSquad

George Clooney learned a lot about television toiling away on The Facts of Life and E/R. The latter wasn't NBC medical drama that made him a star. I'm talking about the 1984 Elliott Gould sitcom on CBS that lasted a year, just 22 episodes.

But the point is this: he may be a major movie star today, but George knows and appreciates television. That could be why George Clooney's behind Delta Blues, a cop drama that TNT has just picked up.

I use the term drama loosely, because it's something goofier than a straight drama. The lead character is an Elvis Presley impersonator when he's not working for the Memphis Police Department. One more thing: Like Elvis, he honors his mother... and lives with her. Does that make him a mama's boy? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

The script for the pilot comes from a Cold Case writer, Liz Garcia, which suggests to me that music may be an important element. Cold Case loves to incorporate music, period or not, in the storytelling. With Elvis as a guiding light for the lead, could you imagine music not playing a part? Maybe "NYPD Blue Suede Shoes" or "It's Now or Never... You've Been Read Your Rights."

If this Delta Blues sounds familiar, apparently it was part of TNT's development projects during a May 2008 upfront. Then there were behind the scenes moving around involving Warners and Sony, so Delta sat on the shelf.

For TNT, this is the latest cop drama greenlit. The cable net picked up Rizzoli, based on a series of mystery novels, with Angie Harmon starring. So far there is no star attached to Delta Blues, and I don't think we can hope that Clooney's going to star in it -- too many movies still to make.