Casting update: Freddie Prinze Jr., William Petersen, 'Vampire Diaries' star Matt Davis bag new TV roles

Several new pilot castings were announced today, with the unlikely duo of '90s golden boy Freddie Prinze Jr. and "Growing Pains" mom Joanna Kerns joining a new comedy from "Community" writer Hilary Winston, former "CSI" star William Petersen set to play a hitman in a new drama that he'll also be executive-producing, and "Vampire Diaries" regular Matt Davis toplining the new CW mystery-drama "Cult".

- Former "24" regular Freddie Prinze Jr. is taking another stab at television with a new untitled NBC comedy from "Community" scribe Hilary Winston, according to TVLine. The show will focus on a woman named Agnes (Sarah Wright) who plots revenge on the ex-fiance who dumped her (Prinze) with the help of her female co-workers (played by Mena Suvari, Aubrey Dollar and Kyle Howard). Former "Growing Pains" mom Joanna Kerns was also announced as a cast addition today; she will play Agnes' mother.

Prinze previously had his own sitcom on ABC, the short-lived "Freddie". That show was cancelled after one season.

- William Petersen, who had a whopping nine-year run on the CBS procedural "CSI", is attached to star in and executive-produce a new drama series entitled "Hurt People" for production company GK-tv (the TV arm of Graham King's GK Films). Petersen will play Hollis Brown, a veteran hitman who is hired by the crime family responsible for his wife's murder. The job? Track down his estranged daughter - who is hell-bent on avenging her mother's death - and kill her. Wow.

Though the project isn't yet set up at a network, scoop-getter Deadline reports that due to the dark subject matter Petersen and company are looking at cable as well as new original-content players like Netflix as possible homes for the series. This would be Petersen's first regular-series role on television since leaving the hit CBS crime procedural in the middle of its ninth season.

- "Vampire Diaries" regular Matt Davis will be heading up CW's new mystery-drama pilot "Cult", opposite the previously-cast Jessica Lucas ("Melrose Place"). Davis will star as Jeff, a journalist who teams up with young TV production assistant Skye (Lucas) to investigate a string of recent disappearances (and a possible murder) that may or may not be re-creations of the crimes featured on the television series she works on.

According to Deadline, which broke the story, Davis will still be made available to guest-star on "Vampire Diaries" - in which he currently plays high school teacher/vampire hunter Alaric Saltzman - though he'll no longer be a series regular.

Do you have thoughts on any of the above casting announcements? Sound off in the comments!