Sarah Jones has landed the lead role in J.J. Abrams’ pilot for “Alcatraz” on Fox, about a group of missing Alcatraz prisoners who disappeared 30 years ago and reappear in the present day. Previously, Jones played the evil yet totally hot Polly Zobelle in “Sons of Anarchy’s” epic Season 2, and she also appeared on Fox’s “Lone Star” (inset), which you obviously didn’t watch.

Anyway, back to “Alcatraz”:

[The show] chronicles the efforts of a team of FBI agents to track [the prisoners] down and unravel the mystery behind their disappearance thirty years prior. Jones  will play Rebecca Madsen, a smart, thoughtful and a little obsessive police officer. She joins Lost alum Jorge Garcia who was the first actor cast in the pilot. [Deadline]

Hmmmm… mysterious and far-fetched with elements of science fiction? Yup, sounds like a J.J. Abrams show. I’m sure Garcia will play a fat guy who hasn’t eaten for 30 years but somehow hasn’t lost weight.

As much as I like to poke fun at “Lost,” I’ll never deny that Terry O’Quinn and Michael Emerson were absolutely terrific as John Locke and Benjamin Linus on the ABC hit. And it looks like we may see them together on television again in a new show.

Back in February, O’Quinn spoke about his desire to star in a show with Emerson in which the two play “suburban hit men juggling family issues.” Well, he was serious, and now J.J. Abrams is pitching the show to networks.

As always with all things Abrams, details are sketchy, but insiders said the potential show — which we’ve heard carries the working title Odd Jobs — would have a dose of humor. It’s not clear whether [frequent Abrams collaborators Josh] Appelbaum and [Andre] Nemec will include any elements of an idea floated by O’Quinn last winter that had the two former Lost-mates serving as suburban hit men. [Vulture]

As more than one commenter noted the first time this story surfaced, this sounds like a good show… but it would sound like a BETTER show if they found a role for the Smoke Monster. But it’s hard out there for sentient particulate clouds in Hollywood, you know? You’re always getting typecast as the vengeful black cloud. It’s like, why even bother going to Juilliard? It played King Lear off Broadway, you know.

UPDATE: Now with new and improved banner image.

This is just industry gossip about preliminary talks, but there’s word that ABC has got a great idea to keep from losing “Lost” fans. Kristin dos Santos from E Online writes:

A reliable insider at ABC tells me that there is talk of the network doing a “reboot” of one of the greatest TV series of all time, J.J. Abrams’ Alias.

Okay, stop right there. In no way, shape, or form is “Alias” one of greatest TV series of all time. It was a sexy chick in different wigs. And while I applaud that idea, anyone who puts it on a list with “The Wire” or “The Shield” or “Six Feet Under” or — hell, even “Lost” — has probably taken a claw hammer to the skull. Or needs to take a claw hammer to the skull.

Again, it’s only very initial talk at this point, but I’m told that the development folks over at the Alphabet network are considering doing a new version of Alias that would borrow some elements of the original series that starred Jennifer Garner…

According to this source, ABC is hoping to hold onto its lost Lost audience with a re-envisioned J.J. Abrams series, in light of FlashForward not working out so well. (It was canceled last week.)

Um, “Alias” ended in 2006. Four years ago. It was on the air (five years) longer than it’s been off the air. But no, this is a great idea. Just f*cking remake everything. Isn’t it about time we got a “FlashForward” reboot?

J.J. Abrams is obviously a creative force in Hollywood right now. He created “Lost” and directed Star Trek, both of which are excellent. He’s responsible for “Fringe,” which isn’t really my style but a lot of people like it. And he produced The Blair Godzilla Project Cloverfield, for which he deserves to be punched in the genitals. All of these projects have appealed to more genre-savvy fans (read: geekwads), but Abrams is bucking that label by developing a medical comedy for Fox.

Fox has given a presentation order to a half-hour project from J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Prods. and Warner Bros. TV. Bad Robot is keeping mum on the details of the untitled show, which is described only as a “medical comedy.” Mike Markowitz ["Becker"] is penning the script and will exec produce along with Abrams and Bad Robot’s Bryan Burk. [Variety]

The medical drama field is crowded with stalwarts “Grey’s Anatomy” and “House” as well as “Private Practice” and newcomers “Trauma,” “Miami Trauma,” “Mercy,” “Three Rivers” and “Hawthorne.” But there is room for medical comedies, with ABC’s veteran “Scrubs” and Showtime’s freshman dramedy “Nurse Jackie” the only players. [THR]

I don’t know… I guess I should be hopeful that Abrams takes this tired-ass genre in a new direction. But I swear to God, if there’s a sassy nurse who knows better than the doctors I’m going to break J.J.’s stylish spectacle and ram ‘em up his ass. My suggestion: Matthew Fox reprises his role as Dr. Jack Shephard. It’s funny because he has a drinking problem!