DON CHEADLE SETS UP SHOP AT NBC: Network signs first look deal with actor's production company.

       Crescendo already has a handful of projects set up at NBC, as well as several more at ABC, TNT and FX. Among them, an ABC adaptation of the feature "The Star Chamber," from writer Zack Estrin ("Prison Break"), as well as a Boston-set cop drama from John Hlavin ("The Shield") at NBC.       

       "We take it seriously," Cheadle said of his new TV venture. "I've found there are ways to execute stories in all these mediums. It just has to be something that tickles your fancy."       

       Cheadle said his decision to enter the TV game came out of a conversation he had with former NBC Entertainment/Universal Media Studios co-chair Ben Silverman at a party.       

       "We came in as a company and met and talked, and I realized that there was maybe something here," Cheadle said. "(After that), there were a lot of incoming calls with people trying to get into business with us."       

       Silverman is long gone, but Cheadle and Liberman said they have been working just as closely with NBC entertainment chief Angela Bromstad and her team.       

       "Don's a gifted actor who also is an incredibly smart producer," said Hlavin, who's behind Crescendo's "Boston P.D." at NBC. Hlavin's project will center on a homicide detective who discovers he shares a surprising connection to his new partner.

       Estrin's "The Star Chamber," meanwhile, is set up at ABC through 20th Century Fox TV.  The suspense drama centers on a judge who goes after dangerous criminals who are set free by a flawed judicial system. The original "Star Chamber," released in 1983, starred Michael Douglas, Hal Holbrook and Yaphet Kotto.  Cheadle singled out "The Star Chamber" as one of his passion projects.       

       Crescendo's hourlong drama "Gemini," also at NBC, revolves around an operative inside a little-known government agency that investigates crimes; the lead character finds himself balancing two lives, including a deep secret.       

       TNT is close to signing on to develop Crescendo's "RX," a medical drama from executive producer Brett King.  The project centers on a young doctor who establishes a clinic in downtown Los Angeles. Lionsgate is in talks to produce.       

       Previously reported Crescendo projects include "March to Madness," a drama from scribe Joel Silverman and executive producers Pete Segal, Michael Ewing and Dave Miller. Set up at FX, "Madness" chronicles the glory and the seedy side of college basketball.       

       Among the comedies in the works at Crescendo is "It's All Love," from "The Boondocks" creator Aaron McGruder.       

       Crescendo is also still shopping new projects to networks, including the action drama "Ripple," from new writer Cory Marciel. The project follows Jericho, an operative who is dispatched by researchers to prevent murders that have already happened.       

       Cheadle said it's too soon to tell whether he'll appear in or direct any of the small screen projects -- but added that schedule permitting, he'd be game.       

       "I'm not looking to leave features, but I never say never to good work," said Cheadle, who noted that he appeared in a multiepisode arc on "ER." "As my schedule allows, especially if it's something really banging, absolutely (I'd do TV)."