ABC Passes on "Jessica"

Pop vixen Jessica Simpson will not be joining the ABC lineup this fall, as the network opted not to pick up the pop stars sitcom, tentatively titled "Jessica."

In the comedy, Simpson would have starred as Jessica Sampson, a pop star who stumbles into a career in interviewing for a television news magazine. The network reportedly hoped the sitcom would be the anchor of its fall schedule, but instead passed on the show after viewing the pilot. An anonymous executive at ABC told reporters that Simpson's performance was not an issue, but the pilot was poorly executed, and there were problems with the supporting cast. "She [Simpson] was actually the best thing on it," the executive told The New York Times.

The executive cited the shows failure to incorporate Simpson's other talents, such as singing, into the show as another reason for its failure. The deal was not a total loss, as the network offered Simpson a series of eight musical specials over the next two years. Simpson, 23, is no stranger to TV stardom. She and husband Nick Lachey had an unlikely hit with their MTV reality show "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica," which documents the trials and tribulations of the couple's new marriage.