How the mighty have fallen: NBC has passed on pilots from two formerly powerful television creators, David E. Kelly and Dick Wolf, reports Variety.

Kelly, the brains behind such shows as L.A. Law, Ally McBeal and Boston Legal, was expected to return to the airwaves with his new show, Legally Mad, about a father and daughter legal team and the quirky people they work with. However, NBC officially passed on the show earlier this week, though they're still on the hook to pay Kelly a multimillion-dollar penalty fee as part of the scribe's initial contract. So why NBC's change of heart? It may have to do with the fact that the network's viewers have demonstrated a decreased interest in law-themed shows, as evidenced by the unimpressive ratings of Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

Speaking of which, NBC also turned down L&O creator Dick Wolf's new show, Lost and Found, a crime procedural starring Battlestar Galactica's Katee Sackhoff. There's a chance USA, NBC's sister network, could pick it up instead – the cable network also picked up Wolf's Criminal Intent when NBC lost interest – but so far, it seems like a long shot.

NBC has until next week to make up its mind as to which comedies to pick up for next season, but Courtney Cox's Cougar Town is rumoured to have a good chance.

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