ABC projects also add Morris Chestnut, Jane Lynch

Former "Joan of Arcadia" star Amber Tamblyn is joining the ranks of "The Unusuals" at ABC.

The actress has taken the female lead in ABC's drama pilot, about the oddball characters at a New York police precinct. If it's picked up, it would mark her first series since "Joan" left CBS in 2005.

Also at ABC, Jane Lynch and Kathleen Rose Perkins have joined the comedy "Never Better," and Morris Chestnut has signed on to "The Prince of Motor City," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In "The Unusuals," Tamblyn will play Detective Casey Shraeger, a young cop who's the black sheep of a wealthy family. She's joining a cast that also includes Harold Perrineau ("Lost") and Adam Goldberg ("Entourage").

Tamblyn's movie credits include "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and its upcoming sequel, "The Grudge 2" and the forthcoming "Spring Breakdown." She also starred in the CBS film "The Russell Girl" earlier this year.

"Never Better" stars Damon Wayans as a recovering alcoholic who's trying to do right by his family. Lynch ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Two and a Half Men") will play Wayans' AA sponsor, and Perkins (TNT's upcoming "Truth in Advertising") will play another member of the group.

Chestnut, meanwhile, has joined the "Hamlet"-inspired "Prince of Motor City," which centers on a professor (Warren Christie) who inherits the family's car company after his father dies mysteriously. Chestnut ("The Game Plan," "The Perfect Holiday") will play the current beau of Christie's ex-girlfriend, played by Piper Perabo.