Network orders pilot from Dick Wolf

"Law & Order" boss Dick Wolf will switch coasts, but not networks, for his next project.

NBC has ordered a pilot from Wolf's company called "Lost and Found," about a female Los Angeles detective who clashes with her superiors and is banished to work cases with anonymous victims. Chris Levinson, a veteran of Wolf's "Law & Order" brand, is writing the pilot, the showbiz trade papers report.

The show itself is something of a lost-and-found project. Levinson initially wrote the script in 2007, but the network passed on it. A year and a half and a management change later, NBC decided to give "Lost and Found" the green light, contingent on casting.

Levinson says the show will distinguish itself from other crime shows by featuring a healthy dose of dark humor and by the lead character's distinct lack of resources: She works out of a basement office with little support from the department.

Wolf will executive produce the pilot with Levinson, the daughter of "Columbo" creator Richard Levinson. Nena Rodrigue and Peter Jankowski of Wolf Films will also be exec producers.

In addition to writing episodes of "Law & Order" and "Law & Order: SVU," Levinson has worked on "Tru Calling," "Dawson's Creek" and "Charmed."