The bidding war over David E. Kelley's next series project turned out be short and rather decisive.

NBC has won the rights to the "Ally McBeal" and "Boston Legal" creator's new show by giving a series commitment to the project, the showbiz trade papers say. It will be his first scripted collaboration with the network since his time as a writer and producer on "L.A. Law" in the late 1980s and early '90s.

The new show will revolve around a father and daughter who are both attorneys. Like several of Kelley's other series, it's expected to mix comedy and drama.

Word of Kelley's script -- the first he produced under the deal he signed with Warner Bros. TV earlier this year -- making the network rounds surfaced last week. CBS and NBC were both interested in the show, but NBC's series order won out.

Kelley was an executive producer of NBC's unscripted series "The Law Firm" in the summer of 2005, but he hasn't worked on a scripted show for the network since departing "L.A. Law." He's currently overseeing the final episodes of "Boston Legal" on ABC, which will end its five-season run later this fall.

The series order comes as NBC faces the end of "ER" this season. The bench isn't looking especially deep at the moment either. The network's two new dramas this fall, "Knight Rider" and "My Own Worst Enemy," have pulled only mediocre ratings so far, with a third, "Crusoe," set to debut Friday. Several other dramas, including "Kings" and "The Philanthropist," are slated for midseason.