Shiri Appleby will play a woman who's confronted by her long-lost teenaged daughter

Shiri Appleby, who hasn't had any longterm success on TV lately, hopes that returning to her old stomping grounds will work.

The former "Roswell" star and actors Kristoffer Polaha and Kerr Smith have signed on to star in The CW's hourlong pilot "Light Years," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Appleby will play a morning radio host, Cate Campbell, who has been tracked down by her long-lost child Lux (Brittany Robertson), a foster kid who decides on her 16th birthday to track down her biological parents. She finds Appleby and bar owner Nick "Baze" Basile (Polaha), who haven't spoken to each other since that fateful one-night stand in high school.

Adding to the mix is Campbell's boyfriend Ryan (Smith), who is her co-host on the show.

Liz Tigelaar, who has written for "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Brothers & Sisters," penned the pilot, which Gary Fleder will direct.

Appleby was best known as the waitress Liz, who fell for alien Max on "Roswell" on The WB, the predecessor of The CW. She most recently appeared in USA's "To Love & Die," the short-lived "Six Degrees," and on the big screen in "Charlie Wilson's War."

Smith is another WB alum from "Dawson's Creek" and has appeared on "Eli Stone." Polaha has more recent, yet short-lived CW credits, having appeared on the MRC-produced Sunday night drama "Valentine."