'Voyager,' 'Smallville' vet Biller takes spot

Two weeks shy of its premiere on ABC, the new drama "Six Degrees" has named a new executive producer and showrunner.

Ken Biller, who's worked as a writer and producer on "Smallville" and "Dark Angel," among other shows, is joining the rookie series as an executive producer. He'll also take over the day-to-day running of the show, which has had some trouble getting off the ground this summer.

He replaces "ER" and "The West Wing" veteran Carol Flint, who is leaving the show. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the frequent back-and-forth between New York, where "Six Degrees" films, and Los Angeles, where Flint lives, was a prime reason for her departure.

"Six Degrees," which premieres Thursday, Sept. 21, follows the lives of six New Yorkers (Erika Christensen, Hope Davis, Campbell Scott, Jay Hernandez, Bridget Moynahan and Dorian Missick) whose lives are intertwined, even though they don't know one another as the show opens.

The series has proceeded in fits and starts since it was picked up in May. ABC had expressed some concern about early scripts, and late last month asked "Grey's Anatomy" exec producer Peter Horton to spend some time in New York consulting on the show. ("Six Degrees" will follow "Grey's" on Thursday nights this fall, and both shows are produced by ABC sibling Touchstone TV.)

In addition to Flint, co-executive producer and director Jace Alexander has also left the show in recent weeks.

Biller, an executive producer on NBC's "E-Ring" last season, has also worked on "North Shore" and "Star Trek: Voyager." He'll serve as an exec producer of "Six Degrees" alongside creators Stu Zicherman and Raven Metzner. J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk, whose Bad Robot produces the series, are also exec producers.