Premium cable network seeks an actress for the lead role

Showtime has ordered a pilot for "The United States of Tara," a multiple personality syndrome comedy from DreamWorks Television.

The single-camera, half-hour comedy will be written and produced by Diablo Cody, screenwriter of the upcoming feature "Juno."

The show's main character is Tara, a suburban wife and mother with a twist -- she's also got a variety of bizarre alternate personalities, including an aggressive male biker and a promiscuous teenager girl.

"Eve since I heard this idea -- 'Weeds' meets 'Sybil' -- I thought it was a perfect fit for Showtime, since our hallmark is series with flawed main characters," says Robert Greenblatt, Showtime's entertainment president. "We look forward to finding an extraordinary actress who wants to step into this tour-de-force role."

The plan is shoot the "Tara" pilot this far, with DreamWorks TV bigwigs Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank producing. DreamWorks principal Steven Spielberg has taken enough interest in the pilot to provide a statement for the Showtime press release.

"I have long admired the programming creativity of Bob Greenblatt and Showtime, so I am enormously pleased that we will be doing this show for them," Spielberg says. "They have brought bold new concepts and shows to television and their audiences have responded. We hope that our comedy can add to their success, and all of us here at DreamWorks look forward to this new association."

DreamWorks Television's most recent contribution to the landscape is the FOX summer reality disappointment "On the Lot." The company is at work on a miniseries version of Stephen King and Peter Straub's "The Talisman."