"Battlestar Galactica" cast members James Callis and Tricia Helfer are joining Ronald D. Moore's pilot "Precinct 17," according to Deadline.

Spearheaded by Sony Pictures Television, Inc., the pilot is an ensemble drama set in the town of Excelsior, where science takes a back seat to magic and the supernatural.

The show is a fusion of ideas relating to "Hill Street Blues," Harry Potter and HBO's 1991 flick "Cast a Deadly Spell."

Callis joins another "Battlestar Galactica" veteran on the series, Jamie Bamber. Both will play homicide detectives.

Helfer will a play Morgana, a necromancer specializing in spells, potions and herbs.

Also aboard the project is Stockard Channing ("The West Wing"). She stars as Mira, a former homicide detective assigned to the robbery division of the 17th Precinct.

"Precinct 17" was pitched to NBC in September by Moore, who served as executive producer on "Battlestar Galactica."