The British are coming — to U.S. prime time

updated 3:34 p.m. ET Aug. 13, 2007

LONDON - A bevy of British actors, most sporting American accents, are being yanked across the pond and into U.S. prime time this fall.

"Everybody's going!" exclaims Sophia Myles as she waited, bags packed, for her work visa to arrive.

The British beauty's movie credits include Isolde in the historical romance "Tristan & Isolde" and the upcoming sci-fi action film "Outlander." But now she's reporter Beth Turner in "Moonlight," the vampire-themed crime series premiering on CBS Sept. 28.

Kevin McKidd wasn't "going to do it" when first offered the role of time-traveling American journalist Dan Vassar in "Journeyman," debuting on NBC Sept. 24. But Liam Neeson, with whom he worked on the movie "Kingdom of Heaven," took him aside and suggested he "rethink."

He did, and now the Scottish actor, familiar to HBO viewers as Lucius Vorenus in the historical drama "Rome," has moved his family to Los Angeles. "Luckily I have a brave wife who knows the game. It's a gamble, but then this life always is," he says.

"It's a big commitment to say ‘Yes' to something that could be for potentially five years," says Damian Lewis, whose TV credits include HBO's "Band of Brothers."

But the Londoner has made that commitment, signing on as Charlie Crews, an L.A. cop freed after years of wrongful imprisonment in the NBC series "Life," debuting Sept. 26.

New 'Bionic Woman' is British
Also premiering that night is NBC's remake of the sci-fi series "Bionic Woman," starring British actress Michelle Ryan. She's little known in the U.S. but famous at home after appearing in more than 300 episodes of the popular BBC soap "EastEnders."

Lancashire-born Anna Friel plays Charlotte "Chuck" Charles in ABC's raising-the-dead crime series "Pushing Daisies," premiering Oct. 3.

Alan Zenuk / AP "Bionic Woman" star Michelle Ryan is little known in the U.S. but famous in Britain after appearing in more than 300 episodes of the popular BBC soap "EastEnders."

Zuleikha Robinson, born and schooled in England, is New York police detective Eva Marquez in "New Amsterdam," Fox's midseason crime series with an immortal theme.

Lena Headey, born in Bermuda but raised in Yorkshire, is the title star of ABC's midseason series "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," the further exploits of the heroine in "The Terminator" film franchise.

Also planned for midseason is CBS' free-love drama "Swingtown," in which Jack Davenport (Commodore James Norrington in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies) plays one of the husbands, Bruce Miller.

"They don't really care where you are from as long as you do the job," says Julian Ovenden, who after working in England in popular series like "Foyle's War," took on the challenge of coming to America a few years ago to audition during Hollywood's frenzied pilot season.

He found it "tough," but eventually landed on the short-lived WB series "Related." Now he's smoothing his American accent to play love-interest Eric Burden in ABC's sexy career-girl series "Cashmere Mafia," premiering Nov. 27.

Ed Westwick, 20, came to Los Angeles earlier this year for "my first crack at pilot season." Now he's Chuck, one of the teenagers in the prep-school drama "Gossip Girl," premiering Sept. 19 on the CW, which is always eager for fresh young talent.

Teenage musician Calvin Goldspink was picked for the CW's "Life Is Wild," premiering Oct 7. But he won't need a dialogue coach, as he's playing a Brit named Oliver in the youth-oriented family drama.

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