"This is the perfect birthday gift," Minear, who celebrated his birthday on Sunday, said of the series pickup. "It is a unique project, not straight down the line, and that's what frightened and excited people about it." -- The Hollywood Reporter

Fox has greenlit series production on "Drive," an hourlong actioner from creators/exec producers Tim Minear ("Angel") and Ben Queen.

Net has ordered 12 episodes on top of the already-filmed pilot. Goal is to get the 20th Century Fox TV-produced show on the air in time for a spring debut, possibly taking advantage of the net's "American Idol" lead-in.

You can read the entire story at Variety.com and The Hollywood Reporter.