Kevin Bacon (R.I.P.D., Stir of Echoes) is headed to primetime. In a big casting coup, Deadline reports that the feature actor is set to topline Kevin Williamson’s Fox drama pilot. This marks the first major series role for Bacon who had been heavily pursued by broadcast and cable networks for years.

They hear that Bacon has committed to doing 15 episodes a season vs. the standard 22 for a broadcast series. That lightens the load on the actor who can continue to do multiple features a year and spend time with his family. It also plays into Fox’s strategy of exploring new ways for airing shows, something Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly talked about at TCA last month. The high quality of many cable drama series is being attributed in part to shorter seasons that allows for tighter, more impactful storytelling.

The untitled Kevin Williamson project, from Warner Bros TV and Williamson’s studio-based Outerbanks Entertainment, is described as “an edge-of-the-seat thriller about a diabolical serial killer who uses technology to create a cult of serial killers, and a retired FBI profiler (Bacon) who finds himself in the middle of it.”

Marcos Siega recently signed on to direct the pilot, written and executive produced by Williamson, creator of “Dawson’s Creek,” the hit Scream horror movie franchise and co-creator/executive producer of the CW’s “Vampire Diaries” and “Secret Circle.”