'Commander' gets new chief

LOS ANGELES — Geena Davis is still president, but there's a new commander behind the scenes of "Commander in Chief," ABC's hit freshman series.

Steven Bochco, of "NYPD Blue" and "Hill Street Blues" fame, is taking over production of the White House drama from its creator, Rod Lurie, Touchstone Television said over the weekend.

Lurie will remain as executive producer and has signed a two-year deal with Touchstone, a division of ABC's parent company Disney, to develop and produce the series.

TV veteran Bochco was hired to help "Chief" run more smoothly and get episodes done on time, a television executive close to the series said.

Production had to stop at one point, because scripts were unfinished, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to maintain working relationships.

The series stars Davis as Mackenzie Allen, who moves to the Oval Office from the vice presidency after the president's death.