PREMIERE

CHRISTIAN SLATER STARS IN "THE FORGOTTEN," JERRY BRUCKHEIMER'S FIRST SERIES FOR ABC, PREMIERING TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22

In the United States, the remains of over 40,000 people have yet to be identified. When police investigations reach a dead end, civilian volunteers across the country work to name -- the forgotten. From executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer, "the forgotten" is a drama series in which a team of dedicated amateurs � The Forgotten Network -- work on murder cases involving unidentified victims. After the police have exhausted all leads, a group of volunteers led by Alex Donovan (Christian Slater), must first solve the puzzle of the victim's identity in order to then help catch the killer. These are citizen volunteers solving extraordinary crimes. Their persistence and compassion for the cases put them on a personal and emotional journey that focuses on giving names back to the deceased. The series premiere of "the forgotten" airs TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on ABC.

In the premiere episode, "Pilot," viewers are introduced to Alex and the rest of The Forgotten Network -- Candace Butler (Michelle Borth), a confident, headstrong young woman who avoids the crushing boredom of her mundane job by helping to identify victims; Lindsey Drake (Heather Stephens), a resilient high school science teacher who volunteers as a form of penance for a crime committed by her husband; Walter Bailey (Bob Stephenson), a well-intentioned phone company employee and true-crime enthusiast whose zealousness can sometimes complicate investigations; Tyler Davies (Anthony Carrigan), a street smart medical school dropout and aspiring artist who is court-ordered to join the Network to satisfy his community service; and Grace Russell (Rochelle Aytes), a resourceful homicide detective with the Chicago Police, who is Alex's former prot�g�e and now his main link to the department � as they try to solve the case of "Highway Jane," a young woman murdered and left in the woods.

Starring in "the forgotten" are Christian Slater as Alex Donovan, Michelle Borth as Candace Butler, Heather Stephens as Lindsey Drake, Bob Stephenson as Walter Bailey, Anthony Carrigan as Tyler Davies and Rochelle Aytes as Grace Russell.

Cast bios and photography are available at www.abcmedianet.com on "the forgotten" show page under the Primetime section.

Guest starring in "Pilot" are Rebeka Brandes as Tracey Benedict, Devon Gummersall as Clay Thornton, John Charles Meyer as Quint, Lily Rains as Monica, Deirdre Lovejoy as Zoe Jenks. "Pilot" is written by Mark Friedman and directed by Danny Cannon.

The series is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Warner Bros. Television. Mark Friedman is creator/executive producer. Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, Lukas Reiter and Danny Cannon are executive producers."The forgotten" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound and Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning. A TV Parental guideline will be assigned closer to airdate. For more information on "the forgotten," please visit ABC.com