ABC has ordered a new drama pilot focusing on the fictional exploits of author Edgar Allan Poe.

Poe will portray the Pit and the Pendulum writer as a detective employing unusual methods to solve crimes in 1840s Boston, according to TV Guide.

Alias scribe Chris Hollier has written the pilot episode and will also executive produce alongside Dan Lin.

The network has also commissioned another period drama piece set in the early 1960s. Pan Am is described as a "sexy soap" and will focus on the glamourous world of pilots and stewardesses during the 'Jet Age'.

The West Wing's Tommy Schlamme will direct the pilot and will also executive produce alongside Nancy Hult Ganis and Jack Orman. Orman, whose previous credits include JAG and ER, has also written the Pan Am pilot.

Both projects are in development for next season.