Shawn Ryan to take over Fox's 'Lie To Me' as show runner next fall (updated)

 Shawn Ryan, one of TV's most prominent producer-writers, will take over as the executive producer and show runner of Fox's "Lie To Me" next fall, according to Fox.

Ryan (pictured) currently serves as show runner of "The Unit," which has not yet been renewed for a fifth season by CBS and is waiting on the bubble with 17 other series across the prime-time dial.

The news that Ryan, who has a deal with 20th Century Fox Television, which produces both series, will helm the Fox drama does not mean he would give up control of "The Unit" if CBS decides to pick it up, said a 20th Century Fox source.

There are other executive producers, such as Chuck Lorre and Jason Katims, who manage two shows simultaneously for CBS and NBC, respectively. Ryan himself ran both "The Shield" on FX and "The Unit" until last year when "The Shield" went off the air.

CBS will probably not announce its decision about "The Unit" until May 20, when it presents its new schedule to advertisers in New York City.

Ryan made a name for himself when he created "The Shield," a cop drama for FX, helping to brand that network as a go-to place for original programming.

--Maria Elena Fernandez

Photo: Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times