Canadian actor Tricia Helfer will play the lead in the TNT drama pilot Scent of the Missing.

Helfer, best known for her star turn in Battlestar Galactica, will play a canine search and rescue volunteer who assists police departments with her partner, a golden retriever.

Scent of the Missing, from CBS Television Studios and CSI showrunner Carol Mendelsohn, will also star Gerald McRaney (Jericho, Deadwood) as the father of Helfer’s lead character.

The drama pilot comes from CBS TV Studios, with Melissa R. Byer and Treena Hancock serving as writers and executive producers.

Helfer has recently had a recurring role in Global Television/NBC’s The Firm, which shoots in Toronto.

And she had the lead in an earlier pilot, The Dealership, for Verite Films and then Canwest Broadcasting.

Photo: TriciaHelfer.com