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Bad Girls set to make a return in the USA

Move over "Oz," some "Bad Girls" are coming to HBO.

The pay cable channel and Alan Ball are developing an American version of the long-running British prison drama.

Nancy Oliver and Raelle Tucker are penning the adaptation, with Ball supervising the writing.

The three will executive produce with Eileen Gallagher, co-creator of the original series and CEO of Shed Prods., which produced "Bad Girls" for ITV.

The drama, which bowed out in 2006 after eight seasons, revolves around the staff and inmates of a women's prison.

Co-created by Gallagher, Maureen Chadwick and Ann McManus, "Bad Girls" has been praised for its portrayal of the complex relationships among female inmates. Its U.S. rights previously were held by FX.

Women's prisons as a setting and foreign formats are hot this year. Fox is developing a spinoff of "Prison Break" that would take place at a female prison. The broadcast networks recently added seven new scripted series based on international formats. HBO adapted the Israeli series "In Treatment" and is shooting a pilot based on the U.K.'s "Suburban Shootout."

"Bad Girls" is among the first pieces of development for HBO's new entertainment president Sue Naegle.

It extends Ball's longtime association with HBO, where he created the acclaimed drama "Six Feet Under" as well as the upcoming "True Blood."

It also continues Ball's relationship with Naegle, who was his longtime agent at UTA before she left the agency last month to go to HBO.

Ball, an Oscar winner for "American Beauty," recently made his feature directorial debut on "Towelhead," which he adapted from Alicia Erian's novel.

Oliver, nominated for an Oscar this year for "Lars and the Real Girl," is serving as a supervising producer on "True Blood" and is adapting the novel "Handyman" for Warner Bros. and Plan B.

Tucker is a co-producer on "True Blood."

"Bad Girls" was packaged by UTA.

Michelle Rodriguez is set to star in the series.