NBC has given a 13-episode straight-to-series order to a 1960s police drama starring David Duchovny as a cop who goes undercover to track mass murderer Charles Manson, reports Deadline.com.

The project, which comes after Duchovny’s Showtime series “Californication” ended, will reunite the actor with former Showtime chief Bob Greenblatt, the story notes. It marks a return to broadcast TV for Duchovny, who starred on the long-running Fox hit “The X-Files.”

Called “Aquarius,” the project is written by John McNamara, the creator of the Fox series “Profit.” It will be produced by ITV Studios America and Marty Adelstein Productions, marking the first collaboration between the two companies, the piece adds.

“The twists and turns of a complicated undercover operation will lead Duchovny’s character and his young partner to the brink of Manson’s crimes that eventually will lead to the Tate-LaBianca murders in subsequent seasons,” the story notes.

Said NBC Entertainment President Jennifer Salke: “Event series are a big priority for us, and the combination of a show that charts the lead-up to the Manson murders, along with a television star of the magnitude of David Duchovny, is the very definition of an event.”

Greenblatt, who also worked on “The X-Files” at Fox, said, “It gives me great pleasure to work with David Duchovny for the third time on this compelling drama.”

David Duchovny