Casting Couch: Woodard Comes in From the Cold
Alfre Woodard is getting into the spy biz.
The Emmy-winning actress has signed on to costar with Christian Slater in the new NBC series My Own Worst Enemy, a sort of small-screen version of James Cameron’s movie True Lies.
Per the Hollywood Reporter, Enemy revolves around an easygoing suburban dad (Slater) who, when not watching over his family, moonlights as a debonair secret agent.
Woodard, who was Emmy’d for her Desperate Housewives turn, will play his tough-as-nails boss at HQ, who also interacts with the spy in his everyday life via her cover identity.
Enemy, which also features Saffron Burrows, Mike O’Malley and Yara Martinez, will air Mondays at 10 p.m. on the Peacock net, starting this fall.
In other casting news, Saving Private Ryan’s Adam Goldberg is joining forces with up-and-comers Emily VanCamp and Dan Byrd for the indie coming-of-age tale Norman.
The drama will follow a wisecracking troubled teen (Byrd) who pretends he’s dying of cancer. Complications ensue as he deals with new high school love (VanCamp) and his teacher (Goldberg).
After a stint last season on HBO’s Entourage, Goldberg joined the upcoming indie horror flick From Within. He’ll then return to the tube opposite Lost’s Harrold Perrineau in the new ABC series The Unusuals.
Norman is now filming in Spokane, Wash.
Lost’s Perrineau joins The Unusuals
Just last week, Harold Perrineau was wondering why his character was killed off on Lost, wishing the producers hadn’t blown Michael up with the freighter. He wasn’t out of work for long. Harold Perrineau has just been cast on a new ABC comedy/drama called The Unusuals. The pilot, which could be a mid-season replacement on ABC, is an hour set in a New York City police precinct.
Harold will play Detective Leo Banks, an agitated cop who’s so afraid of being shot or attacked that he’s never without his Kevlar bullet-proof vest. (Does he wear it in the john?) Sounds potentially funny. The writer of The Unusuals is Bones’ Noah Hawley and the executive producer is Peter Tolan (Rescue Me, The Larry Sanders Show), so there will be an emphasis on humor. Maybe not full-out Barney Miller, but still funny.
By the way, if there are any doubters that Lost has definitely killed Harold’s character, listen to what writer Damon Lindelof said about Michael. “He sacrificed his own life to redeem himself for past mistakes and to help the Oceanic 6 get off the island.”
And if that wasn’t an obit, Harold himself has commented on his Lost exit, which he believes is final. “I’m disappointed, mostly because I wanted Michael and Walt to have a happy ending. I was hoping Michael would get it together and actually want to be a father to his kid and try to figure out a way to get back [home]. But this is [the producers’] story. If I were writing it, I would write it differently.”
Breaking! ABC Family Goes Greek
Hey kids, Korbi here, with some great news for Greek fans. A solid source tells me the brand-new ABC Family series has been picked up for the back 10, further solidifying its future on the net. Who else is excited?!
Back to…work: Kelsey Grammer lands new sitcom
It didn’t take long for Kelsey Grammer to bounce back from his Back to You flop stint. The Fox sitcom, a high profile one at that with Emmy-winner Patricia Heaton as his co-star, was dumped by the network recently. Kelsey was so bummed out that he even tried to get other networks, CBS in particular, to pick up the news room comedy. No dice. Back to You was a dead shark.
Now, less than two weeks later, Kelsey Grammer has been cast in a new ABC sitcom called Roman’s Empire. This is big news for a big star and he’s the emperor in the title. He’s playing Roman.
Roman’s Empire is not a three-camera, traditional sitcom, which has been Grammer’s playground since Cheers. Frasier may have been one of the best three-camera sitcoms ever. As an actor, Kelsey’s accustomed to having an audience watching him work. Empire is a single-camera comedy — like The Office or My Name Is Earl or Samantha Who? — and revolves around a nice guy named Leo (Nick Thune), who’s dumped by his heiress-like girlfriend (Christine Woods), but remains connected to her crazy family, the Prettys. That’s especially true of Roman Pretty, the family patriarch, an outspoken, outrageous character.
The show is a joint venture between CBS Paramount and ABC Studios. Perhaps Kelsey’s call to Les Moonves hooked him up with this project? Al Higgins is writing the pilot, and Ashton Kutcher is one of the executive producers (he’s everywhere these days, have you noticed?)
Like so many other pilots these days, Roman’s Empire is based on a British comedy of the same name. It ran in 2007 and starred Neil Dudgeon in the Roman role. According to those who’ve seen it, Roman’s Empire is similar to Arrested Development. In fact, it may be a case of imitation being the sincerest form of flattery since it came out after AD. Of course, the trick for this show, if it runs, will be to figure out how to be as good as Arrested Development without getting canceled for low ratings.
One thing regarding Kelsey coming on board; in the crowded batch of 17 pilots ABC still has under consideration, he tips the scales in the direction of the network giving it a pick up at some point.