Michael Imperioli joins Life on Mars cast
Former Sopranos mobster Michael Imperioli is returning to television as a police detective. The actor has been cast in ABC’s Life on Mars, an American adaptation of the BBC series. Imperioli landed the role of Detective Ray Carling, one of the lead character’s colleagues. Ray is described as “a rough, tough sexist who has never heard of the phrase ’politically correct’.”
This cast addition is the latest of many changes made to the drama. David E. Kelley is out as the Life on Mars showrunner, and October Road’s Josh Applebaum, Andre Nemec, and Scott Rosenberg have replaced him. Producers also decided to move the show’s production and fictional setting from Los Angeles to New York City.
There has been a lot of gossip about Life on Mars, and all before a single episode has aired. It’s hard to know what to expect in light of so many cast and and production changes. Michael Imperioli seems like a good fit for the role of Ray Carling, though. He played a detective a few years back on six episodes of Law & Order. Plus, I’m always happy to see former cast members of The Sopranos back on TV.
Is Life on Mars a good choice for Michael Imperioli, or is the show too troubled to last?
Casting Couch: Simpsons Gets Guests, Imperioli Gets Life; Kilmer Gets Bad
With the Fourth rapidly approaching, it’s a relatively slow time for Hollywood dealmakers, but there is a little action on the Couch.
Homer Simpson is ’tooning in Denis Leary, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and some Internet gazillionaires, Michael Imperioli is trading the Bada Bing for bell bottoms, and Val Kilmer is playing good cop to Nic Cage’s Bad Lieutenant.
Louis-Dreyfus will reprise her role as Snake’s girlfriend in The Simpsons’ season kickoff on Sept. 28, while Leary will take a break from Rescue Me to play a tantrum-prone version of himself whose cell phone winds up in Bart’s hands.
Also getting their yellow on this season: Dallas Mavericks boss and former Dancing With the Stars hoofer Mark Cuban and Amazon.com overlord Jeff Bezos. They’ll give Mr. Burns a run for his money, lending their singing voices to a December episode in which Monty wins a pro basketball team in a poker game.
As for Imperioli, the Emmy-winning former Sopranos star has signed on to star in ABC’s new ’70s-themed drama Life on Mars.
The series revolves around a police detective (Jason O’Mara) who, after a car crash, mysteriously is transported back in time to 1973, where he must track down a serial killer.
Imperioli will be on the right side of the law this time around as Tyler’s rough-and-tumble partner.
Mars has recently gone through a behind-the-scenes transformation after the exit of original showrunner David E. Kelly. He’s been replaced by Stephen Garrett, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg, the braintrust behind ABC’s October Road, which didn’t get a renewal for a third season.
Life on Mars is scheduled to air Thursdays at 10 p.m. this fall in the post-Grey’s Anatomy slot.
Finally, Kilmer and rapper Xzibit are set to costar with Cage and Eva Mendes in director Werner Herzog’s reworking of Abel Ferrara’s 1992 cult classic, The Bad Lieutenant.
The updated film will follow a corrupt cop (Cage) who seeks out redemption as he investigates the rape of a nun.
Kilmer will play Cage’s partner; Xzibit will play a crime kingpin.
Also on board Lieutenant are Fairuza Balk, Jennifer Coolidge, Vondie Curtis Hall, Shawn Hatosy, Denzel Whitaker and Brad Dourif.
Shooting starts later this summer.
Gone, Baby, Gone: Get the Complete List of This Season's Canceled Series
Confused about what’s coming back next season and what’s off the air for good? We are too, so for everybody’s edification, we have compiled a complete list of the major broadcast networks’ canceled shows for this season, including Jennifer Westfeldt’s Notes from the Underbelly, Skeet Ulrich’s Jericho and Molly Sims’ Las Vegas.
Fair warning: Reality shows may be resurrected at any time, in the grand tradition of, well, American Gladiators. Click in to get the list. (Awww, Journeyman, we hardly knew ye…)
ABC
Big Shots
Carpoolers
Cashmere Mafia
Cavemen
Just for Laughs
Men in Trees
Miss/Guided
Notes From the Underbelly
October Road
Oprah’s Big Give
Women’s Murder Club
CBS
Cane
Jericho
Kid Nation
Moonlight
Power of 10
Secret Talents of the Stars
Shark
Viva Laughlin
Welcome to the Captain
CW
Aliens in America
Beauty and the Geek
Crowned
CW Now
Girlfriends
Life Is Wild
Online Nation
Pussycat Dolls Present
Fox
Back to You
Canterbury’s Law
K-Ville
Nashville
New Amsterdam
The Next Great American Band
The Return of Jezebel James
Unhitched
NBC
1 vs. 100
Amne$ia
Bionic Woman
Clash of the Choirs
Journeyman
Las Vegas
My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad
Phenomenon
Quarterlife
The Singing Bee
Any particular cancellation still sting? (I want Frances O’Connor and Cashmere Mafia back!) Post your pet-TV-show-extermination peeve in the comments!
ABC Boss Dishes on Betty, Grey’s, Desperate, More
Nicollette Sheridan is not leaving Desperate Housewives.
Well, unless she is, and someone forgot to tell the guy who runs the network.
This is just one of the many dishy tidbits we just learned this morning from ABC's big honcho Steve McPherson, who delved into what's ahead for some of our favorite shows and stars.
- Is Lost homeless now that some other show took its time slot?
- Will Betty get her groove back?
- What's up with the big twist ahead for Grey's?
- And why is McPherson such a big, bad crankypants to cancel October Road?
Get all the scoop right now in WATCH WITH KRISTIN >>