There’s no better feeling than reading the trades and seeing that an actor you forgot you loved got a pilot. (Except, of course, for seeing that pilot on a network’s fall schedule.) It happened today when I read that Josh Charles (Sports Night, Dead Poets Society) has joined CBS’ Julianna Margulies drama The Good Wife. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he’ll play a partner at the law firm where Margulies’ character, a politician’s spouse, works as a junior associate alongside Gilmore Girls‘ Matt Czuchry. Now, I’m not sure who her character will contemplate an affair with — the suspense! I just know that I’m rooting for this pilot. That I’m kicking myself for not knowing that Charles was just on HBO’s In Treatment. That he probably had no idea that when I interviewed him for a magazine called The Cable Guide about ABC’s Sports Night in 1998, it was the only piece that publication ever did on a broadcast show. (I can be very persuasive when properly motivated. "But it was inspired by ESPN’s SportsCenter.")
Other promising casting news from THR: Buffy the Vampire Slayer‘s Michelle Trachtenberg has parlayed her Gossip Girl stint into a role as an inexperienced nurse in NBC’s hospital dramedy Mercy with Men in Trees‘ James Tupper. Ocean’s Eleven‘s Scott Caan has landed the lead in Cop House, the Fox comedy that Brett Ratner is directing about a halfway house for cops. "Caan will play a champion marksman who suffered a nervous breakdown after his wife left him for his sister." Kinda loving that show now, too.
I probably have that Josh Charles interview saved to my hard drive somewhere. Love him to pieces!!
And you *should* list Josh Charles first. He’s super duper!
He totally goes first. Yay!
I love Josh Charles and Matt Czuchry…I will be watching for this show!
This show is really getting a great cast together. I’m rooting for “The Good Wife” to be picked up too!
OMG Josh Charles and Matt Czuchry in the same show? If this pilot doesn’t get picked up I just might have to go to LA and personally kick some exec’s ass.
Yeah, I would put Josh Charles first. And punch anyone in the face who would disagree with that.