Amy Ryan is returning to The Office for multiple episodes next season, reports Variety. Ryan is set to appear in at least five episodes in the fall, reprising her role as human resources rep Holly Flax. Ryan’s character first showed up in The Office’s season finale as a potential love interest for Michael Scott. In the season-four ender, Ryan’s character replaced long-suffering HR staffer Toby Flenderson, played by Paul Lieberstein.
Nicole Richie has signed on to guest star on NBC’s Chuck. Richie will play a snarky, spiteful girl whom Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) went to school with and has to confront at their 10-year high school reunion. “This role is a great opportunity for Nicole to show off her comedic skills and be diabolically evil and kick some butt,” exec producer Josh Schwartz said.
In other Chuck casting news, ProFootballTalk.com is reporting that former Giant Michael Strahan recently filmed a small cameo. Strahan plays the manager of a sporting goods store in the mall where the lead character [Chuck] works. “When the cameras rolled, Michael was really, really funny,” Josh Schwartz, the show’s creator and executive producer told the Star-Ledger. “Everyone on the set was completely blown away. Broadcasting or acting, he’s got a future.” Strahan might even end up reprising his role in the future. “After everyone saw him, they were like, ‘Well, maybe we should get [Strahan] back here,’ ” Schwartz said.
NBC’s ER has added four new cast members - Shiri Appleby, Julian Morris, Emily Rose and Victor Rasuk - for its upcoming final season. The quartet will play new interns at County General Hospital on the medical drama. Appleby and Morris will play siblings Daria and Andrew Wade; she’s eager to learn, while he uses his charm to get ahead. Rose will play Tracy Martin, an ambitious, controlling intern, and Rasuk has been cast as the slightly nervous Ryan Sanchez.
NBC announced the premiere dates for its fall lineup, including a three-hour Heroes premier on September 22, which begins with a one-hour clipshow before the two-hour third season premiere. Also slated to launch during premiere week are Law & Order: SVU on September 23, new drama Knight Rider and Lipstick Jungle on September 24 and comedies My Name Is Earl and The Office - which will return with one-hour premieres - as well as ER on September 25.
Sophomore dramedy Chuck and new drama My Own Worst Enemy, toplined by Christian Slater, will join Heroes on September 29, while Life will return for a second season October 3. The mother-daughter comedy Kath & Kim, starring Molly Shannon and Selma Blair, will make its Thursday entrance Oct. 9 and air in the plum post-The Office 9:30 p.m. slot.
Continue reading NBC Announces 2008 Fall Premiere Dates
Sam Neill, Sean Bean and Joss Ackland have joined the cast of NBC’s action series Crusoe. The show, based on Daniel Defoe’s novel, chronicles the adventures of the dashing and resourceful castaway Crusoe (Philip Winchester) and his companion Friday on a desert island while looking in flashbacks at Crusoe’s life before he embarked on the ill-fated voyage. Among the flashbacks are Crusoe’s tragic childhood with widower father. James (Bean), the relationship with the love of his life, Susannah (Anna Walton), and his efforts to launch a business under the watchful eye of family friend, Jeremiah Blackthorn (Neill).
NBC will air a special Incredible Hulk-themed episode of American Gladiators with guest star Lou Ferrigno sharing the arena with host Hulk Hogan. Ferrigno played the muscular green avenger in the 1970s TV series version of The Incredible Hulk. The episode will include a hulked-out Gladiator Arena and an exclusive 60-second preview from the upcoming movie The Incredible Hulk. The Hulk-themed American Gladiators episode airs June 9; the film opens four days later. At the movie’s premiere, gladiator Titan will walk the red carpet. For the episode, the show’s Los Angeles Sports Arena will be revamped with Hulk theming. About 1,000 pairs of Hulk Hands will be given to audience members to wear throughout the episode, and some also will wear Hulk masks. Gladiators will likewise use Hulk Hands while competing in the Gauntlet. The arena’s water will look green. Titan will be green. There will be green lighting, green graphics, green balls for Powerball.
NBC announced its 2008-2009 fall line-up of new shows. The network added seven new dramas, two new comedies, and four new reality shows. The network is also planning three half-hour SNL specials on Thursday nights during the second half of October to cover the pending Presidential election.
Surprisingly the network also announced its line-up for next Summer, including the return of American Gladiators along with three new reality shows. They include Chopping Block with chef Marco Pierre White judging competitions between New York City restaurants, America’s Toughest Jobs with everyday people tackling extreme occupations like extreme fishing or oil drilling, and Shark Taggers which is pretty much what it sounds like.
Renewals include 30 Rock, American Gladiators, America’s Got Talent, The Biggest Loser, Dateline NBC, Deal or No Deal, E.R., Friday Night Lights, Heroes, Las Vegas, Last Comic Standing, Law and Order, Law and Order: SVU, Life, Lipstick Jungle, Medium, Most Outrageous Moments, My Name is Earl, The Office, Sunday Night Football.
Cancellations include 1 vs. 100, The Bionic Woman, Clash of the Choirs, Journeyman, Las Vegas, My Dad is Better Than Your Dad, Quarterlife, Scrubs, The Singing Bee.
Continue reading NBC Announces 2008-2009 Fall Lineup
TV Guide reports that veteran actor Bruce Boxleitner as landed a top-secret recurring role in NBC’s Heroes. The role was originally going to be modeled after Senator John McCain. The character has since been reconceived and is expected to be sharing scenes with a female series regular. Although the show is introducing some new faces next season, the primary focus will remain on the core characters from the pilot.
Angela Bassett is checking into the ER for the show’s final season on NBC says The Hollywood Reporter. She will join the show this fall playing a tough attending with a troubled past who’s returning to Chicago after helping a tsunami relief effort in Indonesia. The arrival of Bassett’s character promises to shake County General’s ER for its final season.
Steve Buscemi will make an appearance on ER’s 14th season finale, airing May 15 says TV Guide. Buscemi plays “a loudmouthed drunk with a dangerous secret.” And he will “threaten the safety” of the hospital staff and make Pratt “choose between the life of a patient or the lives of his staff.” Elsewhere in the season-ender, Moretti (Stanley Tucci) makes a return visit, as does Hal Holbrook - who apperas in this week’s episode.