The Casting Call 10.12.09

The Casting Call brings together the latest casting news to keep you informed on who is showing up on which show. Find out who is joining your favorite show as a series regular, a recurring character, a guest star or special cameo. The Casting Call could reveal upcoming story-lines, so be aware, there may be spoilers ahead.

30 Rock (NBC)
Nate Corddry (The Daily Show) has landed a guest role on the show. Corddry is playing Liz Lemon’s upstairs neighbor, Brian. The plot finds duplex-obsessed Liz scheming to get Brian to ditch his apartment so she can buy it and combine it with hers. Corddry will appear in the season’s sixth episode.

Californication (Showtime)
Rick Springfield has signed on to bare all for Showtime’s Californication. He says his character, also named Rick Springfield, is a “very twisted, warped version” of himself. Springfield will appear on four episodes, and he sheds his clothes by the end of the season. “It’s not full-frontal, but it’s pretty much full on,” the 60-year-old musician-actor says. “As long as it’s for the part, I’m cool with it. And it’s funny. It’s not done to be particularly sexy.” His first episode airs Sunday. He plays a washed-up movie star who wants to rebuild his career.

Cougar Town (ABC)
Rachael Harris and Alan Ruck has joined ABC’s freshman comedy. Harris will play the potentially recurring role of Shanna, Courteney Cox’s judgmental nemesis. While Ruck, who’s currently recurring on FlashForward, has been cast as her husband, Frank. He will develop a bit of a crush on Cox’s character, further inflaming the rivalry.

Parenthood (NBC)
Lauren Graham has closed a deal to join NBC’s upcoming drama series, taking over the role played in the pilot by Maura Tierney. The series, created by Jason Katims, revolves around four adult siblings (Peter Krause, Erika Christensen, Dax Shepard, Graham) and their parents (Bonnie Bedelia and Craig T. Nelson).

Private Practice (ABC)
Stephen Collins has been cast as Mr. Montgomery, or “the Captain” as he is called. We will meet Addison’s not-so-great father during an episode this November. The relationship between Addison and the affluent Montgomery clan’s patriarch is tenuous at best, as the result of decades of tension.