As production begins for the many new shows headed to network television this upcoming season, execs are filling in the casting holes, which have opened up since the programs were given the old green light.
And for execs looking to boost their shows' profiles, there's no better talent pool than the many actors left without work after their shows got cancelled.
Scott Patterson, last seen on CW's Gilmore Girls, has taken a role on the new comedy Aliens in America, also from CW, says The Hollywood Reporter. On Gilmore, Patterson played Lorelai's fair-weather boyfriend Luke Danes.
Aliens follows the friendship between two Wisconsin high school students, one of which belongs to a traditional Christian family and one who is a foreign exchange student from Pakistan. Patterson is taking the role of the American teen's dad, replacing Patrick Breen, who played the dad in the pilot.
Moonlight, the upcoming CBS crime drama featuring vampires, will also be tapping a former cast member of a beloved CW show, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Jason Dohring has signed on to play Josef, a vampire who gets by as a hedge-fund trader. The role was originally played by 60-year old Rade Serbedzija before execs decided to overhaul the character.
Dohring made waves as Veronica Mars' Logan, the part-time boyfriend of the titular detective. Veronica Mars was officially canceled in June after three seasons.
Elsewhere in the TV universe, Taraji P. Henson (Hustle & Flow) has joined the cast of Boston Legal. She will play a "high powered corporate litigator" brought in by recent cast addition John Larroquette's character.
The character of Naomi Bennett from Private Practice will look a little different when the show premieres this fall. The Grey's Anatomy spin-off has brought on veteran stage actress Audra McDonald to replace Merrin Dungey, who played Naomi in the pilot.
Lastly, comedians Johnny Sanchez and Anjelah Nicole Johnson have been added to the cast of MADtv. Sanchez will be a cast regular, and Johnson is scheduled to appear in four episodes.
