Jennifer Beals could be coming back to a TV near you. I will pause for the squeals of delights to subside before proceeding. Good? Got it all out. Excellent. Moving on with the details.
According to Deadline.com, the former The L Word and The Chicago Code star has signed on to be one of the female leads in the CBS pilot Widow Detective. The series stars John Corbett (Sex and the City, Northern Exposure) as Denny Brennan, a police detective who keeps losing his partners in the line of duty. So as a result he becomes “surrogate husband, lover and father to their families.” So it’s like Big Love with a badge.
Beals will plays Lainey, who according to Deadline, is “the sexy, wry-humored owner of a San Fernando valley hair salon.” She remarried after her husband’s death, but is about to divorced and knows Denny the longest and it could develop into a real relationship. She will be joined by Paula Marshall as one of the sister wives widowed wives in Denny’s circle. Marshall will play Jill, a restaurateur with three daughters. Marshall was last on the CBS comedy Gary Unmarried and has appeared in House, Nip/Tuck and Californication.
While the premise seems a little wacky — OK, really, really wacky — it could work. And it’ll be nice to see Beals in a role that sounds like it’ll get to show off some of her more humorous side. I mean, they can’t be playing this show super serious, right? It has to be a little funny, right? Also, do you think Jennifer will get to wear a power suit in this one, too? Because otherwise I’m out.
The pilot is being written by David Hubbard, whose two previous writing credits include two blink-and-you-missed-them movies Noel and Delivering Milo. Luckily executive producer Carol Mendelsohn has a lot better track record. Like, you know, the entire CSI franchise.
Jennifer was last seen in a two-episode arc on Castle, where she played opposite Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion. Before that she spent a season as the city’s first female Police Superintendent on The Chicago Code.
So, what say you about this Big Love with a badge concept? Just happy to maybe have the artist formerly known as Bette back on your television? Discuss.
