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‘American Horror Story’ adds ‘Secret Circle’ star Chris Zylka for season two; ‘Lost’ alum Elizabeth Mitchell joins NBC’s ‘Revolution’; CBS revives ‘Unforgettable’; TNT renews summer series and more!
‘American Horror Story’ adds ‘Secret Circle’ star Chris Zylka for season two; ‘Lost’ alum Elizabeth Mitchell joins NBC’s ‘Revolution’; CBS revives ‘Unforgettable’; TNT renews summer series and more!
CASTING NEWS
Chris Zylka (The Secret Circle) has signed on for season 2 of FX’s American Horror Story. Creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Fulchuk (also the creators of Glee), were looking for a “brilliant, inventive” actor to play an 18-year-old who has an “offbeat, could-be scary” side to him.” According to EW, Zylka will play Daniel, a deaf-mute described as “the most beautiful boy in the world.” Though much about season two is keeping kept under wraps, Murphy has said that season 2 will be completely different from season 1. New cast members Joseph Fiennes, Chloe Sevigny, Adam Levine, James Cromwell and Lizze Brochere were previously announced to be joining returning cast members Jessica Lange, Zachary Quinto, Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson and Lily Rabe for the second season.
Lost star Elizabeth Mitchell is reuniting with series creator JJ Abrams and joining the cast of his new NBC show, Revolution. Mitchell will be replacing Andrea Roth (Rescue Me) as Rachel Matheson. The character will appear in the series through flashbacks.
ABC’s 666 Park Avenue has bumped Erik Palladino (ER) up from guest star to series regular. The actor plays doorman Tony DeMeo at The Drake, the New York City apartment building at the center of the series.
Spring Awakening alum Andy Mientus is the latest actor attached to season 2 of NBC’s Smash. He will play a poor kid from Brooklyn who wants to write for stage shows. Mientus’s character will be close with another new character played by fellow Broadway alum, Jeremy Jordan.
Elle Macpherson has opted not to host the second season of NBC’s Fashion Star. Macpherson will stay on as executive producer, but she plans to focus on developing other projects. Retailer H&M also decided not to participate in season 2.
RENEWALS
After canceling the show in May, CBS has had a change of heart and ordered a second season of Unforgettable, the drama starring Poppy Montgomery. The network has picked up the show for 13 episodes, which are scheduled to air in Summer 2013.
A&E has renewed Longmire for a second season after four episodes. The mystery drama set in Wyoming premiered to 4.1 million viewers on June 3. It was the network’s most-watched scripted series debut ever.
In addition to renewing Dallas, TNT has ordered a fourth season of its drama, Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander. The series was picked up for 15 episodes, which will air in Summer 2013.
NEW SERIES/DEVELOPMENT DEALS
USA has given a series order to Graceland from White Collar creator Jeff Eastin. Graceland focuses on agents from the FBI, DEA and U.S. Customs, who are forced to live together in an undercover beach house in southern California. Daniel Sunjata (Rescue Me), Aaron Tveit (Gossip Girl), Manny Montana (The Chicago Code), Vanessa Ferlito (CSI:NY) and Brandon Jay McLaren (The Killing) are set to star as the agents.
Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof is developing Tom Perotta’s novel, The Leftovers for HBO. Lindelof will co-write the pilot with Perotta and if it is picked up to series, he will serve as showrunner. This is the first project to come from Lindelof’s 3-year deal with Warner Bros. Television. The Leftovers, which was published in May, revolves around the Rapture and follows a group of people who are left behind in the suburban community of Mapleton after the sudden departure of more than 100 people as they begin to rebuild their lives after their mysterious disappearance.
THE REST…
NBC issued a press release announcing Savannah Guthrie as the new co-host of The Today Show after a messy week of headlines regarding the ousting of Ann Curry. Curry ended her 15-year run on Thursday with a tearful goodbye. She will continue to work for NBC news. Guthrie joined Matt Lauer behind the anchor desk on Friday, but no official statement was made on air regarding her promotion.
Lifetime is replacing Bristol Palin’s reality series, Life’s A Tripp, with repeats of Dance Moms after the show only drew 586,000 viewers for its second episode. Palin’s show will now air in the 11 p.m. spot on Tuesdays.
Happy Endings’ unaired season 2 episode, “Kickball 2: The Kickening,” will be screened at Outfest, Los Angeles’ Gay & Lesbian Film Festival on July 22. ABC has yet to announce an official airdate for the episode, but it will most likely be sometime this fall when the new season debuts.
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