Casting Couch: Bakula Grows Up; Brown Thrown Bone

Quantum Leap actor set to star in TNT's fortysomething drama Men of a Certain Age; R&B hitmaker returning to big screen

By Josh Grossberg Jul 11, 2008 2:57 PMTags
Scott BakulaJeffrey Mayer/WireImage.com

Apparently, time is catching up with a certain Quantum Leap star.

Scott Bakula will star opposite Ray Romano and Andre Braugher in the TNT drama pilot Men of a Certain Age. It's his first TV headlining gig since piloting the Star Trek prequel series Enterprise for four seasons.

The 53-year-old thesp will play Terry Elliot, a struggling actor confronting middle age while hanging out with his fortysomething college buddies and dating a much younger woman.

Men of a Certain Age was cowritten by Romano and Mike Royce.

Bakula most recently did guest turns on CBS' The New Adventures of Old Christine and ABC's Boston Legal. He also is costarring with Matt Damon in Steven Soderbergh's big-screen crime drama The Informant, unspooling next March.

Speaking of Matts, R&B star Chris Brown might be teaming up with Matt Dillon for the heist thriller Bone Deep. The former is in final talks to take on the role of a criminal who joins a group of thieves planning to pull off a major score while being tracked by two detectives. T.I. and Idris Elba also star.

Meanwhile according to TVGuide.com, Isaiah Washington is set to guest star on A&E's The Cleaner in an upcoming episode entitled "The 11th Hour."  The Grey's Anatomy hunk will purportedly play a professional interventionist  who faces off with  Benjamin Bratt's title character in trying to help a girl overcome her addictions.

In other casting news:

  • Ntare Mwine has joined the cast of NBC's Heroes in a recurring part playing an autistic African man whose powers that will be unveiled over the course of nine episodes interacting with the original heroes.
  • Val Emmich is coming aboard ABC's Ugly Betty essaying the role of Jesse, a possible love interest for Betty.
  • Mario Van Peebles will return for a six-episode arc in FX's Damages, reprising his role as Agent Harrison.
  • Former Queer Eye star Carson Kressley will be getting his own daytime chatfest, courtesy of Lifetime. The fashion maven will shoot a pilot for the untitled talk show at the same time he hosts the second season of the net's How to Look Good Naked. The untitled talker will air Monday through Friday and feature Kressley and guests gabbing about fashion and other subjects.