Walton Goggins To Play A Single Dad On CBS, Michael Sheen To Play Serial Killer On Fox, Matt Bomer Is A 'Sinner' On USA
A few high-profile TV stars have gotten new gigs, so it's time for a little casting round-up. Walton Goggins (Justified, Vice Principals) is heading to CBS to star in a new series called The Unicorn, Michael Sheen (Masters of Sex, Good Omens) will be playing a serial killer on a Fox show called Prodigal Son, and Matt Bomer (White Collar) is set to be the new lead in the USA Network anthology-style series The Sinner. Read on to find out what all of these shows are about and the roles these actors will be playing.
The Unicorn
Let's kick things off with The Shield veteran Walton Goggins, who has scored the lead role on The Unicorn. Variety has the news:
Goggins will play a recent widower and devoted father to two adolescent girls. The character is described as a big-hearted open-book of a guy, but without his wife, he's finding himself at sea. When his friends persuade him to start dating again, he discovers to his shock that he's kind of a hot commodity, if only he knew what the hell he was doing.
Prodigal Son
Variety also brings word about Prodigal Son, in which Michael Sheen will play a serial killer and predatory sociopath who has murdered more than 20 people.
The one-hour series centers on Malcolm Bright, an acclaimed criminal psychologist. He knows how killers think, how their minds work. Why? His father (Sheen) was one of the worst — a notorious serial killer called "The Surgeon." He will use his twisted genius to help the NYPD solve crimes and stop killers, all while dealing with a manipulative mother, annoyingly normal sister, a homicidal father still looking to bond with his prodigal son, and his own constantly evolving neuroses.
The Sinner Season 3
And finally, TVLine reports that Bill Pullman is returning to reprise his role as Detective Harry Ambrose in USA's The Sinner, investigating a car crash in upstate New York but ultimately uncovering "a hidden crime that pulls him into the most dangerous and disturbing case of his career." Matt Bomer will play the character of Jamie, "an upstanding local resident and expectant father who looks to Ambrose for support in the wake of the aforementioned accident." Any character described as "upstanding" on a murder mystery show automatically has a 70% chance of being the killer, so go ahead and place your bets now.
Bomer joining The Sinner (which previously starred Jessica Biel and Carrie Coon) strikes me as the best of these three scenarios. To paint with a broad brush, CBS and Fox dramas are typically...well, pretty terrible. On the upside, they pay very well, and I certainly don't begrudge Goggins and Sheen the chance to cash in when an opportunity comes their way. I just hope these network shows don't preclude them from taking more interesting movie or TV roles along the way.