• Josh Schwartz's superbly entertaining NBC premiere Chuck is bringing on The O.C.'s own Rachel Bilson for a multi-episode run as a romantic option for the titular geek, says USA Today. For more on Chuck and the season's other new shows, listen to the special TV Guide Talk podcast, featuring me, Ausiello and Roush and available Friday.• Martin Mull has joined the TNT light-drama pilot Family Man, playing William H. Macy's older brother who can barely hold down a job at Astroburger. (I'm already laughing!)• Also per the Reporter, Anne Archer has boarded Lifetime's Family Practice pilot as the Kennedyesque clan's matriarch, opposite Beau Bridges.• Lifetime has inked a deal to develop a comedy project starring identical twins Natalie and Nicole Garza.• Judy Davis and James Purefoy (Rome) will topline Diamonds, a $15 million miniseries about a lady senator whose daughter is murdered in Africa, says Variety.read more
At ABC, David Arquette (Scream) has joined the comedy In Case of Emergency, playing a businessman who botches a suicide attempt.... Peter Facinelli (Six Feet Under) has landed the second lead (opposite Jeffrey Donovan) in Enemies.... Sarah Clarke (24) has joined the drama A House Divided.... Charlotte Ross (Jake in Progress NYPD Blue) has come aboard Ugly Betty.... and Sean Patrick Flannery (The Dead Zone) has joined Secrets of a Small Town. Elsewhere, Doublemint Twin Natalie Garza has been cast on Fox's The 12th Man, Michael Gaston has joined CBS' Jericho, and Lenny Clarke will play Rob Corddry's pop in Fox's Becoming Glen.read more
