24 Adds Jennifer Westfeldt, Others to Big Apple Adventure

The cast for 24's eighth season, to be set (if not entirely filmed) in New York City, is starting to assemble.

Jennifer Westfeldt, who had a memorable guest-starring arc on Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice this season — and who gets to call Mad Man Jon Hamm her beau — will fill the recurring role of Meredith Reed.

Described by the Hollywood Reporter as "an ambitious journalist," Reed has ties to Arman Hashemi, a Middle East leader who is in the U.S. on a peacemaking mission — and, 24 being 24, is ripe for an assassination attempt.

As previously reported, Hashemi will be played by Anil Kapoor (Slumdog Millionaire's "Regis"). 

Also, Chris Diamantopoulos (The Starter Wife, the Becki Newton's husband) has been cast in the series regular role of Rob Weiss, President Allison Taylor's new chief of staff. (I reckon predecessor Ethan Kanin had his fill of treacherous First Kids.)

Of course, CTU needs to be compromised by new faces, so John Boyd (The Notorious Bettie Page) will join the cast as systems analyst/inevitable mole suspect Jonah Schwartz.

Season 8 of Fox's 24 premieres Jan. 17, 2010, with a two-night, four-hour event.