Showtime Orders New Series Starring Joshua Jackson, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Showtime has given series orders to The Affair and Happyish, the network announced at the Television Critics Association winter press tour on Thursday. Both series received 10-episode orders.

The Affair stars Dawson's Creek and Fringe alum Joshua Jackson as Cole, a hard-edged cowboy who oversees a ranch on the tip of Long Island that has been in his family for generations. Cole is married to Allison (Ruth Wilson), a young woman trying to put her life back together following a tragedy. New tension is added to their emotionally charged marriage when Allison begins an affair with Noah (Dominic West), a New Yorker spending the summer on Long Island with his family. Maura Tierney also stars as Noah's wife of 17 years, Helen, whose world is turned upside down by her husband's infidelity.

The Affair was written by In Treatment's Sarah Treem and Hagai Levi, who will also executive-produce the project with Shameless' Mark Mylod.

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Happyish is a dark comedy that focuses on what it means to matter is society's youth-obsessed comfort. Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman stars as Thom Payne, a man who struggles with his relevancy after his advertising agency is taken over. Kathryn Hahn plays his wife, while Rhys Ifans portrays his boss. This is Hoffman's first TV series. His last small screen appearance was in the 2005 HBO miniseries Empire Falls.

Happyish was created by This American Life contributor Shalom Auslander, who will executive-produce along with Hoffman, the actor's producing partner Emily Ziff, The Office's Ken Kwapis and Alexandra Beattie (Outsourced).

"The Affair is a beautiful pilot," said Showtime President David Nevins. "It is an intense exploration of two marriages and the affair that disrupts them — with great acting and a very clever, deeply-observed script by the marvelously talented Sarah Treem Shalom Auslander and Phillip Seymour Hoffman make for a formidable and unusual comedy team. The chance to get one of the truly great actors of our time into such an incisive and current comedy was totally and completely irresistible." 

Are you excited about Jackson's return to TV? Will you watch Hoffman on the small screen?

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