Once Again, Keri Russell

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The Call Sheet sifts through the day's glut of Hollywood news to find the stories even non-industry types care about. Today: Keri Russell lands a new role, so does a former Bachelorette, and Sigourney Weaver heads to television.

Heavy-maned actress Keri Russell, our dear wishy-washy Felicity, has had a strange career in the ten years (oof) since that show ended. Basically she just hasn't done much. Then last year she seemed ready to come back into our lives on a regular basis, but her sitcom, Running Wilde, went belly up after only a few episodes. But now she's trying again, god love her. She's just been cast in the intriguing-sounding based-on-a-true-ish-story FX pilot The Americans, about a pair of KGB spies posing as a married American couple in 1980s Washington D.C. Russell will play the wife, while the role of the husband, who begins to fall in love with American culture while he and his fake wife fall in love with each other, has yet to be cast. So it's sort of a mix of The Riches and Homeland with a fun '80s periodness thrown in. If this was, say, on CBS we'd be a little ehhh about it, but it's FX! FX makes good, interesting shows. Well done, Keri. You picked Ben (oooops) and now you've picked a good show. Now why not invite us to brunch in Brooklyn sometime, hm? [Entertainment Weekly]

Well look at that. You might not find the man of your dreams on The Bachelorette, but you could maybe get a cushy TV job! Former Bachelorette and potential Jake Pavelka murder victim Ali Fedotowsky will be the host of NBC's travel show 1st Look. You know, that show from that LX TV thing, the back-of-the-cab show? Yeah, that's going to be an actual TV show. Though, heh, it's going to air on like eleven stations total and will come on after Saturday Night Live. So it's not exactly a Today Show gig. But still, it probably beats being an ad accounts manager at Facebook, which was what she was doing before all of this Bachelor/Bachelorette nonsense began. Though, hm. That actually doesn't sound like a bad job. Isn't working at Facebook like working at a more youthful Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, just with magic computers and booze instead of candy? And doesn't Andrew Garfield walk around the office in a suit giving everyone hugs? That sounds pretty good. Ali, can we have your old job? [The Hollywood Reporter]

Hey look, everybody's coming back to TV. The next actor up is E.R.'s lovable Anthony Edwards, who will be playing the lead in the ABC pilot Zero Hour. The show is about global conspiracy and Edwards will play the editor of a conspiracy magazine who gets involved in the global conspiracy when his wife is kidnapped, presumably by the conspiracy. Why this show isn't called Conspiracy! is the real conspiracy. How many times can we say conspiracy? Conspiracy. Conspiracy. Anthony Edwards. Aw, Anthony Edwards. Goooooose! (We really have nothing else to say about this. Good for Anthony Edwards. He's been gone too long. We were beginning to think there was some sort of... no, ha, not conspiracy. Maybe he just didn't want to work. Whatever.) [Deadline]

Uh oh. Set your nerd phasers to shriek. John Barrowman, much lusted-after omnisexual space immortal from Torchwood, has been cast in a new regular American show. So you are either shrieking in delight or terrible pain. Either you're excited to see him some more, or you're sad he's leaving the sci-fi game. Oh well. Can't please everybody. The pilot Barrowman has joined is from Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes and it is about a New York luxury hotel in 1895. Yup. No aliens, no inter-dimensional travel, no nothing. Just old-timey stuff. So, actually, this will still appeal to nerds, just a different kind of nerds. Move over sci-fi geeks, and come on in, historical drama dweebs. (Or, you know, just stay put if you happen to be both of those things, which is likely.) Yup. John Barrowman, on a major American network television program. Didja ever think you'd see the day? We'd personally like to congratulate him for getting the hell out of Cardiff. Well done, sir. [Entertainment Weekly]

From good news to vaguely sad news. Meryl Streep's Yale classmate Sigourney Weaver has been cast on her very first regular TV gig, the lead on a cable show. That could be OK, cable offers many good chewy roles these days. But, the network? It's USA. Yes, USA, land of sass-talking lawyer jerks and fake psychic jerks and other assorted jerks. (There are Secret Service jerks, right?) Sigh. USA, really? That could potentially not bode well. Ah well, at least the show sounds interesting. Weaver will be playing a former First Lady who divorces her husband and becomes Secretary of State. Hmmmmmm. So, what, is the show called Hillary C's White Wine Fantasy Hour? "Iss great, Chels. It's great. See, I get the Sec job but, hey, haha, I'm not married to daddy anymore. I'm freeeee! It's fantastic, I love it, it's juss so good... Mm... what is this, pinot blanco or whatever? It's delicious. Hey, you there, with the earpiece, why don't you trot on down to the refrigerator and get us another one'a these. Oh, no, come on Chels, c'mon, don't go. Mommy's havin' fun and comin' up with TV shows. Don't go. Hey, what's Sigourney Warner up to these days? She'd be fantastic in this, I love her for this. That's what they say in the industry, honey, 'I love her for this.' Iss true, Rita Wilson told me. This is gonna be great, Chels. You'll see. Just so great." [Deadline]

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