TV Show News

TV Casting: THE STRAIN, BETTER CALL SAUL, Poppy Drayton in SHANNARA

Poppy Drayton

The Strain, Better Call Saul, Shannara, and other TV productions have made recent TV show casting, TV movie casting, and TV directing news. These shows and movies air on FX, AMC, and MTV.

Happyish (Showtime)

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Kathryn Hahn, who starred opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman in the original half-hour pilot for Showtime’s Happyish that was picked up to series shortly before Hoffman’s shocking death, will return for the project’s new incarnation starring Steve Coogan. Hahn is set to reprise her role as the female lead in the new pilot, directed by Ken Kwapis

Happyish, described as a comedic, soul-searching examination of our pursuit of happiness, centers on Thom Payne (Coogan) – a 44-year-old man whose world is thrown into disarray when his 25-year-old “wunderkind” boss arrives. Hahn plays Lee, Thom’s wife and mother to their six-year-old son Julius. Honest and direct to a considerable fault, Lee believes that people are good and the world can be a better place, which is probably why she is so pissed off: because we aren’t, and it can’t. But she loves Thom, and Thom loves her, even though they both loathe themselves.

Melissa & Joey (ABC)

Greer Grammer (Awkward) has been tapped for a recurring guest role on the fifth season of ABC Family comedy Melissa & Joey. It follows local politician Mel Burke (Melissa Joan Hart) and Joe Longo (Joey Lawrence) who Mel hires to look after her niece (Taylor Spreitler) and nephew (Nick Robinson). Grammer…will play McKenna, a wannabe actress coached by Mel’s niece Lennox. McKenna will go through a rough period of adjustment until she finds her inner Dorothy Parker.

The Strain (FX)

Lizzie Brochere (American Horror Story: Asylum) has joined the cast of FX drama series The Strain…Brochere will play Coco, Palmers’ (Jonathan Hyde) personal assistant.

Shannara (MTV)

Poppy Drayton (When Calls The Heart) has landed the lead in Shannara, MTV’s 10-episode straight-to-series drama based on Terry Brooks’ massive fantasy book series. Written by Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar, Shannara is set in our world, thousands of years after the destruction of our civilization. The story centers on the Shannara family, whose descendants are empowered with ancient magic and whose adventures continuously reshape the future of the world.

Drayton will play Amberle – an Elven Princess. Agile, fit and capable, she has become the first female to be accepted as one of the Chosen, the special group of Elves responsible for the protection and care of the ancient Ellcrys tree. But unlike the rest of the Chosen, Amberle’s dangerous and heroic journey is just beginning.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles‘ Jonathan Liebesman is set to direct the first two episodes of the series

Better Call Saul (AMC)

Julie Ann Emery (“Fargo”) and Jeremy Shamos (“Birdman”) have been confirmed as members of the cast of AMC and Sony TV’s “Better Call Saul.” They play Betsy and Craig Kettleman, who have been described as “the world’s squarest outlaws.”

The Kettlemans were originally slated to appear in just the first episode, but the actors’ performances were said to be so strong that they were added throughout the 10-episode first season.

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Emery and Shamos join previously announced cast members Michael McKean (who plays Saul’s brother, Chuck), Rhea Seehorn, Patrick Fabian and Michael Mando. Jonathan Banks will reprise his “Breaking Bad” role as Mike Ehrmantraut.

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Source: Variety, Deadline

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Rollo Tomasi

Rollo Tomasi is a Connecticut-based film critic, TV show critic, news, and editorial writer. He will have a MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University in 2025. Rollo has written over 700 film, TV show, short film, Blu-ray, and 4K-Ultra reviews. His reviews are published in IMDb's External Reviews and in Google News. Previously you could find his work at Empire Movies, Blogcritics, and AltFilmGuide. Now you can find his work at FilmBook.
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