'My Name Is Earl' Alum Jason Lee Heads 'Delta Blues' Cast

Fans of former NBC sitcom My Name Is Earl have reason to rejoice today. No, the comedy isn’t coming back, but its star Jason Lee (pictured below as character Earl Hickey) has been cast as the lead in the George Clooney-produced TNT pilot Delta Blues.

According to the network’s official press release, Lee is set to play central character Dwight Hendricks, a Memphis, Tennessee-based cop who shares a residence with his mother and also moonlights as an Elvis impersonator. I’m laughing already.

Says TNT Executive Vice President and Head of Programming Michael Wright about the casting: “Jason Lee is the ideal choice to bring the compelling, off-kilter Dwight Hendricks to life. With extraordinary talent in front of and behind the camera, along with an outstanding script, Delta Blues is shaping up to be a hugely entertaining show and a great fit with our lineup of original dramas.”

Clearly, this series is going to be one of TNT’s quirkier offerings, à la Saving Grace, I suppose, which wraps its fourth and final season next summer. Glad to see the network trying to keep its programming slate balanced in order to please as many viewers as possible.

Now I can’t wait to see which lucky actress gets the role of Momma Hendricks. Don’t know why, but Cagney & Lacey icon and Judging Amy veteran Tyne Daly immediately comes to my mind as a perfect fit with Lee. Then she and her former C&L co-star Sharon Gless — now a regular on USA Network’s hit crime dramedy Burn Notice — could rule basic cable in the Cool Parent category. I sure hope TNT execs are reading my posts.