TNT’s original ensemble legal drama Raising the Bar may have been canceled at the end of last year, but that hasn’t stopped former lead cast member J. August Richards from scoring a prized role on another network’s hugely popular primetime series.
According to TV Guide, the Angel veteran will play a young Dr. Richard Webber on ABC’s hit medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, which is now in its sixth season.
If you don’t watch the series, Dr. Webber is played by veteran actor James Pickens, Jr. (The X-Files, The Practice). A prominent physician and administrator at fictional Seattle Grace Hospital, he had an affair with the currently deceased mother of the show’s main character, Meredith Grey, decades ago.
Richards has been tapped to portray Richard during the earlier stages of that secret relationship, opposite Cupid and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip alumna Sarah Paulson, who will play Meredith’s mother Dr. Ellis Grey. The plotline will take viewers all the way back to 1982, when the affair first started, via the standard flashback technique.
Since both Richard and Ellis were married at the time, that gives the adulterous relationship added weight, so expect much introspection. Hopefully, Richards will also get lots of screen time to show off his obvious acting skills and maybe even land another acting job as a result.
Look for this episode, called “Time Warp,” to air on February 18 at 9pm ET, although ABC may reschedule it due to competition from the Winter Olympics airing simultaneously on NBC. Check your local listings to stay up-to-date on the exact air time.