There's been a slew of 30-something 1980s stars getting brand-new series lately. There's Alicia Silverstone of
The Babysitter and
Clueless fame landing the pilot,
Bad Mother's Handbook. For a while it seemed
Beverly Hills 90210 beauty,
Jennie Garth, would star in another pilot called
My Best Friend's Girl until she bailed after a table read.
The latest is
Jerry O'Connell, who has just been tapped to play the lead opposite
Clean House's Niecy Nash in
The Inn.
Yes, O'Connell is leaving his
Carpoolers days on ABC behind in order to manage
The Inn for FOX. And that's exactly what his onscreen duties are going to be – manager of the swanky New York hotel that provides the backdrop for the coming new sitcom.
O'Connell first achieved fame and recognition as the chubby Vern Tessio in the big screen adaptation of Stephen King's novella,
The Body, re-titled
Stand By Me. He then went on to star in his first television series, as a teenager who accidentally becomes a reluctant superhero in
My Secret Identity.
In 1995, the then 20-something O' Connell starred in a new series that went on to become a cult favorite.
Sliders catapulted him to newfound star status as scientific protégé Quinn Mallory. The show also starred Kari Wuhrer and John Rhys-Davies. A few years after his stint ended on
Sliders, O'Connell joined the ensemble cast of crime-solving drama,
Crossing Jordan, opposite
Jill Hennessy in the title role. Last year, he wound up as one of the guys on
Carpoolers.
In his upcoming new comedy, the now 34-year old actor co-stars with
Reno 911's Niecy Nash, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Molly Stanton, Jolene Purdy and Brandon Eaton in what has been touted as an upstairs/downstairs look at life in a ritzy Big Apple hotel.
Stay tuned for further developments and announcements on the premiere date of
The Inn.
-Rosario Santiago, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Zap2it
(Image Courtesy of ABC)