Veteran actress and lately appearing on the last two seasons of
The L Word Cybill Shepherd will grace the premiere of the ABC series
Samantha Who? alongside
Dancing with the Stars'
Mark Ballas, slated to air on October 13, 9:30pm on ABC.
Originally scheduled to debut on October 6, the
Samantha Who? premiere entitled “So I Think I Can Dance” will have Samantha (
Christina Applegate) teaming up with her mother (
Jean Smart) for a dance competition to beat Regina's nemesis, Paula Drake. Shepherd will play Paula Drake, who will hire Mateo (Ballas) as her dance partner to help her win the contest.
Samantha Who? also stars
Jennifer Esposito as Andrea, Samantha's best friend;
Kevin Dunn as Samantha's dad Howard;
Melissa McCarthy as Dena, Samantha's childhood best friend;
Tim Russ as Frank; and
Barry Watson as Samantha's ex-boyfriend Todd.
When we left
Samantha Who? Todd reintroduced herself to Samantha, who was still oblivious of their past. She continues on her journey of self-discovery while trying to shoo away several suitors, including a philanthropist who will be played by
James Tupper from
Men in Trees.
The popular series not only scored an Emmy nomination for Applegate, but it became the highest-rated freshman sitcom of the 2007-2008 season. It was picked up by ABC in February for the 2008-2009 season. All this, while having to contend with the paralyzing WGA Writer's Strike.
Meanwhile, Shepherd, 58, is best known for her roles in
The Last Picture Show,
Moonlighting, and
Taxi Driver. As mentioned, she plays Phyllis Kroll on
The L Word. On the other hand, professional ballroom dancer Mark Ballas, 22, who began his stint on
Dancing with the Stars during its 5th season when he was partnered with
Cheetah Girls star
Sabrina Bryan. More importantly, he, along with Olympic gold medal-winning figure skater
Kristi Yamaguchi, won the show's 6th season.
-Glenn L. Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: ABC
(Image Courtesy of Memphis Flyer)