Blue Bloods vet Len Cariou has joined the cast of the upcoming MGM+ comedy American Classic, replacing the late Harris Yulin (Frasier).
Ordered to series in January, American Classic stars Kevin Kline as Richard Bean, a Broadway star who returns to his hometown, family-run theater in the wake of a public meltdown. There, he discovered that his father Linus (Cariou), the theater’s artistic director, has lost a step, leaving Richard’s brother (Jon Tenney) and sister-in-law (Laura Linney) to turn the once-respected venue into a low-rent dinner theater.
In addition to his nearly 300-episode run as Blue Bloods’ Henry Reagan, Cariou’s previous TV credits include Damages Season 3, Showtime’s Brotherhood and the 2009 HBO movie Into the Storm, for which he earned an Emmy nod playing FDR.
In other recent casting news:
* Jake Johnson (New Girl) will play ex-husband to Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) in Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, Apple TV+’s darkly comedic, half-hour thriller about “a newly divorced mother (Maslany) who falls down a dangerous rabbit hole of blackmail, murder, and youth soccer.”
* John Stamos — who voices Tony Stark/Iron Man in Spidey and His Amazing Friends — will now voice Tony’s father Howard in the Marvel preschool series Iron Man and his Awesome Friends, premiering Monday, Aug. 11 on Disney Jr. and Disney Chanel. (The first 10 episodes land on Disney+ Tuesday, Aug. 12.) Additionally, ESPN sportscaster Jessica Mendoza will voice batting cage owner Dottie Doubleday; Jackée Harry (227) will play Riri Williams’ spunky Granny, who runs a mobile pie truck; Stephen Tobolowsky plays Spencer Q. Sweets, owner of “the coolest candy shop in town”; Lauren Tom voices Amadeus Cho’s mother Helen; and Gary Anthony Williams and Mo Collins are Nuts and Bolts, two of Ultron’s hilarious henchbots. Watch a trailer:
* Daily Show correspondent Josh Johnson is joining the host rotation, and will first anchor Tuesday-Thursday of this week.
