NBC's highly anticipated "Michael J. Fox Show," which premieres Sept. 26, has reportedly signed Anne Heche to play the recurring role of Fox's rival news anchor, Susan Rodriguez-Jones.
The new series features Fox as Mike Henry, a New York City TV anchor who has taken a five-year break due to the onset of Parkinson's disease (which Fox has in real life). Henry has a supportive but feisty family that is relieved by his decision to go back to work — apparently he's like a housewife on steroids.
Entertainment Weekly reports that Heche will act as a foil to Fox's lovable, slightly goofy character. Described by NBC as "sharp, savvy and tough-as-nails," Rodriguez-Jones was Henry's supervisor years ago when the two worked at a station in Orlando, Fla. Their ongoing rivalry began after Rodriguez-Jones apparently "lost" Henry in the Everglades.
NBC loves Heche, it seems. She last starred as a woman who thinks she is channeling God in another NBC show, "Save Me." The finale for that series, which met with a lukewarm reception, aired in June.
Heche also starred on HBO's "Hung" and ABC's "Men in Trees."