Casting Couch: FOX Plants Roots with "The Oaks"

FOX has had a rather auspicious day, securing three actors as leads for its new supernatural drama The Oaks, from writer David Schulner (Tell Me You Love Me) and director Michael Cuesta (Dexter).

The Oaks revolves around the intertwined stories of three couples in three different decades--1968, 1988, and 2008--who live in the same house; their stories are connected by the house's possible haunting. It's a fascinating and compelling conceit that mines both the supernatural and the quotidian, in the form of each of the couples' relationship issues. (For my exclusive review of the pilot script for The Oaks, click here.)

In the first casting notice for the drama pilot, which goes into production in November, FOX has locked the acting services of Shannon Lucio, Matt Lanter, and Bahar Soomekh.

Shannon Lucio (The OC) and Matt Lanter (Commander in Chief) will play Sarah and Mike, a young married couple in 1968 who grieving after the death of their young daughter, Amelia. Lucio was most recently in the original pilot for the new CBS drama Moonlight; her part was recast by Doctor Who's Sophia Myles. Lanter recently completed story arcs on both NBC's Heroes and CBS' Shark.

The final member of this casting troika, Bahar Soomekh (Crash) will play Hollis, the Blackberry-obsessed half of a 2008 power couple, who is pregnant with the couple's first child. Soomekh co-starred last season on ABC's Day Break.

Still to be cast: Soomekh's other half, the emasculated Dan; 1988's sexless Molly and Frank; and some very important key characters who advance the plot. (Sorry, folks, but I gotta keep some things under wraps.)

Stay tuned as we get closer to the November start date for The Oaks, which received a serial commitment (with hefty penalty) by FOX last month.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: CBS Sneak Peek/Two and a Half Men (CBS); 1 vs. 100 (NBC); Friday Night SmackDown (CW; 8-10 pm); America's Funniest Home Videos: No Business in Show Business (ABC; 8-10 pm); Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? (FOX)

9 pm: Jericho (CBS); Las Vegas (NBC); Nashville (FOX)

10 pm: NUMB3RS (CBS); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC); 20/20 (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Doctor Who on Sci Fi.

This week on Doctor Who ("Blink"), it's the Steven Moffat-scripted episode that will have everyone talking as the Doctor reaches out from 1969 to help a present-day photographer (Carey Mulligan) through some cryptic warnings about bleeding when people begin to disappear. Do not blink.

8 pm: CBS Sneak Peek.

Sure, I've seen every single network pilot for this fall, but if you haven't, take a sneak peek at CBS' fall schedule, loaded to the brim with vampire private detectives (no, not Angel), singing casino owners, and child labor law scofflaws (hello, Kid Nation!).