Casting Couch Scoop: O'Hara Tries "Good Behavior" for Rob Thomas

Ooh, do I have a hot casting scoop for you today.

Remember Good Behavior, the highly anticipated drama pilot from Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas? (How could you not, as I've been talking about it incessantly since I read the pilot script a few weeks back.)

No shortage of leading ladies have circled this project in recent weeks, with many naming Rene Russo as the frontrunner for the pivotal role of Jackie West, the tough-as-nails matriarch of the criminal West family who forces her family to become pillars of the community after her husband is sentenced to five years in prison. Mae Whitman (Arrested Development) and Patrick Adams (Lost) have already been cast in the drama pilot.

So who has locked up the role of Jackie West, in a casting move that has my heart all aflutter?

According to my source, none other than Catherine O'Hara, whose star turns in multiple Christopher Guest movies (take your pick: Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, Waiting for Guffman, For Your Consideration) have not only made her a favorite of mine but whose comedic sensibilities will come in handy with this gutsy, headstrong female role, a real rarity these days in Hollywood. Then again, the project is from Veronica creator Thomas, who has shown a penchant for creating tough, three-dimensional female characters.

Production on the pilot of Good Behavior, based on Kiwi series Outrageous Behavior, starts May 20th, with Charles McDougall (Desperate Housewives) directing.

Fingers crossed that this gets a greenlight to series ASAP.