Pilot Watch: ‘Breaking Bad’s’ Dean Norris Promises Not To ‘F*#$ Up’ His New Stephen King Series

There’s another flurry of casting decisions made yesterday, and we’ve got the five biggest below, starting with Dean Norris.

The Breaking Bad cast members continue to pick up new projects. Anna Gunn has been tapped as the lead in a new Bravo series, Rita, Jonathan Banks has been cast in NBC’s Bloodline, Betsy Brandt has landed a cush new gig opposite Michael J. Fox, and even Matt Jones (who plays Badger) has grabbed a role in Chuck Lorre’s new CBS Sitcom, Mom. Now Dean Norris — who plays Hank Schrader – has landed a huge role: According to EW, he’ll be the villain in CBS’s Under the Dome, beating out the likes of James Spader and Don Johnson.

Norris confirmed the casting with this AWESOME tweet:

Norris’ role is that of a politician and car dealership owner, James “Big Jim” Rennie, “who seizes an opportunity to take control of his small town Chester’s Mill when it’s sealed off from the rest of the world by a mysterious transparent force field.”

In other casting news, Jason Ritter — who has consistently been one of the best players on NBC’s Parenthood for three seasons — despite never being elevated to series regular (it was his option; he wanted to be available for other shows) — has now landed one of the leads in a new Fox sitcom, Friends and Family, a remake of the British sitcom, Gavin and Stacey. According to EW, Ritter will play Gavin, “an ‘adorably neurotic and witty’ guy with ‘Woody Allen DNA’ who begins dating a co-worker he befriended through Skype and Facebook, according to casting intel.” I don’t really see the Woody Allen thing with Ritter, but he is a great comedic actor (watch his indie, Bag of Hammers, now available on Netflix Instant).

Meanwhile, speaking of Parenthood, showrunner Jason Katims’ pilot, About a Boy, which has already (perfectly) cast David Walton (Jess’ now ex-boyfriend on New Girl) in the lead, has brought in Minnie Driver for the Toni Collette crazy neighbor role, according to TVLine. I like this, particularly since I think that the age difference should keep any romantic feelings between the two leads from erupting, which would not be in the spirit of the source material.

Jake Lacey — who plays Plop, New Jim, and Pete on The Office — has also joined The McCarthys as the gay son in a CBS sitcom about a dysfunctional family. Per TVLine, he joins Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook), Brian Gallivan (Are You There, Chelsea?) and Will Gluck (Andy Richter Controls the Universe).

Finally, according to THR, Jason Isaacs — last seen in NBC’s smart but short-lived Awake — will play the lead in CBS’s Surgeon General, a drama that revolves around “America’s Doctor.” That sounds like a terrible idea for a show.