Felicity Huffman books 1st role after college admissions scandal
Felicity Huffman is headed back to TV for her first role since serving prison time in 2019 in connection with a widely publicized college admissions scandal.
ABC announced Wednesday that the "Desperate Housewives" alum is set to star alongside "Nancy Drew" actress Kennedy McMann in an embedded pilot episode of "The Good Doctor" for a potential spinoff called "The Good Lawyer."
In the episode, airing March 6, Dr. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) "seeks legal representation to help him win a case and puts his faith in a promising, young lawyer who has obsessive compulsive disorder," Joni DeGroot (McMann).
Joni is described as a "brilliant, funny and self-aware lawyer who is relatively new to her prestigious law firm when she takes Shaun's case. Living with OCD, Joni has never wanted to be treated differently. While her symptoms take a toll on her personal and professional life, her attention to detail allows her to see cases through a different lens."
Huffman's character, Janet Stewart, is "a highly regarded attorney and partner at [Joni's] law firm" and has "a fierce intellect and dry wit." Janet has represented Dr. Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff) throughout the years in various legal matters "so he turns to her to represent his beloved protégé. But when Shaun declares that he wants Joni to represent him, Janet is forced to let Joni take lead on the case."
Huffman, 60, served 11 days of a 14-day prison sentence in October 2019 after pleading guilty to charges stemming from the massive "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal in May 2019.
Huffman completed the final phase of her punishment, a year of supervised release, in October 2020. In addition to prison time and supervised release, she was also ordered to pay a $30,000 fine and serve 250 hours of community service.
Huffman's most recent roles, all from 2019, include the films "Otherhood" and "Tammy's Always Dying" as well as the television miniseries "When They See Us." Both projects were released during the college admissions scandal but prior to Huffman's prison stint.
