JoAnna Garcia Swisher will star opposite Tommy Johnagin on CBS’s upcoming comedy pilot, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap on Friday.
The actress is set to play Michelle on the untitled Midwestern-set project, inspired by Johnagin’s own life. Her character is an accomplished pediatrician, Tommy’s (Johnagin) wife and mother to a daughter named Ashley.
Currently, Garcia Swisher stars on two ABC dramas, “Astronaut Wives Club” and also “Once Upon a Time,” where she portrays the Disney princess Ariel. Recently she filmed a run on Fox’s “The Mindy Project” and starred on NBC’s short-lived “Animal Practice.”
Throughout much of the 2000s she played Reba McEntire‘s oldest daughter on The WB and The CW’s long-running family sitcom “Reba.” On the film side, Garcia Swisher has appeared in “American Pie 2,” “Not Another Teen Movie” and “The Internship.”
WME and John Carrabino Management represent her.
An accomplished stand-up comic, Johnagin is co-writing and co-executive producing the family-centered project for CBS, with Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker (“$#*! My Dad Says”).
Bill Lawrence and Jeff Ingold are executive producing the pilot which is produced by Doozer in association with Warner Bros. Television.