Casting bits: Jennifer Hudson, Marilyn Manson, and Patrick Wilson join fall TV shows

Jennifer Hudson (left), Marilyn Manson (center), and Patrick Wilson (right)Three bits of interesting fall TV casting surfaced today, which should earn the established shows a few viewers who don’t normally watch…

  • Jennifer Hudston will get a multi-episode arc on NBC’s musical “Smash,” which stars Katherine McPhee as a young woman working hard to make it on Broadway. Hudson will play a Tony-winner “who reached [her] Broadway dream but also paid a price for it,” according to NBC. After Hudson’s breakthrough, Oscar-earning role in “Dreamgirls,” which was based on a Broadway show, this seems like a natural fit. Aside from a small part in “The Three Stooges,” Hudson hasn’t acted since 2008, so “Smash” will be a good test of whether she’s still got it. (Source: Vulture)
  • Marilyn Manson will play himself on an episode of Showtime’s popular “Californication.” Rumor has it that the upcoming season will find David Duchovny’s sex addict protagonist staging a rock opera, so presumably, Manson will be a part of that. (Source: Vulture)
  • Patrick Wilson will be a new love interest for Lena Dunham’s Hannah on “Girls,” which should be quite the change from her Season 1 fling, Adam. Wilson will play a doctor, suggesting that perhaps show-runner Dunham, like us, enjoyed the actor’s turn on the short-lived CBS show “A Gifted Man.” Wilson is the second announced “Girls” Season 2 guest star, following Donald Glover of “Community”-fame. (Source: TV|Line)