Marcia Cross is making a return to TV. The actress, known for her roles on Melrose Place and Desperate Housewives, has joined the cast of the Jane the Virgin spinoff, Jane the Novella. Cross has been cast alongside the lead, Jacqueline Grace Lopez, in the pilot that has strong series potential at the network.
Written by Jane scribe Valentina Garza and directed by Brad Silberling, Jane the Novela is envisioned as a soapy, telenovela-inspired anthology series in the tradition of Jane the Virgin, where each season is based on a different fictional novel “written by” Jane Villanueva and narrated by the author herself. The first installment takes place at a Napa Valley vineyard, where family secrets (and family members) don’t stay buried for long. It centers on Estela (Lopez), an up-and-coming art curator who has spent years playing it safe and coloring within the lines. But a shocking secret changes everything and forces her to live a double life.
Being “in the tradition of Jane the Virgin,” Jane the Novela mirrors the setup of the original series. It too follows a driven, imaginative twentysomething Latina woman (Lopez) who is torn between her boyfriend, Luen, and Felix, a handsome, rich guy. Felix co-owns a winery with his manipulative and glamorous mother Renata (Cross), who will stop at nothing to secure her son’s legacy, even if it means standing in the way of his happiness.
Cross starred on daytime dramas before becoming more of a household name on Melrose Place as Dr. Kimberly Shaw, reinventing crazy in the process on the popular nighttime soap. Cross is probably best known for playing Bree Van de Kamp on ABC’s hit soapy dramedy series Desperate Housewives, which earned her an Emmy nomination.
