Looking: Scott Bakula Joins the Upcoming HBO Dramedy

Deadline is reporting that Scott Bakula (Men of a Certain Age) has signed on for a recurring role on upcoming HBO dramedy Looking, set to begin production this fall for a 2014 debut. He will be playing attractive entrepreneur Lynn, one of the pillars of his community.

From Sarah Condon (Bored to Death) and Michael Lannan (Lorimer), Looking will follow three friends in San Francisco’s Castro community as they “explore the fun and sometimes overwhelming options available to a new generation of gay men.” The series premiere will be directed by Andrew Haigh (Weekend), who will stay with the series as an executive producer.

In addition to his role on the critically acclaimed TNT dramedy, Bakula has appeared on the likes of Quantum Leap, Star Trek: Enterprise, and Chuck. The Emmy nominee joins a cast that includes Jonathan Groff (Boss), Frankie J. Alvarez (Smash), and Murray Bartlett (Guiding Light).

One of the first American television series with primarily LGBT lead characters since the cancellation of The L Word and Queer as Folk, Looking will be one of two HBO comedies to debut in the early part of next year, joining Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer’s (Big Love) Getting On. There’s no indication of where either will air, though the network will have at least three open comedy spots in 2014: in January, along with Girls; in April, along with Veep; and in September, with Eastbound & Down‘s cancellation. Being that Getting On has already began production, it seems likelier to take the January spot and boot Looking to spring, where it could benefit from airing the same night at Game of Thrones.

Will you be watching Looking when it premieres next year? Do you think a series like this can make it in today’s television landscape? Who else would you like to see join the cast?