USA has started to fill out the cast of Stanistan, its upcoming drama pilot about the staff of an American compound in a fictional Middle Eastern country. In an announcement that sheds no additional light on whether that title is offensive or not, Friday Nights Lights veteran Zach Gilford has been cast as Phillip Guthrey, an Infrastructure Manager for USAID and a close friend to Marcie Post, the Public Affairs Officer played by Dexter’s Jennifer Carpenter.
There’s still very little information on what these characters will be doing, but it is confirmed that they’ll be involved in a love triangle, which should give viewers something familiar to latch on to as they adjust to the sights and sounds of this strange new land. Basically, Gilford’s character likes Carpenter’s character, but she’s already involved with an on-air foreign correspondent played by Desperate Housewives’ Jonathan Cake, whose “quest to uncover the real story in war-torn Stanistan will put him and his relationship in danger.” Expect the three of them to hash it out while hiding in a bunker during the first season’s finale.