It was Jane Austen who once wrote, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a TV drama in possession of several seasons must be in want of a Jimmy Smits.” (We might be paraphrasing, to be fair.) As such, it’s kind of shocking that 24 has gone off-and-on for 15 years now without the NYPD Blue (and L.A. Law, and The West Wing, and Dexter, and Sons Of Anarchy) star making an appearance. But now that streak is coming to an end, with the announcement that Smits—who’s also starring right now in Baz Luhrmann’s Netflix show The Get Down—will take on a supporting role in the show’s upcoming revival series, 24: Legacy.
As reported by Variety, Smits will appear in the show as Senator John Donovan, the husband of Miranda Otto’s former CTU director, Rebecca. Presumably, John will get pulled into the conspiracy that’s exposed when military hero Eric Carter (Straight Outta Compton’s Corey Hawkins) approaches Otto for help with a brewing terrorist threat. He’ll also (we assume) be entered into the “Dead Or Evil” lottery that every 24 spouse is forced to participate in; given that he’s a seemingly idealistic politician, our money’s on “Evil,” for now. (Although he might have some competition in that field from recently cast Masters Of Sex star Teddy Sears, who’s having a good year when it comes to being secretly bad.)