JoAnna Garcia Swisher has signed on for a leading role in the ABC single-camera comedy pilot “Happy Accident,” Variety has learned.
She joins previously announced cast member Matt Walsh. The show follows two Pittsburgh families – father Bud (Walsh) with three adult daughters, and a hotel lounge singer with her med student son – are forced together after a decades-old secret is revealed. Garcia Swisher will play Eleanor Bennett, a professor at Pitt who is also Bud’s oldest daughter.
The casting continues Garcia Swisher’s long relationship with ABC. She has previously starred in ABC shows like “Once Upon a Time,” “Kevin (Probably) Saves the World,” and “The Astronaut Wives Club.” She is also known for roles in shows like “Reba,” “Are You Afraid of the Dark?,” and “Animal Practice.” On the film side, she has held roles in projects like “Not Another Teen Movie,” “Fist Fight,” and “The Internship.”
She is repped by UTA and John Carrabino Management.
Abraham Higginbotham and Jon Pollack, both of whom are writers on “Modern Family,” are the writers and executive producers on “Happy Accident.” 20th Century Fox Television will produce along with ABC Studios. Both Higginbotham and Pollack are writers on the hit ABC series “Modern Family” and are under overall deals at 20th TV.