Dianne Wiest Joins "The Return of Jezebel James"

Award-winning actress Dianne Wiest will have a recurring role on THE RETURN OF JEZEBEL JAMES, the new Amy Sherman-Palladino comedy premiering midseason on FOX. Wiest plays “Talia,” the mother of Sarah (Parker Posey) and Coco (Lauren Ambrose) Tompkins.

Perhaps best known for her Oscar-winning supporting roles in Woody Allen’s “Hannah and Her Sisters” and “Bullets Over Broadway,” Wiest also has had memorable roles in Allen’s films “Radio Days,” “September” and “The Purple Rose of Cairo,” as well as Tim Burton’s “Edward Scissorhands” and Mike Nichols’ “The Birdcage.” She received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Ron Howard’s “Parenthood.” Wiest last appeared on stage in Wendy Wasserstein’s “Third” at Lincoln Center and on Broadway with Al Pacino in “Salome,” directed by Estelle Parsons. Additional theater credits include “The Shawl,” “Hunting Cockroaches,” “After the Fall,” “Beyond Therapy” and “The Art of Dining.”

THE RETURN OF JEZEBEL JAMES follows SARAH TOMPKINS (Posey), who has everything a fancy girl could want in life: her own imprint at HarperCollins’ children’s division; a big brownstone in Hoboken; a young, energetic and only slightly terrified assistant, BUDDY (Michael Arden); and a perfect, no-strings-attached relationship with successful businessman MARCUS SONTI (Scott Cohen). So when Sarah’s parents, RONALD (Ron McClarty) and TALIA (Wiest), remind her that her life is not complete, at first she’s irritated – and then she decides, why not have a baby? But a trip to the doctor brings the disheartening news that Sarah can’t conceive. Determined to find a way around this problem, Sarah turns to the most unlikely choice for help: her unfocused younger sister COCO (Ambrose), whose imaginary childhood friend Jezebel James has inspired Sarah’s latest book. The mismatched sisters move in together when a reluctant Coco agrees to carry Sarah’s baby.