'The Starter Wife': Molly's entourage (old and new)

Continuing Molly Kagan's story from a miniseries into the series The Starter Wife means that some actors have moved on and thus some characters such as Cricket (Miranda Otto) and hottie Sam (Stephen Moyer) won't return.

Molly won't ever be alone though, so here's a rundown of the old and new people in her life. Thanks to a visit to the set in September, we have the inside scoop on what's in store for these characters this season.

Spoilers ahead, but hopefully disguised enough to allow for surprises.

THE OLD

Joan McAllister (Judy Davis)

We finally get to meet Joan's loyal husband Pappy (Ronny Cox), and she gets a new focus in life when he signs her up to work part-time at Destinies, the rehab center where she finally sobered up. Unfortunately, she's roped into being the wrangler for Destinies' latest guest, David Shea, a British actor whose latest arrest puts Nick Nolte, Mel Gibson and Nicole Richie to shame.

At the set visit, we have the privilege of watching Davis play Joan in an intense scene that takes place later in the season. She has just gone through a major life change that has her reeling and in typical Joan fashion, she confuses and worries her friends with her behavior.

Rodney (Chris Diamantopoulos)

He supports Molly and Joan through their troubles, but this time around he has some of his own. Everything's looking up now that his interior design business is up and running again. Oh, and look, his biggest client is movie star Felix Jones. Rodney is thrilled to land the job, but he unfortunately has a huge crush on Felix, making it difficult to keep his mind on business.

Diamantopoulos: "For Rodney, I get a love interest, but it's not a typical love interest. It's a clandestine affair with a movie star who's in the closet."

Rodney's also looking better ever since Starter Wife became a series.

Diamantopoulos: "This season I talked with our wardrobe designer, Agata [Maszkiewicz], and I thought, you know, one of the things about Rodney being a designer in L.A. -- I know these guys. They spend a lot of their dough on good clothes.  Usually these guys are dressed impeccably and, if anything, it skews a little to the eccentric, but generally speaking, it's perfectly tailored, well-made, high quality clothing.
Maszkiewicz: We went a little more, sort of tailored and kind of an old Hollywood star and Tom Ford in the same time.

Kenny Kagan (David Alan Basche)

Okay, The Starter Wife folks had to pull a Bewitched Darren switch on you since Peter Jacobsen left for House, but Basche gamely steps into Kenny's shoes. His latest passion project, Blood Canal, doesn't do so hot during a test screening, so in order to save his bacon, he needs to raise money for some reshoots.

Basche: "He sells the house out from under Molly and doesn't tell Molly or Jaden. He's like, 'Get the money for the reshoots.' He's like, 'Uh huh. It'll be fine. It'll be fine.' He's very positive."   

His judgment as a father is also in doubt when he decides to move into Santa Monica Terrace, a bachelor-centric apartment complex that's probably not the best placed for 7-year-old daughter Jaden to stay during her visits. Molly's love interest Zach also lives here.

Basche: "Zach's divorced and he lives there in the penthouse apartment. I'm divorced and I live there in the penthouse apartment. If one needs sugar, you knock on Charlie Sheen's door. It's that kind of place ... But Kenny's a good dad. He's a little aloof, but he's there and he shows up and he makes the time and he's fiercely protective of his daughter. There's a really great, fun moment when a kid at the pool is giving my daughter a hard time, and even though his last name is Spielberg I push him right in the pool."

Lastly, Kenny must deal with the residual feelings he has for Molly, especially now that she has a new man in her life.

Basche: "You spend ten years with somebody, even at the end if it's ugly, at some point you realize, 'I was really head-over-heels in love with that person.' And that doesn't go away so easily. I like that layer of love underneath there with Molly. I say I'm not jealous about Zach, her new boyfriend. C'mon. Of course I'm jealous, and that comes out later."

Jaden Kagan (Brielle Barbusca)

Molly and Kenny's 7-year-old daughter attends the Starting Gate School where she befriends the daughter of Zach and continues to learn how to deal with the drama her parents bring into her life. Because of re-casting, for some reason Jaden occasionally has a New York accent.

Lou Manahan (Joe Mantegna)

The incredible chemistry between Lou and Molly gets revisited for three episodes thanks to Mantegna taking a break from his work on Criminal Minds. Now that Sam's out of the picture, let's see if Lou still has his mind on Molly or his job.

THE NEW

Zach McNeill (Hart Bochner)

Molly's new man is a successful writer who's now divorced and also has a 7-year-old daughter who's a friend of Jaden. He invites her to his published writers group meetings at his home, where he discovers her unique writing talents.

Bochner: "He was one of those guys who lives in fear of suffering from the Orson Welles syndrome, sort of living your career backwards. He was a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. His first screenplay gets made into a movie, he gets nominated for an Oscar and, you know, there's that fear that most people in the creative areas feel, which is that they're frauds and that they're going to be found out.

"If you hit a dry patch in your career, all that starts to wreak havoc on you. So for Zach, my character, I think what he finds in Debra's character, in Molly, is his muse. She gets him writing again.  he taps into him emotionally in a way that makes him feel safe and admired and loved. While I've been having these dalliances with, you know, sort of younger babes, there's something about this girl which hooks me."

David Shea (Daniel Gerroll)

This British celebrity with a drinking problem gets foisted upon Joan, who is alternately horrified and fascinated by this man who has a stripper pole in his home.

Gerroll: "He's an English, London-based movie star who lives in Santa Monica who has a bit of a drunk and philandering problem. And he's busted for drunk driving by two rather butch female cops, and he makes off-color remarks and gets thrown in the back. And then he's sent to rehab, and that's where Judy Davis' character, who she herself is in recovery and part of being in recovery is to work at the rehab place. She's assigned to this asshole to wrangle him. And the great thing is that his character just falls for her. He spends the time either trying to escape from rehab or seducing her. And she's just beastly to me all the time, which doesn't put me off."

Liz Marsh (Danielle Nicolet)

Unlike the other wives at school, Molly's newest friend Liz never shuns her, even if she is still married to a successful athlete. An unfortunate incident, however, puts Liz's relationships -- both with Molly and Liz's husband Devon -- in jeopardy.

Nicolet: "Liz doesn't have a clue anymore how to like herself because so much of her sense of self has been as it's reflected in her husband's eyes. So she gets progressively more insecure, and the less time he has to reassure her, the less comfortable she feels. Fortunately she meets Molly and has a new friend and some place to go with all of that.

"Liz, in a few ways she evolves. And one way certainly is her relationship with Devon. It goes to a very deep valley and then it sort of peaks again and comes down again.  Her level of insecurity gets higher and higher and higher throughout the season, until finally there's an eruption and the beginning of a healing."

As Molly's new friend, Liz naturally must learn to get along with Rodney and Joan.

Nicolet: "In a lot of ways Liz is so, like, new kid on the block, new kid at school.  So to a certain extent Rodney and Joan kind of haze her, which, it's who they are. You can't not.  And thank goodness Liz has Molly to protect her.  But Liz is full of drama, and Joan loves drama, so they kind of connect on that level.  And Rodney sort of loves having a new toy to play with, so that's kind of what Liz is for him."

Felix Jones (James Black)

Rodney's newest crush is not only his client, but also an action movie star with a girlfriend. Oops. But Felix has a secret that he shares with Rodney whenever he visits to consult on the bathroom redesign.

Black: "I am the lead actor of the series Dark Acts. Dark Acts I, Dark Acts II, Dark Acts III.  So Dark Acts, I wield axes and swords and I go to a gunfight with a sword. It's the first time I've played a character that is trying desperately to keep inside of the closet.

"I'm guessing in this world of action star, if middle America knew that the action star that they went to see kill the bad guy likes to, you know, play with butterflies, they wouldn't watch him anymore, and his life is over. My close boys know [the truth], and you know, if you get paid enough money, everybody's happy. They got my back on the show, and then my girlfriend finds out, and it gets ugly."

Devon Marsh (Reggie Austin)

Devon's job as a professional baseball player has caused him to move to Los Angeles, bringing more fun and fame for him, but stress for his wife Liz. Their relationship is tested when a scandalous rumor hits the Internet.

Austin: "I play Devon Marsh who is the all-star relief pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, traded from the Yankees I think. And, yeah, I come into town and I'm this big upstart guy. Liz Marsh, my wife has to deal with being the wife of this famous person, in this case, an athlete, somewhat similar to what Debra had to go through in the miniseries being [the wife of] the big-time producer and whatnot. So [Liz and Molly] sort of help each other out in terms of just dealing with being in the spotlight in that way, and she's a little jealous, I guess, because of my fame and whatnot.

"So, that's a bit of an issue over the course of the series. When you're a professional athlete, you have to deal with fans and people fawning over you, and stuff like that, and that does come into play. But I guess I'll say, I mean Devon and Liz I feel like do have a really good marriage. I feel like it's probably one of the strongest relationships on the show. So, you root for them."

Cindy (Alysia Reiner)

Cindy, like Molly, is another starter wife who has to figure out how to earn a living so she can care for her children. Trivia Tidbit: Reiner, who plays Cindy, is also the wife of David Alan Basche, who plays Kenny.

Reiner: "Cindy's a girl who similarly her husband gallivanted off with a younger woman, is divorced and has nothing, no money. She's working at the Starting Gate School, doing that so my kids can continue to go there. And it's a great example of a woman who will go to any lengths to keep up that appearance really just for her kids, so they get the life that she really thinks is important to them.

"In one episode there's a little bit of a story about a [Hollywood charity] benefit. But because Molly and Cindy are starter wives, they get relegated to the back.  So they are the farthest away from the podium, all the way in the back in the cheap seats. I think it's just a dead-on social commentary about what's really important. Is it your status and how far you are or how close you are to the podium, or is it how money you raise for a worthy cause?"

Guest Stars

Frasier actress Jane Leeves will visit for the last few episodes, and Eddie Cibrian, who currently appears as Hilda's love interest Coach Diaz on Ugly Betty, will come in for the final three episodes of the season.

Writer Josie McGibbon: "He plays a cop and, you know, and Molly is in no position to flirt or have any relationship. She's got her hands full but there's still, you know, we hope a twinkle. When we showed Debra [Messing] the picture of him saying, 'Look, who's coming on as Detective LaRoche.' She said, 'Oh, what a very nice looking young man.'"

The Starter Wife debuts on USA on Friday, Oct. 10.

For more check out Zap2it's Starter Wife interview with Debra Messing, The Starter Wife Set Visit photos and The Starter Wife photos.