•• CBS’ “American Gothic” is adding to its cast. The straight-to-series drama has enlisted Virginia Madsen to co-star, The Hollywood Reporter has learned, with Matt Shakman set to direct the pilot.

Set to air in the summer, American Gothic centers on a prominent Boston family attempting to redefine itself in the wake of a chilling discovery that links their recently deceased patriarch to a string of murders spanning decades, amid mounting suspicion that one of them may have been his accomplice.

Virginia Madsen will play Madeline, a warm, intelligent Boston matriarch who is fiercely protective of both her family and her social standing. She joins a cast that also includes Justin Chatwin, Megan Ketch, Antony Starr, Juliet Rylance, Stephanie Leonidas and Gabriel Bateman.

Corinne Brinkerhoff (The Good Wife) will pen the script and executive produce alongside Amblin’s Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank (The Americans, Under the Dome, Extant), James Frey and Todd Cohen.

Virginia Madsen’s credits include her Oscar and Golden Globe-nominated role in Sideways and TV parts on Witches of East End, Hell on Wheels and more. Repped by UTA and Untitled, she can be seen onscreen in Jennifer Lawrence’s Joy.

Shakman’s directing credits include Fargo, Mad Men and The Good Wife. American Gothic is expected to join fellow rookie BrainDead, from The Good Wife creators Robert and Michelle King, and returning drama Zoo on CBS’ summer schedule.

Virginia Madsen, 48, plays married-to-the-mini-mob mom Cheryl West who tries to make her family go straight in “Scoundrels,” ABC’s new summer dramedy in ” Desperate Housewives'” Sunday evening slot. The veteran film actress talks about why network television has been a great place to land at this point in her career — much to her own surprise.

How did your role in “Scoundrels” come about?

I did a series with Ray Liotta called “Smith.” That was three or four years ago, and that was canceled right away. It was another show of criminals, but it was real bad guys — larceny, murder and explosions and all this stuff. It just wasn’t, for either one of us, creatively satisfying. So it was like, OK, I tried that, I’m not interested in that anymore.

So when this show came along I was like, I don’t know about network TV. I have friends who work on shows like that, and they were like, ‘Oh, my God, you don’t want to do this job.’ The hours are insane. And network TV is very corporate — you’re very much a hired hand. I just put all the negatives on the table.

So it was a leap of faith. And man, it paid off. Because I had so much fun making this show. I found my hours weren’t crazy. My favorite way to work is in an ensemble. When I was doing lead roles, when I was an ingénue, that wasn’t a comfortable place for me to be. I don’t necessarily need to be the star. And when you work in an ensemble, it’s exciting and it’s fun and it’s creative, and I work really well as a team. I like the family feeling. Continue Reading  

Just a reminder to all the VMad fans. Scoundrels premieres tonight at 9|8c on ABC followed by the series premiere of The Gates. Come meet Cheryl West (Virginia) and her family!!