‘Rebel’: Mary McDonnell, Adam Arkin, Matthew Glave & Jalen Thomas Brooks Join ABC Drama Series As Recurring

Denise Petski
·3 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: ABC is rounding out its recurring cast for its new Katey Sagal-starring series Rebel. Mary McDonnell, Adam Arkin, Matthew Glave and Jalen Thomas Brooks have joined the cast of the series created by Krista Vernoff inspired by the life of Erin Brockovich today.

Rebel centers on Annie “Rebel” Bello (Sagal), a blue-collar legal advocate without a law degree. She’s a funny, messy, brilliant and fearless woman who cares desperately about the causes she fights for and the people she loves. When Rebel applies herself to a fight she believes in, she will win at almost any cost.

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Andy Garcia and Lex Scott Davis also star and Dan Bucatinsky recurs.

McDonnell will play Helen. Inspired by Rebel, Helen doesn’t let her own illness define her as she and her daughter fight for their lives and for justice.

Arkin, who also executive produces and directs the series, will play Mark Duncan, a silver fox, he is the CEO of the Stonemore Medical Corporation. He markets himself as an altruist and a philanthropist and strongly rejects Rebel’s assertion that his heart valve is doing harm.

Glave will portray Woodrow Flynn, a beat cop who sometimes helps Rebel in her work; he was Rebel’s first husband and is Nate’s father.

Brooks will play Sean, a sexy bad boy who is a member of Ziggie’s Narcotics Anonymous group, Sean is pretty obviously into her — even though they both know it’s a bad idea to date in the first year of recovery.

The series hails from Davis Entertainment, Sony Pictures TV and ABC Signature.

McDonnell is best known for her Oscar nominated performances in Dances With Wolves and Passion Fish, as well as her role as President Laura Roslin in the Peabody-winning Battlestar Galactica. She earned two Emmy nominations for her portrayals as Captain Sharon Raydor in TNT’s The Closer and as Eleanor Carter in NBC’s ER. McDonnell is repped by Anonymous Content, Innovative Artists and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.

Arkin received three Emmy nominations for his work in Chicago Hope, Northern Exposure and Frasier. His most recent credits include Law & Order: SVU, The Act, Masters of Sex and How To Get Away With Murder, among others. On the film side he’ll next be seen in the soon-to-be released Pig, and also appeared in A Serious Man, directed by The Coen brothers. His directing work includes episodes of Succession, Get Shorty, Billions, Fargo, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Grey’s Anatomy, and the Showtime television film My Louisiana Sky, for which he won an Emmy Award. He’s repped for acting by Gersh and Principal Entertainment LA.

Glave’s recent film credits include Damien Chazelle’s First Man, and indies Funny Story and International Falls. His previous credits include The Wedding Singer, The Way and Argo. His TV work includes Better Things, The Rookie, Angie Tribeca and Girlfriends Guide to Divorce. He also appeared in the Prentice Penny-directed Amazon feature Uncorked. Glave is repped by Principal Entertainment and Greene & Associates Talent Agency.

A busy Brooks just completed filming the upcoming fifth season of TNT’s Animal Kingdom in a recurring role alongside stars Shawn Hatosy, Ben Robson, Jake Weary, Finn Cole, Leila George, Rigo Sanchez and Jon Beavers. In the series, he plays Blaise, a natural daredevil and the de facto leader of a disaffected group of teenagers (groms) who roam Oceanside. Brooks is repped by Impact Artists Group and Skrzyniarz & Mallean.

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