With Showtime's The Big C wrapping up, that leaves John Benjamin Hickey available for his next big role. The actor, who plays Laura Linney's character's brother Sean in the dramedy, has signed on for a key role in The CW's pilot Blink, a drama that centers on a man in a coma. Hickey will play the comatose man.
Written by Vera Herbert, Blink centers on a man named Greg who ends up in a coma (or a "coma-like syndrome") after a car accident. While he can't speak or move, he can see and hear everything around him. The drama involves Greg's narration and certain fantasy sequences coming from his mind, which tie into the conflicts presented in the story as his family's life plays out while he lays motionless in a bed. Madeline Carroll has previously been cast to play the lead in the drama, as Greg's teen daughter. And this week, Deadline says Hickey is on board to play Greg.
In addition to playing Cathy's quirky brother Sean in The Big C, Hickey's credits include playing Beca's dad in Pitch Perfect as well as recurring roles in The New Normal, The Good Wife and The Mob Doctor. This is good casting news for the pilot, as Hickey has proven to be adept at balancing drama with humor, which made him a great fit for his role in The Big C, a series that manages to mix comedy with the drama and heartache of a terminal medical condition. The Showtime series is expected to wrap up with The Big C: Hereafter sometime this year. Should Blink go to series, that'll keep the actor in the CBS Corporation family, as Showtime and the CW are both owned by CBS.
