Dominic West may be headed back to pay-cable. The Wire actor has been tapped to star in Showtime's drama pilot The Affair, about a married man and father whose life changes drastically when he meets a woman he thinks might be his soul mate. Judging by the title, things progress - or regress, depending on your point of view on infidelity - substantially from there.
The Affair is written by Sara Treem, based on a comment by Treem and Hagai Levi. It's described as a "provocative, one-hour relationship drama," which will be told separately from the male and female perspective. Showtime announced today that West will play the male lead, Noah, a good husband, devoted father of four and New York City high school teacher who encounters a woman he feels connected with. He'll presumably get caught up in a relationship with her.
West is credited for a number of feature roles, including The Forgotten, 300 and Rock Star, but many of us know him best for his lead role in HBO's The Wire, playing Jimmy McNulty. Since then, he went on to star in BBC's The Hour. Should The Affair go to series, that'll not only put him back on U.S. television, but also in a starring role on a premium cable channel. Though this one sounds like it'll be very different in tone than The Wire, it's going with a great male lead. Now we'll just have to wait and see who's cast to star opposite him as the woman Noah falls for.
