He'll play Alyssa Milano's dad; Jay Harrington goes to work

A pair of ABC comedies have bolstered their casts, with Beau Bridges joining Alyssa Milano in one show and Jay Harrington taking the lead in the other.

Bridges and Meagen Fay have signed on an untitled show from writer Kristin Newman ("How I Met Your Mother"). Harrington, meanwhile, will star in the untitled Victor Fresco workplace comedy, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In the Newman pilot, Milano -- who had a recurring part on "My Name Is Earl" this season -- will play a woman trying to break free from her overbearing family and unpleasant job. Fellow "Earl" actor Bridges will play her dad, while Fay ("Malcolm in the Middle") will play his new fiancee.

A three-time Emmy winner (including one for "My Name Is Earl"), Bridges has also appeared in "Stargate SG-1," "The Fabulous Baker Boys," "The Agency" and "The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom" (for which he own another Emmy).

The Fresco pilot centers on Harrington's character, a decent guy who's the head of research and development for a not-very-decent corporation. The show has also added Malcolm Barrett ("The Sketch Show") and Jonathan Slavin (Fresco's "Andy Richter Controls the Universe") as two of Harrington's co-workers.

Harrington starred in the NBC adaptation of "Coupling" and the cult FOX series "The Inside." He's also appeared on "Desperate Housewives" and "Summerland."