Nat Faxon joins 'Spy'

Many of you will recognize Nat Faxon from his title role on the recently-cancelled sitcom 'Ben and Kate.' Some more of you will recognize him from an hilarious string of Holiday Inn Express commercials called the Business Guys (youtube them and have a chuckle). Likely most of you will be shocked to learn that this funnyman has won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for 2011's 'The Descendents.' And now, Nat Faxon is joining the cast of the upcoming ABC comedy pilot 'Spy.'

Faxon has won a guest role (with option to recur) in 'Spy,' the Rob Cordry vehicle based on the British comedy series. The story centers on Tim (Rob Corddry), a well-intentioned father of a highly intelligent and verbal son, Marcus (Mason Cook), who inadvertently takes a job at the Secret Service in order to prove himself a worthy father. Tim has split from Marcus' mother (played by Paget Brewster) and she has begun dating the Principal at Marcus' school... and this is where Faxon comes in.

Faxon plays the new boyfriend of Tim's ex-wife who desperately wants to be friends with Tim. It's a nice switch from the idea of the new boyfriend acting pleasant in front of the ex-wife and then becoming an arrogant ass when the ex-husband is alone; Faxon's awkward comedic delivery seems much better suited to being a bit of a suck-up.

On the breakdown for the pilot, Faxon's role was listed as a guest star with a series option. Should 'Spy' be picked up and go to series, it is very likely that Faxon's character would return sporadically. This guest role is the only that Faxon selected after being petitioned for multiple pilots this season, as the actor and writer doesn't want a full-time television gig interfering with his projects in Hollywood.