Debra Jo Rupp & Andrea Anders Join Cast of CBS' Comedy Pilot CUZ-BROS

According to Deadline, Debra Jo Rupp and Andrea Anders have just signed on to join Geoff Stults in CBS' upcoming comedy pilot CUZ-BROS.

The project "centers on Nick (Stults), a successful, suave ladies man working as a sportscaster for a local Los Angeles TV station whose perfect life gets turned upside down when his mess of a cousin needs a place to stay. Rupp plays Merle, Nick's sweet, no-nonsense, widowed mother who lives nearby. Anders plays Stacey, the smart, tough lead anchor of the local news in L.A. where Nick does the sports."

Rupp appeared on Broadway with Kathleen Turner and Charles Durning in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. She starred off-Broadway in Cynthia Heimel's A Girl's Guide to Chaos (American Place), Frankie and Johnnie in the Clair de Lune (Westside Arts), The Butcher of Baraboo (Second Stage) directed by Judith Ivey, and in several regional productions, most recently, on the east coast, at Williamstown, Barrington Stage Company and Hartford Stage. She most recently starred in BECOMING DR. RUTH Off-Broadway.

Rupp has made over 300 television appearances and is probably best known for her role as the beloved high-strung mom "Kitty Forman" in the long- running FOX comedy series "That 70's Show." In addition to "That 70's Show," Debra Jo was a series regular on the ABC comedy, "Better With You," "The Office" with Valerie Harper, "The Jeff Foxworthy Show" and "If Not for You" with Elizabeth McGovern and Hank Azaria. She recently guest-starred on the CW's "Hart of Dixie." Other notable appearances include Seinfeld's booking agent, "Katie," and Phoebe's sister-in-law on "Friends." Sally Field directed her in HBO's acclaimed series "From the Earth to the Moon," and she is listed as "crowd member" and actually got to go to the 2004 World Series and watch her Red Sox win. Debra Jo appears in the independent feature, Congratulations, which made its world premiere at the Austin Film Festival and continues on the festival circuit and just completed A Bet's a BET with Jennifer Finnigan. Other film credits include She's Out of My League, Jackson, the award-winning short The Act, Kickin' it Old Skool with Jamie Kennedy, Clockwatchers with Toni Collette and Parker Posey, Spymate, Lucky Thirteen with Lauren Graham, Sgt. Bilko with Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd; and her first film ever, Big, with the lovely Tom Hanks. Her voice can be heard in the Emmy-winning "Teacher's Pet" with Nathan Lane (both cartoon and feature film), "Garfield," "Air Buddies" and various other projects with tiny animals. Debra Jo is represented by Stone Manners Salners, Wright Entertainment, Inc. and Sendroff and Baruch, LLP.

Photo by Walter McBride