Freddie Prinze Jr. is sweeps gold, or at least that’s what ABC is hoping.

Sarah Michelle Gellar’s husband is set to return to the network’s freshman legal drama on Feb. 20.

In the episode titled “Tortured Souls,” Prinze will reprise his role as Donny Crane, a young attorney who believed for 25 years that his father was super-lawyer Denny Crane (Emmy winner William Shatner). In an October episode, Donny discovered that he wasn’t actually Denny’s son, and he’s back to make his not-quite-father pay, facing him in an important trial.

Prinze’s first appearance on “Boston Legal” on Oct. 17 drew 11.1 million viewers, providing a major bump from the previous week’s episode, which had attracted 11 million viewers.

Further proof of the patented Prinze Nielsen magic came the next week when “Boston Legal’s” viewership plummeted to 10.8 million.

Other credits for Prinze include “Summer Catch,” “Head Over Heels” (with “Boston Legal” co-star Monica Potter) and both films in the “Scooby-Doo” series.

In other ABC casting news, Wynonna Judd is taping a guest spot on “Hope & Faith.”

In the two-part episode titled “Wife Swap,” the country superstar plays a Manhattan socialite who swaps lives with Faith Ford’s Hope for a reality television show. Hilarity, one can hardly doubt, ensues.

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Broadcast groups are counting on great public interest in Martha Stewart after her release from prison. The domestic diva’s upcoming NBC Universal Television talk show is selling well, with clearances in more than half of the country.

NBC Universal reports that it has pre-sold the hour-long series to 60 percent of the country, including stations from a number of leading broadcast station groups such as Hearst-Argyle, Gannett, Scripps Howard, Belo, Freedom, CBS, Young, Clear Channel, Meredith and Milwaukee Journal.

Those stations join the previously announced NBC owned and operated stations in markets including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

“The station community is very excited about Martha’s return to daytime television in fall 2005,” says Barry Wallach, president of NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution. “With the first half of the U.S. sales now completed, Martha’s return has been enthusiastically endorsed by top stations all across the country, ensuring an unsurpassed launching pad.”

Stewart is expected to be executive producer of the new show along with “Survivor” and “Commando Nanny” guru Mark Burnett. Stewart will go through her usual cooking, renovating and decorating tips in front of a live studio audience. The show also is expected to have an interactive component, which will allow Stewart to get up close and personal with the audience and with special guests.

“We have legions of loyal Martha Stewart fans, and they are overjoyed to have Martha back on the air this September,” says Heidi Diamond, television president at Martha Stewart Omnimedia. “Her loyal viewers have never wavered and are eagerly anticipating the arrival of her new daytime program. The new show format also promises to appeal to new viewers who will embrace our interactive and inspiring approach to home and lifestyle programming.”

Stewart is nearing the end of a five-month jail sentence for obstructing justice.