J. August Richards

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Jane Kaczmarek, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Gloria Reuben lead the cast of Steven Bochco’s new legal drama for TNT.

Written by Bochco and lawyer-writer David Feige, author of the 2006 book "Indefensible," the untitled project revolves around young lawyers who have been friends since law school but now work on opposing sides.

An Emmy nominee for each of her seven seasons on Fox’s comedy "Malcolm in the Middle," Kaczmarek is making a dramatic turn with the TNT project, playing a stylish, imperious and slightly crazy judge who runs her courtroom like her own private fiefdom.

Kaczmarek has experience playing a judge as she voices occasional "Simpsons" character Judge Constance Harm.

In his third starring turn with Bochco after ABC’s "NYPD Blue" and "Commander in Chief," Gosselaar will play a charismatic and fiercely idealistic public defender who frequently finds himself pitted against the vicissitudes and injustices of an unwieldy bureaucracy. Gosselaar also appeared on Bochco’s Iraq War drama "Over There" for FX.

Reuben, a two-time Emmy nominee for her supporting role as a physician’s assistant on "ER," will play the funny, bright and savvy head of the public defender’s office who monitors the other public defenders’ case loads and lives.

Also cast were Melissa Sagemiller (Showtime’s "Sleeper Cell"); Currie Graham ("NYPD Blue"); Teddy Sears ("Firehouse Dog"); J. August Richards (WB Network’s "Angel"); and Jonathan Scarfe (TNT’s "Into the West").