JOLENE PURDY JOINS NEW USA NETWORK COMEDY SERIES "BENCHED"

UNIVERSAL CITY - February 21, 2014 - Jolene Purdy has been tapped as a series regular on USA Network's upcoming courtroom comedy BENCHED. Purdy will play Micah, an intern in the public defender's office. She joins previously announced Eliza Coupe ("Happy Endings"), Jay Harrington ("Better off Ted") and Oscar Nunez ("The Office"). BENCHED is from ABC Signature and The Mark Gordon Company.

Born and raised in Torrance, California Purdy began her career singing in the Disneyland California Adventure live action Aladdin production. She is perhaps best known for her role as Cherita Chen in the cult film "Donnie Darko" where she starred opposite Jake Gyllenhaal. Her television credits include appearances on "Breaking Bad," "Glee," "Raising Hope," "10 Things I Hate About You," as well as a series regular role on "Gigantic." Purdy can also be seen in the upcoming dramatic series "Under the Dome." She is repped by Don Buchwald & Associates and Vanguard Management.

BENCHED is a single-camera half-hour courtroom comedy that focuses on Nina (Coupe), a dedicated, career-driven corporate attorney who has a very public nervous breakdown after getting passed up for an expected promotion, and finds herself working as a public defender. Her personal and professional worlds are turned upside down when she joins the ranks of the legal world's underdogs and very quickly realizes that the law isn't quite as fair as she once thought. Jay Harrington stars as Nina's new colleague, Phil, a tall, dark and handsome, if not a little scruffy, public defender and avid gambler.

The series is from executive producers and writers Michaela Watkins ("Saturday Night Live," "Trophy Wife") and Damon Jones ("The Groundlings") and John Enbom, co-creator of the critically acclaimed comedy "Party Down," will join as executive producer and showrunner. Mark Gordon ("Grey's Anatomy," "Criminal Minds," "Ray Donovan") and Andrea Shay ("Family Tools") are executive producing for The Mark Gordon Company. BENCHED is from ABC Signature, a division of ABC Studios.

About USA Network:

The #1 network in all of basic cable for an unprecedented eight straight years, USA Network is seen in over 102 million U.S. homes. USA is a leader in scripted programming with a powerful stable of originals, spectacular live television and is home to the best in blockbuster theatrical films, a broad portfolio of acquired series and entertainment events. A trailblazer in digital innovation and storytelling, USA is defining, driving and setting the industry standard for Social TV. USA is a program service of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal. The award-winning website is located at http://www.usanetwork.com.

About ABC Signature Studios:

Established in January of this year, ABC Signature is ABC Studio's new boutique division headed by Tracy Underwood which spearheads development in cable, emerging platforms and off-cycle, lower cost programming for broadcast networks. Signature produced the drama OCCULT on location in New Orleans in June, and has several new projects in development.

About Mark Gordon:

The Mark Gordon Company is a film and television production company whose film credits include "Source Code," "The Messenger," "2012," "Saving Private Ryan," "Day After Tomorrow," "The Patriot," "Talk to Me," "The Painted Veil," "The Hoax," "Wonder Boys" and "Speed." Television credits include "Grey's Anatomy," "Ray Donovan," "Private Practice," "Criminal Minds" and "Army Wives."

Gordon is a five-time Emmy Award nominee with two wins and has been nominated for multiple Golden Globe Awards with two wins. He earned Academy Award and BAFTA nominations and won a Golden Globe for Best Picture as producer of "Saving Private Ryan."

Gordon is the President of the Producers Guild of America and serves on the boards of The Archer School for Girls and the Virginia Film Festival. He is the former chairman of Teach for America Los Angeles and has served on the boards of The UCLA Lab School, Chrysalis, and The Motion Picture and Television Fund. Gordon is the founder of Citizens of the World Charter Schools. Gordon is a co-founder of Intern Sushi, an innovative online resource that reinvents the internship application and hiring process.