After being referred to as “The Benefactor” on ABC’s newest ShondaLand drama, The Catch, Variety has confirmed that English actor John Simm has been cast in the role. He will first appear in the show’s sixth episode and will continue his run through the last of the show’s ten-episode run for its first season.
The show has yet to be renewed by ABC.
The Benefactor has been the one who has been footing the bill for Ben (Peter Krause) and Margot (Sonya Walger) while they do their financial schemes. Ben and Margot are too indebted to Simm’s character, and he’s arriving on the scene to collect his payments.
Showrunner Allan Heinberg was excited about the casting, saying “He’s one of my all-time favorite actors. I’ve wanted to work with him my whole professional life, and I could not be more grateful for that. We’re getting a great guest cast.”
When the show first premiered, it premiered to modest ratings. According to TV by the Numbers, the show premiered to 1.2 rating in the demo and was viewed by 5.85 million viewers. Its second episode, which aired on March 31, fell in the ratings, with a 1.0 rating in the demo and was viewed by 5.07 million viewers, also according to TV by the Numbers.
For those who want to catch up on The Catch, the show’s first two episodes are available for streaming on Hulu.
The Catch centers around Alice Vaughan (Mireille Enos), a private investigator for a firm who was duped out of all her money by her fiance, who she thought was named Christopher. Instead, she found out that her fiance’s name is Ben and he was conning her throughout their relationship.
The show focuses on her attempt to catch Ben from conning other people out of their money while trying to keep her job as a private investigator and separate her professional and personal lives.
Simm is known for his work on British television series, including Doctor Who, where he starred alongside David Tennant while he was still on the show.
The Catch airs Thursday nights at 10 p.m. as part of the networks TGIT lineup. The two-hour season finale is set to air on Thursday May 19.