Richard Dean Anderson Un-Retires for Real

There's exciting news out in cyberspace for fans of Richard Dean Anderson. Fancast is reporting that the once-retired thespian is returning to acting this in the role of David Smith, a mysterious sort who shows up shortly after the death of Kate Reed's father in the USA Network series, "Facing Kate".

Reed is played by Sarah Shahi, a former Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader who has appeared on "The L Word" and "The Sopranos." In the show, Reed has become a mediator, giving up the life of a flight litigator after becoming disenchanted by the injustices of the system. As the storyline for David Smith progresses, it's revealed that he has closer ties to Reed's family than anyone knows.

Technically, Anderson has been doing some acting for his Stargate family. As the story goes, he retired from acting after eight seasons starring as General Jack O'Neill on Stargate SG-1. The reason for the retirement was personal and dealt with the needs of his adorable young daughter. A couple of years later, she was the one who suggested Dad go back to work.

That 'okay' prompted Anderson to make a few small appearances on Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. With the advent of Stargate Universe in 2009, he agreed to do a recurring role as O'Neill. Still, it's a role Anderson can sleepwalk through, and many fans of Anderson and the character are ambivalent towards it.

Outside of a surprise appearance for a MacGruber skit on "Saturday Night Live" and a commercial for Super Bowl Sunday as "MacGyver" a couple of years ago, Anderson has remained retired. The news of his new role, a clear indication the man may finally be resurfacing for real, is good news.

The word is that Anderson will appear on at least five episodes of "Facing Kate" which just began filming in Vancouver last week. The show has a shoot order for 11 episodes, as well as a 90-minute pilot. It's not known if Anderson shows up in the pilot or when the series will hit the air.