Merrin Dungey has a new role on her resume. The former King of Queens star has joined the cast of the still-untitled Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot, Deadline announced. Dungey, 54, will play Ms. LaDuca, the college counselor at New Sunnydale Academy, in the pilot for the Hulu reboot.
The outlet noted that Dungey, Audrey Hsieh, and Audrey Grace Marshall will all be guest stars in the pilot but will have recurring roles if the show is greenlit as a series. Ryan Kiera Armstrong will star as the new slayer, Nova, in the show, with original star Sarah Michelle Gellar co-starring and executive producing the project.
On Aug. 12, Dungey posted a teaser to Instagram, telling fans, “The news is out!! I’m so excited to be a part of the Buffy-verse!!”
The original Buffy series aired on the WB from 1997 to mid-2001, then resumed on UPN until 2003. During that time, Dungey had a recurring role in the CBS sitcom The King of Queens as Kelly Palmer, the wife of Doug Heffernan’s (Kevin James) best friend Deacon (Victor Williams).
Merrin Dungey Left ‘The King of Queens’ to Join ‘Alias’
In 2001, Dungey‘s role on The King of Queens was scaled back when she landed a main role on the ABC spy thriller Alias. In the Season 4 King of Queens episode “Double Downer,” her character, Kelly, left Deacon. The sitcom featured an ongoing storyline about the couple’s divorce until Alias wrapped. Dungey returned to The King of Queens in Season 6 and appeared in 40 episodes total.
She later had recurring roles on Malcom in the Middle, Summerland, The Resident, and The Fix before joining Shining Vale as series regular, Kam, in 2022.
Dungey previously talked about getting “juicier” parts after years of playing friends and wives. “I’ve played my share of goodie-goodies and best friends and wives as well,” she said in a 2018 interview with Assignment X. “But when you get something to play, when you just get something delicious to chew on, it’s much more exciting.”
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