FORMER FERRIS MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER TO APPEAR IN FOX TV SERIES

Jeff Hephner Cast In This Summer’s Upcoming Television Drama Series, “The Jury”

Jeff Hephner is cast as assistant district attorney Keenan O'Brien in “The Jury” (Photo Courtesy Foxnow.com)

Hephner, whose recent film credits include “Tigerland” (2000), “The Outlands” (2002) and “Maid in Manhattan” (2002), plays assistant district attorney Keenan O’Brien in the series. The project also stars Adam Busch (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), Shalom Harlow (“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”), Billy Burke (“24”) and Cote de Paulo. The 20th Century Fox Television project, which is executive produced by Academy Award-winning director Barry Levinson (“Rain Man”) and Emmy Award-winning writer Tom Fontana (“Oz”), examines the legal process through the eyes of jury members. The network has presently ordered six episodes of the pilot, which has been filmed on location in New York City along with Bayonee, N.J., since December 2003.

The initial 60-minute episode is currently scheduled to premiere nationwide on Fox Tuesday, June 8, at 9 p.m. (EDT), according to an announcement made Monday (April 19) by Fox Entertainment President Gail Berman for the Hollywoodreporter.com. The news came as Fox Broadcasting Company forges ahead with its master plan to shift to a year-round programming schedule featuring June 8 as the start date for its rollout of six new comedy, drama and unscripted series’ to run during the summer months.

Burke, who has recent co-starring stints on “24”, “Gilmore Girls” and “Karen Sisco”, will play assistant district attorney John Ranguso. Busch, who played the evil Warren on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, is Steve Dixon while de Paulo plays Maugerite Cisneros and Harlow takes the role of Melissa Greenfield. Levinson directs the series and guest stars as Judge Horatio Hawthorne. Fontana and Levinson, who collaborated on recent shows such as “Homicide: Life on the Street” and “Oz”, are joined as executive producers by Jim Finnerty and James Yoshimura in the pilot, which was written by Fontana and Yoshimura.

Hephner was a member of the Bulldogs' 1997-98 GLIAC Tourney Championship Team

“The Jury” is set in New York City and brings the viewers into the jury room allowing them to form their own opinions about the guilt or innocence of the defendant and the validity of the jury’s ultimate verdict by watching the deliberators shout, beg, squirm, persuade and vote until they reach a decision in each gripping case. Each case is argued between the fiery prosecutors, John Ranguso (Burke) and Keenan O'Brien (Hephner), and defense attorney Melissa Greenfield (Harlow), who has gone into private practice after a long tour of duty in the legal aid office. Other courtroom regulars include bailiff Steve Dixon (Busch), legal intern Maugerite Cisneros (de Paulo) and Horatio Hawthorne (Levinson), the upstanding, no-nonsense judge whose unrelenting purpose is to direct the jury to consider only the facts, not their emotions, in rendering a verdict. Each episode opens at the end of a trial and then follows the jury in their deliberations as the facts of the case are revealed through flashbacks of expert testimony, pre-trial conferences, witnesses' recollections along with police interrogations. A new set of rotating lawyers presents a different case to a brand new jury each episode with the series’ regulars providing an anchoring presence for weekly viewers.

“The Jury” will depart from the conventions of other courtroom dramas by focusing predominantly on the experiences of everyday people in a jury pool, rather than on the often-complicated tactics and procedures of legal professionals. The courtroom scenes for the new series were shot on a soundstage in Bayonne, the facility previously used for “Oz”, while location shooting took place in New York City.

The 6-3 Hephner appeared in 42 games during his three-year Bulldog playing career. He served as the squad’s team captain during the 1998-99 campaign and totaled 58 points along with 27 rebounds as an FSU player. The Sand Creek High School product previously played two seasons at Calvin College before transferring to Ferris State. Hephner, who redshirted during the 1996-97 campaign, was a member of the Bulldogs’ 1997-98 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament championship team which posted a 21-12 overall record and a fourth-place (10-8) GLIAC North Division finish.

A college roommate and former teammate of current FSU assistant men’s basketball coach Cory Anderson, Hephner presently resides in New York City. Second-year FSU head coach Bill Sall, who guided the Bulldogs to a 14-14 overall record and the GLIAC North Division championship in 2003-04, served as a Bulldog assistant coach during Hephner’s initial two seasons at Ferris State.