'Ugly Betty' star America Ferrera is joining 'The Good Wife.' But, it's not as a new lawyer or poor soul of a client: Ferrera is joining the cast as a romantic interest for Eli (Alan Cumming).

According to Entertainment Weekly, Ferrera will play Natalie, a graduate student who catches Eli's eye. The Emmy-winner will appear in an episode next month along with 'Seinfeld' veteran Jerry Stiller. This is Ferrera's first TV gig since the end of 'Ugly Betty.'

"It's thrilling to have two actors who combine such dramatic and comedic ability," Robert King, co-creator and executive producer of 'The Good Wife,' said in a statement. "We've been watching and loving America for years now on 'Ugly Betty,' and it'll be fantastic to see her take on a completely different role - especially one that puts her across from Alan Cumming."

Stiller will play a judge who has a problem staying awake while on the bench. His character will preside over one of Diane's (Christine Baranski) cases. So far Stiller is just contracted for one episode.

"And Jerry Stiller is our dream judge," he said. "It was great when we got to stop saying 'We need a Jerry Stiller-type in the role' and just got Jerry Stiller."

In other TV news ...

• John Goodman has joined the cast of 'Damages.' Goodman will play a CEO of a shady military contractor and a defendant in a wrongful death suit after an incident in a war zone. [USA Today]

• 'NCIS' pulled in its biggest audience ever: 22 million viewers. The CBS drama, now in season 8, helped the network win the night in overall viewers. [CBS]

• In other surprising ratings news, the return of 'The Game' on BET was seen by 7.7 million viewers. The former CW show averaged less than 2 million viewers during its third season. [Deadline Hollywood]

• Dick Vitale will stick with ESPN through the 2014-2015 season. In 1979 Vitale called ESPN's first major NCAA game. "Simply put, Dick Vitale is college basketball," Norby Williamson, executive vice president of ESPN said. [Deadline Hollywood]

• Leven Rambin has been tapped to recur on 'One Tree Hill.' Rambin will play a woman Brooke encounters while exploring her adoption options. [TVLine]

• Ready for a 'Dynasty' movie? Well, those shoulder pads shouldn't be busted out just yet -- the film will be set in the 1960s! The prequel will Blake and his love affair with Alexis. "It's not the wild and crazy 1960s, but the early Kennedy years," 'Dynasty' creator Richard Shapiro said. [E! Online]

• FX's 'Lights Out' fizzled in ratings. The boxing drama debuted to 1.5 million viewers, fewer than the now canceled 'Terriers.' [EW]