Michael Clarke Duncan will guest star on 'Bones' in an episode that will serve as a backdoor pilot for a spinoff.

Duncan will play Leo, described as a cowboy philosopher. The proposed spinoff is based on 'The Locator' books by Richard Greener. The novels follow Walter Sherman, a former member of the military police. According to TVLine, the role of Walter has not yet been cast. Duncan's Leo is partners with the main character.

This could be the first regular TV gig for 'The Green Mile' star.

In other TV news ...

• Loretta Devine is returning to 'Grey's Anatomy.' The 'Boston Public' veteran is reprising her role of Adele Webber in a mid-February episode. [E! Online]

• In other ABC medical drama casting, Paula Malcolmson will guest on 'Private Practice.' The 'Caprica' star pops up in episode 14 as the wife of a convicted killer. [TV Guide]

• Eric Balfour has been tapped to guest on 'No Ordinary Family.' The '24' star will play Marcus Winnick, a death row inmate for two episodes. Look for him in March. [TV Guide]

In a bit of bizarre news, Liam Neeson will appear on Bravo's 'Watch What Happens Live' this Thursday (Midnight ET/Wed., 11PM CT) to promote his new film, 'Clash of the Titans.' Viewers will be able to send in their questions online for what will reportedly be his only TV interview. The episode airs following the season 2 premiere of 'Top Chef Masters' (11PM ET). [TV Guide]

More casting news after the jump.

Long-time actor Esai Morales has appeared in so much science-fiction, it must be old-hat by now. He's been in 'The Twilight Zone', 'The Outer Limits', 'Jericho', 'The Hunger', and 'Doomsday Man', just to name a few. Now he adds the cerebral 'Caprica' to the list, a show that takes on the daunting task of following the incredible nerd-success of 'Battlestar Galactica'. Filmed in Vancouver, 'Caprica' is technically the prequel to 'BSG', and it establishes the history of many beloved (and some not-so-beloved) characters.

Morales plays Joseph Adama, father to William Adama (who was played by Edward James Olmos in 'BSG'). In the first season, Joseph must deal with several unsettling issues – the death of his daughter in a 'terrorist' subway train bombing, raising his son properly throughout the aftermath, the resurrection of his daughter via Cylon technology – while attempting to maintain a semblance of normalcy.

AOL TV caught up with Morales to talk about how he approached playing such a legendary character, and why some naysayer 'BSG' fans should shut up and give 'Caprica' a chance.

I know we've been hearing about Caprica for the last nineteen years or so (exaggeration, save your comments), but it's been one of those TBD projects, where network execs would say, "Someday we'll get to it depending on how the ratings go for Battlestar Galactica's final season, and if we need to make more room for wrestling or gimmicky game shows like Estate of Panic and Cha$e. See, those shows cost us about twenty-six bucks apiece to make and this show could be costly."

It makes sense to be cautious. Despite high critical praise, the parent series has slipping ratings and continues to be snubbed by major awards. But it looks like the powers that be at Sci Fi have finally decided to greenlight the Caprica series. Considering BSG isn't on the air at all right now, I'm not sure what helped them commit to this decision today. Maybe they looked and they just realized that their latest two major projects were Cha$e and Estate of Panic and it put them in ... well ... a state of panic. "This is Sci Fi," they may have declared. "How about we try that kind of programming?"

Early last month I posted a casting call sheet for the upcoming Battlestar Galactica prequel show, Caprica. In that list was a call for Amanda Graystone, a "surgeon with a volatile streak to her" who is "something of a double agent." Well, you can scratch that one off the list of openings, as Paula Malcomson (Trixie of Deadwood and Jerri of John From Cincinnati) has been cast in the role.

My interest in Caprica hinges on how Battlestar Galactica concludes; will I really want to know more about how it all began? I could see them putting us in a place that has us craving for more, though it's likely Caprica is meant to stand on its own and without having to follow too many rules set by the BSG events. Hopefully I'm wrong.