New Billy Ray Cyrus Comedy ‘Still The King’ Casts Joey Lauren Adams as His “Queen”

While Billy Ray Cyrus seeks to prove he’s Still The King, in his new CMT comedy series of the same name, he’ll also be a royal pain for a former lover.

Golden Globe-nominated actress Joey Lauren Adams (Dazed and Confused, Chasing Amy), who recently guest starred on Grey’s Anatomy, has been cast opposite Cyrus as the female lead of his show as Debbie Lynn Cook. Debbie is a single mother living with her younger and unemployed boyfriend, Ronnie, and a 15-year-old daughter, Charlotte. Her life changes when Charlotte’s biological father, Vernon Brown (Billy Ray Cyrus), suddenly reappears into her life.

As Brown, nicknamed Burnin’ Vernon, Cyrus will play “a scandal-ridden washed up one-hit wonder who is kicked out of country music, only to emerge 20 years later as the second best Elvis impersonator in Laughlin, Nevada,” according to a press release. However, his life takes an interesting turn when he gets drunk and crashes into a Nashville church, which leads him to serve a sentence through community service. Soon after, he finds out he’s a father. And he even Impastors his way at the same church by pretending to be their new minister.

Cyrus is also an executive producer and writer for the show. Speaking about Adams’s casting, he said, “From the moment the character of Debbie was conceived, we wanted Joey to bring her to life. She has an uncanny ability to infuse humor into highly charged emotional scenes, while also taking advantage of comedic moments to showcase the character’s strength and vulnerability.”

More casting for Still The King is ongoing, and the sitcom’s currently in production to premiere next year. Cyrus tweeted the casting news, along with a funny .gif of Adams in her new role.

Excited my favorite #Mallrat @JoeyLaurenAdams is joining the cast of @CMT #StillTheKing as Vernon’s fiery ex Debbie. pic.twitter.com/PvOsWsVlM9

— Billy Ray Cyrus (@billyraycyrus) October 22, 2015