“Back in the Game” comes to ABC Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. this fall, and is probably most notable for featuring James Caan in his most grizzled form. But really, the story is about Terry Gannon Jr. (Maggie Lawson). She was an All Star softball player until life threw her a few curve balls — a baby, a lost college scholarship and a loser for a husband.
After striking out on her own, Terry and her son, Danny (Griffin Gluck), move in with her estranged father, Terry Sr., aka “The Cannon” (James Caan). The Cannon is an opinionated, beer-guzzling, ex-athlete who never quite made the cut either as a single father or professional baseball player. As hard as Terry tries to keep Danny away from the sports-driven lifestyle of her youth, Tommy wants to play Little League. His stunning lack of baseball skills (he doesn’t even know which hand the mitt goes on) makes him the laughing stock of the baseball field and of his grandfather’s living room. When Danny and a group of other athletically-challenged hopefuls fail to make the team, Danny’s disappointment forces Terry to face her past. So when a wealthy neighbor volunteers to finance a team for the rejected kids, Terry reluctantly offers to coach the team of misfits.
“Back in the Game” stars Maggie Lawson (“Psych”) as Terry, Jr., James Caan (“Las Vegas”) as Terry “The Cannon” Gannon, Sr., Lenora Crichlow (“Being Human,” “Fast Girls”) as Gigi, Griffin Gluck (“Private Practice”) as Danny, Ben Koldyke (“Big Love”) as Dick, Kennedy Waite (“I-Doll”) as Vanessa, J.J. Totah (“Jessie”) as Michael and Cooper Roth as David.
“Back in the Game” was written by Mark and Robb Cullen (“Lucky,” “Las Vegas”), who also executive-produce along with directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra (“Bad Santa,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love”) and Aaron Kaplan (“The Neighbors”).