Katherine Heigl Set to Return to the Small Screen

The Emmy Award-winning actress Katherine Heigl will be returning to the small screen after a four-year hiatus.

According to NBC, Heigl plays Charleston Tucker in State of Affairs, a top CIA analyst who assembles the President's daily briefing. Heigl, who grew up in New Canaan, is an executive producer of the serial along with her mother and manager Nancy Heigl under the banner of their company Abishag Productions, according to Heigl's website.

This is how NBC describes the political thriller: "Aside from the political minefields she has to walk, Charlie has a close personal relationship with the President (Alfre Woodard, Desperate Housewives) because she was once engaged to her son before a tragic terrorist attack took his life. Charlie survived that attack and is now determined to bring the perpetrators to justice."

The one-hour drama to air on Mondays, is set to debut Nov. 17. It is written and directed by Joe Carnahan (The Blacklist). 

Heigl may be best known for her role as Dr. Isobel "Izzie" Stevens on ABC's medical drama Grey's Anatomy from 2005 to 2010, for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2007. Her film credits include Knocked Up, 27 Dresses, The Ugly Truth, Killers and  Life As We Know It.

Heigl says in an NBC summer tour interview about returning to television, "A lot of people want to know, 'Why this show? Why come back to television?'" she explained. "Because it's an extraordinary role, an extraordinary opportunity and an extraordinary story, and an opportunity for me to flex some different muscles and show some different sides of myself as actor and performer and storyteller that I hope my audience will be excited about and love." 

A trailer of State of Affairs, can be found here.