Gale Harold will have recurring role on CW’s new “Hellcats” series as a sexy attorney

Pop the champagne Gale Harold fans – and I know there are legions of you!

Your favorite star, who we loved as Brian on Queer as Folk and Jackson on Desperate Housewives, returns to television this fall in a recurring role on the new CW series Hellcats.

Executive producer Kevin Murphy mentioned this casually onstage during the Television Critics Assn. Summer Press Tour so when the Hellcats session ended, I made a beeline to him and asked for all the details!

Gale plays Memphis lawyer Julian Parish and the teacher of the show’s main character of Marti Perkins (Aly Michalka).

“He’s in a bunch of episodes but he’s not technically a regular,” Murphy said. “He plays Julian Parish who is sort of like James Woods in True Believer. He’s one of those lawyers who’s made a choice not to go for the big bucks. He works sort of in a storefront thing and the way he pays the bills is he teaches at the local university. And he used [the students] as free labor. They’re his paralegals, they do his legwork for him and he’s in the process of trying to get a three strikes law overturned.”

I asked Murphy what made him want to cast Gale and his answer showed what a big admirer he is of the actor: “Oh my God, I was such a fan of his on Queer As Folk. He has the ability to be really, really wicked smart and also just really kind of sexy and immersive, and his character, he pulls you in. He’s a seducer and I think all the great lawyers are seducers.”

A seducer huh? I wondered if he is going to be the straight version of Brian Kinney.

Replied Kevin: “He’s a guy who, he loves the sound of his own voice, he’s an arrogant dick with his heart in the right place. He basically puts his money where his mouth is.”

Then he added: “I didn’t say he was straight. … I didn’t say he wasn’t though.”

AfterElton.com editor Michael Jensen was standing with us and asked Murphy to clarify the sexuality of Gale’s character.

“Honestly, I haven’t decided, I’m not being coy,” Murphy said. “We’re not dealing with that part of him [yet]. I’m not trying to tease you. I’m open to anybody being anything is more my point.”

Well, let’s keep our fingers crossed!