John Slattery, a Drama Desk nominee for his dual performance in Richard Greenberg's acclaimed Three Days of Rain, has officially graduated to sitcom leading man.

He's now before the cameras playing "an attractive and joking veterinarian" who's the romantic interest for "Maggie," a half-hour comedy Paramount is filming for Lifetime.

Ann Cusack, the older sister of Joan and John, has the title role -- an aspiring veterinarian in a shaky marriage. "We meet, and hijinx ensues," explains Slattery.

"It's actually really well-written" (by Dan O'Shannon, an Emmy winner for "Cheers").

It is no accident that "Maggie" landed on Lifetime, given that network's attention to women's issues. "The title character turns 40 in this piece, and much of the comedy comes from a woman in mid-life crisis," says Slattery. "It's a little more grown-up than most series. In fact, some of the networks wanted to change the character to a 26-year-old woman who wasn't married, but Lifetime had no problem at all accepting the premise of this series." John Getz co-stars on the program. The first 13 episodes started filming July 13 and will conclude in mid-October. These will air on Tuesdays at 9:30 PM, starting on Aug. 18.

-- By Harry Haun