Brenda, said to be the new badminton coach and astronomy teacher, will go toe-to-toe with Lynch’s hard-driving and highly competitive ringleader of the cheerleading squad. Brenda’s foibles will include alcoholism and addiction to pills.

Shannon’s major theatre-related credit is playing the pompous mayor’s wife, Eulalie McKechnie Shinn, in the 2003 ABC-TV remake of The Music Man. In addition to a long run on NBC-TV’s “Saturday Night Live” from 1995-2001, her TV credits include the NBC-TV sitcom “Kath & Kim” and several guest appearances. Film credits include "Evan Almighty" and "Superstar."

If you’re in the mood for more news about the upcoming season, fast forward just slightly, to around the :26-mark of this video edition of the Ausiello Files. (Warning: This brief segment quashes a rumor regarding the possible love interests, or interest, of two major characters). To view the video, click here.

— Thomas Peter