Less than a week after actress Melissa Benoist signed on to play the title character in CBS' Supergirl, Mehcad Brooks (Necessary Roughness, True Blood) has joined the cast as James Olsen. Based on the Jimmy Olsen character from the DC Comics, James Olsen is an attractive photographer for CatCo, the same media conglomerate that Kara Zor-el (Melissa Benoist) works for. Kara is an assistant to Cat Grant, the company's founder, who has yet to be cast at this time.

James has recently been living and working in National City, although his reason for doing so is still a secret. Entertainment Weekly reports that James is rumored to be a love interest for Kara, but that has yet to be confirmed. In the comics, Jimmy Olsen was a photographer for the Daily Planet, who typically appeared in Clark Kent's stories. He was also close friends with both Clark and Lois Lane, but since this show is using an entirely different media company, it remains to be seen if either Clark Kent or Lois Lane will pop up.

Supergirl centers on 24-year-old Kara, who has lived on Earth for years, hiding her powerful abilities from everyone around her. One day, she decides to embrace her incredible gifts and become the true hero she was born to be. Greg Berlanti (Arrow, The Flash) co-created the series with Ali Adler (No Ordinary Family), with both writers serving as executive producers alongside Sarah Schechter. It isn't known when production will begin on the series, or when CBS may premiere the show.

Mehcad Brooks is best known for playing Matthew Applewhite in ABC's Desperate Housewives, Eggs on HBO's True Blood and Terrence King on USA's Necessary Roughness. He also recently appeared in the 2014 feature About Last Night and on an episode of Benched.