Emmy winner Bradley Whitford is set as a lead opposite Enrique Murciano in TNT’s modern-day Civil War pilot Civil. The network, meanwhile, also announced that Courtney B. Vance and Toby Jones have joined the cast.

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Written and executive produced by A Simple Plan scribe Scott Smith and directed by Allen Coulter (Ray Donovan), Civil threads ominously close to current events. It takes place in the wake of a hotly contested Presidential election, as America finds itself plunging uncontrollably into a modern day Civil War. The series weaves together the personal stories of citizens from all walks of life, whose actions – amplified in an age of instant media – add fuel to the conflict and affect the fate of the entire country.

Whitford will play Grant Taylor, the Democratic candidate for President. Taylor is a career politician who spent the past eight years trying to appear subservient in his role as Vice President, cutting against his reflex to approach every relationship from a position of domineering aggression. He comes from a background of great privilege, but he works hard to mask this behind a facade of “relatability” and good humor.

Vance will play New York City Police Commissioner John Thorne and Jones will portray shock-jock host Otis O’Dell.

Bradley, who won an Emmy for another Washington, D.C. drama, The West Wing, is coming off a guest star Emmy win for his role in the Amazon comedy Transparent. He most recently co-starred in HBO’s All The Way and will next be seen in the film Other People. Whitford is repped by ICM Partners and Greenlight Management.

Civil comes from TNT Original Prods. and MGM TV.