Eric Roberts might not have the A-list cachet of his kid sister, Julia, but he’s always busy with different projects — what the Brits would call a “jobbing” actor.
Roberts has been cast in USA’s “Suits,” returning Wednesday night for its fourth season, in a recurring role as Charles Forstman — described as “a titan of finance with a net worth in the billions and an outsized personlity to match,” though how he plays into the “Suits” storyline is anyone’s guess. It’s likely the Forstman character will mix it up with Harvey Specter (series star Gabriel Macht), Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) or both.
Roberts joins other recurring “Suits” guest stars this season including Michael Gross (better known to TV fans as the dad on “Family Ties”), DB Woodside, Neil McDonough — who had a memorable arc on Season 5 of “Desperate Housewives” as Edie’s mysterious husband, Dave Williams — and Brendan Hines.
Two West Side stories
Well, that didn’t take long.
Barbara Walters, who left “The View” last month after 17 years — marking her departure from daily television after a 50-plus-year-career — will return to the ABC airwaves in the near future. Walters will appear on “20/20” (date to be determined) interviewing Peter Rodger, the father of Elliott Rodger, the 22-year-old who, last month, killed six people, injured 13 then committed suicide near the campus of USC Santa Barbara.
ABC insiders stressed that Peter Rodger specifically asked for Walters, and that she didn’t chase the interview. So there.
Meanwhile … Judge Greg Mathis will be on the Upper West Side Tuesday (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.) greeting viewers and creating promos for his long-running syndicated court show, “Judge Mathis,” which will move to CBS-owned WLNY/Ch. 55 this Sept. 8 when it launches its 16th season.
“Judge Mathis” will air weekdays from 2-4 p.m. on Ch. 55. (It hasn’t yet been worked out whether the 2 p.m. or the 3 p.m. show will be the repeat.)
Last, but not least …
CNBC’s Carl Quintanilla is joining the roster of HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” as a correspondent.
He’ll keep his CNBC jobs (“Squawk on the Street” and “Squawk Alley”) … HBO chief Richard Plepler and Charlie Rose (CBS/PBS) will be honored Wednesday by the Museum of the Moving Image at its annual black-tie benefit (at The St. Regis Hotel) … Kelly Rutherford (“Gossip Girl”) hosts a party Thursday night at Deep Blue Sea Spa in Babylon (Long Island) organized by Todd Shapiro.