Madigan To Work With Showtime's 'ranch' Bad Girls

Amy Madigan leads the cast of Showtime's two-hour pilot "The Ranch."

The Spyglass Entertainment ensemble dramedy, inspired by the story of the infamous Mustang Ranch, centers on the loves and lives of the women who work at Diamond Ranch, a legal bordello near Reno, Nev.

Susan Seidelman ("Desperately Seeking Susan") has come on board to direct the pilot, written by Lisa Melamed. Production is scheduled to begin early next month.

Madigan will portray the madam who manages the girls, played by Bonnie Root (NBC's "Trinity"), Jessica Collins (the WB Network's "Off Centre"), Jennifer Aspen (Fox's "Party of Five"), Nicki Micheaux (Showtime's "Soul Food"), Paige Moss ("Killer Instinct") and Samantha Ferris ("Along Came a Spider").

Root will play an aspiring singer with dreams about stardom, Collins' character is a third-generation working girl, Aspen will play a girl who is trying to get married and leave the trade, Micheaux will play an ex-sitcom star-turned-prostitute, Moss's character deals with the emotional scars of abuse as a child, and Ferris will play a single mom.

Madigan was nominated for an Oscar for "Twice in a Lifetime" and won a Golden Globe for the telefilm "Roe v. Wade." Her recent credits include HBO's "The Laramie Project" and "Shot in the Heart."

Root's feature credits include the indies "In the Weeds" and "Coming Soon." She is repped by Writers & Artists and manager Ryan Revel.

Collins will next be seen in Steven Spielberg's "Catch Me if You Can." Aspen, who recently co-starred in ABC's short-lived sitcom "Bob Patterson," is repped by Innovative Artists.

Seidelman most recently directed Showtime's telefilm "Beauty and Power."