Former Law & Order player S. Epatha Merkerson has been cast in a CBS pilot.

The medical drama, from Erin Brockovich writer Susannah Grant, stars Patrick Wilson as a driven surgeon whose life is changed when his ex-wife dies and begins giving him life lessons from the beyond. British actress Jennifer Ehle (The King’s Speech) will co-star as his wife.

Merkerson, who played Lt. Anita Van Buren for nine seasons on Law & Order, will play Wilson’s stern administrative assistant. The actress won an Emmy and Golden Globe for her role in HBO’s 2005 film Lackawanna Blues.

(Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)