A Million Little Things Casts Gary's Estranged Mother

Gary's past will be explored in more depth this February, A Million Little Things Fanatics.

TV Line is reporting that Marcia Gay Harden has joined the cast of the ABC drama, and her first appearance will be on A Million Little Things Season 2 Episode 12, slated to air Thursday, February 6, in the show's new timeslot of 10/9c.

The outlet reports that Alice took off “to follow her acting dreams, knowing that the silver screen and Hollywood were calling,” in the character's official description.

Some characters on the series have fully developed backstories, but for Gary (James Roday), his past is a mystery.

If you watch A Million Little Things online, you know Gary's mother left him at a young age to follow her dreams, leaving him to be raised by his father.

On A Million Little Things Season 1, Gary opened up about why he hated his birthday so much, and viewers learned he didn't always have a negative outlook on it.

"I remember that feeling, waking up and realizing, 'Today's the day. Today is my birthday,' especially as a kid," Gary said, before delving deep into the story.

"When I was seven, my parents threw this huge party. Whole grade came over. Not just my class — The whole grade. And they hired a magician."

He continued, "That morning, my parents got into a huge fight. It was a real blowout in their bedroom, and all those kids could hear them."

Alice left the family behind months later, but Gary admitted that he knew on his seventh birthday, the marriage was over.

"When I blew out my candles, I didn't wish for them to stay together. I just wished for us to be happy," Gary said. "And then I promised myself that I would never get married because that is not what I wanted."

It's been clear that Gary has abandonment issues ever since A Million Little Things Season 1 Episode 1, and that's partly why Gary pushed his love interest Maggie to reconnect with her mother on A Million Little Things Season 2.

It's unclear how Alice comes into Gary's life, but it will likely bring long-forgotten feelings back to the forefront, and we might see Gary's humorous demeanor changing completely.

Harden is a seasoned TV veteran who has appeared on many TV hits, including Code Black, How to Get Away with Murder, The Newsroom, and Damages.

What are your thoughts on this casting?

Hit the comments below.

A Million Little Things airs Thursdays on ABC at 10/9c.

And we sure would appreciate a follow of our new Twitter account as we work to rebuild our audience!