( CNN ) -- NBC has made Katherine Heigl 's return to TV official . The 35-year-old actress will star in the network 's newly announced series `` State of Affairs , '' about a CIA analyst ( Heigl ) who advises the president on high-risk global affairs while also balancing her own complicated personal life . Alfre Woodard plays the president , whose son was engaged to Heigl 's character , Charleston `` Charlie '' Tucker , prior to being killed in a terrorist attack . This will be Heigl 's first regular prime-time role since she left Shonda Rhimes ' `` Grey 's Anatomy '' in 2010 . In the years since , Heigl has been working primarily on the big screen , with her most recent release being January 's animated title `` The Nut Job . '' Heigl will also executive produce `` State of Affairs '' along with her mom , Nancy Heigl , and writer/director Joe Carnahan , among others . According to Entertainment Weekly , Heigl 's series is just one of three politically themed shows coming to NBC . Along with `` State of Affairs , '' the network has placed series orders for a drama called `` Allegiance , '' about a CIA analyst who learns his parents are deactivated Russian spies , and another drama called `` Odyssey , '' about an international conspiracy that affects a lawyer , a political activist and a female soldier . Meanwhile , on NBC 's sister network USA , Amy Poehler 's joining forces with comedian Billy Eichner and writer Julie Klausner for a comedy pilot called `` Difficult People . '' The Hollywood Reporter reports that Eichner and Klausner , who co-created the `` Difficult People '' concept , will star as a pair of NYC best friends who hate everyone except themselves . Klausner is writing the script , and Poehler will executive produce .
Katherine Heigl returns to TV with a new NBC drama . The actress will play a political analyst advising the president on high - profile global affairs . This is Heigl 's first regular television role since she left ` ` Grey 's Anatomy '' in 2006 . The series is just one of three politically themed new shows .