Dexter star Julie Benz has been tapped to star opposite Michael Chiklis in ABC’s new pilot No Ordinary Family.

The drama revolves around Jim (Michael Chiklis), a once aspiring artist-turned-police artist, and his typical American family who suddenly finds themselves with new “abilities.” Julie will play Jim’s wife, a gifted scientist who develops a power for superspeed.

Currently, Benz is starring on Desperate Housewives as a lap dancer who has just taken up residence on Wisteria Lane. In the season four finale of Dexter, Julie’s character, Rita, was surprisingly killed.

Benz will also stars in the Hallmark movie, Uncorked. In the made-for-TV flick, She plays Johnetta “Johnny” Prentice, a workaholic CFO for a major corporation whose life is turned upside-down when she’s sent to a conference in California wine country to seal a deal, but winds up falling in love along the way.

“Johnny is a woman who relies on work to get things in her life done,” Benz explains about the character. “I understand that sort of mindset really well, though I think Johnny’s a lot more cut off emotionally than I am. I like to think I’ve got a lot of different sides to me that I can bring out in my performing.”

Uncorked debuts on Hallmark Saturday night at 9 p.m.