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Henry Winkler brightens up new season of Royal Pains, previews

By April MacIntyre Dec 26, 2010, 3:27 GMT

Henry Winkler - Henry Winkler Book Signing at Waterstones in Liverpool on December 14, 2009 - Waterstones - Liverpool, UK © Solarpix / PR Photos

USA's excellent little dramedy "Royal Pains" comes back January 20 at 9/8c.

The opening episode for the new season gives us lots of presents.  Henry Winkler is back and guest stars for the opener which also includes Amy Sedaris, David Costabile (Breaking Bad) and of course, returning leads Paulo Costanzo (Evan) and Mark Feuerstein (Hank).

These two actors are really firing on all cylinders as brothers who are grappling with their ethically challenged yet still endearing old dad (Winkler).

Eddie R. Lawson (Winkler) has a heart attack after his sons discovered some startling secrets.  In the opener, we see how much his sons love him, and how Winkler's character is sticking around a spell.

Bonus scene? Evan (Costanzo) is anxietal in the hospital waiting room, grappling with those ridiculous chairs all connected to each other so it is impossible to stretch out or lay down, yet he really gives it a try.  That particular scene, as funny as it is, showed the awful dead space we all have to suffer through when waiting on news for a loved one from doctors.

Hank and Evan are joined by Reshma Shetty (Divya),  Jill Flint (Jill), Christine Ebersole (Mrs. Newberg) and Campbell Scott (Boris) who together round out the first episode nicely.

Sedaris and Costabile play a boozy married pair of duffers who offer nice comic relief during a charity golf event. 

The addition of Henry Winkler as Eddie R. Lawson was a stoke of luck and genius for the series, which features the visually stunning Long Island Hamptons as a character unto itself. Winkler is all heart, a sweet scoundrel who really seems like he could be Hank and Evan's real dad.

Winkler is a prolific actor who has made his mark on TV (The Fonz) film and theater. He is also penning children's books for Penguin Putnam, and in 2003 released Hank Zipzer: The World’s Greatest Under-Achiever,  a series of 17 books inspired by the actor’s own struggle throughout his education due to his learning challenges. To date, over three million copies have been sold and are now published in Great Britain, and they are no stranger to The New York Times Bestseller List and The Los Angeles Times Book Review. 

He is also immersed in fundraising for the annual Cerebral Palsy Telethon (co-host); Epilepsy Foundation of America (first National Honorary Chairman); Toys for Tots (National Chairman); National Committee for Arts for the Handicapped, Special Olympics, Los Angeles Music Center’s Very Special Arts Festival, United Friends of the Children (Honorary Chairman), Children’s Action Network (founding member) and numerous teenage alcohol and drug abuse programs. His efforts have been honored by B’nai B’rith (Champion of Youth), United Nations (Peace Prize), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Support Group Services (Helping Hand Award) and, with his wife Stacey, received the Norma Zarky Humanitarian Award from Women in Film. Additionally, he was honored by the French government with the Chevallier de l’Order des Artes et Lettres.

Paulo Costanzo can next be seen starring opposite Scott Caan, J.K Simmons, and
Harvey Keitel in the independent feature "A Beginner's Guide to Endings."

Mark Feuerstein is busy acting in TV and film, and resides in both New York and Los Angeles and, like Winkler, is a father of three children.