Corbett tries to get 'Lucky'

John Corbett co-starred in the hit movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." He could have co-starred in the hit sitcom "My Big Fat Greek Life" but declined — out of laziness, apparently.

"Well, the thing is, I feel like I paid my dues," Corbett said. "I did 'Northern Exposure' for six years. And I did 'Sex and the City' for a couple years."

And, while he didn't mention it, he also starred in the sci-fi series "The Visitor" for a year.

"I was doing these little, interesting, independent movies. And TV is, like, a big commitment. . . . I'm 41 now, man. I don't want to work that hard anymore," Corbett said.

So instead of co-starring in a videotaped sitcom (one of the easier gigs in TV ), he's heading an hourlong drama series (one of TV's tougher jobs). Corbett stars in "Lucky," which premieres tonight at 11 on FX. Which, he insists, is no slight to "My Big Fat Greek Life" or its writer/star, Nia Vardalos.

"I was in Toronto working on a USA movie — a TV movie — and Nia called up and said, 'Hey, we're going to turn this into a TV show. Do you want to do it?' And I said, 'Man, I'm done with TV.' "

Shortly thereafter, he got a call from FX Entertainment president Kevin Reilly pitching him on "Lucky." And Corbett's reply was the same. "Man, I don't want to do TV anymore. I'm done with TV."

Reilly sent him the script anyway, and Corbett changed his mind. Eventually.

"I read it, and I threw it in the trash can. And it literally bounced back out," Corbett insisted. "I tried to throw it in again and it landed on top of the trash can flat. So I set it back up on the desk and I read it (again) that next day."

He drove back to L.A. from Texas "within two days" to meet with the producers. "And after being home for one day, I said, 'OK, I'm going to do this TV show.' "

In "Lucky," Corbett plays a professional gambler who wins $1 million and loses it — and his wife — within six months. Executive producer Robb Cullen said, "We think the journey of Lucky is about a guy who has lost everything and is trying to rebuild his life."

And Corbett said he agreed to do the show because, "It was, like, a character I just never got to play before, you know? I get to sort of be mean and smoke a ciggie here and there and gamble. It was something different that intrigued me."