For the third-season cast, Lily Tomlin's casting evolved out of her fandom for the show. At an art exhibit she bumped into "Damages" creator/executive producer Todd A. Kessler and interrogated him for information about upcoming twists on the show. Todd kept her in mind and later cast her as Marilyn Tobin. Dominic Chianese was also cast because of his past relationship with Kessler, as the two worked together on "The Sopranos". Martin Short was the last major actor to be cast that season; he too was a "Damages" fan. Producers were excited to work with Short, though he had very little dramatic work to refer to; he added to the "Damages" reputation of casting against-type.