Eric Dane join first TV show after ALS diagnosis

Eric Dane is stepping back into television, marking an emotional return with his first project filmed after going public about his ALS diagnosis earlier this year. 

The 53-year-old actor appears in a new episode of NBC’s Brilliant Minds, where he plays Matthew, a firefighter trying to find the right moment to tell his family about his condition.

A preview shared by PEOPLE shows Dane in a hospital waiting room alongside Zachary Quinto’s Dr. Oliver Wolf. 

When Dane’s character greets him warmly, Quinto replies by calling him “Bronx Gen’s favorite silver fox,” setting a light but sincere tone between the two. 

Dane, dressed casually in a teal football jersey, also exchanges playful banter with Nurse Nico Silva, played by Al Calderon, before Quinto’s character brings him in for his monthly check-up.

The role comes months after Dane revealed his diagnosis in April. 

“I have been diagnosed with ALS,” he said at the time, adding that he felt “grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.” 

In a later interview on Good Morning America, he shared a “sobering” update, explaining that his “right side … [is] completely not working” and that he currently has “one functioning arm.”

Dane’s family life has also been in focus as he continues treatment. 

Last week, his estranged wife Rebecca Gayheart opened up about the “super complicated” balance of co-parenting their daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13. 

She said she is doing everything she can to make sure they have meaningful time with their father, explaining, “I just want to make sure I provide them with the opportunity to spend time with him, so they don’t ever look back [and wish they did more].”

Dane and Gayheart married in 2004 and separated in 2018 after 13 years together.

Since then, the actor has been seen with actress Priya Jain and filmmaker Janell Shirtcliff, while Gayheart shared that she’s too “stretched thin” to date right now.

With his appearance on Brilliant Minds, Dane is taking another step forward in his career while navigating major changes in his personal life, a moment fans are welcoming with support and admiration.