Taraji P. Henson Lands Female Lead Role In New J.J. Abrams TV Series

The days of yore -- when film actors were only film actors -- are long gone.

Maybe it's the economy, or maybe it's just actors diversifying their portfolio, but there seems to be a growing trend of Academy Award-caliber thespians -- such as Laurence Fishburne (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation), Terrence Howard (Law & Order: Los Angeles), Kathy Bates ('Harry's Law') and Forest Whitaker ('Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior' ) -- taking jobs on television.

Taraji P. Henson is the latest acclaimed actress to sign up for the boob tube.

The 'Curious Case of Benjamin Button' star has been cast in producer J.J Abrams' new CBS drama series, 'Person of Interest.'

According to New York magazine, the series tells the story of an ex-CIA agent who is recruited by a crazy billionaire to help fight crime in New York City.

Already cast in the series is Michael Emerson, who last starred in Abram' other show, 'Lost.' He will play the billionaire, while Henson will play a female detective named Carter on the series.

The pilot, from Warner Bros. TV and Abrams' Bad Robot production company, will be directed by 'Heroes' vet David Semel with a script by 'The Dark Knight's co-writer Jonathan Nolan.

Abrams' last series was the NBC spy series 'Undercovers,' which starred Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. The show was canceled in 2010 after low ratings. Only 11 of 13 episodes were aired.

Henson, who with appear with Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, and Pam Grier in the upcoming film, 'Larry Crowne,' had previously done some episodic work on ABC's 'Eli Stone' and 'Boston Legal.'

The Washington D.C native, who last month starred in the Lifetime telepic 'Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story,' also has the independent film, 'From The Rough,' slated for release this year.