LOS ANGELES, Sept. 18 -- Two-time Emmy Award nominee Sara Gilbert joins the cast of THE CLASS in a recurring role as Fern, a character from Richie's (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) past. She makes her first appearance in the series' fourth episode, to be broadcast Monday, Oct. 9 (8:00-8:30 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Sara Gilbert is best known for her role as the wisecracking and lovable Darlene Connor in the long-running, hit series "Roseanne," which garnered her two Emmy nominations. Her other television credits include "Will & Grace," "Twins," "ER" and "24." Her film credits include "High Fidelity," "Riding in Cars with Boys," "Desert Blue," "Light It Up," "The Big Tease" and "Poison Ivy," for which she received an Independent Spirit Award nomination. She made her directorial debut with the short film "Persona Non Grata," which was selected for competition at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. THE CLASS is a comedy about the lives of a group of 20-somethings who shared the same third grade class and are reunited two decades later, giving them the uncommon opportunity to learn how everyone turned out and to rebuild old friendships. The series stars Andrea Anders, Jon Bernthal, Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Heather Goldenhersh, Julie Halston, Sam Harris, David Keith, Sean Maguire, Lucy Punch and Jason Ritter. Emmy Award winner David Crane ("Friends"), Emmy Award nominee Jeffrey Klarik ("Mad About You") and 10-time Emmy Award winner James Burrows ("Will & Grace") are the executive producers for craneklarik productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television. * * *