Megan Fox lands recurring role on New Girl

Actress Megan Fox is stepping in for new mom Zooey Deschanel on her hit sitcom New Girl.

Deschanel welcomed her first child with producer Jacob Pechenik this summer (15), and as she continues her maternity leave, the Transformers beauty will be filling in for her with a recurring role in the upcoming fifth season of the show.

Fox is set to play a pharmaceutical sales representative who rents out the room vacated by Deschanel's character Jess, who is sequestered on jury duty.

New Girl creator/executive producer Liz Meriwether reveals they created the role for Fox, telling Deadline, "I've been a fan of her comedic skills since This is 40, and I'm so excited to have her on the show. We had Megan in mind when we wrote this part - she's the perfect person to come in and shake these guys up."

Before branching into movies, Fox's early credits were on the small screen - she was a series regular on sitcom Hope & Faith.

The new TV role will be Fox's first since filing for divorce from her husband of five years, Brian Austin Green, in August (15).