How do you get Mrs. Tom Cruise to make a buzzworthy appearance on your ratings-plagued, Ally McBeal-esque TV show?

If you’re Eli Stone executive producer Greg Berlanti, you just ask.

Berlanti last worked with Holmes on her star-making vehicle, the teen-angsty Dawson’s Creek.

“We really wanted to bring eyeballs to [Eli], and do anything we could to get people talking about the show,” Berlanti said. “I said, you know, I could go ask Katie and see if she’s interested. I begged her, and she said I’d love to.”

Holmes will sing and dance in her role as an attorney, which takes up a “significant portion” of the second episode of the new season, airing Oct. 21. She is shooting her guest spot this week, and reports have Tom Cruise and daughter Suri recently visiting the set.

Speaking of singing, George Michael is in talks to return to the show. In other Eli news, Natasha Henstridge and Julie Gonzalo hinted there may be yet another addition to the Maggie-Taylor-Eli love triangle. A love quadrangle?