Skerritt in Miniseries and Spots During Show

Actor Tom Skerritt not only starred in the NBC miniseries “The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer” that aired Sunday and Monday, he appeared in commercials plugging Bayer Corp.’s Aleve painkiller that ran during the program. Bayer officials said they were able to place the ad during the drama because NBC earlier this year softened rules that prohibit the airing of commercials in which a star appears during a program starring that person. In the miniseries, Skerritt played the father of Holly Maddux, whose body was found in 1979 in the apartment of leftist activist Ira Einhorn. Bayer officials said airing the ad during the miniseries was an opportunity for Bayer to boost viewer recall of the low-key spots.