Emmy Award winner Rena Sofer ("General Hospital") will guest-star over an arc of five episodes of NBC's hit new romantic drama "Ed" (Wednesdays, 8-9 p.m. ET) as a possible romantic interest for the title character although they meet as adversaries in court.

In these episodes, which will begin airing in January, Sofer plays Bonnie Hane, a hard-shelled assistant district attorney who faces off against defense lawyer Ed (series star Tom Cavanagh) as she attempts to prosecute a charitable Samaritan who fed coins into expired parking meters. Their heated interaction sets off sparks that's noticed by a newly jealous Carol (Julie Bowen), who has previously kept an admiring Ed at arm's length.

In 1995, Sofer won her Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and a Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Younger Actress for her work as Lois Cerullo Ashton on "General Hospital" (where she met her husband, cast member Wallace Kurth).

A few years later, Sofer moved to primetime series as a regular (1998-99) in "Melrose Place," "Oh Grow Up" and "The Opposite Sex." Her TV movies include "Nightmare Street," "Hostile Advances: The Kerry Ellison Story" and "The Stepsister." She also guest-starred in "Seinfeld," "Ellen" and "Caroline in the City." Among her feature films are "Keeping the Faith" and "Traffic."

"Ed" centers on Ed Stevens (Cavanagh), a former New York lawyer who, after being fired and catching his wife cheating on him, decides to return to his hometown of Stuckeyville to start a new life and pursue the girl (Bowen) of his dreams. Josh Randall, Jana Marie Hupp and Lesley Boone also star.