Not only is it a high-profile project for a cable network with a good track record for quality, but Emmy-winning producer Steven Bochco ("L.A. Law," "Hill Street Blues," "NYPD Blue") was a creator and executive producer.

Henderson had visions of himself in an action drama. "And I had a lot in common with my character," he said.

Pvt. Bo Rider had dreams of playing college football; Henderson had dreams of playing college baseball. Bo is estranged from his father; Henderson has never met his father.

But when Bo loses a leg in the pilot episode of "Over There" (Wednesday, 11 p.m., FX), it meant a big change for the character. And a "weird coincidence" for Henderson.

"Bo goes through a life-changing injury, and my cousin is an amputee in the exact same spot Bo is," Henderson said.

His cousin, Clint Mabry, was injured in a car accident in 2000; his leg was amputated a year later.

"I got the part and I said, 'Guys, I'm sure you might want to have a body double. And my cousin is an amputee in the exact spot where my character is.' And (the producers), like, freaked out," Henderson said.

"I called him and said, 'I'm doing this show. This is what happens to my character. Would you be willing to come out and help me out mentally, kind of grasp what you're going through, what you're thinking when that happens? When you realize you've just lost a limb?' " Henderson said. "He just hopped on the opportunity to help me out. He was very positive with everything. It was pretty cool that he would go through all that again."

"I just wanted to help out any way I could," Mabry said.

And, in the process, he found himself in show business, sort of. Mabry is his cousin's body double for all the scenes in which we see Bo below the waist.

"It's been cool. It's really fun," Mabry said. "I always wanted to do sportscasting. SportsCenter was my dream.

"Anyway, I had my accident, things changed. And now I'm helping other people through the situation that I went through on a day-to-day basis. And so to have this opportunity is amazing."

Mabry is a program manager for the Challenged Athletes Foundation in San Diego, where he works with fellow amputees. He deals with people who are going through what the fictional Bo is facing -- life after losing a limb and sacrificing at least some of your dreams.

"My character goes through a lot of really hard-core, intense stuff," Henderson said. "And I knew it was going to be a challenge. When I took on the role, I was a little bit intimidated because I'd never had to take myself into this intense of a role. But I was excited about it."

What was the biggest challenge?

"Getting to bed early," Mabry joked, in order to make early call times to be on the set.

The fact that Bo is sent to Germany and then back to the United States for rehabilitation doesn't mean we'll never see him in Iraq again. And it's not just fiction that a soldier can return to combat after losing a limb.

"The first thing that he goes through is he wants to get back to his unit. He doesn't care that he's missing his leg," Henderson said. "Some guys have actually gone right back into the battlefield -- leading units into battle.

"It's actually not unrealistic. It's happened a few times. You never know."

Mabry has worked with one such officer, "getting him a running prosthetic and getting him running again. He's over there fighting right now."

So, should there be a second season of "Over There," Henderson could still be involved. And so could Mabry.

"I'm up for it," he said. "This is cool." E-mail: pierce@desnews.com