I'm back in Jersey, and even though it's muggy and overcast, it feels awfully good to be home. I'm taking tomorrow off to recuperate (give or take a couple of pre-written blog entries), but before I crash in my bed, a quick observation from the last night of tour...In television, as with many industries, the hardest part is getting in the door, and once you're in, it becomes much easier to find other jobs within the industry. So you tend to see familiar faces from season to season, and show to show. And so it can be a fun party game at the press tour evening events to try to identify the guests based on their past series.
Rarely, though, have I been to a party like ABC's last night, where we not only had a bunch of people who had been on failed shows in recent years, but what felt like entire casts of failed shows, now spread out to new shows. We had half the cast of the American version of "Coupling": Jay Harrington (now on "Better Off Ted"), Lindsay Price (one of the witches of "Eastwick") and Sonya Walger (Penny on "Lost" and one of the leads on "Flash Forward"). (Not to mention, we got one of the stars of the UK "Coupling" (Jack Davenport, who's co-starring with Walger on "Flash Forward," which is damned confusing to the five of us who remember American "Coupling"). We had three stars of "The Class": Jesse Tyler Ferguson ("Modern Family"), Jon Bernthal ("Eastwick") and Andrea Anders ("Better Off Ted"). Before "Better Off Ted," Victor Fresco created the short-lived Fox sitcom "Life on a Stick," whose star, Zachary Knighton, is also on "Flash Forward."
Now, it's certainly possible that if I paid close enough attention, I could have come up with similar combinations at the other parties on this tour, or parties at recent tours. But because this was an especially long trip (tacking Comic-Con on to the front end), by the time we came to that last night, I think the only thing I could focus on was this parade of class (and "Class") reunions.
And that's why it's probably for the best that I'm back in Jersey, watching Yanks-Sawx and preparing to pass out.
Not to mention Andrea Anders was also on Joey!
ReplyDeleteI think it's best not to mention that...
ReplyDeleteWasn't that one of the big talking points when Heroes premiered? Most of the cast members had been on numerous failed series, and this was their first big hit. I'm trying to think of other "show killers" who eventually found great success, but I'm coming up blanks.
ReplyDeleteI just watched "Criminal Intent" and Tania Raymonde must be the victim of the strangest typecasting I've ever seen.
ReplyDeleteThat picture doesn't even look real. It looks like Sims or something.
ReplyDelete@Alanna: wasn't Clooney regarded as near toxic to a show's chances before ER?
ReplyDelete@ A Nonny Mouse: Yeah, that's the only one that really comes to mind. I'm struggling to think of other possibles, with the only one being Olivia Wilde. But then again, I think I'm putting too much focus on The Black Donnellys.
ReplyDeleteThe "show killer" names I keep hearing are Paula Marshall, Ted McGinley, and Mark Feuerstein. But before Gilmore Girls, Lauren Graham's name headed the list, which just shows how little the whole concept means.
ReplyDeleteAw, I loved Jack Davenport on the original "Coupling." Is "Flash Forward" going to be any good, Alan??
ReplyDeleteDon't forget Jason Gedrick when it comes to "show killers"; EZ Streets, Murder One, Boomtown, etc.
ReplyDeleteWith the success of Royal Pains, Mark Feuerstein seems to have broken his show killer spell.
ReplyDeleteAnd I've never quite understood why Ted McGinley remains stuck with a show killer reputation. He was on Married...With Children for seven years!
That dude on the left in the picture does not seem to be in any kind of physically possible position. It's a candidate for Photoshop Disasters if I've ever seen one.
ReplyDeleteThe American Coupling sucked so bad just the ads with all the "jokes" still haunt me.
ReplyDeleteJust to correct the record, Rinaldo, Lauren Graham never "headed the list". She was in one failed pilot ("Conrad Bloom"), but name a tv actor tat doesn't have at least one. She had successful long-term runs in "Caroline in the City" and "Newsradio" under her belt before "Bloom" as well, which certainly didn't affect those shows negatively one whit.
ReplyDeleteHoly CRAP I forgot how hot Lindsay Price is.
ReplyDeleteAfter washing Coupling US from my mind, I will forever remember Lindsay Price as "Chatty Cathy" from that one episode of HIMYM.
ReplyDeleteWould Paula Marshall being a regular on Gary Unmarried, which at least made it to a second season, revoke her show-killer status? And can we put Sarah Paulson in her place, or are two series in a row that didn't make it past the first season not considered enough to be called a show-killer?
Oh good, no one noticed this yet!
ReplyDeleteTim Daly and I'm Taye Diggs! are still on Private Practice. I'm not really sure why it's still on, and I'm really not sure why everyone spoilered me on the season finale last year. I guess the Chicago Hope/Boston Legal aspect (ethical dilemma of the week) *has* made it more interesting - but I have to say that the sex is more stupid on that show than on Grey's! There's no point to any of it. (but at least Violet and Coop didn't suffer the same fate as George and Izzie (coupling, not possible death))
Didn't Addie get the point - adultery is Not Good?
Anyway, I guess we are still waiting for Steven Webber to stay on a show and not kill it?
I can't watch TV anymore without the imdb at hand to look up "who is that guy?" before he makes me miss the entire plot.
(and someone said FlashForward was like The Nine - DVR it till you make sure it's not cancelled. That's not DayBreak? (Taye Diggs!) I DVRed both. I call it Reunion Syndrome. Glad to see Dave Annable and Chyler Leigh finally have landed somewhere stable. (and not killed two of my favorite shows!)
(do I still watch Private Practice? Yup. When I get to it)
Man, look at all those perfectly nice actors trapped in that nightmare of a show.
ReplyDeleteAnd you tell it "dan coyle"!!