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Can ABC Please Dive Deeper into its Guest-star Pool?
Samantha Who? by Randy Holmes/ABC
Coming in fall 2008: a new ABC sitcom starring Eddie Cibrian and Josh Randall as wacky roommates! That's my prediction based on the omnipresence of those two TV journeymen as guest stars for the Alphabet network.
Within the span of a week, Ed alum Randall reprised his Men in Trees role of Annie's loutish brother (in an episode taped last season, I grant you) and also surfaced on Private Practice as Addison's would-be (if not for his propensity for probing his posterior...) beau. Cibrian, meanwhile, recently played Karen's ex-husband on Dirty Sexy Money, and this week can be seen pitching woo at Samantha Who?
In a similar vein, ABC tapped Sara Gilbert to play a convenience-store robbing mom-to-be on Private Practice mere weeks after the Roseanne vet visited CBS' Big Bang Theory. (That was the PP episode which went for the sweeps month hat trick: Name Guest Star, Emergency Baby Delivery and Hostage Situation.)
Setting aside my opinions of any of the aforementioned actors (Randall's appeal eludes me, frankly), the point I want to make is that turning to the same faces again and again robs a guest-star role — as well as the actor filling it — of any "specialness." Instead, it comes off as "so-and-so's latest in a series of paychecks." You almost suspect that SAG would go public with a plea that other actors get called upon for work. Much could be learned from, say, The Closer, which draws from this terrific roster of character actors who sometimes you can't even quite place, and yet the casting is always dead on.
Not to beat up on ABC, but perhaps this season's utterly strangest bit of guest-casting came just days ago on (again) Private Practice. Joy Lauren, whose Desperate Housewives teen just gave birth, played... a teen who just gave birth. Yes, really. In all of Hollywood, the only young actress ABC could find for that two-scene appearance was one who is in a near-identical story line on one of its own shows. Not to take anything at all away from Ms. Lauren, but it was such an unbelievable casting choice that I had to repeatedly check with my wife: "Is that really the gal who plays Bree's daughter?" Only a knowing wink to the audience could have saved the moment. But it never came.
If only guest-casting was the worst of what ails Private Practice — but that's a separate blog entry all together.
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Nov 24, 2007 7:41 PM
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As far as I'm concerned, there is no such thing as too much Sara Gilbert. Her casting has been "dead on" each time I've seen her. She can do drama and comedy equally well. She was my favorite character/actor on Roseanne and she never fails to interest me in whatever part she's playing, no matter how small.
I can't speak for the 2 fellows you mention. I don't really know who they are. The character of Addison's date was blah. I remember the fetish but not the actor. I'll try to take note of the other guy when I watch Samantha Who.
I do agree with the casting of "Bree's daughter" on Private Practice. It was weird. I'm not thrilled with that actor anyway. Surely there was someone else who could have done the part as well if not better.
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Nov 24, 2007 8:06 PM
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Funny Matt, all I can think to say about that entire rant, meant in the best of ways, is that I love Private Practice. I agree to all of what you had to say. But, I love Private Practice. I in fact love it more then Greys. I think it could become my most favorite series of all time. *wink*
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Nov 24, 2007 8:43 PM
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ABC loves their "in-house" talent so much, it's almost like the early Silver Screen days when actors and actresses were exclusive to one studio or another.
Eddie Cibrian, for those with shorter memories, was also on ABC's Invasion a few years back.
James Denton (Desperate Housewives) was a counter-terrorist agent on ABC's Threat Matrix before he became Wisteria Lane's plumber. Before he was a Darling, Donald Sutherland was on ABC's Commander in Chief. (So was Ever Carradine, who has a recurring spot as Marin's sister.) (Another Chief alum, Natasha Hendstridge, is going to be on a new ABC show this winter.)
Katey Sagal, on ABC's 8 Simple Rules, also "guested" on Boston Legal and Lost.
Let's also not forget Lucy Liu and every ABC show ever.
Their pool is a little shallow, sans Lost, but it still works somewhat well. And Matt, you've made me feel even GUILTER for liking Private Practice. 
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Nov 24, 2007 11:21 PM
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Ever Carradine is also playing Tom's fiancee on Women's Murder Club. (She was previously on Once and Again, also on ABC.)
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Nov 24, 2007 11:50 PM
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I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed all that! And you missed one - Tom Irwin, who played the priest on this last repeat guest star riddem ep of PP, plays Grace's reverand brother on TNT's Saving Grace. He didn' even have to get a new costume!
I guess Shonda is using all the "fresh faces" on GA!
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Nov 25, 2007 12:45 AM
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I agree wholeheartedly. Why not give other actors a chance and allow us veteran TV watchers to enjoy the show without sitting there wondering how many times we have seen this particular guy on which particular show? It is frustrating and distracting.
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Nov 25, 2007 1:41 AM
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Of course, the grand champion for reusing actors has to be NBC's "Law & Order" - they have what's almost a virtual stable of performers they keep going back to, almost always in different roles (though some do seem to catch on well enough in one role that the actor and character will get reused.) It's bad enough that, at least a few years ago, there was a complete list of what have become known as "Law and Order's Repeat Offenders"
To top it off, since I was sucked in by the L&O monster, its gotten to where anytime I see an actor or actress that looks familiar, I just try to picture them on one of the L&O sets (i.e. the 27th precinct, Jack or the DA's office, the courtroom, etc.,) and I can almost always place them in two or three episodes.
Worse than the multiple castings, though, has to be when two different shows - sometimes on separate networks, even - end up using essentially the same plot device in the same week. Last season L&O:CI had an episode on home invasions that started with a woman bring a child home after a sleep over, the mom at the home answering the door and using hand signals to try and get the woman bringing the kid home to take the kid and go away, but the kid dashes into the house too quickly. CBS's Close to Home used the same scenario that same week. Also L&O:SVU and Criminal Minds both used a plot about a man raping women, somehow using fertility clinic records to keep track of their fertility cycles and raping them again at a time when they'd be most likely to become pregnant.
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Nov 25, 2007 8:12 AM
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It's the same for all the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced shows. I think they share a central casting department. The "villan" on WAT last week was a sympathetic dad a couple of seasons ago on CSI. He'll probably show up on Cold Case next year - not that I mine. I like playing "where have I seen that actor before" game.
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Nov 25, 2007 8:28 AM
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I don't mind seeing an actor from one show on another as long as the story line and character are different. Unfortunatly I have caught two shows using the same story line in one week three times. Now that, is a much better practice to stop.
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Nov 25, 2007 9:42 AM
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Kiele Sanchez also seems to be part of the ABC recycling program. She was on That Was Then 5 years ago, Married to the Kellys 4 years ago, did a stint on Lost last year, has done 2 ABC pilots that didn't get picked up(one this year co-starring Eddie Cibrian and another last year with Sara Gilbert!) and will be guest starring on Samantha Who? in the coming weeks.
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Nov 25, 2007 6:14 PM
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I'm not about to find fault in ABC's guest-star strategies especially after a week of getting Eliza Dushku on Ugly Betty and Seth Green (and Gale Harold) on Grey's Anatomy.
But I do agree that casting Joy Lauren as a pregnant teen was just a bit lazy.
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Nov 25, 2007 6:18 PM
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Matt, I noticed the same thing this passed week and even made a comment to a roommate about ABC's limited revolving rolodex of guest stars when Annie's brother from Men in Trees turned up on Private Practice as Addison's date with the bizarre fetish and Bree's daughter from Desperate Housewives gave birth for the second time on ABC within the span of a week.
Can't they give other aspiring actors a break? It really bugs and breaks my suspension of disbelief when I have to play the "Oh, isn't that X from so-and-so" game with every familiar face on the alphabet net, and that's been happening quite a lot, since 60-70% of the shows I watch happen to be on ABC.
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Nov 26, 2007 8:49 AM
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It happened again last night. Billy Mayo who was The Porter on "Traveler" last summer played one of the investigators on "Desperate Housewives", which in Season 1 featured Steven Culp as Rex who went on to play Agent Chambers in "Traveler".
Also a similar (but not really) observation I noticed about a month or so ago. The character of Lena on "Brothers & Sisters" wore a rather hideous black top with a red floral pattern, later that week on Private Practice, Addison was wearing the same top. I don't know why that stuck in my head, but it did.
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Nov 26, 2007 9:10 AM
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So let me get this straight, Matt: You are now angry that guest actors continue to work? Wow, I think we've reached a new one here. I completely agree with the above poster in that there is never too much Sara Gilbert. Why she is only doing guest stints while Ellen Pompeo continues to make more money an episode than I will ever make in a lifetime is what continues to ellud me(but that is for a whole other blog). I heartedly disagree with you on your opinion on Josh Randall-I think his appeal is extremely obvious in that he is an every man.He's what I believe to be a real looking/acting guy.I loved him on Ed, even though he was creepy on lost I liked him. I was pulling for him and Addison until the shoe incident.I don't understand what's not to love about Randall, but then I've never gone for anything fancy. I also happen to love Private Practice-the show you seem intent on ruining so maybe you and I can agree that our brains just work differently. As for Joy Lauren, if I recall the last time I saw her on Desparate Housewives it seemed as if it were her last(she gave the baby to Bree-would you want to stick around). These actors are on contract with ABC (I believe)-they need to be given work.I don't know why it bothers you-Joy Lauren is adorable and she was wonderful on Private Practice.
It's really too bad you refuse to understand that Private Practice is a lighthearted drama with a great cast.There are many shows on TV that you could be picking on, but you continue to to try to get people to stop watching Private Practice.Do you really love Grey's that much that you can't stand the thought that the spinoff is good? Did you want another actor from Grey's to get his/her own show and now you are just mad at Kate Walsh? Did you want to be the one to tell us it's the best show we're not watching? Whatever it is, Matt, try this: the next time Private Practice is new sit down and watch it, try to forget all your preconcieved notions about it. Take a breath and enjoy it, find the humor in it, enjoy the spectacular cast, and relax.It's a TV show-one that you might like if you let yourself.
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Nov 26, 2007 10:14 AM
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