| This fall, former brat pack movie star Rob Lowe is hitting the tube as an in-house casino MD on the unfortunately-titled Dr. Vegas. Last year he was an idealistic lawyer on The Lyon’s Den, a much-hyped NBC series that was cancelled after just six episodes. The autumn before that, Lowe played deputy communications director Sam Seaborn on The West Wing, but ended up bolting over what is commonly believed to be a salary dispute.
Rob Lowe being in a different show each year for three consecutive years is part of an annoying, ongoing trend in television. Instead of attempting to break in a crop of new stars, the major U.S. television networks continue to recycle familiar faces from the past.
Having watched the lacklustre preview footage of Dr. Vegas, I fully expect to see Lowe hitting the talk show circuit next September promoting yet another new series. While the series, soon to première on CBS and CTV, does not look promising as a future Emmy contender, it is doing a fine job as a nesting ground for stars in need of a career rehab. Besides Lowe, the show features Joe Pantoliano, who starred in the quickly-cancelled The Handler last year and Tom Sizemore who crashed and burned as the front man of Robbery Homicide Division back in 2002.
It seems any actor or actress with a familiar face can just lie in the weeds after their TV series is cancelled, and soon they will be offered another lead part. Other new shows digging into the TV recycling bin include the CBS family comedy Centre of the Universe featuring John Goodman (Roseanne, Normal Ohio) and Jean Smart (The District, In-Laws, Designing Women). Proving that you can’t keep a good vixen down, Heather Locklear (Melrose Place, Spin City, Dynasty) takes on her umpteenth TV gig in LAX opposite fellow TV retread Blair Underwood (L.A. Law, City of Angels, High Incident).
And then there’s ABCs Desperate Housewives, which would more aptly be titled Desperate Divas since it marks the simultaneous comeback bids of past TV hotties Nicolette Sheridan (Knots Landing), Teri Hatcher (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) and Marcia Cross (Melrose Place).
With so many network acting jobs already disappearing due to a proliferation of reality shows, it’s got to be doubly disappointing for up and coming performers that network casting agents seem so reluctant to give them a chance to shine.
Only the ratings-challenged, smaller American networks seem willing to place a relative unknown in a lead role. The UPN has new shows Kevin Hill and Veronica Mars, with Taye Diggs and Kristen Bell respectively in the title parts. As well, the WB is counting on Matt Long and Logan Lerman to carry much of the dramatic burden on Jack and Bobby.
Do the recent track records of returning stars warrant their elevated status in new shows? In most cases, I would say no. Take for example Jason Alexander, who plays a sports talk show host in the new CBS program Listen Up. Sure you may have loved him on Seinfeld but the absolute tank job of his promoted-to-death 2001 series Bob Patterson, proves to me that this guy is not an actor to build a show around.
But don’t worry, if Listen Up is quickly cancelled, chances are Alexander will surface again in perhaps a new buddy comedy opposite let’s say… Rob Lowe! Yeah, I’m sure they’d be great together. |
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