Inexplicable ‘Private Practice’ Cast Change Ruins a Very Good Thing
No Offense, Audra, But I Want My Merrin
Goshdarnit! With David Anders (Julian Sark) recently added to the second-season cast of Heroes, where he’ll join original series regular Greg Grunberg (Eric Weiss); Ron Rifkin (Arvin Sloane) featured in the sophomore Sunday-night hit Brothers & Sisters, along with Balthazar Getty (Thomas Grace) and series executive producer Ken Olin’s (David McNeil) wife Patricia Wettig (Dr. Judy Barnett); Victor Garber (Jack Bristow) headlining yet another legal drama next season, ABC’s Eli Stone; Michael Vartan (Michael Vaughn) set to star in a second new Alphabet Network drama called Big Shots; and Bradley Cooper (Will Tippin) slated to complete a five-episode guest-starring arc in the forthcoming fifth season of extra spicy Nip/Tuck, I was really looking forward to an Alias alum-filled fall come September, when Merrin Dungey (Francie Calfo) was also supposed to land back on the tube in the highly anticipated Grey’s Anatomy spinoff Private Practice.
The only major players missing would be Carl Lumbly (Marcus Dixon) and Kevin Weisman (Marshall Flinkman), both of whom show up occasionally in other series, and current Hollywood movie darling Jennifer Garner (Sydney Bristow), who’ll probably never do another TV show again. Yet, now the people behind the medical drama have dashed my dreams into the ground with yesterday’s announcement that the character originated by Dungey in the two-hour backdoor pilot, Addison’s (Kate Walsh) medical-school best friend and fellow doctor Naomi Bennett, will be taken over by Broadway sensation Audra McDonald when the series resumes.
Although most media outlets have reported that ABC provided no reason for this shakeup, others have specified creative factors. Oh, puh-lease. What kind of producer or director wouldn’t want a talented, experienced, professional, and need I say beautiful Dungey in their sex-obsessed, sunny California, doctors-with-problems series? Make no mistake—McDonald is no slouch, especially with an oft-noted four Tony award wins to her relatively unknown name. But, Dungey was going to help keep the deeply missed Alias ethos alive on the small screen, which makes ABC’s recent casting decision my first genuine TV-related disappointment this summer.
Bummer.
Merrin Dungey photo courtesy of ABC
Jen Garner- “current Hollywood movie darling”? Are you serious? Her last two movies “Elektra” and Catch&Release” flopped at the BO and had very bad critics. Now she is more known as Violet Affleck´s mother, not a movie star. And BTW she wants to do a tv show- “The View for mommies”.
But you are right about M. Dungey -a talented, experienced, professional, and beautiful actress.
Jen Garner- “current Hollywood movie darling”? Are you serious?
Oh, am I ever serious, anon. You know an actress is a Hollywood darling (Note that I did not say movie star–those were your words) when she continues to have buzz despite box-office bombs. I’m glad you agree about Merrin, though, which is a far more important issue to me.