03 February 2007

Ally & Friends

Because I've been trying to place where I've seen Hayden Panettiere, who plays the 16-year old cheerleader with indestructible powers on Heroes, I did a search on IMDb and found out she was that kid on Ally McBeal, playing Ally's daughter.

Then I realized, four actors from A McB are in the TV shows that I am currently watching. After 5 years since Ally's cancellation, they're back on my TV. Although they're not in one show altogether, but they're back. :)


Calista Flockhart
(Ally McBeal)

Calista now appears as Kitty, one of the siblings in ABC's Brothers & Sisters. You can check my entries on Brothers & Sisters here, here and here.

Current TV Show rating: one of the best this season, from the writing, to the acting, to the execution. Calista could have another shot at a flourishing TV career. But the downside is, the show is not a ratings puller yet. There is no news for a Season 2 pick-up.

Jane Krakowski
(Elaine Vassal on A McB)

Jane is currently a cast member of 30Rock. She plays Jenna Maroney, the lead female star of the TV Show within a TV show. Entry for 30Rock is here.

Current TV Show rating: The show seems to be improving. And it's been hailed as similar to Arrested Development (I still don't see the similarities). Co-star Alec Baldwin won the Golden Globe for this show. It is probably gonna get renewed for Season 2. Good for Jane.

Peter MacNicol
(John Cage on A McB aka The Biscuit)

He's Thomas Lennox on 24...and he's rather wily here. Not at all likeable as his Ally character. Of the four, his is a character who is a complete opposite of what he played in A McB. Peter MacNicol, after all is such a versatile actor.

Current TV Show rating: It's 24! Even if the plot has a lot of loopholes, you cannot fault this show for improving TV shows as it is now. Because of 24, other productions are challenged to come up with a similar clever concept. Even if it goes on for 10 seasons or more, MacNicol's character may eventually die or is written off as this is what 24 thrives on --- the element of surprise.

Greg Germann
(Richard Fish on A McB)

Greg is still with a group of crazy people, much like his Ally castmates. This time, he is Sherman Yablonsky, a celebrity guru of some sort in In Case of Emergency.

Current TV show rating: The show is a crapfest to be honest. Yet I keep watching it, LOL! And I don't know why. It could be canceled mid-season. Bad move for Greg.