The news this week that Sela Ward would be joining the cast of CSI: NY left some of us very ambivalent. Read the full post.
Jul 17
2010
12:01 PM ET
When favorite actors go into so-so shows: Sela Ward, Nathan Fillion and others, you deserve better
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Firefly & Castle are so completely different that you can’t really compare them. I love them both and Nathan seems to be having a lot of fun doing Castle. I’d love to see him get a movie role as good as Mal to be sure, but for TV, Castle is a good blend of drama and humor and the cast seem to have good chemistry. Not a bad way to earn a steady paycheck!
Great observation. Nathan Fillion is being wasted. I like “Castle” for what it is, but Fillion deserves better. Kristen Stewart, who was so good on “Veronica Mars,” is being wasted in her movies and in the final season of “Heroes” and Chris Meloni, who was so gritty and real in “Oz,” deserves better than “SVU.”
Speaking of Oz it’s an absolute tragedy that the brilliant Lee Tergesen hasn’t done much of note since. Now there’s a great actor being wasted!
Sorry, Kristen Bell. The “Twilight” phenomenon is making me think of all Kristens as Stewarts.
Can you believe her most stable role since VM has been the uncredited (and unseen) narrator on Gossip Girl?
I don’t think that you are being fair. No matter where Kyle and Connie might go, it’s unlikely that their roles will be as terrifically written as they were in FNL. Will Chandra ever be as good in another role as she is as Bailey? Will Hugh ever find a character to play who brings out the very best in him as an actor? Sela, Nathan and the like have will have opportunity to transcend the material they are given. Will their roles ever compare to those magnificent characters of yore? I doubt it, but I find this post to be a bit pointless. These amazing amazing actors may never again win roles that suit them perfectly. For the time being, I’ll take Sela in whatever role I can get her. It’s up to her to be better than the script.
I agree with the gist of the comment above, great characters like coach Taylor, House, or Veronicae Mars, come from exceptional writers, directors, casting agents, and actors.
FNL is a great example of this- do you have any complaints about ANY of performances on this series? hasn’t it been seamlessly excellent from leads like Connie and and Kyle, right down to guest spots like Zach Roring’s Cash? Who do we have to thank for that? Berg and the writers, and whoever is doing casting, right?
Still great actors seem to find thier way, Will Smith long ago surpassed his fresh prince days, Johnny Depp started on Jump Street… maybe back then we would have been wondering if they’d ever me better then they were in those roles. but look what has come to pass.
((as far and freaks and geeks goes, I’ve yet to love Franco in any of his roles as much as I loved him in F and G, (I’m sure he’s done stuff I haven’t seen…) But I love John F.Daley on Bones! ))
Here’s some questions- will Jim Parsons, ever find a role as great as Sheldon?
Will Wentworth Miller ever return to the screen in role we love as much as Michael Scofield?
maybe we the viewers should spend as much time rooting for the writers and showrunners as we do our favorite actors… Hey Mr. Sorkin, where are you? Who wrote Gilmore Girls? and what will Peter Burg be doing after FNL?!?
Clearly something Ken tapped out with one hand while on the toilet Friday night to give the site some fresh content for the weekend. Nicely done, Kenneth.
Castle is a fun show, and Fillion is great in it! The rest of the cast is also fantastic, which is what bumps the show from a “B” to an “A” in my book. And the same goes for How I Met Your Mother. Jason Segel, Alyson Hannigan (Willow from Buffy) plus Neil Patrick Harris = legendary fun!
I don’t know what show you’re watching, but IMO Castle is the best procedural show in decades. The writing is excellent and that the cast is of SUCH high caliber is part of what makes it work so well. (Speaking of, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, or Captain Montgomery, is currently BRILLIANT in The Winter’s Tale at Shakespeare in the Park.)
Sela is so overrated it’s not funny. There’s a reason why she takes anything that is offered to her. She has no other choice because she knows her acting sucks and she can’t demand a higher price.
I think it would be neat if there was a witty noir-type show with Nathan Filion, Lauren Graham, Kristen Bell, and Bruce Campbell trading witty remarks.
Joshua jackson deserves better than Fringe, end of story.
Well, even if you don’t like Fringe, you have to admit it’s a mile-up from Dawson’s Creek!
I blame the writers for that. His character is not developed well enough. The writers even admitted on dvd commentary that they had trouble with his character during season one.
Carla Gugino – Karen Sisco AND Threshold!
I’ve had that observation about a few actors, but I agree that it depends on what you first see them in. For example, after seeing Neal McDonough in “Boomtown,” almost everything since has just made me scratch my head. His arc on “Desperate Housewives” was laughable, and then he did that awful “Street Fighter” remake that should never have seen the light of day. Conversely, there are people I’ve thought were good in one thing and then I’ve caught them in something else that makes me even more astounded. I loved Mark Valley in “Keen Eddie,” but in “Human Target” he really nails it, and rewatching “Keen Eddie” I almost felt like I was missing something.
I agree about Sela Ward. I’d also like to throw in Holly Marie Combs who is above playing the mother on a teen drama. She deserves a show centered on her.
Has everyone forgotten about Nathan Fillion in “Buffy”?? Personally, I think that was his best role.
Man oh man, I didn’t really watch Firefly was on (tried it, wasn’t impressed and it took until the DVDs for me to get into it, probably due to Fox messing up the airdates) so Buffy was my first real exposure to him. It took some time to get used to him as a more heroic figure! He’s absolutely amazing as Caleb and utterly terrifying.
I said this earlier, but seriously, the first time I watched that arc (which wasn’t while it was on the air, sadly…I got the DVDs later), I couldn’t sleep for a long time that night…
I like Nathon F as a person, and I’m glad he gets work in Hollywood, but I think his acting range is somewhat limited. I agree completely with Kim and am quite frustrated that Skeet Ulrich who checks every box [tremendous actor with a broad range of ability, good looking, charming personality and likeable by viewers and colleagues] gets offered mediocre roles. Or, when he is in a great show like Miracles or Jericho, they get cancelled? WTf? He should be a leading man in FILMS. I’d much rather look at him than Clooney who has a weird mouth or Tom Cruise who is short or Nic Cage who is just plain weird looking. Uggg, I hate Hollywood nepitism
I understand your “nepotism” comment in regards to Clooney or Cage (I disagree, but understand). Who is Tom Cruise related to for your nepotism charge?