Question: I am growing to like Brothers & Sisters, especially now that Treat Williams, an Everwood favorite, has been added to the cast. I find the pairing of him and Sally Field on screen together very interesting. However, I recently heard that Betty Buckley was the original mother in the series and even did a pilot for the show. It is not that I don't like Sally Field, but I have always loved Betty Buckley. I am curious to see if you think the show would be as successful if Buckley were in it rather than the very popular Field. Sally Field has been doing TV spots in recent years, but it would have been great to see Betty Buckley on television.
Answer: I have nothing against Betty Buckley — she was the best Norma Desmond ever in the stage version of Sunset Boulevard, and her recordings are a knockout. I only saw a few clips from the original pilot, when she was in the mother role, but I can't second-guess the producers on this one. Sally Field exudes such humor and warmth in th ...
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Question: What in the world is happening on the set of Brothers & Sisters? It seems they can't get anything done. At least Commander in Chief got a few episodes done before all the changes. Brothers & Sisters can't even complete their own pilot. Is this show done before it even begins?
Answer: Fair question, but isn't it better for a show to retool on the front end instead of midstream? I wasn't that concerned by the early recastings, especially when one resulted in bringing Sally Field into the cast (as much as I'm a fan of Betty Buckley, who originally played the mother). Still, it is troublesome to read that former Buffy exec Marti Noxon has already left as show-runner, reportedly after clashing with the untested creator, playwright Jon Robin Baitz. There's no question the show will premiere under a cloud of turmoil and skepticism, but all that really matters is how it looks on screen. And I won't be able to comment on that until ABC actually delivers a finished episode. (Hint, hint ...
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