Katee Sackhoff by Justin Stephens/Sci Fi Channel Photo, Jorja Fox by Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage.com
This is seriously frakked up. Sources confirm to me exclusively that Battlestar Galactica's ass-kicking Katee Sackhoff was thisclose to becoming Jorja Fox's pseudo-replacement next season on CSI. In fact, she was considered to be such a lock for the new series-regular role of Bryce Adams that exec producers Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar, both huge fans of the actress, were practically rolling a red carpet all the way to her trailer. But...Oh, come on, you knew there was a "but" coming. After seeing Sackhoff read for the part of the sexy new CSI on the graveyard shift, executives at both CBS (who declined to comment for this story) and Jerry Bruckheimer Television remained unconvinced that they had found their Bryce. And, unfortunately, their opinion won out. Told you it was a frakked-up story. Now, the role is once again up for grabs, I'm once again bummed, and so once again I'm turning to you for opinions. Who do you think was right — the creative folks or the suits? Weig...
read more
Katee Sackhoff by Justin Stephens/Sci Fi Channel Photo
What does Katee Sackhoff really think of the canceled (though not yet officially) Bionic Woman? After all, many thought she was the only reason to watch. The former Sarah Corvis didn't mince words when she answered TV Guide's question during a Friday conference call: "The main problem with Bionic Woman is that if you get too many hands in the pot, no one can agree with what they're trying to make so you get a stew that's made of s--t." That said, Sackhoff says she "would follow [Bionic/Battlestar Galactica producer David Eick] to the ends of the earth" — which means that maybe Eick will consider her for his upcoming TV take on Children of Men. Not that Sackhoff is necessarily dying to do another kick-butt action project. No, she claims that what she really wants to do "is a romantic comedy with James McAvoy."Turning to Galactica, which returns April 4... what's her wish for Starbuck's end? "Peace — whether that comes with death or transcendence." Sackhoff also answered our...
read more
Katee Sackhoff by Alan Zenuk/NBC
Katee Sackhoff wants to set the record straight. "I have no plans to leave Bionic Woman, and Michelle Ryan" — who fills the title role — "is doing a great job. There's not one ounce of bad blood between us." Sackhoff, whose flamboyant turn as Sarah Corvus has overshadowed Ryan on the struggling NBC series, tells TV Guide that she absolutely did not diss either BW or its star at a recent convention. (News of the alleged cattiness came from a blogger who attended the sci-fi confab.) "It's sad," says Sackhoff, "because you want to connect with the fans, and then they throw it in your face in a negative light."Sackhoff confides she's meeting with producers "to discuss my involvement in the show, which was pretty limited this year" — pre-strike, she was slated for seven episodes — "because of my obligations to Battlestar Galactica." Making clear she's "contractually obligated to a six-year deal" on BW, she insists she'd be "happy as a clam" to stay that long. "It's f...
read more
Katee Sackhoff by Alan Zenuk/NBC Photo
Katee Sackoff, who plays rogue beta model Sarah Corvus on Bionic Woman, could be completely done with NBC's struggling series, and not because of the writers' strike. According to the blog of at least one Battlestar Galactica/Stargate SG-1/Atlantis convention attendee, Sackoff said at a public Q&A that she has a meeting with one of the producers after Thanksgiving, but does not expect to return to the show even if it does resume production. Sackhoff never came out and explicitly stated the reason for her breakup with the show, but reportedly through thinly veiled sassy comments and during a more private confab at a luncheon table, suggested "there isn't a lot of love going on between her and Michelle Ryan," says the blogger. — Erin FoxUPDATE: Another attendee of the convention refutes the above account, saying in her own blog that during the public Q&A "at no time did Katee Sackhoff say that she was quitting the show or that she had any problem with Michelle Ryan. She d...
read more
Question: I am shocked that in the many comments made about Bionic Woman, no one has mentioned the completely flat and robotic acting of lead Michelle Ryan. When I tuned in to the show to give it a try, I was completely turned off by Ryan's dismal performance. What could the producers and NBC have been thinking with that casting choice? One of the reasons Alias was such a critical and cult favorite was because of the fantastic lead performance of Jennifer Garner, who not only kicked butt, but also infused character Sydney Bristow with warmth, depth, intelligence and angst. Her multilayered performance "garnered" her several richly deserved Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, and even a Globe win. Sadly, I would not predict the same for Ryan. Do you agree that her lack of both acting skills and charisma will contribute to the failure of Bionic Woman?
Answer: I hardly thought this was a big secret. Seems to me lots of the negative commentary about this show has focused on the dour,
...
read more
Michelle Ryan and Isaiah Washington in Bionic Woman by Carol Segal/NBC Photo
Jeers to Isaiah Washington for his tragically lethargic performance on Bionic Woman. The former Grey's Anatomy lightning rod was clearly brought onto NBC's sci-fi remake to generate controversy — and ratings — but he sucks the life out of every scene. As Antonio Pope, the trainer/guru of Jaime Sommers (Michelle Ryan, who's no party herself), he's adopted a too-cool-for-school acting style, mumbling his lines and only coming to life when he's kicking somebody's ass. Washington needs to take a cue from his Bionic cast mate Katee Sackhoff and amp up his energy level several notches. He should be better, stronger... and less boring.More Cheers & Jeers: Read and react to Bruce's opinions on Damages, Heroes, Housewives and Friday Night Lights, then share your own raves and rants about other shows on the new Reader Cheers & Jeers discussion board. Your comments could wind up in TV Guide magazine!
read more
Question: I have to admit I had high hopes for Bionic Woman, considering that the executive producer was David Eick, who had a hand in revamping another 1970s show, Battlestar Galactica, into one of my favorite programs. The addition of Katee Sackhoff as a villain, as well as the casting of some other great TV veterans, should have sealed the deal on this show, but after tuning in for the premiere, I was sorely disappointed. Besides the obvious reasons (none of the characters were appealing and the storyline was incomprehensible), I was also disappointed by the disappearance of the deaf sister from the show's preview and the strange borrowing of BSG scenes, some shot-for-shot. Do you think this show's run is going to have any influence on the production of Battlestar's new season? I would hate to see BSG suddenly start having absurd amounts of expository dialogue in the middle of a girlfight.
Answer: I doubt Bionic Woman's success or failure will have much of an impact on Battlestar
read more
Lucy Kate Hale, Michelle Ryan and Molly Price in Bionic Woman by Mitchell Haaseth/NBC Photo
First, an important public-service announcement: Tonight on The War, we relive D-Day, a momentous turning point in military history brought to vivid life by those who lived through it, courtesy of Ken Burns' masterful way with documentary narrative. I know this is premiere week, and Wednesday is the most competitive night for new shows this season, but I wouldn't be doing my duty if I didn't remind everyone that this is TV you not only shouldn't miss, but it's an experience you'll never forget. (The reality, though, is that PBS is giving viewers multiple opportunities to see these episodes, and I can't think of a better gift DVD for holiday season.) Back to the network game, where only one of the nine new series being launched on Wednesdays is MIA: ABC’s marvelous Pushing Daisies, its premiere pushed back a week by the tsunami-like launch of Dancing with the Stars, which once again is turning out to be the ratings monster everyone expected. (And the men, by and large, had a bla...
read more
Katee Sackhoff as Sarah in Bionic Woman by Alan Zenuk/NBC Photo
Not long after her semiconspicuous absence from Bionic Woman's TCA press tour session, Katee Sackhoff and NBC agreed to terms that will make her a recurring player on the new series, says the Hollywood Reporter. Sackhoff's Sarah, a bionic woman herself (but one in desperate need of debugging), plays a meaty role in the pilot. Despite being passed off thus far as a recurring cast member, the actress and the studio had actually still been negotiating terms.According to the trade mag, some had speculated that Sackhoff — a bit of an icon to the lesbian community from her run as Battlestar Galactica's Starbuck — had taken issue with Bionic Woman's hiring of Isaiah Washington, yet others deny that that played into her holdout. (I hear she was lobbying to make her borg an eco-friendly hybrid.)RELATED: Bionic Sis Gets New Face (and Ears), Isaiah's Bionic Makeover and Other Random Thoughts
read more
Zachary Levi as Chuck by Chris Haston/NBC Photo
The network of Heroes is going hero-crazy this fall. But two of NBC's more buzzed-about new genre series couldn’t be more different: a dark and disturbing "reimagining" of '70s superhero series Bionic Woman and the laugh-out-loud action-comedy Chuck, about a computer nerd whose brain is accidentally wired with government secrets, catapulting him into the spy game. Both were presented in back-to-back sessions at the TCA critics' press tour Tuesday morning.Of course, much of the latest Bionic buzz has focused on this week’s announcement that the ever-controversial Isaiah Washington is joining the show for an early five-episode arc as a mystery man brought into the secret bio-science organization that turned Jaime Sommers (Michelle Ryan in a new twist on the old Lindsay Wagner role) into a part-machine superhuman. It’s a casting stunt that at least a few journalists in the room feel could backfire. Executive producer Jason Smilovic defended the casting stunt by saying, &...
read more
