Question: I was just wondering if Leslie Hope or Julie Ann Emery will be back on Commander in Chief and what the reasoning behind their departures was. I think both of these actresses are underrated, and I know series creator Rod Lurie was a fan of theirs. Now I fear that Steven Bochco has already influenced the show in a negative light by casting off talented actors like Hope and Emery and bringing in actors like Mark-Paul Gosselaar.
Answer: Nothing wrong with our NYPD Blue pal Gosselaar, but the show is going through a fascinating (and unprecedented for a brand-new hit) transformation right now. From a purely story point of view, Hope's and Emery's departure made sense. Hope's character defied the president and was sacked, and Emery's agent made a mistake in handling the president's daughter and was reassigned. If Rod Lurie were still running the show, there's no reason to think he wouldn't have found a way to bring them back in a different capacity. He's famously loyal to actors.
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You might think it's a little too soon for a hurricane aftermath episode, but apparently you'd be wrong. Mac and Templeton bury the hatchet for a full 30 seconds as they head to Florida on a post-natural-disaster moral-support and photo-op expedition. And since one environmental crisis is never enough, this one's compounded by the threat of a catastrophic oil spill off the Atlantic coast. Let the party politics begin! The formula's becoming crystal clear: Mac makes a presidential decision; Templeton sabotages her before a captive world audience; Mac comes out ahead in the end because, by golly, she's got principles. So, uh, when does Mark-Paul Gosselaar show up? I think I'm in desperate need of a Zack Attack.
As if she hasn't got enough worries, like ruling the free world and stuff, Mac's picture-perfect family life begins to crack a bit at the edges, too. It looks like First Hubby's gonna take the baseball co
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Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Steven Bochco is wasting no time putting his mark on Commander in Chief. The überproducer — who earlier this month replaced Rod Lurie as show runner — has tapped his former NYPD Blue recruit Mark-Paul Gosselaar to play a slick media strategist. He'll debut next month.
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Mario López
Tonight at 6pm/ET, ESPN2 will merge celebdom with the sports world with the aptly titled ESPN Hollywood. Taking the snap in this hybrid weekly entertainment program is Mario López, who will share hosting duties with Thea Andrews (of ESPN's Cold Pizza). Is Saved by the Bell's A.C. Slater up to the task? TVGuide.com wondered the same thing — and was left wondering a day longer than expected, when Mr. Actor/Jock left us hanging to... try on clothes?!
TVGuide.com: Dude, you blew me off for "a fitting"?
Mario López: Well, you know, not by choice.... It all falls into the "Hollywood" portion of ESPN Hollywood, trying to figure out,
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When NBC's tween-comedy Saved by the Bell was expelled in 1994, Mark-Paul Gosselaar (then best known as Zack) thought it'd be a snap finding his next big role. Unfortunately, lean times and less-than-stellar projects followed. That is, until producer Steven Bochco rejuvenated Gosselaar's career by annointing him as Dennis Franz's final partner on NYPD Blue. Four years later, the groundbreaking police drama is closing up shop. (ABC airs a one-hour retrospective tonight at 9 pm/ET, followed by the actual finale at 10.) At least this time, the actor's future is less uncertain — he has already been cast in a Fox pilot about a brother and sister who run a Las Vegas wedding chapel. With steady employment on the horizon, Gosselaar's able to relax and fondly reflect on his well-received stint at the 15th Precinct.TVGuide.com: You wrapped shooting on Blue jus
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