Ricky Schroder stopped by the other day to talk about The Andromeda Strain, A&E's two-night adaptation of the Michael Crichton novel. (Premiering Monday, May 26, the mini also stars Benjamin Bratt, Daniel Dae Kim and Andre Braugher.) Other topics of conversation include Schroder's run on 24 (was he being groomed to take over for Kiefer?) and my theory that Silver Spoons' Erin Gray was TV's first stepMILF. Enjoy!
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Benjamin Bratt by Diyah Pera/ A&E
A lethal virus is landing on American soil Monday night in the first of a two-part miniseries remake of The Andromeda Strain on AE Based on the novel by Michael Crichton the medical thriller chronicles the arrival of a lethal virus that arrives from space and kills every human in its path within seconds Called in to research the issue and ideally save the world is a team of scientists and other experts who try to pool their collective brainpower to stop the Strain before it stops humankind A government secret meanwhile stymies their progressThe world-saving team features an all-star cast including Benjamin Bratt as Dr Jeremy Stone a man with family problems and big smarts Rick Schroder is Maj Bill Keane MD whos all about the military modus operandi TVGuidecom spoke with some of the miniseries stars to get the inside scoop on just what well be up against and whos going to save usChrista Miller Dr Angela NoyceAlong with the doctor and the M
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E! True Hollywood Story: Britney Spears' Fall from Grace premieres Dec. 29 at 6 pm/ET.... A new TV-movie adaptation of Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth stars Ricky Schroder and premieres Jan. 27 on the ION Television Network.... Nick News presents Kids Pick the President: The Kids' Primary, the first of three election-year specials, to air Jan. 13 at 9 pm/ET.... Fox's New Year's Eve Live special has added So You Think You Can Dance champ Sabra Johnson as a performer.
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Michael Imperioli by Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com
Emmy winner Michael Imperioli is set to star alongside Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn in the ABC TV-movie Oprah Winfrey Presents: Mitch Albom's For One More Day, about a despondent former baseball star who is magically granted a 24-hour reunion with his deceased ma.... A&E's Ridley and Tony Scott-produced four-hour adaptation of The Andromeda Strain now counts Ricky Schroder, Eric McCormack, Andre Braugher and Benjamin Bratt among its cast, says Variety.... Charles S. Dutton will direct and star with Elizabeth Peña in Racing for Time, a Lifetime pic inspired by the true story of Noel Chestnut, a prison guard who created a sports program for hard-core female juvies.
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In a normal week, I would probably find myself writing something on the order of thanking America for coming to its senses and finally sending the classy but inert Clyde Drexler packing from Dancing with the Stars. And then I’d tack on some snarky thought about how maybe America could be similarly inspired tonight to send the “utterly horrendous” (Simon’s words) Sanjaya Malakar and his bandanna home from American Idol after Tuesday’s feeble attempt at Bonnie Raitt insouciance.But this is hardly a normal week. Between Monday’s instantly infamous tragedy at Virginia Tech, and the natural disaster of the floods in the Northeast following last weekend’s torrential storm, my TV has been a bearer of bad news for the last couple of terrible days. Reality TV has been thoroughly overshadowed by reality on TV.In times like these, especially as the nation tries to come to grips with the senseless horror of the Virginia Tech shootings, TV serves an essential p...
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Question: I'd like to know what you think of Rick Schroder's Doyle in 24. Since his arrival, I can't stop thinking of him as a Jack Bauer 2.0. He has a temper, the authority, the "trust no one" credo and the I-have-a-heavy-background look. If the writers ever decide to kill Jack (I mean for good), don't you think Doyle would be the perfect replacement?
Answer: I don't want to come off like I'm bashing Rick Schroder here, because I liked him on NYPD Blue and have no trouble buying him as a tough guy, eternally boyish face aside. He's doing the best with what he's been given here. But the new Jack? No way. Whatever Doyle was up to in Denver, it clearly wasn't a Dale Carnegie course in making friends and inspiring the team. The way he treats everyone at CTU, even if his ultimate aim is the common good, doesn't make him the sort of character to build a show around. I actually don't think there is a "perfect replacement" for Jack: When he steps away, the show's over. And given how rocky i ...
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Marisol Nichols, 24
Last week on Fox's 24 (Mondays at 9 pm/ET), CTU staffer Nadia Yassir was identified as a mole feeding info to this season's baddies, prompting Ricky Schroder's Mike Doyle to give her a helluva scare in the interrogation room. But is Nadia really a turncoat? Or is she the victim of a masterful, 24-style setup? TVGuide.com debriefed Marisol Nichols on her character's unfortunate pickle.
TVGuide.com: First off, talk CTU to me....Marisol Nichols: "I need you to upload the link to the variable... thing and decode it to my computer."
TVGuide.com: "The variable thing"?Nichols: How about, "Upload the video image to my feed and decrypt it using an H5 QS"?
TVGuide.com: Wow. You and Mary Lynn [Rajs
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Question: Last season I used the term "breathless" to describe how I felt after watching 24. I would have to say that this season's words are "dark" and "gruesome." I had no idea Jack Bauer could bite someone's jugular to get free; but then again, he is JB after all. To think he kept saying, "I don't think I can do this any more," worried me a bit. Especially after he had already done so much. (By the way, wasn't he stabbed in the back by an ice pick or something? He seems to be fine. What is up with that? Do they honestly think the fans forget something like that?) I was wondering just a few things: First, why was Curtis killed off? I really liked him, and he always seemed to be there for Jack. Second, will Rick Schroder be a breath of fresh air, or will he bring some of his NYPD Blue character with him?
Answer: I think we've lived long enough with 24 and Jack Bauer to accept it on faith that our hero can take a serious licking and keep on ticking, no matter what. To fret over it
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This just in from Fox: NYPD Blue vet Rick Schroder has joined the Season 6 cast of 24, playing Mike Doyle, a "forceful CTU operative... who teams with Jack Bauer to execute crucial field operations." Thankfully, that description does not go on to say, "... while secretly bedding Bauer's daughter, Kim." People lose appendages that way, literally.
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Question: What's the story behind the abrupt departure of Rick Schroder from NYPD Blue? All I heard was he quit. I thought he did a good job transitioning from child star to adult actor. Did he prove it to himself and felt he had nothing more to gain from remaining in the role?
Answer: As is the case with any of these casting changes in TV Land, there are the public reasons and the private ones, Jill, and usually the only people who can tell you the difference are those directly involved.
In the case of NYPD Blue, the official reason Schroder, who came on board in Season 6, gave for leaving was the heavy shooting schedule and how much time he spent away from his family. The tabloids cited unnamed sources who claimed the real reason was that Schroder thought the show's producers were angling to replace him when they brought in another former child star, ex
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