Lucy Lawless and Tricia Helfer Hit No Ordinary Family

Holy frak! ABC's No Ordinary Family makes fanboy dreams come true by pitting superhero brood the Powells against two new baddies played by former Battlestar Galacticabeauties Lucy Lawless and Tricia Helfer. "We're certainly excited to not only have two actresses of their caliber, but also two actresses with significant followings," says executive producer Jon Feldman, who's fighting for the freshman drama's
renewal. Feldman's plan to give the bubble show a boost in ratings, other than casting some serious hotties?

"To really amp up the degree of mythology and the cool factor in terms of the villains," he explains. "Hopefully it's stuff that fans of the genre will really get into."

No doubt Battlestar devotees will geek out over the reuniting of Lawless and Helfer as the mysterious Mrs. X and Sophie, respectively. Mrs. X — whom Helfer describes as "pure evil" and will appear in a multi-episode arc — tasks Sophie to cast a spell over Powell patriarch Jim (Michael Chiklis) and his sidekick, George (Romany Malco). "She basically mind-controls them," explains Helfer. "Sophie isn't Wonder Woman — she's not strong and she can't run fast, but she has the ability to make men googly-eyed and control what they do."

Of course, those feminine wiles create waves within Jim's marriage — and could even put his wife, Stephanie (Julie Benz), in harm's way. Teases Helfer, "Things could literally blow up." Also look for the show's other heroes to face serious threats, says Feldman. "As they embrace the role that has been thrust upon them, the stakes become life or death," he says. "We're building toward an exciting conclusion."

No Ordinary Family airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC.

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