4 Oktober 2000
By Michael Ausiello
| Last year was a tough one for loyal followers of the WB drama Felicity. First, there was the move to Sunday
night. Next, the ridiculous hoopla surrounding the haircut. Then came the preposterous talk of a creative slump ("What
slump?" asks TV Guide critic Matt Roush). And, to top it all off, the season ended with rumors that Felicity's
sophomore year might be its last. Well, viewers fought back, bombarding The WB with letters (not to mention hair
clippings), and the network renewed the series. So, in honor of the show's third season premiere tonight (9 pm/ET) - and as
a gift to battle-weary fans - TV Guide Online serves up its own Felicity extravaganza. It's the first installment of
a new feature in which we take you "Behind the Screen" of your favorite TV shows. Senior Editor Michael Ausiello spent an
entire day at Felicity's Los Angeles set, needling the show's cast and crew for details about the upcoming semester,
rumors of backstage romances and the show's fight for survival. It's a must-read for all Felicity enthusiasts. And
let's face it, you earned it.
FELICITY GETS A MAKEOVER Well, with The WB giving Felicity only a 13-episode commitment as opposed to a full season's 22, the show's producers know better. "We feel that we're in sort of a critical proving period right now," acknowledges co-creator and executive producer Matt Reeves. As a result, Reeves and fellow co-creator/executive producer J.J. Abrams spent the summer tinkering with their baby, starting with taking the focus off of its title character. "I think the key for us this year is that we have made the show more of an ensemble," explains Abrams. "It's like Ally McBeal. Some of their best shows focused on the other characters. She's in the show, but not every episode is necessarily an Ally "A" story. One of the biggest complaints we got last year was that we didn't explore the other characters enough. Who is Meghan (Amanda Foreman)? Javier (Ian Gomez) is their boss, but who is he? What does he want?" Adds Reeves: "This also takes some of the burden off of Felicity, and at the same time, allow us to go a little bit deeper with the supporting players." Another big change this year, Abrams points out, is the angst-ridden coeds are, well, happy. "We get to come back this year without the suspicion and regret and anger that last year was marred by with Noel (Scott Foley) hating Felicity, Julie (Amy Jo Johnson) hating Felicity, Ben (Scott Speedman) breaking up with Felicity, Elena being caught in the middle. This year, it's sort of a group of friends that came through it all and now they're together and it's them against the world." Hoping to get viewers to sample their new-and-improved product - complete with an overhauled opening and theme song - Abrams and Reeves have lured some big name talent to campus. Tyra Banks joins the cast early on as a serious dance student and potential love interest for Noel, and John Ritter will guest star as Ben's dad. "We hope we can get people's attention so that they know something is happening that's different," says Reeves. "But at the same time, we want to make sure that we don't lose our fan base ... that in the process of trying to get more viewers, we also stay true to what we think the show is." But viewers scanning the show's credits may find cause for concern: Former Beverly Hills 90210 honcho John Eisendrath has come on board as an executive producer. But Abrams is quick to assure loyalists that the drama isn't about to turn into a cheesy soap opera in a bid for higher ratings. "John comes to the show with a great sense of humor about what it is to work on [90210] with total respect for what this show is," he says. "One of my concerns was I didn't want to turn this show into a sensational [melodrama]. But he's got great ideas, not to mention the ability to run a show like clockwork." But the question remains: Will all the changes be enough to save Felicity? Abrams believes The WB's decision to air 13 re-run free episodes from October through January (before replacing it with original episodes of Jack & Jill at midseason) can only help the show's cause. "The way The WB is having us do consecutive episodes and no repeats is genius," he concedes. "This way, it's simply saying, 'We're new every week. Start watching and hopefully, you'll keep watching.'" Some have suggested, however, that the bold scheduling move pits the two dramas against each other - with the higher-rated one winning the timeslot. "I feel like the competition that we're in is with ourselves," says Reeves. "If we don't measure up to expectations - whatever they may be - then we're going to go and that won't have anything to do with Jack & Jill." For his part, Abrams can't help but be optimistic that Felicity will pass this critical test. "I feel like I've got this secret and I can't wait to tell people," he marvels. "I feel more like I did the first year in terms of excitement. I feel like these are some of the best shows that we've done, and if we don't get picked up - and of course I have faith that we will - I would rather go out on such sure footing."
KERI RUSSELL UNCUT Or maybe just a little bruised. After the year Russell endured, is it any wonder that on television's biggest night she would choose to shun the spotlight? In the span of just 12 months, the 24-year-old went from being hailed as Hollywood's Next Big Thing to being heckled for her funny haircut. Adding insult to injury, when Felicity's ratings plummeted 30 percent, during its second season, WB execs blamed it on her mane. "She's not a machine," reminds executive producer J.J. Abrams. "Clearly, her feelings were hurt that all this noise was being made about something as trivial as her hair." Well, it's a new year, and Russell, who agreed to talk with TV Guide Online during a break from taping, is no doubt happy to start discussing something - anything - other than her shag. TV GUIDE ONLINE: So, let's talk about your hair. (Russell laughs) What are you doing with it? KERI RUSSELL: It's just growing out. It's slowly becoming hair again. I'm enjoying the length of it. It will be nice when it gets a little bit longer, too. TVGO: Are you still surprised about all the hoopla surrounding it? RUSSELL: Absolutely. People constantly comment on it. TVGO: Let's talk a little bit about the show. It was amazing that after Felicity obsessed over Ben (Scott Speedman) for two years, he said "I love you" first. RUSSELL: It was something that was added at the very last minute. When we went in to shoot that scene, we weren't even sure if we were going to do it. I think it's cool that he said it first. TVGO: It was nice that during The Emmys, Felicity and Ben were represented as being among television's hottest couples - alongside Frasier's Niles and Daphne and Friends' Chandler and Monica. RUSSELL: I know. We're not recognized at all in that world, yet they included us in the clips, so that was pretty great. TVGO: Is Noel (Scott Foley) out of the picture for good? RUSSELL: He and Felicity are still friends, but Noel is kind of missing at the beginning of the season. People go looking for him, and there are some really funny things that happen. TVGO: Are you surprised Felicity returned this season? RUSSELL: Yeah, I guess so. Our ratings have always been so poor, and I don't think the network really wanted us to get picked up. TVGO: So how was your summer? RUSSELL: Summer was great. It was nice; I travelled a lot. The weird thing about shooting a series is that you have the summer off, so it's like school. You get to go and do all these fun things for a long period of time and then go back to work. TVGO: Why didn't you spend your hiatus making a movie or something? RUSSELL: I was just so tired and in need of a vacation. And nothing really sparked my interest. TVGO: Speaking of films, wasn't Mad About Mambo supposed to come out this summer? RUSSELL: It did, sadly, in like only four cities. I think they were Seattle, Atlanta, Dallas and Phoenix, which are Felicity's biggest markets. That movie was made I-don't-know-how-many years ago. Whenever the Felicity pilot was shot, which was probably three years ago. So my feeling is, if it wasn't released two years ago, when it was supposed to be, then it probably shouldn't have been. TVGO: Did you see the finished product? RUSSELL: I never saw the full deal. They kept trying to rework it. I liked the idea of it just being a small artsy movie, but they were trying to make it out to be a little something bigger and more American. TVGO: Do you have any comment about your love life? Care to confirm that you and Scott Speedman are an item? Russell: (Laughing) I have no comment; I have no comment. Life is too complicated for me, let alone having to discuss it with the public. That's all I have to say. TVGO: Are you interested in going on with Felicity, should it continue for a fourth season? RUSSELL: I can't even imagine ... it is such a day-to-day process here. I just can't believe we're in our third season. It seems like yesterday that we were shooting the pilot. It's wild. So I don't know [about a fourth]. I'll have to tell you when I get there.
IS JULIE HISTORY? "I don't want to necessarily talk about what happens, but we're doing a story with her that I think is great," executive producer J.J. Abrams cryptically tells TV Guide Online of Johnson, who, ironically, was the only castmember not present during this set visit. "I can tell you that we're now upstairs, planning this episode that she's in, so I promise you you're going to see her in the course of the year." Speculation has it that Julie's possible exit may be tied to her estranged birth father, who last year was in dire need of a kidney transplant. "That's part of the story," Abrams confirms. "It's one of those things where I felt we hadn't dealt with certain aspects of her character well enough last year, and this story really gives an opportunity to explore some things about her character that I think are unresolved and worth exploring. "I could tell you what happens in the story, but it is one of those things I would much rather have play out," he continues. "I think what happens is surprising, and then the fallout is good - not just in terms of her character but the other characters, too. There is a pretty dramatic story for her this year. Ideally, people won't have any anticipation of what it might be, and when it happens, it will be, 'Oh my God!' "
JAVIER AND SEAN SQUARE OFF TV GUIDE ONLINE: Well, let's talk first a little bit about the new season. IAN GOMEZ: Well, the new season brings us some surprises ... yes, it does. TVGO: Javier was full of surprises in the season finale ... GOMEZ: He got married, and now he's starting school. He's going to take classes at the university, so he'll be seen in more places than just Dean & Deluca, which is great. And he'll be wearing different clothes, which is nice. GREG GRUNBERG: That's always nice. GOMEZ: It is nice. Scratchy sweaters and itchy pants ... that's usually good for me. TVGO: Are you happy that they're giving you more to do now than just spout out one-liners? GOMEZ: Yeah. In fact, I've kind of known what the character is, but maybe other people haven't. So it is kind of neat just to do other stuff and talk about subjects other than coffee. TVGO: Will we be seeing more of your husband, Samuel, this season? GOMEZ: Hopefully. But I can't stand that guy; he's terrible. GRUNBERG: Really? GOMEZ: No, no. He's a great actor; he's a good guy. His name is Austin Tichenor, and I've known him since I lived in Chicago. And, actually, we had a baby shower for him at our house. It was a complete surprise that he got the part. I had no idea. GRUNBERG: Really? GOMEZ: I didn't. I recommended all of my friends except him, but he got it anyway. I don't know how. But he is very good, so that was a pleasant surprise. And I've always wanted to kiss him, so it was great. It worked out well. TVGO (to Grunberg): Meghan and Sean hooking up caught a lot of people by surprise. GRUNBERG: Took me by surprise when I read the script. I actually was saying I wanted to interact with [Meghan portrayer Amanda Foreman] ... maybe we start a business or something. But that scene in the bathroom was just like, What? Out of the blue. She says, 'I like that shirt,' and that's all he needed to hear. TVGO: Up until that point, it was Julie, Julie, Julie. And then, all of a sudden, Meghan? GRUNBERG: Well, he was crushed so heavily [by Julie rejecting him] that he was just depressed. My character was not at all in the mood to be friendly. And it was just that someone complimented his clothing, and he's going to sleep with that person. It could have been Javier. GOMEZ: It could have been, but I wasn't working that day. TVGO: He's not over Julie, though, is he? GRUNBERG: No. There was a real bond that developed, and it was a sibling kind of bond, too. As far as friendship-wise, she just came to me for everything, and she was there for me and I was there for her. TVGO: So could she mess things up for you and Meghan? GRUNBERG: I think it's not going to be smooth sailing - not because of Julie but because we are complete opposites. These characters are just so much fun to watch. It's the most dysfunctional relationship you can imagine. We can spark up an argument in about 3 seconds, over nothing. And that's what makes it fun. And [Amanda] is just great. GOMEZ: (Trying to instigate) You've worked with better, though, right? GRUNBERG: (Typically dry) Yeah, yeah, yeah ... absolutely. TVGO: I hear Sean is going to have a health scare. GRUNBERG: Yes, there's a health scare for Sean. It's a health scare for everyone ... it's not something that's unique. GOMEZ: I'm going to tell you: He gets scurvy. GRUNBERG: That's exactly it! GOMEZ: He has a Vitamin C deficiency ... TVGO: That will help the ratings. GOMEZ: ... and develops rickets. And in the fourth season he'll be completely bow-legged. TVGO: Good times. GRUNBERG: Yeah. It's funny, a friend of mine who was on a soap opera for 3 years said that once you go into makeup and they start putting something on your lip, watch out. Because you might be disappearing that season. So I was a little concerned. But it's turned out to be a great storyline. I don't want to give anything away, but it tests our relationship. Meghan and Sean have to go through a lot this season. GOMEZ: We're going to see Greg Grunberg - the actor. Can he pull it off? GRUNBERG: They're calling it "chops" ... seeing if I have my chops. TVGO: Do you guys feel a competitiveness toward Jack & Jill? (The WB drama fills in for Felicity at midseason.) GOMEZ: I personally do, just because it makes it fun. I have nothing against the show or the people on the show. I've heard that we're competing against the show even though we're on the same network and everything. I wish them well; I just wish us a little better. GRUNBERG: Exactly. GOMEZ: I'm sure they're fine people ... GRUNBERG: Yeah, they're good. GOMEZ: They'll all find new jobs. GRUNBERG: I think they are a great companion for us, for one to lead into the other. They are similar to our show, in a way. GOMEZ: You're a big suck-up. You're a network suck-up, aren't you? TVGO: Clearly, Felicity has the edge. You're the ones slated to come back for the second half of the season. Jack & Jill is just sort of holding up the middle. GRUNBERG: Well, actually I have to say Jack & Jill debut the same time as the new Survivor. GOMEZ: Oh! Good luck, Jack & Jill. GRUNBERG: So, I don't know who's going to be voted off, but that's tough. But then we have The West Wing. It's just really hard. GOMEZ: How long is Survivor on for? TVGO: Three months. When you come back, Survivor will probably be over. GOMEZ: Oh ... that's a shame. GRUNBERG: It is a shame. GOMEZ: That's horrible. Are we really up against West Wing? GRUNBERG: Uh-huh. GOMEZ: Oh, well. That show will never go anywhere. GRUNBERG: That's true. Terrible writing. The acting is awful on that show. Who's going to watch that? TVGO: The critics haven't really embraced it either. GOMEZ: And what awards have they won? GRUNBERG: Exactly! Martin, who? GOMEZ: Estevez. GRUNBERG: There you go.
MEET THE NEW GIRL "Molly's into mysticism, whereas Meghan was sort of into devil worship, so they're literally antithetical," executive producer J.J. Abrams tells TV Guide Online. "But there's a jealousy thing going on with Meghan because she feels Molly's sort of replacing her." Well, Meghan better get over her petty insecurities fast, because she and Molly find themselves sharing an off-campus pad with fellow coeds Felicity (Keri Russell), Elena (Tangi Miller) and Julie (Amy Jo Johnson). An optimistic Potts - whose character moves in during the show's third episode - sees the character's differences as a positive, though. "I think it's good that Meghan kind of believes in witches and Molly kind of believes in fairies," says the British actress, whose character additionally finds herself crushed on by endearing nudge Richard (Robert Patrick Benedict), "so there's a really good contrast with that. It's kind of a black-and-white ... shades of all of your life." Potts appeared in numerous BBC productions before moving to the U.S. from England last January, to be closer to her boyfriend, actor Erik Palladino. "I met him at a Swedish film festival two years ago," she explains of the man who plays ER's Dr. Dave. "We were both single and loving it, so for six months we acted like, 'No, we don't want this; we don't want a boyfriend or a girlfriend. We're single!' And then, we gave in and were kind of like, 'I really kind of like it.' " Cut to year 2000 - the happy couple are fast becoming the toast of Tinseltown. "We went to The Emmys [last month], and my publicist called me and says, 'There's a picture of the two of you in the paper, in a big Emmy spread," marvels Potts. "It read, 'Hollywood's Coolest Couples,' and there's a picture of Michael J. Fox and his wife [Tracy Pollan], Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, and one of me and Erik. I was like, 'Woo-Hoo!' "
BACKSTAGE SCOOP
Sally Silenced
Great Scott, Speedman's Stranded!
The Return of Ruby
Tying Up Loose Ends
Richard Just Won't Go Away!
Crisis for Noel
Miller, No Angel
Foreman Buys Big ROUSH REVIEW By Matt Roush The hair has grown out. The show has grown up - or, more accurately, grown, as in blossomed - into one of TV's most rapturously romantic (though endangered) programs. "This year, I want to have fun," says Felicity's Felicity (the luminous and now more luxuriously coiffed Keri Russell), which is music to our ears as The WB's most pleasurable guilty pleasures returns for a third season (Wednesday, 9 pm/ET). And "fun" is the most appropriate description of Felicity's first episode back, which has the delicious rush of reunited friends and reignited relationships as a new school year begins. As Sean (Greg Grunberg) says, toting the video camera that will tape his continuing "Docu-ventary" series for the Independent Film Channel, "I need a hook for every episode." This hour has hooks to spare. Take your pick. Felicity impulsively rents a shabby studio apartment in Brooklyn, without consulting her beloved Ben (Scott Speedman). "An actual hellhole," he says. But that's before he makes the acquaintance of the gorgeous dancer who lives in the same building, on a neighboring floor. Everyone's on a search for Noel (Scott Foley), missing in action all summer and presumably still in the dubious company of bad girl Natalie (Doritos sensation Ali Landry). Elena (Tangi Miller) and Tracy (Donald Faison), competitive in med school but still tentative in the sex arena, vie for a slot in a coveted class. The delightful Javier (Ian Gomez) is now a college student and getting in everyone's business. And who can blame him? The twists in this episode are plentiful and too satisfying to spoil here. Let's just say that it's a treat to have Felicity back. As one of those viewers and stalwart fans who remains puzzled at the conventional wisdom that claims the show's quality tumbled (along with the ratings) last season, I beg to differ. Felicity is a victim not of Russell's hairstyle, or of inferior storytelling, but rather WB's own corporate misfortunes as well as misfortunes of scheduling - a situation unlikely to improve, given killer competition such as NBC's The West Wing, ABC's The Drew Carey Show and Spin City and Fox's mega-hyped The $treet, to name a few. The additional fact that Felicity will turn over its time period midseason to the undistinguished Jack & Jill makes the former's future even more uncertain. The game plan is for Felicity to finish out its year with new episodes in the spring - by which time whatever momentum had been established this fall is likely to have been lost. My advice for Felicity, and for Felicity fans, is to have fun while you can. And spread the word, or these adorable underclassmen will be hard-pressed to advance to senior year. |