When Keith and I were discussing some of the awards that we were going to do for the TV Squad Awards, we initially thought that doing an award about miscasting was going to get us a ton of nominees. Then we started thinking about it, and we couldn't come up with too many names off the tops of our heads. It seemed like our readers were equally flummoxed, as our call for considerations got less nominees than many of the other categories. I guess casting directors and producers are doing a much better job these days, since it seems like Elizabeth Röhm-esque casting disasters are happening less often.But some names did emerge, which I'll list after the jump. The Squadders will choose the winner, and you'll get a chance to select the Readers' Choice for this award in the poll at the end of the list. So, here are the four people whose casting made us wonder just what the heck people in Hollywood are thinking:
Michelle Ryan (Bionic Woman): She was an obvious nominee, as many blame her wooden performance for the show's demise. It was a promising premise: a remake of a camp classic with producers from Battlestar Galactica behind it. But they picked the wrong star in Ryan; she was so busy trying to squelch her British accent that she didn't infuse Jaime Sommers with any warmth, emotion, or... well, any kind of expression whatsoever.
There were two signs that Ryan wasn't a good fit. The first was that people loved her in the episode where Jaime goes undercover as a Brit, where she could speak in her natural voice. The second was that fans were regretting the producers didn't cast Katee Sackhoff, who played bionic-woman-gone-mad Sarah Corvus, in Ryan's role. When people are trying to replace you with someone from your own show, that's a pretty good indication that you've been miscast.
Britney Spears (How I Met Your Mother): The most highly-publicized stunt casting incident of the season also happened to have the biggest split in opinion. Many people think that Brit-Brit did a decent job in both of the episodes she was in; others thought she did OK on the first episode and poorly on the second; still others thought that she was terrible and had the comic timing of a tree sloth. Upon reflection, I fall in the second camp, though I think that even her second episode wasn't that bad.
But what puts her in this category is the whole idea of why she was on the show in the first place. Was she a great comic actor? No. Did she mesh well with the ensemble? Not really. No, she was there to boost ratings for the show and rehab her disintegrating public image, and those two factors disappointed many of the show's very loyal fans.
Parker Posey (The Return of Jezebel James): Yes, the show was an all-around mess, with flat jokes, an intrusive laugh-track, and a premise that was about as convoluted as sitcoms can get. But having the usually-reliable Parker Posey in the lead of this disaster made things even worse.
This is a woman who has been hilarious in roles romantic and quirky alike, and she's fit in well with the improvisational ensemble in Christopher Guest's movies. But, for some reason, she couldn't wrap either her mind or her lungs around the twists and turns of Amy Sherman-Palladino's signature dialogue. The character of Sarah Tompkins was supposed to be a bit of a scattered mess, but Posey played her as someone who can barely keep it together, making you wonder how the character was ever able to start her own imprint for a major book publisher.
Kristen Bell (Heroes): This is one where I had to rely on my fellow Squadders for help, since I don't watch Heroes (yes, I know...). She came on the show last year to play Elle Bishop, who has awesome powers but who is a bit mysterious.
From what I've been seeing, the reason why Kristen's casting wasn't a mistake wasn't because of any issue on her part, though one reader said that she acted like an "animated mannequin." No, I think it's because it was too soon for her to take on another role in a cult hit so soon after Veronica Mars was cancelled; fans of both shows -- which is a pretty large group -- continued to see Kristen as Veronica and not Elle, causing a distraction. Hey, a woman's got to work, but I wonder if she should have gone in a completely different direction for a year or two first.
There were a few other names bandied about, James Callis from Battlestar Galactica and Susan Misner from New Amsterdam being the most notable, but there wasn't enough of a consensus among either the readers or the staff to include them. So, who's your choice? Let me know by responding to the poll below.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-30-2008 @ 2:31PM
Carissa said...
Michelle Ryan did ruin my Bionic Woman experience. Another more compelling actress might have been able to make more out of the other obvious shortcomings of the series, but she was just so bad.
Britney Spears fits right into HIMYM - it's a goofy show and she's goofy. I could buy it.
I think I'm one of the few who actually enjoyed Jezebel James, I had low expectations and it made me laugh a bit. Better than some other shows I've encountered.
Finally, while I was a huge Veronica Mars fan, I thought Kristen did an admirable job of NOT being Veronica in Heroes, so I was among those who was pleased just to see her on the small screen again.
Michelle Ryan it is! I don't expect to see her around any time soon, which doesn't bother me in the least. Sorry Michelle.
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5-30-2008 @ 2:49PM
Eric J. said...
I voted for Michelle, although I do hope to see her around in the future. Anyone who watched "Jeckyll" probably feels the same way. Great actress, wrong role.
5-30-2008 @ 3:10PM
Not said...
Always blame the actor when things go wrong. Michelle Ryan was fine. BW with Katee Sackoff would have gone from bad to totally unwatchable. There's a reason she was denied a spot on CSI.
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5-30-2008 @ 3:19PM
DS said...
I had never watched HIMYM until Britney was on it. I admit I tuned in solely to see what she'd do and found that I loved the show. Now I'm thrilled I get to watch rerun after rerun of a show I never knew existed.
As for her performance - she's not going to win any nominations, but she was cute and goofy and I thought it fit in well.
I was so disappointed with Jezebel James. I've always thought Parker Posey was an interesting actress and thought the combination of her and Lauren Ambrose was going to be great. Lauren was great on Six Feet Under and I was glad to see more of her. I kept hoping it would get better...
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6-01-2008 @ 9:07PM
ABT said...
You, DS, are the producers' dream. This is the reason stunt casting happens.
HIMYM is one of the funniest shows created since Arrested Development went off the air (if not THE funniest) and if it takes casting Brit to get it the attention it needs, more power to them.
5-30-2008 @ 3:24PM
bsgfan2003 said...
CSI is supersuck television. I am profoundly grateful that they deemed Sackhoff not right for the role. Sackhoff is way too interesting to for that show. Her efforts will be put to better use elsewhere.
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5-30-2008 @ 3:24PM
Scott said...
I've never seen even a minute of "Veronica Mars", and found Kristen Bell to be dreadful, wooden, and really out of place on "Heroes". I still cannot understand the fangasms people had when she appeared on it.
As far as Michelle Ryan goes in "Bionic Woman", why oh why didn't they just let her use her normal accent? I cannot hold it against this actress that she can't simultaneously act and do a competent American accent. Sure, some people like Hugh Laurie can, but it's really an amazing skill/talent. On the other hand, I think there was already too much Katie Sackhoff in "Bionic Woman". That actress overacts every scene she's in, and is one of my least favorite parts of "Battlestar Galactica" (where the show's creators and writers are apparently all in love with her).
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5-30-2008 @ 3:27PM
Scott said...
I'd have to choose Michelle Ryan out of that list too...just didn't work for me.
On a side note...what is the deal with "after the jump"?
I find that to be one of the most annoying phrases on the internet today. I think people are using it just for the sake of using it.
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5-30-2008 @ 3:28PM
Lilly said...
I usually enjoy Parker Posey. I mean, hello, Waiting for Guffman is hilarious and she is great in it. Not so much on this show. Watching her on Jezebel was just cringe worthy. That whole show was just set up so wrong, from the casting to the canned laughter, but for the most part I just kept thinking about how Lauren Graham would have delivered each line. I'm still sad this show turned out so bad.
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5-30-2008 @ 3:50PM
MarcDom7 said...
I should have nominated Sophia Myles, who I think dragged "Moonlight" down from "greatly enjoyable" to "good to catch on TiVo on laundry day." I'm probably going to get a lot of guff from "Moonlight" fans for the previous statement, but I just felt she was awful and couldn't connect to any facet of the stories or characters.
She's great in "Art School Confidential," though. I just don't think this was a good fit for her.
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5-30-2008 @ 4:05PM
ac said...
Michelle Ryan ruined Bionic Woman. Well with a little help from the crappy writing too.
Kirsten Bell was one of the high points of season 2 of Heroes.
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5-30-2008 @ 4:26PM
Bash said...
I can't vote for Bob. Why can't I vote for Bob?
^_^
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5-30-2008 @ 6:15PM
Dave said...
How could anyone possibly think James Callis is a mistake. His Batlar character is wonderfully entertaining (until the writers ruined him this season.)
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5-31-2008 @ 12:42AM
saniko said...
James Callis a mistake? Is that a joke? He makes the show! Without him, BSG would not be the masterpiece that it is.
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6-11-2008 @ 5:06AM
Laszlo Toth, Jr said...
"Without him, BSG would not be the masterpiece that it is."
This gets my vote for best unintentionally funny comment.
Of course, you forgot the scare quotes around, "masterpiece."
5-31-2008 @ 6:57PM
JohnQ said...
Bionic Woman died of a bad scripts not bad performances. You rant against Ryan is a flat out lie and you should be ashamed of yourselves for slandering her.
Nobody wants to see Spears in anything ever again.
Never even heard about the Posey show.
Heroes is just a bad show.
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6-04-2008 @ 8:35PM
lpoetry72 said...
I was looking forward to Bionic Woman til I watched the preview episode and 15 minutes into the show I was like WTF?There r certain classic tv shows u have to stay true to the charcter traits we fans have in our minds. This chick had NONE of it. Too bad , so sad! Try again in another 5 years after I get this bad taste out of my mouth!
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6-13-2008 @ 12:47AM
mely said...
i vote for kristen because she was the best thing in season 2 on heroes!
im a big fan of britney but kristen did an amazing job.
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8-10-2008 @ 12:18PM
Brandon said...
I personally thought Kristen Bell did a great job on "Heroes." I think she plays the sadistic and sociopathic Elle very well. I understand why "Veronica Mars" fans might not be able to, or be willing to, accept her in another role so quickly after the cancellation of "Veronica Mars," but give the girl credit. In my opinion, she was one of the highlights in a rather messy sophomore season.
Britney is not an actress. But, as a singer coming on to a TV show, she did well. Many singers and musicians who try to become actors are pretty terrible. Every musician who tries to act is not going to be Mark Wahlberg (remember Marky Mark). Britney was not terrible. Brit may not have had comedic timing, but as I said with Kristen Bell, give the girl some credit. For the role she played, she did pretty well.
Now, I know this is an old choice, from at least three or four years ago, but my personal pick for "What were they thinking" is Erica Durance as Lois Lane on "Smallville." I don't know if it's her performance that rubs me the wrong way, or if it's the way Lois' character has been written. But something about Lois, from the moment she was introduced in season four, has seriously rubbed me the wrong way. I find it strange, as the casting for every other character on the show works very well...
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