Former Fresnans Await Word on Their TV Shows
By Rick Bentley, The Fresno Bee, Calif.
Mar. 21–PASADENA — Former Fresnans and actors Christopher Gorham and Audra McDonald are facing uncertain futures with their television programs.
Gorham, a Roosevelt School of the Arts graduate, is part of the ensemble cast of the CBS comedy “Out of Practice.” The show launched in September to solid ratings behind “Two and a Half Men” on Monday nights. The show was pulled off the air at the end of January to give “Courting Alex,” the new Jenna Elfman comedy, a tryout spot on the CBS lineup.
“Out of Practice” returns to the CBS lineup at 8 p.m. Wednesday followed by “Courting Alex” at its new time.
CBS officials have not announced whether “Out of Practice” will return for a second season. That decision could hinge on how strong the ratings are for the show on its new night.
At least Gorham and his “Out of Practice” co-stars know that their network will be back.
McDonald’s new series, “The Bedford Diaries,” scheduled to launch at 9 p.m. March 29, is on The WB network. At the end of this TV season, The WB will be blended with UPN to create the new CW network.
WB shows such as “The Gilmore Girls” and “Smallville” are all but as- sured of being picked up from The WB’s lineup. Even the new WB series “Pepper Dennis,” starring Rebecca Romijn, starting April 4, has been mentioned as a potential CW network series.
Nothing has been said about the fate of “The Bedford Diaries.” Even The WB publicity department did not return telephone calls requesting an interview with McDonald.
The cast of “Out of Practice” is trying to remain optimistic. At a January meeting with television critics, the actors talked about the upside of being off the air for two months.
“CBS will show 10 consecutive new episodes. That will give viewers a chance to see how good this show is,” Gorham says. “Getting to see the shows will help because the more viewers watch, the more comfortable they get with the characters. That’s when they really see all of the little nuances that make the show so funny.”
Henry Winkler, who plays the father of Gorham’s character, is confident that CBS is going to give the series support now that it is back on the air. The hiatus has not dampened anyone’s spirits.
“We are having the greatest time,” Winkler says of working on the CBS comedy. “This group does a scene that is 35 pages long. With most comedies, there are two to four pages to do at a time. What we can do is just a great compliment to this group working together.”
The cast points to the Thanksgiving episode as the episode where they really felt a comedic cohesiveness. Stockard Channing, who plays Gorham’s mom on the show, says, “We found out with the episode that there were things we could do that we don’t think we could do.”
Channing is talking about the quick timing, complicated farcelike scenes and outright slapstick demands of the comedy.
Gorham is so optimistic there will be a second season for “Out of Practice” that he is not thinking about any other acting jobs. That was not the case with his NBC series “Medical Investigation” last year. Gorham auditioned for “Out of Practice” before the drama had been officially canceled.
Because no episodes of “Bedford Diaries” have aired, McDonald and her cast have no idea whether the show will be a hit or miss. “The Bedford Diaries” focuses on a group of six New York college students. The diaries are a video log of their sexual activities for a seminar on human behavior and sexuality.
McDonald, whose last television series was the short-lived “Mr. Sterling,” plays professor Carla Bonatelle, a by-the-book administrator.
The Fresno native didn’t join the cast to meet with television critics. She was performing a concert in honor of Martin Luther King Day.
Executive producer Julie Martin says McDonald’s availability was the tough- est hurdle to casting her in the series.
“She is very, very busy but an amazing actress,” Martin says. “We worked with her before when she had a recurring role on ‘Homicide.’ She is someone we always wanted to do a series with.
“She is beautiful and a terrific actress.”
“Bedford Diaries” executive producer Tom Fontana adds: “McDonald is so incredibly talented on so many levels. People think of her as a musical comedy actress. But in this show, as she has done before, you are seeing her as a real dramatic actress.”
Fontana likes the way McDonald’s serious side balances the role played by Matthew Modine, the professor teaching the course.
Gorham and McDonald will know by early May the fate of their television shows. Then it will be back to work on their shows or the search will begin for the next TV role.
The reporter can be reached at rbentley@fresnobee.com or at (559) 441-6355.
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Copyright (c) 2006, The Fresno Bee, Calif.
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