NBC It had to be asked: What would Gossip Girl's Georgina Sparks think about Mercy's newbie nervous Nellie nurse Chloe Payne?
"She would not like their shoes," said Michelle Trachtenberg, who, yes, plays both roles, at NBC Universal's Television Critics Association press day. "They're nurse clogs. She would definitely take [the nurses] to Barney's. I think Georgina is probably going to need these ladies in life eventually when she is rushed to the emergency room."
What? Did Michelle just give a G.G. spoiler? Read on...
Mercy: Sorry, Michelle was kidding about the ER comment. That aside, why does the television world need another show about nurses (joining other new nursing dramas, Hawthorne and Nurse Jackie), let alone another medical show? "It's become more and more clear to me that nurses are the backbone of our hospital system," explained Taylor Schilling, who plays Iraq War vet Veronica. Show runner Liz Heldens mused that while that's correct, there's far more to it than that. Mercy is about "female friendship grounded in reality. These girls happen to be heroes, but beyond their jobs they have hopes and dreams and aspirations, and we plan on following these women home from work and exploring their personal lives." Michelle continued, "We're not sugarcoating things. People will die. We will make mistakes." To sum up Mercy and why these ladies are worth watching, Liz said it best: "These girls drink beer in New Jersey, not martinis in Manhattan." Hmmm, was that a Sex and the City dig? Probably not, wrong genre. Cutest panel moment? Michelle calling resident heartthrob James Tupper "traumatizingly handsome," as he looked on in adorable embarrassment.
SyFy Network: Lots of good stuff coming up on the newly revamped network, including the return of Ghost Hunters and Tracy Morgan's Scare Tactics this fall, as well as Alphas, a new series set to begin production this fall "about unlikely superheroes who solve crimes in unconventional ways." The science fiction net is also delving into the widely publicized 2012 prediction, bringing on Bryan Singer to develop a six-hour limited series surrounding fact and myth around 2012 conspiracies. Stargate: Universe was the clear favorite, with star Ming-Na remarking that during her recent trip to Comic-Con, "I felt like a rock star! [It] was our first taste of fans and it was tremendous." Show runners Robert Cooper and Brad Wright promised that while Stargate fans will love the new series, "the mainstream audience out there is who we would like to join us."
Alice: Kudos to SyFy for casting the lovely Caterina Scorsone in Alice's lead role in their modern adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. She has the perfect little girl lost look. Writer-director Nick Willing said the four-hour, two-night event set for December is "much racier, tougher, sexier" than the classic tale. Kathy Bates sees it as a dream role because she "always wanted to play the Queen of Hearts," and Harry Dean Stanton (Caterpillar) liked that "it's a well-defined acid trip." We're in!
White Collar: What is this, you wonder? It's USA Network's new drama about a con artist (Matt Bomer) and an FBI agent (Tim DeKay) who have played a game of cat-and-mouse for years. One of our favorite Sex and the City funnyguys, Willie Garson, plays the con's sidekick, Tiffani Thiessen (Saved by the Bell, Beverly Hills, 90210) stars as Tim's wife, and the legendary Diahann Carroll (Grey's Anatomy, Dynasty) is on for about "half the episodes. She'll be a recurring character," said executive producer Jeff Eastin.
What new shows sound good to you? Tell us about it in the comments below.
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