ABC/Karen NealABC's Eli Stone (Jonny Lee Miller) has his aneurysm back—not to mention his prophetic visions. The network has requested more episodes of the series, and Stone show runner Marc Guggenheim is here to share secrets.
Find out directly from the man in charge about Eli's love life, how Katie Holmes' appearance changes the whole season and what Seal's guest gig means for the series...
Katie Holmes Is the New Eli: Marc says, "I like to call [Katie's character Grace] She-li because she's kind of the female version of Eli...She's a lawyer who changed her life and went in a much more public-interest, pro-bono direction. She kind of represents another way Eli could have gone with his whole change of life."
Does Katie stick around? "Yeah, Grace sort of remains in the background throughout the year, and then she moves large toward the middle half of the season. The relationship that's established is obviously a very important one to Eli, and I don't think we would be being truthful with either the show or his character if we didn't occasionally allow Grace to influence the scenes that Eli's in and the experience that he's going through."
Mr. Heidi Klum In the House: Seal guest stars this season, singing an acoustic version of "Crazy" and "A Chance Is Gonna Come," a new song off his album Soul. On Seal's episode, Marc says, "We hatched a storyline that plays more with Matt (Sam Jaeger) and Taylor (Natasha Henstridge). I really don't want to spoil what's happening with them that deep into the season, but suffice it to say Seal's passion for issues of family values and commitment in relationships plays into what's going on with Matt and Taylor at that point."
Vision-Palooza: Eli's visions return in force next week (I seem to remember something about Katie Holmes and a jazz number), and they continue through the rest of the season. Marc says, "This year we're pushing the envelope in terms of Eli's visions." Look for a musical number revved up with pyrotechnics and visual effects, a San Francisco cable car that morphs into a D.C. subway train and what Guggenheim calls "Eli in the far-off future." Hmmm...
Eli Gets Some Lovin': Marc says, "There might be one or two [women Eli will date]." Have we seen these lovers before? "I would say certainly expect some characters and actors you've seen before. Obviously, one of the big dangling plot lines from season one is that Maggie got engaged. We tackle that around episode four of this second season, but just because we're tackling it head-on doesn't mean that particular storyline comes to a close in episode four. It just takes a different turn."
Order Up: As for the extra eps that ABC ordered this morning, Marc says: "The network didn't need to see ratings to decide to order more scripts. They saw the first five episodes of the new season. It's a very loud vote of confidence in the show and its creative direction. Everyone involved with the show is grateful and looking forward to bringing more Eli into the world."
Now, do you have any opinions on last night's season premiere, Katie Holmes or the Maggie-Eli-Taylor triangle? Post in the comments!
—Reporting by Natalie Abrams