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Julie Benz in a 'Family' way, Fran Kranz seeks 'Benefits'
A pair of Whedonverse alumni -- Julie Benz and Fran Kranz -- are among the latest actors to land pilot roles. Benz will star in ABC's drama "No Ordinary Family," while Kranz has signed on to NBC's comedy "Friends with Benefits."Others joining the pilot game are Christina Chang, Adrianne Palicki ("Friday Night Lights"), Jason George ("Grey's Anatomy"), Mehcad Brooks ("The Deep End"), Jaime King, Alexandra Breckenridge and Peggy Lipton.
"No Ordinary Family" will star Michael Chiklis and Benz as a husband and wife who discover they have superpowers. Benz will play a scientist who develops a gift for super speed, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Benz, a veteran of Joss Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel," was a regular on "Dexter" for four seasons and is currently in the midst of a guest arc on "Desperate Housewives."
Chang ("CSI: Miami," "24") has also joined "No Ordinary Family" as a police officer who works with Chiklis' character.
Kranz ("Dollhouse") will play one of a group of people looking for love in "Friends with Benefits," the HR says. The show comes from "(500) Days of Summer" writers Scott Neustadter and Michael Weber and "Wedding Crashers" director David Dobkin.
The other casting news:
- George, who's currently recurring on "Grey's," will star in "Off the Map," which comes from "Grey's" producers Jenna Bans and Shonda Rhimes. He'll play one of several doctors working at a tropical clinic, the HR says.
- Palicki and Bryce Johnson ("Popular") will play brother and sister in FOX's drama "Midland." The show centers on a con artist (Jimmy Wolk) who's married to two women (Palicki and Eloise Mumford) and trying to make a score in the oil business.
- Brooks and King ("Gary Unmarried") have both joined ABC's "Generation Y," a dramedy about a group of former high-school classmates. The show will follow their present-day lives and flash back to their teen years.
- Breckenridge ("The Ex List," "Dirt") will star in FOX's comedy "Traffic Light" as one half of a couple (Nelson Franklin is the other) who share a house with two of his friends.
- Former "Mod Squad" and "Twin Peaks" star Lipton will be part of "Cutthroat," an ABC pilot about a Beverly Hills mom (Roselyn Sanchez) who happens to head a drug cartel. Lipton, who recurred on "Crash" on Starz last year, will play Sanchez's mom; Escher Holloway will play Sanchez's stepson.
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Guess this doesnt bode well for the Katherine/Robin pairing, on a side note would someone who looks like Julie Benz, marry Michael Chiklis (don't hate I loved the commish to)
Amazing. Every one of these shows sounds just terrible. I'm sure most won't make it past a pilot, and any that do actually air won't last 13 episodes...
Yeah, I'm a big fan of Chiklis, but the premise of "No Ordinary Family" sounds pretty awful. Hopefully I'll be proven wrong. Kranz is a huge talent who steals everything he's in (notably Dollhouse and the movie "The TV Set").
I like Julie Benz, but this project sounds like a whole lot of awful. I'm also sick of shlub/hottie pairings on TV. In what world does Chiklis end up with Benz? I guess the same world where people develop superpowers. We've seen that world, and it's called "Heroes", and it's an insult to our intelligence. Run, Julie, Run!
And is there no work on TV for good-lookin' men anymore? Do they all have to be on Grey's Anatomy?
to be fair a super hero show down right could be really good. DOn't right it off because of the sub-par Heroes. That's like writing off all lawyer shows because of the Deep-End.
This show sounds like it could be interesting. It's funny because I was thinking of when(or if) they'd ever make a super hero type show again and thought the perfect back drop would be a family drama. Still I think it would be better if the parents were already heroes. Sounds like it would be super hero parents, normal kids...at least if they discover that they have superpowers. Then again the quick bit sounds good but it could all be bad when more is revealed...