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TV Guide Online
May 5, 2003
Roush Room: Ask Matt
by Matt Roush
Question: On the April 27 episode of Alias, there was a guest star who played the NSA task force leader. I didn't see the end credits, and I can't find his name on the Alias website. I have this gut feeling that he was Vinnie's (Ken Wahl) handler on the late-'80s show Wiseguy. Am I correct? -- Joe D.
Matt: I don't typically answer purely trivia-style questions (for that, see the Televisionary), but because you brought up Wiseguy, which is one of my favorite crime dramas ever, I'll go ahead and confirm that yes, that was Jonathan Banks, who so memorably played Frank McPike.
Question: I think Joss Whedon has done an amazing job in using his Firefly actors on Buffy and Angel. And although I was pleased to see Amanda Foreman on Sunday's Alias episode, her quirky character attracted to another quirky character is strongly reminiscent of Felicity. We now have Sean, Meghan, and Hanna on the show... I keep expecting Keri Russell (Felicity) to walk through the doors at the CIA as Vaughn's long-lost love. It's great to re-use actors, but the roles need to be creative and unique otherwise, it feels like déjà vu. What do you think? -- M.D.S.
Matt: I'm not bothered by this. I think it's actually kind of charming to see J.J. Abrams have such loyalty to his actors. But I see your point. Caleb and Jasmine are so completely antithetical to the roles the Firefly actors played on their now-defunct show that it's fun to compare and contrast. But I thought Amanda Foreman's scenes with Marshall were lots of fun, and I don't see Greg Grunberg's role of Agent Weiss having that many parallels with Sean. I like to think of this (not unlike Aaron Sorkin's recycling of actors from Sports Night to The West Wing) as a sort of mini-repertory company. Plus, seeing them serves as a fond reminder of how much I always liked (and still miss) Felicity.
© TV Guide 2003
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