Should mention that it's registration required. I'm not registered so if anyone is and has read the article can you fill me in on what it says?

Frankly, I thought the premise of this show sounded kind of bad so I'm glad she's not going to be in it.

Firefly Flanatic | January 18, 17:37 CET

I can't stand Hewitt (don't know why, she just rubs me the wrong way), so I'm rather glad to see AH is out of this. Still, she deserves her own show! She's got such great comic timing! But VM will have to do for now. :)

Joss' bitch | January 18, 18:00 CET

I just hope this means she has a big part on Veronica Mars as I need my Alyson fix. Wasn't really looking forward to In The Game anyway so this might work out for the best. Fingers well and truely crossed

Paul_Rocks | January 18, 18:04 CET

Already got enough of a sitcom Aly, in those episodes of That 70's Show she did. I really hope to see her again in a hour-long show (just nothing by David E. Kelley please).
If it's her playing Logan's sister in VM, that would really be awesome.

Numfar PTB | January 18, 18:50 CET

Here it is:
Drama has its day at ABC
Gilbert filling Hannigan's shoes on Hewitt laffer

And on the casting front, Alyson Hannigan won't be joining ABC's upcoming Jennifer Love Hewitt laffer "In the Game" after all (Daily Variety, Jan. 5). Instead, the role will be filled by Sara Gilbert ("Roseanne"), who will guest star in the role.
Gilbert has had recent guest turns on "ER" and "24."

Dana5140 | January 18, 19:06 CET

Seeeing as they are filming the pilot tomorrow, this has happened very quickly. Once Yahoo! News picks up the Variety article, I'll change the link.

Simon | January 18, 19:12 CET

And Joss was a writer on Roseanne. Soon we'll be able to play the Joss Whedon game instead of the Kevin Bacon game... (Sorry for the OT-ness, I've had a rough morning with my toddler)

WWBD | January 18, 19:16 CET

If it means more AH, I am for it. Also a number of posters here seem to have had quite postive opinions of VM from the start so at least she is appearing in something which was already a viewing possibilty.

What with Point Pleasant, The Inside and Lost (Carnivale has also got me too!) I might almost have something good to watch every evening of the week (in addition to BtVS on DVD, of course - just watched 'Get it Done' and 'Storyteller'!)

catalyst2 | January 18, 19:27 CET

Are you kidding WWBD, I already play that instead of Keven Bacon, except I call it "All Roads Lead back to Joss" he he he, okay I know I really need to get a life....

MandyMouse | January 18, 19:54 CET

MandyMouse - are you saying all roads DON’T lead back to Joss??? That can’t be.....

showgirl | January 18, 20:18 CET

for what it's worth, I've always thought Dark Willow did bear a striking resemblance to Darlene Connor

AH's participation as a guest star on VM has been confirmed by a very reliable source on the AHAS list.

jeebs | January 18, 20:25 CET

What's the AHAS list

garda39 | January 18, 20:48 CET

Alyson Hannigan Appreciation Society
Edited to add link

[ edited by Paul_Rocks on 2005-01-18 19:22 ]

Paul_Rocks | January 18, 21:21 CET

I like Love Hewitt, but not the plot of the series.
So... i´m almost happy :p

Anyways, i think the VM role it´s not a good idea. It could be a great show, but since the beginning VM has been compared to Buffy. Hiring an actress of the series, doesn´t seem to me the best idea to stop those comments.

And Alyson deserves a lead role (or more movies).

[ edited by Angel TheVampire on 2005-01-18 19:51 ]

Angel TheVampire | January 18, 21:46 CET

Am I the only person who was spoiled in not such a great way by the byline of this thread? I'm a pretty avid fan of Veronica Mars, and ...yeah.

mchan | January 18, 23:42 CET

People comparing Veronica Mars to Buffy most likely haven't watched much BtVS, or maybe VM, either. I like VM a lot, but aside from a couple of superficial similarities there's little valid comparison between the two series. The lead actress Kristen Bell is cute, blond and quick with a clever retort. She's way more cynical than Buffy ever was, though, and the circumstances of her life are very different.

For instance, there's no cozy little Scooby gang by her side all the time. Buffy slays demons, kicks ass and smooches vampires; Veronica takes incriminating pictures, hacks into databases and cracks safes to poke into private files. It's like if you crossed a blond Parker Posey (or someone as equally well known for snark) with a S1-S2 geeky Willow versed in private investigation tactics. And where Buffy had an absent dad and a loving mom, Veronica's dad is the rock and her mom is the missing figure in her life. The ongoing murder mystery of Lily Kane, Veronica's best friend, is sort of the show's main arc -- its "Big Bad" if you like -- but there's no supernatural overtone of any kind.

I already watch and enjoy VM every week, and I think AH's inclusion will bring something really interesting into the mix. Besides, it sounds like she's playing the sister of Veronica's arch enemy, which will probably be fun for her. And it's something that gets her face out there on TV until another, better film vehicle than, say, American Pie IV, comes along.

Wiseblood | January 18, 23:49 CET

I removed the byline. Sorry we didn't notice earlier, mchan.

Caroline | January 18, 23:52 CET

Wiseblood, have to disagree about the lack of similarity between BUFFY and VM. I've watched every episode of both, and the more I look, the more similarities leap out at me.

First of all, the differences in genre are cosmetic at best. BUFFY is horror, and VM is mystery/noir. The conventions are different, but they're just that--conventions. What BUFFY and VM have in common is that the writer/creator (either Joss or Rob Thomas) spins those conventions to explore the character of his heroine, and detail her journey to adulthood.

Second, VM has been courting the BUFFY comparisons, playing with them. In ep 4 (I think), Veronica and her sidekick Wallace have an entire conversation about Scoobiness. Now, with Alyson Hannigan cast as Trina Echolls, they've taken the plunge and decided to full-out court the BUFFY contingent.

And finally, I always have my standard BUFFY/VM comparison list for those who still doubt:

Veronica = Buffy
Wallace = Xander
Mac = Willow
Duncan = Angel
Logan = S2 Spike
Weevil = S6 Spike
Keith = Joyce (nurturing single parent) + Giles (mentor figure)
Deputy Lamb = Snyder
Neptune = Sunnydale
Rob Thomas = Joss Whedon

Maybe these similarities are inevitable when you're following the path of a young woman from adolescence into adulthood. But I think they're deliberate. After all, if you're going to model your TV show on a successful series, you can't do much better than BUFFY.

cjl | January 19, 00:08 CET

It makes a lot of sense for them to add a Buffy alumni to VM precisely because there has been a lot of comparisons made about the 2 shows. Adding AH will gain a lot of interest from the large Buffy contingent and will help build interest in the show. This is in my mind a very smart move on the producers part.

Dana5140 | January 19, 00:22 CET

I loved Alyson(willow) on Buffy.And I am really liking Veronica Mars more and more, so Alyson would be a wonderful addition in my book.

SillyD | January 19, 00:54 CET

I don't know, cjl. I still don't see how they're very much alike, except for the high school setting. I don't get a "Buffy" feel from watching VM; I've never once felt like Wallace resembled Xander, or Duncan Angel. I do think there's likely a deliberate desire to honor the legacy of BtVS and Joss's ground-breaking writing through the smart, sometimes quirky dialogue, but even that doesn't feel overtly Whedonesque to me. Who wouldn't give JW a nod, however, given that BtVS set the standard for looking so insightfully at young adult lives?

And the absence of the supernatural used as an overarching metaphor for adolescent challenges is a huge difference. Buffy always had elements of fantasy to leaven its real-life exploration, but Veronica is facing her monsters head on, without that level of metaphorical depth. I admire her grit and courage, but (with no disrespect meant to the show) as a dyed-in-the-wool sci-fi/fantasy lover I'm just not as addicted to following her story as I was by this same time in Buffy's first season.

It's really enjoyable, and I do look forward to it, yet it doesn't keep me awake at night wondering how everything is going to work out the way Buffy and Angel did. I do worry that in spite of UPN's renewing it to the end of the season, that it won't come back next year if more people don't give it a shot. If AH can intrigue more viewers to come on board, wonderful. It's not BtVS, and I don't think fans are going to see much of Willow in her character at all (which, if AH is really good, they shouldn't), but if they give it a chance they might just enjoy VM for what it is -- one of the most intelligent shows currently on broadcast TV.

All I'm saying is, anyone tuning in expecting to see the second coming of Buffy will be sorely disappointed, and I'd hate to see people who come to it with that expectation making the mistake of dismissing VM on its own admirable merits. Appreciate the occasional BtVS references, if that's what they truly are, but just know it's not Buffy, no matter how snappy a blond heroine the lead character is.

Wiseblood | January 19, 00:55 CET

Angel the Vampire_ I'm right there with you on the Love Hewitt love:) I wonder how long this guest appearance is supposed to be? I've only seen one episode of VM, but I did like what I saw. The dad is really funny in a weird kinda way... I think it's the actors delivery of the lines. He gives a slight pause. I'm rambling, long day...

ShotgunWes | January 19, 01:01 CET

I'm a fan of VM, so this is great news. I much prefer AH on VM than on a sitcom with JLH (no disrepect to JLH fans). And having read the posts from Wiseblood and cjl on the Buffy/VM comparisons, I've gotta go with Wiseblood.

I don't see much similarity. In fact, I could see similiarity with Angel, more than Buffy, due to the mystery/noir feel (though that's still pretty thin, imo).

Wiseblood nailed it, so I need not repeat, except to say that Veronica's cynicism is what I tell non-viewers makes her character different than Buffy.

Angela | January 19, 01:02 CET

Wonder if they'll write a shout-out to Buffy for Aly's character.

VM: Gotta go, Buffy's on.
AH: I love that show! Especially when Willow went all Dark. Joss is a genius.

Heh heh.

Willowy | January 19, 01:02 CET

Wiseblood, I see your point. But I think Rob Thomas is using the Mysteries of the Week the way Joss used Monsters of the Week, as ways of employing genre conventions as metaphors for the heroine's state of mind. The metaphors ARE there, but they're not couched in sci-fi/horror clothing.

I will say that I don't think VM does "MotW as metaphor" as successfully as BUFFY did. Sometimes the "A" plot, the Mystery of the Week, seems almost irrelevant to Veronica's state of mind or the bigger seasonal arc. It's as if the writer just needed to fill in 25 minutes of episode in between bursts of VM snappy patter. Other times, as in eps like "Drinking the Kool-aid," it's almost too obvious.

But, darnit, I can feel something big on the horizon. The cast is great, the writing is sharp, the drama is building momentum. I feel a "Surprise/Innocence" coming...

cjl | January 19, 01:08 CET

I'd just like to chime in that I feel that VM's first season is already immeasurably better than Buffy's first, and I very much hope that it makes it to a second season.

I think the reason it's so often compared with Buffy is because it's one of the few shows on equal footing with it. It's deep and dark and complex yet witty in a way that very few shows are. If you aren't watching, you're truly missing out!

Melisande | January 19, 01:23 CET

Don't know if this has been mentioned already but the pilot episode of VM is on tonight. I only caught one episode of the show and I thought it was pretty good so now that the pilot will be airing and Alyson may be on the show, I'm going to try and watch it regularly.

Firefly Flanatic | January 19, 03:22 CET

"I removed the byline. Sorry we didn't notice earlier, mchan. "

I'm confused.

There was a whole thread title with the VM byline the other day.

I'm wondering how one is a spoiler and the other isn't,apart from "may be" being used the other day

garda39 | January 19, 03:58 CET

I feel bad for Hannigan, but frankly I think with her talent and fame she could probably get a much better role than being Jennifer Love Hewitt's best friend on a sports sitcom. I'm sure a really cool job will come along for her soon, she deserves it.

NekoDono | January 19, 04:44 CET

I think JLH is cute as hell. And frankly, I don't understand all the hate for her here. She's probably one of the most inoffensive celebrities in existence. She's a self-confessed geek who is just trying to make her way in a shark-filled industry.

She can act (although admittedly, she ain't no Streep), and her comic timing is passable. She's always enthusiastic and sweet when being interviewed. Her film credits are better than Aly's. I think our Willow could do worse. Oh well, point is moot now anyway.

Ya'll quit pickin' on the pretty little geek.

Willowy | January 19, 05:03 CET

Willowy - I think you just channelled Fred on the last sentence there!

catalyst2 | January 19, 06:18 CET

Heh. Well, I did spend ten years in Houston... ;)

Willowy | January 19, 06:49 CET

Just saw the first ep of VM. I have to say, not Buffy in any way, really. The heroine is certainly engaging and quick on her feet, though, even if nearly everything she does invites horrible retribution from the worst of all the people in town. And the problem I have is the baddies are so bad they are not realistic. These are people like no one I have ever seen, and I have seen some bad. So I think the potential is there, and I cannot wait to see how Aly is used- and I am mindful that Aly is not 13-14 years older than the lead character in the show. It will be interesting.

Dana5140 | January 19, 07:04 CET

Just saw this on the Futon Critic website:



So it seems it was Aly's idea to opt out so maybe she has something she feels is a better offer - and hopefully we're not just talking about this VM rumor.

I just finished watching the VM pilot and liked it quite a bit. It didn't make me think of Buffy at all. But I think the comparisons were more about how compelling the lead character and surrounding cast are and not necessarily saying it was a lot like BtVS.

Firefly Flanatic | January 19, 08:38 CET

Willowy-

Well personally I've got nothing against Hewitt, never said so. Heck, I even used to watch Party of Five sometimes. I certainly wouldn't want to be misunderstood. I just think Alyson was a little too good for a supporting role next to her on what sounds like an average show, that's all.

And hey, it's good to see ol' Darlene getting some work.

NekoDono | January 19, 10:53 CET

And Sarah is listed only as a guest star- which indicates that they were not sure how much to integrate the best friend character into the show, and may be one of the reasons Aly took a hike. I sure hope VM is the other!

Dana5140 | January 19, 17:17 CET