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Hot roles can give careers star sizzle
USA TODAY - November 26, 1999
TV doesn't just find fresh faces, it refreshes familiar ones.
Take George Clooney, who spent a decade bouncing through no fewer than seven series, from hits such as Roseanne and The Facts of Life to fast flops such as Sunset Beat and a little-watched 1984
sitcom called, appropriately enough, ER. Just when it seemed like he should give up on TV - and TV on him - the right job in another ER made him a star.
Even for those who are stars, TV can remake or relaunch their careers. The day before Murder, She Wrote premiered, Angela Lansbury was known (to those who knew of her) as one of the great film and
stage actresses of the century. The day after, she was Jessica Fletcher.
So who are the beneficiaries of TV's star-making power this season? USA TODAY's Robert Bianco picks seven performers whose careers have been boosted by their roles in new series this fall.
Tyne Daly
Previous series exposure: Christy, Cagney & Lacey
This year's career-shifting role: Maxine Gray in CBS' Judging Amy
Why it's a big boost: Well, maybe not a big boost. After all, this fabulous actress, who almost single-handedly saves the season's biggest dramatic hit from being swamped by sap, really doesn't
need one. So instead, call Amy a vindication of sorts. After a few wasted years trying to recast itself in some macho image with tough-guy losers such as Dellaventura, CBS has found success by
returning to the kind of women's shows that once made it the top-rated network. Shows like, say, Cagney & Lacey - which was shamefully slighted last year in the network's 50th anniversary
special. Bet CBS wouldn't make the same mistake this year.
Copyright © 1999 USA Today. All rights reserved.
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