'Grey's' Isn't Going Anywhere
Comedienne's Second TV Show Canceled This Year
Will Brothers & Sisters miss Rob Lowe?
by Allison Waldman, posted Jan 21st 2010 8:03PM
As Bob wrote, Rob Lowe will be leaving ABC's Brothers & Sisters. It's not the show that's writing him out. Rob Lowe has decided that he's not been utilized enough on the show and he wants to move on. However, ABC wants to keep him part of the network family, so the actor has made a deal with programming head Steve McPherson to try to find a new show for Rob in the future. According to McPherson, "We would like to keep Rob at ABC; we feel he should be anchoring his own franchise. We are in talks now."
If this sounds like a familiar scenario, it's because it is. When Rob Lowe was on NBC's The West Wing, he chose to leave the program in 2003 because The West Wing had become an ensemble, and he had thought he was going to be the star.
This brings up an interesting point: what's more important for Rob Lowe? Doing good work or being a star? Brothers & Sisters is a solid hit for ABC. Leaving a solid hit to anchor his own franchise sounds risky. Who's to say it'll fly? And why give up a good thing? Because Brothers & Sisters is a strong ensemble, losing Rob Lowe won't be too big a deal. In fact, it might open up more story possibilities. As California Senator Robert McCallister, Kitty's husband, he's recently announced that he's giving up politics. He mentioned going off to do good works, so they could write him out that way.
Or Kitty and Robert's marriage could hit the rocks when her run for the Senate becomes too much for him to handle. Maybe he'll have another medical problem like his heart attack, and drop dead making Kitty a widow? Anyway you cut it, Calista Flockhart's going to have some good stuff to play.
Part of me is happy for Rob. He's ambitious and wants to have a success to call his own. On the other hand, he will not be as missed on B&S as he was on The West Wing. When he left that show, there was a void felt. And when Sam Seaborn returned for a few shows in the last season, it was a good thing.
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