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Midseason replacements provide relief from "reality" programming and offer new shows

GERRI MILLER
Special to the Jewish News

s midseason replacements pop up on
the broadcast and cable networks this
month, a number of Jewish performers
show up — some veterans of past suc-
cessful series. Who's new? -
Aside from The West Wing (9 p.m. Wednesdays
on NBC) regular Josh Malina, whose speech-
writer character Will Bailey was recruited to
replace the exiting Rob Lowe, the midseason ros-
ter boasts Lainie Kazan, reprising her film role as
Nia Vardalos' big-hearted mother in My Big Fat
Greek Life (8 p.m. Sundays on CBS).
Mindy Sterling, best known as-Austin Powers'
Frau Farbissina, moves to the small screen in the
WB's improvisational sitcom On the Spot (debut-
ing 9:30 p.m. Friday, March 20), and child actor
Grant Rosenmeyer will be seen as the title charac-
ter in the 1960s-set family comedy Oliver Beene
(premiering 8:30 p.m. Sunday, March 9, on
FOX). Rosenmeyer, who played Ari Tenenbaum
in The Royal Tenenbaums, recently took part in
the action comedy The Hebrew Hammer, as the
young version of Mordechai, Adam Goldberg's
titular avenger.
The cast of the yet-to-be-scheduled NBC come-
dy The Jake Effect includes Felicity alumnus and
Alias semi-regular Greg Grunberg and Leslie
Grossman, who played Mary Cherry on Popular.
The following Jewish stars soon will be seen in
series as well:

tT IF

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2003

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Gerri Miller is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer.

Brought up in a Conservative but nontraditional
Wanda at Large
family — his four siblings include an adopted
Premieres 9:30 p.m. Wednesday March 26, on FOX
African-American sister who "makes the best
He's best known as the obnoxious assistant D.A.
knaidlach," he reports — Kravits continues to
Richard Bay on the courtroom drama The Practice,
observe the holidays in a way "that's very centered
but Jason Kravits is a comedian at heart, having
around the home. I think that's where Judaism
come from a sketch comedy and music back-
really lives."
ground, and is thrilled to be part of the supporting
His current TV character's religious affiliation
ensemble on Wanda at Large.
isn't specified, and Kravits is reluctant to speculate.
Playing the station manager at a local Washington,
"I thought Bay was Jewish, and it turned out at
D.C., talk show on the sitcom — a vehicle for
`my funeral' that I was a Presbyterian," he says.
comedienne Wanda Sykes — is welcome relief for
"Who knew?"
an actor used to making people laugh.
"I spent the first six episodes trying to justify to
JUDD HIRSCH and DANIEL STERN
people that [Bay] was just 'misunderstood.' But the
Regular Joe
truth was, he was a jerk," Kravits says of his char-
Premieres 9:30 p.m . Friday, March 28, on ABC
acter on The Practice.
TV veterans Hirsch and Stern team up to play
"Once I accepted it, I just relished it. It was a
father and son in this multigenerational sitcom.
fantastic opportunity. But to get a chance to come
The widowed title character (Stern, best known
back and be funny and do funny things with funny as the narrator of The Wonder Years) is a father and
people, it's great."
a new grandfather (his young daughter is a single
Kravits was originally hired as a guest star on The mother who comes home to live). He runs a hard-
Practice but was brought back repeatedly, made a
ware store with his dad (Hirsch).
regular, and then — much to his surprise — killed
"It's such a unique situation when you think about
off in 2001.
what you have to do in a household where you have
Once he got over his initial shock and sadness at
a child who has a child," says Hirsch, star of such
leaving his TV family, and was reassured that it
previous series as Taxi, Delvecchio and Dear John.
wasn't his work at fault, Kravits was grateful for his
"Everybody is in some way going to be responsi-
Practice run and ready to move on, though it was
ble for the baby.
too late to audition for pilots.
"I did a lot of guest-star stuff — Gilmore Girls,
MARCIA STRASSMAN
Ed," and spent time with family, says the actor.
Tremors
He and his wife, Susanna, had their first child,
Premieres 8 p.m. Friday, March 28, on the Sci-Fi
Charlie, last year and have been showing him off to .Channel
relatives on the East Coast and in Susanna's native
Best remembered as Gabe Kaplan's wife on the
1970s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter and as Rick
England.

JASON KRAVITS

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