– Is there any chance we will see Rob Lowe back as Sam Seaborn on “The West Wing” now that his series “The Lyon’s Den” appears to have gone belly up? –Gary Taylor, Saginaw, Mich.
I haven’t spoken to Lowe about this, but I’d say the chances of him rejoining “Wing” as a regular are remote at best, even if NBC officially cancels “The Lyon’s Den.”
Lowe says he left the NBC White House drama simply because there wasn’t enough for his character to do, although there reportedly were some major salary issues as well. While “The West Wing” has taken a hit in the ratings recently, most people chalk that up to the unexpectedly strong competition from ABC’s “The Bachelor,” not Lowe’s departure – which means, in turn, that “Wing” producers are not likely to give the actor more money or screen time to return.
It bears remembering, too, that “The West Wing” originally was conceived with Lowe’s character at the center of the action. It can’t have been easy for the actor to watch colleague Martin Sheen and his less well-known co-stars such as Allison Janney as they quickly grabbed the lyon’s — oops, sorry, lion’s share of the spotlight.
– Did Josh Lucas (“Sweet Home Alabama”) ever star in the old Family Channel series “The Man From Snowy River”? And was Susie Coelho of HGTV’s “Outer Spaces” ever married to Sonny Bono? –Marla Lawless, San Antonio.
Yes, the Arkansas-born “Alabama” hunk was working as Joshua Lucas back in 1993 when he played Luke McGregor in “Snowy River.”
And you’re right again. Coelho was Bono’s third wife, in a union that lasted from 1982 to 1984.
– Why have they removed Faith and Fred Yokas (Molly Price, Chris Bauer) from “Third Watch”? I think the actors who portray them are both excellent and I miss seeing them. –Nancy Richmond, Kokomo, Ind.
“No one has ‘removed’ Molly and Chris,” an NBC publicist replies. “At the moment, the story lines are focusing on other characters, but both of them are still with the show. That’s just the nature of an ensemble show like this one.”
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