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Kiss Grace goodbye and say hi to Molly
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March 11, 2010
By Munyaradzi Vomo
Imagine seeing Barney starring in Sesame Street under another name, in a strange role as say, an insurance salesman, a bank robber or, even better, a martial arts expert.
Seriously, think of the giant purple dinosaur with a black sock over his head, two holes cut out of it so that he can see. No matter how well the purple puppet may act in any of the roles, as long as he is not singing I Love You, You Love Me, his fan base will probably struggle to accept his newfound fame.
The same applies to actors in successful television series. As they move from one show to another they obviously hope to grow career-wise, but not every move proves fruitful.
Some actors' careers skyrocket with the changes, and possibly one of the best moves was that of Charlie Sheen, who is now the highest-paid TV actor for his role in Two and a Half Men.
Though many know him from the big screen, Sheen's TV career began ages ago, with Spin City being the biggest TV project he'd worked on before joining the acclaimed Two and a Half Men.
Another example of a successful move in TV circles was by Wentworth Miller, whose 1998 role in Buffy: The Vampire Slayer almost went unnoticed. It was his sterling performance on Prison Break that earned him the most recognition.
While these two examples are success stories, many an actor doesn't have that kind of luck.
Remember the Fresh Prince of Bel Air's Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro), cousin to Will (Smith)? After the successful sitcom was canned in 1996, Ribeiro tried, without much joy, to continue making jokes for a living on LL Cool J's In the House.
Omar Epps, who was a hit in the medical drama series ER and is now just okay-ish in House MD, is perhaps grateful that he has the job.
Enter Debra Messing, who stars as Molly Kegan in the comedy drama The Starter Wife. The story centres on Molly, who is struggling to survive after divorcing a Hollywood executive and now has to devise an autonomous means of survival.
Many know Messing as Grace from the acclaimed sitcom Will and Grace. She played that role exceptionally well, to the extent that to some she became known as Grace beyond the show. NBC, the US network that aired the show, had Will and Grace as one of its staples, placing Messing on a pedestal in TV showbiz.
But that was then, and that success may become something of a curse, because Messing now stars in a totally different role. As The Starter Wife comes to free-to-air screens we get to determine whether poor Gracie will erase her old role from our minds and successfully replace it with Molly.
The Starter Wife begins on Wednesday, on SABC3, at 9pm.
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