Buffy the Vampire Slayer co-star Alyson Hannigan's latest stab at becoming a network television sitcom star has lasted less than two weeks. ABC confirms that the actress has departed the comedy In the Game over creative differences.
Earlier this month, Hannigan signed on for the Jennifer Love Hewitt series playing the best friend of Hewitt's character, a sports television producer who becomes an on-air star. Originally developed for last fall, In the Game has been undergoing a number of changes and as the second pilot was being conceived, Hannigan's character went in a direction that didn't interest the 30-year-old actress.
``Alyson Hannigan came on into a role as the process was going through the week,'' ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson says. ``The role kind of diminished just based on the storytelling that was going on. She was unhappy and wanted off the show, so we allowed her to leave.''
Sara Gilbert has reportedly been added to the Game cast, but the part has been downgraded from a co-starring role to a recurring character. Gilbert's tenure with the show may also be brief, given that the former Roseanne co-star is doing a comedy project with The WB.
Meanwhile, after the network pulled a planned In the Game panel for the Television Critics Association, McPherson was left to explain that show's ongoing status.
``I always found it odd when networks put up shows that they hadn't really seen yet or that they were reworking entirely and said, `Hey guys, it's going to be fantastic,' '' McPherson explains. ``We don't know that yet because we haven't seen it. We shot a pilot. We thought there was tremendous potential, specifically in Ed O'Neill and Jennifer. So we reshot last week. I'll see a rough cut of it probably Thursday or Friday.''
Hannigan, best know for her years as Willow Rosenberg on The WB and UPN's Buffy, will still be returning to the small screen in the near future. Hannigan will make a guest appearance on UPN's Veronica Mars, playing the daughter of Harry Hamlin's Aaron Echolls. While conceived as a one-shot cameo, it could become a recurring part for Hannigan. Her episode will air on Feb. 22 and she has at least one important fan in the cast.
``When I met her, I was just floored at how wonderful she was,'' Veronica Mars star Kristen Bell told reporters last week. ``She has a very sweet presence about her, very grateful, respectful. She's a wonderful woman to work with, I think, and was very sweet. And you know, I was just asking her questions about her experiences and she gave me some guidance and she was lovely.''
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