Tricia O’Kelley Lands Co-Starring Role In Roseanne Barr’s NBC Pilot In Recasting
EXCLUSIVE: The New Adventures Of Old Christine alumna Tricia O’Kelley has been cast in Roseanne Barr’s NBC comedy pilot Downwardly Mobile. She replaces Eureka star Salli Richardson who was originally cast in the role. Co-created by Barr, John Argent and showrunner Eric Gilliland, the multicamera Downwardly Mobile stars Barr as Rose, the proprietor of a mobile home park and surrogate mother to the unique people who live there in a challenging economy. O’Kelley will play Mrs. Denby whose husband (Greg Cromer), a hedge fund guy who recently lost everything in a Ponzi scheme, brought her to the trailer park so they start fresh at the bottom. Miserable in her new surroundings, Mrs. Denby becomes Rose’s foil. The recasting was done after the pilot’s run-through this afternoon. I hear that Richardson, who has an extensive drama resume but hasn’t done comedy series, didn’t feel quite comfortable at the table read yesterday. Because of her respect for Richardson as an actress, I hear Barr stood up for her and Richardson stayed on. But the multi-camera format is an odd duck and could be very challenging for someone who has never done it, so at the run-through Richardson could not synch up with the others, most of them multi-camera veterans like Barr and her Roseanne co-star John Goodman. O’Kelley, repped by Domain and Art/Work Entertainment, most recently recurred on ABC Family’s The Secret Life Of The American Teenager. Last season, she co-starred in CBS’ untitled Jeff and Jackie Filgo comedy pilot.
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