How come Carla was in only 3 episodes (in the first season)? I thought she was an interesting enough character. Does anyone know why they made the decision to basically drop her?
"Believe those who seek the truth; doubt those who find it." -Andre Gide
I believe somewhere on this board or in the Rebecca Balding boards, someone said she left the show because she landed a part on SOAP. Don't quote me on that, but I think that's why her run was so short lived.
And I agree, she was an interesting character. Plus I just love that actress!
Oh, okay. I suppose that's why Billie was suddenly brought into it--they needed an intriguing and young female character to replace Carla. I like Billie a lot but wasn't able to get to know Carla, really (I see I'm taking this way too seriously, lol).
"Believe those who seek the truth; doubt those who find it." -Andre Gide
I've seen interviews with Grant Tinker, Gene Reynolds, and Allan Burns. They all mentioned the show didn't start off well, and CBS demanded changes. They weren't specific about the changes, but since she left after 3 episodes, I assume they got rid of her in favor of Linda Kelsey.
shareI just started watching the series and Balding is so much more attractive to me than Kelsey. Not even close. Sorry they axed her from the show.
shareShe was lovely, but I thought Kelsey was very good as Billie Newman.
shareI heard it was the actress/character was too young,they wanted a character with more experience in life,so brouhgt in Linda Kelsey as Billie.
shareI doubt the producers wanted to get rid of her after only three shows. CBS was up in arms, and the producers sacrificed her, is my guess.
shareI believe you are right as that is what I heard also. CBS was behind the change which is really a shame. They felt Rebecca was too sweet and soft and they wanted someone harder edged and tougher.
shareI think the Billie Newman character worked better, but they didn't give the Carla character enough time to develop.
shareThe entire background story behind this sudden change in the cast so early in the show's debut season is told in detail in Douglass K. Daniel's thorough (and thoroughly entertaining) 1996 book "Lou Grant: The Making of TV's Top Newspaper Drama."
Bssically, the creators of the series were concerned "almost immediately" with Rebecca Balding's portrayal of Carla: "Indeeed, Balding appeared almost delicate in the first three episodes. (The producers) saw the problem not so much as Balding failing to hold her own... but as being unconvincing in the role of a woman reporter." The producers eventually told Ms. Balding that she had "poor chemistry" with Robert "Rossi" Walden, and that she appeared too young and vulnerable, which might "cause the audience to be concerned for her when she got into tough situations." I hope that settles the mystery for you!
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The whole things was written about in the book about the series by Douglass Daniel. In a nut, the producers felt (and in my opinion rightly so) that the actress just wasn't strong enough for what they had in mind. Balding admits to not having done her best work on the first filmed episode (which was aired third) and from there it was downhill.
Her dismissal was a creative decision that had nothing to do with network input.
Too bad, she was adorable. But I guess they were looking for someone who was bitchier and they got it.
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