Kokomo Tribune Entertainment NOW
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/416652
TV Media Weekly
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November 15 - 21, 2014
"State of Affairs," leaving 39
per cent of the vote in the "no"
category. The general consensus
among big-name reviewers on-
line also seems to be mostly
positive, often saying that the
show has potential and can def-
initely compete amongst the
heavy hitters.
Whether viewers side with Hei-
gl's outspoken behavior and previ-
ous off-air antics, fans of the politi-
cal drama genre will be able to
scrutinize her second television
debut when "State of Affairs" pre-
mieres Monday, Nov. 17, on NBC.
you're only 26," said "Grey's
Anatomy" star Ellen Pompeo in
an interview with "The New
York Post" in 2013. "But Katie's
problem was that she should
not have renewed her contract.
She re-upped, took a big raise
and then tried to get out of the
show."
Despite Pompeo's take on the
dramatic altercation between
Heigl and the producers of
"Grey's Anatomy," Heigl main-
tains she hoped to become a
full-time wife and mother, thus
spending more time at her pri-
vate home in Utah.
"I would come home angry
and frustrated that I had missed
everything with my kid that day;
I didn't get to wake her up from
her nap, or do bath time or bed-
time," Heigl said in an interview
with "Good Housekeeping" in
2010. "I'd have to sneak into her
room and kiss her when she was
sleeping, hoping not to wake
her."
Heigl got her start in film as a
teenager in the early '90s, but
her first big gig after her break-
out on "Grey's" was Judd Apa-
tow's romantic comedy
"Knocked Up" (2007), the hilari-
ous story of two unlikely individ-
uals and the repercussions of
their one night stand. "Knocked
Up," racking in a whopping
$149 million at the U.S. box of-
fice alone, would become an
enormous success with the ta-
gline: "What if this guy got you
pregnant?"
While voicing her reluctance
for a bustling "show-biz" life-
style, Heigl would find a niche in
romcoms, taking up a number of
leading roles in movies such as
"27 Dresses" (2008), "Killers"
(2010), "New Year's Eve" (2011)
and "The Ugly Truth" (2009).
Her initial success in some of
these titles may have ignited her
passion for film, but the one-
time high would ultimately re-
sult in a rock bottom low, at
least in terms of her on-screen
career.
By 2012, Heigl had taken the
lead role as Stephanie Plum in
that year's action comedy "One
for the Money," the story of a
bounty hunter who works for a
bonding company. In the pro-
cess, she earned herself a Gold-
en Raspberry Award nomination
in the "worst actress" category.
(Also known as the Razzies for
short, this tongue-in-cheek
awards ceremony is held annu-
ally the day before the Oscars to
"celebrate" the worst in film
and is intended to be low-end
and tacky.)
It's clear the Washington,
D.C.-born actress has experi-
enced her own ups and down
over the past several years, but
two questions remain as a re-
sult: Why did Heigl decide to
make the move back to televi-
sion, and should you, the viewer,
watch the new program on
NBC?
To answer the first question,
Heigl said at the Television Crit-
ics Association media tour in
July that she's back because she
stopped challenging herself and
"exercising different muscles of
[her] ability."
As for the second question,
according to an "Entertainment
Tonight's" Facebook poll, 61 per
cent of voters said "yes" to
By Meagan Sylvester
TV Media
I
t's a question many film and
television critics are pondering
this month in lieu of the pre-
miere of NBC's new political
drama "State of Affairs": will
Katherine Heigl's return to the
small screen help boost her im-
age and her career?
Heigl, who will assume the
program's leading role as CIA
analyst Charlie Tucker, is gener-
ating some buzz with her return
to prime-time television follow-
ing an abrupt departure from
the popular medical drama
"Grey's Anatomy" in 2010. She
created a memorable stir among
fans and members of the media,
who extensively documented
the actress's sour — even os-
tentatious — fallout with the
show. "State of Affairs" will be
the first time Heigl has appeared
on the small screen since
"Grey's," aside from a commer-
cial for an over-the-counter
cough and cold medication.
This new political drama
chronicles the exploits of Spe-
cial Analyst Tucker, who is
tasked with briefing the presi-
dent of the United States —
played by Alfre Woodard ("Des-
perate Housewives") — with
the most vital homeland securi-
ty issues at home and abroad.
The highly anticipated espio-
nage thriller, premiering Mon-
day, Nov. 17, on NBC, has been
described as a cross between
ABC's political thriller "Scan-
dal" and NBC's White House-
based drama "The West Wing,"
and thus a notable stretch from
Heigl's role as surgical intern
Izzie Stevens.
While the actress maintains
she left the long-running medi-
cal drama to spend more time
with her young family and pop
rock husband Josh Kelley, some
critics argue she left to pursue a
more desirable career on the big
screen. In fact, Heigl's own col-
leagues spoke out against her
decision to leave the show, cit-
ing increased pay and "hurt
feelings" as the leading factors
in what would become Heigl's
ultimate verdict.
"You could understand why
she wanted to go — when
you're offered $12 million and
Alfre Woodard as seen in "State of Affairs"
'State' of play
Former TV star makes high profile return to prime time
2
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