A run of bad luck for a very good actress is far from ‘Great News’
In a world where the Kardashians are household names, my thoughts sometimes turn to TV performers who actually possess, you know, talent, but for one reason or another have come up short.
Near the top of my list is Briga Heelan, a native of Andover who is an exceptionally gifted comic actor but just can’t seem to catch a break.
Heelan had a lead role in Bill Lawrence’s workplace comedy “Ground Floor,” but it was canceled by TBS in 2015 after only two seasons. Then she absolutely shone as the ambitious but insecure segment producer Katie Wendelson in “Great News,” a very funny sitcom set behind the scenes of a cablenews program called “The Breakdown.”
After two years of low ratings, NBC canceled “Great News” in 2018.
Turning to the stage, Heelan made her Broadway debut this year as Cinderella in “Once Upon a One More Time.” It’s a jukebox musical built on two dozen pop songs recorded by Britney Spears, in which fairy-tale characters experience a feminist awakening.
But the show received mixed reviews and closed in September after running just a couple of months.
So, back to “Great News.” I’m always touting it to friends and family, with limited success. Maybe it’s the generic name of the series?
Created by former “30 Rock” writer
Tracey Wigfield and currently streaming on Netflix, “Great News” features Adam Campbell as the newscast’s executive producer and Katie’s love interest; Andrea Martin as Katie’s meddlesome mother, who lands an internship at “The Breakdown,” and John Michael Higgins as the newscast’s pompous coanchor.
Campbell is good; Martin and Higgins are both brilliant. Not a surprise with those two savvy vets. An unexpected delight is Nicole Richie’s turn as a news anchor/socialite, deftly tweaking her own public image.
Tina Fey, one of the executive producers of “Great News,” was asked about the series a year or so after its cancellation.
Fey replied: “That is a heartbreak, because Tracey Wigfield was really firing on all cylinders running that show and that cast were delightful and so funny and we could’ve done that show for seven seasons and it would’ve stayed consistently funny.”
Yep, I believe it. But now “Great News” belongs to the ranks of high-quality gone-too-soon series like “Freaks and Geeks” and “Men of a Certain Age,” where we can only guess at how good they would have been if allowed a longer life.
As for Heelan, she is far too talented not to get another chance. Here’s hoping a star vehicle rolls her way soon.