CSI: NY Season 6 Spoiler Discussion - Bright Lights, Big City

Actually, I think her rep declining comment makes it more likely that the choice was her own; if it was the producers' choice, why wouldn't the rep have been fine with saying so? It wouldn't matter if people knew the opposite was true. People are thinking the opposite is true now, and it's clearly not a huge issue to them. With the same thing happening to Sid and Adam, Natalia on Miami, and a number of characters on other network television shows, speculation probably isn't going to get out of control. Especially with the CBS rep confirming right there that she's still a regular. Whereas saying that the cut was Anna's choice would've been far easier for the press to run with. Speculation could cover everything from her having a family crisis at home, to her being in an argument with the show, to people wondering whether she's questioning whether she can still handle the part she has.

Perhaps, but each of those hiatuses was her choice. It's entirely likely that this one is, too. Obviously I know nothing of AJ's or Robert's contracts, has either of them ever mentioned that the varied number of episodes wasn't their choice? Because I know AJ has more than a few side projects alongside CSI:NY, or at least he did during Seasons 4 and 5; whereas Robert, till now, doesn't seem to have taken a break from appearing in each episode. (Additionally, I know Hill has a quatrillion other side projects too, but he's never once been absent from an episode, which is what's making me think the original actors' contracts are less flexible than the newer ones.)

Oh, okay, but since there's only been one season where she's appeared in every episode (same as Sid), I still don't see the significance in when she became a regular. If actors are paid for every episode they appear in, screentime aside, she's still on the same level as she's always been, which isn't the same as the other characters minus Adam and Sid.

 

Not when others do, too. And she hasn't been previously contracted for all the episodes each season; she has been for one season. That's the point.

So then if her status isn't changing and isn't going to change, how does it matter that she's not in every episode this season? From the point of view of a fan, it's infuriating, yeah. From an objective POV, though, she was missing for four episodes in Season 3, five in Season 5, two in Season 2, and so far three now. I'm not seeing a significant change from past years, and very little reason to assume the absence this time was any less her choice than it was in those past seasons. When she became a regular doesn't matter, because her appearances haven't ever been as consistent as the others on the show who were regulars from the first.

But I've read somewhere that "no comment" was basically her rep's response a couple of years ago when some press release was printed up that had AB listed as a recurring character, rather than a regular. Additionally, "no comment" was also Ashlee Simpson's rep's comment when asked what role she'd be playing during her guest-stint on the show, and there was hardly any scandal in that either. Come to think of it, I don't remember ever reading of an actor's rep commenting on something to do with the CSI: NY show... Again, I think the reason for that is because it does give away personal information about the actor.

Well, I for one find it hard to believe that if something had been definitely confirmed about Anna reducing her contract to have more personal family time, there wouldn't be mass speculation online about whether or not she'd continue with this trend by going to a recurring role (or give up on the show altogether for her family) after the season's over and/or when her contract's being renegotiated. That might be what the reps are trying to avoid. As of now, we've still got nothing except the knowledge that she's in fewer episodes and that she's still a regular. Because of the no comment.

I keep thinking of her absence from 5.05, though, when she wasn't on her official maternity leave. Yeah, there's no way to tell what's going on down at that studio in regards to Belknap's screentime, it's just weirder than it has been in past years. But the significant screentime reduction isn't limited to her, that's the other fact.

 

This is exactly what came to mind when reading the back and forth here. There's nothing 'new' or revealing to this snippet.

Personally I lean toward it likely being a bit of both on each side. The network made no secret of their attempt to save money with news during the hiatus that CBS was negotiating pay freezes with the actors. Also, tptb when questioned about adding a new character after offing Angell made reference to having saved money in other ways, therefore being able to bring in the 'fresh' new character to spice things up! I imagine that tptb were looking at ways to save money, and I imagine that Anna Belknap was looking at ways to juggle a new baby, a toddler and her work. I suspect this arrangement suits both sides.

As for the 'no comment' - it doesn't seem that surprising that a representative chooses not to comment on a contractual matter.

EDT. Technically Anna/Lindsay wasn't 'absent' from 5:05 - she was only in it very briefly but she was still there - very different from being completely absent from 3 episodes so far this season!

 

Not necessarily -- Jesse on Miami was brought in before Eric left. Obviously the circumstances were very different, Jesse wasn't being hired as a replacement, but I'm just thinking that Eddie Cibrian was slated to appear in each episode of Miami's S8 and therefore has (well presumably, so far anyway) has; even when his character technically wasn't there. I don't think Belknap's contract was the same, I think there's always been some degree of variety as far as her contracted episodes go. It's not just Season 2, it's also 5.05.

For those of us who think she's awesome, it's really not a huge departure from the norm, either I mean, yeah it sucks that she's not in each episode because at least they usually give us the courtesy of letting us know when she won't be in one :shifty: But I'm not seeing marginalization. I mentioned earlier on the thread that Lindsay's always been one of those characters who gets screwed out of decent screentime. This was true in Season 2 and it's still true now. If we compare her as a series regular in S2 to the other regulars in that same season, she would've already appeared marginalized -- she barely had five minutes of screentime in "Trapped" and "Fare Game".

Well, I wasn't around for that, admittedly I don't know for sure.

LOL, I so didn't even know she was on that show :lol: I thought she was sticking with singing after Point of No Return?

Oh yeah! But the speculation's hardly out of control now, since the "no comment" didn't really change anything we didn't already know -- and I seriously doubt it's going to be anytime soon. Whereas I think being pelted daily with questions like "do we know for sure if Anna's coming back next year?" would start grating even on Ausiello's nerves Not to mention Anna's herself, which is why I could see how "no comment" might be more attractive to her than a confirmation about her personal time-off. Especially with the way she seems to cherish her privacy.

Lol, okay :lol: (it was five last season, though, and I might start worrying if her disappearances reach that level and outnumber any of the others'. But probably not before.) The other fact I can't get over is that we've never seen one of the original regulars miss a single episode, ever, so I can't think it's a total coincidence that they're the only ones who haven't gone missing now. I don't think their contracts allow them to. But I can't read anything special into the fact that Buckley's, Joy's, and Belknap's do allow them to do that.

ETA:

This is what I think it might've come down to, also; I think it would've had to have been at least partly her choice. Because even if her contract was originally supposed to include every episode, would TPTB be able to change that without her agreement? Every other time she's taken a hiatus, it's been by her choice, and I can't see how this one would've been different.

It's happening to a lot of actors from the networks (I kind of wanted to bring up Katherine Heigl/Izzie Stevens from Grey's, as one actor who's been a regular from the first but has since had her screentime cut -- but I'm ninety-percent sure that things work differently on the set of Grey's than they do with CSI).

I don't remember her showing up at all (though I have to watch it again, I guess!)...what scene was she in?

 

Plain and simple. Anna got preggo again. Lindsay has been off at artificial insemination clinics. May sweeps will come and she tells Danny she's pregnant... but the season finale cliffhanger is that it's NOT HIS KID. MOST SHOCKING CLIFFHANGER OF THE FRANCHISE.

I kid. Who knows what is up, but like Top said, the rep would have said something if it was Anna's decision.

 

I just hate that TPTB havent explained why Lindsay appears in an episode and is then out for an episode. I mean if this is going to go on all season they REALLY should have someone say where Lindsay is, it's annoying when she just disappears fro an episode and nothing is said about it, same with Sid and Adam. i mean Anna, Robert and AJ are in the credits if they arent going to be in an episdoe AT ALL it really should be expalined where the hell they went. At least i think it should anyway, maybe I'm the only one!!!

 

Point about 505, but my own about Jesse was that there are clearly ways to write in a new character from the very first episode of a season, to make sure they're there from the first (if that's what the requirements of their contract are), even if the character they're replacing hasn't left yet. Not that there was any reason for them to do this with Vanessa Ferlito and Anna Belknap, but not doing so does highlight the fact that Anna was not slated for two episodes of her first season. Jesse's case is different in that he's apparently slated for every episode of his.

Not if that's what you originally meant by that term. If her basic screentime and her role on the show haven't changed in five years, I don't think anyone can say she's become less important.

What comment? There was no comment, that's pretty much why it's less likely that speculation could come from that than from anything her rep could have said. Ausiello's obviously still going to get questions, but since we essentially know nothing more now than we did before (which wouldn't be the case if her rep had said anything), I doubt the volume is going to suddenly increase.

Yep, hers and the others'.

Maternity leave would've been a must for her, she had to take the time off -- but if actors do get paid by episode, and her contract states that she's supposed to be getting paid for X many episodes unless she has a reason she can't be...then I'm not seeing how TPTB could've changed the terms of that contract without her agreeing with the changes. I mean, isn't this the whole reason ARod broke with Miami?

Either way it comes down to screentime being cut by the actress's choice because of other commitments in her life. Whether she was originally a regular or not. That's what I'm getting at -- if they have other stuff going on, they're not likely to have a problem with their episodes being cut.

....Okay, will admit that that sounds cooler than what they've got going on this season so far Especially with the Hawkes/Lindsay, my second fave :lol: But I'm still so not convinced that the rep would've said anything whether or not it was Anna's decision. They don't tend to speak about things affecting a show unless/until the show's reps have already done so, at least as far as I've seen; doing so causes all kinds of unnecessary speculation. Because I'm stuck on Heigl and Grey's, even after last season's finale when everyone was wondering whether her character was leaving or not, her rep didn't comment until the show (and then Heigl herself later on) confirmed that she'd be staying. And Grey's is the most gossip-happy show out there.

 

I CAN!!!:guffaw:

 

I agree that Lindsay hasn't become less important; but I don't think she was ever "important" to begin with so it's impossible to become less important.

I do, however, disagree that people can't say she's become less important. There were plenty of people who liked her in the beginning and saw real potential only to be disappointed and lose all interest in the character. To those people I'd say she's become significantly less important as the seasons have passed.

ETA: And I don't mean less important as in not their favorite or a liked character any longer. I mean important as a character who could have been intriguing and different and valuable to the team being reduced to a wife and an incubator for Danny.

 

I don't feel like Lindsay has contributed as much to the cases as she used to. Perhaps because back in the first few seasons of CSI:NY they would have different people on different cases so maybe she went out more in the field for that reason. Now it's really just one case an episode so she really doesn't ever seem to leave the lab anymore. They really could just demote her to the same job Adam has at this point.