Our man Friday
By Greg David
2010-09-24
A.J. Buckley says things are A-OK in ‘New York’, thanks to new co-star Sela Ward
When CBS announced, in May, that CSI: NY was being moved to Friday nights, I was worried. After six seasons on the air, its ratings in the U.S. were starting to flag, and a move to the night most associate with where series go to die didn’t help.
Add to the fact that female lead Melina Kanakaredes revealed in July that she was leaving the procedural, and you would have been excused if you’d bowed your head in remembrance for Mac Taylor et. al. Heck, A.J. Buckley did too. The affable and hilarious Canadian actor who plays geeky lab tech Adam Ross feared the worst when his show was shuttled and the co-star his character canoodled with jumped ship.
But then Sela Ward signed on, and everything changed. The most immediate difference is that the darkest of the CSI shows got lighter. As in humour. And, gasp, laughing. It all takes place within the first few scenes of the return episode, “The 34th Floor,” as Ward’s Jo Danville is introduced to the cast in typical CSI fashion: over a dead body.
We spoke to Buckley while he was in town to support a friend at the Toronto International Film Festival, where he riffed on CSI, losing one co-star and gaining another, and that dreaded Friday timeslot.
TVGuide.ca: How did you feel during the summer, when Melina announced she wouldn’t be coming back?
A.J. Buckley: I was in Italy when I got the call that she was leaving and I thought maybe they would work it out because she’s such an integral part of the show. And sure enough, when I called and asked her if it really happened, she was like ‘Yup, it’s done.’ It was sad to see her go, but she’s done really well over the years and she will end up on some other show and she’ll be fantastic as always.
When one door closes, another one opens and Sela Ward … honestly … the tone of the show has changed in such a different way. Her character is so dynamic. She is a phenomenal actress. I’m a huge fan of her. Beautiful, and just the sweetest lady. I really think people are going to freak out about her character and how dynamic she is.
TVG: She’s a cop, right?
AJB: Yeah, former FBI.
TVG: Did they ever conclude the Stella and Adam affair thing?
AJB: No!
TVG: We’re just left wondering?
AJB: Undercover lover. Maybe I’m getting some texts from her still because she’s gone off somewhere.
TVG: Now that Sela is on the scene, will there be something between Adam and Jo?
AJB: You never know. I’m a bit of a ladies’ man. (Laughs.)
TVG: So, no conclusion to Stella and Adam.
AJB: It was one of those things. When I first read that in the script, I was like, ‘What?! Is this for real?’ And they said it was, and I said ‘I took down the fox, man!’
TVG: No more furtive looks across the lab between Stella and Adam. No more embarrassed conversations.
AJB: Oh no, there is a great scene between Sela and I in the first episode. I think Adam is just bumbling when he gets around women because he just doesn’t know what to do. Her approach to my nervousness and social ineptness is really endearing. She toys with Adam a little bit.
TVG: What does Sela’s character bring to the show?
AJB: She has this sincerity, which I think just comes naturally, to seek justice. There is a real drive to her. You don’t want to mess with her. There is a scene coming up where Adam questions her and she puts him in his place very quickly and Adam gets scared.
TVG: You guys are so many seasons along with the show; is it second nature to act out the character?
AJB: Yesterday, Carmine, Gary and I were doing this scene. It was a pretty heavy scene but in between takes we were talking and had each other in hysterics. Right up until action we were laughing.
TVG: You have to be like that and keep it light. The storylines can be pretty dark.
AJB: Yeah. I’ve just been really blessed to work with this pedigree of actors.
TVG: How do you feel about the Friday night timeslot?
AJB: At first I was like ‘Uh-oh.’ I was in Vancouver shooting and I heard. I was like, ‘This is not good!’ And then I spoke to Pam (Veasey, co-executive producer) and she said ‘This is not the end. We still have to put out a good show. This still has a lot of life left in it. The way the economy is, there are a lot more people at home on Friday nights.’ And, on Friday nights, they wanted to take a big show and put it on at 9 o’clock. And, it could add more years to the life of the show. It’s such a beast of a show that they can move it around … we very rarely lost our timeslot (on Wednesdays) in the seven years.
TVG: You do very well in Canada.
AJB: Right! And then overseas, it’s bananas. I’m like Elvis! (Laughs.) My mom, dad and I were in Italy and out of nowhere this bus of sightseers stopped and people were coming up to me. And my parents were just laughing, and my mom was like, ‘This is great!!’ It’s a humbling thing and I’m very grateful.
CSI: NY returns Friday at 9 p.m. ET on CTV/CBS.
Thoughts?
greg@tvguide.ca or comment below.
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