Here’s a great snippet of the pilot episode of “Football Wives” – a show in 2007 that Lucy was going to star in which never was aired or picked up by ABC. Lucy’s role was Tanya Austin who was the ruthless, bitchy spouse of bad boy Jason Turner.
Why wasn’t the show picked up?
In a recent interview Lucy said the following about why Football Wives was not picked up
Weren’t you supposed to be playing Tanya Turner in the US version of Footballers’ Wives?
Yes but we called her Tanya Austin. We were supposed to follow Grey’s Anatomy, which is a huge hit, on the autumn schedule. Then we were told that the show had been cancelled because the National Football League weren’t happy about it. Our show was just entertainment, a spoof, but they were very concerned about keeping up appearances and pretending they aren’t real people like the rest of us. I had so much Machiavellian stuff to do, I wanted to make her seem real – I was going to play her like Tony Soprano. I talked to a shrink to help me figure the character out. I wanted her to be rock-solid believable so I’m very disappointed it’s not happening now.
You can find out more about Lucy’s role on the show and view episode stills by going to the AUSXIP Lucy Lawless Football Wives subsite
Episode Stills
Football Wives Fallout...
The outcry of ABC's decision not to pick up Football Wives has been met with disbelief (and not just from fans). There are also some suggestions/rumours/chat that TPTB may be trying to find a new home...keep your fingers crossed.
Lucy's conspiracy theory isn't so out there since many people are now voicing those same concerns. If ABC knew that having this show would annoy the heck out of the NFL (and it seems they have the NFL contract and the little darlings are so thin skinned that they find a campy drama too much for them...give me a break. Soccer didn't have a problem with Footballer Wives)..why did it give it a go ahead to film the pilot?
Something is not quite right here. Either someone at ABC is beyond dumb and heads will roll over this wastage OR someone at ABC decided to nab the show before anyone else got it and thus they would have lost control...it just seems so very very odd. I have zero knowledge of how it works in Hollywood but to someone living on the other side of the planet...it's just plain obscene about wasting so much money. Spending millions on a pilot, hiring some great actors and all that talent only to shelve it because they got weak at the knees when the NFL got all uppity? Didn't they know they had the NFL contract?
Check out the following news sites:
- Cyber Hermit ABC, NFL End FOOTBALL WIVES Season Before It Begins
...Various sources are indicating that word began filtering down to ABC
from the gods at the NFL that they were not pleased. No, not pleased
at all. They did not think that a fictional television show would
create a good image for the league. Yeah, forget the fact that they
have non-fictional players getting busted for drug use, spouse abuse,
assault, weapons charges and DUIs. No, the NFL apparently was more
concerned about the fictional acts of fictional characters in a
fictional television show. Word came from the gods that they were
displeased enough that their displeasure might influence future
football contracts for ABC and ESPN, the sports sister of ABC. So, the
mere mortals of ABC grabbed their balls, tucked them neatly into their
bags, broke their date with "Football Wives" and cowered away.... - Did NFL lean on ABC to scrub football soap?
USA Today - USA
We know that the cast included Ving Rhames, Lucy Lawless, James Van Der Beek and a real football wife, Holly Robinson Peete. ... - Wives Drop-Kicked Out of ABC
Stage - London,London,UK
... British indie producer Shed, who were in the throes of birthing Footballers’ Wives for the Disney owned ABC network across the pond as Football Wives. ... - AOL Sports - Disney Backs Down to NFL, Won't Show 'Football Wives'