TCA ’09: Falco Cuts Carmela Ties For 'Nurse Jackie'
Showtime Will Pair Dark Comedy With 'Weeds' In June
By Linda Haugsted -- Multichannel News, 1/14/2009 2:38:00 PM
Complete MCN TCA Coverage
Los Angeles-- Edie Falco has left HBO and her role as a Mafia wife Carmela Soprano behind for Showtime and a turn in a comedy Nurse Jackie.
Showtime president of entertainment Robert Greenblatt said the dark comedy is "not Scrubs, its not Grey's Anatomy, its not ER. Hopefully, you won't be able to compare it to anything."
Falco stars as an emergency room nurse who's a prescription drug addict juggling multiple affairs and a challenging job.
The channel will pair the comedy with another comedy from Lionsgate, Weeds. Nurse Jackie will debut June 8 along with the launch of season five of the pot comedy.
Linda Wallem, executive producer, said the series is based on a journal by an emergency room nurse that inspired a script Lionsgate developed with Falco in mind. The show is different because it focuses on nurses, not doctors. The show is not meant to represent all nurses, the show runners stressed, but is about one flawed woman. Both Wallem and co-executive producer Liz Brixius said they understand Jackie's struggles, as both have been through rehab.
Asked if the show, depicting a nurse who's a functional addict and promiscuous at work, will raise criticism, Falco quipped, "You mean more than doing a mob show?"
But she continued, "People's reactions to shows are as varied as there are people."
Falco, who won three Emmys for lead actress in a drama for her role as Carmela, said she read lots of scripts after the end of The Sopranos.
"The idea of another series was a little daunting but it fits my lifestyle," she said. The show is being shot in New York to accommodate Falco and .keep the New York-set series authentic.
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