Monday, September 28, 1998BY JOHN KIESEWETTER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
In TV shorthand, WB's new Felicity is Ally McBeal in college.
Keri Russell stars as Felicity Porter, an insecure, beautiful, and intelligent young woman overwhelmed at being on her own in a big city, feeling betrayed by the man in her life.
The same description fits Ally McBeal, Fox's humorous show about a trial lawyer (Calista Flockhart) that emerged as a surprise hit last season.
Even Ms. Russell's description of her character -- a 17-year-old California woman 3,000 miles from home at a Manhattan college -- sounds like Ally:
"She's, like, naively honest, and I love that," says Ms. Russell, 22. "She doesn't know how to act. She doesn't know the right things to say."
To her high school crush (Scott Speedman), "she, like, pours out all this stuff. It's the last thing a cool girl would do," she says.
In Tuesday's premiere, Felicity dashes her parents' dream of studying premed at nearby Stanford University and enrolls at a New York City university. Her campus crowd includes the helpful dorm resident adviser (Scott Foley from Dawson's Creek), a literature course classmate (Amy Jo Johnson), a brash New Yorker (Tangi Miller) and her high school acquaintance (Mr. Speedman).
Felicity taps into the innocence of the universal college experience -- taking risks and taking control of your life. That makes Felicity more than just another show with young sexy stars appealing to young viewers.
Ironically, Ms. Russell has never been to college. Disney talent scouts "discovered" the 15-year-old California native in 1991, and made her a regular on the Disney Channel's All New Mickey Mouse Club (1991-93). She also has appeared in Disney's Honey, I Blew Up the Kids, and two series, Dudley Moore's Daddy's Girls (CBS, 1994) and NBC's short-lived Malibu Shores (1996).
The Felicity producers have never made a TV series but millions have seen films made by its creators, J.J. Abrams (Armageddon, Regarding Henry, Forever Young) and Matt Reeves (The Pallbearer). WB bought their idea after ABC turned them down in 1997.
"The show is about her (Felicity) discovering who she's going to be, and what she's going to do with her life," says Mr. Reeves, 32. The same could be said about Ally McBeal.
"It is an honor to be compared to a show of that quality," says Mr. Abrams, 32. "If you have a show about an intelligent person, and it happens to be a young woman, it's going to be compared . . . to things that are familiar."
Move over, Ally McBeal, you've got company.
What: Ally McBeal.
When: 9 p.m. today.
Where: Channels 19, 45.
Plot: In this season's third episode, Ally (Calista Flockhart) reflects on her long-ago breakup with Billy (Gil Bellows) while working on a mediation case between a jilted choir singer and a minister.
What: Felicity.
When: 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Where: Channel 64, WGN.
Plot: Seventeen-year-old Felicity Porter (Keri Russell) impulsively enrolls in a New York university instead of the nearby California school picked by her parents. Helping her cope with her first taste of freedom are classmates Ben (Scott Speedman), Julie (Amy Jo Johnson) and Elena (Tangi Miller) and dorm resident adviser Noel (Scott Foley).
John Kiesewetter is Enquirer TV/radio critic. Write him at 312 Elm St., Cincinnati, 45202.
