For any actor who has been in the industry for as long as Dylan McDermott has, one wouldn’t be faulted for thinking that any gig they get now is sure to register a fair amount of success. After appearing in a host of movies, Dylan got his first regular TV series role in the drama The Practice, which aired on ABC. During the eight-season stint for the show, Dylan received numerous award nominations, and even won the Golden Globe Award for “Best Actor – Television Drama Series” in 1999.
The successful series – which even spawned the spin-off Boston Legal – concluded in 2004, but Dylan’s TV series career hasn’t been able to ride that wave of success onwards. Unfortunately for him, it would appear as though his TV-acting career hit a bit of a rough patch, and he has not been able to dig himself out of it.
After a series of what can be classified as trials and errors, Dylan is currently starring alongside Nikita’s Maggie Q in a CBS production, Stalker. Admittedly, it hasn’t been all downhill for the actor, as he played commendable roles in the first two seasons of American Horror Story, but considering his not so positive run elsewhere, some are already wondering if this latest project is going to prove to be another dud.
Will Stalker end up like the others?
Premiering as a part of their Fall TV line-up, CBS aired Stalker on October 1, right after one of its successes – Criminal Minds. Despite opening with over 9 million viewers, the feedback (especially from the critics) was not what those invested in the series would have wanted. Across numerous platforms people have voiced their opinions and regard this production as one of the worst premieres this season, spanning all the networks. If someone were to make a guess, based on what’s been said Stalker may not last the entire season, or simply see out the first season never to be aired again.
With all that being said, there is nothing to say that the critics have to be right. Dylan would certainly be hoping they aren’t, otherwise that would mean yet another failed attempt for the actor.
The others are…
Big Shots
Though he appeared in a number of films (and had some one off roles in a couple series) subsequent to The Practice, his first regular appearance in a television production was as Duncan Collinsworth in Big Shots. The series premiered in September 2007 on ABC, but after recording commendable opening figures of over 11 million viewers, the interest in the show steadily declined. Losing viewership with just about every episode, the 11th and final one of the season could not manage five million viewers.
The series wasn’t cancelled until May 2008, but the writing had been on the wall months before. It was pulled from ABC’s schedule in December, and it was the opinion of many that it was only re-added for the purpose of seeing out the season rather than recapturing an audience.
Dark Blue
Premiering in 2009 on TNT, Dark Blue had the makings of a pretty good action drama. The script followed the exploits of an undercover unit lead by Carter Shaw (Dylan) who all had their own struggles, but knew how to get to job done. With the renowned Jerry Bruckheimer as one of the executive producers, there was a lot that was expected of this show. For whatever reason, however, this series was not able to live up to its potential.
Unlike the other mentions in this list, Dark Blue was actually able to put together two seasons, but that’s as good as it got. After averaging in the region of 2.4 million viewers across its two seasons, TNT cancelled the show in November 2010.
Hostages
Being a fan of Dark Blue – and Dylan by extension – hearing that he was to star in another series naturally prompted me to check it out. After seeing the trailer, and the first couple of episodes after the premiere, it was evident that the plot would have been much better suited for a movie rather than a series.
In the CBS-aired Hostages, Dylan played the role of FBI Special Agent Duncan Carlisle, but unlike the mandate of his day job, he was not set out to do good. Leading a team of four, he took a family hostage, and informed the mother – who also happened to be a respected surgeon – that one task would result in her family being freed. The task? Killing the President of the United States whom she was set to operate on.
Though the premise was intriguing, there simply wasn’t enough to push it beyond the first season. This, especially when considering that the plan to kill the President eventually changed, and they freed the family and help them devise a plan for them to disappear.
For many, Dylan’s lack of success following The Practice is somewhat of a mystery. If Stalker does prove to be another not-so-successful TV production, it probably wouldn’t hurt for him to look beyond the law enforcement role for his next project, as it would be the third failed attempt in as many tries. Focusing on his latest series in particular, though the writing appears to be on the wall, only time will tell the true impact of the show.
Is Stalker Another Dud for Dylan McDermott?
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