Perhaps because of True Blood’s remarkably high body count, we’ve learned from Michael Ausiello that a whopping six roles need to be filled for the upcoming season. And while filming is still over a month away, we can’t help but start speculating on who will be playing these new characters.
First off, there’s Marnie, a washed up palm reader who is possessed by a witch (perhaps Holly Cleary, the Wiccan waitress?). Then there’s Andy’s sister Portia, a “good-looking lawyer” who will reportedly have plenty of nude scenes. We’re intrigued by the sound of both Naomi, an Asian-American cage fighter/possible lesbian and Queen Mab, the tempestuous ruler of Sookie’s fantasy land. According to Ausiello, Suzanne McKittrick is “a Real Housewives type who throws a hootenanny to bond with ‘her kind.'” (She’s rumored to be a shapeshifter.) And finally there’s a middle-aged African American male character named Emory Broome. We don’t know anything more about him except for the fact that he’s “conservative.”
We know. It’s a lot to throw at you all at once. So take a deep breath, and the click through for our casting suggestions, all taken from other primetime soaps.
Marnie the Palm Reader – Laura Leighton
Melrose Place’s Sydney Andrews was always a bit of an opportunistic underdog — especially when juxtaposed with her more together albeit totally annoying older sister Jane. While we don’t know much about Marnie, this jives well with her questionable choice of employment and the fact that people see her as a joke. Also important: As Sydney, Leighton was someone who audiences loved to hate. Perhaps she will be able to fulfill this same role on True Blood. The closest thing we’ve got right now is Tara, and hating her just makes us feel guilty.
Portia the Naked Lawyer – Shannen Doherty
As Brenda Walsh on 90120, Shannen Doherty was known for being the bad-girl brunette in a pack of Beverly Hills blondes. This same bitchy fish out of water attitude would work well for a local lawyer in a small town like Bon Temps. Doherty’s three-year stint on Charmed as Prue Halliwell shows that she’s comfortable with the supernatural subject matter. Plus, we love the idea of throwing her into scenes with a dolt like Andy. He wouldn’t stand a chance.
Naomi the Cage Fighter/Lesbian – Yunjin Kim
The story goes that Yunjin Kim was originally reluctant to take on the role of Sun-Hwa Kwon on Lost because she thought the character was too stereotypical and submissive. While later plot developments (the fact that she secretly knew English, her difficult pregnancy) would prove Kim wrong, we think she’d get a kick out of playing someone whose strength and willful determination could be more on display.
Queen Mab – Michelle Williams
Introduced to Capeside as an out-of-control teen from New York City, Jen Lindley was always our favorite female character on Dawson’s Creek — the Marilyn Monroe to Joey Potter’s Jackie Kennedy. While Williams has since moved on to several well-received parts on the big screen, we think she’d make the perfect angry-yet-ethereal fairy queen. Just look at how good she was at channeling her inner crazy in Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island. If nothing else, we imagine that she’d find this kind of role a lot of fun.
Suzanne the Real Housewife – Melinda Clarke
As the manipulative and cunning Julie Cooper-Nichol on The O.C., Melinda Clarke was the ultimate warped housewife — and one of the comedic highlights of the short-lived series. While she grew up in a trailer park, Cooper-Nichol escaped by marrying a financial planner, and ended up in Newport Beach. And when it turned out that her husband had been stealing from his clients, she divorced him and married someone who was even wealthier. If it turns out that Suzanne is a shape shifter, experience playing such a seasoned social chameleon could come in handy.
Emory the Conservative African American Character – James Pickens Jr.
First of all, let us preface this with the fact that there are shockingly few African American male actors in primetime soaps to choose from. Like none. While we can certainly imagine James Pickens Jr. — who plays the beloved if beleaguered Chief Webber on Grey’s Anatomy — tackling the role of a conservative with relish, we can’t really picture him having any ties to the supernatural. It’s just not very Chief. This one only works if Emory Broome is some kind of anti-vampire crusader, ala The Fellowship of the Sun. Which could be interesting…