Little Dawnie goes to Washington

Little Dawnie is all grown up. Former Buffy the Vampire Slayer kid sister Michelle Trachtenberg will make the cross-country trek from Sunnnydale to Washington, D.C. for an as-yet-untitled Beltway comedy on ABC. On the comedic soap, the 21-year-old actress plays the daughter of a conservative lawmaker. She falls for the aide (played by Eric Christian Olsen) of her father's Democratic nemesis. Olsen's credits include Tru Calling, which starred another Buffy alum, Eliza Dushku.

Now, I was never a huge fan of the whole Dawn experience. Certainly, I applauded series mastermind Joss Whedon for taking the "Cousin Oliver" syndrome (fading shows adding a young, cute kid to boost ratings) and turning it on its ear with the literally out-of-thin-air sister act. In fact, I just rewatched "Real Me" (Michelle's first featured episode) the other night. Pretty clever, Joss, pretty clever. I also liked how the writers poked fun at her constant peril: "Dawn's in trouble? Must be Tuesday." And, thankfully, they eventually gave her more to do than act bratty, scared or whiny.

Still, she never felt like a complete Scooby to me. But I give the kid props for her unrelenting love for our favorite couple of lesbian witches, Willow and Tara.