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Paula Marshall: perpetual guest star

I have a problem with Paula Marshall. Well, actually, I have a problem with directors and producers and casting directors who haven’t found a way to put Marshall on the screen week after week. I want to see more of her – in every sense of the phrase. I had high hopes for Cupid, a witty 1998 comedy starring Marshall and Jeremy Piven.

Maybe the show was ahead of its time, but I thought it was brilliant. ABC, however, never gave Cupid a time slot that would allow the show to find an audience. If you missed Cupid, Alan Sepinwall’s “Strike Survival TV Club” recently reviewed the entire series, complete with links to clips. Next up for Marshall seemed like a lesbian dream-come-true. Snoops starred Marshall and Gina Gershon as private detectives. Yummy. But, even with David E. Kelley at the helm, Snoops was canceled before Season 1 ended. More recently, Marshall played Regina, a lesbian E.R. doctor, on Out of Practice. The role was notable in the fact that the writers seldom resorted to stereotypical dyke jokes for humor. And Marshall as a lesbian was a treat. But, again, the show was canceled before its time.

Since then, we’ve seen Marshall only in guest stints: a guidance counselor on Veronica Mars, a sex partner for Hank Moody (who throws up on him) in Californication and a medical-soap-opera actress who gets diarrhea in a hot tub on Nip/Tuck. This week, TV Guide‘s “Ausiello Report” posted news that Marshall will temporarily replace

Jeri Ryan on Shark, while Ryan is on maternity leave. Marshall plays a state deputy attorney general, a role that might continue if Shark returns for another season.

Wait. Jeri Ryan and Paula Marshall on the same series? I am so there. What’s your favorite Paula Marshall role? How do you think she’ll fit in with the cast of Shark?

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