‘Good Girls’: Why Christina Hendricks Never Believed The Show Would Last After its Pilot
Actor Christina Hendricks started her career in the 1990s. After spending a few years as a model, the NBC star landed a starring role as Joan Harris Holloway in Mad Men. She received offers for guest appearances on other TV shows such as the animated sitcom American Dad. In 2018, Hendricks signed on to play Beth Boland in Good Girls. However, she thought the show wouldn’t make it past the very first episode.
Why Christina Hendricks thought ‘Good Girls’ had ‘finished itself’ after the pilot
When Hendricks accepted the role of Beth in Good Girls, she joined a cast of TV veterans. The Toy Story 4 star’s little sister, Annie Marks, is played by Mae Whitman of Parenthood fame. Additionally, Parks and Recreation star Retta plays Beth’s best friend, Ruby. Together, the star-studded cast portrays suburban moms in need of large amounts of money. However, they run into trouble in the first episode after meeting a crime boss named Rio (Manny Montana). Once he realizes he can utilize them, Rio makes Beth and the girls work for him and his crew. The act changes the women’s lives throughout the next four seasons.
Although Good Girls managed to keep its fans guessing for several more episodes, Hendricks thought the show wouldn’t make it to series. In an interview with The Guardian, the actor said she felt like the story was complete after the pilot.
“Originally, when I read the pilot script, I thought: ‘I love this, but I can’t imagine this being more than one episode,’” Hendricks explained. “It felt like it finished itself.”
Christina Hendricks wanted to do more films instead of ‘Good Girls’
In addition to believing Good Girls couldn’t top its pilot episode, Hendricks also wanted to try other projects. After spending eight seasons on Mad Men, the 46-year-old starlet delved into more movie roles. According to IMDb, some of Hendricks’ credits between Mad Men and Good Girls include Bad Santa 2, Fist Fight, and Netflix’s Candy Jar.
During the same interview with The Guardian, Hendricks stated that she was content with only film roles. Nonetheless, she agreed to Good Girls for a large audience that came with being on an NBC program. The actor also said she “trusted” one of Good Girls’ showrunners, Jenna Bans.
“I was happy doing films, taking my time,” Hendricks said.
Is Hendricks coming back to NBC?
In May 2021, Good Girls became one of NBC’s bubble shows. The label means that the show could potentially end after season 4. However, Good Girls will return with new episodes in June 2020 for its midseason premiere. Additionally, Whitman tweeted in May 2021 that Hendricks and the rest of the Good Girls cast need support from their fans.
“Hey guys, I don’t know if anyone will even care, but at least we are trying amirite,” Whitman wrote. “Let’s show @nbc and @netflix how much we do not want to get canceled and how much we want to #RenewGoodGirls.”
