Michael Weatherly Felt ‘Dark Angel’ Failed Because It Became a Different Show
The TV show Dark Angel was one of many Michael Weatherly projects on the Fox network. Backed by James Cameron, the sci-fi series boasted an ensemble cast and high-concept plot that studios hoped would draw a lot of attention. But instead, the series ended prematurely, and Weatherly mentioned a few problems that might’ve led to its early cancellation.
Michael Weatherly reflected on his experience on ‘Dark Angel’
Weatherly once admitted he was in a bit of a career slump before James Cameron’s Dark Angel came along. The series was about an enhanced cyborg fighting against a corrupted America in a dystopian future. And it couldn’t have come at a better time for Weatherly, who was starring in a string of disappointments and one-hit wonders.
“So by the time the year 2000 kicked around, I thought, ‘I’m not going to find anything.’ And then James Cameron came around, with Dark Angel which I thought, ‘Here we go. This is epic. This is going to be the biggest show in the history of entertainment. This is the greatest filmmaker,'” Weatherly said in a 2012 interview with Assignment X.
But the show only lasted for two seasons before Fox pulled the plug. Weatherly theorized that one of the mistakes the series made was in its storytelling. According to the NCIS star, Dark Angel was more serialized. But in the second season, the show took a more episodic approach.
“My experience on Dark Angel was that we built a show that was a dystopian drama airing Tuesday night at 9, and then in the second year we were an 8 o’clock Freak of the Week, chasing monsters. It became a different show, and that was one of the problems we faced,” Weatherly once told TV Line.
How Michael Weatherly’s ‘NCIS’ departure reminded him of ‘Dark Angel’
Weatherly’s career slump didn’t last long after the cancellation of Dark Angel. Eventually, he’d find the stability he was looking for with the series NCIS. There, he ended up becoming synonymous with the character Tony DiNozzo over the years. Unlike Dark Angel, however, Weatherly chose to leave NCIS on his own accord. He spent 13 seasons on the show, and simply wanted to pursue new creative challenges in the film industry.
After NCIS, Weatherly would eventually be cast in the television series Bull. But between that period, he faced a similar lull that he did after Dark Angel.
“The last time I was in this position was after a show called Dark Angel,” Weatherly told Deadline. “I was in a Town Car on the way to the Upfronts with [co-star] Jessica Alba, and the driver got a call to ‘Turn ’em around.'”
Weatherly confided that his co-star Jessica Alba took the cancellation news a bit better than he did. Without Dark Angel, Alba had the availability to pursue her film career. Whereas Weatherly just felt he was without a job.
“But I thought, ‘Oh f***, I’m unemployed.’ It doesn’t feel that way now,” he said.
Michael Weatherly’s role in ‘Dark Angel’ was brand new territory for him
Weatherly wasn’t used to the kind of character he’d be playing in Dark Angel. He portrayed Logan on the show, who was a cyber journalist and hacker. Weatherly recalled the experience of meeting Cameron’s team for the role in a resurfaced interview with Sci Fi and Talk.
“I remember arriving at James Cameron’s production building in Santa Monica for my first audition. As you walk towards the front door you immediately become aware that this is a man who has made a few billion dollars working in the entertainment industry. Right away I began to feel nervous. My initial reading was with the show’s producers. Next time it was with Jessica Alba and the producers. At my third and final audition, the only ones there were Jessica, Jim, Charles ‘Chic’ Eglee [co-creator/executive producer] and myself. Chic was sitting in a dimly lit corner of the room, stroking his skull and watching the proceedings like Dr. No in those old James Bond movies,” Weatherly said.
What might’ve also added to his nerves was that Logan wasn’t like the roles he was typically offered.
“Normally, I’ll read for the role of a lawyer or doctor,” Weatherly said. “Someone like Logan was brand new territory for me.”
Ironically, his roles after Dark Angel seemed to be more akin to those doctor and lawyer roles he’d play. In NCIS he portrayed much more grounded federal agent. In Bull, he played a psychologist responsible for assigning jurors for critical court trials.
