Wonderland

Monday, January 12, 2009
7:00 pm PT
Los Angeles

The Buzz on Wonderland

It's not often that a TV series cancelled after just a couple airings gets a new life nearly a decade later, but that is precisely the case for Wonderland. The riveting drama from Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) centers on the lives of the doctors of Rivervue, a fictional New York psychiatric hospital. Revered as a show that was ahead of its time, Wonderland first aired on ABC in the spring of 2000 and was met with both critical praise and controversy. Because of its dark tone and intense nature, it was quickly taken off the air. Now, fans will be able to see the entire series from start to finish, with new opening commentary (circa 2009), on DIRECTV.

On January 12, 2009, Paley Center Members got an advance look at the series at a special Members event. Episode one was screened, followed by a panel with Peter Berg, executive producer Brian Grazer, and original cast members including Ted Levine (Monk), Michelle Forbes (True Blood), and Billy Burke (Twilight).

The lively discussion revealed a link between Wonderland and Berg's latest series project, the acclaimed Friday Night Lights. Both series share characters named "Lyla Garrity." Berg recalled, "When I was a kid, my dentist was named Dr. Garrity. And he had a daughter that was so hot whose name was Lyla. I was madly, hopelessly in love with her. His office was in his house and I'd be there with my mouth open and every so often she'd walk by. It's so hard to be cool with your mouth open. Lyla Garrity was my first love. And whenever I write a smart, sexy female character, she's Lyla Garrity."