Foreign legions: Actors from abroad are invading American TV

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Quick! Somebody call CNN's Lou Dobbs! Foreigners are invading the United States and taking jobs away from Americans!

Rather high-paying jobs, too. People who star in TV series make a nice chunk of change.

And it's not like the foreign-born actors are just cast in supporting roles — perhaps the butler pouring a spot of tea. They're playing the leads in eight of the new dramas premiering on the broadcast networks this fall.

And, yes, they're there in lots of supporting roles, too.

NBC ought to change its letters to IBC: International instead of National Broadcasting Company. Three of the four dramas the network is premiering in the fall feature non-American actors in the lead roles — Scotsman Kevin McKidd in "Journeyman"; Brit Damian Lewis in "Life"; and Brit Michelle Ryan in the title role of "Bionic Woman."

Ryan is not the only Brit in a quintessentially American role. Lena Headey stars in Fox's midseason series, "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," assuming the role created by Linda Hamilton in the "Terminator" movies.

Fox even has a series lead for whom English was not his first language — Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who stars in the midseason series "New Amsterdam," is Danish.

At CBS, two of the three new dramas have non-American leads — Aussie Alex O'Laughlin in "Moonlight" and Briton Lloyd Owen in "Viva Laughlin." And Brit Jack Davenport stars in the midseason series "Swingtown."

Two stars of ABC's "Cash-mere Mafia" are not American — Frances O'Connor hails from the U.K. and Miranda Otto from Australia.

And there are plenty of non-Americans in supporting roles, including Colombian Paola Turbay and Brit Polly Walker in CBS's "Cane"; Brit Zuleikha Robinson in "New Amsterdam"; Aussie Yvonne Strzechowski in NBC's "Chuck"; and Aussie Hugh Jackman has a recurring role in "Viva Laughlin."

The phenomenon extends to cable. Brit Natascha McElhone co-stars in Showtime's "Californication" (as well as co-starring in TNT's miniseries "The Company"); most of the regulars in the Sci Fi Channel's new series "Flash Gordon" are Canadian.

This is by no means a new phenomenon. Brit Hugh Laurie stars in "House"; Australian Anthony LaPaglia stars in "Without a Trace" (where he's joined by fellow Aussie Poppy Montgomery and Brit Marianne Jean-Baptiste); yet another Aussie, Dominic Purcell, is one of the stars of "Prison Break."

Why so many right now? Some suggest the success that Laurie has had on "House" has opened some sort of floodgate allowing Brits to flow into the American TV industry.

"I think he got a deal on visas," joked "Sarah Conner" star Lena Headey, who turned to her executive producer to explain why she'd been cast.

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