Brothers & Sisters star
Balthazar Getty (Tommy) wants his full-time, series-regular status restored next season—and is in discussions with the ABC drama about making that happen. “That’s what we’re talking about,” Balty told me on set when he rejoined his former costars to shoot Justin and Rebecca’s beach wedding for the December 6 episode. “I’ve made some suggestions, and they’re working out what’s best for the show. At the end of the year, everybody will sit down. I’ve made a commitment to this show, and I would be honored if I could finish that. I’ve got a lot of feelings invested here, and I think the show works best with all of us.”
The feeling is mutual. “It’s great having Balty back,” costar Calista Flockhart says. “I love him, and it makes me happy when he’s here.” Executive producer Alison Schapker claims the series always planned to have Tommy “leave the family, as siblings do, but to one day return.” Prospects appear less bright for Tommy’s estranged wife, Julia (Sarah Jane Morris), who pops up in the wedding episode but doesn’t attend the family ceremony. Asked if fans should remain hopeful for a reconciliation, Balty says, “I don’t think that’s going to happen. I’m sure she’ll come back in some form, but there’s too much water under the bridge.”
Instead, newly minted show runner David Marshall Grant plans to introduce a fresh love interest for Tommy in late winter. And in the soapy drama’s typical incestuous style, Grant reveals she will turn out to be Holly Harper’s kid sister (aka the sibling of the woman who had an affair with Tommy’s dad). Little Miss Harper doesn’t have a name yet, but Grant describes a fierce hellcat who’s a bit resentful of Holly for abandoning her as a child in pursuit of her own dreams.
For the time being, it appears that Tommy is still the Walker clan’s little black sheep. A future story suggests he may be sabotaging the family biz. All Balty will say is, “I’m hoping to throw a curveball, but we won’t know his motives until the end of the year. Everybody agrees we don’t want to paint Tommy into a corner again.”