The second season of Remedy begins tonight, and I had the privilege of sitting down with series star Enrico Colantoni (Dr. Allen Conner). We chatted about the big changes coming this season, how Remedy is not the medical drama everyone tried to write it off as, and how Allen is a very different father from the iconic Keith Mars that he played on Veronica Mars. Check out our conversation, and watch Remedy tonight at 9pm ET/PT on Global TV.
I’ve seen the first couple of episodes, and so far, there is a lot of change in Allen’s life, both professionally and within his family.
Yeah, isn’t it great? It’s great to see him out of the comfort zone. But the irony is that he felt less comfortable “upstairs” and he got lost in the power of it.
Allen’s about to spend more time on the front lines in the ER at Beth-H. Working on that set must have been a bit of adjustment for you over the first season.
It’s funny you refer to the set – I hadn’t heard that yet. What’s remarkable about what you are saying is that “set” to an actor, that consistent set, is the one thing that grounds the actor. This season is the first time I’ve felt the same sort of goosebump excitement that I haven’t felt since Just Shoot Me. [That series] was so special and the cast, why we still see each other regularly is because [working on] one set really binds actors, like a play. It’s like there is only one place for everybody to go and we all meet there. To be in the ER this year has been so much fun, mostly because you walk onto that ER set and it’s just like — (deep breath) — calm. Calm. Calm. And, I’m so glad you brought that up.
Allen’s also a grandpa this year, so that’s a fun side to see.
Yeah. Yeah, she’s adorable kid. She’s adorable. She’s growing up, though. We got her before cranky came in. I don’t know what they are going to be like as they get older.
Are they twins?
They are not twins. One is actually a boy. One’s a girl one’s a boy.
When the first season ended, so many of the relationships on this show were in flux, especially Allen’s relationship with Griffin. And the first season really proved that this is not a medical drama. It’s the story of a family.
You know what, we can talk about how great this show is on all those levels because [Greg] Spottiswood and his team of writers are trying to make art. [Greg] is trying to write a play and you can’t help but just want to help him succeed. We are in our second season; hopefully [there will be] a third and a fourth season. Writing like this is just going to get better and better and better. Usually on any good TV show, you have your first two years that are just exceptional and then you flatten out, and then right around Season 8 or 9 you have a rebirth. There wasn’t a sense of what the show was last year, as much. We are getting it, we are finally getting it. I am so grateful that we had a core audience, not unlike Veronica Mars, to just say, “Nope, this is it. You’ve got to give it a chance.” “What, it’s just another teen drama, I don’t want to see that,” “No, it’s not, I swear.” “It’s just another medical show.” “No, it’s not, I swear.” To be part of that stuff is so great, and if [Remedy‘s] on long enough, it will catch on.
Now Allen’s a very different father from the beloved Keith Mars, aka The Best TV Father Ever.
Isn’t Keith cool? He’s pretty cool. And someone asked me that really made me understand better why he was such a good dad as opposed to Allen Conner. I don’t think there’s any value in a dad like Allen. There’s a great value to have a dad like Keith because you are dealing with a teenager and you’re respecting your teenage daughter and you’re giving her power and you’re empowering her, [treating her] with respect and as an equal, as opposed to dealing with adults who you would want to smack.
There are some great moments between Griffin and Allen in the first couple of episodes that show how far this story has come.
Well, that’s why the show plays like a play or a novel. You had to have seen where they started from, how far they’ve come in 10 episodes, how much further they are going to get in 20. If we get to do 50 episodes of this thing, it is just going to be the best freaking binge watch ever.
There’s also a new dynamic introduced with Niall Matter’s character. He’s kind of a cocky son of a gun.
Yeah, Peter Cutler. You want to knock him down a couple of notches, and that is why Allen has so much fun with him. But what happens is that he slowly becomes the son that he’s wanted. Their relationship becomes so beautiful. And it breaks your heart because you love Griffin.
Dr. Tuttle also continues to be a challenge for Allen and everyone else. Sometimes I just want to reach through the TV and shake her because she’s so stubborn. She’s the queen of bad decisions.
Wait till you see what happens to Tuttle. She’s so complicated. A good head to butt up against. When I saw her in the AA meeting at the end of last season, I was like, “Oh, what the –.”
The relationship between Allen and Melissa seems to be a bit less strained this season. She doesn’t seem to be constantly striving for her father’s validation. What can you share about that father / daughter relationship?
Well, what happens is that mom, Martha, comes to play with us a little more. And [Sandy’s] baby sort of distracts Melissa a little bit away from dad and onto Sandy. So, Sandy gets all of that wonderful OCD. Sarah Canning is just so delicious. All of them [are]. This is going to be better and better because they are exceptional people, and I am dad, but I get to love them.
Kristen [Bell] and I, on Veronica Mars, it is rare it happens even before we started filming, but it was like, “I dig you.” And not that I didn’t have respect for these people, but when there are three of them [playing your kids], how do you immediately create this world? But the second season is like, “I know you.”
Photo Courtesy of Global TV
Great interview! Interesting to hear his thoughts on last season. I can’t wait to see what happens this year!