Sarah Michelle Gellar was the star of The CW’s upfront presentation this morning in New York. The actress took the stage to promote Ringer amid cheers and applause from an audience excited to see the Buffy the Vampire Slayer icon back on their TV screens.
Gellar told TV Line that the draw to returning to TV was that it afforded her the chance to be an attentive mom to 20-month-old Charlotte Grace Prinze, her daughter with husband Freddie Prinze Jr., while still being able to act.
The other draw was the show itself. Gellar loved the idea behind the project and wanted to be a part of it. “I was just fascinated by the show,” Gellar said, “and by the people I got to work with.”
Gellar also has her pick of leading men. Kristoffer Polaha (Life Unexpected), Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four), and Nestor Carbonell (Lost) all co-star in the show, so which of these men will Gellar’s Bridget take an interest in?
“All of them!” she gushes. “Have you seen the men on my show? All of them.”
Ringer will air in familiar territory for Gellar. Buffy the Vampire Slayer aired Tuesday nights on The WB, then on UPN, making Gellar a CW star before the network even existed. Ringer will take over Buffy’s old night debuting Tuesdays at 9/8c. Check out the plot summary below.
Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as a woman who, after witnessing a murder, goes on the run, hiding out by assuming the life of her wealthy identical twin sister – only to learn that her sister’s seemingly idyllic life is just as complicated and dangerous as the one she’s trying to leave behind. Bridget is six months sober and starting to turn her life around when she is the sole witness to a professional hit. Despite the assurances of her FBI protector, Agent Victor Machado, Bridget knows her life is on the line. She flees to New York, telling no one, not even her Narcotics Anonymous sponsor, Malcolm.
In New York, Bridget reunites with her estranged twin, Siobhan. Wealthy, pampered and married to the strikingly handsome Andrew Martin, Siobhan lives what appears to be a fairy tale life – a life where no one knows that Bridget exists. The sisters seem to be mending their frayed relationship, until Siobhan disappears mysteriously, and Bridget makes the split decision to take on her sister’s identity. She discovers shocking secrets, not only about her sister and her marriage, but also about Siobhan’s best friend, Gemma, and Gemma’s husband, Henry. And when someone tries to kill Bridget in her sister’s penthouse, she realizes she is no safer as Siobhan than she is as herself.
The series stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as Bridget and Siobhan, Kristoffer Polaha as Henry, Ioan Gruffudd as Andrew Martin, Nestor Carbonell as Agent Victor Machado and Tara Summers as Gemma. RINGER is produced by CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television in association with ABC Television Studios and Brillstein Entertainment with executive producers Pam Veasey (“CSI, NY,” “The District”), Peter Traugott (“Samantha Who?”) and Emmy Award-winner Richard Shepard (“Ugly Betty”). The pilot was directed by Richard Shepard.
