Fall season taking on foreign air

May 15, 2007 It's crunch time for TV studios' business affairs departments, but this year it seems as if they're spending as much time preparing work visas for the shows' stars as they do closing deals for new series. Almost all new drama series with a single lead that will premiere next season -- a total of eight shows -- have a foreign actor playing the role of an American. Even two iconic Hollywood characters, Jamie Sommers of "The Bionic Woman" and Sarah Connor of the "Terminator" franchise, will be played by British actresses Michelle Ryan and Lena Headey, respectively.

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