Billy Campbell may not be returning for The Killing, but unlike some actors and actresses who quit shows rarely to be heard from again, Campbell’s got a nice little resume going. He already filmed Nat Geo’s TV movie Killing Lincoln, and now he’s signed on for a co-starring role in Fox’s pilot Delirium.
Fox’s drama pilot stars Emma Roberts as a young woman who falls in love. Normally, this wouldn’t be an odd premise for a pilot, but since the world of Delirium is one in which falling in love is illegal and people undergo medical procedures to avoid the temptation, Fox’s new pilot has some science fiction elements and should be pretty oddball, indeed. Campball has joined the pilot opposite Roberts as the head of an organization called Deliria Free America. According to Deadline, Campbell’s character, Thomas Fineman, will be the spitting image of a smarmy politician. With white teeth and a heavy tan, he’ll advocate brain modification on a daily basis.
Sci fi premises don’t always get the first greenlights or the longest runs on network television. However, Fox’s big science fiction premise series, Fringe, only recently finished its big run on the network, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Fox is looking for a program that can fulfill the same niche. The network might even be looking for a program to fit into Fringe’s exact timeslot on Friday night. If that proves to be the case, Campbell’s move away from The Killing and into the Delirium pilot may be a sound move, indeed.
