Hearing word that three actors have signed on for roles in Bates Motel, I automatically begin to feel sympathy for their characters, especially when it's announced that these characters will be involved with Vera Farmiga's Norma Bates. After just one season of the Psycho prequel series, we're already starting to see how badly things seem to work out for some of the people whose paths cross with Norma and Norman Bates. Is such a fate in store for the characters played by Michael Vartan, Rebecca Creskoff and Kenny Johnson, all of whom have signed on for the series' upcoming second season?
Two of the three actors' roles are related, quite literally. Deadline says Creskoff will play the role of Christine, Norma's first ever female friend. She's described as witty and intelligent and she'll be the one to pull Norma into the upper circle of White Pine Bay Society. It also sounds like she'll be playing a part in introducing a new potential love interest for Normal, as Michael Vartan has signed on to recur as George, Christine's recently divorced older brother, who develops a crush on Norma. Finally, there's Kenny Johnson who's set to play Caleb, Norma's estranged brother.
With those descriptions, I'm already picturing bad things happening to Christine and George, and Caleb somehow being the source of trouble for Norma. Granted, Deadline's information doesn't suggest as much for any of these new recurring characters, but going by Season 1, it may not be such a stretch to be concerned, right? The series centers on Norma and Norman Bates in the years before the events of Psycho. The first season wrapped up with a body count, and it seems inevitable that there will be more casualties once Season 2 gets going.
Michael Vartan's recent credits include Columbiana and the part of Dr. Tom Wakefield on Hawthorne. But some of us may always associate him best for his role as Michael Vaughn on Alias, and a little bit for being the dreamy teacher Sam Coulson in Never Been Kissed. Creskoff, meanwhile, played Lenore Bernard on HBO's Hung and the recurring part of Jennifer Miller on Gilfriends. She's also appeared in Justified, Parenthood, Love Bites and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Finally, there's Kenny Johnson, whose credits include The Shield, Sons of Anarchy, Prime Suspect and Burn Notice. He's also set to recur on Dexter later on during its final season.
Bates Motel debuted its first season on A&E back in May. The series made an appearance at Comic-Con and is expected to return for its second season later this year.
