NBC’s comedy ‘People Are Talking’ adds Vanessa Lachey

Even after pilots are officially ordered to series, it is not entirely surprising to see some major shifts happen here and there in regards to the cast. Sometimes there is a decision made that a certain actor simple does not work that well, or there are scheduling conflicts that ultimately get a little bit in the way. That seems to be more of what we are talking about with “People Are Talking,” one of the new comedies that is debuting on NBC this fall.

As first reported by TVLine, Vanessa Lachey has replaced Meaghan Rath as the wife of Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s character on the comedy, which is being made in part because Rath is officially onboard another show in “The Guide to Surviving Life.” It was in first position to “People Are Talking,” meaning that if both shows ultimately were picked up, Rath would join the Fox show and leave a vacant spot open here.

Second-position pilots are almost always a risky endeavor, and it will be interesting to see how Lachey hands this new role. “People Are Talking” is for the most part a family comedy about two different families from different backgrounds, and some of the craziness that constitutes their lives.

At the moment, we feel like this series is one that has an uphill battle in the first place, given that it is set to air Friday nights at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time. Throughout the past few years, “Last Man Standing” has really been the only comedy with any real longevity. Maybe “People Are Talking” will be helped somewhat by following “Undateable,” which is doing all live episodes for its third season.

We’ll have some other news on this and some other upcoming shows very soon! For now, head over here in the event you want some other TV updates on everything we cover, courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: NBC.)