Jane Krakowski has revealed that she knows ‘nothing’ about the Ally McBeal reboot and has not been contacted to reprise her character.
The legal comedy drama series was developed by David E. Kelley and featured Calista Flockhart in the title character as a lawyer working in the Boston law company Cage and Fish. It aired for five seasons between 1997 and 2002.
It garnered critical acclaim from the start, and by the conclusion, it had been nominated for 34 Emmy Awards and 12 Golden Globes.
Greg Germann, Lucy Liu, Portia de Rossi, and Robert Downey Jr. were among the performers who went on to become huge names in the series.
Jane portrayed Ally’s aide Elaine Vassal for all five seasons, and she also had a side job inventing, including the iconic face bra that prevented sagging and wrinkles.
It was first reported last year that a reboot was in the works, and that it would feature a young Black woman who enters the original series’ legal practise right out of law school.
The main figure is thought to be the daughter of Ally’s D.C. neighbor, Renée Raddick.
But while Jane has said she isn’t sure about many more details, she can’t wait to tune in.
‘I’m interested to see what they are planning to do in the revival of the show – I know nothing about it,’ she exclusively told Metro.co.uk.
But she added that the show ‘obviously meant a lot to me’.
‘It was my first TV series and we were all newbies coming in and our lives changed during the time of that show,’ she explained.
‘It was very exciting to be part of a show that became a water cooler show and pop culture of the 90s.
‘I’m excited to see how they reinvent it for today’s audience and what it will mean for pop culture now moving forward.’
While Calista has reportedly been approached to reprise her part as Ally in the reboot, it has not been verified whether any of the other original cast members will be involved.
Ally McBeal was an immediate success after its debut in 1997, averaging around 11 million viewers per show and rising by two million the following season.
Jane went on to portray Jenna Maroney in 30 Rock and Jacqueline White in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt after the programme ended.
She also played Betty Rubble in The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas and married Dorie alongside Jude Law in Alfie, as well as in theatre productions of Funny Girl, Nine, and Guys and Dolls.
The actress will also appear in Schmigadoon’s upcoming second season, which features two New York physicians, Melissa (Cecily Strong) and Josh (Keegan-Michael Key), who end up in a magical village named Schmigadoon, which is stuck in a Golden Age-style musical.
They attempt to return this time, but instead find themselves in the much darker city of Schmicago, which pays sarcastic tribute to sexy, dark 1960s and 1970s shows.
Jane portrays Bobbie Flanagan, a spoof of Chicago’s Billy Flynn.
Ally McBeal is streaming on Disney Plus.
Schmigadoon season 2 is streaming from Wednesday on Apple TV Plus.
