After news of Mary Kate Olsen and Florence Henderson gracing Samantha Who?, it's someone from the famous tale of that sunken ship Titanic who will be making contact with Christina Applegate on the ABC series.  Last we checked, the Newly's decided to pack up and head out for a long-overdue family vacation to a lodge.  Meanwhile, Sam was met by some unexpected firend at the lodge, who turned out to be her childhood sweetheart.

Billy Zane, 42, best known for playing snobbish Cal Hockley – Rose's fiancée – in the 1997 blockbuster Titanic, will assume the role of Sam's ex, Funk, previously played by Timothy Olyphant who joined the cast this year.  Olyphant joined the cast of the critically acclaimed FX series Damages in June; as a result, he had to leave Samantha Who?? and have Zane replace him primarily because of scheduling conflicts.  The sophomore season of Damages, which will premiere January, will see Olyphant as Wes Krulik, a fellow group therapy participant and confidant to Ellen who gets entangled in her life.

The recast, according to the sources, isn't some elaborate prank to play with Sam's already memory-challenged head.

Zane will assume his duties in episode 15, when Funk and Sam come face-to-face for the first time since she rejected his marriage proposal.  Olyphant, 40, is probably best known for his role as sheriff Seth Bullock on Deadwood and most recently Agent 47 in the film adaptation of Hitman.

Fans of this romantic angle need not worry, as Zane is no stranger to the small screen, with a recurring role in the popular television series Charmed where he played poetry-loving ex-demon Drake.  His other roles include that of the deranged psychopath Hughie Warriner in Dead Calm, John Justice Wheeler in Twin Peaks and as the titular character in 1996's The Phantom based upon the comic book superhero.


-Glenn L. Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: Entertainment Weekly
(Image Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly)