ALCATRAZ Gets with The Facts of Life

Even though Alcatraz has yet to premiere, we’re still hearing plenty of news for the series, with the latest being the casting of The Facts of Life’s Geri Jewell in an upcoming episode (though realistically at this point all episodes are upcoming). For those of you that don’t know, Jewell rose to fame as the first person with a disability to be featured in a regular capacity on a prime time television series as well as the first with cerebral palsy to appear on TV.

Jewell will have the part of E.B. Tiller’s (Jason Butler Harner) sister. She’ll appear in flashbacks to the 1960s when Tiller was the cruel deputy prison warden of Alcatraz. TVLine reported the casting, but did not say in what episode Jewell appears or if she’ll be a recurring character. Since Harner is a series regular, it stands to reason there’s a good chance Jewell will pop up more than once. Unless of course her character dies in the episode she’s introduced in.

At this point it’s unclear if Jewell’s cerebral palsy will play a large part in her story or even be mentioned at all. I’m sure she doesn’t always want to play characters with the disability. We’ll just have to wait and see if any other news comes out. In the meantime, Alcatraz has its two-hour premiere next Monday. Be sure to make yourself available. I have a feeling you won’t want to miss it.