The two-night, four-hour mini is based on 'Starter Wife' scribe Gigi Levangie Grazer's novel about a spoiled Beverly Hills diva who accidentally finds true love -- and lots of other adventures -- when she and her BFFs plot to help her marry a rich guy.
Chalke talked to AOL TV about everything from filming her small-screen chick flick to inadvertently playing matchmaker for a 'Scrubs' couple, that sentimental 'Scrubs' season finale and her upcoming real-life nuptials. -- By Kimberly Potts
Sarah Chalke Photos
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - APRIL 29: (L-R) Jenna Fischer, Elizabeth Banks and Sarah Chalke arrive as Banks is honored as Women In Film, MaxMara "Face of the Future" 2009 Cocktail Party at The Sunset Tower Hotel on April 29, 2009 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kristian Dowling/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jenna Fischer;Elizabeth Banks;Sarah Chalke
Getty Images
Actress Jenna Fischer (L), actress Elizabeth Banks and actress Sarah Chalke arrive at Women In Film's 2009 MaxMara "Face of the Future" Cocktail Party at The Sunset Tower Hotel on April 29, 2009 in West Hollywood, California. Women In Film's 2009 MaxMara "Face of the Future" Cocktail Party The Sunset Tower Hotel West Hollywood, CA United States April 29, 2009 Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic.com To license this image (16683155), contact FilmMagic.com
Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic.com
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - APRIL 29: Actresses Elizabeth Banks and Sarah Chalke arrive as Banks is honored as Women In Film, MaxMara "Face of the Future" 2009 Cocktail Party at The Sunset Tower Hotel on April 29, 2009 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kristian Dowling/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Elizabeth Banks;Sarah Chalke
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WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - APRIL 29: Actresses Elizabeth Banks and Sarah Chalke arrive as Banks is honored as Women In Film, MaxMara "Face of the Future" 2009 Cocktail Party at The Sunset Tower Hotel on April 29, 2009 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kristian Dowling/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Elizabeth Banks;Sarah Chalke
Getty Images
WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - APRIL 29: Actresses Elizabeth Banks and Sarah Chalke arrive as Banks is honored as Women In Film, MaxMara "Face of the Future" 2009 Cocktail Party at The Sunset Tower Hotel on April 29, 2009 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kristian Dowling/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Elizabeth Banks;Sarah Chalke
Getty Images
Actress Jenna Fischer (L), actress Elizabeth Banks and actress Sarah Chalke arrive at Women In Film's 2009 MaxMara "Face of the Future" Cocktail Party at The Sunset Tower Hotel on April 29, 2009 in West Hollywood, California. Women In Film's 2009 MaxMara "Face of the Future" Cocktail Party The Sunset Tower Hotel West Hollywood, CA United States April 29, 2009 Photo by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic.com To license this image (16683058), contact FilmMagic.com
Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic.com
Actresses Elizabeth Banks, center, Jenna Fischer, left, and Sarah Chalke pose together at a reception honoring Banks as Women in Film's MaxMara "Face of the Future" in West Hollywood, Calif. on Wednesday, April 29, 2009. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
AP
Actresses Elizabeth Banks, left, and Sarah Chalke speak to each other at a reception honoring Banks as Women in Film's MaxMara "Face of the Future" in West Hollywood, Calif. on Wednesday, April 29, 2009. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
AP
Donald Faison and Sarah Chalke during the celebrity launch of the T-Mobile myFaves Shot of a Lifetime sweepstakes during NBA All-Star Weekend in Scottsdale, AZ on February 13, 2009. T-Mobile myFaves Shot of a Lifetime Sweepstakes at NBA All-Star Weekend - Inside Hotel Valley Ho Pool Scottsdale, AZ United States February 13, 2009 Photo by Chris Polk/FilmMagic.com To license this image (16546683), contact FilmMagic.com
Chris Polk/FilmMagic.com
Actress Sarah Chalke arrives at the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards - InStyle Warner Bros Official After Party at the Oasis Court at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 11, 2009 in Beverly Hills, California.
Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic.com
1. 'Maneater' is like six seasons of 'Sex and the City'-type adventures in one four-hour miniseries ...
I love it, I love it! I haven't even gotten to see it yet ... And it was so fun to make. We [filmed it] in nine weeks in Scottsdale, Az., and it was such a fun part. When I read Gigi Levangie Grazer's book, it was just such a big delicious read, I read it in one sitting. And then when I read the script, it was funny and heartbreaking. You see this girl who was such a golddigger and so materialistic and just cared about clothes and the right hair and the right makeup and finding some rich guy. But over the course of four hours, she realizes what's really important, plots and schemes and stalks, falls in love, gets pregnant, has birth, has to do a big tap dance number ... I knew it would be a challenge, but that it would also be fun, so I had to do it.
2. The movie also, like 'Scrubs,' shows off your talent for physical comedy. Do you enjoy that? Do you do your own stunts? I do really enjoy that, but I didn't always do my own stuff. Like in season 2 on 'Scrubs,' when Elliot and J.D. go bungee jumping. They asked if I could do a bungee jump off the bridge. And [Zach Braff and I] both said no, because I had heard some things about bungee jumping and how it could give you back and neck problems forever, so they hired stunt doubles for both of us. My stunt double, it was her first time working, and so her first time working with [Zach's] double. And they eventually started dating and fell in love and now they're married ... but I digress. But they are just the cutest couple. It was adorable.
3. We know that 'Scrubs' is coming back, and that you may be returning for a few episodes ... what did you think of the eighth season finale? It was very fan-pleasing.
I'm so glad to hear that, because I thought it was really cool the way it ended, with J.D. getting to see into the future. And I wanted [J.D. and Elliot] to end up together. I'm a romantic, and I know there were different opinions on whether they should be together, but that's how I wanted it to end, and I'm so glad it was the case. It was a special, emotional week when we filmed the finale. Just to turn the corner and have all those guest stars from over the years come back and be in the hallway; it's so crazy and so cool. I think one thing that everyone was so happy about was that, after the writers' strike, we really didn't know what the situation was going to be, if we were going to come back and do a finale. That we got to do a whole eighth season felt like a bonus.
2009 Summer TV: New Series
The heat of summer is matched only by the hot new TV shows we'll be seeing this season.
We've got the scoop on the return of familiar faces ('Nurse Jackie''s Edie Falco), the next cable hits ('Hawthorne'; 'Hung'), the new reality shows ('The Bachelorette'; 'Kendra') and more that will have everyone talking.
See all of this year's new shows in our 2009 Summer TV gallery.
TNT / HBO
'The Bachelorette'
Premiered: Mon., May 18, 9PM (ABC)
Premise: Jillian Harris, who finished third on last season of 'The Bachelor,' gives love a second chance with the help of a whopping 30 potential suitors -- hopefully none of whom resemble Jason Mesnick. As usual, men are eliminated week by week until Jillian finds her Prince Charming -- or at the very least, a spot on next season's 'Dancing With the Stars.'
Related Links
ABC
'Mental'
Starring: Chris Vance, Annabella Sciorra
Premieres: Fri., May 22, 9PM (Fox)
Premise: Vance ('Prison Break') stars as Jack Gallagher, an unorthodox psychologist who butts heads with his conservative boss, Nora Skoff (Sciorra), in this medical mystery thriller. Oh, did we mention they used to date? That'll complicate things, we bet.
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Fox
'Royal Pains'
Starring: Mark Feuerstein, Campbell Scott
Premieres: Thu., June 4, 10PM (USA)
Premise: The Hamptons: home to some of the richest people in America ... and the people who work for them. Hank Lawson (Feuerstein) is the latter, a doctor whose career hits a little snag (um, if you call getting blamed for the death of a hospital head honcho "little"), getting him demoted from hot-shot healthcare provider to on-call private practitioner for the wealthy -- and incredibly needy -- elite.
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USA Network
'Nurse Jackie'
Starring: Edie Falco, Eve Best, Peter Facinelli
Premieres: Mon., June 8, 10:30PM (Showtime)
Premise: Falco stars in this deeply dark comedy about an ER nurse whose cynical outlook on life is tempered only by the prescription painkillers she snorts -- and the occasional life she saves. Compared to Jackie, Carmela Soprano's a softie.
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Showtime
'Kendra'
Premieres: Sun., June 7, 10PM (E!)
Premise: 'Girls Next Door' alum Kendra Wilkinson gets her own reality show, focusing on life after living in the Playboy mansion and her engagement to football player Hank Baskett. There'll surely be plenty of Kendra's signature half-shirts and cutesy Elmer Fudd-style laugh to go around.
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'Top Chef Masters'
Premieres: Wed., June 10, 10PM (Bravo)
Premise: Anyone who thinks 'Top Chef' is full of amateurs or who only watches the show for its guest judges ... well, 'Top Chef Masters' is for you. This time around, the contestants are renowned chefs (as opposed to TV-famous chefs) such as Wylie Dufresne (pictured), Rick Bayless, Jonathan Waxman and Hubert Keller, all of them competing for charity. We can't wait to see what they'll make using only a pack of Chiclets and a hot plate.
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Getty Images
'Wedding Day'
Premieres: Tue., June 16, 8PM (TNT)
Premise: Think 'Extreme Makeover: Wedding Edition.' Deserving couples from across the country are awarded the most amazing wedding celebrations by celebrity event planner Alan Dunn and wedding planner to the stars Diann Valentine.
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TNT
'Hawthorne'
Starring: Jada Pinkett Smith, Michael Vartan
Premieres: Tue., June 16, 9PM (TNT)
Premise: As the newest strong female lead in the TNT lineup, Pinkett Smith plays Christina Hawthorne, a tough-as-nails nurse who is determined to give every patient in her Richmond, Va., hospital the best care possible. Christina's got baggage -- she's a widower left raising a rebellious teenage daughter -- but she also has heart. And, of course, some chemistry with the head of oncology (Vartan).
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TNT
'Merlin'
Starring: Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Anthony Head
Premieres: Sun., June 21, 8PM (NBC)
Premise: Morgan and James star as Merlin and Arthur, respectively, in this teen-drama take on the Arthurian legend. The future king's ladylove, Guinevere, is called Gwen -- expect angst and romantic tension aplenty. Think of it as 'Camelot, 90210.'
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NBC
4. When you were on 'The Late Show With David Letterman' last fall, you said you'd lost your engagement ring, and that your fiancé had replaced it with one that had his cell phone number engraved inside. Everything okay with the new ring?
[Laughs] Yes, I still have the new one on my finger; it is not lost yet. And it still has his telephone number engraved on the inside, which I recommended to all of my friends. I mean, why not? That way, if somebody honest finds it if you ever do lose it, it gives them the opportunity to do the right thing. I'm thinking of engraving "karma" right beside the number. To help, you know, prompt someone along.
5. And about the wedding, is it happening soon?
Yes, we're planning it right now. Actually, I thought I would plan it while I was in Arizona working on 'Maneater' ... I really thought I would have the time while I was working! But we're planning it right now, and it'll be soon. I'm not somebody who likes to go crazy over details. I just want it to be a big fun party.
Reader Comments (1)
Rebecca at 2:15PM on May 28th 2009
I like Sarah Chalke. She seems very down to earth. The story about her the engagement ring was funny. Maybe I should do that to my husband's wedding ring. He's on his third ring in 5 years because he can't keep track of them.