There are plenty of reasons why a show could suddenly plummet in the ratings, but blaming it on a haircut? That’s what “Felicity” star Keri Russell dealt with back in 1999.
When “Felicity” debuted on the WB in 1998 it became a breakout hit for the network and Russell, who at the time was sporting long, curly hair. Then in Season 2, the decision came to give Russell a much shorter hairdo. Instantly the show’s ratings started to tank and producers, including co-creator J.J. Abrams, blamed the haircut. ”People revolted against the look and the show,” he told The New York Times in 2000. “She’s so gorgeous, we thought, ‘Who cares how long her hair is?’ The answer came back pretty quickly.”
Russell publicly disputed that claim. “I think that’s a pretty lame excuse,” she said in a 2000 interview with Entertainment Weekly. “I think a lot more than a haircut was deciding the ratings.” And she probably wasn’t wrong. In Season 1, “Felicity” premiered in the Tuesday 9 p.m. timeslot right after the wildly successful “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Then in Season 2, producers moved the show to Sunday at 8 p.m. and the ratings were cut in half.
The drastic change in hairstyle was not Russell’s idea
Keri Russell told W Magazine that after Season 1, J.J. Abrams called her with an idea. “[H]e said… you would go and cut your hair because of this big breakup. Would you be willing to do that?” and Russell agreed. All these years later, she stands by the decision. “And you know what, I feel like it was so the right move and I’m really glad they did it.”
These days Russell, who underwent a far less controversial makeover for Netflix’s “The Diplomat,” is still surprised the move caused such an uproar. “It’s a really unusual world that we live in. It is what it is. People really care about women’s hair,” she told Rolling Stone. “I mean, are there worse things? I’ll take it. If that’s my cross to bear to get this great life and to be in these parts, then f*** it. I’ll take it.”
