According to TVLine's Matt Webb Mitovich, Laura Mennell has been cast in a recurring guest-star role for the upcoming 26-episode fifth season of Haven, which is currently filming on location in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Here's an excerpt from the article, which gives some details on Mennell's role:
TVLine has learned exclusively that Laura Mennell, who played the “suggestive” Nina on Syfy’s Alphas, has joined Haven Season 5 in the recurring role of a brilliant (and, well, beautiful) epidemiologist from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who fears the titular town is on the verge of a deadly viral outbreak.
Mennell’s character is described as “a force to be reckoned with,” as Audrey (played by Emily Rose), Nathan (Lucas Bryant) and Duke (Eric Balfour) quickly will discover. And while Dwight (Adam Copeland) will work overtime to keep hidden Haven’s secrets, the CDC whiz unknowingly uncovers a genetic marker found only in Troubled people. Could that mean a cure is around the corner…?!
Link to the full article:‘Haven’ Season 5 Casts Laura Mennell of ‘Alphas’ as Scientist | TVLine
My thoughts: I've never seen any of Laura Mennell's work, so I can't comment on her acting. That being said, the storyline that Mennell is going to be involved with next season sounds very interesting. For the record, I only started watching Haven shortly after the show was renewed for a fifth season, and I've only scene the first three seasons of the show at the moment. I'm waiting until season four comes out on DVD to watch that season. Based on what I've seen throughout the show's first three seasons, I kind of like the idea of some kind of genetic marker possibly playing a key role in ending the Troubles for good. That makes sense to me since it seems like when one person has a Trouble of some kind, there are other members of their family who also have Troubles.
Given the fact that I just started watching Haven, I personally hope that season five doesn't end up being the last season even though there will be 26 episodes in season five, which will be aired in two separate batches of 13 episodes as if it were two separate seasons. Unfortunately, I have a feeling the reason the Syfy channel ordered 26 episodes for season five was so they could get two seasons worth of episodes without having the show's production costs go up all that much before they decide to end the show.
I hope that I'll be proven wrong about season five being the last season of Haven though. One of the reasons why I love Haven so much is that it reminds me a lot of Grimm since they are both crime solving shows that involve elements of fantasy. Plus, the overall tone of both shows feel very similar to me in the sense that while they are both dramas, both Haven and Grimm also have a lighthearted and somewhat comedic feel to them as well. If you're a fan of the show Haven, and you've never watched Grimm before, I strongly recommend checking it out. I think that Haven fans would also really like Grimm.
