Bionic Woman

We here at Watching Bionic Woman have become big fans of Nathan, the snarky tech guy who has become Jaime’s pal on the show. He is also her only real friend and ally at the Burket Group, as he is the only person who takes the time to explain things to her about her bionic body … although he did leave her to find out about her shortened bionic lifespan on her own.

So who is the charming fellow who plays Nathan?

His name is Kevin Rankin, and like Katee Sackhoff he is pulling double duty these days as he has a role on another Universal Television show in addition to his part on Bionic Woman. also plays wheelchair-bound Herc on NBC’s Friday Night Lights, the cocky fellow who became a fan favorite when he befriended football hero Jason after his tragic accident. Based on this description from the TV Guide site, Herc is another memorable Kevin Rankin character:

Are you familiar with Herc? In case you are not, here is a little backstory on him. When Jason was moved from the hospital into rehab, he was introduced to this cocky little guy suffering about the same type of paralysis as Jason. He was very instrumental in getting Jason through the initial sorry-for-himself stage. He was very good at pushing his buttons. At one point they were going at it so hard and furiously they both ended up overturned on the floor. Jason sheepishly asked “What do we do now?” Herc told him “Don’t worry. Eventually somebody will come by and help us out.” They both cracked up and have been friends since then. Herc also introduced Jason to wheelchair rugby.

Over the years, Kevin has played memorable characters on a long list of critically acclaimed television hits including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Grey’s Anatomy, CSI, Bones, Six Feet Under, The O.C., and Spin City. On Buffy, Kevin played Tara’s creepy and kidnap prone brother Donny. On Grey’s, Kevin played one of the frostbitten mountain climbers in last May’s grizzly sweeps storyline about survival and friendship. On Bones, Kevin played a morgue worker who was murdered … but not before he got to enjoy some kinky sex in the coroner’s cooler. Kevin was even cast in the short-lived cult favorite Undeclared, which has had a revival in the press this year thanks to the Hollywood dominance of creator Judd Apetow.

We are not sure how much more we will get to enjoy Kevin on Bionic Woman now that Jason Katim’s is no longer the interim show runner, but hopefully new producer Jason Cahill will have the sense to keep Nathan as an integral part of the show as his interactions with Jaime are usually one of the highlights each week.