Bionic Woman hates deaf people

From syfyportal Recasting roles after a pilot might be common practice (see the recent changes for the CBS series "Moonlight"), but a newly reported casting change from NBC's new "Bionic Woman" might be inviting a little bit of controversy.

Mae Whitman apparently is out as Jamie Sommers' deaf sister Becca to be replaced with a character yet to be named, reported TV Guide's Michael Ausiello. While it's not clear who will be the new actress portraying Becca, one thing is clear: She will not be deaf.

"The decision was purely creatively driven," an NBC spokesperson told Ausiello. "It is very common to change storylines, characters, actors after the initial pilot is shot."

"Bionic Woman" would have been just the second genre series after "Jericho" on CBS to feature a deaf character, a group that some say is sorely under-represented in television today.

Someone in NBC's hierarchy apparently asked that the character's hearing be restored, continuing a network streak started more than 40 years ago when NBC asked Gene Roddenberry to get rid of that "satanic Martian" he had with the pointed ears.

"Bionic Woman," which stars Michelle Ryan, premieres this fall on NBC.