Yahoo News Kristen Bell returns to Central Park — and a host of weird roommates — in exclusive first clip
We can't get enough of Kristen Bell as a naively optimistic young woman, who charges ahead blindly.
No, they haven't announced a new Frozen sequel — but she is bringing some of that perky charm back to Apple TV+'s Central Park when it returns for its third season on Friday.
EW has your exclusive first look at a clip of Bell's return to the show as Abby, the bubbly younger sister to Paige (Kathryn Hahn), who moves to New York in pursuit of an acting career.
"I'm so thrilled for everyone to see season 3 of Central Park!" Bell tells EW. "I've had such a blast playing Paige's sister and let's just say that when playing a character who is blissfully unaware and exhaustingly optimistic, I feel right at home."
Apple TV+
Bell was a part of the original Central Park cast, voicing as biracial pre-teen Molly, but she left the show in season 2, citing her and the entire creative team's desire for an actress of color to take on the part. She was replaced by Emmy Raver-Lampman.
"It was a chance to, in real time, do what you can to be on the right side of history," Leslie Odom Jr., who voices Owen, previously told EW. "The world is going to change right under your feet. And as the world changes, if you want to evolve with it, if you want to grow, sometimes it requires new decisions to be made and letting certain things go and reimagining who you are and who you could be."
"After reflection, Kristen, along with the entire creative team, recognizes that the casting of the character of Molly is an opportunity to get representation right," the creative team of Loren Bouchard, Josh Gad, Nora Smith, Halsted Sullivan, and Sanjay Shah said in a statement. "To cast a Black or mixed race actress and give Molly a voice that resonates with all of the nuance and experiences of the character as we've drawn her. Kristen will continue to be a part of the heart of the show in a new role but we will find a new actress to lend her voice to Molly."
This character, Abby, is that new role, who brings a host of fresh worries to eternally stressed Paige, as she embarks on life in New York City with a bit too trusting of an approach. In this first clip, we meet the quirky residents of Abby's New York apartment — the roommates plural, who enable her to only pay $2000/month for her new spot (what a steal) — and the fish market smell emanating from the street that Abby un-ironically loves.
Additional guest stars joining season 3 include Sam Richardson, Ike Barinholtz, Ben Schwartz, Zoë Chao, Ron Funches, Jack McBrayer, Amber Ruffin, Yvette Nicole Brown, Craig Robinson, Tim Meadows, and David Alan Grier. The new season will also add more than 40 new original songs to the celebrated catalog.
Watch the clip above for more. Central Park returns for its 13-episode season 3 on Sept. 9.
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.
Related content:
