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Lifetime is gearing up for the release of its upcoming drama, The Bad Orphan, executive-produced by and starring Betsy Brandt from Breaking Bad. Written by Doris Egan, The Bad Orphan is a psychological drama centering on an adopted child, Gabby, who is an eight-year-old orphan born with challenges that set limitations for her.
The family tries to materialize their ideas of a perfect family when they adopt Gabby. Soon after, they begin to question everything when they discover that Gabby is a troubled little girl and things are not as simple as they appear from the outside.
Set to make its debut this Saturday, June 22, 2024, The Bad Orphan is inspired by the intriguing adoption story of Natalia Grace and the lives of Jessica and Karl.
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Who stars in The Bad Orphan? Cast list explored
Here is the full cast list of the upcoming Lifetime mystery drama.
Betsy Brandt as Jessica
American actor Betsy Brandt will be playing Jessica, who adopts Gabby with her husband to expand her family. Brandt is an acclaimed actor who is best known for portraying Marie Schrader in Breaking Bad (2008–2013) and its spinoff show, Better Call Saul (2022). She has also played Heather Hughes in the CBS sitcom Life in Pieces (2015–2019).
Brandt also starred in guest roles on television shows like Without a Trace, Judging Amy, ER, Boston Legal, The Practice, and NCIS. In 2012, she also played the role of Sandy in Parenthood, and in 2014 as one of the lead characters in the ABC series Members Only. She was also announced to be playing the role of Cleo in the NBC sitcom Jefferies, which has remained unaired.
Mark Taylor as Karl
Mark Taylor is a Canadian actor born and raised in Toronto. He studied computer engineering technology at Seneca College and graduated from East Lake High School and Albert Campbell Collegiate Institute.
Taylor is best known for his roles as Eugene Donovan in Seventeen Again, Romeo in Student Bodies, and Kwest in Instant Star. He also played the role of Lewis 'Lou' Young in the Canadian police drama series Flashpoint before his character was killed in the 23rd episode. He has been cast as Karl, Gabby's adoptive father, and Jessica's husband in The Bad Orphan.
Others in the cast of The Bad Orphan
Joining the main cast are the following actors in their respective roles:
- Chloe Chapman as Gabby
- Eve Edwards as Rhiannon
- Linda Kee as Charlotte Watson
- Samantha Grant as Elaine Palmer
- Ben Wong as Dr. Tyrell
All about The Bad Orphan
The Bad Orphan is set to premiere this Saturday, June 22, 2024, on Lifetime channel. The official synopsis of the movie reads:
"The psychological drama centers on Jessica (Betsy Brandt) and Karl (Mark Taylor), loving parents to Rhiannon (Eve Edwards), who after years of trying to add to their family are elated to adopt Gabby (Chloe Coco Chapman), an 8-year-old orphan born with personal challenges."
It follows:
"Their ideas of a perfect family come into question when they discover that Gabby is a troubled little girl, and the family begins to believe things aren’t what they seem. As the unsettling behavior of their “child” worsens and lies are uncovered, cracks in the family dynamic form with Jessica becoming increasingly concerned that adopted daughter Gabby is a threat to their family."
The movie is an adaptation of the adoption saga of Natalia Grace where Michael and Kristine Barnett, who adopted her, initially believed they were adopting a six-year-old girl in 2010. But after a series of unfortunate events, they soon became suspicious about her age and controversially claimed that Natalia had dwarfism which was called spondyloepiphyseal.
They claimed she was an adult woman pretending to be a child with malicious intentions. According to them, she wanted to harm them and their biological children. Two years later, the Barnetts filed a legal petition to change her age to 22 and the family moved to Canada with their three sons, leaving Natalia alone in an apartment in Lafayette. The Barnetts were eventually divorced and were charged with neglect of a dependent.
Catch the full story on Lifetime with The Bad Orphan.
