"Samantha Who?" Begins Production

Production has begun in Los Angeles on “Samantha Who?,” a new comedy starring Christina Applegate that asks the question, what if you had the chance to start over, to do it all again? The series premieres MONDAY, OCTOBER 15 (9:30-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Samantha Newly (Ms. Applegate) has been offered a do-over in life after a hit-and-run accident leaves her in an eight-day coma. When she awakens in the hospital, she is surrounded by family and friends. The only problem is that she has no idea who they are – or who she is. In medical terms, Sam has retrograde amnesia, which allows her to fully function in the world but leaves her with no personal memories. Most people would deem this disorder a curse. But Sam may come to call it a miracle.

As she sets out to rediscover herself, Sam is forced to rely on the only people who can help her -- an eclectic bunch of friends and family. Although now strangers to Sam, it’s not long before she begins to get an idea of who she was before the accident: Regina (Jean Smart, “24,” “Designing Women”) and Howard (Kevin Dunn, “Transformers,” “Dave”) appear to be loving parents -- when they’re not downplaying the fact that Sam hasn’t spoken to them in two years. Her supposed best friend, Dena (Melissa McCarthy, “Gilmore Girls”), is sincerely supportive, until her real best friend, Andrea (Jennifer Esposito, “Crash,” “Spin City”), exposes Dena as a fraud who hasn’t seen or spoken to Sam since the seventh grade. Andrea is a party girl who seems to have Sam’s best interests at heart. However in the midst of celebrating her return, Andrea neglects to mention that Sam’s an alcoholic, is having an affair with a married man, and has a tendency for all-around morally questionable behavior. Sam’s only seemingly trustworthy acquaintance is boyfriend Todd (Barry Watson, “What About Brian,” “7th Heaven”). But will that trust last when he discovers that she cheated on him?

Sam quickly discovers she was a horrible person. Vain, selfish and potentially surrounded by far more enemies than friends. She makes a conscious decision to improve herself moving forward. She vows to make better choices, even though her instincts may not always steer her in the right direction. She begins with Frank (Tim Russ, “Live Free or Die Hard,” “Star Trek: Voyager”), the doorman at Todd’s apartment building. Sam never gave him the time of day before, but upon actually saying hello to him, she discovers an incredibly observant and unlikely confidant.

Sam will need to continue to piece together things from her past to guide her in discovering who she is… or was. After all, sometimes to get to the end of the story, the only place to start is the beginning.

“Samantha Who?” stars Christina Applegate as Samantha, Jennifer Esposito as Andrea, Kevin Dunn as Howard, Melissa McCarthy as Dena, Tim Russ as Frank with Barry Watson as Todd and Jean Smart as Regina.