Paul Randolph is entering unchartered territory. Newly engaged to town newcomer Georgia Miller, not much has been discovered about the mayor yet — but Scott Porter hopes that changes in season 2 of Ginny & Georgia.
Friday Night Lights: Where Are They Now?
“With everything that happened at the end of season 1, there are some things in flux. Where are Georgia’s children, first and foremost, is on every fan’s mind. And how does that then fall to a new member of the quote unquote family with Paul that just entered as the engagement unfolded for him and Georgia?” Porter, 41, exclusively told Us Weekly. “So I think it’s going to be really exploring how he fits into this dysfunction, and what ends up happening with Ginny and Georgia will dictate a lot of what happens with Paul. I’m excited to see that.”
In the series finale, Georgia’s (Brianne Howey) daughter Ginny (Antonia Gentry) and son Austin (Diesel La Torraca) took off on a motorcycle without revealing their destination — while Mayor Paul was celebrating his win.
“We’ve gotten some background on characters,” Porter continued of what to expect next. “But Paul’s background is still a bit of a mystery. What kind of man goes and gets a great education, then quits the world and goes backpacking through Thailand and teaching English to only then come back and jump headlong into a political career at a young age, with fierce direction to it? And what makes Paul tick is really what I’m hoping to see in season 2 as well.”
Ginny & Georgia was renewed in April and will continue to follow Georgia’s scheming in Wellsbury with an additional 10 hour-long episodes. But before the show returns, the cast is set to reunite in support of Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month. Porter arranged the livestream event with the goal to raise $50,000 for the Huntington’s Disease Society of America.
The Friday Night Lights alum has a personal connection to the cause. “About six years ago, we discovered that my mother-in-law had Huntington’s disease and it came as a bit of a shock. She had been trying to get diagnosed for some things that have been ailing her for a while, and it was about a three-year journey for that to happen,” he shared with Us. “My wife [Kelsey Mayfield] and I had been married all of eight months. We had big plans to go on vacation after that season of Hart of Dixie was finished and enjoy our honeymoon phase, and it very quickly came crashing down as the real reality of her possibly having HD hit us, because every child of a parent with Huntington’s disease has 50/50 chance to inherit it. And my wife very quickly got tested and we found out that she is positive for the Huntington’s gene. And that started our journey to start trying to raise awareness and raise funding.”
Porter personally called his castmates to join forces for the online gathering, which will be moderated by the 10 Years actor. Following the reunion, there will be an exclusive Q&A for fans to connect with show creator Sarah Lampert and stars Howey, Gentry, La Torraca, Felix Mallard (Marcus), Sara Waisglass (Max), Jennifer Robertson (Ellen) and Raymond Ablack (Joe).
“What better way to get out the words and to ask my cast members and fellow creatives on Ginny & Georgia,” Porter told Us. “It’s been a very unique time. We wrapped the show in 2019, and we haven’t been able really to go to any television [event] where we would actually have interaction with the fans because of the pandemic. We really kind of sat on the show for a year and then it blew up in February and became this massive hit. So I said, ‘Why not do two things?’ Why not reach out to the fans and say, ‘Thank you for supporting us and for loving this little show that none of us were sure was going to be a hit and making it one,’ and also at the same time, make some money and raise some awareness for a great cause. So I very simply picked up the phone and every single person I called on this panel … said a thousand times, yes. And here we are ready to be able to reach out to the fans and get in touch with them and hang out with them for a night, which has us really excited.”
Porter hopes to build centers with “every single cent” raised to help those like his mother-in-law, “who can go and speak to doctors who are educated specifically about Huntington’s disease.” He added: “It’s also going to help us in the fight to find a cure so that hopefully my wife never fully goes through Huntington’s disease. That’s what we’re fighting for.”
The event takes place on Wednesday, May 26, at 6:30 p.m. PT/9:30 p.m. ET. For more information, go here.
