DOWNEY JR. CASTS SHADOW ON FOX SHOW

LOS ANGELES (Assocated Press) -- Fox's gamble in hiring Robert Downey Jr.
for "Ally McBeal'' this season paid off with good ratings and reviews, but
the troubled actor's weekend drug arrest has thrown the decision into question.

Downey quickly became a key figure in "Ally McBeal'' as the love interest
for star Calista Flockhart, energizing the 4-year-old show that received a
best comedy series Emmy but lost steam with audiences and critics last year.

The Downey-Flockhart chemistry made such an impact that Fox agreed to
extend Downey's eight-episode deal, which he had completed filming, to
include two additional episodes, the network said Monday.

While radio spots for Monday's show, featuring a silky voice-over by Downey
himself, continued to air, his arrest at a Palm Springs resort for
investigation of drug possession on Saturday put his status in jeopardy.

Downey was released Sunday on $15,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in
court within 30 days.

The 35-year-old actor, who earned an Oscar nomination for his work in the
title role of the 1992 film biography "Chaplin'', was not scheduled to work
Monday but was scheduled to appear in the episode currently in production,
Fox said.

The network and the show's producer David E. Kelley had no immediate
comment on the arrest. Messages for Downey's attorney in Los Angeles were
not immediately returned.

Downey, recently released from prison, has acknowledged his struggle with
drug addiction.

"It's like I've got a shotgun in my mouth, with my finger on the trigger,
and I like the taste of the gun metal,'' Downey told a judge in 1999.

Downey's publicist said plans for him to continue work on the television
show were unchanged, and that he remained committed to a Los Angeles stage
production of "Hamlet'' to be directed by Mel Gibson in January.

"My heart sank when I heard the news,'' said veteran producer Dick Wolf
("Law & Order''). "He was brilliant in 'Ally.' It's clearly something he
has no control over."