Televisionary is proud to be a member of the TV Blog Coalition. At the end of each week, we'll feature a roundup of content from our sister sites for your delectation.
This week, I reviewed the full pilot episodes of such series as ABC's Eastwick, FOX's Human Target, and ABC's The Deep End.
I also unveiled the new trailer for BBC America's Torchwood: Children of Earth, shared news about the casting of Karen Gillan as the new companion on Season Five of Doctor Who and BBC America snagging the five David Tennant Who specials and the launch date for supernatural drama Being Human, recounted news about John Lithgow joining the cast of Showtime's Dexter, offered up promos for CW's new fall series Melrose Place and Vampire Diaries, and was outraged over plans for a feature film relaunch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer without Joss or the cast of the series.
Plus, I discussed the latest episode of ABC's The Unusuals (and shared why I'd be missing this unique series), reviewed ABC's animated comedy The Goode Family and FOX's medical drama Mental, and appraised the sensational season finale of Starz's Party Down.
Elsewhere in the sophisticated TV-obsessed section of the blogosphere, members of the TV Blog Coalition were discussing the following items...
Just a quick reminder that Pushing Daisies returns tomorrow evening with a brand new episode.
While Daisies is sadly dead (and even Ned can't bring it back to life with a touch), ABC will be airing the final three unaired episodes of Pushing Daisies Saturdays at 10 pm ET/PT beginning this weekend.
I had the opportunity to see the final three installments of Bryan Fuller's masterpiece back in April and I loved every second of the three gorgeously crafted unaired episodes. (You can read my advance review of Daisies' final three installments here.)
It's with more than a little sadness that Daisies wraps its run but, given the series' own penchant for blending life with death, I urge you to approach these episodes with the excitement and zest that they deserve. (And be sure to come back here each Monday to discuss the latest installment.)
So why not grab yourself a piece of pie (preferably with gruyere baked in the crust), get out the plastic wrap, and settle in tomorrow night for one of the very last adventures with Ned, Chuck, Olive, and Emerson?
Tomorrow night on Pushing Daisies ("Window Dressed to Kill"), Emerson enlists Chuck's help to investigate the murder of a window dresser after Ned declares he's no longer using his "gift" to solve crimes; Olive gets a blast from her past when the two cons who kidnapped her as a child break out of jail.
Every once in a while, a pilot comes along that has such a stellar cast that it's heartbreakingly depressing when the pilot itself isn't quite up to snuff.
This development season that pilot would be ABC's The Deep End (formerly known as The Associates... and before that Untitled Dave Hemingson Legal Dramedy), which has gathered together some fantastically diverse talent as Matt Long (Jack & Bobby), Tina Majorino (Big Love), Ben Lawson (Neighbours), Norbert Leo Butz (Dan in Real Life), Leah Pipes (Life is Wild), Billy Zane (Samantha Who?), Sherri Saum (In Treatment), Rachelle Lefevre (Twilight, Swingtown), and Clancy Brown (Carnivale).
The Deep End, from writer/executive producer Dave Hemingson (Kitchen Confidential), follows the personal and professional goings on of a group of ambitious young law associates and their demanding bosses at a cutthroat Los Angeles law firm. The series, from 20th Century Fox Television, was originally developed as a dramedy and previously shot a pilot last development season before jettisoning most of its cast and reformatting as a straight drama, albeit with some soapy Grey's Anatomy-style antics. (I could make some coy joke about lawyers jumping into each others legal briefs here, but I just won't do it.)
They've all been recruited by the quixotic (and hilariously savage) Rowdy Kaiser (Butz), a man just as likely to help you out of a jam as he is to skin you alive, and they find themselves quickly trying to keep up with the demands and foibles of the firm's partners: the ruthless and Machiavellian Cliff Huddle (Zane) who is referred to not-so-lovingly around the office as "the Prince of Darkness," his icy wife Susan Oppenheim (Saum), and the uber-intimidating founding partner Hart Sterling (Brown).
There are a slew of cases for each of the new associates to tackle and, naturally, complications ensue at every turn. After attending a client's bris with Susan, Liam is mistakenly believed to be Jewish by a would-be Israeli client (Big Love's Noa Tisby) until she discovers that he may have misled her a little when things turn physical. Politics could derail Dylan's pro-bono custody case when Cliff takes an interest in the case and sides with the opposing party, a wealthy woman who carried her grandchild in her womb. (Don't ask, really.)
Elsewhere, Addy finds herself arrested when she is pulled in multiple directions by several of the partners and struggles to file a brief at the courthouse in time, while Beth, working on a transfer of power at a major corporation, realizes that the outbound CEO isn't in full control of his faculties, believing her to be his long-dead daughter.
But that's nothing compared to the Grey's Anatomy-style bed-hopping. Dylan swiftly falls for winsome paralegal Katie (Lefevre), herself torn between Dylan's good guy qualities and her ongoing affair with the very married Cliff. Liam hooks up with the Israeli client and beds one of the firm's secretaries. And it turns out there's a sexual history between Liam and Beth that continues to flare up every time there's stress.
All of which could lead to a frothy nighttime soap but there's a decided lack of sense of humor here. Everything is played so straight, without any real fun that it's hard to root for the characters or care about their off-hours pursuits.
In fact, the only actor that seems to be having any real fun with The Deep End at all is Norbert Leo Butz, who imbues Rowdy with a dangerous, mercurial edge. This unpredictable side to his character makes Rowdy a hell of a lot of fun but he seems trapped in another series altogether, one that's more in line with creator Dave Hemingson's original vision for the series, which had a decidedly more humorous bend.
The rest of the actors seem to sadly be sleepwalking through their roles a little bit and none of the characters are all that three-dimensional. If we're going to be spending any extended time with these associates and partners, they had better be quirky and memorable, but instead they come off as slightly stale cliches we've seen on numerous other legal series.
Given that ABC won't be launching The Deep End until midseason, I hope they can take the time to fine-tune the tone of the series and inject more humor and fun to this. It could be a legal dramedy akin to the early years of FOX's Ally McBeal and boasts one of the finest ensemble casts this development season. But as it stands now, I didn't think The Deep End was all too deep, really.
The Deep End launches next year on ABC. Continue reading full story...
"A man who can't die has got nothing to fear."
With less than two months to go until the debut of Season Three of Torchwood, BBC One and BBC America have released a world premiere of the new trailer for the third season of the Doctor Who spin-off, kicking off in July.
The five-night event series--entitled Torchwood: Children of Earth--is written by Russell T. Davies, John Fay, and James Moran and directed by the incomparable Euros Lyn.
Torchwood: Children of Earth stars John Barrowman, Eve Myles, and Garth David-Lloyd, and features guest stars such as Kai Owen, Tom Price, Peter Capaldi (The Thick of It), Lucy Cohu (Meadowlands), Susan Brown (Dalziel and Pascoe), Nick Briggs (Doctor Who), and Paul Copley (The Lakes).
The full trailer for Torchwood: Children of Earth can be found below.
Torchwood: Children of Earth will air on BBC One and BBC America this July. Continue reading full story...
The TARDIS is about to get another traveler.
21-year-old unknown Karen Gillan has been cast in Season Five of Doctor Who, where she will star alongside incoming series lead Matt Smith, who replaces David Tennant as the Doctor when Tennant departs the series later this year.
Filming on Season Five of Doctor Who is set to begin this summer and the series is expected to debut on BBC One next spring.
Gillan is no stranger to Doctor Who, however, and appeared early on in Season Four in the episode "The Fires of Pompeii," where she played a soothsayer on the much-beloved British series. She has previously also appeared in such programs as Rebus, Harley Street, The Kevin Bishop Show, and Stacked and can be seen opposite James Nesbitt in the upcoming feature film Outcast, written and directed by Colm McCarthy.
"We saw some amazing actresses for this part, but when Karen came through the door the game was up. Funny, and clever, and gorgeous, and sexy. Or Scottish, which is the quick way of saying it," said Season Five's lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat in a statement. "A generation of little girls will want to be her. And a generation of little boys will want them to be her too."
"I am absolutely over the moon at being chosen to play the Doctor's new companion. The show is such a massive phenomenon that I can't quite believe I am going to be a part of it," said Gillan in a statement. "Matt Smith is an incredible actor and it is going to be so much fun to act alongside him – I just can't wait to get started!"
The full press release from BBC One, announcing the casting of Gillan on Season Five of Doctor Who, can be found below.
The BBC today revealed that the companion for the forthcoming series of Doctor Who will be Karen Gillan.
Twenty-one-year-old Gillan will star alongside new Time Lord, Matt Smith, when the smash hit drama returns to BBC One in spring 2010.
With filming due to begin this summer, Gillan beat off dozens of hopefuls to land one of television's most coveted roles.
Gillan said: "I am absolutely over the moon at being chosen to play the Doctor's new companion. The show is such a massive phenomenon that I can't quite believe I am going to be a part of it.
"Matt Smith is an incredible actor and it is going to be so much fun to act alongside him – I just can't wait to get started!"
Lead writer and Executive Producer, Steven Moffat, added: "We saw some amazing actresses for this part, but when Karen came through the door the game was up. Funny, and clever, and gorgeous, and sexy. Or Scottish, which is the quick way of saying it. A generation of little girls will want to be her. And a generation of little boys will want them to be her too."
Executive Producer and Head of Drama BBC Wales, Piers Wenger, said: "We knew Karen was perfect for the role the moment we saw her. She brought an energy and excitement to the part that was just fantastic. And when she auditioned alongside Matt we knew we had something special. It is a partnership that is ready to take on the universe!"
The new series of Doctor Who comes to BBC One, Spring 2010.
Season Five of Doctor Who, starring Matt Smith and Karen Gillan, will launch in 2010. Continue reading full story...
Channel Surfing: Helfer, Hogan, Sheppard in "Warehouse 13," "Mad Men" Clashes with AMC Over Ad Break, "Cranford" Returns this Christmas, and More
Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.
Battlestar Galactica's Tricia Helfer, Michael Hogan, and Mark Sheppard have signed on to guest star in Syfy's upcoming series Warehouse 13, which launches July 7th. Helfer will play a Chicago-based FBI agent on the drama series, while Hogan has been cast as the father of Joanne Kelly's Myka, with her mother played by Hogan's real-life wife Susan Hogan. Finally, Sheppard will appear as an "enigmatic figure who represents the organization that controls the Warehouse." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)
Nikki Finke is reporting that cabler AMC has told producers of drama series Mad Men that they will have to shave off roughly two additional minutes of content per episode next season in order to insert more commercial ads, a decision which has angered some staffers on the drama series. "That might not sound like such a big deal, but it's galling given how well the show has done, how carefully it's put together, and how much money it's already making AMC," writes Finke, "and parent company Cablevision which recently announced a $20M 1st-quarter profit, while subsidiary Rainbow Media cited a 7.6% increase in ad sales." AMC executives, meanwhile, blamed the stumbling economy and said that Mad Men doesn't bring in enough revenue. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)
Award-winning period drama Cranford will return to BBC One this Christmas with a two-part special that will feature Dame Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Julia McKenzie, Deborah Findlay, Francesca Annis, and Barbara Flynn reprising their roles in a story set one year after the events of the original mini-series. Also set to appear in Cranford's Christmas specials are Jonathan Pryce, Celia Imrie, Lesley Sharp, Nicholas Le Prevost, Jodie Whittaker, Tom Hiddleston, Michelle Dockery, Matthew McNulty, and Rory Kinnear. Filming is set to begin in June. (BBC)
ABC's plans to burn off the remaining episodes of canceled comedy In the Motherhood beginning next week have changed, with the network now shifting the three-week run from Fridays at 9:30 pm ET/PT to Thursdays at 8:30 pm ET/PT starting June 25th. (Futon Critic)
TLC has given a series order to unscripted series Wedded to Perfection and give the series a sneak peek tonight. The series, from Peacock Productions, follows the professional lives of married couple Jung Lee and Josh Brooks, professional wedding planners who launch elaborate nuptials in Manhatan. (Hollywood Reporter)
Cabler TBS has ordered ten half-hour episodes of unscripted latenight series The Very Funny Show, which will feature host Tim Meadows overseeing a series of standup performances at Zanies Comedy Club in Chicago. The series, which will feature such comedians as Bob Marey, Dwight Slade, and Steve Byrne, is set to launch in November. (Variety)
Universal Media Studios has signed a two-year overall deal with writer/executive producer Liz Heldens (Mercy), under which she will remain on board NBC's midseason medical drama Mercy as showrunner and develop new projects for the studio. She was previously a co-executive producer on Friday Night Lights. (Variety)
ABC will launch seven-episode reality series Crash Course this summer, likely in August. Series, from executive producers Arthur Smith and Kent Weed, features five teams as they undertake four extreme driving challenges ranging from driving on two wheels to driving under intense weather conditions, with a team eliminated after each round. Commentary will be provided by Orlando Jones and Dan Cortese. (Hollywood Reporter)
NBC has partnered with reality production company Shed Media to produce the network's upcoming six-episode unscripted series The Marriage Ref with Jerry Seinfeld, slated to debut in midseason on Sunday nights. (Variety)
Showrunner Kevin Abbott (Surviving Suburbia, Roseanne) has sued 20th Century Fox Television, asserting that the studio owes him $1.38 million for "improperly withholding payments and suspending his overall deal during the 2007-08 WGA strike," according to the Hollywood Reporter. Abbot was released from his studio deal during the writers strike but claims that his deal "was markedly different from the contracts of many of his peers" and "specifically protected him from suspension or termination based solely upon a strike." The studio had no comment on the litigation. (Hollywood Reporter)
Stay tuned.
I'm really going to miss The Unusuals.
I might be one of the very few people watching this quirky ABC cop dramedy but I have to say that I've enjoyed every single minute of this series from creator Noah Hawley and I think it's a shame that ABC canceled The Unusuals so quickly.
This week's episode ("The Tape Delay"), written by Treena Hancock and Melissa R. Byer, found Walsh and Shraeger organizing a protection detail on a wealthy businessman who had faced a series of mysterious threats, while Banks and Delahoy were on the trail of a octogenarian (guest star Shelley Berman) on a crime spree, Beaumont and Cole tried to get a confession out of a criminal through some elaborate means, Alvarez fixated on his man-crush on Walsh, Beaumont seethed at Walsh for a dream she had, and Delahoy faced some rather unusual (heh) symptoms stemming from his secret brain tumor.
In other words, just another day for the cops at Manhattan's second precinct.
Throughout its short run, The Unusuals has proven a sly and smart character study, deftly balancing some rather odd crimes against, well, some rather oddball cops. It's a police procedural, but it's also a nuanced investigation of the men and women behind the shield, their quirks and foibles, their fears and dreams.
This week's episode proved no different as it forced Shraeger to come to terms both with her judgment in the field (vis-a-vis the businessman who goes missing) and in the office as Walsh convinces her to come clean to her fellow cops about her wealthy background. Walsh believes that as Shraeger is "good police" (a term that always makes me think of The Wire) her coworkers won't care that she comes from the 25th wealthiest family in Manhattan. And, sure enough, when Shraeger gets up on a table at their local hangout and finally tells the cops her deep, dark secret, no one bats an eyelash. Sure, they rib her for it and make Shraeger pick up the next round but you could literally see the weight being lifted from Shraeger's shoulders as she finally bared her soul... and removed the final obstacle that had held her back from truly being a member of the team. (Kudos go to Amber Tamblyn for making Casey Shraeger such a fascinatingly multi-layered character who's at once tough and headstrong and sensitive and feminine.)
The secret shame she had carried around this entire time had vanished but it has its counterpart in Delahoy, who still has not been able to tell anyone about his brain tumor other than shifty medical examiner Dr. Monica Crumb (Susan Parke), who freaks out when Delahoy refers to their lunchtime discussion of his medical condition as a "lunch date." The neat symmetry between ticking time bomb Delahoy (who seemingly can't be killed) and his death-phobic partner Banks, convinced he'll die before he turns 43, has provided the series with a poignant throughline that investigates the knife's edge these cops--and indeed all of us--exist on: here today, gone tomorrow.
Banks has to face up to some of his own issues when he's forced to deal with Tom Speigelman, an 87-year-old man on a city-wide crime spree that's intended to make him feel something after living a lifetime of regrets. Like Speigelman, Banks has lived his own life in soul-quaking fear about dying; too afraid to go anywhere or do anything that might put his mortality in jeopardy. His fixations on things like bullet-proof vests and hand sanitizer prevent him from living in the moment and, well, just living period. In fearing death, Banks has actually given over his life to the very thing he's running away from.
And while I predicted very early on that Walsh and Shraeger's businessman had plotted his own disappearance (and even went so far as to stage a murder and substitute a co-conspirator for his own corpse), I thought it was handled extremely well and I loved the reveal that the shipping container the guy was hiding in with his masseuse mistress wasn't some dank hellhole (out of The Wire Season Two), but rather a gleaming, ultra-white bachelor pad for traveling in style.
And the Alvarez-Walsh subplot--in which Alvarez went out of his way to try to do something outside of work with Walsh--was a nice character moment that revealed just how much outsider Alvarez really wanted to fit in and, well, be Jason Walsh, the ultimate guy's guy (despite his admission earlier in the episode that his mother dressed him as a girl until he was six). Rarely has a "man-crush" been dealt with on television with such humor, sensitivity, and charm.
All in all, yet another fantastic installment of The Unusuals that makes me even more depressed that ABC has axed the series. There's still a few more first-run episodes to enjoy before The Unusuals goes to the precinct in the sky but I have to say that I believe, long after its run has ended, I'll still be thinking about these characters.
Next week on The Unusuals ("The Dentist"), Eddie Alvarez is in charge of the station while Sergeant Brown is away but things don't exactly go to plan; a U.S. Marshall convinces Alvarez to release a perp recently arrested for trying to rob a Chinese restaurant into his custody but, after a fake bomb threat is called in to the precinct, Casey, Alvarez and Walsh discover that the Marshall isn't who he seems to be; Banks decides to stay in his apartment until he turns 43 in order to avoid getting killed.
Channel Surfing: BBC America Snags Five "Doctor Who" Specials, Freddie Prinze Jr. on "24," Whedon Wants Summer Glau on "Dollhouse," and More
Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.
BBC America has acquired the US premiere rights to five Doctor Who specials, featuring David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, and plans to air "The Next Doctor," the 2008 Christmas Special, on June 27th at 9 pm ET/PT. The first of this year's specials, entitled "Planet of the Dead," will follow in July with the three others airing in late 2009 and early 2010. “The outstanding quality of the Doctor Who scripts from Russell T. Davies and the on-screen dynamic that David Tennant brings to the role are a magic combination for our viewers," said BBC Worldwide America president Garth Ancier. "Russell’s spin-off series Torchwood is already our highest rated show on the channel and I know the fans will follow these new specials with equal passion and support. We’re thrilled to bring this iconic show to BBC America, home of the best British sci-fi programming on television." Meanwhile, Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood will kick off its five-episode event third season (Torchwood: Children of Earth) in July. (via press release)
In an unexpected casting twist, Freddie Prinze Jr. (who recently shot the ABC comedy pilot No Heroics) has been cast in Day Eight of FOX's 24, where he will play Davis Cole, a "recently returned Marine who runs CTU Field Ops and wants to follow in Jack Bauer's (Kiefer Sutherland) footsteps." (Also on board: Nazneen Contractor, who will play the daughter of the Middle East leader played by Anil Kapoor.) The casting comes on the heels of that for Chris Diamantopoulos, John Boyd, and Jennifer Westfeldt. (Hollywood Reporter)
With FOX's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles canceled, Joss Whedon hopes to bring former Terminator star Summer Glau over to his FOX drama series Dollhouse. "If anybody thinks [bringing Summer onto Dollhouse] hasn't occurred to me already then they have not met me. I mentioned it to her before [T:SCC] was canceled. I was like, 'You know, we should get you in the 'house.' But first we have to come up with something that works," Whedon told Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello. "Summer would be perfect to play an active, but she's done that [type of role] a lot. I'd rather see her play someone who talks too much. The most fun I have is when I get somebody who's good and comfortable at doing something, and then I make them do something else. Summer said to me, 'I would like to play a normal girl before I die of extreme old age.'" (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)
The recasting is already beginning. Just the week after network upfronts, several series have already begun to quietly replace some of their lead actors. ABC's The Forgotten will recast the roles played by Rupert Penry-Jones and Reiko Aylesworth in the pilot episode, the biggest changes likely to be seen on any network project. Other projects that will see cast changes include CBS' NCIS: Los Angeles, which will see the the departure of Louise Lombard as the female lead (which will be recast); CBS' Three Rivers, which will see Julia Ormond not stay on past the pilot installment as the hospital's head of surgery (likewise, Joaquim De Almeida will not return); Richard Coyle's role on NBC's Trauma will be recast; Gillian Jacobs' role on CBS' The Good Wife will be recast now that the actress is booked on NBC's Community; and Amir Talai's role on NBC comedy 100 Questions is also being recast. (Hollywood Reporter)
John Lithgow has been cast in twelve episodes of Season Four of Showtime's Dexter, where he will play Walter Simmons, a.k.a. The Trinity Killer, one of America's deadliest murderers who kills in threes and masquerades as an "unassuming mild-mannered suburbanite." (Televisionary)
Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies) has been cast as the lead in Lifetime romantic comedy telepic Twelve Men of Christmas, based on Phillipa Ashley's novel "Decent Exposure," about a "down-on-her-luck PR exec (Chenoweth) who uses her media savvy to generate sizzle in a Montana town." (Hollywood Reporter)
Bravo is launching six-episode reality series Miami Social, following the lives of seven interconnected Miami socialites, on July 14th at 10 pm ET/PT. The Miami denizens depicted in the Pink Sneakers-produced series include former Apprentice contestant Katrina Campins and Big Brother contestant Hardy Hill. (Variety)
E! Online's Watch with Kristin catches up with Three Rivers star Alex O'Loughlin to talk about his new CBS medical drama series, launching this fall. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)
Following allegations that local AT&T employees offered Kris Allen fans free text-messaging services and may have demonstrated how to power vote (a practice strictly forbidden by American Idol voting regulations), FOX has issued a statement in which they stand by the results of the latest American Idol crowning. "Kris Allen is, without a doubt, the American Idol,” said FOX, FremantleMedia North America, and 19 Entertainment in a joint statement. "We have an independent third-party monitoring procedure in place to ensure the integrity of the voting process. In no way did any individuals unfairly influence the outcome of the competition." AT&T, meanwhile, said that the Arkansas employees' actions were not corporately mandated and that these individuals were "caught up in the enthusiasm of rooting for their hometown contestant." "Going forward we will make sure our employees understand our sponsorship celebrates the competition, not individual contestants," said AT&T in a statement. (New York Times)
RHI Entertainment has set up a Los Angeles office as it looks to embark on a push into primetime series. Tom Patricia and Elizabeth Stephens will oversee the Los Angeles office and report to Jeff Sagansky, the non-executive chairman of RHI. Patricia will serve as EVP of movies and miniseries, while Stephens has been named EVP of series. "We're a big company," said RHI founder Robert Halmi. "We see this as a great time to strike in this marketplace and take more market share from our competitors. Under Jeff's leadership, we expect to be a player in dramatic TV series." (Variety)
Granada America, the studio behind such hits as Hell's Kitchen, will rename itself ITV Studios, in order to "better reflect the nonscripted shingle's relationship with its U.K. parent." The studio is about to launch NBC's I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here, which will be hosted by Damien Fahey and Myleene Klass. (Hollywood Reporter)
ABC movies and mini-series maven Quinn Taylor will see his oversight expand to include programming acquisitions, formats, as well as international co-productions that could be acquired and aired on ABC. (Variety)
Travel Channel president and general manager Patrick Younge will leave the channel in January in order to return to London to be with his family. "As tough as I will find it to leave my team at Travel Channel Media, I'm fulfilling a promise I made to my two children, who remained in the U.K. when I joined TCM in 2005," said Younge in a statement. "I have a terrific team here at TCM, and despite these unprecedented economic conditions we are enjoying record ratings, audience delivery and Web traffic. We are also recognized as leaders in social-media marketing, and through innovative programs like the Travel Channel Academy and mobile products like Travel Channel GO, we are extending our reach and revenue into new arenas." (Hollywood Reporter)
Stay tuned.
In a rather surprising twist, John Lithgow (Confessions of a Shopaholic) has been cast in Season Four of Showtime drama Dexter.
Lithgow will appear in all twelve episodes of Dexter's fourth season, which launches September 27th, and will play serial killer Walter Simmons, known by his sobriquet The Trinity Killer, one of America's deadliest murderers who kills in threes and masquerades as an "unassuming mild-mannered suburbanite."
Having relocated to Miami, Simmons will cross paths with Michael C. Hall's Dexter Morgan as Dexter assists F.B.I. Special Agent Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine) investigate the three-decades long crime spree of The Trinity Killer.
(Lithgow is no stranger to playing characters with psychotic tendencies; remember his turn as multiple characters in the 1992 Brian De Palma film Raising Cain?)
The full press release from Showtime, announcing John Lithgow's casting, can be found below.
SHOWTIME’S EMMY®-NOMINATED DRAMA SERIES DEXTER™
LOS ANGELES, CA – (May 27, 2009) – Academy Award®-nominated and Emmy®, Tony® and Golden Globe® award-winner John Lithgow will take on one of his most intense and intriguing roles to date portraying Miami’s latest serial killer in SHOWTIME’s top-rated drama series DEXTER. Lithgow will be featured in all 12 episodes of season four which are scheduled to premiere Sunday, September 27th on SHOWTIME.
Lithgow will play Walter Simmons, an unassuming, mild-mannered suburbanite who has been living a dual life as one of America’s most prolific and deadliest serial killers. Dubbed the “Trinity Killer” because of his proclivity to kill in three’s, he relocates to Miami after being tracked by F.B.I. Special Agent Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine). Brought on to assist in the investigation of Miami’s latest serial killer, Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) becomes fascinated with “Trinity’s” unique killing methods and his ability to evade capture for almost three decades.
John Lithgow is an actor with a broad range of interests and talents in every area of the entertainment industry. He has been working in show business since the early seventies, and has achieved stunning success in wildly varied ventures. He was nominated for Oscars® in back-to-back years for The World According to Garp and Terms of Endearment. For his television work he has been nominated for ten Emmy® Awards, winning four times, one for an episode of Amazing Stories and three times for his lead role in the comedy series 3rd Rock from the Sun. In that show’s six year run, Lithgow also won the Golden Globe®, two SAG Awards®, The American Comedy Award and a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1973, Lithgow won a Tony® Award for David Storey’s The Changing Room. Since then, he has appeared on Broadway nineteen more times, earning another Tony®, three more Tony®-nominations, four Drama Desk awards and an induction into the Theatre Hall of Fame.
One of the most acclaimed series on television, DEXTER stars Michael C. Hall (three-time Golden Globe®-nominee, two-time Emmy®-nominee) as a complicated and conflicted blood-spatter expert for the Miami police department who moonlights as a serial killer. The show has received both an Emmy® and Golden Globe® nomination for best television drama series as well as a prestigious Peabody Award in 2008 and was twice named one of AFI’s top ten television series. The show also stars Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, C.S. Lee, Lauren Vélez, David Zayas, and James Remar.
Season Four of Dexter kicks off on September 27th on Showtime. Continue reading full story...
I really wanted to like FOX's new procedural drama Human Target, which launches on the network next year, but found myself wondering about what the series could have been rather than what it actually is.
Based on a DC comic by Len Wein and Carmen Infantino (and later redeveloped into a Vertigo title by Peter Milligan), Human Target tells the story of Christopher Chance (Fringe's Mark Valley), a man who protects those in danger by becoming a literal human shield, a moving target capable of drawing the fire of those out to imperil his well-paying clients.
Chance is assisted in these high-stakes missions by his best friend and business manager Winston (Pushing Daisies' Chi McBride) and a tech-savvy nutcase named Guerrero (Watchmen's Jackie Earle Haley) whose allegiances seem as fluid as quicksilver. But rather than just watch his clients from afar, Chance forces his way into their lives, posing as someone who has access to their every move.
In the pilot episode, written by Jon Steinberg (Jericho) and directed by Simon West (Keen Eddie), we glimpse three such cases involving an array of clients. We're introduced to Chance, in fact, during a hostage situation at a bank where an irate and recently fired employee, Hollis (Desperate Housewives' Mark Moses), is threatening to kill his boss Ken Lydecker and detonate a bomb, killing everyone inside. Chance manages to free Lydecker (and switches places with him in the process), manages to disarm Hollis and shoot him, but doesn't manage to prevent him from detonating the plastic explosive on his vest. It's an explosion that kills Hollis and injures Chance in the process.
It's an assignment that brings them back in touch with the shady operative Guerrero (Haley), a man of dubious moral certainty who seems to be working both sides of the equation, providing security here, possibly flexing his knuckles there. Guerrero is one scary guy and Winston is uneasy about partnering with him on the Dobbs case but they have need of Guerrero's particular skill set.
What follows is a pretty straightforward procedural action-thriller, as Chance attempts to keep Stephanie safe from a number of potential murder attempts even as the clock in running out before the state-of-the-art bullet train will derail at 220 mph, thanks to some cost-cutting that Stephanie uncovered during the construction phase. There's a nice sense of frisson between Helfer's icy Stephanie and Valley's Chance but there's little time for any real emotional connection between them, given the nature of the series' episodic formula.
Likewise, it's hard to shake the feeling that there's no real emotional stakes here for the cooly-detached Chance whatsoever. The original pilot script indicated why Chance seems to have a what Winston calls a "death wish" (hint: it involved a missing woman) but without any real information in the shot pilot about just what happened to Chance, Winston's concerns come off as more than a little puzzling, given that we don't really see any indication that Chance is acting out of the ordinary or might be acting with less than his normal professionalism.
Valley, McBride, and Haley are all well-cast in their respective roles but aren't given much to do with any real depth of character. The guest cast, which includes Culp, Helfer, and Danny Glover (who, rather shockingly, turns up in the final scene as a new client) are all fantastic but also seem to be going through the motions of the plot without much nuance in their guest roles. Everything in Human Target, in fact, is very much operating on the surface level and there's a decided dearth of emotional stakes as well as a shocking lack of humor, a real shame given that each of the three leads excels at deadpan humor.
FOX has made a cottage industry of late out of procedural dramas and Human Target does work best as the sort of procedural series one might have found in the 1980s, meaning that it feels a little dated and somewhat creaky. Human Target attempts to be a fun thrill-ride but there's no real hook here, due to the shallowness of the characters and the feeling that we know Chance will not only survive his assignments but nicely wrap up each case by the end of the hour.
But rather than suggest that the producers graft on a serialized plot, I'd instead urge them to deepen Chance's character and give the audience a reason for being invested in his particular situation. The pilot episode doesn't offer us an origin story for Chance and his cohorts, nor does it tell us why the story is picking up at this precise moment in time, which is a major misstep. Stories like this usually benefit from starting at the beginning (seeing Chance and Winston work together for the first time, for example) or by showing us these characters at a precise moment of change and upheaval in their lives.
We're told that Chance has a "death wish," but we don't really see why this is the case, which (as mentioned before) was at least touched on in the pilot script. If Chance is changing his M.O., taking unnecessary risks, and placing himself in danger needlessly, the writers had better show us why he's doing so, what his motivations are, and what's changed in his outlook. It's a disservice to the viewer, to the character, and to the series as a whole to do otherwise.
Human Target could be an action-packed adrenaline thrill-ride but it comes across as a little cold and stiff, thanks to the lack of humor here. Chance and Winston should be quick-witted verbal sparring partners, tossing off colorful quips with the speed of a semi-automatic, but instead they seem more like a bickering old couple. The series needs to be slicker, smarter, and craftier. The identity of the killer in the main assignment this week was painfully obvious to anyone who has ever watched a single television mystery, from CSI to Agatha Christie's Poirot, or read any detective novel. These cases need to keep the audience guessing and keep the action and tension high at all times, even as lightening the mood with some badinage.
Ultimately, unless Human Target can find the fun and funny in Chance's life both on and off assignment (and keep the mysteries of the week engaging, twisty, and surprising), there's no real hook here to keep viewers coming back week after week, making this series a likely target for termination.
Human Target launches in early 2010 on FOX. Continue reading full story...
A few days after the CW unveiled its fall primetime schedule, the netlet has release new teaser trailers for its upcoming series Melrose Place and Vampire Diaries.
The thirty-second spot for Melrose Place features swooping camera movements through the iconic apartment complex and voiceover from the characters about their dreams, fears, and dilemmas, before then showcases a series of quick-cut scenes from the pilot episode. Melrose Place will air Tuesdays at 9 pm ET/PT.
The promo for the Kevin Williamson-executive produced supernatural series Vampire Diaries, meanwhile, puts the action squarely on the relationship between teenager Elena (Nina Dobrev) and vampire Stefan (Paul Wesley), culminating in the first encounter between the two star-crossed lovers. Vampire Diaries will air Thursdays at 8 pm ET/PT.
The new promos for Melrose Place and Vampire Diaries can be found below.
Vampire Diaries:
Melrose Place and Vampire Diaries will launch this fall on the CW. Continue reading full story...
It's no surprise that ABC is dumping its new animated comedy The Goode Family in the hinterlands of summer.
I had the opportunity a few weeks ago to watch the first episode of this new series (which launches tonight) from creators Mike Judge (King of the Hill), John Altschuler, and Dave Krinsky, about a family of vegan do-gooders who are determined to leave the Earth a better place than they found it.
The good-intentioned family consists of father Gerald (Mike Judge), a college administrator, mother Helen (Nancy Carell), a community activist, sarcastic teenage daughter Bliss (Linda Cardellini), and adopted teenage son Ubuntu (Dave Herman), whom the Goodes believed was black when they adopted him from Africa. Now sixteen, he is still oblivious to the fact that he's actually white (he puts down African-American as his ethnicity on his driver's license form). And, oh, even the family's dog Che is a vegan, though the canine harbors an insatiable hunger for the neighborhood pets, stalking and killing most of the smaller animals around the town.
The Goode Family would have been a hell of a lot funnier five or ten years ago when political correctness was in full swing and the sort of observations about organic apples, fuel-efficiency, veganism, and fair trade would have seemed timely and sharp. Here, they seem to have about the same bite as Che's malnourished gums. There's a leaden feeling to The Goode Family that's further weighed down by the sensation that we're seeing a television series that should have aired years ago.
As it is, we've all heard these jokes now ten-thousand times before: the paper versus plastic dilemma at a global organics market (clearly subbing in for Whole Foods), the meat is murder/woven-hemp aesthetic of the vegan culture, the joys of biking to work versus conspicious fuel consumption of SUVs, the earnest confusion of whether to call someone "African-American" or a "person of color," and teens rebelling against their overbearing hippie parents by not having sex at all.
There's nothing particularly new or original about The Goode Family and the overwrought and unfunny jokes about green living and do-goodery fall particularly flat. (They also felt like clunkers on the page as well.) Which is a shame as Mike Judge has succeeded in the past at skewering social subsets with a gleeful abandon, but the same can't be said about The Goode Family, which just seems tired and worn, even in the first outing.
Nancy Carell's Helen bemoans the fact that it's "so hard to be good" not once but twice in the opening episode and I can't help but agree with her, especially in the case of predictable and unimaginative animated comedies like The Goode Family.
The Goode Family premieres tonight at 9 pm ET/PT on ABC.
You had the chance to read my advance review of the pilot episode of Mental, but I am curious to know what you thought of the pilot yourselves.
Did you fall for the charms of Dr. Jack Gallagher (Chris Vance) in this new medical drama series as he treats his patients with some rather unorthodox approaches? Did you think it was a little too similar to House territory? Were you taken in by the series' cast, including Jacqueline McKenzie, Annabella Sciorra, Derek Webster, Marisa Ramierez, and Nicholas Gonzalez? Or were you bored silly?
And most importantly: will you watch the series again next week? Talk back here.
Mental airs Tuesday nights at 9 pm ET/PT on FOX.
Channel Surfing: Westfeldt and Boyd Clock in for "24," Grillo-Marxuach Bound for "Day One," "Doctor Who" Feature in Development, "Buffy," and More
Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.
Jennifer Westfeldt (Grey's Anatomy) and John Boyd (The Notorious Bettie Page) have been cast in Day Eight of FOX drama series 24. Westfeldt will recur as journalist Meredith Reed, an ambitious writer who has ties to Middle East leader Arman Hashemi (Anil Kapoor), who arrives in the U.S. on a peacemaking mission. Boyd, meanwhile, will be a series regular and will play CTU analyst Jonah Schwartz. (Hollywood Reporter)
The Middleman creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach has joined the writing staff of NBC's upcoming sci-fi series Day One, where he will serve as writer/co-executive producer. Also joining the writing staff, according to series creator Jesse Alexander (who broke the news via Twitter): Kings' Erik Oleson, and Angela Kang. (io9)
BBC Films has confirmed that a big screen version of Doctor Who is being developed and that development of a script is currently underway. It's unclear whether inbound showrunner Steven Moffat or executive producer Russell T. Davies will write the feature film or if David Tennant or his replacement, Matt Smith, would play the Doctor. (Digital Spy)
Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello has contacted Joss Whedon for a reaction to the news that director/producer Fran Rubel Kuzui is planning a feature film reboot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Joss' noncommittal reply? "I hope it's cool," wrote Whedon via email. Ahem. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)
HBO will launch comedy series Hung, starring Thomas Jane, Jane Adams, and Anne Heche, on June 28th at 10 pm ET/PT, following an episode of True Blood. The first episode of Hung runs a lengthy 45 minutes while the subsequent installments will each run 30 minutes. (Variety)
The Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed has a hysterical cartoon jokingly depicting FOX executives deciding the fate of on-the-bubble sci-fi series Dollhouse and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles at gunpoint. (The Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)
BBC America will launch supernatural drama Being Human, about a werewolf, vampire, and ghost who live together, on Saturday, July 25th at 9 pm ET/PT. (Televisionary)
Bravo is developing reality spinoff The Real Housewives of Washington, D.C. and is said to be looking for "personalities who are among Washington, D.C.'s influential players, cultural connoisseurs, fashion sophisticates and philanthropic leaders -- the people who rub elbows with the most prominent people in the country," according to Bravo EVP/general manager Frances Berwick. Series, to be developed by Half Yard Productions, is expected to launch sometime in 2010. (via press release)
Al Pacino will star in an untitled HBO telepic about Dr. Jack Kevorkian. Set in the early 1990s, the film will follow Kevorkian (Pacino) as he creates the first assisted suicide machine and the resulting media frenzy. Project, written by Adam Mazer and based on Harry Wilie and Neal Nicol's biography "Between the Dying and the Dead," will be directed by Barry Levinson. (Variety)
ABC is following through on its plans to merge ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios into a single unit under president Steve McPherson. While the network is said to still be finalizing its "development chain of command," it's widely thought that Suzanne Patmore-Gibbs--who currently serves as EVP of drama development--would be promoted to become McPherson's second-in-command, leaving Channing Dungey to take over as the network's head of drama and Josh Barry to replace Dungey on the studio side. (Hollywood Reporter)
Carol Kane will reprise her Homicide: Life on the Street role as Gwen Munch, the ex-wife of Detective John Munch (Richard Belzer) in the June 2nd season finale of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The episode will also feature Nick Stahl (Carnivale), who will play Peter Harrison, an artist turned killer who has set his sights on one of the SVU team after he succumbs to mental illness and Kane's Gwen will have to help her ex-husband track him down. (via press release)
RelativityReal, the reality/alternative arm of Relativity Media, has signed a three-year overall deal with Wilmer Valderrama, under which he will create, develop, and executive produce series for both broadcast and cable networks. Valderrama is currently developing a half-hour telenovela Brooklyn Sound at MTV. (Variety)
Stay tuned.
Digital cabler BBC America has announced a launch date for supernatural drama series Being Human.
The six-episode series, which stars Russell Tovey (Doctor Who), Lenora Crichlow (Sugar Rush), and Aidan Turner (The Clinic), will kick off on Saturday, July 25th at 9 pm ET/PT.
BBC America won't be airing the original pilot episode for Being Human, which aired last year on BBC Three and--other than Tovey--featured an entirely different cast including Guy Flanagan, Andrea Riseborough, and Adrian Lester. While the pilot is considered canon, it wasn't included on the recent Region 2 DVD release for Being Human and isn't necessary viewing in order to understand--or enjoy--the series itself.
The full press release from BBC America and the original trailer for Being Human from BBC Three can be found below.
–The U.S. premiere of co-production, Being Human–
Mixing the mythic with the commonplace, the farcical with the horrific and the domestic with the epic, Being Human, a BBC AMERICA co-production, is a witty and extraordinary look into the lives of three twenty-somethings and their secret double-lives – as a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost. Russell Tovey (Doctor Who, The History Boys), Lenora Crichlow (Sugar Rush, Doctor Who) and Aidan Turner (The Clinic) star as housemates trying to live normal lives, despite their strange and dark secrets. Being Human premieres Saturday, July 25, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.
George (Russell Tovey) and Mitchell (Aidan Turner) work in anonymous drudgery as hospital porters. They lead lives of quiet desperation under the burden of a terrible secret—Mitchell’s a vampire and George a werewolf. Deciding to start life afresh and leave behind the dark side, they move into a house, only to find that Annie, the ghost of a woman killed in mysterious circumstances, haunts it. As the monster threesome deals with the challenges of their new life together, they’re united in their desire to blend in with their human neighbors.
By all appearances, George is a mild-mannered and geeky guy - except for one night a month when he’s a flesh-hungry, predatory werewolf. Mitchell is good-looking, laid-back and, unlike George, has an easy confidence with the ladies. But he’s also suffering withdrawal from the blood he craves. Annie (Lenora Crichlow) is chatty, insecure and desperate for company and now that death has separated them, she longs for her fiancé, who owns the house she haunts.
But with unwelcome intruders into their world, a threatened revolution from the vampire underworld and constant threats of exposure – on top of the day-to-day issues faced by young people – the only thing they may be able to rely on in their heightened world, is each other.
Being Human launches Saturday, July 25th at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America. Continue reading full story...
ABC's newest drama series Eastwick, which launches this fall, is the type of series where people are meant to be "serious" because they wear glasses.
Giving a new meaning to telegraphing rather than letting the plot unfold on its own, Eastwick--based on the 1987 feature film The Witches of Eastwick--tells the story of three women who are strangers to one another in the idyllic New England town of Eastwick. Each making a wish on a coin that seemingly magically appears in their presence, they unwittingly open the door to the return of an enigmatic figure into their midst. A figure whose arrival presages darkness, evil, and wanton destruction, along with sex, sex, sex.
But before that, there's the drinking of martinis, the discussion of menfolk, and some female bonding, making Eastwick something more akin to Lipstick Jungle with magical powers.
Rebecca Romijn (Ugly Betty) plays freethinking artist and single mother Roxie Torcoletti, a woman who is prone to jumping into bed with much younger men (like Matt Dallas' Chad) and sculpting fertility goddess statues. Lindsay Price (Lipstick Jungle) is deeply repressed local newspaper reporter Joanna Frankel, a woman who can't quite work up the nerve to ask her hunky co-worker Will (Dirt's Johann Urb) out on a date or ask her editor for a promotion. (Did anyone tell her she's lucky to have a media job in these dismal economic times?) And then there's Jamie Ray Newman (Veronica Mars), who plays devoted mother and wife Kat Gardener, a nurse whose marriage to the boozy, unemployed Raymond (Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian's Jon Bernthal) is on its last legs.
As for our trio, they are quickly bonded by circumstances out of their control, pushed together by the cone of power and they quickly let their hair down and become involved with this charismatic stranger, who changes their lives even as they discover access to abilities they didn't know they had. Roxie can see into the future via prophetic dreams and manages to come to the aid of her daughter Mia (Days of Our Lives' Ashley Benson) when she's nearly date-raped; Kat unleashes lightning to smite her husband Raymond when he threatens to divorce her and take their numerous kids; Joanna uses her mesmeric gaze to land that promotion and get Will to admit that he has feelings for her.
Rounding out the cast is Sara Rue, who plays Penny, Joanna's best friend and her co-worker at the paper, a dour woman who seems to have forgotten to get in line when they were handing out sympathetic qualities. I'm not sure how Penny fits into the larger picture but she uncovers evidence at the pilot's very end that indicates that Darryl Van Horne may not be who he claims to be.
The problem is that audiences will have likely lost interest by then. Eastwick, written by Maggie Friedman and directed by David Nutter, is the sort of series that tries way too hard by far to be likable, mixing its supernatural plot with discussions of vibrators and penis size, confusing predictable crassness for subversion.
But the real issue is that none of Eastwick's characters are remotely likable or compelling. In fact, some like Sara Rue's Penny and Jon Bernthal's Raymond are so irritatingly shrill and annoying that I wanted some divine intervention to smite them where they stood and then drop their ashes into that over-the-top fountain. The rest seem to be made up of the sort of cliches we find on female-skewing series that look to emulate the sort of feminine discourse made popular by Sex and the City.
Paul Gross tries his best as the seductive Darryl Van Horne but it's hard to separate his performance from that of Jack Nicholson's and Gross comes off as little more than a Nicholson manqué here. He's meant to be the Devil at his most magnetic but Gross' Van Horne is a little too stuck in the 1980s to be all that alluring. (Hell, Romijn's Roxie even makes a joke about his out-dated hairstyle.)
The three main actresses are all passable but none of them seem to be having a particularly good time. Price's Joanna comes across as equal parts frigid and socially awkward (hence the vibrator talk with Will) but then is transformed halfway through the episode into a vampish coquette able to get her way with everything. (She's actually far more likable when she's putting her foot in it.) Roxie dreams of being murdered and comes face to face with Jamie, the man responsible, at the episode's end. And Kat is tired of her husband's constant leeching and so moves the earth and opens up the heavens to strike him down. If this all unfolds just within the very first installment, how can the plot escalate?
It's hard to see just how much longevity this premise has. Now that Joanna and Penny know that Van Horne is an impostor by the end of the pilot and the women are all exhibiting fine-tuned use of their magical abilities, just where do we go from here? What is Season Four of this series? (Hell, what's Season Two?) Does Eastwick really have the legs to be an ongoing drama?
Perhaps if the dialogue were more clever and the writing less hackneyed, it would be easy to overlook the obvious flaws within Eastwick. But as it is, I found the pilot episode to be both cloying and grating and far less clever than it believes itself to be. No magic here, sadly.
Eastwick airs Wednesdays at 10 pm ET/PT this fall on ABC. Continue reading full story...
Sun Eggs and George Takei: The Horrors of the Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception on the Season Finale of Starz's "Party Down"
Was it just me or was Friday evening's season finale of Party Down ("Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception") absolutely hysterical and poignant in equal measure?
Throughout its first season, Party Down--which will return for a second season sometime in 2010--has proven itself to be a cutting social satire of the wannabe Hollywood set as it explores the morals and motivations of a group of cater-waiters hoping to move up a rung on the ladder of fame and fortune.
In episodes scripted by co-creator/executive producer John Enbom, this has typically taken a dark turn and Friday night's episode ("Stennheiser-Pong Wedding Reception"), which guest starred the always delightful Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) as Ron's catering nemesis Uda Bengt, was no exception, offering an installment that not only shocked and saddened but also made me giddy with excitement.
While Party Down attempted to cater a gay wedding this week, they discovered that they weren't the only caterers assigned to the event and soon had to contend with the Valhalla Catering Company, a group of attractive, black-garbed model-esque waiters overseen by the rigid and icy Uda Bengt (Kristen Bell). (Yep, butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.) But that's not the only problem. Ron is a total mess, having gone off the deep end and reverted back to his old habits of drinking, Roman is stuck directing guests' attention to the restroom sign and latches onto wedding guest George Takei, Casey awaits a call about a gig that could end her relationship with Henry, Bobbie (Jennifer Coolidge) is high on magic mushrooms (her description of lemons as "sun eggs" had me rolling on the floor), and Kyle is desperate to pitch himself to a producer at the event.
All of which leads to poor Henry having to take the reins of Party Down and keep everyone on track. Season One has largely been about Henry's path from former actor ("Are we having fun yet?") to full-time caterer, a move that he's been largely resistant to, even as he can't quite veer from this inevitable destination. But Henry does step up, organizing the color-coded appetizer trays, preventing George Takei from dying, keeping Ron under control and largely out of site, and shielding his employer from the suspicions of Alan Duk (Ken Jeong). And just like that, Henry suddenly is thrust into the role of responsible member of society, a team leader. In essence, Henry has now become Ron.
For everyone else, the party provides a bit of an escape, a last hurrah before their lives change forever. Casey accepts a six-month stand-up gig aboard a cruise ship (shudder), Kyle is so willing to do anything to get a role in a feature film that he agrees to do, well, anything (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), and Ron finally gets the seed money from Duk to start his very own Soup R' Crackers franchise. It's a series of changes that beautifully sets up a second season of the series and allows some actors to come and go.
I'm hoping, however, that they all--including Jane Lynch--return for another go-around as I'd hate to lose any of them. I think that it's pretty safe to say that Ron's Soup R' Crackers franchise will fail (especially now that Ron is back on the sauce) and he'll have to return to Party Down, likely reporting to team leader Henry, and Casey will return from what's bound to be a horrific cruise gig as well. Jennifer Coolidge's Bobbie St. Brown has been a fine fill-in for Jane Lynch's Constance Carmell but I'm hoping that Lynch can find time from her busy Glee-filled schedule to reprise her role as Constance next season.
Meanwhile, I have to say what a thrill it was to see Kristen Bell again on the small screen, particularly in scenes with her former Veronica Mars sparring partners Ryan Hansen and Ken Marino, the latter of whom played the despicable Vinnie Van Lowe on the short-lived Rob Thomas series. Bell brought a severe iciness to the role and we felt--painfully--just how much Uda manages to ruffle Ron's feathers. (Personally, I could see an entire series filling in the backstory between Uda and Ron when they worked together at Party Down.) And the way that Bell kept up her arctic demeanor even when hitting on Henry? Priceless. (Is there anything we can do to lure Bell back to a weekly series again? Anyone?)
All in all, this week's episode of Party Down was a fantastic season closer to a ten-episode run that has cemented Party Down as one of the hilarious and moving comedies on television today. I'm going to miss the deliciously loopy gang at Party Down and hope that Rob, John, et al can bring them back to the small screen sooner rather than later. In the meantime, I see a sun egg that requires my attention.
Party Down will return with a second season next year on Starz. Missed the first season? It's currently available for streaming on Netflix's Watch Instantly.
Dr. Jack Gallagher (Chris Vance) is willing to do anything and everything to help his patients?
How do we know this? Well, in the opening minutes of FOX's new mundane medical drama Mental, which launches tonight, we see Jack strip down to his birthday suit in order to connect with a naked patient suffering a break from reality. Yes, it's his first day as Director of Psychiatric Services at Wharton Memorial Hospital but, damn it, Jack is unorthodox and, let's just say it, committed.
Jack treats every patient like a puzzle that must be solved and he has a gift of getting into people's heads in order to understand them as human beings and then effectively treat the illness and not its symptoms. His nude display does him no favors with the rest of the hospital's staff, including his former lover and hospital administrator Nora Skoff (Annabella Sciorra), uptight Veronica Hayden-Jones (The 4400's Jacqueline McKenzie) who was passed over for Jack's position, attending physician Carl Belle (Derek Webster) whose calm exterior belies a deep hatred for Jack, lesbian doctor Chloe Artis (Marisa Ramierez), and womanizer Arturo Suarez (Nicholas Gonzalez).
I had the opportunity to watch Mental's first episode and what struck me right off the bat was just how completely different Colombia looks compared to Los Angeles. Shot on location in Colombia by Fox Television Studios, Mental is the first of a multi-series global co-production initiative to shoot entire seasons of new series in Latin America using American actors and then sell the completed series back in the United States. It's an ambitious gambit that could rewrite the rules of programming but I don't think that Mental is going to derail current business models any time soon.
All of which would be quibbling if the series itself were strong. But there's a clear reason why FOX has decided to air the tedious Mental in the traditionally programming-lite summer season rather than in season: Mental isn't a particularly strong series, full stop.
Sure, Chris Vance (Prison Break) does his best to please as the passionate and determined Jack Gallagher, going to far as to disrobe in front of his new staff and break into a patient's home (when caught, he tosses off a blatantly over-scripted bon mot about "making house calls") in order to get to the root cause of their current condition. But, unlike Gregory House, Gallagher tries too hard to be sympathetically quirky and just comes off as annoying rather than earnest.
Likewise, Jacqueline McKenzie, so fantastic as Diana Skouris on The 4400, does the best she can with the role she's given but Veronica is so unlikable and shrill that you almost start to hope that she can suffer her own mental breakdown just so she can get out of doing rounds. And Annabella Sciorra irks as well. She's keeping a secret from her fellow hospital staffers and she needs Jack on her side even as she fights off an ongoing sexual attraction to the dashing doctor. Yawn.
The rest of the cast is serviceable but hardly exciting. It's hard to actually think of them as fully formed characters, rather than barely sketched cliches who exist to share exposition. And that's perhaps the biggest flaw with Mental: it's snooze-inducing from start to finish. The glacial pacing and one-dimensional characters do nothing but call more attention to the fact that we've seen medical dramas built around nonconformist medical practitioners before and done, well, significantly better.
Ultimately, you'd be better off avoiding Mental, taking two Ambien, and calling me in the morning rather than wasting your time this summer with this uninspired series.
Mental launches tonight at 9 pm ET/PT on FOX. Continue reading full story...
Channel Surfing: "Buffy" Feature Sans Whedon, Tennant to Appear on "Sarah Jane Adventures," Sarah Chalke Uncertain about "Scrubs" Return, and More
Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.
Could Buffy be heading back to the big screen... sans Joss Whedon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, or any of the supporting talents that made the franchise a success? Sadly, yes, in what appears to be shaping up as one of the worst ideas of the year. Executive producers Fran and Kaz Kuzui, along with Vertigo Entertainment's Roy Lee and Doug Davison are said to be developing a reboot of the Buffy franchise. (Fran Rubel Kuzui directed the original Buffy feature.) However, said project would not involve characters like Willow, Xander, Angel, or Spike (or, indeed any of the above elements) and would instead focus on a new slayer and would kick off a new franchise. The producers are currently meeting with writers and have not reached out to Joss Whedon about any involvement with the project. (Hollywood Reporter)
David Tennant will star opposite Elisabeth Sladen in two upcoming episodes of Doctor Who spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures's third season. Reprising his role as the Doctor, Tennant will not just cameo but will play a leading role in a two-part episode when the series returns for its third season in September. "Viewers thought they may have to wait until November for the next full episode of Doctor Who, but this is an extra special treat," said executive producer Russell T. Davies. "And it's not just a cameo from David – this is a full-on appearance for The Doctor as he and Sarah Jane face their biggest threat ever." (BBC)
Sarah Chalke still hasn't made up her mind about whether she will reprise her role as Elliot on Season Nine of Scrubs, recently ordered by ABC. "I actually don't know yet what I'm going to do, but I will very soon. You guys will be the first to know. Regardless, I'm excited that the show got picked up again and it's going to go another year," Chalke, who stars in Lifetime's upcoming mini-series Maneater, told E! Online. ""I think the setup on Maneater kinds of lends itself to [an ongoing series] because you've got the close group of girlfriends, sort of a Sex and the City." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)
Reveille and Brillstein Entertainment have partnered to develop an unscripted series based on Twitter. Details are scarce but the project--to be executive produced by Amy Ephron, Kevin Foxe, Steve Latham, Mark Koops, Howard Owens, Jon Liebman, and Lee Kernis--is described as "putting ordinary people on the trail of celebrities in a revolutionary competitive format." (Variety)
Now that the dust has cleared after the network upfronts, it's clear who the real winner is this development season: studio Warner Bros. Television, who managed to sell a new series or have one renewed on every single broadcast network. Besides for NBC's Chuck, which got an eleventh hour renewal, the studio is behind such series as ABC’s Eastwick, Hank, The Forgotten, The Middle and V, Miami Trauma, Cold Case, and There Goes the Neighborhood at CBS, FOX’s Human Target and Past Life, and The CW’s Vampire Diaries, The Beautiful Life and Parental Discretion Advised, which will be co-produced with CBS Television Studios. "This season, it’s been very challenging," said WBTV President Peter Roth about the struggles the studio faced this year. "One network has five fewer hours of shelf space. The changing economic environment challenged every company. We are facing, most especially, the imperative to put on undeniable, can’t-miss, have-to-watch TV. It’s been a challenging year, perhaps more so than other years. I feel satisfied at least in terms of having been given our opportunities, a chance to get on the air with product I really believe in. The real test will be how many of these can be true long-term hits." (Broadcasting & Cable)
Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed takes a look at some of the timeslot competition this fall, rating such competitors as ABC's Desperate Housewives and CBS' Three Rivers, Fringe against Grey's Anatomy and CSI, Southland against Medium, Dollhouse, and Ugly Betty, and Flash Forward vs. Survivor, Bones, and NBC's comedies. (Hollywood Reporter's The Live Feed)
Season Two of Merlin, which is set to air on BBC One this fall, will feature guest stars such as Mackenzie Crook (The Office), Sarah Parish (Mistresses), Adrian Lester (Hustle), Charles Dance (Bleak House), and Santiago Cabrera (Heroes). The series, which will air its first season Stateside on NBC this summer, stars Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Anthony Head, Katie McGrath, Angel Coulby, Richard Wilson, and John Hurt. (BBC)
Former USA executive Lindsay Sloane has been named FOX's co-head of drama programming, where she will oversee the department with Terence Carter and report to Matt Cherniss. Sloane replaces Rachel Bendavid, who is leaving the network. "We've established the ideal team to lead the next generation of drama development at FOX," said Matt Cherniss, who called Sloane a "gifted scripted series development executive." (Variety)
Stay tuned.
