Good morning and welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. Like many of you out there, I'm bummed that my three-day weekend sailed by far too quickly... but am also thrilled that the fall TV season is finally upon us.
Digital Spy has a roughly 90-second trailer up for Merlin, which airs on BBC One and on NBC this winter and stars Colin Morgan, Anthony Stewart Head, Michelle Ryan, Richard Wilson, Katie McGrath, Bradley James, Angel Coulby, and Santiago Cabrera. (Digital Spy)
90210 mania is upon us with mere hours to go before the launch of 90210 2.0, as it were. EW.com has some behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty from their recent cover shoot. (Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch)
Shannen Doherty, meanwhile, sat down with the Los Angeles Times for a brief interview, in which she said that the sudden goodwill being directed towards her from the public "definitely feels good" and "also feels scary." (Los Angeles Times)
While most Americans know her best from her turn as Christina on Ugly Betty, Ashley Jensen won me over much earlier with her winning performance as Maggie Jacobs on HBO/BBC's Extras. She's up for an Emmy in the supporting actress (mini-series or movie) category and talks about the nomination, Extras, and what happens to Christina on Ugly Betty. (USA Today)
Nikki Finke claims that NBC wants to fire second-in-command Teri Weinberg and "hopes that Ben Silverman quits very soon." She says that Marc Graboff and Katherine Pope will take up the reins at the network. Silverman's contract is up in December, but he's said to be looking to secure a way out before then. (Deadline Hollywood Daily)
PBS has launched 40 half-hour episodes of kids program Sid the Science Kid from Henson's Creature Shop, which will produce the series via its new Digital Puppetry Studio, which uses a puppet motion-capture technology and applies it to CGI-derived characters and environments. (Hollywood Reporter)
MTV is launching a global HD service on September 15th. (Variety)
Stay tuned.
I don't know about you, but I was unable to fall asleep last night as the series finale of Extras, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's brilliant rumination on the fickle hand of fame, fortune, and success kept me thinking all night long. Living in Los Angeles and working in the industry, it's hard to escape the constant whiff of desperation that permeates this town.
It's only fitting that the dark Extras, Gervais and Merchant's follow-up to the groundbreaking comedy The Office, would end on such a depressing note. It is, after all, the only way that the story of actor/writer Andy Millman (Ricky Gervais), dim-witted hanger-on Maggie (Ashley Jensen), and pathetic agent Darren Lamb (Stephen Merchant) can end: with more than a few cringe-inducing laughs, some raw emotion, and the potential for redemption.
Over the course of twelve episodes and last night's feature-sized Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale, Gervais and Co. have given us an insightful look at the quixotic nature of success, diametrically opposed as it is with integrity, and a scathing look at how quickly those who find fame and fortune forget their roots and abandon the friends who stood by them in their salad years. Life is, as slick agent Tre Cooper (Adam James) reminds us, cruel.
Andy Millman is no different; when we last saw him he had created a stereotypically cheesy sitcom entitled When the Whistle Blows, in which he's forced to wear glasses and a stupid wig and shout a hackneyed catchphrase for six million people each week. As a piece of art, When the Whistle Blows couldn't be more different from Gervais and Merchant's The Office and yet there are intentional similarities as Andy claims to have based Whistle's Ray Stokes on a former employer (as Gervais had done with The Office's David Brent) and wishes to wrap up his hugely successful series after a brief time.
For Gervais, the decision to end The Office came with his willingness to let the series go out on a high note; such a decision has given the series an immortal place in the pantheon of great comedy. For Andy, however, it's an opportunity to move on to bigger and better things, to stop shouting catchphrases at "morons." He wants fame on his own terms; he wants to conflate fame, with all of its trappings (table at The Ivy, paparazzi stalkings, interviews and acting offers) with artistic success. Instead, he sells his soul to the fame-making machinery of pseudo-celebrity.
Looking to cut dead weight from his management team, Andy quickly fires Darren, a decision which pushes him and sycophant Barry (former EastEnders actor Shaun Williamson) to return to work at Carphone Warehouse, where in a nifty cameo, he is now working alongside... former EastEnders castmate Dean Gaffney (who played shrill Robbie Jackson before he was fired from the soap in 2003).
My heart broke for poor Maggie, who finally finds her courage and pride when she walks off a set after being cruelly insulted by Clive Owen (in a painful, if hysterical, scene). With no employable skills, talents, or experience, Maggie leaves behind her so-called "glamorous" life as an extra to become a cleaner, scrabbling about in the dirt for a few quid an hour, a lifestyle not wholly unfamiliar to her. In a series of sad vignettes, we see how far she's fallen: the happy-go-lucky girl has been replaced with a charwoman who in one incredible sequence goes from washing dishes in The Ivy to sitting down next to Andy seconds later in the same restaurant. It's no surprise that self-absorbed Andy has no idea what she's been up to or where her sad little bedsit even is.
Yet even after he's lost Maggie, Andy still hasn't learned the price of selling out, instead agreeing to appear on Celebrity Big Brother, where to his chagrin he discovers that he doesn't even recognize his fellow contestants, a sad display of celebrity whores, reality TV stars, and bargain-basement has-beens (oh and Lionel Blair). It's a scathing indictment of celebrity culture and allows Andy (and by dint Gervais himself) to offer an assessment of our cultural obsession with fame and how all of us--even Andy--should be ashamed of ourselves for even watching. And he tearfully makes amends with disgraced Maggie, finally answering her question about whether he'd rather be a penguin or a flying fish. It's a speech that finally garners Andy the respect he's so desperately sought and made him finally a true media darling. And that's when the man so famously mocked in song by David Bowie finally does something right and achieves redemption in this Christmas special: he walks out.
Needless to say, that final scene between Andy and best friend Maggie is one that will forever remain with me as the two drive off to the sea, laughing the way they used to, to find a place where no one knows who Andy Millman is. In the end, we do believe that Andy really is that penguin about to eat the flying fish. The world is, once again, his oyster... or can be once again. And so Andy and Maggie drive off into the future, whatever it might bring them, together.
If Extras has always been about two friends' canny desires to make it big, then it's only fitting that the series ends on a triumphant--if slightly downcast--note about the redemptive powers of friendship, integrity, and honesty. Extras is virtuoso storytelling at its very best, mining comedy from the mundane, to hold up a giant mirror to ourselves and our society. I'll miss Andy, Maggie, Darren and all the rest, but I can't imagine a better way to end this intelligent, witty, and scathing series.
Could the ubiquitous David and Victoria Beckham, subjects of an upcoming NBC reality special (read: backdoor pilot), turn up in the last ever episode of Extras?
British paper The Sunday Mirror has reported that the overbearing celebrity couple--who recently made the move to sunny Los Angeles so that hubby David Beckham could play for the LA Galaxy team--will play themselves in a cameo role in the Christmas special for Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's HBO/BBC series Extras.
Previously announced special will mark the end of the series for Extras, much in the same way that the Christmas special of The Office served as its series finale. (Sniffle, sniffle.)
The Beckhams would join George Michael, Madonna, and Clive Owen in the special, which will be written by Gervais and Merchant.
"Ricky is over the moon after getting confirmation from David and Victoria," an unnamed source told the Mirror. "He's still discussing how the Beckhams will appear, but they have indicated there is no limit to how silly they are prepared to look."
Really, there's no limit? Hmmm, maybe this unnamed source--said to be a "friend" of Ricky Gervais--hasn't seen Posh and Becks in their new NBC reality project?
The Extras Christmas Special is slated to air in two parts on BBC1 at Christmas and possibly later this year or next on HBO.
It had to happen sooner or later. Despite the fact that I've enjoyed every single second of Extras, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's follow up to The Office, I've always known that like its predecessor, this would not be a long running show.
The Office lasted 12 episodes and was wrapped up with a two-part special that tied up all of its loose ends, particularly the romance between Tim and Dawn. So I was curious to see what would happen if Gervais and Merchant actually created a third season of a show. But at the same time I knew the likelihood of Extras coming back for a third season (and outliving, as it were, The Office) was slim to none.
Sadly, we'll never know what a long-running Gervais and Merchant comedy would look like. The writing/producing/starring twosome have opted not to continue Extras, after all. Like The Office, the series will end with a special.
That special, unfortunately, doesn't have a date or casting in place. A spokesperson for the BBC added that the idea for the Extras conclusion was still in the early planning stages. However, Gervais and Merchant "will, at some point, sit down together and write it," she said. (Er, yeah.)
Personally, I think it's sad that the story of Andy, Maggie, and Darren is coming to a close so soon, just when the series really hit its stride in Season Two, with the arrival of When the Whistle Blows' wig, glasses, and catchphrase and some brilliant comedic gems from Ashley Jensen's Maggie and Stephen Merchant's Darren.
Here's to the memories, my friends.
Seriously, last night's episode of Extras may have been the most painfully funny episode of television since the original run of Ricky Gervais' The Office... with an emphasis on the painful part of that equation.
So, what new embarrassments did last night's episode, the fifth in the second season, bring us? There was the impromptu appearance of a former classmate of Andy's (played by guest star Jonathan Cake) who was blessed with the uncanny ability to chat up any woman effortlessly, leading Andy to try to steal his routine, involving the casual tossing and opening of a water bottle. Which would have been fine except for the fact that the bottle Andy grabbed was sparking water. The damned thing explodes in his hands and he stupidly, inanely, shoves the thing in his mouth. Yep, Andy, I am sure that woman will never forget you.
Meanwhile, Andy's hit BBC1 sitcom When the Whistle Blows continues its assault on the intelligence of Britons and he's taken to task by several critics for the inherent misogyny of the show but more for the fact that the series, even with its wigs, funny glasses, and catchphrases, is horrifically written. (This following on the heels of last week's cringe-worthy moment when Andy, Darren and Maggie accidentally break up a eulogy delivered by actor Richard Briers--Monarch of the Glen's much missed Hector--at the BAFTA awards, thanks to a talking Ray doll that won't stop uttering that ridiculous catchphrase, "Are you having a laugh?")
Sir Ian McKellen shows up to skewer himself this week and the knight of the realm is a great sport about it, chatting to Andy about how it is that he's such a great actor. Hint: it involves "pretending" to be the character and the dialogue comes from the script he's given. McKellan ends up casting Andy as one of the leads in a new play he's directing (Andy's trying to gain back some credibility in the acting world) but Andy's cast as one half of a gay couple. Leading to all sorts of uneasiness on Andy's part, especially when his old school chums show up on opening night and Andy decides he's not going to do the kiss that McKellen sprung on him five minutes before curtain. The result is truly train wreck television as Andy breaks character, warns his costar that he will pop him one if he tries to kiss him, and attempts to leave the stage... all in front of a live audience.
But the piece de resistance, as it were, is the completely awkward date between Ashley Jensen's Maggie and Stephen Merchant's Darren. After using Andy's classmate's trick of asking a girl out, he successfully scores a date with Maggie and invites her over to his apartment for dinner. But somehow these two dopes manage to hit it off with one another; Darren makes a delicious meal, the food is great, the conversation better, and the wine keeps flowing. That is, until the water in the lavatory stops flowing. Darren's next move is so painful to watch, so hilariously awkward, that it becomes the pinnacle of embarrassment in a series that filled with them. I can't do the scene justice in words but it needs, nay demands, to be seen. All I will say is that the sight of Maggie slinking off after Darren has produced a whisk and a plastic bag will forever remain with me.
It truly affirms the fact that writers Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant have their fingers on the pulse of what makes the audience uncomfortable, squeamish, and sympathetic, sometimes all at the same time. Consider them virtuosos of painful hilarity.
There's only one episode of Extras left and it looks to be a corker of an episode. Gervais, meanwhile, seems cagey about the possibility of another season of Extras, but I'd urge him to reconsider his hesitation. After all, twelve episodes (nearly the same amount, not including the Christmas Specials, as The Office's run) is not enough time to spend with these lovable loons. Here's to hoping that Gervais and Merchant eventually come round and bring the audience what we want: more humiliation for Andy, Maggie, and Co. If nothing else, it reminds us that our own lives are at least not that embarrassing after all.
What's On Tonight
8 pm: How I Met Your Mother/The Class (CBS); Deal or No Deal (NBC); Everybody Hates Chris/All of Us (CW); Wife Swap (ABC); 24 (FOX; 8-10 pm); Wicked Wicked Games (MyNet)
9 pm: Two and a Half Men/Rules of Engagement (CBS); Heroes (NBC); Girlfriends/The Game (CW); Supernanny (ABC); Watch Over Me (MyNet)
10 pm: CSI: Miami (CBS); Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (NBC); What About Brian (ABC)
What I'll Be Watching
8 pm: Everybody Hates Chris.
On tonight's episode ("Everybody Hates the Substitute"), Chris is held accountable for a much higher standard than his classmates by a new substitute teacher (guest star Orlando Jones), while Tanya realizes she can get whatever she wants by accusing Drew of hitting her.
8-10 pm: 24.
It's Day Six of 24. While FOX doesn't give us much in the way of previews, President Palmer (D.B. Woodside) while VP Noah Daniels (Powers Boothe) and Reed Pollack (Chad Lowe) seem to be more deeply involved with either the aftermath or the attack itself. Meanwhile, Gredenko and Fayed position the next threat.
I always get depressed when there's a series that I love watching that no one seems to talk about (or, hell, watch at all).
In this case, I'm talking about the second season of Ricky Gervais' follow-up to The Office, the mordantly hilarious comedy Extras, which recently launched on HBO.
Quick recap time: Gervais plays Andy Millman, a hapless extra, er, background artist who has been slaving away in obscurity for years and years with little hope of escaping a mindless life of drudgery and anonymity. (Hmmm, sounds like David Brent.) He's got a useless, boorish agent (played to great comic effect by co-creator Stephen Merchant, reunited here with his Office mate), no love life to speak of, and constant companion in his friend, the cute but clueless Maggie (played by Ashley Jensen, who has cleaned up and gone all glam as Christina on Ugly Betty.)
The second season has brought Andy a modicum of success in the form of a BBC workplace sitcom called When the Whistle Blows. Poor Andy envisioned a realistic look at the ennui and monotony of a group of factory workers (rather like, well, The Office) but thanks to massive interference from the hapless BBC execs controlling the purse strings he's wound up with a truly awful sitcom that would have felt dated 30 years ago. And to make matters worse, he's forced to destroy the character he created (based on a real-life person he knew) by wearing a terrible wig and over-sized glasses and uttering a mirthless catchphrase ("Is he having a laugh?") that losers in the pub ask him to repeat endlessly.
Somehow 6 million people tune in to the initial broadcast (a miracle which underlies the fact that the majority of the viewing public will watch anything, even Skating with Celebrities or When the Whistle Blows), but Andy's still getting heckled despite the ratings. Hell, he even manages, in last week's episode, to bore David Bowie to the point where he crafts a song about Andy called "Fatty Takes His Own Life." (Yes, it's just that depressing.)
Andy and Maggie are fantastic protagonists and one can't help but feel the genuine, well, pathetic connection between them. (And, no, before you ask, there's no hint whatsoever of any sexual tension between them.) While we all know what a comic genius Gervais is, Ashley Jensen is the true find here. In Jensen's hands, Maggie manages simultaneously to be frumpy and sexy, insightful and idiotic. She's the one constant in Andy's life, the Fool to his Lear, and she's always willing (perhaps too readily so) to reveal the truths that Andy dare not acknowledge.
I can't think of a better comedic pairing than these two. David Bowie might want Andy to end his miserable life, but as for me, I can't wait to see what tragicomedy Ricky Gervais cooks up for Andy and Maggie next.
"Extras" airs Sunday evenings at 7 pm ET/PT on HBO.
What's On Tonight
8 pm: Ghost Whisperer (CBS); 1 vs. 100 (NBC); WWE Friday Night SmackDown (CW; 8-10 pm); Grey's Anatomy (ABC); Nanny 911 (FOX); Wicked Wicked Games (MyNet)
9 pm: Close to Home (CBS); Las Vegas (NBC); Brothers & Sisters (ABC); Trading Spouses: Meet Your New Mommy (FOX); Watch Over Me (MyNet)
10 pm: NUMB3RS (CBS); Law & Order (NBC); 20/20 (ABC)
What I'll Be Watching
8 pm: Hardware on BBC America (11 pm ET).
It's the second season of Britcom Hardware, starring Martin Freeman of the original UK version of The Office, taking place at a small (you guessed it!) hardware store. On tonight's episode ("Nude"), Rex decides that one of his employees has to go after he realizes the shop is losing money, while Anne is approached by an artist looking for nude models.
8:30 pm: Spaced on BBC America (11:30 pm ET).
It's the second season of one of the wackiest Britcoms ever devised. On tonight's episode ("Mettle"), Tim and Mike make it to the finals of Robot Wars but their efforts are in vain as they are sabotaged by rivals; meanwhile, Brian is invited to do an art installation and Marsha joins him for some free booze.
10 pm: Hyperdrive on BBC America (9 pm ET)
On the second episode of this hilarious space station-set workplace comedy ("Hello, Queppu"), the HMS Camden Lock makes contact with an isolationist alien race but Teal destroys the flirtation brewing between Henderson and the alien princess when she imbibes too much of the local drink and lands them all in the clink.
10:40 pm: Feel the Force on BBC America (9:40 pm ET)
It's the US premiere of UK cop spoof Feel the Force. On tonight's episode, Frank and Bobbins get overlooked for a plum assignment, but Bobbins decides to stick her nose in anyway.
