Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. I will admit that I felt the loss not having a new installment of The Office to watch last night and I still have Episodes Two and Three (next week's episode) to watch of Ugly Betty, but I did laugh my butt off watching the one-hour It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia last night, which not only gave us Mac and Charlie faking their own deaths but the very odd sight of Mac in a pawn shop wedding dress. (Congrats, BTW, to Rob McElhenny, who wed his Sunny co-star Kaitlin Olson this week.)
While the ratings for the launch of Pushing Daisies, were not exactly as sweet as honey for ABC, fans of the brilliant series can look forward to, among other things, a cross-over with Bryan Fuller's tragically-missed Wonderfalls in the eighth episode of the current season, according to Fuller in an interview. Just what this means and which Wonderfalls characters have been cast (an interesting dilemma as Lee Pace starred on that series as well) remains to be seen. But I for one would love to see Caroline Dhavernas' Jaye Tyler show up... (iF Magazine)
Jesse L. Martin (Law & Order) has been cast in NBC's upcoming drama The Philanthropist, opposite James Purefoy who plays Teddy Rist, a wealthy billionaire playboy who uses his wealth and connections to help people in need. Martin will play Philip Maidstone, Teddy's business partner and close friend. Production is slated to begin soon in London though the network has reduced the series' initial 13-episode commitment by several segments. (Hollywood Reporter)
Steven Weber (Brothers & Sisters) will turn up on ABC's Desperate Housewives this season as the thrice-divorced college professor lover of Susan's adult daughter Julie (Andrea Bowen). Look for the duo to turn up on Wisteria Lane next month. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)
In other casting news, Wallace Shawn (The Princess Bride) has been cast in a multiple-episode arc on the CW's Gossip Girl, where he'll play the father of Serena's new boyfriend Aaron (Vanished's John Patrick Amedori) and a potential love interest for Blair's mother Eleanor. He'll first show up in the November 11th episode. (TV Guide)
Zeljko Ivanek will return for Season Two of Damages, despite shooting himself to death in the first season's penultimate episode. Ivanek, who won an Emmy last month for his amazing turn as Ray Fiske, will be making "several appearances" in Season Two... but something tells me that he won't be returning from the dead any time soon, unless Damages brings the Pie Maker to Hewes & Associates. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)
AMC is developing a sci-fi series based on Kim Stanley Robinson's novel "Red Mars," with writer/executive producer Jonathan Hensleigh (Armageddon), about the inhabitants of the first human colony on Mars. (Hollywood Reporter)
NBC has moved the premiere of its six-episode reality competition series Momma's Boys to this fall, airing in the Wednesdays at 9 pm timeslot vacated by America's Got Talent beginning October 29th. Lest you think that NBC isn't wedded to this concept--in which 32 women try to win over three bachelors and their all-important mothers--casting on the second season has already begun this week. (Variety)
USA Today's Robert Bianco reviews the CW's Sunday night lineup, which it leased out to Media Rights Capital. In a view that's hardly surprising, Bianco says that all of the series are "missable"
and goes on to say that Valentine is "badly cast and sadly inept." Ouch. (USA Today)
ShineReveille International has come on board to distribute NBC's upcoming reality series Howie Do It, executive produced by and hosted by Howie Mandel (Deal or No Deal). Let's just hope that it's better than Mandel's performance at the Emmys last month. (Hollywood Reporter)
Channel Surfing: "Wonderfalls" Crossover Slated for "Pushing Daisies," Jesse L. Martin Donates to "Philanthropist," "Desperate Housewives," and More
Channel Surfing: Fichter and Stringfield Are "Night and Day," CBS Renews "Flashpoint," Emmys, Muppets, "Doctor Who," and More
Welcome to your Monday morning television briefing.
I had a wonderful if busy weekend which--not atypically--revolved around television. The wife and I attended Saturday's BAFTA/LA TV Tea Party and shared more than a few Pimm's Cups with Flight of the Conchords, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, 90210 executive producer Gabe Sachs, The Office's Kate Flannery, Leslie David Baker, and Creed Bratton, Mad Men's Rich Sommer, Aaron Staton, and Michael Gladis, The Riches' Noel Fisher, 30 Rock's Scott Adsit, Battlestar Galactica babe Tricia Helfer, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles' Thomas Dekker, Jeff Garlin, and many, many others. (Fun, to say the least.)
Reaction to this year's Emmy Awards--the 60th installment--wasn't quite what producers likely intended, with many critics--myself included--lashing out at the format, the hosts, and the distinct lack of scripted funnies. (Televisionary)
FOX has given a script order to workplace comedy The Station, about the employees of a covert CIA office in South America, from writer Kevin Napier, Fox Television Studios, and Red Hour Films' Ben Stiller, Jeremy Kramer, and Stuart Cornfeld. (Variety)
In other FOX news, the network has given a series order to Sam Baum's procedural drama Lie to Me, starring Tim Roth, Brendan Hines, Monica Raymund, and Kelli Williams. Project, from 20th Century Fox Television and Imagine Television, is about the fractious partnership between a former police officer who is a "human lie detector" (an expert in reading facial and body language that gives away deception) and a female clinical psychologist as they solve Washington-based crimes. I'm usually not a fan of procedurals but I found this to be a really compelling, interesting twist on a familiar crime-solving formula and a cracking script.
William Fichtner (Prison Break) and Sherry Stringfield (ER) have been cast in TNT drama pilot Night and Day from writers/executive producers Joel Surnow (24) and Todd Robinson. Project follows Dan Hollister (Fichtner), a middle-aged agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms who works for a special intervention task force as he finds himself drifting towards retirement age and dealing with upstarts half his age. Stringfield will play his wife Elizabeth, a stay-at-home mom. Night and Day will be in second position to Prison Break for Fichtner, whose deal expires at the end of the current season. (Hollywood Reporter)
Uma Thurman, Jesse L. Martin, and Jane Krakowski have signed on to appear in NBC holiday special Letters to Santa—A Muppets Christmas, which is slated to air December 17th. Previously announced participants include Whoopi Goldberg, Richard Giffiths, Tony Sirico, and Steve Schirripa. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)
CBS has renewed cop drama Flashpoint, which it co-produces with Canadian network CTV, for a second season; series hit a season high on Thursday night and gained 18 percent in the key demo over the last two weeks. No decision whether the 13 episodes will air during midseason or summer; production on Season Two begins in early 2009. (Variety)
In the resolution to one of the worst kept secrets in the entertainment industry, BBC drama czar Jane Tranter will move to Los Angeles to take a position as EVP of programming and production at BBC Worldwide, working alongside Paul Telegdy to oversee the company's North American production activities in LA and New York beginning January 1st. (Televisionary)
MTV has ordered Sex... With Mom and Dad, a sex-themed series for teenagers and their parents, featuring Dr. Drew Pinsky, who will help teens and/or their parents deal with issues related to sex, dating, and relationships. Series launches September 29th at 9 pm. (Hollywood Reporter)
Kathy Griffin has signed on for a fifth season of her Bravo reality series My Life on the D-List, following unsubstantiated rumors that the series would defect--like Project Runway--to cable rival Lifetime. (Variety)
Outbound Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies has said that he would consider returning to the franchise if a feature film is greenlit. "I'd be very interested in going back for it," said Davies, who said the project will happen one day. "I think it could be lovely and could work as an idea. They did one in the 1960s and that worked and it didn't affect the TV series at all." (Digital Spy)
Sorry, GE, Rupert Murdoch has said that he's not interested in acquiring NBC or even smaller parcels of it though he does admire USA for being a "mature channel" that "makes a lot of money." (Hollywood Reporter)
Jennie Garth might not be appearing in any additional segments of 90210 after her original six episode commitment. "Nothing's confirmed at this point," said Garth. "It's still totally up in the air." Hmmm... (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)
Stay tuned.
Channel Surfing: ABC Finds Possible Companion for "Lost," Sci Fi Searches in "Warehouse 13," "Heroes," and More
Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. I spent last night holding my sides from laughing so much during the season premiere of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (more on that in a bit) and was on the edge of my seat watching the much anticipated season premiere of The Amazing Race (which kicks off on CBS on September 28th).
Sci Fi has ordered 11 additional episodes of sci-fi dramedy Warehouse 13, which already shot a two-hour backdoor pilot earlier this year. Series, about Secret Service agents tasked with protecting a top secret South Dakota storage facility that contains a seemingly endless supply of supernatural artifacts (hint: like the TARDIS, the place is bigger on the inside), stars Eddie McClintock (Bones), Joanne Kelly (Vanished), CCH Pounder (The Shield), and Saul Rubinek (Blind Justice). Look for Warehouse 13--from writer/executive producer David Simkins, writers Brent Mote and Jane Espenson, and Universal Cable Prods.--to air in July 2009 as a companion series to the net's Eureka. (Variety)
ABC has found a possible companion for Lost in Threshold's David S. Goyer and Brannon Braga's spec script Flash Forward, about what happens after everyone in the world blacks out for two minutes and 17 seconds and experiences a vision of the world's future. Project, originally developed at HBO, is based on a Robert J. Sawyer novel. Goyer will direct the pilot and executive produce with Braga, Jessika Borsiczky Goyer, Vince Gerardis, and Ralph M. Vicinanza. ABC Studios is in negotiations to produce Flash Forward. (Hollywood Reporter)
Jonathan Goldstein (Old Christine) will serve as an executive producer on FOX's space-set single-camera comedy pilot Boldly Going Nowhere, from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia creators/stars Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, and Charlie Day. Project is about the lazy crew of a wayward spaceship in the distant future. (Variety)
NBC has confirmed that Oprah Winfrey will appear in the November 6th episode of 30 Rock.
Heroes' Tim Kring admits that the downtime following the start of the writer's strike last year was a good thing for the series. "We don't really get a break," said Kring," so the time off creatively helped us." He admits that it allowed for the creative team to be reinvigotated and that Season Three may pacify fans frustrated with the twins storyline and Hiro being trapped in feudal Japan. What else should fans expect for Season Three? Find out here. (Associated Press)
In other FOX news, the network has given a cast-contingent pilot order to single-camera comedy Save Us Then the Whales from Sameer Asad Gardezi (Mind of Mencia) about a middle-aged nonprofit organization staffer who "approaches the world of fundraising as if he's bartering at a Moroccan bazaar," which irks the idealistic co-director of the organization. (Hollywood Reporter)
Wade Allain Marcus (The American Mall) has joined the cast of Gossip Girl as Max, a manipulative 19-year-old photographer with ties to Manhattan's fashion and art scenes. I can only venture a guess and say that he'll likely be a potential love interest for one Miss Jenny Humphrey though I wouldn't mind it if he manipulated Vanessa right off of the series. (Hollywood Reporter)
Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings) will lead a cast that includes Andrew Garfield (Doctor Who), David Morrissey (State of Play), and Paddy Considine (Hot Fuzz) in Red Riding, a new three-part series for UK's Channel 4 that will adapt David Peace's novel trilogy about life--and its inherent struggles of morality and human nature--in Yorkshire in the 1970s and 1980s. (Digital Spy)
Stay tuned.
What's On Tonight
8 pm: Ghost Whisperer (CBS); America's Toughest Jobs (NBC); Friday Night SmackDown! (CW; 8-10 pm); America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC; 8-10 pm); Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? (FOX)
9 pm: NUMB3RS (CBS); Dateline (NBC; 9-11 pm); Don't Forget the Lyrics (FOX)
10 pm: NUMB3RS (CBS); 20/20 (ABC)
What I'll Be Watching
Um, I think I'll just go out instead...
Channel Surfing: "Lost" Resurrects a Dead Character; Some Life Still Left in Rob Thomas' "Good Behavior," and More
Good morning and welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.
Everyone wanted to talk about yesterday's announcement that ABC had picked up five series (three dramas and two half-hour comedies) and had seemingly passed over Rob Thomas' Good Behavior (based on the Kiwi series Outrageous Fortune). But there's still hope for the Catherine O'Hara-led dramedy. ABC says that it hasn't yet made a decision on Good Behavior, half-hour comedy Never Better (starring Damon Wayans), or the untitled legal drama from David Hemingson (the script of which I quite enjoyed)... and it still has yet to screen Prince of Motor City and Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas. Keep your fingers crossed, Rob Thomas fans. (Variety)
SPOILER ALERT! Lost will resurrect--for one episode, anyway--one of its dead characters, likely as a flashback, vision, or ghostly apparition. And, no, it's not Artz. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)
Why does Battlestar Galactica seem to be gaining in viewer popularity even as its Nielsen ratings seem to be plummeting? (Associated Press)
Survivor fans will have to wait a week for the launch of Survivor: Gabon -- Earth's Last Eden. CBS has delayed the start of the latest Survivor iteration for a week, shifting the premiere to September 25th.
CTV has renewed cop drama Flashpoint--starring Enrico Colantoni, Hugh Dillon, and Amy Jo Johnson--with new episodes to appear sometime in 2009... but CBS, which airs the series in the States, has only committed to one season of the drama thus far. (The Globe and Mail)
A stack of casting notices: Megalyn Echikunwoke (The 4400) has been upped from recurring status to series regular on CBS' CSI: Miami, where she plays medical examiner Dr. Tara Price; Jill Flint (Six Degrees) has been cast in USA's dramedy pilot Royal Pains opposite Mark Feuerstein; Anjelah Johnson and Juliette Goglia will co-star in the untitled Dave Caplan comedy pilot for TBS with Valerie Bertinelli; and Jared Kusnitz and G Hannelius will appear in the CW's Media Rights Capital comedy Surviving Suburbia as the kids of Steve (Bob Saget) and Anne (Cynthia Stevenson). (Hollywood Reporter)
Marvel superheroes are hitting the small screen... in Japan, at least. The comic book publisher has signed a deal with Madhouse to create several series based on their popular stable of superheroes, the first four of which will launch in 2010. Characters, such as Wolverine and Iron Man, will be tweaked with new looks and histories that touch upon Japanese culture and history. (Variety)
Mario Lopez will host live music competition series MTV's Top Pop Group on, well, MTV. Series is set to launch on Thursday, September 11th, though you can catch a casting special on August 28th. (Futon Critic)
Lifetime has ordered three unscripted programs for daytime: 20-episode half-hour cooking series Mom's Cooking (launching in December as a strip); five half-hour episodes of Lisa Williams, featuring the famous psychic in a reformatted version of Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead to launch as a week-long special event in October; and Fat Friends, a docuseries launching in January that follow a group of five California friends as they try to lose weight together before one of their number gets married. (Hollywood Reporter)
Fremantle has signed a two-year overall deal with America's Got Talent executive producer James Sunderland to continue in his current role on the NBC reality series and develop original series for the distributor. He's also developing the untitled Osbourne family variety series for FOX. (Variety)
Stay tuned.
What's On Tonight
8 pm: NCIS (CBS); America's Got Talent (NBC; 8-10 pm); Smallville (CW); Wipeout (ABC); House (FOX)
9 pm: Big Brother 10 (CBS); Reaper (CW); Wanna Bet (ABC); House (FOX)
10 pm: CBS News: Democratic National Convention (CBS); Dateline (NBC); Vote 08 (ABC)
What I'll Be Watching
8:40-9:20 pm: Gavin & Stacey on BBC America.
If my gushing review of this bittersweet (yes, it's literally bitter AND sweet) comedy wasn't enough, why not tune in yourself to see just how wonderful the brainchild of writer/co-stars Ruth Jones and James Corden really is? On tonight's series premiere, Gavin and Stacey finally plan to meet face to face in London after months of phone conversations and their best friends Smithy and Nessa tag along to provide moral support.
10 pm: Million Dollar Listing on Bravo.
I can't look away, no matter how hard I try...
In a flurry of ordering activity, ABC has granted series orders to no less than five projects today.
The Alphabet handed out series orders to procedural mystery series Castle, Rob Thomas' update of romantic dramedy Cupid, and cop drama The Unusuals.
Castle, which stars Nathan Fillion (Firefly), is about a womanizing horror novelist who assists the New York Police Department with crime-solving. Project, from ABC Studios, was written by Andrew Marlowe and is executive produced by Marlowe, Laurie Zaks, and Armyan Bernstein. Pilot was directed by Rob S. Bowman (The X-Files) and also stars Stana Katic (24), Monet Mazur (The House Bunny), Molly Quinn (Walk Hard), Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Law & Order), and Susan Sullivan (The Nine).
(Yes, it is Captain Tightpants himself. I wasn't crazy about the pilot script but think that Fillion will bring a certain je ne sais quoi to the role. And rest assured, I am trying to get my hands on the completed pilot.)
Rob Thomas' update of his own shortlived CBS dramedy Cupid, has also been ordered to series. It stars Bobby Cannavale (The Station Agent) as Trevor Hale, a man who is either mentally insane or the actual living Eros himself; Sarah Paulson (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) plays Dr. Claire Allen, a psychologist assigned to monitor Trevor as he is released from psychiatric care... who happens to be writing a book that could use Hale as a case study. Cupid also stars Camille Guaty (Prison Break) and Rick Gomez (What About Brian). The pilot was directed by Bharat Nalluri (Life on Mars).
Also on deck: Sony's The Unusuals, which is a cop drama (with some comedic elements) that uses the listings of yesterday's crimes (in police parlance, "the unusuals") as a procedural entry to the story. Project stars Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia), Harold Perrineau (Lost), Joshua Close (The Pacific), Adam Goldberg (Entourage), Terry Kinney (Canterbury's Law), Monique Gabriela Curnen (The Dark Knight), Kai Lennox (40 Days and 40 Nights), and Jeremy Renner (The Oaks). Project was written by Noah Hawley and executive produced by Peter Tolan (Rescue Me); pilot episode was directed by Stephen Hopkins (Californication).
UPDATE: ABC has now also given series stripes to two half-hour comedies, Single With Parents and Better Off Ted.
Single With Parents (formerly known colloquially as the untitled Kristin Newman comedy), from ABC Studios and Dreamworks, is a single-camera comedy about a woman forced to deal with her dysfunctional family, friends, and boss. It stars Alyssa Milano (My Name is Earl), Beau Bridges (My Name is Earl), Amanda Detmer (What About Brian), Meagen Fay (How I Met Your Mother), Annie Potts (Men in Trees), and Eric Winter (Viva Laughlin).
The Alphabet has also granted a series order for single-camera workplace comedy Better Off Ted, from 20th Century Fox Television, about the employees of a corporation that manufactures everything from, say, light bulbs to weapons. From writer/executive producer Victor Fresco (Andy Richter Controls the Universe), it stars Jay Harrington (Desperate Housewives), Andrea Anders (The Class), Portia de Rossi (Arrested Development), Malcolm Barrett (Side Order of Life), and Jonathan Slavin (Andy Richter Controls the Universe).
Stay tuned.
Good morning and welcome to your Monday television briefing.
Steven Moffat, who has taken over the reins at Doctor Who from Russell T. Davies, has said that he wouldn't rule out a feature film spin-off of Doctor Who so long as it didn't interfere with production on the series itself. "It would be good to see it in the cinema so long as it was great and fantastic," said Moffat, speaking at the Edinburgh International Television Festival. "But a film is on [for] 90 minutes and that is not as important as the series. But so long as it doesn't get in the way of the show we could do it. If it got in the way of the show that would be appalling." The series itself has already had two feature spin-offs in the 1960s: Doctor Who and the Daleks and Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 AD, both of which starred Peter Cushing as the Doctor. (The Guardian's Organ Grinder)
There's a fantastic interview with J.J. Abrams about his new FOX drama Fringe and about the differences in telling stories with self-contained episodic storylines like Fringe and the Byzantine plots of series like Lost and Alias. "I just got tired of hearing people say to me, over and over, ‘Yeah, I was watching it, but I missed one, I got really confused, and I stopped watching it,’” Abrams said in a recent phone interview. He goes on to discuss just went wrong with Alias. And no it wasn't the giant orange floating ball that was supposedly Rambaldi's endgame. (New York Times)
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times has interviewed Shawn Ryan about the end of The Shield, which kicks off its seventh and final season next month. Ryan, of course, was on the picket line when the series finale of the series he created (which launched FX as a destination for quality drama) was shot, as was the pilot for the doomed FOX supernatural series The Oaks (which never made it to air), which Ryan was on board to produce. He talks about his decision to view pencils down as a refusal to perform editing duties as well as writing services, the end of The Shield, and the strike itself. (Los Angeles Times)
If that weren't enough interviews for you, here's one with The Office's Rainn Wilson about his role in the feature film The Rocker and, of course, Dwight Schrute. (New York Daily News)
James Cromwell (24) has been cast in NBC's new drama series My Own Worst Enemy, where he'll be playing the enigmatic head of a covert government agency that is tinkering with Christian Slater's dual-identity husband/superspy Henry/Edward. Does he play the head of Janus (i.e., Mavis' mysterious employer)? Only time will tell. Cromwell joins a cast that includes Christian Slater, Madchen Amick (herself turning up in several episodes of Gossip Girl next season), Saffron Burrows, Mike O'Malley, and Alfre Woodard. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)
FOX will be streaming the series opener of Fringe and the season premiere of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles online... if you're a college student, that is. Users who log onto Fox.com from college-based .edu domains will be able to watch a simul-stream of the opener of Fringe and Sarah Connor at the same time as they launch on-air, as well as behind-the-scenes footage, cast interviews, and music videos. It's a novel concept, but why wouldn't students just, er, watch the episodes on the linear channel? (Variety)
In other fall launch news, FOX and CBS will respectively not air the original pilots for comedy Do Not Disturb and drama Eleventh Hour until later in the season. Instead, the networks will air subsequent episodes when they launch Do Not Disturb on September 10th and Eleventh Hour on October 9th. Having already seen both of these pilot episodes, I can honestly say that the networks are making the right decision as both were just awful. (Futon Critic)
Lifetime has given a six-episode order to reality competition series Blush: The Search for America's Greatest Makeup Artist, to launch in November as a potential companion for its poached Project Runway. Series, produced by IMG, will follow eight makeup artists as they live together in LA and compete for a one-year contract with Max Factor, $1,000 in cash, and the opportunity to style a magazine cover shoot. (Variety)
Paris Barclay (ER) has been promoted to executive producer on HBO's In Treatment; he'll direct at least ten episodes of the therapy drama next season. (Hollywood Reporter)
ABC has announced the cast for the latest iteration of reality competition series Dancing With the Stars, which kicks off on September 22nd. Susan Lucci, Toni Braxton, Lance Bass, Cloris Leachman, Kim Kardashian, Ted McGinley, Brooke Burke, NFL champ Warren Sapp, Olympic athletes Misty May-Treanor and Maurice Greene, chef Rocco DiSpirito, Cody Linley (Hannah Montana) and comedian Jeffrey Ross will compete for the top spot. (Variety)
Songwriter Kara DioGuardi will join American Idol as a new judge for Season Eight, alongside Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson. (Variety)
Stay tuned.
What's On Tonight
8 pm: The Big Bang Theory/How I Met Your Mother (CBS); Deal or No Deal (NBC); Gossip Girl (CW); High School Musical: Get in the Picture (ABC); Prison Break (FOX)
9 pm: Two and a Half Men/New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS); America's Toughest Jobs (NBC); One Tree Hill (CW); Samantha Who?/Samantha Who? (ABC); Prison Break (FOX)
10 pm: CBS News: Democratic National Convention (CBS); Dateline (NBC); Vote 08 (ABC)
What I'll Be Watching
8 pm: Gossip Girl.
Looking to relive the freshman season of the teen soap? On tonight's first season finale ("Much 'I Do' About Nothing"), Blair comes to Serena's defense and faces off with Georgina Sparks (Michelle Trachtenberg); Lily prepares for her wedding but can't stop thinking about Rufus; and Serena finally tells Dan what's really going on with her.
10 pm: Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations on Travel Channel.
This week on No Reservations, Tony travels to Egypt, one of the oldest civilizations on Earth and spends some time with locals in order to get an understanding for what it means to be Egyptian.
10 pm: Weeds on Showtime.
On this week's episode of Weeds ("Head Cheese"), Nancy deals with the aftermath of Shane's exploits and another confrontation with Guillermo; Celia tries to find a new rehab facility; Doug and Maria's relationship hits the skids and they turn to Andy for help; Silas' new business is growing too fast.
More behind-the-scenes drama at NBC.
Following the departure a few months back of showrunner Tom Fontana on upcoming midseason drama The Philanthropist (which BSG co-creator David Eick was brought in to oversee), yet another behind-the-scenes change is occuring on another new drama series.
Jason Smilovic (Kidnapped, Bionic Woman) will be stepping down as showrunner on the upcoming fall drama series My Own Worst Enemy, starring Christian Slater, Alfre Woodard, Saffron Burrows, Yara Martinez, and Mike O'Malley, though the Peacock is quick to say that he'll still be involved with the series and will, according to The Hollywood Reporter "continue to be the creative force behind the series and will navigate it with" his replacement, John Eisendrath.
Eisendrath (K-Ville, Alias), a co-executive producer on My Own Worst Enemy, is said to be in talks with NBC brass about becoming the series' new executive producer/showrunner.
The move comes as production is about to wrap on My Own Worst Enemy's pilot episode with director David Semel (Heroes). NBC ordered the project to series last May without shooting a pilot and I can't help but wonder if that process created some unexpected creative challenges and led them to rethink their order-off-paper strategy that categorized this year's development cycle at NBC.
Personally, I still think that the pilot process has a lot of merit and allows networks and studios to tweak elements that may not have worked in the pilot (casting, script, etc.) before going to series and battling the clock to get it exactly right in time to air.
My Own Worst Enemy is set to launch on October 13th at 10 pm ET/PT on NBC.
What's On Tonight
8 pm: Greatest American Dog (CBS); America's Got Talent (NBC); America's Next Top Model (CW); Wife Swap (ABC); So You Think You Can Dance (FOX; 8-10 pm)
9 pm: Criminal Minds (CBS); Baby Borrowers: Lessons Learned (NBC); Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious (CW); Supernanny (ABC)
10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Law & Order (NBC); Primetime (ABC)
What I'll Be Watching
9 pm: Project Runway on Bravo.
Season Five (the final season on Bravo) of Project Runway continues tonight. On tonight's episode ("Rings of Glory"), designers are challenged with designing sport outfits for the Olympic Games and are judged by Olympic medalist/Dancing with the Stars winner Apolo Anton Ohno.
Speaking Friday at the Television Critics Association, Showtime made a host of programming announcements, the most salient of which is its renewal of its Mary-Louise Parker dark comedy series Weeds, and handed out some series orders.
The pay cabler has renewed Weeds for two additional seasons of 13 episodes a piece. Which means that the series will air its fifth and sixth seasons--which follow the misadventures of suburban pot-dealing mom Nancy Botwin (Parker) and her eccentric associates and family members--in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
Weeds is currently airing its fourth season on Monday nights at 10 pm ET/PT.
Showtime handed out series honors to the untitled Edie Falco comedy pilot, which will now officially be known as Nurse Jackie. (The name follows a series of name changes over the last few years for this long-dormant project, including Nurse Jenna, Nurse Mona, and Nurse Helen.) Edie Falco will star in the half-hour comedy series about a tough-as-nails Manhattan nurse who does whatever she has to in order to make it through the day, while she harbors a few secrets of her own.
I have to say that the most recent draft of the script for Nurse Jackie--from writers Lix Brixius, Linda Wallem, and Evan Dunsky was one of the strongest pilot scripts I've read in a long, long time, effortlessly creating an entire world for Jackie at the hospital, a collection of intriguing and compelling supporting characters for Falco to work with, and with Jackie herself, an incredibly complicated and layered character.
The cast of Nurse Jackie, which is set to launch next spring, includes Falco, Merrit Wever, Paul Schulze, Peter Facinelli, Anna Deavere Smith, Eve Best, and Haaz Sleiman.
Meanwhile, the Toni Collette-led comedy The United States of Tara about a suburban housewife with multiple personalities--from creator/executive producer Diablo Cody (Juno)--is set to bow in early 2009.
And fans of The L Word can rejoice. In addition to eight episodes slated to air in 2009, Showtime has ordered an untitled spinoff of The L Word featuring one of the series' main characters. No word on who will anchor this spinoff series yet, but fans can start buzzing about who this might be.
Stay tuned.
What's On Tonight
8 pm: The Big Bang Theory/How I Met Your Mother (CBS); American Gladiators (NBC); Gossip Girl (CW); High School Musical: Get in the Picture (ABC); Bones (FOX)
9 pm: Two and a Half Men/New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS); Nashville Star (NBC); One Tree Hill (CW); Wanna Bet (ABC); House (FOX)
10 pm: CSI Miami (CBS); Dateline (NBC); The Mole (ABC)
What I'll Be Watching
8 pm: Gossip Girl.
Looking to relive the freshman season of the teen soap? On tonight's repeat episode ("A Thin Line Between Chuck and Nate"), Gossip Girl reports that Serena is seen purchasing a home pregnancy test before the facts are checked. But if the test isn't for S., then who is it for?
10 pm: Anthony Bourdain: No Reservation on Travel Channel.
This week, Tony heads to Saudi Arabia, where he meets up with Danya, a superfan selected by a worldwide search, to get a taste of the real Saudi.
10 pm: Weeds on Showtime.
On this week's episode of Weeds ("Excellent Treasures"), Nancy finds herself in deeper trouble than before, Silas flirts with a new crush, and Isabel moves.
10: 30 pm: Secret Diary of a Call Girl on Showtime.
On tonight's episode, Belle meets a guy that she likes but he's not a client, a conflict that could cause some issues for Hannah. If you're not watching this frothy, fun series, you are definitely missing out.
FOX has given a thirteen-episode order for midseason drama Lie to Me and secured the talents of a sought-after A-list British actor as the series' lead.
Tim Roth, currently on screen in theatres in The Incredible Hulk (and Michael Hanke's Funny Games) has been cast as the lead in Lie to Me, in which he'll play Dr. Cal Lightman, a scientific researcher who specializes in the field of lie detection and is able to discern mendacity by noticing facial, vocal, and bodily expressions and movements and assists various government agencies in Washington D.C. with ongoing investigations.
Unfortunately, Lightman can't turn off his particular brand of observation and unfortunately applies his own lie detection skills to the personal relationships in his own private life.
Project was created by Sam Baum (The Evidence) and the pilot episode will be directed by Robert Schwentke (The Time Traveler's Wife; Flightplan); shooting begins in August.
I was really impressed with the script for Lie to Me when I read it earlier this year and I think that Roth will be absolutely perfect as Lightman. The series is completely procedural but the use of natural human lie detection--based on actual, real-life scientific fact--gives the crime-solving drama an interesting twist, one we haven't seen before in primetime US television.
Lie to Me could be a natural fit for FOX, which has had success with crime drama Bones and, if it can get this procedural-hesitant viewer to breeze through the pilot script with interest, that's saying a lot about the strength of this project.
What's On Tonight
8 pm: NCIS (CBS); Celebrity Family Feud (NBC); Beauty & the Geek (CW); Wipeout (ABC); Moment of Truth (FOX)
9 pm: 48 Hours Mystery (CBS); America's Got Talent (NBC; 9-11 pm); Reaper (CW); I Survived a Japanese Game Show (ABC); Hell's Kitchen (FOX)
10 pm: Without a Trace (CBS); Primetime: The Outsiders (ABC)
What I'll Be TiVo'ing
8-10 pm: Britcoms on BBC America.
I don't know about you but by Tuesday night, I'm usually in need of some comedy in my life. Why not stick around on Tuesday nights for BBC America's new comedy lineup, consisting of classic episodes of Coupling, new comedy Not Going Out, and Absolutely Fabulous? You'll thank me in the morning.
10 pm: Flipping Out on Bravo.
Season Two continues tonight with a brand-new episode ("Good Cop, Bad Jeff"), Jeff becomes suspicious of his assistants when he notices that not much is getting done around the house and wants to install surveillance cameras to keep an eye on his employees.
After days of speculation and very little news about how their actual schedule would shake out, FOX has finally announced their new primetime lineup for the 2008-09 season, just a few hours ahead of unveiling the sked to advertisers.
Let's take a look at how the schedule breaks down night by night.
FOX PRIMETIME SCHEDULE FOR 08-09:
MONDAY
8 pm: Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles (Midseason: Dollhouse)
9 pm: Prison Break (Midseason: 24)
TUESDAY
8 pm: House (Midseason: American Idol)
9 pm: Fringe
WEDNESDAY
8 pm: Bones (Midseason: House)
9 pm: 'Til Death (Midseason: American Idol Results)
THURSDAY
8 pm: Moment of Truth (Midseason: Hell's Kitchen)
9 pm: Kitchen Nightmares (Midseason: Secret Millionaire)
FRIDAY
8 pm: Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? (Midseason: Bones)
9 pm: Don't Forget the Lyrics (Midseason: 'Til Death/Do Not Disturb)
SATURDAY
8-9 pm: COPS
SUNDAY
8 pm: The Simpsons
9 pm: Family Guy
10 pm: American Dad (Midseason: The Cleveland Show)
Contenders for Midseason Orders:
Lie to Me, Courtroom K, Boldly Going Nowhere, Outnumbered
New Series:
Dollhouse, Fringe, Do Not Disturb, Secret Millionaire, Sit Down Shut Up (midseason), The Cleveland Show (midseason)
Renewed Series:
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Prison Break, 24, House, American Idol, 'Til Death, Moment of Truth, Hell's Kitchen, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, Don't Forget the Lyrics, COPS, America's Most Wanted, MADtv, Talkshow with Spike Feresten Show, The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Family Guy, American Dad, So You Think You Can Dance
Canceled Series:
K-Ville, Back to You, Canterbury's Law, Nashville, Next Great American Band, New Amsterdam
Reactions:
I'm actually very pleased with the strength of FOX's schedule. While we all know that much of it will change over the coming months (not to mention the arrival of ratings juggernaut American Idol), I really love the combination of Fringe and House on Tuesdays (though the folks at Warner Bros. TV must not be too happy with their baby Fringe going up against fellow WBTV drama The Mentalist). Fringe is simply put: dazzling visionary television. But don't take my word for it: you can watch the trailer for Fringe right here.
Holding Dollhouse for the midseason may be a wise cautionary move but it does make me sad not to get my Joss fix now. Following the trailer for Fringe, the sneak of Dollhouse looked a little less glossy and polished but that might be just because the first episode wrapped late last week and they've had less time to get a trailer ready for airing. Still, I have every confidence in Joss and in this brilliant drama project.
Otherwise, it's a mixed bag. I don't think that Do Not Disturb will be around for very long, regardless of however many name changes the series has. I have the pilot episode in my possession so will have to watch it before I give my final judgment but I wasn't impressed with what I've seen so far. I want to like Sit Down, Shut Up because of the pedigree of the creator and talent but I'm having a hard time finding the funny. Though having Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Henry Winkler together again (even in animated form) is pretty darn awesome.
What I am very excited about is the Remote-Free TV initiative that Ligouri unveiled today, which will add six minutes of commercial ad time back into the program. That means, rather than 42 minutes of content, select FOX series (like Dollhouse) will run 48 minutes out of a one-hour slot. To call this a gamechanger is to completely underestimate what this will mean for creative, compulsory series and for ad revenues (supply and demand, my friends).
What do you think? What are you excited for? What do you think of Fringe? And were you as mostly underwhelmed by the upfronts this year as I was? Talk back here.
Following days of speculation (and a whole slew of series orders and renewals), CBS has finally announced its schedule, which it will unveil to advertisers later today.
One notable omission is freshman drama Moonlight, which CBS determined yesterday afternoon would not be returning for a second season; it joins fellow canceled series Shark in the bin, though it's been suggested that Media Rights Capital could resurrect the vampire drama for its Sunday night programming block on the CW.
As expected, the Eye has launched a second night of comedy programming on Wednesdays, anchored by eleventh hour (heh) returnee Old Christine, which was picked up yesterday with a full 22-episode order for the 2008-09 season; it will kick off the night with new comedy Project Gary (formerly known as untitled Ed Yeager comedy starring Jay Mohr).
Let's take a look at how the schedule breaks down night by night.
CBS PRIMETIME SCHEDULE FOR 08-09:
MONDAY
8 pm: Big Bang Theory
8:30 pm: How I Met Your Mother
9 pm: Two and a Half Men
9:30 pm: Worst Week
10 pm: CSI: Miami
TUESDAY
8 pm: NCIS
9 pm: The Mentalist
10 pm: Without a Trace
WEDNESDAY
8 pm: Old Christine
8:30 pm: Project Gary
9 pm: Criminal Minds
10 pm: CSI: NY
THURSDAY
8 pm: Survivor
9 pm: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
10 pm: Eleventh Hour
FRIDAY
8 pm: Ghost Whisperer
9 pm: The Ex-List
10 pm: NUMB3RS
SATURDAY
8-10 pm: Drama Repeats
10 pm: 48 Hours Mystery
SUNDAY
7 pm: 60 Minutes
8 pm: The Amazing Race
9 pm: Cold Case
10 pm: The Unit
TBA
Rules of Engagement
Harper's Island
New Series:
Eleventh Hour, The Mentalist, The Ex-List, Worst Week, Project Gary, Harper's Island (midseason)
Renewed Series:
The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, CSI: Miami, NCIS, Without a Trace, Old Christine, Criminal Minds, CSI: NY, Survivor, CSI, Ghost Whisperer, Numb3rs, 48 Hours Mystery, 60 Minutes, Amazing Race, Cold Case, The Unit
Canceled Series:
Cane, Jericho, Moonlight, Shark, Viva Laughlin, Welcome to the Captain, Kid Nation
Reactions:
I think CBS has done a pretty good job this time around at launching a schedule that's ambitious but builds on the successes of the past. No suburban swingers, vampires, Latino rum barons, or musical murder mysteries here this time around; hell, they even are playing it safe and launching heavily serialized murder mystery/horror series Harper's Island in midseason rather than bow it now. (Personally, I thought the script for Harper's Island was one of the weakest of this past development season and cannot believe that it was ordered to series.)
CBS is smart to launch a second night of comedy on Wednesdays, a night which is lacking in any laughs on any other network. Will the combo of Old Christine and male-driven Project Gary be the ones to crack this? I'm not sure. I probably would have skedded Project Gary after Two and a Half Men and swapped its slot with Worst Week. But that's just me.
As for the other additions, it had been bandied about that The Ex-List would launch on Sundays at 9 pm, which would have been disastrous. (Hello, ladies of Wisteria Lane!) I'm glad to see that they used my line of thinking and shifted Ghost Whisperer to 8 pm and then slotted in Ex-List behind it at 9 pm, creating a female-oriented two-hour block on Fridays and allowing the series the opportunity to grow with some, let's say, diminished expectations, given that it's a weak night.
Speaking of Sundays, I was surprised that they did decide to move Cold Case back to 9 pm and not in the 10 pm slot (which it will occupy this summer) that many thought it would have. I do think The Unit is very good counter-programming against ABC's Brothers & Sisters. I'd be curious to see how the series goes in this new timeslot, especially given the strength of Shaun Ryan's pitch for Season Five.
All in all, a structurally sound schedule that gives CBS some breathing room this fall and the opportunity to take some calculated risks (rather than the foolhardy and unnecessary ones it made last fall). Not a fan of The Mentalist (which was like nails on the chalkboard to me) but very much looking forward to the US adaptation of UK mini Eleventh Hour. This is the one series to keep an eye on as it might just end up being the Eye's next breakout hit.