The latest prestige project from HBO premieres tonight but unfortunately Empire Falls is not one of the network's better efforts.
Despite a cast that includes Ed Harris, Paul Newman, Helen Hunt, Robin Wright-Penn, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joanne Woodward, Aidan Quinn and Dennis Farina, the three-hour mini-series is pretty much a dud. It's the TV equivalent of pseudo-important Oscar bait movies that fall flat on their faces like The Human Stain, A Thousand Acres, All the Pretty Horses, Snow Falling on Cedars and numerous others (I doubt it's a coincidence all of these projects, and Empire Falls as well, were based on Important Books).
However, unlike the feature world, TV is kinder to projects like this and it won't be surprising to see Empire Falls walk off with an Emmy for best mini-series come September. But that's more about lack of suitable competition.
Unfortunately I haven't read the highly regarded novel by Richard Russo that the mini is based on, but as a film Empire Falls has a meandering, scattershot approach that tries too hard for folksy charm in its tale of a small New England town and the way life continually lets down local diner manager Miles Roby (Ed Harris).
Miles' story is the main thread but there are many, many subplots. Yet, despite all the characters and interaction the project still feels lethargic. As directed by the unremarkable Fred Schepisi, Empire Falls is a little too at home on the small screen and features a lot of really good actors giving solid performances that no one would suggest are career highs.
Of the overcrowded ensemble (which also prominently includes Theresa Russell, Kate Burton, William Fichtner, Estelle Parsons and a trio of young actors: Danielle Panabaker, Lou Taylor Pucci and Trevor Morgan) I'd reserve the highest praise for Newman, Wright-Penn and Woodward.
Newman's role as Miles' cranky old father feels like an overly simple character role for the great actor but he fills it well (it's worth noting Newman also executive produced this project and starred in a vastly superior adaptation of a Russo novel, 1994's Nobody's Fool, for which he was nominated for an Oscar that he also should've won).
Wright-Penn does some lovely work in flashbacks as Miles' dearly devoted mother and Woodward is pitch perfect as the feisty and self-important richest woman in town (no, Woodward and Newman do not share any scenes).
The rest of the cast is generally up to what's asked of them but it's a bit unfortunate that the always welcome Harris doesn't register stronger in the lead role.
Most viewers will probably struggle through the film's particularly aimless first hour but things do pick up a little after that. Unfortunately it barely seems worth it in the end.
The story's twists feel either a bit too obvious (the not-very-hard-to-guess true identity of Hoffman's character is full on spoiled by the end credits of part-one before it is revealed in the beginning of part-two) or simply confounding (the poorly handled high school subplot develops in a highly melodramatic and unsatisfying fashion). There's some pat commentary on disappointment and finding how to pick up the pieces of a broken life, but this sort of stuff would be underwhelming on CBS, let alone HBO.
At the end I just wished I'd read the book instead.
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Friday, May 27, 2005
Season Finales: Alias
Maybe this was their strategy all along.
The extremely erratic fourth season of Alias finished with a bang (literally, but don't worry about Vaughn - no one ever seems to actually die on this show). The finale, along with the two episodes that aired the previous week, represented the very best this show can be and were easily the best hours of Alias since the second season. For the first time this year the show fully lived up to the promise of creator J.J. Abrams that things would be creatively back on track after a disappointing third season.
I don't think it's a coincidence that this sudden creative resurgence happened to coincide with the return of Lena Olin, reprising her role as Irina Derevko for the season's final two episodes. They might have been able to pull it off without her but it's impossible to deny Irina brought with her an emotional weight that has been greatly missed since she left. Olin is a fantastic performer, possibly the best to ever appear on the show, but more importantly her character seems to genuinely inspire the writers in a way no one else does.
Human drama was back in full force in the final hours, and the action was kickass. That perfect balance that made season two so exceptional was restored for a finale that brought together elements from the entire fourth season (and several prior seasons) for an exhilarating, surprising and entirely satisfying conclusion (are you listening 24 and Lost?).
In the finale, after a virus brings a Russian city to its knees, Sydney, Jack, Irina, Vaughn and Nadia race against time to stop the situation from occurring all over the globe. On the other side were Elena (Irina's sister and the woman who raised Nadia) and Sloane (Nadia's father, acting as a double agent but with murky intentions).
And that's the beauty of Alias at its best. The fact that all these characters were related upped the stakes significantly. Every betrayal, every showdown, every potential loss of life takes on greater emotional relevance.
And it didn't hurt that the finale was also just plain cool. It played out a little like a zombie movie but set against certain concepts that are deeply ingrained in the show (the Rambaldi prophecy, the Derevko sisters, Sloane's uncertain loyalties).
All this plus Vaughn proposed to Sydney. Alias fans couldn't ask for more.
If I have one complaint it would be about the lame way in which Dixon was sidelined. I love the character and Carl Lumbly, the actor who portrays him, but the writers really need to figure out a way to truly integrate him into the show. Come on, most people think there's one season left, think of something!
As for the new mysteries proposed (just who is Vaughn really?) we'll have to wait until next season to see if this is the start of something exciting or just another Sydney-wakes-up-two-years-in-the-future-because-we-don't-know-what-else-to-do style twist.
But I don't want to think about that now. Instead I'll just thank the TV gods that Alias, finally, lived up to its potential.
Finale Grade: A
Season Grade: B+
The extremely erratic fourth season of Alias finished with a bang (literally, but don't worry about Vaughn - no one ever seems to actually die on this show). The finale, along with the two episodes that aired the previous week, represented the very best this show can be and were easily the best hours of Alias since the second season. For the first time this year the show fully lived up to the promise of creator J.J. Abrams that things would be creatively back on track after a disappointing third season.
I don't think it's a coincidence that this sudden creative resurgence happened to coincide with the return of Lena Olin, reprising her role as Irina Derevko for the season's final two episodes. They might have been able to pull it off without her but it's impossible to deny Irina brought with her an emotional weight that has been greatly missed since she left. Olin is a fantastic performer, possibly the best to ever appear on the show, but more importantly her character seems to genuinely inspire the writers in a way no one else does.
Human drama was back in full force in the final hours, and the action was kickass. That perfect balance that made season two so exceptional was restored for a finale that brought together elements from the entire fourth season (and several prior seasons) for an exhilarating, surprising and entirely satisfying conclusion (are you listening 24 and Lost?).
In the finale, after a virus brings a Russian city to its knees, Sydney, Jack, Irina, Vaughn and Nadia race against time to stop the situation from occurring all over the globe. On the other side were Elena (Irina's sister and the woman who raised Nadia) and Sloane (Nadia's father, acting as a double agent but with murky intentions).
And that's the beauty of Alias at its best. The fact that all these characters were related upped the stakes significantly. Every betrayal, every showdown, every potential loss of life takes on greater emotional relevance.
And it didn't hurt that the finale was also just plain cool. It played out a little like a zombie movie but set against certain concepts that are deeply ingrained in the show (the Rambaldi prophecy, the Derevko sisters, Sloane's uncertain loyalties).
All this plus Vaughn proposed to Sydney. Alias fans couldn't ask for more.
If I have one complaint it would be about the lame way in which Dixon was sidelined. I love the character and Carl Lumbly, the actor who portrays him, but the writers really need to figure out a way to truly integrate him into the show. Come on, most people think there's one season left, think of something!
As for the new mysteries proposed (just who is Vaughn really?) we'll have to wait until next season to see if this is the start of something exciting or just another Sydney-wakes-up-two-years-in-the-future-because-we-don't-know-what-else-to-do style twist.
But I don't want to think about that now. Instead I'll just thank the TV gods that Alias, finally, lived up to its potential.
Finale Grade: A
Season Grade: B+
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Season Finales: Lost
Is this the season of disappointing finales or something?
Falling somewhere between the solid but unsurprising finish for Desperate Housewives and the dramatically subpar last hour of 24, Lost took two hours to deliver what turned out to be pretty average stuff.
Don't get me wrong, it was a solid episode (average on this show is still pretty damn good) but did we really need an extra hour just to have prolonged flashbacks of Hurley running through an airport or Charlie wrestling with a junkie/one night stand in a hotel room?
Yeah the annoying science teacher blew himself up (thankfully eliminating the possibility he could become a regular), Claire's baby was kidnapped and then found, Walt was kidnapped in a more menacing fashion, Charlie found some drugs, Locke/Jack/Kate/Hurley were attacked, Jin/Michael/Sawyer are lost at sea without a boat and the hatch was finally opened. But other than what happened to Walt none of it did very much to raise the stakes.
We found out a little more about how everyone got on the plane, but not a single question was answered or mystery solved, not even a tiny one (unless you count the name of Claire's baby).
When you're Everybody Loves Raymond it makes sense to end a season (or the entire series) with just another episode. When you're Lost, different rules apply.
But setting aside the fact that expectations are higher for a season finale, the episode still had enough of what makes Lost so good on a weekly basis. Action, twists, tantalizing clues to a larger mystery and a killer ensemble cast.
The finale was at its strongest whenever Jack and Locke shared the screen, Matthew Fox and Terry O'Quinn pretty much rule this show, but the entire cast was put to good use. Jin, Sun, Sayid, Shannon, Michael and Hurley each had especially strong moments, but it was nice to see everyone have something.
And at this point the show has viewers hooked, no matter what does, or doesn't, happen.
Finale Grade: A-
Season Grade: A
Falling somewhere between the solid but unsurprising finish for Desperate Housewives and the dramatically subpar last hour of 24, Lost took two hours to deliver what turned out to be pretty average stuff.
Don't get me wrong, it was a solid episode (average on this show is still pretty damn good) but did we really need an extra hour just to have prolonged flashbacks of Hurley running through an airport or Charlie wrestling with a junkie/one night stand in a hotel room?
Yeah the annoying science teacher blew himself up (thankfully eliminating the possibility he could become a regular), Claire's baby was kidnapped and then found, Walt was kidnapped in a more menacing fashion, Charlie found some drugs, Locke/Jack/Kate/Hurley were attacked, Jin/Michael/Sawyer are lost at sea without a boat and the hatch was finally opened. But other than what happened to Walt none of it did very much to raise the stakes.
We found out a little more about how everyone got on the plane, but not a single question was answered or mystery solved, not even a tiny one (unless you count the name of Claire's baby).
When you're Everybody Loves Raymond it makes sense to end a season (or the entire series) with just another episode. When you're Lost, different rules apply.
But setting aside the fact that expectations are higher for a season finale, the episode still had enough of what makes Lost so good on a weekly basis. Action, twists, tantalizing clues to a larger mystery and a killer ensemble cast.
The finale was at its strongest whenever Jack and Locke shared the screen, Matthew Fox and Terry O'Quinn pretty much rule this show, but the entire cast was put to good use. Jin, Sun, Sayid, Shannon, Michael and Hurley each had especially strong moments, but it was nice to see everyone have something.
And at this point the show has viewers hooked, no matter what does, or doesn't, happen.
Finale Grade: A-
Season Grade: A
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Season Finales: Deadwood
HBO's vulgar, witty, entirely credible exploration of life in Deadwood finished up its second season on Sunday and cemented its status as the best show of the 2004-05 TV season.
Last season the fresh take on TV westerns from TV genius David Milch aired in the shadow of The Sopranos. This season it had the attention of the HBO audience almost entirely to itself, all the more appropriate for the show to blossom into one of television's most complex and satisfying studies of characters, place and time.
No other show that aired this season demanded as much attention, and rewarded it as greatly, as Deadwood.
On the heels of a major funeral in the penultimate episode, the season finale featured a wedding, a stabbing, a new arrival in town, a hanging, plans for an election, a throat cutting and Calamity Jane in a dress. But, as always, the emphasis remains on the characters.
The last thing the Emmys need is another acting award but Deadwood makes a remarkably compelling argument for an ensemble cast honor. Lead players Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant and Molly Parker continue to carry the show in an estimable fashion and are ably supported by an impressive group of scene stealers including Robin Weigert (a standout as Calamity Jane), Paula Malcolmson, Powers Boothe, William Sanderson, Kim Dickens, Brad Dourif, John Hawkes, Dayton Callie and W. Earl Brown.
A strong argument could be made for each of them when it comes to Emmy nominations. I think McShane and Weigert are shoe-ins (for nominations and probably wins) and I'm optimistic about the chances of Parker, Malcolmson and Boothe.
This year the ensemble was strengthened even further with the addition of Garret Dillahunt, Sarah Paulson, Anna Gunn and Titus Welliver (sadly not all will return). This is a show that takes every character seriously, from McShane's saloon proprietor Al Swearengen (it's no longer too soon to call Al one of TV's all-time great characters) to smaller, recurring characters like saloon maid Jewel and Chinese businessman Mr. Wu. That only makes watching each episode even more critical, and some viewers may find the ideal way to watch Deadwood is in marathon viewings on DVD.
Managing a cast of this size while fully recreating another place and time is no small task, but Deadwood makes it look easy. And watching the show is an experience like no other.
Right now TV doesn't get better than this.
Finale Grade: A
Season Grade: A
Last season the fresh take on TV westerns from TV genius David Milch aired in the shadow of The Sopranos. This season it had the attention of the HBO audience almost entirely to itself, all the more appropriate for the show to blossom into one of television's most complex and satisfying studies of characters, place and time.
No other show that aired this season demanded as much attention, and rewarded it as greatly, as Deadwood.
On the heels of a major funeral in the penultimate episode, the season finale featured a wedding, a stabbing, a new arrival in town, a hanging, plans for an election, a throat cutting and Calamity Jane in a dress. But, as always, the emphasis remains on the characters.
The last thing the Emmys need is another acting award but Deadwood makes a remarkably compelling argument for an ensemble cast honor. Lead players Ian McShane, Timothy Olyphant and Molly Parker continue to carry the show in an estimable fashion and are ably supported by an impressive group of scene stealers including Robin Weigert (a standout as Calamity Jane), Paula Malcolmson, Powers Boothe, William Sanderson, Kim Dickens, Brad Dourif, John Hawkes, Dayton Callie and W. Earl Brown.
A strong argument could be made for each of them when it comes to Emmy nominations. I think McShane and Weigert are shoe-ins (for nominations and probably wins) and I'm optimistic about the chances of Parker, Malcolmson and Boothe.
This year the ensemble was strengthened even further with the addition of Garret Dillahunt, Sarah Paulson, Anna Gunn and Titus Welliver (sadly not all will return). This is a show that takes every character seriously, from McShane's saloon proprietor Al Swearengen (it's no longer too soon to call Al one of TV's all-time great characters) to smaller, recurring characters like saloon maid Jewel and Chinese businessman Mr. Wu. That only makes watching each episode even more critical, and some viewers may find the ideal way to watch Deadwood is in marathon viewings on DVD.
Managing a cast of this size while fully recreating another place and time is no small task, but Deadwood makes it look easy. And watching the show is an experience like no other.
Right now TV doesn't get better than this.
Finale Grade: A
Season Grade: A
Season Finales: 24
I wish I could say that 24 was able to finish off its season in top form, living up to the promise displayed in the season's taut, energetic debut. I wish I could say the fourth season finale equaled the emotional gut-punch of season one's big finish, the thrilling shock of season two's ender or the cathartic release of the season three finale.
I wish I could say 2005's final hour of 24 wasn't hugely disappointing, but I can't. Because it really kinda sucked.
Luckily this season's late start allowed the show to air back-to-back hours for one supersized finale, because almost everything that worked in the finale came in that first hour.
The surprise return of Mandy (Mia Kirshner, continuing to put the hot in terrorist) was a classic 24 twist and tied up one of the show's biggest loose ends. Everything surrounding that plotline worked wonderfully, from Mandy kidnapping Tony and manipulating Michelle to her showdown with Jack and the necessary pardon for past and present crimes (the season two finale finally pays off!).
Yeah there was zero suspense in the whole "is Tony dead?" thing but at least it gave Michelle something significant to do for the first time this season.
And it was a lot better than the fake death in the second hour, but let's get back to that later.
Once Mandy was taken care of all we had left was Marwan (remember him? the season's criminal mastermind who's been unfairly underutilized for a few hours now) and the Chinese.
In terms of villainous ringleaders (which omits most of the show's best villains, almost all of them female) I'd argue Marwan was the very best, the most villainous. He was a genuinely deranged man with frighteningly brilliant plans. I think the season could've used a little more of his unpredictable edge. And he certainly deserved a better ending (slicing open Jack's hand was cool, but did we need yet another shoot out in a parking structure?).
Marwan's quick death just left the little problem of the nuke. Apparently it was so minor a problem that it was finished off with a blink-or-you'll-miss it "yay, we shot it down!" sequence. We watched 23 hours just for that?
Maybe not, since there was still...
the Chinese!
But did anyone really care about the Chinese since their late arrival this season, and, if so, why? Turns out the season's most boring distraction was all leading up to Jack faking his own death (sorry, no suspense there; you can't punk a 24 fan, a lot of them still think Dina's alive) and disappearing "across the border." Um, whatever.
All that and we never found out what happened to poor Behrooz. (Entertainment Weekly online reported that producers filmed a scene where Behrooz learns about the death of his mother but pulled it "for time." Bad call.)
A few things I hope for next season:
- Stay away from the old favorites and come up with some new interesting characters. The Araz family, Marwan and a few others really worked this season. I'm all for Mandy causing more trouble sometime in the future, and it's understandable that Chloe has been signed for a full season of scowling, but give Tony and Michelle a well earned break, and please leave Audrey behind.
- Never go back to Washington D.C. ever again. That might be unreasonable for a government agency series but at the very least let David Palmer remain a private citizen. The writers forced him to resign in disgrace and that was their mistake. Now they have to accept what they did and move on.
- Keep it simple. It might be time to reign in the threat a little bit, since, as the season five promo that ran over the closing credits pointed out, Jack has already saved the President, the country and the world.
But whatever happens it has to be fun. 24 provides more thrills, twists and effective character drama than a whole year's worth of Hollywood action films (or at least any year without a Jason Bourne movie). Even when it's bad, it's still pretty fun either to laugh at or escape with.
Creating a real-time action drama is a mighty scary high wire act and 24 has more or less pulled it off for four seasons now. I'm hoping that, even after a disappointing finish, the show's got a few more good days to go.
Finale Grade: B (saved by the first hour)
Season Grade: B+ (saved by the first half, and select episodes thereafter)
I wish I could say 2005's final hour of 24 wasn't hugely disappointing, but I can't. Because it really kinda sucked.
Luckily this season's late start allowed the show to air back-to-back hours for one supersized finale, because almost everything that worked in the finale came in that first hour.
The surprise return of Mandy (Mia Kirshner, continuing to put the hot in terrorist) was a classic 24 twist and tied up one of the show's biggest loose ends. Everything surrounding that plotline worked wonderfully, from Mandy kidnapping Tony and manipulating Michelle to her showdown with Jack and the necessary pardon for past and present crimes (the season two finale finally pays off!).
Yeah there was zero suspense in the whole "is Tony dead?" thing but at least it gave Michelle something significant to do for the first time this season.
And it was a lot better than the fake death in the second hour, but let's get back to that later.
Once Mandy was taken care of all we had left was Marwan (remember him? the season's criminal mastermind who's been unfairly underutilized for a few hours now) and the Chinese.
In terms of villainous ringleaders (which omits most of the show's best villains, almost all of them female) I'd argue Marwan was the very best, the most villainous. He was a genuinely deranged man with frighteningly brilliant plans. I think the season could've used a little more of his unpredictable edge. And he certainly deserved a better ending (slicing open Jack's hand was cool, but did we need yet another shoot out in a parking structure?).
Marwan's quick death just left the little problem of the nuke. Apparently it was so minor a problem that it was finished off with a blink-or-you'll-miss it "yay, we shot it down!" sequence. We watched 23 hours just for that?
Maybe not, since there was still...
the Chinese!
But did anyone really care about the Chinese since their late arrival this season, and, if so, why? Turns out the season's most boring distraction was all leading up to Jack faking his own death (sorry, no suspense there; you can't punk a 24 fan, a lot of them still think Dina's alive) and disappearing "across the border." Um, whatever.
All that and we never found out what happened to poor Behrooz. (Entertainment Weekly online reported that producers filmed a scene where Behrooz learns about the death of his mother but pulled it "for time." Bad call.)
A few things I hope for next season:
- Stay away from the old favorites and come up with some new interesting characters. The Araz family, Marwan and a few others really worked this season. I'm all for Mandy causing more trouble sometime in the future, and it's understandable that Chloe has been signed for a full season of scowling, but give Tony and Michelle a well earned break, and please leave Audrey behind.
- Never go back to Washington D.C. ever again. That might be unreasonable for a government agency series but at the very least let David Palmer remain a private citizen. The writers forced him to resign in disgrace and that was their mistake. Now they have to accept what they did and move on.
- Keep it simple. It might be time to reign in the threat a little bit, since, as the season five promo that ran over the closing credits pointed out, Jack has already saved the President, the country and the world.
But whatever happens it has to be fun. 24 provides more thrills, twists and effective character drama than a whole year's worth of Hollywood action films (or at least any year without a Jason Bourne movie). Even when it's bad, it's still pretty fun either to laugh at or escape with.
Creating a real-time action drama is a mighty scary high wire act and 24 has more or less pulled it off for four seasons now. I'm hoping that, even after a disappointing finish, the show's got a few more good days to go.
Finale Grade: B (saved by the first hour)
Season Grade: B+ (saved by the first half, and select episodes thereafter)
Monday, May 23, 2005
Season Finales: Desperate Housewives
If there's one thing to fault the finale of Desperate Housewives for it would be failing to meet impossibly high expectations. But that has less to do with the episode itself and more to do with ABC's promo department and the show's writers, who delivered an overall brilliant and rather unexpected first season.
One of television's most welcome new additions, the highly enjoyable blend of mystery, satire and soap opera antics finished off its debut season in a fitting manner. The big mystery established in episode one (why did Mary Alice Young kill herself) was elegantly wrapped up, with all of the pieces falling into place in a way that came as little surprise to anyone who's been paying attention all season long.
The show had been gradually revealing information throughout its 22 previous episodes. That made the finale less about a big reveal and more about satisfying closure, while also ensuring new storylines opened up for all of the key characters.
Of those new developments I'm most concerned with where Bree's character is heading. If the finale had a "surprise" it would be Rex's death (although the groundwork had been laid in the previous episode and the death of a major male character had already been promised). So what next for Bree? How can a soap opera (especially a satiric one) credibly handle a recent widow in a central role? And how will this effect the established threat by her son, Andrew, who has vowed to rock his mother's world in a major way? I would guess the solution lies in looking within. Bree will likely have to struggle with some inner demons before she can begin to put her life back together, but this will be some very tricky territory for the writers to navigate.
Otherwise everything suggested for next season is extremely promising: Lynette re-entering the work world, Gabrielle dealing with a husband in jail and a lover who may be the father of her baby (and will she even have that baby? I kinda doubt it), two brand new characters whose arrival in town remains a mystery and Mike, who is about to discover that the son (?) he never knew he had wants him dead. Right now.
But we'll have to wait till September.
Finale Grade: A-
Season Grade: A
One of television's most welcome new additions, the highly enjoyable blend of mystery, satire and soap opera antics finished off its debut season in a fitting manner. The big mystery established in episode one (why did Mary Alice Young kill herself) was elegantly wrapped up, with all of the pieces falling into place in a way that came as little surprise to anyone who's been paying attention all season long.
The show had been gradually revealing information throughout its 22 previous episodes. That made the finale less about a big reveal and more about satisfying closure, while also ensuring new storylines opened up for all of the key characters.
Of those new developments I'm most concerned with where Bree's character is heading. If the finale had a "surprise" it would be Rex's death (although the groundwork had been laid in the previous episode and the death of a major male character had already been promised). So what next for Bree? How can a soap opera (especially a satiric one) credibly handle a recent widow in a central role? And how will this effect the established threat by her son, Andrew, who has vowed to rock his mother's world in a major way? I would guess the solution lies in looking within. Bree will likely have to struggle with some inner demons before she can begin to put her life back together, but this will be some very tricky territory for the writers to navigate.
Otherwise everything suggested for next season is extremely promising: Lynette re-entering the work world, Gabrielle dealing with a husband in jail and a lover who may be the father of her baby (and will she even have that baby? I kinda doubt it), two brand new characters whose arrival in town remains a mystery and Mike, who is about to discover that the son (?) he never knew he had wants him dead. Right now.
But we'll have to wait till September.
Finale Grade: A-
Season Grade: A
Friday, May 20, 2005
Requiem for a Trilogy (aka Piece of Sith)
The general consensus seems to be that Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is the best of the underwhelming second Star Wars trilogy. I guess it is, but not by much.
The trilogy's first film, Phantom Menace, was a scourge on humanity but I thought the follow up, Attack of the Clones, was decent enough mindless summer entertainment (although I've only seen it once, and am rather terrified at the idea of revisiting it).
The problem with the new Star Wars films is that being mindless summer fun (or just plain fun period) is not enough. For many people they must be important, epic, meaningful masterworks. This would be fine if George Lucas wasn't one of those people.
Although Sith is even more visually dazzling than its predecessors it is every bit as emotionally hollow. Lucas' inability to tell an emotionally resonant story can't be blamed on a lack of effort or means. Which only leaves lack of skill. It is disturbing to watch a movie that tries so hard to be powerful, moving and exciting and yet fails to convey a single simple human emotion in an effective way.
And now, after three hermetically sealed movies filled with wooden acting and painful dialogue, does it even feel necessary to have seen this part of the story played out?
I say no, not if it wasn't any fun.
And if there's one thing this trilogy was it's boring. It defeated talented actors like Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson and Samuel L. Jackson (and purportedly talented actors like Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman). It failed to offer any single new memorable character to stand with the likes of Yoda, C3P0, R2D2, Jabba the Hut and, uh, actual flesh and blood characters like Han Solo, Obi-Wan, Leia, Vader, etc. etc. It featured so much political and moral blather posing as legitimate dialogue it practically dared its audience to stay awake for the next "cool" battle scene. For three movies in a row, all over two hours long.
Yet it still seemed to capture the imagination of a massive number of people, if box office grosses are any indication: $431 million for Phantom Menace, $302 million for Attack of the Clones, $50 million on opening day alone for Sith.
But before anyone gets the impression I think Sith is one of the worst movies of the year or something (too late, right?), keep in mind I said it is better than Attack of the Clones, which I don't mind admitting I did find modestly entertaining.
Although most of Sith is seriously problematic it does come through at the end, with a final fifteen or twenty minutes that is at least entertaining, if not entirely compelling. But even then I was troubled as I found myself wishing they'd cut away from the climatic Anakin/Obi-Wan showdown and get back to the old British guy (Ian McDiarmid as the Chancellor gives the film's best human performance) and the special effect (ditto for Yoda on the CGI side).
In addition to the ending, the film's other standout element is its visual effects. There seems to be an effect in every scene, whether its a background detail or a fully formed character front and center. And it's all remarkable. I wasn't completely in awe of the visuals in either Menace or Clones but that's one department where I think Lucas seriously upped his game for the finish.
Too bad the same can't be said for the dialogue, narrative, performances and everything else that gives movies their humanity.
Oh well, at least we'll always have the first trilogy.
The trilogy's first film, Phantom Menace, was a scourge on humanity but I thought the follow up, Attack of the Clones, was decent enough mindless summer entertainment (although I've only seen it once, and am rather terrified at the idea of revisiting it).
The problem with the new Star Wars films is that being mindless summer fun (or just plain fun period) is not enough. For many people they must be important, epic, meaningful masterworks. This would be fine if George Lucas wasn't one of those people.
Although Sith is even more visually dazzling than its predecessors it is every bit as emotionally hollow. Lucas' inability to tell an emotionally resonant story can't be blamed on a lack of effort or means. Which only leaves lack of skill. It is disturbing to watch a movie that tries so hard to be powerful, moving and exciting and yet fails to convey a single simple human emotion in an effective way.
And now, after three hermetically sealed movies filled with wooden acting and painful dialogue, does it even feel necessary to have seen this part of the story played out?
I say no, not if it wasn't any fun.
And if there's one thing this trilogy was it's boring. It defeated talented actors like Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson and Samuel L. Jackson (and purportedly talented actors like Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman). It failed to offer any single new memorable character to stand with the likes of Yoda, C3P0, R2D2, Jabba the Hut and, uh, actual flesh and blood characters like Han Solo, Obi-Wan, Leia, Vader, etc. etc. It featured so much political and moral blather posing as legitimate dialogue it practically dared its audience to stay awake for the next "cool" battle scene. For three movies in a row, all over two hours long.
Yet it still seemed to capture the imagination of a massive number of people, if box office grosses are any indication: $431 million for Phantom Menace, $302 million for Attack of the Clones, $50 million on opening day alone for Sith.
But before anyone gets the impression I think Sith is one of the worst movies of the year or something (too late, right?), keep in mind I said it is better than Attack of the Clones, which I don't mind admitting I did find modestly entertaining.
Although most of Sith is seriously problematic it does come through at the end, with a final fifteen or twenty minutes that is at least entertaining, if not entirely compelling. But even then I was troubled as I found myself wishing they'd cut away from the climatic Anakin/Obi-Wan showdown and get back to the old British guy (Ian McDiarmid as the Chancellor gives the film's best human performance) and the special effect (ditto for Yoda on the CGI side).
In addition to the ending, the film's other standout element is its visual effects. There seems to be an effect in every scene, whether its a background detail or a fully formed character front and center. And it's all remarkable. I wasn't completely in awe of the visuals in either Menace or Clones but that's one department where I think Lucas seriously upped his game for the finish.
Too bad the same can't be said for the dialogue, narrative, performances and everything else that gives movies their humanity.
Oh well, at least we'll always have the first trilogy.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Fall Schedule Wrap
Now that all six networks have finished outlining their plans for the fall it's worth reflecting on a couple of significant trends.
Quirky comedy is in - If your show was facing possible cancellation it helped to be a quirky, single camera comedy. NBC renewed The Office, ABC will bring back Jake in Progress and Fox said yes to more Arrested Development and Bernie Mac. Many low-rated traditional comedies weren't so lucky (8 Simple Rules, My Wife and Kids, Listen Up, Committed, Life on a Stick).
Low rated drama is out - Many of the season's unique but struggling dramas got the ax: Joan of Arcadia, Eyes, Kevin Hill, Jack & Bobby, American Dreams, Revelations, even Carnivale on HBO. Only UPN's Veronica Mars received a reprise. Maybe the mainstream success of Lost and Desperate Housewives has something to do with it. The networks probably appreciate that comedy is tough right now, but dramas can succeed. So tough luck if you don't.
Reality is on the wane... - For the second straight season all the networks tried to avoid reality as much as possible in selecting their fall schedules. Yes the usual suspects are all there (Survivor, Top Model, Apprentice, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition), and ABC brought back Wife Swap and Supernanny as well, but NBC is holding off on Fear Factor, Bachelor fans will have to wait awhile for the next proposal and both Fox and WB have no reality on the fall schedule at all.
Only NBC seems hot on the genre with Three Wishes and Apprentice: Martha Stewart joining their line-up (and The Biggest Loser returning as well). If too much reality looks like a sign of weakness NBC's schedule isn't likely to change that perception.
... but no, sadly, it's not dead - Just check out the networks' summer schedule. The hot season for movies is the dumping ground for TV and it's filled with reality, reality and more reality (or as UPN calls Top Model: dramality). There's also plenty of unscripted projects standing by at each network to fill the holes left by next season's scripted failures.
TV's latest genre of choice is sci-fi/horror - No less than three alien invasion dramas (ABC's Invasion, CBS' Threshold, NBC's Fathom) will hit the airwaves next fall. And WB is promising scares with Supernatural, while ABC hopes to generate some X-Files sparks with The Night Stalker and CBS seems to be doing Medium Jr. with The Ghost Whisperer. All good news to me, TV has been seriously lacking in a good spooky hour since The X-Files left the air three years ago.
It's interesting that this has been widely attributed to the success of Lost. My guess is the most successful of these new shows will capture not only Lost's mysterious vibe but also its winning character development.
Desperate Housewives didn't start a trend - Although there had been quite a few in development there is barely a single soap opera or female driven comedy on the schedule. ABC has new half hour Hot Properties with four female leads and UPN is introducing Sex, Lies & Secrets (the crudest possible simplification of what makes Housewives a hit) but they seem more inspired by Designing Women and Melrose Place respectively.
Pushing it a bit further one could argue ABC's female President drama Commander-in-Chief or WB's four sisters in the city series Related fit the bill, and Fox's high concept Reunion features an ongoing murder mystery and soapy elements, but it looks like the producers of Housewives don't need to worry about crude knockoffs harming their baby.
Breaking it down day by day:
Sundays look almost as the same as they do right now, with West Wing entering the race as a wildcard. ABC is all but guaranteed continued dominance there.
Mondays at 8 will see Fox's quality combo of Arrested Development/Kitchen Confidential taking on CBS' more traditional King of Queens/How I Met Your Mother. NBC will try to counter with Fathom and ABC has somewhat oddly decided to slot Wife Swap before the final season of Monday Night Football. CBS is the obvious favorite but maybe a surprise is in store.
Tuesdays will have an interesting battle at 9 between Fox's hot House (without an American Idol lead-in), CBS' strong Amazing Race and ABC's wildcard Commander-in-Chief. NBC's combo of My Name is Earl and The Office seems poised to take a beating. And if Commander-in-Chief fails that would be bad news for Boston Legal which faces potentially strong CBS suburban crime show Close to Home and dominant Law & Order: SVU.
As I've been mentioning all week Wednesdays at 9 could be a bloodbath. As long as Lost doesn't face a sophomore slump the four new shows up against it (E-Ring, Criminal Minds, Head Cases and Related) will have a tough time finding viewers. And UPN is sending cult favorite Veronica Mars into the slot as well, a tough place to prove your network's surprise renewal was justified. Criminal Minds and Head Cases are probably headed for short runs but little stands in the way of NBC's Apprentice: Martha Stewart at 8 and that could help E-Ring.
CBS is sure to keep a strong hold on Thursdays but the 8 o'clock battle of Survivor/Joey/Alias/The OC/Smallville/Everybody Hates Chris is one of the most interesting across all six networks. None of the shows can top Survivor but the race for second place could be interesting. New shows Night Stalker and Reunion will have to work hard to pull viewers away from CSI and The Apprentice at 9.
Fridays are always dull but the 8 o'clock hour could generate sparks as CBS' Ghost Whisperer takes on reality on NBC (Three Wishes) and ABC (Supernanny).
Quirky comedy is in - If your show was facing possible cancellation it helped to be a quirky, single camera comedy. NBC renewed The Office, ABC will bring back Jake in Progress and Fox said yes to more Arrested Development and Bernie Mac. Many low-rated traditional comedies weren't so lucky (8 Simple Rules, My Wife and Kids, Listen Up, Committed, Life on a Stick).
Low rated drama is out - Many of the season's unique but struggling dramas got the ax: Joan of Arcadia, Eyes, Kevin Hill, Jack & Bobby, American Dreams, Revelations, even Carnivale on HBO. Only UPN's Veronica Mars received a reprise. Maybe the mainstream success of Lost and Desperate Housewives has something to do with it. The networks probably appreciate that comedy is tough right now, but dramas can succeed. So tough luck if you don't.
Reality is on the wane... - For the second straight season all the networks tried to avoid reality as much as possible in selecting their fall schedules. Yes the usual suspects are all there (Survivor, Top Model, Apprentice, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition), and ABC brought back Wife Swap and Supernanny as well, but NBC is holding off on Fear Factor, Bachelor fans will have to wait awhile for the next proposal and both Fox and WB have no reality on the fall schedule at all.
Only NBC seems hot on the genre with Three Wishes and Apprentice: Martha Stewart joining their line-up (and The Biggest Loser returning as well). If too much reality looks like a sign of weakness NBC's schedule isn't likely to change that perception.
... but no, sadly, it's not dead - Just check out the networks' summer schedule. The hot season for movies is the dumping ground for TV and it's filled with reality, reality and more reality (or as UPN calls Top Model: dramality). There's also plenty of unscripted projects standing by at each network to fill the holes left by next season's scripted failures.
TV's latest genre of choice is sci-fi/horror - No less than three alien invasion dramas (ABC's Invasion, CBS' Threshold, NBC's Fathom) will hit the airwaves next fall. And WB is promising scares with Supernatural, while ABC hopes to generate some X-Files sparks with The Night Stalker and CBS seems to be doing Medium Jr. with The Ghost Whisperer. All good news to me, TV has been seriously lacking in a good spooky hour since The X-Files left the air three years ago.
It's interesting that this has been widely attributed to the success of Lost. My guess is the most successful of these new shows will capture not only Lost's mysterious vibe but also its winning character development.
Desperate Housewives didn't start a trend - Although there had been quite a few in development there is barely a single soap opera or female driven comedy on the schedule. ABC has new half hour Hot Properties with four female leads and UPN is introducing Sex, Lies & Secrets (the crudest possible simplification of what makes Housewives a hit) but they seem more inspired by Designing Women and Melrose Place respectively.
Pushing it a bit further one could argue ABC's female President drama Commander-in-Chief or WB's four sisters in the city series Related fit the bill, and Fox's high concept Reunion features an ongoing murder mystery and soapy elements, but it looks like the producers of Housewives don't need to worry about crude knockoffs harming their baby.
Breaking it down day by day:
Sundays look almost as the same as they do right now, with West Wing entering the race as a wildcard. ABC is all but guaranteed continued dominance there.
Mondays at 8 will see Fox's quality combo of Arrested Development/Kitchen Confidential taking on CBS' more traditional King of Queens/How I Met Your Mother. NBC will try to counter with Fathom and ABC has somewhat oddly decided to slot Wife Swap before the final season of Monday Night Football. CBS is the obvious favorite but maybe a surprise is in store.
Tuesdays will have an interesting battle at 9 between Fox's hot House (without an American Idol lead-in), CBS' strong Amazing Race and ABC's wildcard Commander-in-Chief. NBC's combo of My Name is Earl and The Office seems poised to take a beating. And if Commander-in-Chief fails that would be bad news for Boston Legal which faces potentially strong CBS suburban crime show Close to Home and dominant Law & Order: SVU.
As I've been mentioning all week Wednesdays at 9 could be a bloodbath. As long as Lost doesn't face a sophomore slump the four new shows up against it (E-Ring, Criminal Minds, Head Cases and Related) will have a tough time finding viewers. And UPN is sending cult favorite Veronica Mars into the slot as well, a tough place to prove your network's surprise renewal was justified. Criminal Minds and Head Cases are probably headed for short runs but little stands in the way of NBC's Apprentice: Martha Stewart at 8 and that could help E-Ring.
CBS is sure to keep a strong hold on Thursdays but the 8 o'clock battle of Survivor/Joey/Alias/The OC/Smallville/Everybody Hates Chris is one of the most interesting across all six networks. None of the shows can top Survivor but the race for second place could be interesting. New shows Night Stalker and Reunion will have to work hard to pull viewers away from CSI and The Apprentice at 9.
Fridays are always dull but the 8 o'clock hour could generate sparks as CBS' Ghost Whisperer takes on reality on NBC (Three Wishes) and ABC (Supernanny).
Fall Schedules: Fox
It was already decided earlier this week that two shows that looked in danger of cancellation (Arrested Development and Bernie Mac) would in fact return to Fox's fall schedule, so the interest in the line-up itself is all about scheduling.
The network is taking some interesting risks with a line-up of several shows that are nearing the end of their run, a few that have yet to prove their ratings worth and a crop of new series that borrow from previous Fox success stories. And not a single regularly scheduled reality show.
Arrested heads to Monday where it will be paired with new Darren Star comedy Kitchen Confidential, a good sign of the perceived quality of that show since Arrested's renewal was said to have been decided partly on the network finding a suitable companion show. Bernie Mac stays on Fridays, now paired with a relocated Malcolm in the Middle, which is presumably in its last season.
With Malcolm, That 70s Show, King of the Hill and possibly even Bernie Mac all headed into alleged final seasons Fox will have some big gaps opening up in its schedule. Conveniently the network has already announced a January line-up (when American Idol and 24 return). That will likely shift somewhat if something hits or flops bigtime come fall.
In addition to Kitchen Confidential the other new comedy is The War at Home, which looks closer to traditional Fox dysfunctional family comedies.
New dramas also build on current staples. Following the success of House the network adds two procedurals: forensics drama Bones on Tuesdays before House, and twisted cop show The Gate (from a CSI producer) on Fridays at 9 (CSI's old timeslot).
And there's two high concept dramas no doubt inspired by the success of 24: Reunion, which follows The OC on Thursdays and tracks six people from high school graduation to a 20 year reunion with each episode representing a single year, and Prison Break, which occupies the 24 timeslot in the fall and details a season-long jailbreak.
Other new hour is quirky lawyer dramedy Head Cases (shades of Ally McBeal?). Unfortunately not only does the show have the misfortune of going up against Lost and two highly competitive new dramas on CBS and NBC, but it also stars Chris O'Donnell, Adam Goldberg and Rachael Leigh Cook.
Hopefully, for new entertainment president Peter Liguori's sake, a few of these new shows will catch on, and this fall won't be yet another case of "just wait until January!"
The network is taking some interesting risks with a line-up of several shows that are nearing the end of their run, a few that have yet to prove their ratings worth and a crop of new series that borrow from previous Fox success stories. And not a single regularly scheduled reality show.
Arrested heads to Monday where it will be paired with new Darren Star comedy Kitchen Confidential, a good sign of the perceived quality of that show since Arrested's renewal was said to have been decided partly on the network finding a suitable companion show. Bernie Mac stays on Fridays, now paired with a relocated Malcolm in the Middle, which is presumably in its last season.
With Malcolm, That 70s Show, King of the Hill and possibly even Bernie Mac all headed into alleged final seasons Fox will have some big gaps opening up in its schedule. Conveniently the network has already announced a January line-up (when American Idol and 24 return). That will likely shift somewhat if something hits or flops bigtime come fall.
In addition to Kitchen Confidential the other new comedy is The War at Home, which looks closer to traditional Fox dysfunctional family comedies.
New dramas also build on current staples. Following the success of House the network adds two procedurals: forensics drama Bones on Tuesdays before House, and twisted cop show The Gate (from a CSI producer) on Fridays at 9 (CSI's old timeslot).
And there's two high concept dramas no doubt inspired by the success of 24: Reunion, which follows The OC on Thursdays and tracks six people from high school graduation to a 20 year reunion with each episode representing a single year, and Prison Break, which occupies the 24 timeslot in the fall and details a season-long jailbreak.
Other new hour is quirky lawyer dramedy Head Cases (shades of Ally McBeal?). Unfortunately not only does the show have the misfortune of going up against Lost and two highly competitive new dramas on CBS and NBC, but it also stars Chris O'Donnell, Adam Goldberg and Rachael Leigh Cook.
Hopefully, for new entertainment president Peter Liguori's sake, a few of these new shows will catch on, and this fall won't be yet another case of "just wait until January!"
Fall Schedules: UPN
There's not very much of interest at UPN as the struggling network unveils the week's least inspired fall schedule.
With ten hours a week to program UPN has decided to fill one of those with reruns of their most successful show (America's Next Top Model) while two hours remain devoted to WWE Smackdown! (now on the move to Fridays).
Of the two shows the network was high on last season, they've brought back one (Veronica Mars, which is now heading into battle against Lost) and cancelled the other (Kevin Hill, which was light, fun and smart but never found much critical or audience traction).
I have a feeling the less said about new Silver Lake-set soap opera Sex, Lies & Secrets, the better (and yes that's the real title, at least for now).
That just leaves new comedy Everybody Hates Chris which kicks off a new comedy block on Thursdays. It sounds like Chris Rock's version of The Wonder Years.
Ok, so maybe UPN had one good idea after all.
With ten hours a week to program UPN has decided to fill one of those with reruns of their most successful show (America's Next Top Model) while two hours remain devoted to WWE Smackdown! (now on the move to Fridays).
Of the two shows the network was high on last season, they've brought back one (Veronica Mars, which is now heading into battle against Lost) and cancelled the other (Kevin Hill, which was light, fun and smart but never found much critical or audience traction).
I have a feeling the less said about new Silver Lake-set soap opera Sex, Lies & Secrets, the better (and yes that's the real title, at least for now).
That just leaves new comedy Everybody Hates Chris which kicks off a new comedy block on Thursdays. It sounds like Chris Rock's version of The Wonder Years.
Ok, so maybe UPN had one good idea after all.
And then there were...
After thirteen weeks in front of the voting public Bo and Carrie are officially the last two Idols standing.
I'm glad to say they've been my two favorites from the very beginning (although the rest of that list pretty much fell apart as Aloha disappeared the week after my post and Anwar and the ultimately horrific Scott got worse with each performance; only Nadia, who left way too early, delivered on her early potential the way Carrie and Bo did).
It should be a fun finale (even though I'll be busy watching a competing network when the winner is revealed) and I'm looking forward to next week's final performance episode.
But, for the first time in four seasons, I won't be voting.
I think Bo has it in the bag, especially after this week's a capella performance, and I'll be happy to see him win. But, yes, no matter who actually wins I'll probably buy both of their albums (another first) and I hope they're both able to find songs worthy of the talent they've displayed over the past several months.
And to everyone I just made sick with that last sentence, aren't you glad the damn thing's almost over?
I'm glad to say they've been my two favorites from the very beginning (although the rest of that list pretty much fell apart as Aloha disappeared the week after my post and Anwar and the ultimately horrific Scott got worse with each performance; only Nadia, who left way too early, delivered on her early potential the way Carrie and Bo did).
It should be a fun finale (even though I'll be busy watching a competing network when the winner is revealed) and I'm looking forward to next week's final performance episode.
But, for the first time in four seasons, I won't be voting.
I think Bo has it in the bag, especially after this week's a capella performance, and I'll be happy to see him win. But, yes, no matter who actually wins I'll probably buy both of their albums (another first) and I hope they're both able to find songs worthy of the talent they've displayed over the past several months.
And to everyone I just made sick with that last sentence, aren't you glad the damn thing's almost over?
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Fall Schedules: CBS
Relatively few major changes for CBS next fall.
The biggest deal is probably the final nail in the coffin for Joan of Arcadia, a show which experienced a shockingly fast rise and fall in ratings, buzz and critical acclaim over just two seasons.
While most other networks are showing patience with struggling series CBS killed off Joan less than a year after the show earned Emmy nominations for best drama and lead actress Amber Tamblyn. Those nominations came at the end of a first season that started strong before showing signs of fatigue at the finish line. This year the show completely ran out of steam with a drastic decline in viewership and storyline complaints from major TV critics. Still, it's odd that such a promising (or at the very least once promising) show can't get a second chance, but that's the price of being at a successful network.
Instead CBS will focus on what they do best (ratings-wise): crime, crime and more crime (meanwhile I'll be watching ABC, Fox, HBO, FX, the WB, etc. etc.).
Icky new additions to the line-up include a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced suburban crime drama which takes over the timeslot Judging Amy vacates after six seasons (seems like a lot more, doesn't it?); a show about FBI profilerzzzzzzzz... sorry, I dozed off; and a series that honest-to-god is called The Ghost Whisperer and stars Jennifer Love Hewitt as a woman who talks to ghosts.
(Incidentally, the three way battle that's brewing Wednesdays at 9 between ABC's established hit Lost and new series on CBS and NBC will no doubt lead to next season's first casualty: but will it be NBC's Jerry Bruckheimer-produced E-Ring or CBS' profiler show. The odds just might be with NBC on this one.)
Then there's promising sci fi drama Threshold which gets a questionable Friday night timeslot (at least it's the old X-Files slot) and will have to compete for buzz with similar projects at both NBC and ABC (and ABC's Invasion has the benefit of a Lost-lead in). And being the only show on all of CBS that isn't a crime drama, family comedy or reality show will either be very good or very bad. Don't expect the network to have much patience if it stumbles out of the gate ratings wise.
On the comedy side CBS killed Jason Alexander/Malcolm Jamal Warner "comedy" Listen Up after one miserable season and they have to fill the significant hole left by Everybody Loves Raymond.
So here come How I Met Your Mother (Alyson Hannigan, Neil Patrick Harris) and Out of Practice (Henry Winkler, Stockard Channing) which in concept and cast both sound ok, but then again so did Center of the Universe last year.
A Jenna Elfman dating comedy and Shawn Ryan/David Mamet's special forces action hour are on deck for midseason. Supposedly the relationship dramedy Love Monkey (with Tom Cavanagh, Jason Priestley, Judy Greer and Larenz Tate) and Julia Louis Dreyfuss comedy Old Christine still have some chance of getting series orders at later dates.
The biggest deal is probably the final nail in the coffin for Joan of Arcadia, a show which experienced a shockingly fast rise and fall in ratings, buzz and critical acclaim over just two seasons.
While most other networks are showing patience with struggling series CBS killed off Joan less than a year after the show earned Emmy nominations for best drama and lead actress Amber Tamblyn. Those nominations came at the end of a first season that started strong before showing signs of fatigue at the finish line. This year the show completely ran out of steam with a drastic decline in viewership and storyline complaints from major TV critics. Still, it's odd that such a promising (or at the very least once promising) show can't get a second chance, but that's the price of being at a successful network.
Instead CBS will focus on what they do best (ratings-wise): crime, crime and more crime (meanwhile I'll be watching ABC, Fox, HBO, FX, the WB, etc. etc.).
Icky new additions to the line-up include a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced suburban crime drama which takes over the timeslot Judging Amy vacates after six seasons (seems like a lot more, doesn't it?); a show about FBI profilerzzzzzzzz... sorry, I dozed off; and a series that honest-to-god is called The Ghost Whisperer and stars Jennifer Love Hewitt as a woman who talks to ghosts.
(Incidentally, the three way battle that's brewing Wednesdays at 9 between ABC's established hit Lost and new series on CBS and NBC will no doubt lead to next season's first casualty: but will it be NBC's Jerry Bruckheimer-produced E-Ring or CBS' profiler show. The odds just might be with NBC on this one.)
Then there's promising sci fi drama Threshold which gets a questionable Friday night timeslot (at least it's the old X-Files slot) and will have to compete for buzz with similar projects at both NBC and ABC (and ABC's Invasion has the benefit of a Lost-lead in). And being the only show on all of CBS that isn't a crime drama, family comedy or reality show will either be very good or very bad. Don't expect the network to have much patience if it stumbles out of the gate ratings wise.
On the comedy side CBS killed Jason Alexander/Malcolm Jamal Warner "comedy" Listen Up after one miserable season and they have to fill the significant hole left by Everybody Loves Raymond.
So here come How I Met Your Mother (Alyson Hannigan, Neil Patrick Harris) and Out of Practice (Henry Winkler, Stockard Channing) which in concept and cast both sound ok, but then again so did Center of the Universe last year.
A Jenna Elfman dating comedy and Shawn Ryan/David Mamet's special forces action hour are on deck for midseason. Supposedly the relationship dramedy Love Monkey (with Tom Cavanagh, Jason Priestley, Judy Greer and Larenz Tate) and Julia Louis Dreyfuss comedy Old Christine still have some chance of getting series orders at later dates.
The Greatest Romance of Our Time
Say what you will about Britney & Kevin: Chaotic but I think it's performing an excellent public service: stay in school, get an education, otherwise this could be you.
It's hard not to laugh at this "reality series" made out of K-Fed and Brit's home movies, but that's the bizarre project's saving grace. It's awfully wonderful stuff, even if no one is watching.
I can't really tell if the show is designed to refute tabloid portrayals of the couple or just add more fuel to the fire. No one has ever accused Spears of being a great intellect, or Federline of being a useful member of the human race, and one hour of this show proves that every nasty unflattering thing anyone ever thought about either of these two is entirely fair and accurate.
And it's all underlined and italicized by the fact that this show was created, produced and filmed by Kevin and Britney themselves (yes the camerawork is nauseating, but never as much as what the camera is actually capturing).
Apparently the couple feels they're engaging in a remarkable act of self-revelation. The premiere episode was titled "Can You Handle My Truth" and during the hour Britney mused "people can't take away your truth."
They can rest easy their truth is out there.
It's hard not to laugh at this "reality series" made out of K-Fed and Brit's home movies, but that's the bizarre project's saving grace. It's awfully wonderful stuff, even if no one is watching.
I can't really tell if the show is designed to refute tabloid portrayals of the couple or just add more fuel to the fire. No one has ever accused Spears of being a great intellect, or Federline of being a useful member of the human race, and one hour of this show proves that every nasty unflattering thing anyone ever thought about either of these two is entirely fair and accurate.
And it's all underlined and italicized by the fact that this show was created, produced and filmed by Kevin and Britney themselves (yes the camerawork is nauseating, but never as much as what the camera is actually capturing).
Apparently the couple feels they're engaging in a remarkable act of self-revelation. The premiere episode was titled "Can You Handle My Truth" and during the hour Britney mused "people can't take away your truth."
They can rest easy their truth is out there.
Season Finales: The L Word
Showtime shows don't get much respect, and a lot of them deservedly so, but the one series the pay cable network has introduced in recent years that merits attention is The L Word.
Unlike previous niche-appeal offerings at Showtime (Soul Food, Resurrection Blvd., Queer as Folk), The L Word transcends its status as "lesbian soap opera" thanks to clever writing, a strong selection of indie film directors and a highly talented and engaging cast.
If the first season was an unexpected surprise, the second season opted for slightly more conventional storylines spiked with some memorably outrageous details. It was a season with mixed results quality wise, but the good outweighed the bad and the show's status as one of TV's most under-the-radar quality hours is safe for at least another year.
Any show that can transition from a raunchy concert by Peaches to a moving scene of a character on his deathbed (played by Ossie Davis no less) is clearly a force to be reckoned with.
But that moment happened in the second to last episode.
The finale itself had a hard time exceeding the remarkable episode that preceded it, but managed a haunting quality of its own. The episode, which was written and directed by series creator Ilene Chaiken, relied heavily on scenes that played out without dialogue. It felt a bit pretentious, but pretentiousness can bring out the best in this show.
One of the major faults of the second season was an increased emphasis on relationships at the expense of storylines involving work, family, friendship and personal issues. The focus shifted dangerously close to simple "lesbian soap opera," but the quality of the performances and quirky decisions in writing and directing saved the show from going too far afield.
In particular Jennifer Beals, probably the most recognizable actress among the key cast, truly came into her own this season as the star of the show. In the course of 13 episodes her character was put through the emotional ringer in every way. Not only was her romantic relationship threatened but also her work life, her friendships and her family.
Beals brilliantly navigated the emotional roller coaster ride and made each moment feel as painful, bittersweet or exuberant as they would in real life. I've never thought of her as a particularly great actress but the quality of her work this year was undeniable. The show is generally considered too low profile for Emmy attention but not including Beals in the drama actress category this year will be their loss.
Among the rest of the cast, Mia Kirshner and Katherine Moennig also had their share of well played emotional scenes (although Kirshner's year was no match for her journey of self discovery that gave the first season its strongest dramatic arc), while Leisha Hailey and Erin Daniels continued to provide welcome comic relief. Equally welcome is the continued presence of Pam Grier, as Beals' half sister and the show's token straight woman.
Also notable is the way Laurel Holloman's real life pregnancy was seamlessly woven into the fabric of the entire season. This is probably the only show on television where an actress' pregnancy actually opens up storylines and the actress is allowed to be as vital and sexual onscreen as when she wasn't pregnant.
All in all this is a series that remains remarkably original, and that's always worth appreciating.
Finale Grade: B+
Season Grade: B+
Unlike previous niche-appeal offerings at Showtime (Soul Food, Resurrection Blvd., Queer as Folk), The L Word transcends its status as "lesbian soap opera" thanks to clever writing, a strong selection of indie film directors and a highly talented and engaging cast.
If the first season was an unexpected surprise, the second season opted for slightly more conventional storylines spiked with some memorably outrageous details. It was a season with mixed results quality wise, but the good outweighed the bad and the show's status as one of TV's most under-the-radar quality hours is safe for at least another year.
Any show that can transition from a raunchy concert by Peaches to a moving scene of a character on his deathbed (played by Ossie Davis no less) is clearly a force to be reckoned with.
But that moment happened in the second to last episode.
The finale itself had a hard time exceeding the remarkable episode that preceded it, but managed a haunting quality of its own. The episode, which was written and directed by series creator Ilene Chaiken, relied heavily on scenes that played out without dialogue. It felt a bit pretentious, but pretentiousness can bring out the best in this show.
One of the major faults of the second season was an increased emphasis on relationships at the expense of storylines involving work, family, friendship and personal issues. The focus shifted dangerously close to simple "lesbian soap opera," but the quality of the performances and quirky decisions in writing and directing saved the show from going too far afield.
In particular Jennifer Beals, probably the most recognizable actress among the key cast, truly came into her own this season as the star of the show. In the course of 13 episodes her character was put through the emotional ringer in every way. Not only was her romantic relationship threatened but also her work life, her friendships and her family.
Beals brilliantly navigated the emotional roller coaster ride and made each moment feel as painful, bittersweet or exuberant as they would in real life. I've never thought of her as a particularly great actress but the quality of her work this year was undeniable. The show is generally considered too low profile for Emmy attention but not including Beals in the drama actress category this year will be their loss.
Among the rest of the cast, Mia Kirshner and Katherine Moennig also had their share of well played emotional scenes (although Kirshner's year was no match for her journey of self discovery that gave the first season its strongest dramatic arc), while Leisha Hailey and Erin Daniels continued to provide welcome comic relief. Equally welcome is the continued presence of Pam Grier, as Beals' half sister and the show's token straight woman.
Also notable is the way Laurel Holloman's real life pregnancy was seamlessly woven into the fabric of the entire season. This is probably the only show on television where an actress' pregnancy actually opens up storylines and the actress is allowed to be as vital and sexual onscreen as when she wasn't pregnant.
All in all this is a series that remains remarkably original, and that's always worth appreciating.
Finale Grade: B+
Season Grade: B+
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Fall Schedules: WB
With reduced viewership and greatly diminished buzz the WB is willing to try anything and their fall schedule features the biggest shake-ups so far this week. Almost every night will lose a signature show as the network tries to spread its wealth from two very strong nights (Mondays and Tuesdays) across the schedule.
7th Heaven kicks off Monday nights, as it has for the past forty years, but will now be followed by the WB's attempt at a procedural: a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced legal dramedy that teams Don Johnson with Jay Baruchel (the star on Fox's too short lived Undeclared and the mentally challenged Danger in Million Dollar Baby).
That displaces Everwood to Thursdays at 9. Its new lead in will be Smallville, which means the Superboy series will face off against Alias (a welcome relief after the unexpected Lost smackdown this season) and stalwart Survivor. It will be interesting to see how Fox shakes up its Thursday because The OC will be potentially the biggest direct competition for The WB on this night.
With Smallville off to Thursdays, One Tree Hill is all growns up and leading off Wednesday nights. The old Dawson's Creek timeslot should fit the teen soap pretty well, especially since ABC has moved Lost out of the hour. It's followed by Related, which looks like a remake of NBC's 90s drama Sisters with a slightly more WB-friendly cast. Ok counter programming for Lost I suppose, if it's good it could work. Laura San Giacomo was a lead in the pilot but is apparently being recast. Jennifer Esposito and Mean Girls' Lizzy Caplan remain.
In for Hill on Tuesdays is spooky drama Supernatural. The only reason this seems like a good match with lead-in Gilmore Girls is because of its star Jared Padalecki, who played Rory Gilmore's first boyfriend. At least, as of right now, it doesn't have any sci fi/thriller competition in the timeslot.
That's pretty much it, although Charmed is staying put on Sunday (with Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath joining the cast in part of his endless quest to have one of the weirdest careers in showbiz history) and the WB is putting a hour of Blue Collar Comedy into battle against Desperate Housewives, where it should do better than most things WB has tried there over the years. And the Friday line-up remains all comedies to which the only new edition is Twins which unites Melanie Griffith, Sara Gilbert, Perfect Strangers' cousin Larry and former Passions regular Molly Stanton. Hilarity no doubt ensues.
At midseason I might get the show I wanted to see, Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson's college drama The Bedford Diaries, and everyone else can watch Rebecca Romijn in the inane sounding Pepper Dennis. The only intriguing thing about that show is the possibility it could air Mondays at 9, against Jake in Progress on ABC.
7th Heaven kicks off Monday nights, as it has for the past forty years, but will now be followed by the WB's attempt at a procedural: a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced legal dramedy that teams Don Johnson with Jay Baruchel (the star on Fox's too short lived Undeclared and the mentally challenged Danger in Million Dollar Baby).
That displaces Everwood to Thursdays at 9. Its new lead in will be Smallville, which means the Superboy series will face off against Alias (a welcome relief after the unexpected Lost smackdown this season) and stalwart Survivor. It will be interesting to see how Fox shakes up its Thursday because The OC will be potentially the biggest direct competition for The WB on this night.
With Smallville off to Thursdays, One Tree Hill is all growns up and leading off Wednesday nights. The old Dawson's Creek timeslot should fit the teen soap pretty well, especially since ABC has moved Lost out of the hour. It's followed by Related, which looks like a remake of NBC's 90s drama Sisters with a slightly more WB-friendly cast. Ok counter programming for Lost I suppose, if it's good it could work. Laura San Giacomo was a lead in the pilot but is apparently being recast. Jennifer Esposito and Mean Girls' Lizzy Caplan remain.
In for Hill on Tuesdays is spooky drama Supernatural. The only reason this seems like a good match with lead-in Gilmore Girls is because of its star Jared Padalecki, who played Rory Gilmore's first boyfriend. At least, as of right now, it doesn't have any sci fi/thriller competition in the timeslot.
That's pretty much it, although Charmed is staying put on Sunday (with Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath joining the cast in part of his endless quest to have one of the weirdest careers in showbiz history) and the WB is putting a hour of Blue Collar Comedy into battle against Desperate Housewives, where it should do better than most things WB has tried there over the years. And the Friday line-up remains all comedies to which the only new edition is Twins which unites Melanie Griffith, Sara Gilbert, Perfect Strangers' cousin Larry and former Passions regular Molly Stanton. Hilarity no doubt ensues.
At midseason I might get the show I wanted to see, Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson's college drama The Bedford Diaries, and everyone else can watch Rebecca Romijn in the inane sounding Pepper Dennis. The only intriguing thing about that show is the possibility it could air Mondays at 9, against Jake in Progress on ABC.
Fall Schedules: ABC
ABC was the year's Big Story in TV land and the network's fall schedule is about building on their newfound success.
On paper it looks like a solid line-up, every show seems to have a compatible mate and it's clear the network will continue to go after large female audiences and hope the guys show up too.
Among the big decisions:
Lost will air one hour later, at 9, leaving more viewers available to sample NBC's Martha Stewart Apprentice but serving as a possible death blow to that network's Jerry Bruckheimer drama E-Ring. The castaway drama is followed by new sci fi series Invasion, which should be a good match and give Invasion a boost over the other new alien series on NBC and CBS. Since Lost doesn't need a lead in to generate ratings it doesn't much matter what airs before it but next season it will be the Latino comedy combo of George Lopez and Freddie (Prinze Jr.).
In fact, every ABC half hour is matched with a similar show. In addition to George and Freddie, the network is keeping its blue collar male combo of According to Jim and Rodney intact and shifting it to the 8 o'clock lead off position. The only other returning comedy, Hope & Faith, will be matched with Hot Properties, a real estate comedy with four female leads that sounds like Desperate Housewives meets Designing Women. That makes the Friday night schedule a lot less kid friendly than usual at ABC, but the night will wisely kick off with Supernanny (which will have to take on new NBC reality series Three Wishes).
One of ABC's biggest changes comes in January when Monday Night Football exits the schedule permanently. The network will be able to program the Monday night slot all season long and, at least initially, is opting to skew female. The proposed line-up of The Bachelor (couldn't they just put a bullet in that one?) followed by Sex and the City knock-offs Emily's Reasons Why Not (a new comedy starring Heather Graham) and Jake in Progress (yes, it's back, don't ask me why) followed by relationship drama What About Brian doesn't really look like it will do much damage to the strong line-ups at NBC and CBS on that night.
Boston Legal will air Tuesdays at 10 since the surprise success of Grey's Anatomy made its old Sunday timeslot unavailable. Legal's success will probably depend on just how good, and successful, its new lead-in is. That show is Commander-in-Chief starring Geena Davis as the first female President of the U.S.
And Alias is now forced to lead off Thursday nights, its trickiest timeslot yet. The network must figure it doesn't have much to lose since very little works on Thursday nights anyway. There's definitely room for growth there since the only show in the timeslot that's working in a big way right now is Survivor. Prospects for Alias' designated companion, supernatural detective drama The Night Stalker, look a little dicier since it faces the similar but wildly popular CSI. Stalker, which comes from X-Files producer Frank Spotnitz and is a loose update of Kolchak a show that directly inspired The X-Files, looks to be one of fall's most promising new shows so hopefully ABC will show some patience with it in the tough slot.
Of course in the unlikely event that all the new shows turn out to be disasters the network also has ordered several midseason options including two awful-sounding procedural dramas (The Evidence and In Justice) and a couple dysfunctional family comedies (Crumbs and Sons & Daughters).
Less Than Perfect will return (for some unknown reason) later in the season but Blind Justice and Eyes will not.
Among the pilots the network apparently passed on were comedies starring Brenda Blethyn, Peter Dinklage, Chris Kattan, Bernadette Peters, Kevin Sorbo and Tom Everett Scott. Also two J.J. Abrams produced shows (including his long in development The Catch which would have starred Abrams staple Greg Grunberg), a Desperate Housewives-ish detective show with Kristin Davis, a real estate soap opera and the twentysomething drama from Ed Zwick & Marshall Herskovitz.
On paper it looks like a solid line-up, every show seems to have a compatible mate and it's clear the network will continue to go after large female audiences and hope the guys show up too.
Among the big decisions:
Lost will air one hour later, at 9, leaving more viewers available to sample NBC's Martha Stewart Apprentice but serving as a possible death blow to that network's Jerry Bruckheimer drama E-Ring. The castaway drama is followed by new sci fi series Invasion, which should be a good match and give Invasion a boost over the other new alien series on NBC and CBS. Since Lost doesn't need a lead in to generate ratings it doesn't much matter what airs before it but next season it will be the Latino comedy combo of George Lopez and Freddie (Prinze Jr.).
In fact, every ABC half hour is matched with a similar show. In addition to George and Freddie, the network is keeping its blue collar male combo of According to Jim and Rodney intact and shifting it to the 8 o'clock lead off position. The only other returning comedy, Hope & Faith, will be matched with Hot Properties, a real estate comedy with four female leads that sounds like Desperate Housewives meets Designing Women. That makes the Friday night schedule a lot less kid friendly than usual at ABC, but the night will wisely kick off with Supernanny (which will have to take on new NBC reality series Three Wishes).
One of ABC's biggest changes comes in January when Monday Night Football exits the schedule permanently. The network will be able to program the Monday night slot all season long and, at least initially, is opting to skew female. The proposed line-up of The Bachelor (couldn't they just put a bullet in that one?) followed by Sex and the City knock-offs Emily's Reasons Why Not (a new comedy starring Heather Graham) and Jake in Progress (yes, it's back, don't ask me why) followed by relationship drama What About Brian doesn't really look like it will do much damage to the strong line-ups at NBC and CBS on that night.
Boston Legal will air Tuesdays at 10 since the surprise success of Grey's Anatomy made its old Sunday timeslot unavailable. Legal's success will probably depend on just how good, and successful, its new lead-in is. That show is Commander-in-Chief starring Geena Davis as the first female President of the U.S.
And Alias is now forced to lead off Thursday nights, its trickiest timeslot yet. The network must figure it doesn't have much to lose since very little works on Thursday nights anyway. There's definitely room for growth there since the only show in the timeslot that's working in a big way right now is Survivor. Prospects for Alias' designated companion, supernatural detective drama The Night Stalker, look a little dicier since it faces the similar but wildly popular CSI. Stalker, which comes from X-Files producer Frank Spotnitz and is a loose update of Kolchak a show that directly inspired The X-Files, looks to be one of fall's most promising new shows so hopefully ABC will show some patience with it in the tough slot.
Of course in the unlikely event that all the new shows turn out to be disasters the network also has ordered several midseason options including two awful-sounding procedural dramas (The Evidence and In Justice) and a couple dysfunctional family comedies (Crumbs and Sons & Daughters).
Less Than Perfect will return (for some unknown reason) later in the season but Blind Justice and Eyes will not.
Among the pilots the network apparently passed on were comedies starring Brenda Blethyn, Peter Dinklage, Chris Kattan, Bernadette Peters, Kevin Sorbo and Tom Everett Scott. Also two J.J. Abrams produced shows (including his long in development The Catch which would have starred Abrams staple Greg Grunberg), a Desperate Housewives-ish detective show with Kristin Davis, a real estate soap opera and the twentysomething drama from Ed Zwick & Marshall Herskovitz.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Fall Schedules: NBC
NBC is the first network to officially reveal its fall line-up and there are a few interesting moves:
The new series all look pretty terrible at first glance: a suspect sci-fi drama about a new water based life form, a white trash comedy, a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama set inside the Pentagon and a medical soap set in a fertility clinic. Then there's two reality entries that follow popular models: inspiration (Amy Grant makes wishes come true!) and business competition (Martha Stewart gets an Apprentice spin off).
Surprisingly for a network that's bleeding viewers and losing buzz the schedule remains relatively stable. The only show switching timeslots is The West Wing which moves from Wednesdays at 9 to Sundays at 8.
Joey is staying put Thursdays at 8, followed by the "last season" of Will & Grace, and The Office will return to Tuesdays at 9:30. It will be interesting to see what NBC will try to do to reignite interest in shows that have already been rejected by viewers.
For the first time in history the Law & Order franchise is shrinking instead of expanding (Trial By Jury is dead and buried). But NBC will still have three Law & Orders on the air this fall in addition to two Datelines and two Apprentices.
Fear Factor and Scrubs, which both suffered ratings losses last season, aren't on the fall schedule but will return sometime next season to fill holes, along with two more lame looking comedies (male buddies show Four Kings and Thick & Thin about a "formerly fat" woman).
According to the fall schedule press release NBC is touting itself as the network of choice among "upscale" viewers (which apparently is defined as homes with an annual income over $75,000). I guess you have to find something to brag about when you're a formerly dominant network now mired in fourth place among total viewers and the key 18-49 demographic. (That "upscale" thinking might be what got The Office a surprise renewal, since the press release declares it TV's "most upscale comedy.")
How exactly Fathom, My Name is Earl and even Three Wishes will fit into that "upscale" demo is a little difficult to see right now. And how the fall schedule will appeal to all viewers is even less clear.
The new series all look pretty terrible at first glance: a suspect sci-fi drama about a new water based life form, a white trash comedy, a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama set inside the Pentagon and a medical soap set in a fertility clinic. Then there's two reality entries that follow popular models: inspiration (Amy Grant makes wishes come true!) and business competition (Martha Stewart gets an Apprentice spin off).
Surprisingly for a network that's bleeding viewers and losing buzz the schedule remains relatively stable. The only show switching timeslots is The West Wing which moves from Wednesdays at 9 to Sundays at 8.
Joey is staying put Thursdays at 8, followed by the "last season" of Will & Grace, and The Office will return to Tuesdays at 9:30. It will be interesting to see what NBC will try to do to reignite interest in shows that have already been rejected by viewers.
For the first time in history the Law & Order franchise is shrinking instead of expanding (Trial By Jury is dead and buried). But NBC will still have three Law & Orders on the air this fall in addition to two Datelines and two Apprentices.
Fear Factor and Scrubs, which both suffered ratings losses last season, aren't on the fall schedule but will return sometime next season to fill holes, along with two more lame looking comedies (male buddies show Four Kings and Thick & Thin about a "formerly fat" woman).
According to the fall schedule press release NBC is touting itself as the network of choice among "upscale" viewers (which apparently is defined as homes with an annual income over $75,000). I guess you have to find something to brag about when you're a formerly dominant network now mired in fourth place among total viewers and the key 18-49 demographic. (That "upscale" thinking might be what got The Office a surprise renewal, since the press release declares it TV's "most upscale comedy.")
How exactly Fathom, My Name is Earl and even Three Wishes will fit into that "upscale" demo is a little difficult to see right now. And how the fall schedule will appeal to all viewers is even less clear.
Season Finales: Survivor: Palau
Despite losing interest in the latest edition of Survivor a few weeks ago (right around when Stephenie was voted off and the potential for surprise went with her), I couldn't avoid the big finish.
The producers seem especially proud of the Palau edition and it will probably go down as one of the more memorable installments, but I'd argue it was also one of the least interesting. It's pretty rare to see an entire Survivor season without any real shift in the balance of power but that's exactly what happened this time.
The producers tried their best to create drama where they could but nothing ever truly threatened the dominant alliance of Tom/Katie/Ian which was formed on the very first day and survived all the way to the very end.
And the storylines for each character couldn't have been wrapped up in a more conventional (and less competitive) way:
lanky aw-shucks hero Ian got to prove he's the ultimate Survivor Nice Guy by giving up a chance at a million dollars to ensure his "friendship" with rivals Tom and Katie;
lazy, coat tail rider Katie was viciously torn into by the jury during the final tribal council;
and Firefighter Tom got to win the million after carrying his team to victory after victory in immunity challenges and winning several individual immunities.
But each of those endings was also problematic: Ian's decision was idiotic, Katie hardly deserved the treatment she got (especially from Gregg, who apologized in the reunion show and claimed he saw Katie as a "character," which is an odd thing for a contestant to say) and Tom proved beyond a show of a doubt that his mental game was never anywhere close to his physical game.
But Tom's win was symbolic of the season as a whole. I can't remember a season of Survivor so lacking in mental game play and strategy. There simply wasn't ever a need for it except on the part of Stephenie and the Gregg/Jenn combo, who actually wanted to win but could never generate the numbers to make that happen. Coby, Janu and Caryn seemed to give up, or failed to ever formulate a strategy, and Tom was never truly threatened.
It was almost as if none of these people had ever seen Survivor before. When Ian finally revealed he considered betraying Tom, Tom acted like his buddy was Judas Iscariot and the mentally weak Ian simply gave up.
Katie was probably playing the strongest mental game of the lead contenders, positioning herself perfectly between Tom/Ian and Gregg/Jenn and ready and willing to go with whichever one grabbed the power, but she never had to make that choice. Yes she could've turned the balance of power herself, but why? She was sitting pretty the entire time, her only mistake was not taking every member of her tribe seriously. But still, I wish she (or anyone) had done something. This season was in desperate need of a shake-up and it never came.
Despite its predictable outcome the finale did have a few surprises: Ian's stupid decision, Katie forcing a tie between Ian and Jenn (but why exactly didn't they have to pull rocks? the only time they've actually had to pick rocks before was when there were four people left) and both Katie and Tom tearing into Ian for his supposed two-faced behavior.
The best news is the season is over and next fall will bring a new location and new competitors. And, as always, I'll be watching...
Finale Grade: B
Season Grade: B
The producers seem especially proud of the Palau edition and it will probably go down as one of the more memorable installments, but I'd argue it was also one of the least interesting. It's pretty rare to see an entire Survivor season without any real shift in the balance of power but that's exactly what happened this time.
The producers tried their best to create drama where they could but nothing ever truly threatened the dominant alliance of Tom/Katie/Ian which was formed on the very first day and survived all the way to the very end.
And the storylines for each character couldn't have been wrapped up in a more conventional (and less competitive) way:
lanky aw-shucks hero Ian got to prove he's the ultimate Survivor Nice Guy by giving up a chance at a million dollars to ensure his "friendship" with rivals Tom and Katie;
lazy, coat tail rider Katie was viciously torn into by the jury during the final tribal council;
and Firefighter Tom got to win the million after carrying his team to victory after victory in immunity challenges and winning several individual immunities.
But each of those endings was also problematic: Ian's decision was idiotic, Katie hardly deserved the treatment she got (especially from Gregg, who apologized in the reunion show and claimed he saw Katie as a "character," which is an odd thing for a contestant to say) and Tom proved beyond a show of a doubt that his mental game was never anywhere close to his physical game.
But Tom's win was symbolic of the season as a whole. I can't remember a season of Survivor so lacking in mental game play and strategy. There simply wasn't ever a need for it except on the part of Stephenie and the Gregg/Jenn combo, who actually wanted to win but could never generate the numbers to make that happen. Coby, Janu and Caryn seemed to give up, or failed to ever formulate a strategy, and Tom was never truly threatened.
It was almost as if none of these people had ever seen Survivor before. When Ian finally revealed he considered betraying Tom, Tom acted like his buddy was Judas Iscariot and the mentally weak Ian simply gave up.
Katie was probably playing the strongest mental game of the lead contenders, positioning herself perfectly between Tom/Ian and Gregg/Jenn and ready and willing to go with whichever one grabbed the power, but she never had to make that choice. Yes she could've turned the balance of power herself, but why? She was sitting pretty the entire time, her only mistake was not taking every member of her tribe seriously. But still, I wish she (or anyone) had done something. This season was in desperate need of a shake-up and it never came.
Despite its predictable outcome the finale did have a few surprises: Ian's stupid decision, Katie forcing a tie between Ian and Jenn (but why exactly didn't they have to pull rocks? the only time they've actually had to pick rocks before was when there were four people left) and both Katie and Tom tearing into Ian for his supposed two-faced behavior.
The best news is the season is over and next fall will bring a new location and new competitors. And, as always, I'll be watching...
Finale Grade: B
Season Grade: B
Monster on top
The weekend's "star matchup" actually worked. Monster-in-Law opened at #1 with $23 million according to final numbers. I wouldn't even mention it except I so boldly predicted on Friday that Will Ferrell's Kicking and Screaming would easily take the weekend box office.
It didn't.
The Ferrell comedy's $20 million opening is just a bit above Ice Cube's Are We There Yet? ($18 million) and significantly below Vin Diesel's The Pacifier ($30 million). Not a major crisis for Ferrell but he should probably leave the lowbrow kiddie movies to lesser talents.
As for Monster it gave J.Lo her biggest opening weekend ever and should become her top grossing film to date (topping Maid in Manhattan in both categories). That's exactly the kind of career boost Lopez needed but in the long run this could be more meaningful for the career of her co-star.
There was sequel talk before the movie even opened but whether or not the sequel will involve Lopez seems to be up in the air. However, Jane Fonda and director Robert Luketic have both expressed their desire to do a follow up so it'll be interesting to see where New Line goes from here.
It didn't.
The Ferrell comedy's $20 million opening is just a bit above Ice Cube's Are We There Yet? ($18 million) and significantly below Vin Diesel's The Pacifier ($30 million). Not a major crisis for Ferrell but he should probably leave the lowbrow kiddie movies to lesser talents.
As for Monster it gave J.Lo her biggest opening weekend ever and should become her top grossing film to date (topping Maid in Manhattan in both categories). That's exactly the kind of career boost Lopez needed but in the long run this could be more meaningful for the career of her co-star.
There was sequel talk before the movie even opened but whether or not the sequel will involve Lopez seems to be up in the air. However, Jane Fonda and director Robert Luketic have both expressed their desire to do a follow up so it'll be interesting to see where New Line goes from here.
Friday, May 13, 2005
Get Arrested
Ok, this better be true, and not just someone messing with me. But this isn't the only place I've heard it, so that has to be a good sign.
And if it does come true, it would make Peter Ligouri a god among men.
As for her unrelated Desperate Housewives item. Gee, if someone is going to die, I wonder who it might be?
And if it does come true, it would make Peter Ligouri a god among men.
As for her unrelated Desperate Housewives item. Gee, if someone is going to die, I wonder who it might be?
It's scary out there
A frightening hodgepodge of four new movies opens nationwide today, which should at least make for an effective band-aid after the summer box office tripped out of the gate last weekend (before the permanent fix arrives next week).
Not that Mindhunters is going to make money, but Kicking & Screaming will no doubt open at the top and bring in the family money for a few more weekends, even if it is lame.
The only one of the bunch I've actually seen is Monster-in-Law. The weak, generic, comedy is only of interest for Jane Fonda's first screen appearance in fifteen years. She's funny in the movie, but not in a way that would make anyone forget 9 to 5.
It's a little like watching DeNiro in Meet the Parents: you understand what they're trying to do, and are gratified they're at least pretty good at it, but you can't help but think you're watching genuine talent go to waste. Do good actors reach a point where they simply lose interest in working with good directors?
Monster-in-Law is also another whatever film choice for Jennifer Lopez. She's come a long way from the promising actress of Mi Familia, Selena, Blood & Wine and Out of Sight. These days most people consider her to be an annoyance, not an actress. She treats herself like a one woman industry and her career seems less focused on good work than on on world domination.
In her film career Lopez has demonstrated a clear preference for lame romance, and very little of it has actually been successful. Monster-in-Law will probably sit comfortably with her other work this decade, and that's not something to be proud of.
A lot of major actresses seem to try to pattern their careers after Julia Roberts. But they should take a look at the films Julia has actually made. Otherwise the actress you're truly emulating is a lot less interesting.
Not that Mindhunters is going to make money, but Kicking & Screaming will no doubt open at the top and bring in the family money for a few more weekends, even if it is lame.
The only one of the bunch I've actually seen is Monster-in-Law. The weak, generic, comedy is only of interest for Jane Fonda's first screen appearance in fifteen years. She's funny in the movie, but not in a way that would make anyone forget 9 to 5.
It's a little like watching DeNiro in Meet the Parents: you understand what they're trying to do, and are gratified they're at least pretty good at it, but you can't help but think you're watching genuine talent go to waste. Do good actors reach a point where they simply lose interest in working with good directors?
Monster-in-Law is also another whatever film choice for Jennifer Lopez. She's come a long way from the promising actress of Mi Familia, Selena, Blood & Wine and Out of Sight. These days most people consider her to be an annoyance, not an actress. She treats herself like a one woman industry and her career seems less focused on good work than on on world domination.
In her film career Lopez has demonstrated a clear preference for lame romance, and very little of it has actually been successful. Monster-in-Law will probably sit comfortably with her other work this decade, and that's not something to be proud of.
A lot of major actresses seem to try to pattern their careers after Julia Roberts. But they should take a look at the films Julia has actually made. Otherwise the actress you're truly emulating is a lot less interesting.
The week in Idol was pretty uneventful.
The biggest drama was with the judges: Paula seems to be unraveling at a rapid pace.
As for the contestants:
Bo was boring and then very, very good.
Vonzell was off and uninspired, but she cried. I don't think she really needed sympathy votes but probably got some anyway.
Carrie and Anthony were both fine, but the Ukrainian puppy dog clearly had the weakest fan base of the remaining four and was unsurprisingly eliminated.
Less than two weeks to the big finish we all deserve. Hopefully. (Vonzell's fan base can't be that big, right?).
The biggest drama was with the judges: Paula seems to be unraveling at a rapid pace.
As for the contestants:
Bo was boring and then very, very good.
Vonzell was off and uninspired, but she cried. I don't think she really needed sympathy votes but probably got some anyway.
Carrie and Anthony were both fine, but the Ukrainian puppy dog clearly had the weakest fan base of the remaining four and was unsurprisingly eliminated.
Less than two weeks to the big finish we all deserve. Hopefully. (Vonzell's fan base can't be that big, right?).
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Season Finales: The Amazing Race 7
With two Emmy wins already to its credit, The Amazing Race has firmly established itself as TV's leading quality reality series (at least for anyone who doesn't find the term quality reality series an oxymoron). But it wasn't until the past year that the series truly broke through with viewers.
Apparently like many viewers, I came a little late to the Amazing Race party. I missed the first three editions entirely, and lost interest in the fourth edition as it neared the finish line, but over the past year I've become hopelessly addicted as the show delivered no less than three consecutive editions including The Amazing Race 7 which wrapped up last night.
If it was summer's Amazing Race 5 (with its endearing mix of contestants including bowling moms Linda & Karen, determined dwarf Charla and happy-go-lucky winners Chip & Kim) that got me completely hooked, Amazing Race 7 is the edition that exceeded all my expectations.
When the rumors first started to surface that despicable Survivor "All Stars" Rob & Amber would be among the contestants for AR7 I thought we might be in for a new reality TV nadir.
Then three rather Amazing things happened:
1) The contestants turned out to be interesting.
That was an especially welcome relief after the fairly mediocre AR6 which saw almost all the semi-likeable teams eliminated early on as horrific pairs like Hayden & Aaron, Adam & Rebecca, Freddy & Kendra and, worst of all, Jonathan & Victoria bickered and rampaged their way toward the finish line week after week.
The contestants on AR7 (or the editors) kept the bickering to a minimum and the focus was on interesting personalities working together. Nearly all the teams this season, from early eliminated friends Debbie & Bianca to mother/son Susan & Patrick to brothers Brian & Greg to gay couple Lynn & Alex, were actually fun to watch. And that's without even mentioning Gretchen & Meredith, the oldest couple to ever reach the top four on the show, who played a crucial role in keeping this edition so compelling and surprising.
2) This time it really was a race.
There were an unbelievable amount of close finishes in AR7. Usually the show will try to create tension in editing but it's pretty obvious who will wind up last each week. This edition there were at least four occasions where I was actually surprised with who was eliminated, and one unforgettable week where I was on the edge of my seat as one team literally out ran another to the finish line. Those are the all-too-rare moments that makes unscripted TV genuinely exciting, and AR7 delivered them on a surprisingly consistent basis.
And most surprising of all...
3) I discovered Rob & Amber aren't that bad after all.
They will forever be controversial figures for Amazing Race fans but I think "Romber" (as they are so frighteningly referred to all over the Internet) were ultimately a successful and important element to AR7.
First of all they were easily identifiable villains so the producers didn't have to work overtime to blow up drama between other couples. And they were villains just because everyone hates their spoiled Survivor-winning asses, not because they fought with each other.
Actually Rob & Amber proved to be a surprisingly functional couple. Maybe it's just that previous on-camera experience they've had, but they barely even quarreled (a massive achievement on a show like this). It would've been hard to imagine there would be another couple on the very same show whose shaky relationship would be exposed as a wrong-headed publicity stunt (thank you for the laughs, Ron & Kelly).
And even more importantly Rob & Amber ran a good, competitive, multi-level Race. Yes it was a bit unfair how much help they seemed to receive by being recognized in foreign countries (it's shocking how far the "fame" of Survivor travels) but even without that help it'd be hard to believe they wouldn't have been at least as competitive as Ron & Kelly (during legs where they received no help at all they still finished at or near the top, they simply always did well).
And anyway, after all of that, Uchenna & Joyce deservedly won. The finale would've been perfect if the actual finish was as tight as some of the earlier legs but it was exciting nonetheless. Special mention for the success of this edition should go to the winners who proved themselves more than Chip & Kim: The Sequel, especially when Joyce shaved her head to ensure a fast forward and as they were forced to beg for money in the final leg.
Can there be any doubt the show will pick up its third consecutive Emmy this September?
Reality TV really shouldn't be this good.
Finale Grade: A-
Season Grade: A
Apparently like many viewers, I came a little late to the Amazing Race party. I missed the first three editions entirely, and lost interest in the fourth edition as it neared the finish line, but over the past year I've become hopelessly addicted as the show delivered no less than three consecutive editions including The Amazing Race 7 which wrapped up last night.
If it was summer's Amazing Race 5 (with its endearing mix of contestants including bowling moms Linda & Karen, determined dwarf Charla and happy-go-lucky winners Chip & Kim) that got me completely hooked, Amazing Race 7 is the edition that exceeded all my expectations.
When the rumors first started to surface that despicable Survivor "All Stars" Rob & Amber would be among the contestants for AR7 I thought we might be in for a new reality TV nadir.
Then three rather Amazing things happened:
1) The contestants turned out to be interesting.
That was an especially welcome relief after the fairly mediocre AR6 which saw almost all the semi-likeable teams eliminated early on as horrific pairs like Hayden & Aaron, Adam & Rebecca, Freddy & Kendra and, worst of all, Jonathan & Victoria bickered and rampaged their way toward the finish line week after week.
The contestants on AR7 (or the editors) kept the bickering to a minimum and the focus was on interesting personalities working together. Nearly all the teams this season, from early eliminated friends Debbie & Bianca to mother/son Susan & Patrick to brothers Brian & Greg to gay couple Lynn & Alex, were actually fun to watch. And that's without even mentioning Gretchen & Meredith, the oldest couple to ever reach the top four on the show, who played a crucial role in keeping this edition so compelling and surprising.
2) This time it really was a race.
There were an unbelievable amount of close finishes in AR7. Usually the show will try to create tension in editing but it's pretty obvious who will wind up last each week. This edition there were at least four occasions where I was actually surprised with who was eliminated, and one unforgettable week where I was on the edge of my seat as one team literally out ran another to the finish line. Those are the all-too-rare moments that makes unscripted TV genuinely exciting, and AR7 delivered them on a surprisingly consistent basis.
And most surprising of all...
3) I discovered Rob & Amber aren't that bad after all.
They will forever be controversial figures for Amazing Race fans but I think "Romber" (as they are so frighteningly referred to all over the Internet) were ultimately a successful and important element to AR7.
First of all they were easily identifiable villains so the producers didn't have to work overtime to blow up drama between other couples. And they were villains just because everyone hates their spoiled Survivor-winning asses, not because they fought with each other.
Actually Rob & Amber proved to be a surprisingly functional couple. Maybe it's just that previous on-camera experience they've had, but they barely even quarreled (a massive achievement on a show like this). It would've been hard to imagine there would be another couple on the very same show whose shaky relationship would be exposed as a wrong-headed publicity stunt (thank you for the laughs, Ron & Kelly).
And even more importantly Rob & Amber ran a good, competitive, multi-level Race. Yes it was a bit unfair how much help they seemed to receive by being recognized in foreign countries (it's shocking how far the "fame" of Survivor travels) but even without that help it'd be hard to believe they wouldn't have been at least as competitive as Ron & Kelly (during legs where they received no help at all they still finished at or near the top, they simply always did well).
And anyway, after all of that, Uchenna & Joyce deservedly won. The finale would've been perfect if the actual finish was as tight as some of the earlier legs but it was exciting nonetheless. Special mention for the success of this edition should go to the winners who proved themselves more than Chip & Kim: The Sequel, especially when Joyce shaved her head to ensure a fast forward and as they were forced to beg for money in the final leg.
Can there be any doubt the show will pick up its third consecutive Emmy this September?
Reality TV really shouldn't be this good.
Finale Grade: A-
Season Grade: A
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
A little bit country, a little bit rock n roll
This week's episode of The Carrie and Bo Show was one of the best yet.
Can't we just have the finals now?
Can't we just have the finals now?
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Let's see those thumbs!
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy will definitely go down as one of the oddest films released by a major studio in 2005, which is a good thing since the movie itself is a little less than the sum of its parts.
If greatness is out of reach then it's better to be weird than boring.
Based on the celebrated novel by Douglas Adams which I own but have never read, Hitchhiker's is full of clever ideas and visuals and boasts an unusually sly wit (enough to make it unique among Hollywood comedies). It is, when all is said and done, quite British. Although I have a feeling there were at least some attempts by Disney to water it down (and I hope it was the studio, not the director, who insisted on the overbearing and annoying score), what's on screen will likely come off as rather peculiar to most audiences. Whether they like it or not is another matter.
I liked it. I think a lot of the credit for that goes to Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell and Mos Def who each inject their offbeat and vastly different senses of humor into their inspired characters. Acting props also go to Bill Nighy and the voice of Alan Rickman but unfortunately the film makes little use of Zooey Deschanel, a leading lady who would seem perfectly suited for this kind of thing. I don't know if blame for that starts with the novel or not.
There's also much to appreciate in the film's creative special effects and production design as well as comedy that manages to be both absurd and philosophical at once. I suspect a lot of that credit belongs with Adams.
The director, Garth Jennings, is making his feature film debut and it's certainly not a bad way to start. He has many commercials and music videos under his belt (including Blur's absolutely brilliant "Coffee and TV" clip) and apparently is responsible for the opening credits of Da Ali G Show. The material was once offered to Spike Jonze, who instead recommended Jennings.
It will be very interesting to see exactly where Jennings goes next. If he stays in the studio world Hollywood might be a slightly more interesting place.
If greatness is out of reach then it's better to be weird than boring.
Based on the celebrated novel by Douglas Adams which I own but have never read, Hitchhiker's is full of clever ideas and visuals and boasts an unusually sly wit (enough to make it unique among Hollywood comedies). It is, when all is said and done, quite British. Although I have a feeling there were at least some attempts by Disney to water it down (and I hope it was the studio, not the director, who insisted on the overbearing and annoying score), what's on screen will likely come off as rather peculiar to most audiences. Whether they like it or not is another matter.
I liked it. I think a lot of the credit for that goes to Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell and Mos Def who each inject their offbeat and vastly different senses of humor into their inspired characters. Acting props also go to Bill Nighy and the voice of Alan Rickman but unfortunately the film makes little use of Zooey Deschanel, a leading lady who would seem perfectly suited for this kind of thing. I don't know if blame for that starts with the novel or not.
There's also much to appreciate in the film's creative special effects and production design as well as comedy that manages to be both absurd and philosophical at once. I suspect a lot of that credit belongs with Adams.
The director, Garth Jennings, is making his feature film debut and it's certainly not a bad way to start. He has many commercials and music videos under his belt (including Blur's absolutely brilliant "Coffee and TV" clip) and apparently is responsible for the opening credits of Da Ali G Show. The material was once offered to Spike Jonze, who instead recommended Jennings.
It will be very interesting to see exactly where Jennings goes next. If he stays in the studio world Hollywood might be a slightly more interesting place.
Two weeks to pick-ups
The time for networks to announce their fall schedules is just around the corner. And instead of driving myself crazy waiting to see if Arrested Development gets picked up or not I decided to take a look at what new shows I just might want to see.
With no knowledge of what the networks are seriously considering, which scripts are said to be good or bad and what shows will be cancelled to make room for these, I am endorsing, sight unseen, one pilot for each network. If for no other reason than I want to see it.
ABC: 1/4 Life
The network that had the best freshman class of the 2004-05 season has another promising slate this year (well, as promising as you can get while still having a Freddie Prinze Jr. vehicle under consideration). But this choice is a no-brainer because the twentysomething drama 1/4 Life is from Marshall Herskovitz & Ed Zwick, the bona fide TV Geniuses behind thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, Relativity and Once & Again. That's all I need to know.
CBS: Threshold
CBS won't be abandoning its focus on procedural dramas anytime soon and the drama pilots it has under consideration are full of doctors, crusading lawyers and government agencies (the comedies are predictably primarily family based). Sure, the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced American Crime (she's a lawyer and a desperate housewife, crusading against crime in the suburbs!!) is a sure bet to make it on the air and I'm tempted to endorse the Shawn Ryan/David Mamet collaboration The Unit (with a solid cast that includes Dennis Haysbert, Regina King, Robert Patrick and Scott Foley), but I'll stick by Threshold.
Probably a solid contender in these post-Lost days it's a sci-fi drama with Carla Gugino, Charles S. Dutton and even some Star Trek cred thanks to Brent "Data" Spiner and veteran Trek producer Brannon Braga. Could give network sci-fi a needed kick in the ass.
Fox: Kitchen Confidential
Assuming I'm actually still watching Fox next season (which would mean Arrested Development is still on the air), I'll check out this new comedy from Darren "Melrose Place/Sex and the City" Star. At least a comedy centered around a chef is a fresh idea (yes, I have already forgotten Emeril and you should've too). It also helps that former Alias co-star Bradley Cooper is playing the chef and Buffy co-star Nicholas Brendon is on board too.
I have to admit I'm also more than a little curious about The Loop since it bills itself as an "experimental" comedy, features Mimi Rogers and Philip Baker Hall, has a pilot directed by Betty Thomas and comes from South Park vet Pam Brady and Andy Richter Controls the Universe vet Will Gluck. Just the kind of left field thing that could actually turn out well.
NBC: NY-70
I'm torn between religious family drama Book of Daniel with the kick ass cast of Aidan Quinn, Dylan Baker, Susanna Thompson, Christian Campbell, Alison Pill, Garret Dillahunt and Ellen Burstyn and 1970s set cop drama NY-70 starring two very good actors: Donnie Wahlberg and Bobby Cannavale. Since the production teams behind both shows mean nothing to me I'll go with the concept I find a little more fresh: there's already a network show with someone who talks to god, but nothing set in the 70s. That said I wouldn't be surprised if both get on the air (and it's possible that a "period" show like NY-70 will wind up as a limited series to cut down on costs). NBC's got some big holes to fill.
UPN: Crazy
It might not even be worth considering this "network," except last fall they actually put two shows on the air I wanted to watch: Kevin Hill and Veronica Mars. On paper this year's selections look pretty scary: a J. Lo produced show about South Beach? a soap about Hollywood assistants? a show set in Silver Lake? Yikes. So by default I'll go with a show that stars Lara Flynn Boyle and is titled Crazy. Proof that, if nothing else, someone at UPN has a sense of humor.
The WB: The Bedford Diaries
My favorite network five seasons ago, The WB also has a pretty lackluster looking crop this year. But despite the David E. Kelley medical drama and the Anne Heche/Swoosie Kurtz/Ed Begley Jr. comedy (say what?), one show stands out from the pack. Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson of all people (they produced Oz!!) are in contention at The WB with a show about New York college students studying human sexuality and behavior. Among the cast are Gilmore Girls brat Milo Ventimiglia, multiple Tony winner Audra McDonald and Matthew Modine.
Weird.
I hope they put it on the air.
With no knowledge of what the networks are seriously considering, which scripts are said to be good or bad and what shows will be cancelled to make room for these, I am endorsing, sight unseen, one pilot for each network. If for no other reason than I want to see it.
ABC: 1/4 Life
The network that had the best freshman class of the 2004-05 season has another promising slate this year (well, as promising as you can get while still having a Freddie Prinze Jr. vehicle under consideration). But this choice is a no-brainer because the twentysomething drama 1/4 Life is from Marshall Herskovitz & Ed Zwick, the bona fide TV Geniuses behind thirtysomething, My So-Called Life, Relativity and Once & Again. That's all I need to know.
CBS: Threshold
CBS won't be abandoning its focus on procedural dramas anytime soon and the drama pilots it has under consideration are full of doctors, crusading lawyers and government agencies (the comedies are predictably primarily family based). Sure, the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced American Crime (she's a lawyer and a desperate housewife, crusading against crime in the suburbs!!) is a sure bet to make it on the air and I'm tempted to endorse the Shawn Ryan/David Mamet collaboration The Unit (with a solid cast that includes Dennis Haysbert, Regina King, Robert Patrick and Scott Foley), but I'll stick by Threshold.
Probably a solid contender in these post-Lost days it's a sci-fi drama with Carla Gugino, Charles S. Dutton and even some Star Trek cred thanks to Brent "Data" Spiner and veteran Trek producer Brannon Braga. Could give network sci-fi a needed kick in the ass.
Fox: Kitchen Confidential
Assuming I'm actually still watching Fox next season (which would mean Arrested Development is still on the air), I'll check out this new comedy from Darren "Melrose Place/Sex and the City" Star. At least a comedy centered around a chef is a fresh idea (yes, I have already forgotten Emeril and you should've too). It also helps that former Alias co-star Bradley Cooper is playing the chef and Buffy co-star Nicholas Brendon is on board too.
I have to admit I'm also more than a little curious about The Loop since it bills itself as an "experimental" comedy, features Mimi Rogers and Philip Baker Hall, has a pilot directed by Betty Thomas and comes from South Park vet Pam Brady and Andy Richter Controls the Universe vet Will Gluck. Just the kind of left field thing that could actually turn out well.
NBC: NY-70
I'm torn between religious family drama Book of Daniel with the kick ass cast of Aidan Quinn, Dylan Baker, Susanna Thompson, Christian Campbell, Alison Pill, Garret Dillahunt and Ellen Burstyn and 1970s set cop drama NY-70 starring two very good actors: Donnie Wahlberg and Bobby Cannavale. Since the production teams behind both shows mean nothing to me I'll go with the concept I find a little more fresh: there's already a network show with someone who talks to god, but nothing set in the 70s. That said I wouldn't be surprised if both get on the air (and it's possible that a "period" show like NY-70 will wind up as a limited series to cut down on costs). NBC's got some big holes to fill.
UPN: Crazy
It might not even be worth considering this "network," except last fall they actually put two shows on the air I wanted to watch: Kevin Hill and Veronica Mars. On paper this year's selections look pretty scary: a J. Lo produced show about South Beach? a soap about Hollywood assistants? a show set in Silver Lake? Yikes. So by default I'll go with a show that stars Lara Flynn Boyle and is titled Crazy. Proof that, if nothing else, someone at UPN has a sense of humor.
The WB: The Bedford Diaries
My favorite network five seasons ago, The WB also has a pretty lackluster looking crop this year. But despite the David E. Kelley medical drama and the Anne Heche/Swoosie Kurtz/Ed Begley Jr. comedy (say what?), one show stands out from the pack. Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson of all people (they produced Oz!!) are in contention at The WB with a show about New York college students studying human sexuality and behavior. Among the cast are Gilmore Girls brat Milo Ventimiglia, multiple Tony winner Audra McDonald and Matthew Modine.
Weird.
I hope they put it on the air.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)