Even though I’m not partial to dark dramas about serial killers, Hannibal’s cast is almost awesome enough to make me watch anyway. Their most recent addition is Mads Mikkelsen as the titular character. Mikkelsen was also just cast as the lead villain in Thor 2.
Hannibal Casts Mads Mikkelsen as Hannibal Lecter — NBC – TVLine.
Interview about season 2 of Franklin & Bash with star Mark-Paul Gosselaar! It includes discussion about whether we’ll see a White Collar crossover episode that will reunite him with his Saved By the Bell costar, Tiffani Thiessen.
Franklin & Bash: Mark-Paul Gosselaar Previews Season 2 — TNT – TVLine.
Does anyone else hate the news that Catherine Tate has been promoted to a series regular on The Office? Nellie Bertram’s character has all of the worst characteristics of Michael Scott, and none of the lovable ones. This may be the final straw to get me to stop watching The Office altogether (and I never do that after I’ve invested more than a season or two into watching a show). Except for maybe two brief glimpses of humanness, the character of Nellie has been nothing but abrasive and annoying. At least I have Person of Interest and Beauty and the Beast to keep me occupied Thursdays at 9.
The Office Season 9 Cast — Catherine Tate – TVLine.
Arrested Development star Jeffrey Tambor will be guest starring on an upcoming episode of Psych as Juliet’s stepfather. Tambor recently starred in NBC’s short-lived Bent, and will return to NBC midseason in Next Caller.
I love Tina’s acting on Veronica Mars and Bones, so I’m sure she’ll be great on True Blood. Will be an interesting departure for her if she’s part of the Authority’s support staff as a vampire and not a human.
True Blood Casts Tina Majorino — Season 5 – TVLine.
When CBS announced its fall schedule, it released behind-the-scenes of its new shows, but here, finally, are actual trailers for them:
Elementary – Thursdays at 10
This trailer is making me even more excited about the show. The only part that seemed overly BBC Sherlock was the “bored” bit of dialog (and correct me if I’m wrong, but apparently that’s from the books). I’m looking forward to having 16+ addition hours of Holmes every year!
Vegas – Tuesdays at 10
This trailer makes me want to watch the show a little less, partly because I was only going to check out the pilot for curiosity’s sake, and the trailer answered too many of my questions.
Made in Jersey – Fridays at 9
The trailer made the show slightly more interesting than the behind-the-scenes preview, but that’s not saying much. I’m still not watching.
Partners – Mondays at 8:30
Brandon Routh seems a little awkward in his role, but then I’m used to him as a villain on Chuck. And will CBS please get rid of laugh tracks?
Amy Huberman wasn’t in the preview trailer much, so I don’t mind their recasting her role for JoAnna Garcia. She’ll be playing Dorothy, ex-girlfriend and current boss of lead Dr. George Coleman, played by Justin Kirk.
Animal Practice Casts JoAnna Garcia — NBC Fall – TVLine.
A voice of reason amid all the cries of “Why even watch season 4?” “This is the darkest timeline,” and “Community won’t be Community without Dan Harmon,” this article looks at all the very plausible explanations for why he was fired.
While the show started out as an accessible, though quirky, sitcom, over the past few years it has evolved into a very niche show. I still love it, but occasionally there are episodes that try so hard to parody something that they forget to be funny (“Pillows & Blankets” was the latest offense – I think I laughed once during the entire episode).
The article linked below focuses on what good might come out of the change in showrunners. I for one am hoping the changes will be reminiscent of Mark Ruffalo playing the Hulk instead of Edward Norton in The Avengers. I know comparing actors to showrunners is a bit like comparing apples to apple trees, but both Norton and Harmon have a reputation for being difficult to work with. Bringing in Ruffalo was far from the only thing that made The Avengers a success, but I believe it helped. (Side note, since I’m already talking about The Avengers, wouldn’t it be awesome if Joss Whedon had become Community’s new showrunner? I know it’s completely different from his own shows – though not from ones he’s worked on – and unlikely to have worked out, but can you imagine the fan craziness that would have ensued?)
Found this right after I finished this post, and thought it was amazing! (And very fitting to add.)
But what I don’t understand with this move to make Community more mainstream, is why NBC still plans to air Community on Fridays, a timeslot usually reserved for niche shows. It seems like they’d do one or the other (fire Dan Harmon or move the show to Fridays), not both. How is the show expected to pick up new viewers that way? Far better to air the final season of 30 Rock there instead. I would have put Community on at 8 on Wednesdays, followed by Animal Practice (giving the new show the benefit of a veteran lead-in). Then Thursdays could have started with sophomore Up All Night at 8, followed by the similarly-themed Guys With Kids. I do hope some executive at NBC is smart enough to figure that out before fall, and if not, that a new show bombs quickly and NBC rearranges things.
The Hard Truths Behind Dan Harmon’s Community Ousting — Vulture.
Continue reading The Hard Truths Behind Dan Harmon’s Community Ousting and My Thoughts
CBS says thank you to fans for making it the most-watched network with a bountiful e-gift bag – downloads of 9 classic and current episodes (including NCIS: Los Angeles, The Good Wife, and Blue Bloods), a preview How I Met Your Mother ebook, digital magazine subscription, and desktop screensaver.
It looks like CBS chose some great episodes to give away, with many season premieres to hook viewers (The Good Wife’s season 1 pilot was a great choice to get viewers to try a lower-rated show that builds on previous episodes). You can download/stream the shows from iTunes, Amazon, and Vudu, and get the HIMYM sampler(“written” by Barney, so it has colorful language and questionable ethics) from iTunes and Amazon. The digital magazine is 3 full years of the bimonthly Watch! but it looks like you have to since up for an account and download a reader to view the issues (also, be sure to uncheck the email offers boxes when you subscribe!).
The screensaver requires you to download an .exe file and install the screensaver, but the slideshow of images is pretty fun. My favorite is the NCIS: Los Angeles retro one (reminds me of the Castle retro one) pictured above. Unfortunately, it’s set only for full screen displays, not wide screen, and you can’t customize it in other ways (i.e. the shows you love will be mixed in with the ones you don’t). Also, it seems to expire at the end of the year.
Grimm showrunners David Greenwalt and Jim Kouf answer a bunch of burning questions about the season 1 finale and what’s to come in season 2! Juicy tidbits: season 2 will pick up moments after season 1 ended, the spell Adalind put on Juliette sounds more complex than it first appeared, and the creators knew who the woman in black while they filmed the pilot. (Did anyone else who watched it live think it was odd/cool/weird that they played a promo for the movie The Woman in Black during the episode?)
Grimm Season 2 Spoilers – TVLine.
After news about Dan Harmon’s ousting as showrunner of Community hit the internet Friday night, cast members of the show shared thoughts about the news via Twitter. Details here:
What do you think? Can the show last without Harmon? Or at least be the same quirky genius instead of mellowing into the vanillaness of many sitcoms?
Now that all of the broadcast networks have revealed their fall schedules, as well as trailers or clips of new shows, it’s time to look at what I will be watching live, what I’ll have to catch online, and how many annoying half hour and hour “dead zones” I’ll have between good shows.
TVLine was nice enough to compile a grid chart of what’s airing when, which you can view at the link below (it will open in a new tab so you can follow along):
Fall TV Schedule Grid 2012-13 — ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, The CW – TVLine.
Thanks to 666 Park Street’s too-much-horror bent, Once Upon a Time remains my only show for Sundays, though if my Sunday evenings stay busy, I’ll be watching online anyway.
Monday has a lot of dead zones. Since I don’t get HD Fox coverage in my area (which makes the picture 2/3 of its normal size), I’ll watch Bones on Hulu and How I Met Your Mother live. But since I’m likely giving up 2 Broke Girls (since it’s become the ladies’ version of Two and a Half Men instead of a smart, funny comedy), I don’t have anything else I plan to watch until Castle at 10. Revolution looks good, but like Smash (which will be back in midseason), I’ll only watch it live if Castle is a repeat or ABC won’t come in.
Tuesday’s first two hours are packed for me. I’ll probably watch NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles live when I can, because if I have to watch a show online I prefer Hulu to CBS’s video player. But if they’re on repeats or I’m in the mood for comedy, I have choices: Ben & Kate on Fox at 8:30, New Girl on Fox or Go On on NBC at 9, and The Mindy Project on Fox (maybe) or Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt. 23 at 9:30. Nothing on at 10 that interests me, though I might watch the pilot of Vegas out of curiosity.
Wednesday just has two shows I plan to watch, and of course they conflict – Arrow at 8 and Suburgatory at 8:30. I might try out Animal Practice (at 8) if I’m watching Suburgatory live.
Even with Community’s move, Thursdays remain my busiest night. At 8, I have to choose between The Big Bang Theory and a half hour dead zone, or ABC’s Last Resort. At 9, Person of Interest and CW’s Beauty and the Beast will probably push The Office to online-only. My only conflict-free hour will be at 10, with CBS’s Elementary.
Friday, I will probably watch Community and Grimm (NBC, 8:30 and 9) live, and catch Nikita online.
All told, that’s 22-26 shows every week, out of which up to 12 are 1/2 hour comedies. Up to 20 hours total every week for broadcast shows, if I like all the new shows I’m trying out. Seems like a lot, but I guess not really for someone who runs a TV site. 🙂
Awesome news for The Selection! The CW hasn’t given up on the show, though the pilot wasn’t working for them. Apparently it followed the book too closely, and now the scriptwriters (most likely still Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain) will be given more leeway with the story, using the book as a jumping-off place. There may be some recasting, though lead Aimee Teegarden is likely to stay (here’s hoping William Moseley will stick around as well).
This article also talks about the CW wanting to add two comedies to their slate, and the fact that Nikita’s move to 9PM was done so the network’s local news affiliates would have a better lead-in for their 10PM airings.
CW president Mark Pedowitz was also proud to have Ringer on the air, though the “complicated serial show” was hurt by a long hiatus. The CW will be premiering their fall shows in early October instead of mid-September to lessen repeats and hiatuses next season. He also noted that Ringer star Sarah Michelle Gellar “is coming back to this network as a producer or as an actress.”
What I want to know, is Ioan Gruffudd going to be back on my TV any time soon?
The CW Eyes ‘The Selection’, Two Comedies For Midseason – Deadline.com.
The CW is the last of the broadcast networks to announce their fall schedule, with some major changes.
90210 moves to Mondays at 8, followed by a shortened finale season for Gossip Girl, and in midseason, The Carrie Diaries.
As I predicted, the CW’s two medical shows are on the same night, with Hart of Dixie on at 8 on Tuesdays, and Emily Owens, MD (formerly First Cut) at 9. A great slot, as the only similar show they’re competing against would be The Mindy Project at 9:30.
Wednesdays, new show Arrow will lead off the night, followed by “finally out of the Friday death slot” Supernatural.
The Vampire Diaries remains on Thursdays at 8, while Beauty and the Beast gets the plum slot following it.
Nikita moves to 9 following America’s Next Top Model, which means competition with Grimm and Fringe, but Supernatural didn’t do too bad in that slot, so there’s hope.
All in all, it seems like a very solid schedule for the CW, and I hope the network’s ratings next fall will reflect that. Cult will be a midseason show as well. For clips of the fall CW shows, click below.
CBS has announced its new schedule for fall 2012, with several changes to make room for 4 new shows.
The Mentalist is moving to Sundays at 10 to make room for the new Sherlock Holmes show, Elementary (which will take its Thursdays at 10 slot). While Elementary is receiving a lot of flack for being too similar to BBC’s Sherlock, after CBS failed to secure the rights to an American remake of the show, I think it shows promise. The NYC setting and a female Watson help differentiate the shows, but I am thrilled that Holmes will still have a British accent. Plus it has a great lead-in with Person of Interest, and Scandal is the only scripted show it has to compete with.
Two and a Half Men is moving to Thursdays at 8:30, following The Big Bang Theory. I really hate when networks put shows I can’t stand next to shows I love, especially with comedies. Plus, Two and a Half Men seems like a terrible lead-in for Person of Interest. The move is to make room for Partners, which will air at 8:30 on Mondays, following How I Met Your Mother, while 2 Broke Girls moves down to 9PM.
The 1960s cowboy cop vs. criminal casino owner show Vegas will take the Tuesdays at 10 spot thankfully vacated by Unforgettable (so glad to see that show go) following NCIS: Los Angeles. The show looks a lot better than I was anticipating.
CSI:NY will move to 8 on Fridays, to make room for new show Made in Jersey at 9. Is it just me, or does the main actress’s actual British accent sort of destroy the whole “Jersey girl makes good” vibe of the show in the sneak peek below?
What shows will you be watching on CBS next fall?
