Archive for category episodic TV
Aw man: ABC, Fox Cancels Two of My Favorite Tuesday Shows
Posted by admin in comedy, episodic TV on January 26, 2013
So it’s been a tough week for Tuesday sitcoms I like.
First up, James Van Der Beek made this announcement regarding ABC’s Don’t Trust the B—- in APT23:
Sad to say ABC has pulled #Apt23 and will not be airing the 8 remaining episodes any time soon. Translation: we’ve basically been cancelled.
— James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) January 22, 2013
Then I learned today that Fox had pulled the plug on the quirky as heck Ben & Kate.
In the case of ABC, there has been a great deal of buzz that the show would be considered far more successful if On Demand and streaming (aka metrics other than traditional TV ratings) were considered.
Here’s hoping this is the last season that shows are cancelled without all forms of ratings are properly considered.
And I also hope Van Der Beek is interested in doing more sitcom work in the future.
RIP Reinhold Weege
Posted by admin in comedy, episodic TV on December 8, 2012
The creator of Night Court, one of my all-time favorite sitcoms, Reinhold Weege died of natural causes on December 1. The Wrap has details.
His death gave me reason to track down John Larroquete’s twitter account, in which he wrote the following great tribute:
In life there are those who impact us with such force everything changes. Reinhold Weege was that in mine. May he truly rest in peace.
— JohnBLarroquette (@johnlarroquette) December 7, 2012
Below is one of my favorite Night Court bits.
Person of Interest: Behind the Machine
Posted by admin in episodic TV, streaming video on October 6, 2012
CBS is two episodes into the second season of Person of Interest–and unless I am mistaken they are injecting a little more humor in the new season. But the engine of the series remains The Machine. CBS recently posted a behind-the-scenes video about the Machine with perspectives from executive producers J.J. Abrams and Jonathan Nolan.
Dick Wolf Discusses Chicago Fire
Posted by admin in drama, episodic TV on September 4, 2012
How good is Dick Wolf? He can explain the premise of his new NBC drama, Chicago Fire, in under a minute. Without breaking a sweat.
ABC Mines Country Music in New Fall Season
Posted by admin in comedy, drama, episodic TV on September 3, 2012
So, this fall ABC is exploring country music in two ways:
- a sitcom starring Reba McEntire and Lily Tomlin, Malibu Country Trailer
- a drama starring Connie Britton, Nashville
Judging by these previews, I have little hope for the sitcom (Tomlin nursing a southern accent annoyed me within 30 seconds). But I am much more hopeful for the drama. Check out the previews yourself and make your own assessment.
Stephen Battaglio on From Yesterday to Today
Posted by admin in episodic TV, pop culture on December 1, 2011
Article first published as Stephen Battaglio on From Yesterday to TODAY on Technorati.
From Yesterday to Today
In 2012, the U.S. national TV broadcast network NBC will celebrate that Today, its morning news and talk show, first went on the air 60 years ago in January of 1952. Indeed, NBC’s celebration started a little early in mid-November, with the release of From Yesterday to Today: Six Decades of America’s Favorite Morning Show, a book written by Stephen Battaglio (TV Guide‘s business editor) and published by Running Press. Battaglio, who was granted access to the TODAY show’s archives in order to fully document the rich history of the show, was kind enough to take part in a recent email interview about his 272-page book. The book features a variety of information and photos covering the show’s 60-year history as well as an introduction by current Today show host Matt Lauer.
Did NBC give you full access to its show archives?
Yes. We were able to use their photos. I was able to review past episodes of Today – a lot of fun – and interviews with the personalities that NBC News producers had done over the years. I combined that with my own research and reporting on the show done over my career as a journalist covering the TV industry. I also did a few dozen fresh interviews with the current and past Today producers and cast members.
Rowlf on The Jimmy Dean Show
Posted by admin in Animation, episodic TV, streaming video on November 25, 2011
Last night, a brief Twitter exchange between writer Chris Roberson and myself got me to thinking about the early career of one of the Muppets, Rowlf the Dog. As noted in his Wikipedia entry, ‘Rowlf was actually the first true Muppet ‘star’ as a recurring character on The Jimmy Dean Show, first appearing in a show telecast on September 19, 1963.”
Exploring further for online evidence of Rowlf’s role on the shoe, I was fortunate to run across a seven-minute clip of Dean and Rowlf discussing music, courtesy of the always enlightening blog for the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive. Why would an animation site cover the early work of a Muppet? As noted by the blog: “Animators can learn a lot from puppeteers when it comes to creating a living, breathing character.”
Check out the post, as it is almost as informative as the YouTube clip.
Just Discovered: The Jimmy Stewart Show (1971)
Posted by admin in comedy, episodic TV, streaming video on November 8, 2011
In reading about the passing of TV producer/writer Hal Kanter, I learned that among his many projects throughout his career, he once helped develop a 1971 sitcom starring the film legend, Jimmy Stewart.
I am not sure which I enjoy from this project: Stewart riding a bike through the opening credits or the guest star for that week’s episode: Kate Jackson.
Missed It: Happy Endings Penny & Penny’s Mom Singing Duet
Posted by admin in comedy, episodic TV, streaming video on October 28, 2011
I watch the ABC sitcom Happy Endings while writing typically (sitcoms do not command the full O’Shea attention), but I cannot fathom how I missed this–from a few weeks back. A singing duet featuring Casey Wilson as Penny and Megan Mullally as Penny’s mother. I do remember thinking, man I hope Mullally appears again (much as she does periodically on NBC’s Parks and Recreation as one of Ron Swanson’s ex-wives). Watching it a second time, I realized that I ignored the scene because I hate this song. Glad I watched it again, despite the song.
A hat tip for Yahoo’s The Set, for making me aware of this bit, that at first I could not remember watching. Now if I could only find the scene where Penny fell forward with a podium (on Happy Endings season finale), while saying: “I’m going down!”
Actress Rachel G. Fox on Dream House
Posted by admin in episodic TV, Film on October 19, 2011
Article first published as Interview: Actress Rachel G. Fox on Dream House on Blogcritics.
Rachel G. Fox
This past weekend [Late September] saw the theatrical release of Dream House, a mystery/thriller directed by Jim Sheridan and featuring actress Rachel G. Fox in a supporting role. Fox recently was more than happy to discuss via email her role in the film, as well as her work on the ABC Family series Melissa & Joey. Not every actress can say they’ve acted alongside Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Naomi Watts in a movie, and as revealed in our discussion, Fox clearly enjoyed playing Watts’ daughter. Many families desire to own the ideal home, and in Dream House, the Atentons (Craig and Weisz) think they have found theirs. But soon the family discover their home was the scene of a murder and that their lives may be in danger as well. Fox plays a member of the Patterson family, who live next door to the Atentons. On the social media front, fans of Fox will be pleased to learn, as of last week, she has joined Tumblr. My thanks to Fox for her time and thoughts.
What was the audition experience like for Dream House, did you have to audition for director Jim Sheridan? Can you talk about what it was like to work with an award-winning director like Sheridan?
The audition process for Dream House started with me sending in a tape to the casting director in New York, through my agent. There were thousands of tapes submitted and the director, Jim Sheridan, chose two girls to meet with in a director session. I didn’t know it was just two of us until I arrived at the director session! At the time, I had heard of Sheridan, but I did not know fully about his work so I researched about him and learned about his projects (Brothers, In America) and his stature.
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