Fall 2009 Viewing Schedule

Thank the providers that AT&T lets me record up to four shows at once (max of 2 of those at a time in HD)

Please note that new shows get a couple episodes to prove themselves (and some are very much on the fence, denoted below by an asterisk. These shows have something to prove to me (i.e. fill out their presentation, or just have an episode two that shows promise beyond premise)

MONDAY
- 8pm: How I Met Your Mother, Heroes (I feel like I will always give this show one or two episodes each season... just to see...), House
- 9pm: Gossip Girl (the second episode of this season IS AMAZING)
- 9:30pm: Big Bang Theory

TUESDAY
- 8pm: The Biggest Loser, So You Think You Can Dance, V (supposedly Tuesdays at 8pm in November)
- 10pm: The Good Wife

WEDNESDAY
- 8pm: So You Think You Can Dance, America's Next Top Model
- 9pm: Modern Family, Glee, The Beautiful Life: TBL*
- 9:30pm: Cougar Town*

THURSDAY
- 8pm: FlashForward, SNL: Weekend Update Thursday, Community*, Bones, the Vampire Diaries*
- 9pm: Grey's Anatomy, The Office, Fringe
- 9:30pm: Community*, 30 Rock
- 10pm: Private Practice* (yes, yes, not a new show... I'm very curious to see how the cliffhanger plays out, and Bailey is going to be crossing over... shut up), The Mentalist (though I did utterly fail to catch up on the first season over the summer... whoops)

FRIDAY
- 9pm: Ugly Betty, Dollhouse

SUNDAY
- 8pm: The Amazing Race, The Simpsons
- 8:30pm: The Cleveland Show* (haven't seen it yet)
- 9pm: Desperate Housewives, Family Guy, Three Rivers* (what with the pilot being completely reshot and almost entirely recast, I have to watch the new pilot to be able to make a true judgment...)
- 9:30pm: American Dad (the Christmas episode this season was presented in three forms at Comic Con and reminded me that this show can be outrageously funny...)
- 10pm: Brothers & Sisters

Sigh. So much TV. So little sleep.

And this is just broadcast... I will still be watching Mad Men, ABDC, Top Chef, Project Runway, Psych and White Collar (when it premieres in October)... thank god for DVRs and lazy weekends.

Summer Cable Roundup

It certainly has been The Summer of Cable, has it not? Or at least A Summer of Cable, as the broadcast networks really have nothing to speak of on the air... I mean, really, the only network TV I feel that I watched this summer was So You Think You Can Dance and I'm really worried that it starts again in a week! Too soon!

An opinion summary, by night (besides my Mon-Fri addiction to Rachel Maddow, of course)!

MONDAY

The Closer - A decent enough summer season that got off to a rough start (no mention of Brenda's wedding or honeymoon? So weird!) and had the whole "sick/dying cat" plotline replaced with a far more tolerable "my naughty niece is in town and getting involved in my murder investigations" plotline. Mary McDonnell guest starred twice, the second time she really got to do some new character stuff instead of just doing a Laura Roslin impersonation (and the final showdown in that episode, about the continuing fallout post-Rampart in the LAPD and community relations was a very good Closer moment).

WEEDS - The season started lazily to the point that I asked (and continue to ask) "why am I still watching this show?" It is a shadow of its former self. Nancy is thoroughly unlikable, to the point that I, honestly, am constantly hoping she gets killed so I can stop seeing Mary Louise Parker phone it in every week. This show used to be so damn subversive. Elizabeth Perkins as Celia Hodes was the highlight this season, after spending last year being a put-upon depressive hag she finally got a backbone and is starting to (in a very different way) be that entertaining protagonist/antagonist she used to be. Last week, when she first donned the Nancy wig and garb and latte was, actually, a hoot. For me. Because Perkins so blithely played up all the MLPisms as well as got to ask Nancy how she could drink all those lattes and not have to constantly pee. Bottom line: this show has not been remotely the same since leaving Agrestic. Irrevocable. I'd say "I'm not going to watch next season" but, like Entourage, so long as I'm subscribing the the pay cabler it's airing on, it's gonna be recorded, and I'm gonna watch it.

Nurse Jackie - The critics loved this. I was at first very thrown by the lack of funny. Then about halfway through the season I actually laughed at a joke in the show. It was one of few times. I just wish Showtime would stop labeling NJ as a comedy... it's not. And just having the comedy label alters my weekly expectations. This is a great exercise of a show... can you like the lead character despite the fact that she's a strident bitch who is addicted to prescription drugs and is sleeping around on her husband? The answer? If played by Edie Falco... yes. However, the end of the season left me scratching my head. Instead of building to a fantastic cliffhanger leaving us on the edge of our seats for 10 months or howver long it is until the show returns... there was a rat crawling around in the lighting.

TUESDAY

I, um, did not watch anything scripted on Tuesday this summer... and just as well because I have a weekly get-together that often runs until 11pm. Yes, yes, this means I didn't watch Warehouse 13. Somehow... I'm not feeling too out of the loop. Prove me wrong, people. I did, however, watch The Real Housewives of New Jersey. I'd never watched a Real Housewives season before and have no interest in the other casts, but friends told me about NJ and, as a previous resident of the Garden State, I felt it my duty to watch what happened. And I loved what happened. Even if I still have no idea what Teresa said while flipping that table.

WEDNESDAY

Top Chef Masters - I didn't love TCM in the first six episodes. Unlike the mothership series, we didn't really get to invest in the master chefs until the championship rounds, at which point the show had me completely hooked and I'm glad I stuck with it. If there's a second edition, though, my suggestions would be to lose robotic Kelly Choi (she proved just how much Padma does for Top Chef) and feature 12 master chefs, losing one each week like the regular series does and like the series did once it got to the championship rounds and we were able to bond with the various masters. Oh, and of the three regular critics, only keep Gael Greene. I couldn't stomach Rayner and I could barely look at Oseland...

Top Chef - Only two weeks into the competition, I'm relishing it. A colorful assortment of personalities and many with astounding, Top Chef-ready abilities (two James Beard nominees, the girl who works for Eric Ripert, and the guy who has a Michelin star... way to stack the deck, Top Chef!) I, at first, feared the "high stakes quickfire challenge" thing (that I hope isn't used EVERY week) was a bit shark jumping... but, y'know, they're having fun with the Vegas backdrop. Let them.

THURSDAY

Burn Notice - Basic cable's crown jewel. The ratings were almost as entertaining to watch as the show itself and, like the show itself, the ratings improved (certainly compared to its lead-out) as the summer season came to an end. Who'd have thunk two years ago that this show would be outrating The Closer by wide margins in the demo and hitting pretty close to it on a weekly basis (and sometimes surpassing it) in viewership?

Royal Pains - I stuck with the show and, season just having reached its end last week, still am ambivalent about it. Mark Feuerstein has to be one of the most boring actors to watch, so it's amazing that when his Hank is onscreen with love interest Jill... I'm more interested in him. Jill Flint. Blandsville! They tried to spice up the relationship (which, IMHO, progressed far too much and too quickly) by throwing Bruno Campos into the mix... but he'll always be the eunuch Carver from Nip/Tuck (together with showkiller Kat Toder) to me. Paulo Costanzo's Evan, in small doses, is fun. But the show often gives him too much quirk and too much screentime. I'd rather they focus on Reshma Shetty's Divya. Hell, just do the whole show about Divya. I'm curious about the cliffhanger the writers presented us... as the show doesn't return until Summer 2010, will we be picking back up 9 months later?

The Fashion Show - A creative disaster for Bravo that, in the end, did nothing much for "fashion" in the way Project Runway did. Isaac Mizrahi? Buh bye, darling. And where is Kelly Rowland's fashion expertise coming from? Her attendance record at fashion shows? The show had far too many group challenges to start off with, and far too few talented designers. Anna, as a non-bitch, was obviously going to win the viewer vote at the end (I was surprised that, suddenly, the show turned into a viewers vote for the winner show). Daniella was talented and I think the show introduced her to the right people she'll need to give her career a kick start.

Project Runway - Like Top Chef, we are two weeks into this new cycle. Unlike Top Chef, I'm unhappy with where its gone so far. Not that they made stellar clothing, but kicking Ari and then Malvin (who oddly reminded me of Fashion Show's Jean-Paul) off in favor of Mitchell... who apparently can't sew? What!? Project Runway has usually embraced its oddballs at the beginning of the season, waiting to see if they will wow the judges when really lectured and put to the test. At least that's how Bravo handled it. Lifetime, on the other hand, has added the mildly diverting half-hour follow-up series Models of the Runway, which actually gives the models a voice... which is, of course, shocking, shallow, catty, and a wonderful way to kill 22 minutes (and brain cells?) each week.

FRIDAY

Psych - Love me some Sean and Gun antics, but have the antics gotten to be too much? The cases thus far this season seem to be very far in the rearview mirror to leave room for more of the quirky comedy. Not that it's a huge problem. I always get many laughs out of the antics and it's a great way to start the weekend (or, um, spend a lazy, warm Saturday afternoon... seriously, LA, turn the heat down...)

SUNDAY

True Blood - No discussion of Summer 2009 TV would be complete without a discussion of True Blood, no? Let's talk ratings, first. I was shocked last year when the marketing for the show came out and friends at HBO commented "We wish the show was as good as the marketing." Well, guess what. The show is now cementing its place as the best piece of escapist, summer frivolity in recent memory. It's silly! It's horror! It's emotional! It's creepy! It's romantic! And the ratings are showing, as they grow every week, that a thoroughly serialized show doesn'y have to start big to become a massive success. What did this show premiere to its first season? 1.44 million? How many viewers did it have on August 23rd? 5.3 million? Yeah. Great news for HBO, certainly, which desperately needed a ratings and buzz magnet. And the DVD sales of the first season have been through the roof. I was disappointed in this Sunday's penultimate episode of the season. It felt like it was setting the stage for a great finale... but little else. And I want more out of this show, which thus far this season has given us SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT. Ugh, I can't believe we have to wait two weeks until the finale. Torture!

Hung - Oh, my. Even more than Nurse Jackie, this series is a reason for HBO and Showtime to invent a new word for some of their half-hour offerings (seriously, what's so wrong with calling it a drama? Why does it have to be labeled a "comedy"?) There is nothing fun or funny about this show. And it's a show that should be fun and funny. I mean, it's a show on a pay cabler that can get away with curse words and nudity about a male prostitute. COME ON! The writers should have looked at the first season of Weeds for inspiration. The shows seem very similar in premise... down on their luck single parents starting an illicit means of making money to support their lives and children. The Lenore character is crazy and fun, and Natalie Zea's run was good (mostly because I adore her... but the character has this weird, perverse fantasy to her and that was GOOD because it was DIFFERENT) but all of the regulars are sad to watch. And listen to. Especially the overused voiceovers.

Entourage - My opinion on this season of Entourage is, as I mentioned with WEEDS, that I would stop watching if I stopped subscribing to HBO and I wouldn't care. But as long as it's there, I'm watching. Which is stupid. The season has been atrocious. Skipping past Vince's darkest hour at the end last season (that Ari Gold, of course, managed to solve), we find him back on top of the world. And he's going to be in a new movie! Only... it gets delayed by 12 weeks SO VINCE HAS NOTHING TO DO. HE HAS NO PLOT. WTFWTFWTFWTF!? Meanwhile E is sleeping with a 13 year old girl (who is apparently just a very anorexic 24...) and pinning for Sloane (really?) while being handed a dream job at a big management company that he, for whatever reason, has to think about taking. Drama has a lot of time on his hands for someone who stars in a TV drama, and time enough to have the stupidest tiff ever with a studio executive (not even a president-level executive). Gary Cole is being amusing thank god, and Autumn Reeser showed up once or twice. Basically, if the show took place at the Miller Gold Agency, I would still be enamored of the show. But as it does not... I am not. The "Fab Four" are b-o-r-i-n-g. And every week they manage to top the previous week's level of tedium.

Mad Men - Speaking of tedium... LOL. I really do get sucked into the world of Mad Men. But the three episodes thus far this season have been meditative, slow-moving character pieces to the point that I am dying for something to actually HAPPEN. I love the characters, I love the world, I love the tension added in the office from the British Invasion, I love the depiction of the class struggle, I love pretty much everything to do with Peggy at the office (but that college boy dalliance, her Don Draper in training moment from the second episode... not so much). Seriously, Peggy has gotten some great lines this season. And, of course, Joan. Joan Joan Joan. Everything is just starting to feel far too quiet and go too slowly.

America's Best Dance Crew - Three weeks in and I haven't been consistently wowed by any crew the last in ABDC3 Beat Freakz and Quest Crew always amazed. I've thoroughly enjoyed numbers by Vogue Evolution (but leave the apparent behind the scenes drama behind the scenes!), We Are Heroes, Massive Monkees (but B-Boys always throw impressive tricks in) and Rhythm City. Was surprised Beat Ya Feet Kings didn't go home the first week because of the sloppy performance, but they had a good story to tell. Really, though, still waiting to be wowed.

So... that's my cable summer. Agree? Disagree? Think I should've been watching something that I'm not (I know, I know, I should be watching Leverage... I just don't for some reason)?

Coming soon... more screener reviews and my (depressingly daunting) Fall 2009 viewing schedule (that will certainly come first... perhaps even tonight as I get my affairs in order, and will give away some of my as-yet-unwritten reviews).

Pilot Screener Review - Melrose Place

MELROSE PLACE
Status: Premiering Tuesday, September 8th @ 9pm on CW

I must admit... I did enjoy the original Melrose Place. So know that going into this review. There will always be a place in my heart for primetime soap that lets itself play on the ridiculousness and not give a damn.

I also live very close to the actual Melrose Place (the street in West Hollywood, not the location) and so, every day, am bombarded with about 10 billboards per block reminding me that Tuesday is the New Hump Day (blech), Menage a Tues (um...?) and that Tuesdays are a Bitch (YES! THAT'S A GOOD SLOGAN TOTALLY IN SPIRIT WITH MELROSE PLACE!)

The oversaturation may annoy me.

But not as much as this pilot did.

The new Melrose Place, outside of Katie Cassidy's star turn as resident bitchtress and "tri-sexual" Ella Simms, is a collection of utterly stupefying schlock. There are no characters. Oh, for sure, there is attempt at character given through ethnicity, hair color and job description (the Naive New Red Head in Town, the Dark-Haired Chef with a Secret, the Sandy Blond Guy with Daddy Issues, the Vaguely Hipster-ish Filmmaker, the Asian Medical Student). But these are not characters. These are merely cardboard cutouts moved through locations to the backing music of every Top 40 song you are already sick of from Spring/Summer 2009. Oh, sure there's the shock of "Huh, Sydney isn't dead?" and the mystery of "Oh, Sydney is dead because she shows up dead in the MP pool at the end of the first act in a Sunset Boulevard homage that The L Word also failed at doing adequately" but, given everything else... do we really expect this mystery to play out satisfyingly? Isn't it a little too soon after Lily Kane's death to be attempting a poolside homicide mystery arc?

Then there's Sandy Blond Guy with Daddy Issues who is apparently Michael's son even though he's in his mid-20s.

And let's not forget the "okay, I'll be a hooker to pay my med school tuition" girl.

And Hipster Filmmaker is given an opportunity to blackmail some producer into buying his ("award winning") student film because, as the videographer at the guy's daughter's birthday party, he caught the producer having an extramarital affair (seriously, dude... keep it in your pants). So there's an attempt at a "do I do the moral thing and not advance my career" moment of questioning... which he tells the girl who hasn't yet decided, after 5 years of dating, whether she will say yes to him asking her to marry him that he went through with the blackmail.

The plots, such as they are, don't mingle. Every character seems to be in their separate world and overwarm misguided plotlines. The characters who are supposed to have chemistry together (say, the two lovebirds finally tying the know).

Nothing makes sense. No one acts like people. No one even acts in a remotely rational way (not to say that people ever, let alone always, do). And they aren't entertaining (or that sexy) while doing it. Especially Ashlee Simpson, who desperately needs acting lessons.

Aside from Katie Cassidy. She's a keeper.

Pilot Screener Review - Washington Field

WASHINGTON FIELD (script review Washington Field)
Status: Busted

Shows what I know about procedurals.

If you recall, I dug this script (as did many other industry-ites). I kind of hyped it up, in fact, so when May upfronts rolled around and it wasn't picked up... people were scratching their heads.

Why?

You really only need about 2 minutes with this people to know why.

It's like The A-Team. Only it takes itself seriously when what's going on on-screen is, well... really, really, really campy.

Every single thing, from the character introductions that told us about the team members' specialties, to the mysteriously added opening voice over talking about the Washington Field unit, to the villains, to the investigation... it's all silly. But played in such a melodramatic way and with such a heavy score that LAUGHING IS NOT AN OPTION. And it's unintentional (believe you, me). Especially goofy is, what in the script was described as the ultimate in cool, The Big Board. Which plays like a supersized CNN magic screen. Except that the guy who operates it uses even more hilarious hand movements to move information from place to place on the screen (and that guy needs an intern to organize it... clutter!) At one point one of the team members puts their PDA near the screen in order to upload some information from the screen to the PDA and a little PDA icon pops up. Cheesy! Also utterly unnecessary in the age of, um, the internet...

The cast fails (partially because the characters fail). Eddie Cibrian and Teri Polo have zero chemistry (even less than Flashforward's Joseph Fiennes and Sonya Walger!) Gina Torres's character's main skill set seems to be that she can... drive things... to places... and more abhorrent moments aboard.

It's easy to see why this wasn't picked up. But I'm certainly keeping my copy around... if I ever need an inappropriate laugh.

Pilot Screener Review - Modern Family

MODERN FAMILY
Status: Premiering Wednesday, September 23rd @ 9pm on ABC

Oh, dear. A week has passed. And I got into a new script. And then I didn't post screener reviews as promised! Bad, TY.

I figured to get me back in "the mood" I would start off with a review of The Best Pilot Airing This Fall.

Well, that's the review, folks!

Seriously, though, I've watched this pilot (with various people) about 5 times and it still makes me laugh. I had thought after my first viewing that it was just the surprise of "an ABC comedy is funny" that was enhancing the comedy experience. No. This is just a genuinely funny half-hour (and it's single-cam, the combination of which, while airing on ABC, is just a shocker).

The colorful cast of characters in this pilot are in three separate stories (family of five deals with a teenage girl bringing a guy home for the first time and with disciplining a prepubescent son; May/December interracial couple deals with son's first crush; gay couple has adopted a Vietnames baby) until the final act, which, on my first viewing, left me scratching my head asking "why are we following these three separate stories in this pilot?" Then, unexpectedly, the answer came. It was so subtly done that without being told, you might not notice it. And I won't spoil the surprise (though I think it has been spoiled by the ABC marketing department... whatever, not my call) or what follows in the EXTREMELY uproarious final act.

There is also a mockumentary / confessional gimmick that is used to fun, character-informing effect.

I cannot say enough great things about this pilot. There is something for pretty much everyone. I only worry that future episodes won't capture the brilliance of the pilot (as it's taken, what, 5 years of failures upon failures for ABC to even crack the "funny single-cam pilot" code). I also worry that being a part of an all-new lineup will hurt the show. And I thank god for multi-tuner DVRs, so I can record this and Glee at the same time (seriously, programming gods... uncool).

Yay!

I (finally) finished the draft of my script I'd been working on. And while it was after my self-imposed target date, it was before my deadline. So... yay.

I will post some screener reviews tomorrow, as well as some reactions to the goings on of cable shows (Top Chef! Top Chef Masters! THREE AND A HALF HOURS OF PROJECT RUNWAY!?!?) and will post this week's original finals at PIF (possibly getting to that late tonight).

Tomorrow.

Have some stuff to take care of now and then a birthday party tonight, so it'll have to wait.

Looking forward to being on a semi-break (am currently breaking story on a pilot... so many things going on... which is better than having nothing going on!) and picking up on this blog again.

Also I'll be posting fast nationals next week at PIF for Marc Berman. Watch for it!

Once More, With Feeling...

... I am not dead.

I am trying to meet a deadline on a script, trying to get funding on a feature film, and in the beginnings of a new actual job (and just came back from a week-long, perhaps ill-timed vacation)... so life, as you may expect, is busy.

If I can meet my writing goals this weekend, screener reviews will recommence on Monday.

Wish me monsters.

FYI...

I'm out of town / touch most of this week, so won't be posting any reviews... hopefully will be able to (late at night) post final ratings at PIFeedback.

Mmm, vacay...

Pilot Screener Review - Human Target

HUMAN TARGET (script review: Human Target)

Status: Premiering Sunday, January 17 after the NFC playoff game on FOX (then Wednesdays at 9pm)

Rewatched this pilot at the Comic Con panel and was surprised at how well it seemed to go over. Not that I expected it to go over poorly. But the crowd really seemed to lap it up... possibly because of an overwhelming affection for Jackie Earle Haley due to his stint as Rorschach in Watchmen, as well as Emerson Cod fans from Pushing Daisies, one of whom questioned Chi McBride's apparent type-casting as Winston in Human Target has a function somewhat similar to Emerson's.

Human Target is a fun, mindless, popcorn action hour-long, something that, really, hasn't been seen on network TV in a while (but is quite successful on cable in the superior Burn Notice). Mark Valley disappears into the role of Christopher Chance... which ordinarily is a bad thing, but as his character has so be able to disappear into a crowd in order to protect his clients ever week, it kind of works. I've always found Valley to be good-looking-but-bland, but there are glimpses of the fun underlying the character. Chance can be reckless and Valley plays those moments, when he's a fine line away from crazy with his devil-may-care grin, with aplomb. Haley shines as Guerrero, a information gatherer who operates just outside the realm of legality and gets some great one-liners. However, it is guest actress Tricia Helfer, who plays "Protectee" Stephanie, who steals the pilot. A shame she isn't a regular... because more Tricia Helfer is always a good thing. Also, the show desperately needs some estrogen on it, as the three regulars are male... hopefully women won't be relegated to "damsel in distress" on the show.

While some aspects of the pilot's case of the week (stuck on a runaway train with an assassin) were eliminated from the script that I read (like using the air conditioning to notice who is sweating an thereby making an assassin), the fact of the matter remains that the case is just not very interesting. There isn't a ton going on, and there are very few characters we're following, so despite the fact that it's supposed to be an action-thriller, sections seem to plod along. There is a great fist fight scene, and Chance seems far more human (as in less superhuman, rather than a moral humanity thing) in the pilot than he did in the script.

The pilot should do well after football, but I wonder about it crossing over with the (more female) American Idol audience.

Weeds

Show of hands... who else thinks this would be a far better show if the entire Botwin family died, as did Doug, and we refocused on Celia, Dean, and Isabelle?

I mean, the scenes with Celia deciding the store Silas and Doug's pot through Dean, and package it with the crappy door-to-door makeup she's trying to peddle were actually funny.

Unlike the rest of the show.

A Few Comic Con Updates

1) The 20-ish minutes of Flash Forward were awesome (a) the second time around, (b) on a bigger screen. The panel was well done, too, and I was pleased with the Q&A, especially with David Goyer, who seemed to indicate there are a ton of paradigm shifts along the way to the April 29, 2010 "flash forward" date (specifically pointing at episode 7). Glad I opted for this panel instead of BSG / Caprica.

2) I hear that, though billed as midseason, ABC's V will be premiering in November.

3) I hear that Jamie Bamber (BSG's Apollo) is appearing in the Dollhouse season two premiere.

4) The unaired Dollhouse episode, "Epitaph One," blew my mind. As well as everyone in the completely packed room. It was AMAZING. So outside the show's norm, and, really, just a frightening pleasure to watch unfold.

5) I hear that House Rules might not be dead... which excites me, despite my less than completely glowing review (of the cast).

Won't be getting to my Human Target review before tomorrow's screening... oh, well!

Pilot Screener Review - The Vampire Diaries

THE VAMPIRE DIARIES (script review: The Vampire Diaries)

Status: Premiering Thursday, September 10 at 8pm on CW

If things go according to plan, I'll be at the screening Saturday night so may alter this as my memory is refreshed. I don't have the screener with me right now, so I couldn't flip through a re-review things as I could with the other pilots.

Twi-light.

You're certain to be hearing / seeing a lot of that pun as reviews for VD (yep, get used to that, as well) come out.

I know, I know, the Vampire Diaries books far predate the Twilight saga. But the odd thing about this pilot is that, well, they really do seem to be drawing water from the same pool. Nina Dobrev's Elena has a similar (if more TV friendly/hot?) appeal as Kristen Stewart's Bella. Dark, internal, slightly mysterious. She's the best part of this show, for me... which is a good thing, as it's centered around her, and her burgeoning relationship with the new vamp in town, Stefan (Paul Wesley). Paul plays his role well. He has a prominent brow, deep eyes, angular face, and makes with the brooding. Not a ton of fun exudes from his character. Honestly, there are times his face even looks like Robert Pattinson's (similar angles).

With True Blood showing us that it IS possible to do the vampire series differently, and with different casting choices, it's odd to me that the VD pilot and Twilight films, characters, and casting choices hew so closely to one another. It appears little more than a carbon copy (again, I know, VD came first, and those people who read the VD books would throw a fit if casting was done off type for the leads...) So perhaps this just shines a light on how bland and unimaginative and far-from-fresh the Twilight phenomenon is/was?

Outside the key love story, as well as Elena's and Stefan's brothers, VD is populated by a series of largely forgettable supporting friend/frenemy/ex-lover high school characters. Yes, indeed, it remains the standard boilerplate the script promised. Elena's brother is kind of a dud for me though I liked him (and his drug-dealing darkness) in script, while Ian Somerhalder gets very little pilot time as Damon and doesn't yet own the (seemingly?) evil role.

If Twilight-esque is your thing, you will be tuning in. If it's not, there's nothing new being offered here. Still, there's plenty of Twilight love out there. Maybe the phenomenon can transfer over to a similar TV show. Maybe not. We'll find out this September.

BTW, good call (how often do we ever get to say that) from the CW with scheduling this. They needed to move Smallville elsewhere to die (or not) and try something new on Thursdays at 8pm, maybe give Supernatural a little fresh blood (hah, I made myself chuckle... sort of). Heavy promotion (CW is splitting focus between this and the sucktacular Melrose Place) and premiering a week before Fox's shows and two weeks before Survivor / Flash Forward / NBC comedies should bold well for initial sampling, but also means we won't really know how the series stacks up in the ratings against competition until it's 5th episode in October when all of the other shows' ratings have gotten out of their premiere-boost halo.

Thanks to AT&T's U-verse, I can now record four shows at once (up to two of them in HD), so I will be recording Vampire Diaries to see where it goes... but I'm definitely recording Flash Forward in HD, so it's a question of whether to record Bones or VD in HD once they're all airing... hmmm...

Pilot Screener Review - V

V (script review: V)

Status: Midseason on ABC

I'm very much looking forward to comparing this to Day One, once I actually get a copy of Day One. I liked V's script much more than I liked Day One's, but as visual effects-heavy, alien invasion series... it's all in the visuals. You all know exactly what this series is about. Aliens, subterfuge, a select few humans fighting against the aliens while the rest of humanity buys into their lies.

I was very impressed with the effects work and the production design in this pilot. The aliens' spaceship, from the outside and in, is cool, as is the massive projection of Anna, the aliens' leader (Morena Baccarin... sporting a tragically too short pixie haircut... someone transfuse some extensions, stat!) We get one glimpse at the real aliens underneath the human guise, and it's good and creepy (if not as jump out of your seat as I recall from the original series... but there's plenty of time for that).

There were two annoying production issues from me right in the first minute, that made me gird my loins to watch the rest... and I was pleasantly surprised with the rest. First, when we meet Erica Evans (Elizabeth Mitchell), she is asleep. With her badge open that shows her FBI credentials. That annoyed me. I mean, who does that? But I forgive it... as it's an extremely fast, visual way to meet her.

Less forgivable, but hopefully reshootable, is the exterior of Father Jack's church (Jack is played by The 4400's Joel Gretsch). There is a small flight of stairs leading down from the doors, a platform, then more stairs leading to the sidewalk. What's wrong with that, you ask? Well, we meet Jack as he leaves the church. Waiting on the platform is a lonesome man in a wheelchair. How did he get up there (there are no ramps)? No one seems to be there to help him up or down. Yes, this is nitpicky, but it's such a stupid location management mistake and it bothered me.

Anyway, after that, you're just sucked straight into the "alien spaceships! OMG!" storyline. I'm never going to be Scott Wolf's biggest fan, so I can't really comment on whether he does a good job as the self-serving Chad Decker, the reporter chosen by Anna to be the aliens' liaison with humanity (through interviews where he isn't allowed to ask negative questions or portray the aliens in a negative light). I felt that Erica's son (played by Logan Huffman) needed to be recast. He's supposed to be a loser who finds purpose and meaning by following / obsessing over / being devoted to the Visitors (Vs for short)... and he just didn't feel right in the role.

Solid entertainment, that has the benefit (versus Flash Forward) of a constant, in your face, antagonistic presence. Week to week, there's a source of story drive... the aliens are up to no good, how can we win this war against them, piece by piece, moment by moment, plot by plot (whereas Flash Forward is an investigation into a larger mystery that we know won't come to fruition for a good long while).

Pilot Screener Review - Past-Life

PAST-LIFE (script review: Past-Life)

Status: Midseason on Fox (currently Tuesdays post-American Idol)

If you recall from my script review, I had some hopes for this pilot, but my doubts clouded them. The concept is too far out there and seems too specific to hit it mainstream (or leap beyond formulaic crap draped in a weird science-fiction-y premise).

Those doubts remain.

As do my hopes.

This will be a show I'll be watching just to see if it can meet or exceed any sort of expectations and elevate itself from being a formula show. I found the two leads (Kelli Giddish and Nicholas Bishop) charming and likable, and felt they had strong chemistry that will, undoubtedly, lead to some heavy UST. There's just the right balance between them of believe and doubt, which helped this viewer buy more into the conceit... even if the show definitely lands on the "this is all real, deal with it doubters" side. As, y'know, there wouldn't be a show if the client wasn't actually having past-life regression memories that lead to a solved murder (as well as a simultaneous kidnapping)

But is that what the show will be every week? Someone with a tragic past-life comes in having nightmares or memories or whatever, the team solves a Cold Case by investigating and causing triggers that set off further memories when they hit a road block, yadda yadda yadda?

If so... I'll lose interest quickly in what could've made a very entertaining episode of Fringe, but has to survive as a series unto itself.

I was sad to see the scripted memory from Kate (Kelli Giddish's character) about her own past-life with Price (Nicholas Bishop's character) gone from the pilot... but I assume that just means it's something that will be eventually explored and revealed in series, instead of put up front in the pilot.

Pilot Screener Review - The Middle

THE MIDDLE

Status: Premiering Wednesday, September 30th at 8:30pm on ABC

This will be a very brief review, as it is a heavily negative review (and the time has gotten away from me this week and I have four other reviews to do before leaving tonight for Comic Con... whoops).

This is the second version of The Middle ABC has developed. Two seasons ago, Ricki Lake played the beleaguered matriarch of a midwestern family. Now, it's Patricia Heaton. The rest of the cast has changed, too (supportive husband, slightly annoying teenage boy, socially awkward teenage girl, slightly "special" 5-6 year old boy). But the script hasn't changed that much (nor has the costuming department, as Patricia Heaton seems to be wearing the exact same "superwoman" outfit Ricki Lake wore in the first attempt pilot). It mystifies me because the reason I didn't like the first version wasn't the cast... it was the lack of funny. And so, that problem remains (there are a few awkward moments that elicit a chuckle or two... but hardly worth the 22 minute investment).

I certainly won't be watching.

Delay

Was out at a taping most of the day. Will be posting the prelims at PIFeedback.com tomorrow for Marc, and will post finals for Sunday and Monday (I have Sunday HH and A18-49 now, but thanks to The Sponge taking up all 5 of the top viewer slots, no viewer numbers for anything else, like the HBO shows... should get the viewer numbers tomorrow for all cable for Sunday from a friend).

Fall Screening Review - Glee "Showmance"

GLEE "Showmance"

Status: Returns to Fox on Wednesday, September 16th @ 9pm

Oh, readers.

I'm in love all over again. You all remember how in love with the original version of the pilot I was when I saw it way back in February, right (Glee)? And then how I was still in love three months later when the final broadcast version aired, but saddened that my joyous experience had been shortened, cut down, and put back together slightly more choppily?

And, not that you would know this, but how I seriously can't get the Glee Cast's versions of "Rehab" and "Don't Stop Believin'" out of my head (or off my iPod... not that I'd want to)?

Anyway.

The second episode screened tonight in LA as part of OutFest. I'm a spoilerphobe (thank you, spoiler addiction and knowing everything that happened in the last 1.5 seasons of Buffy months in advance and ruining the final run of show for me... not that I minded at the time, and not that the show was anywhere near its peak by then). So, you won't be getting a ton of plot details from me.

The episode begins almost like a reset, in case you hadn't seen the pilot (which, I hear-tell, will be airing an EXTENDED VERSION the week before "Showmance" airs... not sure if that means Extended Pilot on September 16th or September 9th). We open on Will pulling into the school parking lot, temporarily stopping Puck and the other jocks from tarnishing poor Kurt's expensive designer threads, etc.

But, readers, there's oh so much more waiting in this episode.

More Jane Lynch, for starters. I'm assured (via press reviews of episode 4 "Preggers," if "Showmance" is considered episode 2) Jane will be an increasingly involved presence (and snarling villainess) as the series progresses... which she damn well better be what with Fox not letting her do even a single episode of Party Down season two (miss you, Constance!)

Then there's the songs. "Showmance" is loaded with them, though we've seen and heard bits from most in promos (Will's take on "Gold Digger," the Glee club's "Le Freak" rehearsal). Put there's also a hilariously raucous performance of "Push It" from the club as well as the sad song playing over the final minutes of the show. The final performance, Rihanna's "Take A Bow" sung by Lea "MinIdina" Michele's Rachel, is heartbreaking. It's the antithesis of the pilot's "Don't Stop Believin'," which left us soaring and hopeful. And it's good to know the show is able to carry some real (teenage) emotional heft with its performances and story and not just goad us into rooting for the underdogs and believing that they can put it together against overwhelming odds (that would be the Disney Channel's MO). Allowing us to feel heartbreak, and to really believe it, in the second episode of this series... well, I'm just in love and along for the ride (so long as the show sticks to this winning formula, with split focus on adults and kids but, really, knowing it's all about the kids) and can't wait for you to know what the hell I'm talking about. And that song better be on iTunes for purchase!

The slurpee toss is back (blue!) and there's a hilarious running gag involving Cory Monteith's Finn, a postal worker, driving lessons, and premature ejaculation.

What? It's Ryan Murphy... and Fox...

Pilot Screener Review - Eastwick

EASTWICK (script review: Eastwick)

Status: Wednesdays @ 10pm on ABC, premiere date unannounced

Well, David Nutter is 15 for 15 in getting pilots he directs picked up. However, just because a pilot gets picked up to series doesn't mean it doesn't get cancelled quickly (Dr. Vegas). Or burned off during the summer (Traveler). Or surprisingly picked up for a second season (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles). Not everything David Nutter directs turns into a long-running series like Smallville or The Mentalist (yes, I'm making an assumption here).

Eastwick is a curious case. We all know what it's about. Three women, three witches. A small, New England community. And some devilish guy who storms into town and changes everything.

You won't be surprised by the story.

You won't be surprised by much of anything besides Jamie Ray Newman's star turn as Kat, a nurse and mother of five. And I think that the surprise comes from unfamiliarity. The TV audience is rather familiar with what Rebecca Romijn and Lindsay Price bring to the table. They're both great to look at (which makes Price's Plain Jane reporter Joanna highly unbelievable... the transformation from mouse to vixen literally involves taking her hair out of its bun) but don't exactly overwhelm in the acting department.

So, Jamie Ray is a breath of fresh air.

She's just about all that's fresh here (particularly compared to Paul Gross's Darryl Van Horne, which channels Jack Nicholson far too much).

Which saddens me. Because I enjoyed the script (knowing Nutter was directing it) and I love the movie on which the series is based. But instead of easy-viewing fun, it all adds up to a big pile of cliché (which can be amusing, but the tone isn't campy enough to pull it off) and, pretty much, a far less awesome Gilmore Girls with magic powers.

Eastwick has a further challenge on its path to a full-season pickup or a second season: being a part of ABC's all new Wednesday lineup. Though I haven't done my full reviews of any of the four comedies that are running from 8-10pm, Eastwick lucks out that ABC saw fit to put the (far, far) better of the four comedies on from 9-10pm, with the season's strongest new show (yes, including any / all dramas such as the hyped up Flash Forward) on at 9pm. Um, guess you know my opinion of Modern Family now. Anyway, launching a totally new night is always a gamble and this is pretty much the third attempt by ABC in as many years at a total makeover. Maybe parts of this lineup will stick. We'll see.

To Do Before Comic Con

As they are screening on Friday, post reviews of...

- The Middle (um, why is this screening at Comic Con...?)

- Past-Life

As they are screening on Saturday, post reviews of ...

- Eastwick

- Human Target

- V

- Vampire Diaries

- Glee's second episode (screening at DGA this Saturday night)

So look for those posts over the coming week!

Figure out how to be in two places at once for...

- Flash Forward / BSG+Caprica sessions on Friday

- Chuck 10am on Saturday and waiting in line for Lost 11am on Saturday

FYI, I will pretty much be camped out in Ballroom 20 all Friday and Saturday... I'm I'm smartphone-less, so don't expect midstream updates (I have a Twitter IRL, but not for TravisYanan... and I imagine it would be very complicated to try and maintain two Twitter accounts from the same cell phone...)

Emmy time

So... Emmy nominations out tomorrow (at the ass-crack of dawn out here in LA... no, I won't be up that early to comment on how ATAS got it mostly wrong as usual). I'm not even bothering to hazard a guess or list out my dream noms. Exercise, meet futility.

Well, back to the toil!

Late Night at the Movies

Went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at midnight at The Grove with a bunch of friends. Going to be a late morning... I can tell...

Opinion of the movie... well, it was about damn time it came out, what with the extra delay. Almost two years since Order of the Phoenix! HBP is getting AMAZING reviews (95% last I looked at rottentomatoes.com) and I'm hard-pressed to understand why, versus the other HP films (which, in release order, are at 78%, 82%, 89%, 88%, and 77%). It's a very slow, methodical, well-made film. Lots of character and relationship stuff and comedy. But to be honest, it doesn't have the magic and thrills of the last two adventures (which were adventures) or the first three films, which were far more magical and kids-y entertainment... and then, y'know, people started DYING. My favorite remains Prison of Azkaban of the movies.

In fact, a lot of the action from the book was removed entirely! And I damn well want to know why. I wouldn't be so sodding ambivalent about HBP if Deathly Hallows were being released all at once. But as it's being split into two parts, HBP is no longer the prelude to the end. In the films, it's not, with DH being two parts (rather than making a five-hour long movie... I totally get it...), and we all remember the stop-and-go search that was the first half of DH... I'm not going to be getting a full serving of my Potter magic and amazement fix until 2011 (and, oh boy, does that final movie installment have to deliver in spades). Perhaps some of the action from HBP was saved to spice DH: Part I up?

Technically, and story-wise, HBP is the most filmic since PoA. The pervading sense of doubt and confusion and fear and loss couples brilliantly with muted color tones, tons of fog and mist and clouds, and some very stark black-and-white lighting contrasting. So, um, go Bruno Delbonnel (the director of photography)?

Acting continues to improve with age on the part of the young leads (including Tom Felton's Draco), while having more Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix is always, always, always a welcome thing.

But the fact of the matter is, this movie is all about "the snogging". Harry and Ginny. Ron and Lavender. Hermione and Cormac. Ron and Hermione. Which, okay, they're 16... of course it's about the snogging. Surprisingly little is actually made of the Half-Blood Prince itself in the film (though, to be sure, the prop gets tons of screen time). Voldemort's presence is felt less in this film than in any besides PoA (which was, of course, more about the Dementors and Sirius than about Mr. V). Odd, considering his resurrection at the end of Goblet of Fire and his overwhelming presence that pervaded OotP. Ralph Fiennes is nowhere to be seen (besides a quick flash / glimpse of footage from OotP), though we are, of course, treated to a few scenes of Tom Riddle (which may have been enthralling in the book, but on the screen they, of course, play purely as exposition so thankfully there are only three Pensieve memories). Considering what's to come, I'd have preferred a far more ominous tone.

To sum it up... a friend found it incredibly boring while another felt herself nodding off halfway through.

Yeah.

But, hey, at least it's not incredibly stupid like Transformers 2 (which, despite it's seeming mission statement to be nothing more than a barely connected series of massive explosions, chases, and giant CGI robot battles, ALSO managed to be boring for a sizable chunk).

I've rewatched, in theaters, PoA, GoF, and OotP. I won't be making the return trip for HBP.

Can it be Summer 2011 yet?

Pilot Screener Review - Flash Forward

FLASH FORWARD

Status: Premiering Thursday, September 24th at 8pm on ABC

So... I don't have the pilot screener. But I have seen the pilot. Stuff is changing (as things do when you have what seems to be the promise of a heavily-serialized, internal-mythology-based show and then you add a bunch of other writers and a top of network pressure). Not big stuff, but some of the details. So any review of minutae would be premature (though not as premature as a forthcoming review of CBS's Three Rivers).

Is it okay to say that... I'm worried?

Not because of the quality of the pilot. It's impeccably shot and CGIed and much of the cast is fun or engaging or whatever they're supposed to be. Just about the only thing I found lacking was significant chemistry between Joe Fiennes and Sonya Walger, whose characters are together. Of course, they only get one or two scenes together in the entire pilot, so there's certainly opportunity to build on what's I perceived to be (or not be) there.

There's the question of excitement. And of over-hype. Will Flash Forward live up to expectations? And, more importantly, will episode 2 will up to the pilot?

Hard to say.

ABC's midseason entry, V, which I will be reviewing here soon, at least has the presence of the aliens to pose a significant, constant level of threat. Flash Forward is going to be relying entirely on the build up to a future date (though, I'm sure, episodes will build in stakes and intensity and mystery to carry us to the fated April 29th, 2010). The event, and the fallout, happens in the pilot. It's massive. It's a spectacle. It looks fantastic. But you don't get to do that again, in series (um, until it happens again... which, if I'm hearing about the book correctly, it does... hey, that'll be a fun way to enter May sweeps!)

I hate to do the Lost comparison thing. I really do. The thing about Lost is, before it was about the mythology, it was about something that happened to these people, and it was about the people. It was about people stranded on an island fighting to survive even if there hadn't been a Smoke Monster or Others or Dharma Initiative or what have you. That is something you are not going to get after Flash Forward's eventful pilot, which promises an investigation and a chain of events that will severely alter each character's life over the seven-ish months between pilot and April 29, 2010.

There are only two change I noticed from the script. First is that the pilot starts with a minute or so of the disaster zone that is the Los Angeles freeway following the worldwide blackout, then flashes back to pre-blackout. Which could mean the network was worried that viewers wouldn't stick around unless there was some kind of big, flashy moment right from the getgo (you know... like Jack walking out of the bamboo forest and seeing the wreckage of Oceanic 815). But I could be talking out of my ass and that device could've been producer-developed. The second change was the introduction of Bryce, who works with Sonya Walger's Olivia but is going to kill himself in the opening moments of the pilot before the blackout happens and he takes it as a sign to keep on living. In the pilot, Olivia calls him (leaving a voicemail) as he's walking up Santa Monica Pier (with a lot of "view from just behind his head" POV slow motion shots), which immediately establishes his connection to Our Main Family.

Cameos abound, most notably the ballyhooed Seth MacFarlane appearance, which is less an appearance as it is a character. He's in a number of scenes, as one of the FBI agents in the LA office and I got the feeling we'd be seeing him again. Alex "Dr. Corday" Kingston is part of someone's flashforward vision, and there are others.

Anyway... well worth the watch. I'll be looking to episode two for clarity on what the series actually is.

Disclaimer!

Will be posting ratings on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings this week at PIFeedback.com for Marc. Haven't been there posting since the regular season ended. Summer ratings are boring, ya'll! Also, I've had a ton of stuff going on / continuing to occupy my time. Will try to get back on the horse, so to speak, and post finals starting tomorrow. Cable information is still spotty at best (only getting A18-49 numbers and two-decimal place viewership for the Top 5 on any given night).

Well... that's my disclaimer in advance of returning to PIF tomorrow!

Pilot Screener Review - See Kate Run

SEE KATE RUN (script review: See Kate Run)

Status: Busted

Oh, Amy Smart. You belong on a sitcom. I don't understand why you continue to take roles in dramas. Your emphatic, arm-waving acting is so very Jennifer Aniston it's truly a shock that you aren't on CBS in a multi-cam. But, please... stop being in dramas. Note: I'm not saying you are a bad actress. Hell, I'll go so far as to say that you are insanely likable. But... you were acting like you were in a sitcom. So go be in one? Because I think you'd be awesome.

I had problems with this script (it's main plot is overly frivolous and predictable... while the political angle / hook is gag-inducing... and even moreso in execution). The pilot opens in 2028 as Kate Sullivan is about to greet an adoring Obama's-supporters-at-Grant-Park-esque crowd in Boston. And the TV news anchors on multiple screens are talking about how shocking it is that she's about to win the Presidential election, what with her being the least likely person to become President and having a love life the reads like a soap opera. Oh, awkward exposition. They could've at least made it sound like TV news anchor prattle. Meanwhile, Amy Smart is wearing Old Person Makeup (and hair) and gone are her long blonde locks, replaced with a dark asymmetrical bob WITH TWO PURE-WHITE HIGHLIGHT STREAKS AT THE PARTING. SERIOUSLY. Also, she has a 15 year old daughter (guess who gets pregnant in season four...?) with an equally hideous (and fairly similar) hairdo. Jack & Bobby this is not... though it wishes it were. Despite the trappings of a political show, the series promises to mainly be a standard legal show with a major law case of the week. The pilot is about putting a Bad Man Behind Bars, but because he's a Bad Man, people are scared of coming forward to testify. So after some fits and starts, Kate finally gets her witnesses to talk to a judge and the case, she is solved.

Let's talk the rest of the cast. Ben Feldman (who, um, would've been pulling some kind of double duty if this had been picked up, what with Drop Dead Diva where he plays the lead character's guardian angel?) doesn't have much to do as Kate's sad sack, sure-to-be-dumped-eventually boyfriend (as Kate has seen the light and now wants more than to get married and pop out a few by pilot's end). Marc Blucas (who has gained some weight from his Buffy days) somehow doesn't make the most of a drunk, against-the-ropes political consultant / campaign manager character who . Seriously, that's the one role that had potential to be something different. Meanwhile, Liza Lapira is strongest among the featured players as Kate's best friend / fellow attorney Ellie at the DA's office (she is supposed to get the promotion to ADA, but because Kate wins the thought-to-be-a-loser case dumped on her and with a ton of local / internet attention, Kate gets it). I bought everything she did, and I hope to see her on something... better (by which I don't necessarily mean returning to her previous gig as Ivy on Dollhouse).

The real wasted opportunity here is Ever Carridine. She is in two scenes, as Kate's older sister. And she is, far and away, the standout of the pilot. SOMEONE GIVE THAT WOMAN HER OWN SERIES!

Pilot Screener Review - House Rules

Waiting for feedback on something, so figured I'd try and bang a review out... yay!

HOUSE RULES (script review: House Rules)

Status: Busted

Since I started with The Body Politic I figured I'd keep going on the political pilots (though I'm still lacking Inside the Box... which should be corrected shortly).

Storywise, I still like this from the script. I'm very interested in seeing what's going to happen next to Julia and her freshman Congressmen cohorts. But that's a residual feeling from the script. The story still works. The politics work and are interesting (and, since it's a full pilot, we actually get to see the politics play out, unlike in The Body Politic's presentation).

Unfortunately, the pilot is woefully (and at points distractingly) miscast.

Whereas in The Body Politic every one of those actors totally embodied their roles, painfully few of the many characters felt fully fleshed out in an organic way. Anna Chlumsky is the notable exception as the Speaker of the House's Chief of Staff's assistant (who by episode's end becomes Zoe McLellan's character's Chief of Staff). There was something massively charming about her in the role (unlike her brief appearances as Claire's assistant in the Cupid revamp). Tawny Cypress, who just three years ago played a sexy 20-something on Heroes, appeared ragged and far older than she is... though her character is supposed to be something of a young upstart. As much as I enjoy Debra Monk, her Speaker of the House was little more than a mustache twirler with great wardrobe and hair. While Ray Wise was immensely enjoyable in his few scenes, I couldn't help but think (um, and shout) "Ray Wise!" when he was on screen. His character, a Republican Representative who Zoe McLellan's Julia teams up with to get an immigration bill shoved through the House to save a family from being torn apart, was spot on... but too soon after his, um, devilish role on Reaper for another TV stint? The two guys seemingly fighting for Julia's attention (one is the Speaker's Chief of Staff, the other an ex-Wall Street trust fund Republican freshman Congressman who gets on Julia's bad side in the opening of the pilot) did nothing for me, though I can see a certain Paul Rudd-ish appeal to Eion Bailey's Alan Levi.

Let's talk about the major casting failure in the pilot, though... Zoe McLellan. Just as she did as Peter Krause's wife on Dirty Sexy Money, she left me lukewarm (not cold... just not hot). Which is a shame, because she is an attractive woman and she can act (I've seen it!) You need buy the character as a rising star in Washington... and you do. But I wasn't convinced I was watching a new TV star. And I really wanted to love her in this role because, again, really loved the character in the script. Because it was so different for CBS (as a character and as a show).

And, ultimately, that difference is why the show wasn't picked up. You can always recast pilots (CBS is doing that with just about everyone in Three Rivers). But the fact of the matter is the show is about this woman, about romantic possibilities, and doesn't have a murder to solve every week as it's about politics (and really edges too close to the "Republicans are evil!" that The Body Politic was wise to avoid... even if the solution Julia comes up with involves getting Ray Wise's Republican Congressman to co-sponsor a bill with her because she is able to convince him it's not about immigration but about family, and Republicans are supposed to be the "Family Values" party... though I guess no one told John Ensign or Mark Sanford that?)

If ABC had this show... I think it would be on the air. But not on CBS.

Pilot Screener Review - The Body Politic

THE BODY POLITIC

Status: Busted...? (been a while since I heard anything, and can't remember if it was still in consideration for midseason or just completely dead)

For script review, see The Body Politic.

The impetus for my finally starting these screener reviews. I'll be honest, nothing has truly jumped out at me that I felt DEMANDED to be blogged about. Until I (finally) got my grubby hands on The Body Politic, a 30-minute presentation of the only CW drama pilot not picked up to series (besides the shocking Lily / Gossip Girl Spin-Off fiasco).

What a shame. What a horrible, crying shame that this presentation will not be completed and aired and loved by, um, millions? What passes for successful first-run programming on CW these days? 2.5 million? Yeah...

Presentations are challenging because a lot of connective tissue is lost. There's a full pilot script, but only about 2/3 of it is shot (TBP was shot in 8 days, I believe, while most drama pilots average 14) in order to save precious, precious money. You try and hit the big scenes, and some of the other stuff falls by the wayside to, in success, be shot or recast later (in TBP, much of the dealings with the older characters... the two Senators featured as well as Brian Austin Green's character who, literally, was only in the presentation for a half-second). You sell the show.

And, boy, did they sell me on this show (recall from my script reviews of the "Jury's Out" CW shows that I said it's all about chemistry and casting).

Minka Kelly, as I've said, is a TV star waiting to breakout and this was a great vehicle for her (though I do wish that the pervasive voice over had been toned down). That lady could have chemistry with the bannister if she wanted, so it's not hard to buy a love triangle involving Jason Dohring and Jay Hernandez. She is lovable and innocent and you really do feel for her in the moments before, during, and after her character (once named Lily, then Hope, now Frankie / Francesca) meets her biological father (though she does not tell him this). You want this girl to thrive on Capitol Hill.

The rest of the more heavily featured cast works well. Dohring's reporter character (Charlie) and Gabrielle Union's experienced staffer (Jessica) get the most air time of the other characters. The show tries to buy back some audience love for Jessica with some character history about being a young leader for women's rights, but I don't think it's enough. Plus, it's always a good thing to have a character who might backstab your lead and smile while doing it. That's politics, baby. Had the pilot gone forward, I'd have recast the woman (I couldn't even find casting information on her to give you the actress's name) who played Senator Buckley (the Democrat Majority leader who is pissed that the President is nominating a Republican for Attorney General... this plotline was very much incomplete in the presentation) as she just did nothing for me (though she got very little screen time). Also missing from the presentation was much of the plotline about a foreclosures freezing bill that Buckley was trying to stop because of a Democrat Senator was told to sponsor the AG nomination by the White House. I recall, in the script, that added some weight to the emotional proceedings.

The Body Politic has been called the best pilot not picked up by some. At this point, I've got to agree. I have no idea why this wasn't picked up to series. If I had any sway at CW (and I don't), the mistake would be corrected.

Pilot Screener Reviews... Starting Now!

First off... Happy July 4th, everyone!

I've been away from the blog (not to mention PIFeedback) for a while. It's been an intense summer thus far... but I'm back now and, at the very least, should be posting screener reviews regularly in the coming days (because, honestly, not a ton to say about any summer ratings...)

I've seen just shy of everything that's out there to be seen on the drama side (there are still no Flash Forward screeners, anyone who has been able to seen / review it has been a part of ABC's press / critics screenings... I also haven't yet gotten my hands on Parenthood, Day One, Inside the Box, Maggie Hill, US Attorney, A Marriage, Masterwork, or Solving Charlie) plus, I believe, all of the comedies that were picked up (in addition to several busted comedy pilots).

There have been a few surprises, both in good and bad ways (scripts I liked that didn't work out on screen, scripts I didn't like that worked far better than I expected). There are the disappointments of high quality pilots not being picked up (for any number of reasons, from budget / license fee negotiations to the network deciding to not explore a genre), and there are the disappointments of poor quality pilots (or ones that just don't hold my interested) being picked up. That's the joy of pilot season. You really never know what's going to leap up from that page and make magic (and some things still don't work but were picked up and are being retooled so even now I don't know what the end product will be like).

Which leads me to the review I'm going to start writing now-ish (and will hopefully get out before headed out for dinner and fireworks with friends). Stay tuned...

Screener Reviews... Forthcoming!

They are. I swear. Just not today or this weekend (it's LGBT Pride in LA, after all).

Anyway, screeners are still pouring in / making their way to me. I don't have everything (yet).

A brief note... NO ONE has Flash Forward. No one. I have friends on the show, and they don't even have it (in fact, there is some super crazy protocol for the scripts to ensure that there aren't even any electronic copies being distributed).

Of course, my theory is, and always will be, that the real reason to watch these screeners is to watch the BUSTED pilots (the ones that don't get picked up) to see why... not to watch something months in advance of its premiere. Though in special cases (i.e. Glee) it's nice to know what I'm going to be obsessed with well in advance.

Please, please, please don't e-mail me to get copies of these. I simply can't do that. It would be a total breach of trust.

Nose Dive

Royal Pains, consider yourself one "one episode left" notice. I was VASTLY underwhelmed by tonight's follow-up to the pilot. Mostly because you retained about 300% of the quirk of the pilot but 25% of the drama.

Now, I know. You aren't a murder mystery show. But both Monk and Psych manage to fit quirk within a murder mystery every week and keep things moving along in an amusing way (diminishing returns on Monk, IMHO, but that's why I stopped watching it). Medical shows can be funny and quirky and still solve medical mysteries. In fact, that show is House. You, Royal Pains, are not House. You aren't trying to be House. I get it.

But, please, could you try a little harder to HOLD MY ATTENTION!?

Show of hands... who knew what was wrong with the ballerina 3 minutes after the second act started (since we didn't see the ballerina until the end of the first act, and even then it was COMPLETELY SEPARATE FROM THE PLOT LINE WE WERE IN).

Also, could they be moving any faster on the Hank/Jill romance? It's episode two and they already have reached smoochus interruptus.

Sigh.

Anyway. I'm hoping this is a fluke of bad storytelling and not a hint at the formula to come from Royal Pains. Because if it is representative of what's ahead... well, I won't be watching after next week. And I really want to be watching after next week because I need more scripted TV in my summer life.

SYTYCD note - results show more engaging than Idol's (woo! no Ford commercials!), the "dance for your life" bit is interesting, Sean Kingston is not even a mediocre live performer, and the right guy and girl went home tonight.

PS - I'm Not Dead

Just very, very bored by the summer ratings. I'm not getting regular / complete cable numbers, so reporting on anything is spotty (and big stuff like the Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Weeds, Nurse Jackie, The Closer, and Raising the Bar premiere data is actually being written up in the trades).

Will get to screener reviews as I can, but have been embroiled in some writing projects that have definitely occupied my time and / or brain.

What can I say? Summer sucks.

On recommendation, I have been watching So You Think You Can Dance for the first time this summer... what a treat last night's performance show was! The audition and Vegas rounds... not so much. Judging the performances from home is very, very different for SYTYCD than it is for Idol. On Idol, you know when there's a missed note or pitchiness or whatever. On SYTYCD all of the dancers are amazing, but the line separating them on any given week or performances seems to be the choreography they're given within the genre they receive, and the amount of personality brought to the performance. It's not like any of the Top 20 wiped out last night (do they ever? Again, this was my first performance show viewing).

Some brief notes on the cable premieres of the last week...

Burn Notice - still a ton of fun, glad to see that even though they sort of seemed to explode the premise for the show at last season's end, the episodes are still very much in the same vein... but with even more sense of danger because Michael is now on the grid. Glad to see USA pushing Donovan and Anwar for Lead Male and Supporting Female Emmys in the trade FYCs.

Royal Pains - the opening 15-ish minutes were a pain and a bit of a buy (what with the hospital board black listing the lead character everywhere in NYC...), and I found the lead character to be very annoying with his repeated protest that he wasn't going to be the concierge doctor in the Hamptons... it's the premise for the show, so it didn't hold any water after his first complaint. Looking forward to the first post-pilot episode tonight, which won't have to deal with setting the premiere up, and hopefully won't have Dr. Hank quite so recalcitrant.

Weeds - I'm not sure why I'm still watching this show. It wasn't funny last season and it isn't funny now. I don't even like any of the characters anymore (even Shane).

Nurse Jackie - the press has gone gaga over this show, and it's good to see Falco in such an interesting (and different) role. looking forward to what episode two has in store.

The Closer - same old summer popcorn background noise. Was kind of surprised at the lack of a post-Brenda's-wedding plotline or even a mention. Much like Burn Notice... business as usual.

Top Chef Masters - fun if different from the Mothership. I didn't warm to Kelly Choi, and definitely miss Padma and Tom. However, if the Mothership wants to bring Gael Greene on as a guest judge at any point in the coming season, I'm all for it.

Oh, Right, The Blog...

Been distracted with the run up to the coming TV season. Will get some reviews out eventually, especially as the screeners pile up.

Unfortunately, that will be delayed further by today's California Supreme Court decision, as my RL self is pretty damn active in the LGBT community. Will be at the WeHo protest tonight at 7pm, outside the Beverly Hilton where Obama will be tomorrow, in Fresno on Saturday, and probably Pasadena on Sunday.

Find a local protest and get involved!

Playing It Safe

Huh.

And here I thought CBS was in a position to do something radical.

Sure, Big Bang Theory moves to the post-Two and a Half Men slot, and How I Met Your Mother returns to its old 8pm timeslot (where it never did as well as it has at 8:30pm...)

Sure, after one season after NCIS, The Mentalist is moved away and a compatible combination is broken up (will The Mentalist flourish on Thursdays at 10pm? Who knows... there's certainly less competition, though the CSI lead-in, at this point, will be questionable). Putting NCIS and NCIS2 together seems like a smart move... but with how well The Mentalist did, why not try NCIS2 at 10pm? How well The Good Wife can do out of these shows compared to how well The Mentalist certainly would have done in the mix is going to be at the forefront.

No Wednesday changes? Hm.

Survivor/CSI stay the course on Thursdays despite CSI's recent decline? In some ways, to move it could be too knee-jerk... but something more than sticking The Mentalist on at 10pm seemed in order.

Medium after Ghost Whisperer is the biggest no-brainer, so, while we have no idea if the ratings will pay off, it certainly seems like CBS did the right thing here.

Three Rivers on Sunday between relative-demo-factory The Amazing Race and ancient Cold Case. We'll see how that works out.

Performance Finale

Lambert: Mad World not as good as the first time.

Allen: Ain't No Sunshine better than the first time.

Lambert: A Change Is Gonna Come outstanding.

Allen: What's Goin' On merely okay.

Kara: Wow, she let her name be attached to that song? Not good for either contestant. Out of range / wrong key for Kris, and far outside Adam's genre.

Le shrug.

At this stage it doesn't matter *to me* who wins (especially with Allison Iraheta out of the competition... she had the most distinctive sound this season even if her song choice was rarely spot on and she didn't do the now-seemingly-necessary rearrangement of her songs... listen to the studio versions of her songs, she's amazing).

Adam and Kris were both amazing in their own rights and ways throughout the season, and they're in very different places for the industry. And, no doubt, both will be getting record deals.

In the long run, I don't think winning Idol is going to help or hurt Adam's career. Winning Idol will help Kris' career.

Conversely, a Kris win hurts Idol, as a show. Adam is the reason the show has been buzzing so loudly this season, even if the Nielsen ratings reflect a decline in viewership. An Adam win is electrifying, and his not-the-Idol-single debut single release, and album release, around the time of the Idol premiere will be a massive PR boon... no matter how bad it might suck (and it sooooo could... I mean, just because you have Christina Aguilera's pipes doesn't mean you go on vocals runs all the time instead of singing melodies... which is where I, again, point to the studio versions of Adam's songs, which restrain his screaming and runs in a way that makes even the more offensively outrageous performances listenable). Kris is safe and I don't think his single/album will create the whirlwind of buzz that Adam's will... even though they probably will be more radio-friendly (in an easy-listening, Adult Contemporary sort of way).

Ultimately, a Kris win tomorrow night simply means a disappointment for the show. Not for viewers or listeners.

That said, I think Kris will win. You either love or hate Adam. It's hard to hate Kris. You might find him bland, but you don't hate him. He's the underdog, and he will likely pick up more of Danny Gokey's voters than Adam will (because people had already made their decision on Adam).

Oh, and, yes. I'd love Adam to win what with the whole "he's probably one of us gays" thing.

PS - What'd you all think of Glee? I liked the longer rough cut I saw months ago better... but, darn it, if those last minutes with the kids singing "Don't Stop Believin'" isn't still massively uplifting and creating of the warm fuzzies. Hope you stuck around for it.

CW Pickups

Melrose 2.0, Vampire Diaires, and Beautiful Life are a go for fall.

Had heard a week or so ago that Body Politic was not going to be for fall, but still could be in for midseason. Gossip Girl spin-off has been varying between yay or nay depending on what time of the day it is and, THANK GAWD, is now officially dead. No word on Light Years (or whatever the title of it became, since it's no longer Light Years). Priviledged is also officially dead.

Seriously, though, CW. You *must* order something for midseason. You will be utterly, completely screwed otherwise, even with giving up Sundays.

ABC Fall Schedule

I'm disappointed in ABC's fall schedule. It does some things that it needs to (um, anything on Wednesday nights). But it doesn't make the bold moves I wish it did (Sunday stays intact).

Monday: same as the spring, DWTS / Castle

Tuesday: Shark Tank (whatever that is, it's a reality show... I'm sensing Opportunity Knocks failure?) / DWTS Results / The Forgotten (I'll get to the review later... this move actually makes sense, it's practically the one place on CBS's schedule there isn't a massively successful crime show... at least until CBS makes its announcements tomorrow)

Wednesday: ALL NEW. 2-hour comedy block (I've seen 9pm entrant Modern Family and, I was complete shocked as it's an ABC sitcom, it was funny) and Eastwick.

Thursday: Flash Forward at 8pm, I'm good with this move, Survivor is the only major player left in this hour. Fox should be happy, too, it will (hopefully) deliver male viewers to the night who will then switch over the Fringe at 9pm. I'm assuming ABC is hoping that FF will deliver male viewers to Grey's... we'll see. The crossover audience, I suspect, isn't much. However if FF can pull decent-to-great numbers... the crossover aud boosting Grey's won't matter.

Friday: Ugly Betty, for its final season, gets the Friday night treatment it was headed for in its first season.

Sunday: same as, um, the last 3 years... but with a weakening, um, everything...

ABC has a lot of midseason programming. The question is... what fails? What changes? Where does Lost go? Scrubs / Better Off Ted? V? Happy Town? The Lawyer Show That Isn't From David E Kelley (yay)? So much up in the air.

This upfront comes down to CBS's announcement tomorrow. Until recent numbers for CSI, I was pretty sure CBS was going to stay the course... but now I'm thinking some major changes are in order.

NBC Fall Schedule

Reactions... Thursday 8-10pm could be stronger for SNLWUT leading into P&R... but without the election happening (or Fey's scorchingly buzzful Palin impersonation), is it really going to generate the kind of heat it did last year? And, once again, 30 Rock delayed until late October... but in this case for a good cause, Community. Having a few weeks of Community after The Office, then moving it to 8pm is a good call. I've seen Community, and it was rather funny. Chevy Chase is underused, but Joel McHale is hilarious.

The rest of the week, The Jay Leno Show hurts NBC's scheduling ability. There's very little flow to, really, any of it.

Monday: Heroes / Trauma. Male skewing, presumably. High action?

Tuesday: The Biggest Loser (2-hours). Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy? Especially with a 90 minute winter/spring edition planned to give a spot to comedy 100 Questions.

Wednesday: Parenthood / SVU. Yeah, those fit together...

Friday: L&O / Southland. So, L&O is finally going to die a quiet, middling death on Friday night. And decreasingly rate newbie Southland is joining it. Okay, this pairing makes a modicum of sense (crime shows, at least), but it's such a towel throw that I still have to disparage it.

FOX Fall Schedule

FOX always confuses me...

We'll see how So You Think You Can Dance? performs as a fall series, but part of the fun and excitement of that show has, for me, always been as a summer diversion... and having two cycles in a row of it seems like overkill. Having SYTYCD from 8-10pm on Tuesdays doesn't make me very happy, because, outside of some initial audition and performance shows, really, it should be one hour. Put the 9pm slot to good use (and, interesting that Past-Life, for now, gets the post-Idol Tuesday slot... that pilot must've come in something amazing, I'm so very curious to see it).

Glee on Wednesdays at 9pm works for me, even though it will have to be off the air for a little while in the winter due to Idol auditions. It also seems to mean that Idol's results show is actually going to be in the 8pm hour this year... perhaps ABC should reconsider my earlier suggestions and program Flash Forward at 9pm (or at 8pm this fall, then shift it to 9pm once Lost returns, so FF can avoid Idol).

Fringe on Thursdays at 9pm is an EXCITING programming move. Not so much for fans of Supernatural, who I suspect will be up in arms over this. We have no idea how Fringe will perform outside the post-Idol bubble. But, y'know, which the exception of a resurgent Grey's Anatomy (which, honestly, can't share much of an audience with Fringe)... this timeslot is ripe for the taking. CSI is down (though maybe moving to 10pm, if I had any say in the matter). NBC's comedies are down.

And then there's Friday. Where we see Dollhouse getting the substantial lead-in support that, um, 'Til Death will surely be (after how many months off the air? 24?)

ABC Pickups

Wow, ABC sure is picking up a lot of comedies this season (Modern Family, Cougar Town, The Middle, Awesome Hank, and of course renewals for Scrubs and Better Off Ted... they just couldn't let Scrubs die a slightly dignified death...) Here's hoping any of them are actually funny! Hm, and I totally recommended launching a couple new comedy blocks, didn't I (Next Season - ABC)?

On the drama side, the only mild shocker is that ABC picked up The Forgotten (which I panned). I've now seen the pilot and a review is forthcoming this weekend. ABC really wants a procedural hit, so, yes, I understand taking a chance on a Bruckheimer pilot (because it's not like CSI revitalized an entire genre or anything). No news yet on V, or on Empire State (sob!), but I'm hoping that ABC and WBTV can work something out for V that (a) lets Elizabeth Mitchell come back to Lost at least for some cameo-ing, and (b) gets the thing on the air. Make like NBC with Day One and do a limited series of it (because, y'know, the original V was a miniseries so we know it can work!)

Pilot Screener Review - Lost & Found

LOST & FOUND

Status: Busted

For script review, see Pilot Script Review - Lost & Found.

Wow.

I have so very little to say about this pilot except that EVERYTHING IS WRONG.

Katee Sackhoff's Tessa Cooper is not the Starbuck-esque badass the script sort of tried to make her. She's kind of girly. And wears a lot of pink (NOT her color), which is only one of many wardrobe problems. And has waaaaaay too much wavy hair (something shoulder length and straight would've worked much better).

The voiceovers sucked. Instead of voiceovers, Tessa should've showed emotion on her face to convey whatever it was she was supposed to (i.e. when on the phone and VOing that the person on the other end is a bastard).

Tonally, it tries to be funny and spritely and quirky-funny-cops when it should be playing dramatic.

And the act outs are so soft. So soft I don't even remember what they were. For you writers out there, you know that act outs are supposed to be the big twists / reveals that launch the story in a new direction for the next act. The act outs here did that... but they weren't punchy in the way that reveals like "our victim found out he had a daughter four months ago" should've been.

Sigh.

Anyway. Everything is wrong. Easy to see (even back in the script stage) why NBC passed / is passing on this one.

The Screeners Are Coming, The Screeners Are Coming!

In short, squee. I love pickup season.

So...

8-9 months until Lost returns.

I'm going to die.

S

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So many thoughts about various things in the finale. I was at a viewing party, so was only paying as much attention as I could, and I didn't write anything down to discuss later, so I won't be doing a blow-by-blow.

1977 - the Swan / Jughead plotline

- not the least of which, thank you, Miles, for pointing out the "trying to prevent it may actually cause it" of it all...

- the electromagnetism craziness that happened at the Swan cite, we now know, was not caused by the bomb, but rather by the drilling and release of that energy...

- it will be interesting (um, to say the least) to see the effects of Juliet activating the Jughead core... god, didn't you feel for her in that moment? Presumed dead, and there's a tiny inkling of a shot in hell that Jack might be right (though what he bases his theory on, I really still have no clue) that blowing up the H-bomb at the Swan cite will lead to 815 never crashing on the Island... AND THUS JULIET WILL NOT ONLY NOT HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE HEARTBREAK OF LOVING SAWYER, BUT SHE WON'T BE DYING IN THE FIRST PLACE (though she'll be living an imprisoned, subordinate's life under Ben's thumb)

- I really don't give a fig about the Jack/Kate/Sawyer triangle, or any of the emotional trauma therein, but I looooooved the Jack/Sawyer fistfight (and Jack being on the receiving end of the bloody beatdown like he gave Ben in "Through the Looking Glass")

- Miles helping his dad out was a nice moment

- Phil getting impaled = the whole room cheering. Seriously.

- Sayid getting shot = the whole room silent. Gasp-worthy moment... though he didn't die (yet?)

- Rose! Bernard! Vincent! Awwwwww. Also hilarious.

Flashbacks

- Jacob touches (almost) everyone. They're marked, supposed to eventually come to the Island.

- Jacob was not in Juliet's flashback scene.

- Most significant flashback seems to be Locke's. Was Locke dead after his fall that eventually broke his back? And did Jacob resurrect him then and there? Or was that just a horribly cruel implication that I read far too much into?

- Saddest flashback was certainly Sayid's. Poor Nadia.

- SUN AND JIN IN A SCENE TOGETHER THIS SEASON! AND IT WAS THEIR WEDDING!

- Hurley and Sayid's flashbacks were after getting off the Island. Kate's and Sawyer's flashbacks were as kids (as was Juliet's, but Jacob wasn't there...) Jack's, Locke's, and Jin and Sun's were as adults, as was Ilana's.

2008

- Ilana has a box. She shows Lapidus what's in the box. He reacts. We don't get to see it until much later. WHY WILL THIS SHOW NEVER LET US SEE WHAT CHARACTERS ARE LOOKING AT!? ARGH!

- Ilana was sent by Jacob, to the Island, to do something for him.

- Locke (...?) is a master manipulator, regarding Ben. Even though Ben was told that he has to do everything Locke says, Locke didn't know that (... or did he?) but then he finds out, but to make sure that Ben really does do the dirty deed at the end, he manipulates Ben's mind (Ben getting manipulated! Love it!) to truly question the value of following Jacob's every word for so long and having nothing, and having lost much, to show for his devotion.

- Still no idea why Sun is in 2008 and not in 1977 like the rest of the alive Oceanic 815 passengers who returned in Ajira 316.

- Richard / Ricardos (so, he's Greek... which goes with that parchment / tapestry / whatever, and sounds like it goes with the answer to the "what lies in the shadow of the statue" question) doesn't age because something Jacob did to him (no idea what / why).

- Lapidus is a candidate (for Leader, presumably, which makes sense-ish now that we know what we know about Locke)

- Ben stabs Jacob.

- Locke kicks Jacob into a fire.

- Locke is dead. Dead is dead. Locke's body was in Ilana's box.

So, who's been masquerading as Locke all this time? My money at this point is Smokezilla, which is the spirit / embodiment of the other, nameless guy with Jacob in the first scene of the episode (with The Black Rock on the horizon). They seem to be the leaders of the two sides of the war that is coming to the Island. And now Jacob is dead? And "they're" coming (they meaning the return of the time travelers, perhaps, but also perhaps some external faction under Man #2's thumb?)

Looking at the stone tablet carving in The Temple, Jacob is Anubis (or whatever they wind up saying the Egyptian God is) and Man #2 is the monster on the left side of the tablet, aka Smokezille. Which for reasons I won't get into here, makes me think more of Yu-Gi-Oh than I ever suspected Lost would...

Um, yeah.

Jacob. Dead? Let's be honest. Three stab wounds and a little fire shouldn't be able to kill some mystical somesuch who has been alive for centuries / millennia, and seems to have certain controls or at least vision of fate / destiny / the future. After all, he asks for Ilana's help. That's rather prescient (or perhaps he's just excellent at game theory).

Anyway.

More on not-Locke. Who is Kara Thrace only EVIL (we believe).

Smokezilla has always been able to take the form of people who are dead (and, perhaps, those whose corpses are on the Island? Jury's still out on what Hurley's vision of Dave was). Eko's vision of his brother. Christian Shepherd. Why couldn't Smokey get to Jacob in any of these other guises? It's not entirely that he couldn't get to Jacob, but that he couldn't kill him. There's probably something within The Rules that this guy / spirit can't kill Jacob... though he certainly seems able to kill others (Eko). He needs someone to do it for him (OMG, YOU GUYS, HE'S THE FIRST EVIL FROM BUFFY). So why can't Christian Shepherd do it? Christian doesn't have relationships to anyone on the Island. He couldn't manipulate anyone the way Locke was able to (although he was able to manipulate Locke to, i.e. turn the donkey wheel). So he engineered this circuitous plan. Get Locke off the Island. Have Locke killed. Have Locke's corpse come back. Masquerade as risen-from-the-dead Locke and convince someone (Ben) to do his dirty work for him. There's the loophole.

It's all very... okay... and...? Sigh, I really need to know what happens next...

I don't believe Jacob is dead (and if he is, we need to know WTF that means in the grand, immortal scheme of things).

I believe Jack/Kate/Sawyer/Sayid/Miles/Hurley will arrive in 2008.

I believe we need to see more from Desmond, Widmore, Hawkings, Claire, and AARON next season.

We're getting towards the one "end" that Jacob said there would be, and everything else is just progress to get there.

Sigh.

8-9 months.

Two Fox pickups

Hearing Fox has picked up Human Target (my favorite of its drama pilot scripts... but that wasn't saying much!) as well as the comedy Sons of Tuscon.

As If

After watching last night's Gossip Girl spin-off backdoor pilot, I'm quite glad the buzz around the project has been vacillating on a daily basis from "sure thing" to "dead" and back again. I can't make up my mind. I know I didn't love it, but it does have the potential for fun in the 80s in LA. Still, Krysten Ritter was the only character who popped (not that Ryan Hansen had a ton to do, but he's always enjoyable). I usually love Brittany Snow, but I wasn't feeling her take on Lily. Your thoughts?

Taking All Bets...

Who's got odds on there being ratings released today? Anyone? Bueller?

Seriously, though, we should (GOD WILLING) be getting finals for Sun/Mon/Tuesday throughout tomorrow...

It's not like ratings are important or this is sweeps or the upfronts are coming and ratings performances in these late weeks may stave off or usher in cancellation or anything...

... AND APPARENTLY WE WILL NOT BE GETTING RATINGS TODAY EITHER, WHAT THE EFF, NIELSEN!?

CW Sundays No More?

Per Joseph Adalian, CW is close to giving Sundays back to the affiliates next season.

Good for them (see Next Season - CW for my proposed schedule that still has CW picking up all new dramas but Light Years, and not scheduling Sundays...)

A couple changes...

- CW will probably keep 90210 at 9pm on Tuesdays and put the new Melrose Place at 8pm on Tuesdays (after all, 90210 needs lead-in support)

- if Privileged airs on Fridays, the five drama pilots can still all be picked up, but CW will have 2 options for midseason replacements... something the network needs to have up its sleeve

Getting rid of Sundays, CW can have Gossip Girl level "success" with all of its new programs and still have massive gains in its average versus year-ago (especially if it can find some degree of success on Fridays).

NBC pickups... first round!

Alright! All four of my Thumbs Up / Jury's Out drama scripts from NBC were announced as pickups today (Parenthood, Trauma, Mercy, and Day One).

The news that Day One will be a "limited" (aka mini-) series actually turns my head on the project. You can pour money into something like that and have a good, entertaining product for however long they're going to do it AND THEN BE DONE WITH IT. But it just wasn't continuing series material.

Very excited to see screeners of all these pickups... my question now is "where's Legally Mad?" Was it so bad that they decided to incur the series penalty? Or just wait to announce it until May 19th when NBC announces its schedule (and say "it's midseason")?

Also no official word on Chuck... until May 19th?

NBC pickups almost here!

Glad the info I was sitting on about the (rumor of the) Chuck 13-episode pickup seems like it's come to pass, as the rumor was it was part of an NBC/WBTV deal that included Southland (picked up for 13). Now that other places are reporting it, I'm sure my source won't mind me chiming in with the info!

Also potentially part of the the deal: Legally Mad (gah!), but we all knew it was getting picked up because of the series penalty...

As we ramp up towards infronts/upfronts, the news usually breaks about 2 days in advance for each network (on pickups, not on scheduling), so with NBC's infront on May 5th... today could be a big news day.