• Beautiful live indeed, thanks to Ashton Kutcher the CW’s defunct BEAUTIFUL LIFE will debut unaired episodes on YouTube.
• Chucktastic! Syfy plans to air a CHUCK marathon leading up to the show’s third season premiere.
• It’s Showtime for Allison Janney, who has signed on for a key recurring role in the new cabler pilot SHAMELESS.
• Chuck Lorre is developing another half-hour for CBS, be afraid Jenna Elfman… be very afraid.
• If we had a million dollars, meet our new living room companions.
Search Results for: pilot
Exclusive: SCRUBS Creator Bill Lawrence Addresses Fan’s Concerns
From “pleasantly surprised,” and “still funny,” to “such a disappointment,” and “Zach Braff needs to be scaled WAY down,” everybody’s a critic. Particularly when it comes to a series as beloved as SCRUBS.
Which is why, in the Part Two of our candid conversation with SCRUBS/COUGAR TOWN creator Bill Lawrence, the man himself was took the opportunity to allow the showrunner to address many of the concerns fans have.
As great as it is to see SCRUBS back on the air, I’m concerned that the overpopulation of Sacred Heart Medical School (thanks to the return of Kelso, Turk, Dr. Cox and J.D.) is taking away some much needed time to get to know the new cast members. Was there every any serious discussion with regards to not bringing back as many original cast members as you did?
Bill Lawrence: No. The appeal for me in putting these guys [Turk, Kelso, Dr. Cox, J.D.] into the ‘teacher’ role was that they’re (a) funny, and (b) I like the consistency of having these people in the world. I’ve been getting a lot of, “It seems really crowded,” and my response has been, “It’s only been two episodes!” If one were to go back and look at the original SCRUBS, I’d say after the first two episodes outside of Zach [Braff] all you thought was that Elliott is the neurotic one, Turk is the tough-cocky jock, Kelso is an a**hole and Carla is the strong nurse with attitude. No one was well rounded.
As you probably know, I wish the show had a new title. The burden of the show is that because it’s still titled SCRUBS, there is this expectation that we should be firing on all cylinders and know the world. Whereas, if the new show was called MED SCHOOL, I think people would see it more as what it is, a pilot and wonder, “Oh, I wonder where they’re going to go with these character and I wonder what the show will turn out to be like.” Make sense?
You Be the Critic: PARKS AND RECREATION, THE OFFICE, 30 ROCK & BONES
From the adorable lengths to which Leslie Knope went to cheer up Tom upon learning about the dissolution of his green-card marriage that involved taking the gang to a Rainforest Café-esque Dinosaur-themed restaurant and Pawnee’s local strip club The Glitter Factory (“I’ve gone on record that if I had to have a stripper’s name it would be Equality,” said Knope), the continuation of Andy’s futile attempt to win back Anne that culminated in a successful attempt to swindle Mark in Pool (“I know that legally Anne is now mine but it weirdly doesn’t feel that way”) and the overall awesomeness that is Ron Swanson (Note: I too will take a free breakfast buffet anytime anyplace!), there is very little we didn’t love about what was quite possibly the funniest episode of PARKS AND RECREATION to date.
We Preview Tonight’s MODERN FAMILY with Funny Man Eric Stonestreet
When MODERN FAMILY’s Phil and Claire decide to throw son Luke a birthday party a boy won’t soon forget, it’s Cameron who ends up acting like a kid in a candy store. With the aforementioned birthday giving him the opportunity to come out of the closet… and show off his alter-ego Fizbo the Clown! And here to shed some light on the origins of Fizbo, how life has changed since MODERN FAMIILY premiered and who his choice of actress would be to play his fictional TV mom is none other than future Emmy nominee and current scene-stealer himself, Eric Stonestreet.
Today’s TV Addict Top 5: TV Turkeys!
Jeff Zucker
While the cynic in us is actually thankful for NBC/Universal President Jeff Zucker and his entire executive team — whose ability to continually top themselves with bad-idea-after-bad-idea has provided this TV Addict with an endless amount of fodder to fill keep this site chugging along — the TV lover in us can’t help but feel somewhat depressed as we watch first hand the once great National Broadcasting Company implode as it cedes five hours of primetime programming to failed experiment that is THE JAY LENO SHOW and attempt to pass-off a lacklustre fall schedule filled with been-there-done-thats as ‘Must See TV.’ Not to mention, we’re still kind of bitter that some NBC exec who clearly hates both the holidays and America robbed us of what surely would have been another GLEE-ful performance during Thursday’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
While there is no denying that the late night institution is still capable of the occasional glimpses of brilliance, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE’s continued penchant for wasting an hour and a half of our week has not only left us scratching our head as to how on earth a group of seemingly talented writers and performers can so consistently fail to come up with 10-12 funny sketches per week when THE DAILY SHOW and THE COLBERT REPORT manage to knock it out of the park on a nightly basis. But more interesting still, has us wondering what SNL might be like with someone new at the helm. Judd Apatow and his gang of merry jokesters, just imagine.
5 Things You Didn’t Know About THE BIG BANG THEORY Star Johnny Galecki
He really likes his co-workers.
Having acted his entire life, actor Johnny Galecki knows a thing or two about faking it. So when it comes to pretending he knows the difference between an Elf and Lich King in the world that is Warcraft… no problem! The ability to solve complex theorems in a single bound… just say the word! Fake a friendship with three nerds and a really hot next-door neighbour… err… easier said than done! Which is partially why Galecki attributes the success of THE BIG BANG THEORY to one of the most integral ingredients to any hit television show: Genuine chemistry. “A priceless part of the show, or anything really — be it office work or whatever — is the people you’re surrounded by,” explained Galecki. “And we, all of us, just happen to be very lucky that we’re surrounded by people we adore. You can’t fake that.”
He trusts the writers.
Just how nervous was Galecki upon discovering that show runners Bill Prady and Chuck Lorre were going to take Leonard and Penny where no couple on THE BIG BANG THEORY has gone before. “Knowing that that kind of romantic dynamic has been done before and done really really well, the scenes between Penny and Leonard were always looked at very carefully and rehearsed the most cautiously and stringently,” revealed the actor. “But the good thing is that Leonard and Penny aren’t together because viewership is dwindling, it’s being done for creative reasons and I trust the writers to handle the relationship with care.”
Christian Slater Talks Twilight’s Taylor Lautner (Now Will You Tune into THE FORGOTTEN?)
Nestled quietly in-between ABC’s Monday night juggernaut that is DANCING WITH THE STARS and Wednesdays freshman block of laugh-out-loud comedies (which include THE MIDDLE, MODERN FAMILY and COUGAR TOWN) is Christian Slater. Who at this very moment is hoping audiences don’t treat his new Jerry Bruckheimer produced procedural anything like the all-but-forgotten victims that his team of dedicated amateur detectives work on identifying in THE FORGOTTEN.
Which is probably why the movie-turned-small-screen star took to the phones late last week to talk to this TV Addict about why he decided to jump back into series television, the price of fame, and the little-known-fact that he knew Twilight’s Taylor Lautner long before the rest of you did.
How hesitant were you to jump back into series television after the way NBC treated MY OWN WORST ENEMY?
Christian Slater: You know in spite of the cancellation, I loved the experience on MY OWN WORST ENEMY. I really enjoyed the schedule, the family atmosphere, the cast, and the crew, so to get the opportunity to do something else so quickly again was very exiting.
Was there any apprehension to join a show that had already been labeled by the press as ‘troubled’ (courtesy of changes both in front of and behind the camera following the pilot’s completion)?
Not really. I read the pilot and thought it was a very interesting scenario and I really liked the idea. And as I’ve started to learn more and more about the subject matter as we get deeper and deeper into this adventure, I think it’s really cool that there are actual organizations out there that actually do what we do on the show. For instance, last week we did a PSA (Public Service Announcement) for nameless.gov and the amount of hits to their website doubled. So the fact that we can actually do something that’s contributing something positive to the world is very exciting.
Review: V
By: Aleks Chan
V, a “re-imagining” of the one-off NBC miniseries that ran during the 1983 TV season, quickly found itself on my list of the fall’s most promising new shows. Though my impression was only based on seeing very brief clips made available during ABC’s annual Upfront presentation, I distinctly remember latching on to three things: that this could be scary-good as opposed to cheesy-good; whether it was intended or not, this seems allegorical of Obama’s presidential campaign and subsequent presidency; and Elizabeth Mitchell will be on TV for the time being, thank God.
This vision of Kenneth Johnson’s reptilian space invaders is more utilitarian than creepy. It’s all muted ambiance: giant saucers eclipse the sky, hovering over the world’s major cities, rumbling the ground beneath it, sending crucifixes and fighter jets careening down. Millions gather in awe and despair as cable news talking heads chatter in the background.
As the ships ascend the skyline, their holographic, luminescent undersides act as a giant television screens (yes, like Blade Runner), from which we meet Anna, Visitor High Commander, and the focal point for what looks (and this is the case for all the subtexts vying for attention here) to be a cogent, if long, winded, and murky, allegory of Barack Obama.
Today’s TV Addict Top 5: Questions with V Star Scott Wolf
As readers of this website can attest to, I’m only slightly obsessed with EVERWOOD. So before we get into V, I first have to ask you about your experience on the show.
Scott Wolf: I consider myself really lucky to have been able to have been a part of some really great stories and some really great casts but that one was really special, some of my greatest memories are of being part of the cast of EVERWOOD. As you probably know I was not part of the original cast and in a way I was sort of joining their Christmas dinner. But they were just really incredibly welcoming and the writers gave me some really fun stuff to do. I don’t have a typical bad guy face so anytime I’m cast as a good guy who has some baggage and some issues to work out it was fun. Plus, it was so nice to be a part of telling really compelling stories that years later people still stop you and say how much they loved. It really means something to me and is one of my favorite aspects about what I get to do.
Had the show not been unceremoniously cancelled by the CW (yup, still bitter) would viewers have been treated to the return of Dr. Jake Hartman?
While there was nothing ever really definitive at the time, I felt ready to potentially move onto other opportunities. I had only actually signed on to do one season of the show but was having so much fun and saw so much potential for the character that I think everybody felt it would be good to extend my stay to two seasons. And at two seasons, while they weren’t killing Jake — and there was always potential he would show back up in town — it felt like the story had come to a place where it made sense for Jake to move on.
Morning Static: MELROSE PLACE, Hulu, Sarah Shahi & More!
• MELROSE PLACE evicts two, Colin Eggelsfield refuses to leave quietly.
• Life goes on for Sarah Shahi who lands a USA pilot.
• The biggest rip-off? ABC orders extreme weight-loss realty show.
• Hulu popularity to plummet in 2010, when the begin charging for content.