TV News, Previews, Spoilers and Reviews
Call us nostalgic for MELROSE PLACE, but there’s something not quite right with Rob Estes being cast as the Mills family patriarch/West Beverly High’s principal. I mean what’s next? Heather Locklear playing a West Bev teacher who gets a little too cozy with one of her students. Wait… that actually isn’t a bad idea! 
Friday marks (sadly) the series finale of Moonlight at 9/8c and the season finales of the Ghost Whisperer at 8/7c and Numb3rs at 10/9c. It’s also the 2-hour season finale on a special night of America’s Funniest Home Videos on ABC at 8/7c.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you about CMT’s countrified (and probably funnier/less emotional?) version of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Mobile Home Disaster at 9/8c. It takes deserving families and makes their dreams come true. Each week, the design team, which includes a contractor, designer and two carpenters, hits the road to turn one lucky family’s world upside down. Lead by comedic host, John Caparulo, the Mobile Home Disaster team surprises a family, sends them on a journey and in just four short days transforms their home into the crown jewel of the neighborhood. The family is the envy of their friends and family as everyone comes together for the big reveal of the family’s new home.
Also on tonight: [Read more…]
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES
9:00-10:00 PM PRISON BREAK
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-9:30 PM ‘TIL DEATH
9:30-10:00 PM DO NOT DISTURB (wt)
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE MOMENT OF TRUTH
9:00-10:00 PM KITCHEN NIGHTMARES
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER?
9:00-10:00 PM DON’T FORGET THE LYRICS!
SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S MOST WANTED: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK
11:00 PM-Midnight MADtv
Midnight-12:30 AM TALKSHOW WITH SPIKE FERESTEN
SUNDAY
7:00-8:00 PM THE OT (NFL post-game)
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM KING OF THE HILL
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD
For a look at FOX’s Winter 2009 schedule, [Read more…]
Stephen McPherson, president, ABC Entertainment, today outlined ABC’s plans for next season and unveiled the network’s 2008-09 fall schedule before the advertising and media communities at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall.
Scheduled to debut this fall are new drama “Life on Mars,” and new alternative series “Opportunity Knocks” from executive producer Ashton Kutcher.
Returning series on the fall schedule are “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “Boston Legal,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Dirty Sexy Money,” “Eli Stone,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “Pushing Daisies,” “Samantha Who?,” “Supernanny,” “Ugly Betty,” “Wife Swap” and “20/20.”
In addition, “Saturday Night College Football” will return for a fourth season.
New series for midseason include “The Goode Family,” “Scrubs” and “Untitled Ashton Kutcher/Tyra Banks Project.”
Other returning series include “According to Jim,” “The Bachelor,” “Lost” and ABC News’ “Primetime: What Would You Do?”
“We’re returning our dominant core group of shows from last fall,” said McPherson. “The few openings we had we’ve filled with the kind of quality programming viewers have come to expect from ABC, and we have a very strong bench. As always, our focus is on delivering the best stories and most memorable characters on TV every day of the week, every week of the year.”
Full disclosure: Having just devoured TWILIGHT over the weekend, this TV Addict is the first to admit that I may be a little bias when it comes to protecting all things Vampire.
But as a result of to today’s speculation courtesy of Variety’s Cynthia Littleton that MOONLIGHT may not be seeing a second season pick-up thanks to CBS being high on a slew of new dramas in development. I thought I’d take an opportunity to remind the proverbial ‘Powers that Be’ of the following. Remember CANE? SMITH? THE AGENCY? 3 LBS? THE BROTHERHOOD OF POLAND NH? Neither does anybody else!
Which is why I’m imploring you to give MOONLIGHT a second chance. Or at least consider this interesting idea by theTVaddict.com reader Eric S., “Maybe it’s time to suggest to CBS that it place one of its minor cult hits (Moonlight) on its younger-skewing partner network, The CW. That would bring new viewers to The CW, give it a vampire hit (the show really belongs there), and keep the show in the “CBS family,” as well.”
For all its flaws, BROTHERS & SISTERS knows how to play the emotional beats of a story. When Kevin walked into the living room to see that his mom had not only ignored his “no flowers” edict but transformed the room into a virtual greenhouse, it was both predictable and charming. “Tonight, Kevin, you don’t get to be guarded or cynical,” she told him, barely holding back her tears. And it was interesting to get the perspective of older, newly-out Saul, who called his nephew’s commitment ceremony “one of the bravest things” he’d ever seen. It’s an interesting commentary on how far network television has come in a relatively short period of time that Kevin’s big day was not given the sort of “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” treatment that it might have received only a decade or two again. (Think DYNASTY’s sexually confused Steven or MELROSE PLACE’s perpetual also-ran, Matt). Frankly, it’s kinda surprising to me that this show got “the gay story” so right and yet completely blew the Justin/Rebecca situation. I can’t help thinking that the ickiness of their relationship might not have been so jarring had they show done what I’ve been begging them to do for ages and slowed down. Not every story has to unfold in two episodes. that episode-ending kiss may have been a little easier to accept had viewers had the summer hiatus to adjust to the idea. Instead, it was too much, too soon. Meanwhile, did anyone else half expect Robert and Kitty to announce they’d be adopting Rebecca? And I’ll make an early prediction right now: Next season, the Walker clan will discover that their mysterious new sibling is… Ryan Atwood, a troubled kid from the O.C.! Oh, and a note to the ABC promo department: A new family member and a kiss everyone saw coming a mile away do not constitute “the jaw-dropping cliffhanger of the year.”
I have to admit that I skipped out on the first two hours of last night’s SURVIVOR fest. As exciting as this season has been, I found that I didn’t really care which of the four gals walked away a winner. I did, however, tune in for the reunion special, which is always a blast. Did someone forget to tell Jeff Probst when it was going to be? Is that why he showed up looking as if he hadn’t washed his hair for a week? That said, he’s such a pro and always knows exactly what questions to ask. He talks about the things we the viewers want to dish about, unlike a certain Chenbot whose BIG BROTHER interviews are just notoriously awful.
Afford me a moment of clarity: A woman who slept with a married man while also sleeping with another lover and then assumed — and, more importantly, allowed everyone else to assume — that her child belonged to the wealthier of the two somehow reacts to her daughter finally learning the facts of (her) life by kicking her out? What in the world has BROTHERS & SISTERS done to Holly Harper? Granted, she was never the most moral of women, but now, she’s been turned into a lying slut with a persecution complex! Worse, Holly then swooped in and basically took over the Walker family biz before anyone could find out about the fraud she’d perpetrated upon them via her daughter. Frankly, Rebecca should run as far from this dynasty of dysfunctional drunks (and take Scotty with her). I mean, Justin reacts to finding out that she’s not his sister by going off on the poor girl? This show frustrates me like no other… I love the actors, love the fun aspects, but when it comes to storylines it is as unsatisfactory as sex with a blow-up doll. Um, from what I hear.
I have so many mixed feeligns where this weeks GOSSIP GIRL installment is concerned. Plot wise? Great episode with a lot of fun stuff going on. Man, are they making great use of Georgina. But here’s where I get slightly disturbed: I get that in the end, GG sent a very nice message by having Serena and, eventually, Lily accept Eric’s homosexuality, having Asher toss around words like “queer” and “faggot” was a little unsettling for a show aimed at a teen audience. It might have felt different had we seen the self-loathing Asher brought down, but the social humiliation fell on the shoulders of his “hag”, Jenny. Meanwhile, what the hell has happened to Chuck? Remember when he was our nefarious nasty? These days, he’s Eric’s off-screen confidante and a background player. And why no Nate and Vanessa? Would it have killed the show to have them show up at — and utter a few lines during — Asher’s party?
Another week, another subpar DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES. If the networks want to know why their shows aren’t doing so well, they might want to consider the fact that despite the fact that shows have fewer episodes (thanks to the strike) and we were told a heck of a lot of story would be crammed into them, what we’re actually getting feel like filler. Quick, name a major plot-point from this weeks DH. Were there some snappy lines? Sure. (Thank God for Gaby.) But most of the episode revolved around Kayla’s bad girl act (a retread of the routine she pulled upon first arriving), Susan’s trying to impress her ex-husband (yawn) and Bree refusing to forgive Orson. But again, and you’ll notice this is a recurring theme with me: Do we need yet another recurring regular (Gaby’s housemate) when so many interesting ones exist but are never used? Where is Bree’s son, Andrew? How about Susan’s nephew, Tim? Or maybe Rick, whose restaurant Lynette’s boys burned down? Why is Tuc Watkins (gay nabe Bob), one of the funniest actors to come out of daytime (where he plays ONE LIFE TO LIVE’s David) being completely wasted? Maybe it’s my completion issues, but it annoys me when shows introduce us to characters and then let them sit there doing nothing.
Monday marks the final two episodes of the season for Little People, Big World on TLC at 8/7c & 8:30/7:30c.
Also on tonight:
From playing Captain Ronald Speirs in BAND OF BROTHERS to guest starring on some of our favorite TV shows [BROTHERS & SISTERS, CSI, LAW & ORDER, THE PRACTICE] actor Matthew Settle has played everything under the sun. Well, almost everything. So when this TV Addict was given the recent opportunity to interview television’s newest father figure, GOSSIP DAD Rufus Humphrey, my first question was a no brainer.
How apprehensive were you about taking the ‘father’ role on GOSSIP GIRL?
Matthew Settle: Aging myself you mean [laughs!]. I really wasn’t too apprehensive. I’m married now with two dogs and a cat so I’m getting ready for a family in the next few years. I’ve learned a lot from playing Rufus, it’s given me the opportunity to read a lot of parenting books.
As a father-to-be [in the not too distant future] are you at all nervous as to what your fictional children [Dan and Jenny Humphrey] are up to? Do you stay awake at night worrying about America’s youth?
I think the show takes on a certain sensibility and the writers ride a fine line between glorifying what is happening and show the consequences of the choices these kids make.
By: Amrie Cunningham [My Take on TV]
I recently had the time to talk with CSI: Miami’s Natalia Boa Vista, aka Eva La Rue, about what’s coming up for the last few episodes of this season, what TV show makes her cry week after week, and her new place as a member of my favorite band!
Just want to start by saying that I started watching CSI: MIAMI because you joined the cast. I was such a fan of you on ALL MY CHILDREN.
Oh thank you! That’s great! As much as I miss all my friends from ALL MY CHILDREN, and I do, I call over there and catch up with everyone over there all the time. This job is so much easier than ALL MY CHILDREN.
I read somewhere that on AMC you spent a day shooting one hour of TV, and now you get a full week to shoot the hour.
We would have sometimes 50 pages a day on the soap. 50 pages a day would be a normal day on he soap so by the time you get home, you start studying again for the next day. You‘re so brain-dead that by the end of the week you can barely remember your own name. While you’re doing it you don’t realize how hard it is because it’s your day to day routine, but once you’ve stopped doing it, you think to yourself, how did I ever do this for as many years as I did? Oh my god, the amount of constant pressure and stress that you feel is mind numbing. It really is tough. It’s also really rewarding. It’s like a big family over there at the soap.