Category: External TV (Page 180 of 419)

Cast changes have hurt “Reno 911!”

April 21, 2009 /

Wendi McLendon-Covey (Clementine), Mary Birdsong (Dep. Kimball) and Carlos Alazraqui (Dep. Garcia) are out, Joe Lo Truglio and Ian Roberts are in. Nothing against the new guys, but I miss Clemmy, Kimball and Garcia.

It has been tough to find out why “Reno 911!” is seemingly ruining a good thing, but McLendon-Covey posted this on her MySpace blog:

Since you asked….
Hi everyone!
Recently I’ve been asked the same questions over and over, so I thought I’d better just address the subject here so I don’t have to keep writing individual messages about it.
No, I’m not on Reno 911 anymore. No, I didn’t leave on my own. No, I didn’t see it coming. No, I wasn’t the only one who was dismissed. No, it wasn’t because we weren’t doing a good job – in this business you don’t necessarily get hired because you’re good, and you don’t necessarily get let go because you’re bad.
Yes, I was on the set of THE OFFICE when I found out.
Yes, I was disappointed at first, but as Sophia Loren used to say, “Don’t cry over anything that won’t cry over you.” Five seasons and a movie was a good run, and I’m surprised that it lasted that long. I’m grateful to have been a part of the show but believe me, it was really time to move on and play other types of weird women – maybe someone who wears a turtleneck!
We wrapped season 5 in April of 2007, so I’ve been away from the show for 2 years. It’s a distant, bittersweet memory now.
So thanks to all of you for liking my character! Thanks for being so sweet to me.
xoxoxoxox, Wendi

As for the newcomers, here’s what the show’s wiki page has on them…

Season six newcomers Joe Lo Truglio and Ian Roberts are no strangers to Reno 911. Both appeared as guest stars in past seasons, and both also appeared in Reno 911: Miami. As a member of “The State”, Lo Truglio is an old friend of the 3 creators and has worked with them on numerous projects. Roberts is a founding member of the popular Upright Citizens Brigade improv comedy troupe, who had their own Comedy Central sketch show from 1998-2000.

I miss the dynamic between Garcia and Dep. Jones, the questions about Dep. Kimball’s true sexuality and pretty much everything about Clemmy. I’m not sure what prompted the changes; in the case of Lo Truglio, it might be nepotism given that he is old friends with the creators. The additions have made the cast less diverse and it’s affecting the overall vibe.

External Entertainment, External TV, Humor, TV, TV Comedies

Currently on the Bubble: Half the Reasons I Watch Network TV.

April 21, 2009 /

Have you noticed an intoxicating scent of fear and desperation in the air recently? When you catch that scent wafting in from the general direction Hollywood, you know we’ve reached the time when the networks have begun to look very, very seriously at their schedules in order to determine which of the shows that haven’t yet earned pick-up notices for their next season actually deserve those notices. This year, the stench is particularly strong, what with the combination of Jay Leno’s new M-F 10 PM show killing five perfectly good spots for hourlong drama on NBC, the general economic situation, and the American public still not really having much of an interest in watching anything original. Keeping in mind, of course, that when I say “the American public,” I’m not talking about you…

“No, Mum, they haven’t officially canceled ‘Eleventh Hour’ yet. I’ll keep you posted, though, shall I?”

Nellie Andreeva at the Hollywood Reporter has put together a piece where she gives a rundown of what shows are still waiting to find out if they’re going to get a pink slip or a terse note saying, “Yeah, yeah, you’ve got another season, now get your ass back to work,” while Hercules over at Ain’t It Cool News has taken the work out of it for you and simply offered up three succinct lists: Likely To Return, Unlikely to Return, and 50/50.

Taking the “Likely to Return” list – “Ghost Whisperer,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Law & Order,” “Numb3rs,” “Southland,” and “Ugly Betty” – out of discussion for the moment, I don’t mind telling you that, between the other two lists, it’s highly depressing to see about half of my TiVo Season Passes get cited. (Not mentioned in the Hollywood Reporter piece is “Kings,” but I agree with Herc that it’s probably been left out because its permanent vacation at the end of its Saturday night death slot run is considered a given.) Regular Premium Hollywood readers will already know that our man John Paulsen has been covering the death knell of several of these shows and established his feelings on what he’d be bummed to see depart, but here are the five shows – one per network, so as not to be greedy – that I’d most like to see earn a reprieve from cancellation:

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External Entertainment, External TV, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, TV, TV Action, TV Comedies, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

Heroes 3.24 – “That hurt.”

April 20, 2009 /

Two full-fledged “comic book” episodes in a row? Has “Heroes” ever managed to pull that off…? If so, it’s been ages. Tonight’s installment may well have been the most successful portrayal of Sylar as a complex villain in the show’s history, revisiting the character’s established mythology in the midst of his new shapeshifting abilities and the curse they bring with them. Plus, c’mon, Clint Howard? Are you kidding me…? The show’s coolness factor just jumped exponentially.

Obviously, Sylar’s storyline has consistently been one of the strongest parts of the “Fugitives” saga, but this took it to new heights. I never would’ve guessed that the path to his mimicry of Nathan would take him on a psychological journey of such magnitude. When he questioned his identity as Agent Taub in the initial moments of the episode, it became clear that he was having some issues dealing with his transformation into other people. You don’t get much more disconcerting, however, than that sequence where he was flip-flopping back and forth from himself to his mother – once again played by Ellen Greene – in order to rationalize her death and his ongoing existence. (I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who felt the echoes of Norman Bates’ relationship with his mother in their discussions, was I?) Given that we’ve seen Sylar’s semi-soft spot with the youth of America in the past, I guess it shouldn’t have been too surprising that he was willing to give li’l Micah a pass. I don’t know how well the kid’s poignant speech will work in the long run, but, hey, it worked long enough to prolong his life for a bit, so that’ll do for now. Zeljko’s constant grumblings through the episode were highly entertaining, and you knew full well that he was eventually going to view Sylar as a loose cannon who couldn’t be controlled and needed to be taken out permanently (which he clearly must’ve known all along, anyway), but the one-two punch of the thrusting of the knife in the back of Sylar’s skull being followed up with Sylar’s brilliant episode-closing line was totally awesome.

Zachary Quinto’s performance this week was tremendous. Sometimes he takes his villainous rantings too far over the top for you to be able to take him seriously, but not this time. This was definitely a well-considered look at a complex character.

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External Entertainment, External TV, Heroes, Reviews, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

TV Roundup: Poor ratings for Prison Break, TiVo’s ratings plans and more

April 20, 2009 /

– The ratings for the return of “Prison Break” were poor, and TV By The Numbers says that it’s bad news for “Dollhouse.”

– One of my favorite shows, “The Unit,” is on the bubble, but the good news is that producer Shawn Ryan (“The Shield”) has been invited by CBS to present ideas for a fifth season.

– The NY Post says that Mary Louise Parker is thinking about leaving “Weeds” after next season.

– FOX’s “Sit Down, Shut Up” didn’t do all that well (ratings-wise) in its debut on Sunday, considering it was sandwich between stalwarts “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy.” I’m a fan of both of those shows, but I couldn’t make it through a full episode of “Sit Down, Shut Up.”

– TiVo is continuing to move into Nielsen’s territory. They’ve been offering national ratings since 2007, but now plan to provide market-by-market ratings as well. It makes sense — the TiVo is essentially a computer that can track what a household watches (if they choose to opt-in).

– Variety compares “Heroes” to “Lost” in that both programs started off really strong before faltering a bit. The question is — will “Heroes” find its way like “Lost” did? (Methinks maybe an end date two or three seasons down the line would do the trick.)

External Entertainment, External TV, Lost, News, Prison Break, Reviews, TV, TV Action, TV Anime, TV Cartoons, TV Comedies, TV Dramas

Wolverine and the X-Men: Heroes Return

April 20, 2009 /

It’s been six years since we’ve had an “X-Men” cartoon on the air, and with “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” due in theaters this summer, there couldn’t be a better time to launch a new animated series. Enter “Wolverine and the X-Men,” Marvel’s latest show based on the superhero group that debuted at the end of last year. Combining the look of “X-Men: Evolution” with the storytelling of the popular 90s series, the latest iteration finds Wolverine in charge of the team when Professor Xavier suddenly goes missing. Though Volume One (dubbed “Heroes Return”) only includes the first three episodes, “Wolverine and the X-Men” doesn’t take long to pull you in. All of the familiar characters are there (Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman and Beast), as well as a few welcome surprises (Emma Frost, Angel and Forge), while the overarching story of the season promises a clever spin on the “Days of Future Past” storyline. The character designs are solid (even if some of the costumes suck, like Cyclops’ angry rocker look) and the writers seem intent on remaining true to the comic’s long history by reintroducing and reinventing classic stories. It’s hard to imagine this show ever becoming as big of a hit with the fans as the aforementioned “X-Men: The Animated Series,” but based on “Heroes Return” alone, it certainly has the potential.

Click to buy “Wolverine and the X-Men: Heroes Return”

Actors, External TV, Movies, TV, TV Cartoons, TV DVD Quicktakes, TV DVDs

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