Category: TV (Page 286 of 595)

It’s time to set your TiVos…

January 5, 2009 /

There are a number of new (and returning) shows making their season debuts this month. Here is a list of the scripted shows that premiere in the next two weeks (through 1/19):

SCRUBS (ABC)
1/6/09 at 9:00 PM & 9:30 PM
8th season premiere

NIP/TUCK (FX)
1/6/09 at 10:00 PM
5th season winter premiere

10 ITEMS OR LESS (TBS)
1/6/09 at 11:00 PM
3rd season premiere

DAMAGES (FX)
1/7/09 at 10:00 PM
2nd season premiere

FLASHPOINT (CBS)
1/9/09 at 9:00 PM
2nd season premiere

MONK (USA)
1/9/09 at 9:00 PM
7th season winter premiere

PSYCH (USA)
1/9/09 at 10:00 PM
3rd season winter premiere

24 (FOX)
1/11/09 at 8:00 PM
7th season premiere – special night and time

KYLE XY (ABC FAMILY)
1/12/09 at 9:00 PM
3rd season premiere

THE BEAST (A&E)
1/15/09 at 10:00 PM
(from A&E’s press release, November 2008) A&E Network will premiere the original scripted drama series, “The Beast” on January 15th at 10PM ET/PT. “The Beast,” starring Patrick Swayze and Travis Fimmel, centers on an unorthodox but effective FBI veteran, Charles Barker (Swayze), who takes on a rookie partner, Ellis Dove (Fimmel), to train in his hard-edged and psychologically clever style of agenting. In the premiere episode of “The Beast,” the mischievous Barker hazes Dove as they go undercover on their first case to infiltrate a weapons smuggling ring. Barker brilliantly manipulates situations, constantly tests his new partner’s abilities and pushes him to delve deeper into the roles of the undercover characters he creates. Although Dove takes a liking to Barker, the new job takes its toll on him. The stress and danger of being an agent quickly makes him realize that he can no longer maintain normal relationships outside of work. Yet that’s not the worst of it. The rookie is confronted with a larger challenge: An FBI Internal Affairs team feels Barker may have gone rogue and they try to enlist Dove as a double-agent in the bureau’s investigation of his mentor.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (NBC)
1/16/09 at 9:00 PM
3rd season premiere
(Note: I’ve been watching this season and it’s as good as it has ever been.)

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (SCI-FI)
1/16/09 at 10:00 PM
4th season winter premiere
(Note: Be sure to check back for our weekly blog of the final season.)

THE L WORD (SHOWTIME)
1/18/09 at 9:00 PM
5th season premiere

BIG LOVE (HBO)
1/18/09 at 9:00 PM
3rd season premiere

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS (HBO)
1/18/09 at 10:00 PM
2nd season premiere

THE UNITED STATES OF TARA (SHOWTIME)
1/18/09 at 10:00 PM
(from Showtime’s press release, June 2008) Showtime Networks has fast-tracked the pickup of THE UNITED STATES OF TARA, a new 12 episode half-hour comedy series starring Academy Award(R)-nominated actress Toni Collette (“Little Miss Sunshine”) as a wife and mother who suffers from disassociative identity (formerly multiple personality) disorder, it was announced today by Robert Greenblatt, President of Entertainment for Showtime. The comedy series, a co-production of Dreamworks Television and Showtime Networks, will delve into how a dysfunctional family, including Tara’s working husband played by John Corbett (“Sex and the City”), copes with the various identities that may appear on any given day and range in age, temperament and even gender.

SECRET DIARY OF A CALL GIRL (SHOWTIME)
1/18/09 at 10:30 PM
2nd season premiere
(Note: I’ve seen the first few episodes of the second season and there was no fall off.)

Check back on 1/19/09 and we’ll have another list of debuting shows for you. If you can’t wait, the Futon Critic has a complete list of January premieres.

24, Battlestar Galactica, External Entertainment, External TV, Friday Night Lights, TV, TV Action, TV Comedies, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

Old Show, New Season: “Scrubs”

January 5, 2009 /

Q. Is “Scrubs” funny?
A. It’s a matter of opinion. If you ask Peter Griffin, the answer is “no.” (“You ever watch that show ‘Scrubs’? Lois had it on the other night, and I was kinda fading in and out, you know. I was watching and wondering: which one is the funny guy?”) Personally, though, it’s one of my favorite sitcoms, with a great ensemble cast and an ability to move from laughter to tears without making it feel forced.

Q. Has the writing on “Scrubs” maintained the same level of quality since its premiere in 2001?
A. I think even those most die-hard fans of the show would have to say that the answer is an unequivocal “no.” And so, for that matter, would the show’s creator. Bill Lawrence said outright in his chat with me for Bullz-Eye, “I let it get too broad and goofy in the middle, and, y’know, we got a little lazy sometimes and were a little bit of a caricature of ourselves.”

Q. So given that “Scrubs” just finished up seven seasons on NBC, isn’t the show outstaying its welcome by moving to ABC for an eighth season?
A. Oh, hell, no. And if you think otherwise, then I ask you to at least check out the first two episodes of Season 8 before you make a final decision on the matter, because I’ve seen them, and they’re good.

There’s an immediate change in “Scrubs” from the moment Dr. Dorian…or J.D., if you like…steps onto the screen, sporting what the Janitor describes as a “pre-pubescent ‘Miami Vice’ beard.” (“There are some who say I look like a young Kenny Loggins,” claims J.D., though you’d be a fool to believe him.) Taking a coincidental cue from “House,” the show finds Dr. Dorian dealing with a new class of interns, including Katie the know-it-all suck-up (Betsy Beutler), the incredibly callous Denise (Eliza Coupe), and the awesomely inappropriate Ed, played by Aziz Ansari from “Human Giant.” The powerhouse within the list of guest stars, however, is Courtney Cox, who plays Dr. Taylor Maddox, Dr. Kelso’s replacement as Sacred Heart’s Chief of Medicine.

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Actors, Actresses, External Entertainment, External TV, Reviews, TV, TV Comedies

Biggest Biggest Loser Season Ever Kicks Off Tuesday

January 5, 2009 /

Tomorrow night, Tuesday, at 8pm ET, the next season of NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” begins, and it’s goes under the guise of “Biggest Loser: Couples.” They are calling it the “biggest” season ever, and that’s because this season features the heaviest contestants the show has ever seen. But a few weeks after Season 7 ended, Season 8 begins by doing what last season did….by throwing twists at us. I’m not saying twists are bad, but this show has a habit of confusing viewers, contestants and probably even host Alison Sweeney. And the problem with that is that it encourages the gameplay that was so prominent in Season 7 with Vicky and Heba trying to manipulate everyone else.

But I digress…..you’re going to feel like a stick figure when you watch this season opener tomorrow night. There is a 19-year old dude who weighs in at 454 pounds. Now, I’m currently trying to lose 10 pounds, but I weight about a third of what that guy weighs. Damn. And he’s only NINETEEN. That is a scary thing, America. Also, 63-year old Jerry collapses and you fear he’s having a heart attack…I don’t want you all to worry, so I’ll just tell you that Jerry is fine and continues after a short hospital visit.

The producers of this show know that they have a huge hit on their hands, especially when they air it in January when everyone is embarking on their own weight loss and fitness regimens. And while putting these (literally) larger than life contestants on is so shocking it makes for better TV, they need to seriously think about keeping the format of the show more conventional, thereby giving everyone a fair opportunity and not making us scratch our heads after each episode.

Anyway, that’s all I’ll say….come back here as we’ll recap each week’s episode the following morning!

External TV, Reality TV, The Biggest Loser, TV

Old Show, New Season: “Damages”

January 5, 2009 /

If we were to organize those readers of Premium Hollywood who’ve watched the entire first season of “Damages” into two groups – the ones who watched it when it originally aired and the ones who watched it when it came out on DVD – and took a quick poll about why the latter group watched it on DVD, I’d guess a sizable number of people would say one of two things:

1. I missed the premiere, and when I tried to pick up the series a few episodes in, I felt like I’d already missed too much.
2. I missed an episode during the season, and I knew I’d never be able to figure out what happened, so I just decided to wait for the DVD.

Yeah, it’s true: “Damages” is that kind of show…and I should know, having been one of the people who missed the premiere. But when I got the Season 1 DVD set, I blew threw it as quickly as my schedule allowed. It was an enthralling thriller which managed to be that rare breed of legal drama which almost never set foot in a courtroom, with gripping performances from Glenn Close, Ted Danson, Rose Byrne, and Željko Ivanek and many a moment that left you breathless. In the end, Ellen Parsons (Byrne) went through hell and back, leading her to declare war on Patty Hewes (Close) by teaming with the FBI to bring her down from the inside, all the while maintaining a front and pretending to be her number-one employee.

Season 2 begins in approximately the same chronological manner as Season 1, starting in the present with a jarring opening scene, then jumping back in time to begin the process of explaining how things got to that point in the first place. How odd it feels, though, for the initial flashback scene to show Patty Hewes making an appearance on “Live with Regis and Kelly.” Not that we haven’t gotten the impression that Patty’s a major public figure in the world of law, but it feels rather jarring to see her in the comparatively day-glo lights of the “Live” stage. Still, you can also imagine it setting Patty up for a big fall when she waves Ellen onto the stage and declares to the studio audience and the millions of viewers watching at home that she’d be lost without her.

But will Patty fall this season? Well, if she doesn’t, it certainly won’t be for lack of Ellen trying to make it happen. “You just want to arrest Patti Hughes,” she says to her two FBI contacts. “I want to destroy her.”

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Actors, Actresses, External Entertainment, External TV, Reviews, TV, TV Dramas

Coyote Ragtime Show: The Complete Series

January 4, 2009 /

“Coyote Ragtime Show” is like a party sampler of some of the best animes ever made, but while it may ooze potential, it never attains the level of quality of the shows it imitates. Part of this has to do with its surprisingly short length (a mere 12 episodes), but it’s mostly because it makes the age-old mistake of choosing style over substance. Sure, “Coyote Ragtime Show” may be fun to look at, but once you get past the sharp animation, it’s pretty shallow stuff. The series, which follows a team of space pirates as they attempt to uncover a hidden treasure while being pursued by a police inspector and an android assassin, feels a lot like “Firefly” and “Cowboy Bebop” rolled into one, only you’re never given the chance to truly get to know the main characters. Showgate really missed out on the opportunity to make the best of such a great cast of characters, and had the series wrapped up the treasure hunt storyline quicker, “Coyote Ragtime Show” might have enjoyed bigger success. As it is, the show is more like an appetizer than a full meal, and though there’s nothing too negative to say that would prevent anyone from watching it, you might be better off investing your time in something a little more… substantial.

Click to buy “Coyote Ragtime Show: The Complete Series”

TV, TV Anime, TV DVD Quicktakes, TV DVDs, TV Sci-Fi

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