Category: TV (Page 403 of 595)

Bullz-Eye’s 2007 Fall TV Preview

August 27, 2007 /

I’d just like to begin by stating for the record that, in Bullz-Eye’s 2006 Fall TV Preview, I made the following statement about “Heroes”:

“The premise is fantastic, and the gradual unfolding of the various stories will keep viewers coming back week after week. This is gonna be the water-cooler show of the season.”

That’s right. I’m Nostradamus.

And, like that famous French forecaster of the future, I get at least as many wrong as I get right, like, for instance, these:

1. Ugly Betty: “Expect fans of the original show to be horrified at this poor translation. In fact, it’s hard to imagine that anyone other than girls on the cusp of pubescence or desperately single women in their 20s and 30s will be able to stand this for even 30 minutes. Oh, and did I mention that it’s an hour long?”
2. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: “Best cast on television, hands down… and to have their dialogue written by someone who’s arguably one of the best scribes in the medium? I’m sold. And America will be, too.”
3. Twenty Good Years: “‘Arrested Development’ proved that (Jeffrey) Tambor doesn’t draw the ratings, but Lithgow does. It might not be a huge hit, but count on it doing well enough to stick around for a few seasons.”

Oh, well. At least I was right about “Happy Hour.”

This year’s crop is another blend that’s heavy on drama, light on comedy, and thankfully light on reality shows – well, unless you’re Fox, that is – but, as ever, we must provide the following caveat to the feature that follows:

What we’re offering are our impressions and opinions of what are essentially “rough drafts” of the season’s new shows. Mind you, most aren’t very rough at all — indeed, some may actually look identical when they make their official network premieres — but, nonetheless, it’s not unheard of for producers to retool and recast their shows between the filming of the original pilot and the actual premiere of the series. Actually, this year, it’s closer to the rule than the exception, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

Basically, the moral is this: use our descriptions as an approximation of what will end up on the air, not as The Gospel According to Bullz-Eye.

And now that that’s out of the way, let’s warm up the set and head over to the homepage for Bullz-Eye’s Fall TV Preview.

Actors, Actresses, External Entertainment, External TV, Fall TV Preview, Heroes, News, TV, TV Action, TV Comedies, TV Dramas, TV Sci-Fi

Jerry O’Connell, used car salesman

August 27, 2007 /

In a recent issue of Stuff (yes, I read Stuff, but in my defense, my subscription was free), Jerry O’Connell describes his new sitcom, “Carpoolers.”

“I have to hand it to Bruce McCulloch, the writer – who was one of the cocreators of ‘The Kids in the Hall’ – because it’s really funny. It’s four dudes who take the carpool lane every day, and they think they’re a lot cooler than they are. It’s basically ‘The Office’ meets ‘Arrested Development.'”

“‘The Office’ meets ‘Arrested Development'”? So you’re saying that your new sitcom is a combination of what are arguably the two greatest sitcoms of the decade? There’s a fine line between selling and overselling, Jerry, and you’re about a mile from it.

Still, a guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do, right?

External TV, The Office, TV, TV Comedies

Cannes we come along too?

August 26, 2007 /

It’s official: the “Entourage” we all know and love is back.

You know, I had a feeling that particular comment was going to come back and bite me on the ass. After all, when was the last time during this season two solid episodes aired back-to-back? I’ll give you a hint: never. Then again, that means next week’s season finale will be awesome, right? Let’s hope so, because tonight’s show was void of any real story, character development and, believe it or not, laughs. Even the “bad” episodes have featured some sort of crazy Drama/Turtle subplot, but this week, all they really did was follow Vince around the airport and profile potential terrorists.

You heard me right. Seems LAX is on red alert after rumors of a possible terrorist attack ground all the planes and, eventually, shut down the entire airport. This leaves the “Medellin” boys in quite the predicament, since their film is scheduled to open in Cannes in less than 48 hours. Ari manages to talk his way onto Sydney Pollack’s private jet, but when they arrive at the airport to discover his plane only has five seats available (when they need six), Vince declines. Luckily enough, Kayne West shows up not a minute later, and though I’m still pondering how Turtle could possibly have known the famous rap producer without the other guys knowing it, he manages to convince him to make a small detour and drop them off in France.

Meanwhile, Eric is in a predicament all his own. It seems Billy Walsh really wants his new client (Anna Faris) for the female lead in his upcoming film, but Eric doesn’t exactly like the latest script. Anna, meanwhile, doesn’t even understand the damn thing, but since he’s Vince’s manager first, and Vince wants her for the role, Eric convinces her to do it. That is, of course, until Anna admits that she thinks he’s cute, and Eric follows that up by telling her the truth. As a result, Vince loses his co-star and Eric loses his client. Kinda sucks, really, since Anna was the only fresh thing about the last few episodes of the show. Oh well, I guess we can’t expect a big star to stick around for too long, but we can expect the writers to get on top of their game and crank out a good story. Perhaps that super-sized third season really did a number on those guys. Here’s hoping a good vacation will change that.

Entourage, External TV, TV

There’s quick on the draw…and then there’s Fox.

August 24, 2007 /

I just finished writing my Fall TV Preview piece for Bullz-Eye, only to find that Fox has already canceled the first-debuting of its new series, “Anchorwoman,” after only one episode!

Well, since I guess there’s no point in including it in my preview now, here’s what I HAD written about the show…

Anchorwoman (Wednesday, August 22 @ 8:00 PM, Fox)

Starring: Lauren Jones, Phil Hurley, Annalisa Petralia, Dan Delgado, Michelle Reese
Producers: Brian Gadinsky, Josh Bingham, Chad Damiani, J.P. Lavin
Network’s Description: Phil Hurley is the owner of a middle-market Texas news station, KYTX Channel 19. Willing to do anything to get viewers to tune in to his newscasts in a highly competitive local market, Phil has shocked the station and town of Tyler, Texas, by bringing in a gorgeous model and ex-WWE diva with no previous news experience to be his next anchorwoman. Former Miss New York and über-vixen Lauren Jones packs up her Versace dresses and heads to Tyler to start a new career. Can this bombshell make it as a serious reporter? Will she save KYTX, or make it the laughingstock of the Lone Star State? Lauren wants to show everyone she’s no airhead, and this is her big chance to prove she’s more than just a pretty face. The entire newsroom thinks the boss has made a giant mistake. Reigning anchor Annalisa Petralia is not about to lose her Queen Bee status to some L.A. hottie. News Director Dan Delgado is fit to be tied, fearful his beloved journalistic standards will go out the window. Michelle Reese, a hard-nosed reporter bound for CNN, will take no prisoners. Lauren has a big job in front of her as she struggles to fit in with her news team and an unfamiliar town.
The Buzz: Given that this is the network that brought you Paris and Nicole living “The Simple Life,” Fox is as good a place as any for this “reality sitcom.” As you watch the show, though, and see how completely and totally clueless Jones is when she arrives at KYTX, you can’t help but feel that the percentage of actual reality within “Anchorwoman” is pretty slim.
Pilot Highlight: The frustration and unabashed disgust of the KYTX crew as they watch Jones flail and fumble her way through her trial run at the news desk, a train wreck which ends with her blowing a kiss at the camera.
Bottom Line: There are laughs here, but this feels like something that’s been sitting on a shelf for several years rather than a new series. It’s probably starting early because Fox expects it’ll end early as well.

Will’s official score for calling the fall season: 1 for 1.

External Entertainment, External TV, Fall TV Preview, News, TV

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026 Premium Hollywood

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑