Tag: Stephen Tobolowsky

Greetings to the New Pilots: 20 Series We Hope to See in Fall 2011

March 9, 2011 /

Yes, once again, it’s pilot season: the time when the broadcast networks put all of the potential projects for the 2011 – 2012 season on the table, take a cold, hard look at what’s available to them, and decide which ones have the most potential for success come the fall…or spring, depending on how much or how little confidence they end up having in the final product.

Critics everywhere should be throwing parades in honor of TV Guide’s Natalie Abrams, who has done the heavy lifting for the rest of us and offered up The Complete Pilot Report, listing off all of the pilots currently in the running for ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox, and NBC, along with their creators, their premises, and the actors currently attached to them as of this writing.

Having taken a gander at Abrams’ decidedly comprehensive list, here’s our list of the 20 shows we’d most like to see turn up come the kickoff of the Fall 2011 season:

1. Alcatraz (Fox): A cop (Sarah Jones) and a team of FBI agents track down a group of missing Alcatraz prisoners and guards who reappear in the present day after disappearing 30 years earlier. J.J. Abrams will executive-produce and Liz Sarnoff (“Lost”) will be the showrunner. Jorge Garcia, Sam Neill, Jonny Coyne, Jason Butler Harner, Parminder Nagra, Santiago Cabrera and Robert Forster also star.

2. Awakening (The CW): Two sisters (Lucy Griffiths and Meredith Hagner) face off during a zombie uprising. William Laurin, Glenn Davis, Howard T. Owens, Carolyn Bernstein and Todd Cohen will executive-produce.

3. Brave New World (NBC): The project centers on a group of characters at Pilgrim Village, a theme park that recreates 1637 New England. Peter Tolan (“Rescue Me”) wrote the pilot and will executive-produce with Michael Wimer (“2012”). Ed Begley Jr., Nick Braun, Will Greenberg, Jazz Raycole, Robbie Benson and Anna Popplewell will star.

4. The Council of Dads (Fox): Based on the non-fiction book by Bruce Feiler, a man who learns he’s dying enlists five men to help his wife raise their two children. The project comes from “Rescue Me” creator Peter Tolan. Kyle Bornheimer, Diane Farr, Patrick Breen and Ken Howard will star.

5. Hail Mary (CBS): An Atlanta-set P.I. drama tells the story of a suburban single mom (Minnie Driver) who teams up with a street hustler (Brandon T. Jackson) to solve crimes. Jeff Wadlow will write and executive-produce with Joel Silver and “The L Word” creator Ilene Chaiken. Enrique Murciano and Stephen Tobolowsky will also star.

6. How to Be a Gentleman (CBS): An uptight guy (David Hornsby) learns to live his life with the help of an old high school friend. The project comes from Hornsby (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”). Dave Foley, Nancy Lenehan and Rhys Darby will also star.

7. Little in Common (Fox): This project revolves around families whose children play Little League together. “Veronica Mars”‘ Rob Thomas will write and executive-produce. Rob Corddry, Paula Marshall, Kevin Hart and Gabrielle Union star.

8. Pan Am (ABC) – The stewardesses and pilots of the titular airline are the stars of this soap set in the Jet Age of the 1960s. Jack Orman (“ER”) wrote the pilot and will executive-produce with Nancy Hult Ganis and Tommy Schlamme (“The West Wing”). Christina Ricci, Margot Robbie, Karine Vanasse and Michael Mosley will star.

9. Person of Interest (CBS): A presumed-dead CIA agent (Jim Caviezel) is recruited by a billionaire (Michael Emerson) to catch violent criminals in New York City. “Memento”‘s Jonathan Nolan and J.J. Abrams will executive-produce. Taraji P. Henson will also star.

10. Playboy (NBC) – At the Playboy Club in Chicago in 1963, “bunnies” (incuding Amber Heard and Naturi Naughton) flirt with danger. Chad Hodge and “Apollo 13″‘s Brian Grazer will executive-produce. Jeff Hephner, Laura Benanti, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Leah Renee, David Krumholtz and Wes Ramsey also star.

11. Reconstruction (NBC) – In the aftermath of the Civil War, a soldier (Martin Henderson) crosses the country and settles in a complicated town where he is welcomed as its savior — whether he likes it or not. “St. Elsewhere” co-creator Josh Brand wrote the pilot. Bill Sage, Claire Wellin, Emma Bell and Rachelle Lefevre will also star.

12. REM (NBC): A police detective (Jason Isaacs) who’s involved in a traumatic car accident wakes up in two fractured realities. The project comes from Kyle Killen, creator of Fox’s short-lived “Lone Star,” and “24”‘s Howard Gordon will also executive-produce.

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Heroes: Season 3 Preview

September 18, 2008 /

I have seen the first hour of the two-hour premiere of the new season of “Heroes,” and I’d just like to dispel a rumor that’s been floating around the ‘net: the episode does not begin with Sylar standing in the shower, assuring Claire that Season 2 was just a bad dream.

Poor Tim Kring. He’s spent the last year having to deal with non-stop comments about how the second season of “Heroes” didn’t live up to the expectations that had been set by the first season, so much so that he felt obliged to go on the record with Entertainment Weekly and apologize to the fans. But don’t feel too badly for him: Kring’s reputation is already on the mend, courtesy of this first hour of Season 3 (subtitled “Villains”), of which the producers of “Heroes” were so proud that they debuted it at Comic-Con way back in July.

Our man Jason Zingale was on the scene at the time…yes, that’s right, he saw it before I did, the bastard…but sadly for those who love their spoilers, he was willing to say precious little about what he’d witnessed.

“I’d like to talk more about what I saw, but I simply don’t want to ruin the experience,” he said, in his original blog entry. “All I’ll say for now is that it is mind-blowing, and it’s exactly what the series needs after season two was interrupted by the strike. Some cliffhangers are explained and others aren’t. New characters with powers are introduced, while older characters reveal new powers of their own. And perhaps most importantly, it’s all done with a comic flair that was sorely missing from last year’s mini-season.”

Having now seen it for myself, I have no arguments with any of his statements. It really does feel like a return to form for the series…though, of course, let’s be honest: given how long it’s been since we last saw a new episode of the show – can you believe the last one aired on Dec. 3, 2007? – isn’t it possible that our desire for more “Heroes” might be making us a little bit more forgiving than we might otherwise be?

Sure, it’s possible…but when you see it for yourself on Monday, I’m pretty sure you, too, will agree that the series hasn’t been this much like a live-action comic book since Season 1.

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

Famous last words

July 8, 2007 /

It’s probably been said more than a few times on this blog, but I can’t help myself: “Entourage” is having one of its best seasons ever. While last week’s episode was a little lacking in the story department, it still managed to entertain with hilarious subplots highlighting Drama’s shitty luck and his brother’s comparably better fortune. This week delivered a much more balanced half hour, including continued progress on the whole “Medellin” arc, a comedic night out with the guys, and one of the most over-the-top guest spots in the history of the series.

I’d like to begin by saying that Harvey is fucking crazy. The parallels to the Weinstein brother of the same name were obvious enough when his character was introduced in the second season’s Sundance episode, but it’s become all the more evident in these past few shows. After discovering that “Medellin” was accepted into Cannes, Eric schedules a dinner with Harvey to inform him that they’ll no loner be selling him the movie. Suffice to say, Eric is mighty scared, but he refuses to show it in front of the guys. Nevertheless, that impression of Turtle’s was dead-on.

In fact, Eric’s debating whether or not he should even tell him the news when he arrives at the restaurant to find Harvey already freaking about something. First, it’s the sight of a former employee who screwed him over, and then (after joining Vince and the rest of the guys for drinks) it’s a waiter who refuses to deny that he ordered a cranberry vodka. In the end, as a red-faced Harvey is literally dragged out of the joint, Drama decides to break the news. Harvey’s response? “I’ll eat you alive!”

Before all hell broke loose, the vibe at the bar was pretty laid back. In an attempt to schmooze the Mayor of Beverly Hills (Stephen Tobolowsky) into annexing his building so that he may lay claim to the posh zip code, Drama takes him out with Vince and Turtle to help the guy get laid… without paying for it, of course. When they arrive, Drama manages to find a girl for the Mayor without Vince’s help, but when one of the bodyguard’s informs him that the beautiful she is actually a he, Drama does his best to persuade the Mayor into stepping away. The Mayor won’t have it, though, and decides that transsexual or not, he’s taking her back to his house for a little fun. Of course, part of the date is caught on tape and posted on the internet by morning (which features the Mayor and his gal pal getting into his car), and though the Mayor openly claims that he has nothing to hide, the girl reveals that she most certainly does.

And though Harvey’s hilarious outburst and the aforementioned disturbing scene would have taken the cake any other week, the sheer fact that Ari hasn’t had much to do this season made his appearance tonight all that more memorable. After meeting with M. Night Shyamalan at a cemetery to pick up his latest script (which, by the way, Ari mentions is weird, even for him), he promises to have it read by the next morning with plenty of feedback. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work out quite as planned, and after attending an engagement dinner with Mrs. Ari, temporarily losing the script when the valet returns the wrong car, retrieving said car from a man whose marriage he probably ruined along the way, and then getting pulled over by the police for going 140 mph, Ari finishes the script before his scheduled meeting with M. Night only to discover that the obsessive nut changed the whole third act… and wants him to read it (right then and there) all over again. Shyamalan’s caricature of himself was classic, but the look on Ari’s sleep-depraved face was the single best shot of the night.

Entourage, External TV, TV

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