It's official! As of Friday evening NBC has picked up Southland for the 2009 fall season. They placed a 13 episode order for season two of the new drama. Ratings for the show dipped slightly this week, though are still consider relatively strong for a late mid season new comer. I suppose the lowered yet still decent numbers for Thursday night's episode solidified a spot for it next year.
No news on what time slot it will receive yet, but I'll put forth my idea from the other day again and say Wednesdays at 9pm. After the 13 episodes run up I'm guessing the original Law & Order will take it's place for the winter/spring 2010 season.
Better Off Ted producers were not very happy to be bumped by President Obama's news conference last Wednesday. Admittedly, sweeps is a bad time for such things. Fox blew the president off, but other nets carried the broadcast, which was viewed by 29 million people, by the way.
One of the shows pulled off the air for the week was ABC's Better Off Ted. The series doesn't have opening titles or a theme song, rather each week we're given a new commercial for the show's fictional corporation, Veridian Dynamics. I greatly enjoy these "commercials" and am very disappointed in ABC for not using them in a viral campaign before the series ended.
Anyway, Better Off Ted producers responded to not being on the air this week with a new Veridian Dynamics commercial aimed at the Pres.
I'm definitely hoping for a second season of Better Off Ted.
You know a show's ensemble cast is a bit too large when you don't see half the cast in any given episode. This weeks episode of Southland was one of those times.
The story this week centered around the detective side of the force and the patrol cops were nowhere to be seen. That's a shame, really, as I've come to enjoy both groups.
I'm a particular fan of the two main beat cops, Officers John Cooper and Ben Sherman. Benjamin McKenzie, portraying Office Ben Sherman, says more with his facial expressions and sad eyes in an hour than most actors could get across in a novel length script. Michael Cudlitz, as John Cooper, plays a tough talking cops' cop with a down low personal life.
The two could have easily been worked into this week's storyline, even just that short bit about the German tourist shooting. It's seems as if the producers purposely left the beat cops out for whatever reason. I suppose it's more true to life and LAPD detectives probably do not run into the same street cops every day, but that's just what we're used to in television. When even one character is missing from an ensemble cast the writers usually drop in a quick, if sometimes random, explanation - "So and so is in San Francisco this week.", etc. No such explanation turned up in the episode.
I wonder if this split cast is something that will appear from time to time. I'm hoping not. While I'm a pretty forgiving guy, many people tend to tune into shows with ensemble casts for specific characters and I can see this sort of thing alienating certain viewers.
It's getting to be summer time. Late mid season replacements like Kings and Harpers Island have bombed and winners like Parks And Recreation and In Treatment will be wrapping up which means it's time for new series all around.
For someone like me, who despises reality TV, the summer can be a real bummer. Not only is the season chock full of reality shows, but they're even worse than the usual fare, which is why they've been dropped into the summer schedule.
There is some hope, though.
New series are in bold and you can find descriptions of them below.
Thursday June 4th Burn Notice. 9pm. USA Royal Pains. 10pm. USA The Listener. 10pm. NBC
Sunday June 7th Army Wives. 10pm. Lifetime
Monday June 8th The Closer. 9pm. TNT Raising The Bar. 10pm. TNT Weeds. 10pm. Showtime Nurse Jackie. 10:30pm. Showtime
Tuesday June 16th Hawthorne. 9pm. TNT Saving Grace. 10pm. TNT
Sunday June 21st Merlin. 8pm. NBC
Wednesday June 24th The Philanthropist. 10pm. NBC
Sunday July 12th Meteor (Part One). NBC
Wednesday July 16th Leverage. 9pm. TNT Dark Blue. 10pm. TNT
Sunday July 19th Meteor (Part Two). NBC
Sunday July 26th The Storm (Part One). NBC
Sunday August 2nd The Storm (Part Two). NBC
No date announced: Diamonds. (May). ABC Mad Men. AMC (Update 5/05/09 - TV Squad has listed an August 16th premiere) Monk (Final Season). USA The Prisoner. AMC Mental. FOX
Descriptions of new shows:
Royal Pains. 10pm. USA. Thursday June 4th. This could be a really good companion to Burn Notice. Looking forward to it.
ROYAL PAINS centers on young doctor Hank Lawson (Feuerstein) who seems to have it all ... thriving career, beautiful girlfriend, and swank NYC apartment. With one fateful and principled decision in the ER, Hank loses it all. Months later, single and blackballed from the medical community, Hank goes for a weekend in the Hamptons with his brother (Costanzo). Crashing a party at a mega-mansion on the beach, Hank jumps into action when a guest requires medical attention that only he is able to diagnose. The next morning, Hank is summoned to another mansionand then another. Hank's career is revived, but in a way he's not exactly happy about, as he becomes the on-call doctor for the rich, famous and infamous. Anyone who's anyone in the Hamptons has a lawyer on retainer. Now meet the newest accessory the concierge doctor.
The Listener. 10pm. NBC. Thursday June 4th. I've seen a couple episodes of this Canadian drama and have been relatively pleased and international ratings gave been good though reviews have been mixed.
"The Listener" centers on Toby Logan (Craig Olejnik, "The Timekeeper"), a 25-year-old paramedic who has a big secret -- he's a telepath. Until now, Toby kept his ability hidden, exploring its possibilities only with his longtime mentor and confidant, Dr. Ray Mercer (Colm Feore, "24: Redemption"). As he makes the rounds with his energetic paramedic partner "Oz" Bey (Ennis Esmer, "Young People F*#king"), "The Listener" follows Toby as he tries to help people in crisis, and in the process unravel the truth about his past. While his professional life is in check, Toby's personal life could use its own rescue. And with the help of Detective Charlie Marks (Lisa Marcos, "Diary of a Mad Black Woman") and his E.R. doctor/ex-girlfriend Olivia Fawcett (Mylène Dinh-Robic, "Da Vinci's City Hall"), Toby realizes his gift can help others.
Nurse Jackie. 10:30pm. Showtime. Monday June 8th. Excited to see Edie Falco's return to TV, especially in a "dark comedy". She certainly has the acting chops but we have yet to see her in such a role.
NURSE JACKIE is a half-hour dark comedy that is at turns wicked, heartbreaking and funny. Edie Falco stars as the title character Jackie O'Hurley, a strong-willed and brilliant -- but very flawed -- emergency room nurse in a complicated New York City hospital. A lapsed Catholic with an occasional weakness for Vicodin and Adderall to get her through the days, Jackie keeps the hospital balanced with her own kind of justice. Every day is a high wire act of juggling patients, doctors, fellow nurses and her own indiscretions. The series also stars Eve Best, Peter Facinelli, Merritt Wever, Haaz Slieman and Paul Schulze.
Hawthorne. 9pm. TNT. Tuesday June 16th.
HAWTHORNE comes to TNT from Sony Pictures Television in association with Pinkett Smith's 100% Womon Productions, John Masius Productions and Jamie Tarses' FanFare Productions. It was created by Emmy winner John Masius (St. Elsewhere, Providence, Dead Like Me), who also wrote the pilot script. Masius, Pinkett Smith and Tarses (My Boys) are executive producers for the pilot and the series. Mikael Salomon directed and executive-produced the pilot. The series co-stars David Julian Hirsh (Lovebites), Laura Kenley (Grey's Anatomy), Christina Moore (90210) and Suleka Mathew (Men in Trees). HAWTHORNE takes place at Richmond Trinity Hospital in Richmond, Va., where the strong-but-caring director of nursing, Christina Hawthorne (Pinkett Smith), continuously fights battles she often knows she won't win. Whether treating the homeless woman in front of the hospital like a human being or trying to talk a suicidal cancer patient off the ledge, Christina must challenge hospital administrators, heartless doctors, apathetic colleagues and a system that sometimes forgets it's there to serve the sick. Recently widowed and the mother of a smart, willful teenager, Christina juggles her career with her equally important role as a single parent. Between the two, she barely has time for herself and has difficulty keeping things together. But she knows she has to and can't give up on anyone. That's what her passion requires; it's what it takes to be a hero.
Merlin. 8pm. NBC. Sunday June 21st. This could be really awesome or really terrible. Here's hoping this doesn't take after Crusoe.
"Merlin" is a new 13-part drama series that updates the story of the infamous sorcerer of Arthurian legend for a new audience in the mythical city of Camelot, in a time before history began. In this fantastical realm, Merlin is a young man gifted with extraordinary magical powers who arrives in the kingdom and quickly makes enemies, including the heir to Uther's crown, the headstrong Prince Arthur. But guided by Uther's wise physician Gaius, Merlin is soon using his talents not just to survive but also to unlock Camelot's mystical secrets.
Merlin is an exciting fantasy series set in the mythic city of Camelot, but inspired by 21st century storytelling. Before Merlin and Arthur became legends, they were ambitious young men looking for adventure, hoping to live up to their families' expectations, discovering love and finding their own true destiny, making mistakes along the way. This innovative, action-packed drama has cross-generational appeal and paints a picture of Merlin and Arthur's early life that audiences have never witnessed before.
Starring Colin Morgan as Merlin, Bradley James as Prince Arthur, Anthony Head as King Uther, Richard Wilson as Gaius, Katie McGrath as Morgana and Angel Coulby as Gwen, "Merlin" is an imaginative new twist on a legend that is as old as time. "Merlin" was created and produced by Shine Television (executive-produced by Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps) for the BBC and FremantleMedia Enterprises. FME holds the exclusive licensing, home entertainment (excluding U.K.) and distribution rights to "Merlin" and has invested in the series alongside Shine Television and BBC One.
The Philanthropist. 10pm. NBC. Wednesday June 24th. Wasn't this the basis of a reality TV show at some point?
"The Philanthropist" chronicles the heroic adventures of a billionaire playboy turned vigilante philanthropist. James Purefoy ("Rome") stars as Teddy Rist, a successful and impulsive tycoon who decides to channel his passion, power and money into helping those in need.
Teddy Rist loves women, money and power. After the tragic death of his only child, Teddy has an awakening and becomes the world's first vigilante philanthropist -- a renegade billionaire who uses his wealth and connections to help people in need. Instead of spending $25,000 a plate at a fundraiser, he's dodging bullets in third world countries to hand deliver vaccines. It's an inspiring global adventure that will take you to the ends of the earth.
Rist's actions are not just about helping others -- he is purging his soul to help exorcise the inner demons that have been festering ever since his young son died and he lost everything he truly loved. The danger and risk to his life is the only way he can feel genuinely alive and he'll do anything in order to achieve his goals.
A man who has everything but can feel nothing, Rist keeps his adrenaline pumping by putting his business head and money-making skills to good use through bargaining with the self-righteous, making deals with drug barons, and trading with the nefarious.
"The Philanthropist" boasts a heady cast of established and up-and-coming talent. Purefoy takes on the lead role of Teddy Rist, Jesse L. Martin ("Law & Order") plays Teddy's business partner and friend Philip Maidstone, and Neve Campbell ("Burn Up") plays Philip's wife Olivia.
Purefoy, Martin and Campbell are supported by a tremendous lineup of names from both sides of the Atlantic including Lindy Booth ("The 4400"), Michael Kenneth Williams ("The Wire"), Krista Allen ("The Starter Wife") and newcomer James Albrecht.
Meteor. NBC. July 12th & July 19th. Of course we've seen this before, whether it's an earthquake or Yosemite erupting or whatever the case may be, but miniseries of this ilk are always fun to watch. Very excited to see Christopher Lloyd. It's no surprise, of course, that he's been cast as a scientist, but it's good to have him back!
In "Meteor," two massive rocks -- tumbling debris older than the solar system itself -- collide in space. The course has been altered. The target is Earth. In a remote observatory, Dr. Lehman (Emmy winner Christopher Lloyd, "Back to the Future"), discovers a meteor approximately three times the size of Mount Everest barreling its way towards Earth. His devoted young assistant Imogene O'Neill (Marla Sokoloff, "The Practice") feverishly types in the coordinates only to find the previously identified meteor named Kassandra is headed their way. It's only the beginning of their troubles as showers of smaller meteorites begin to lay waste to major cities around the globe.
The impending disaster brings out the best and the worst sides in people as they cope by either lending a helping hand or taking advantage of the situation. In a small California town, a police chief (Golden Globe nominee Stacy Keach, "Prison Break") struggles to calm a panicky group of citizens. Miles away, his son Jack, a detective (Golden Globe nominee Billy Campbell, "Once and Again"), finds himself caught in the middle of the most difficult arrest of his career with the ill-timed transfer of a very dangerous psychopath named Stark (Michael Rooker, "JFK"). Then there's the skeptical Dr. Chetwyn (Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Jason Alexander, "Seinfeld") who may be the only chance Lehman and O'Neill have to get their findings to the proper authorities in time to deflect Kassandra.
Time is running out in "Meteor," in which eye-popping effects, explosive human drama, and hair-raising action combine to create a suspenseful, thrilling and dramatic new miniseries event from RHI Entertainment.
Dark Blue. 10pm. TNT. Wednesday July 15th. TNT has had a couple of missteps lately (Trust Me), but here's hoping...
DARK BLUE comes to TNT from Warner Horizon Television, with prolific producer Jerry Bruckheimer (the CSI series, Without a Trace), Jonathan Littman (the CSI series, Cold Case), Danny Cannon (the CSI series, Eleventh Hour) and Doug Jung (Big Love) serving as executive producers. KristieAnne Reed (Eleventh Hour) is co-executive producer. Cannon directed the pilot episode. The series co-stars Logan Marshall-Green (The O.C.), Omari Hardwick (TNT's Saved) and Nicki Aycox (Supernatural). McDermott stars as Carter Shaw, the head of a crack undercover team of police officers who are so covert, many of their own colleagues don't even know they are involved. Shaw is a deeply wounded character, having lost his wife and much of his former life as he struggles to bring down bad guys through complex undercover assignments. His team includes a recently married cop (Hardwick) who struggles with personal relationships he has developed while undercover; a shoot-from-the-hip officer (Marshall-Green) whose activities make fellow team members wonder if he has gone over to the bad side; and a green patrol cop brought in because of her excellent skill in lying and a shady past.
The Storm. NBC. Sunday July 26th & August 2nd. Like I said, we've seen it before. Networks and viewers alike love apocalyptic miniseries with ignored, hero scientists and this summer we get two of them! No Christopher Lloyd this time but James Van Der Beek (who's recent appearances on One Tree Hill and Medium have been amazing) AND Luke Perry will more than make up for that.
In "The Storm," from RHI Entertainment, billionaire Robert Terrell (Golden Globe and Emmy nominee Treat Williams, "Everwood") has fulfilled a lifelong obsession and made history with "weather creation" technology though his Atmospheric Research Institute. But during a test run, a blast of energy is sent into the ionosphere with unexpected results. The experiments hurtle the planet towards destruction -- hurricanes change course, winds go instantly from hot to cold, torrential rains bring regions to a standstill, and buildings crumble into ruins under explosive lightning storms. It's only the beginning.
Only one scientist, Dr. Jonathan Kirk (James Van Der Beek, "Dawson's Creek"), steps forward to demand that the system be terminated. Terrell is undeterred and continues to push his team to move forward. His motives for the initially philanthropic technology are in truth far more opportunistic. With government cohort, Army General Braxton (David James Elliott, "JAG"), Terrell envisions the technology as a key military weapon to ensure superpower status.
Realizing he's powerless to stop the project by himself, Kirk contacts news reporter Danni Wilson (Teri Polo, "Meet the Parents") with plans to expose Terrell and explain the catastrophic weather to a bewildered and frightened world. It's a task that won't come easy, as Kirk quickly discovers the motives and loyalties of authorities are not in his favor. As devastating and extreme weather events hammer down on every corner of the earth, it will be a race against time to shut down the system before the planet is taken to edge of extinction.
Featuring a cast of television favorites including Emmy winner John Larroquette ("Boston Legal"), Luke Perry ("Beverly Hills, 90210") and Marisol Nichols ("24"), "The Storm" is the ultimate tale of man against nature, and an epic miniseries event posing a tantalizing and terrifying what-if scenario.
Diamonds. ABC. Sometime in May. A high budget Canadian miniseries. Production value seems pretty high and previews were impressive enough for me to download this before I heard of it's stateside airing. Since it's airing in the U.S., though, I'm actually gonna wait to watch it on my DVR. Like a good boy, I only DL when necessary. The series consists of five storylines based on the "personal and political effects of the blood diamond trade on a global scale". Not sure how this will differ from the movie Blood Diamond other than the lack of Leo DiCaprio, but I'm willing to give it a chance.
The Prisoner. AMC. No date announced. A remake of the 1960's classic.
n 2009, AMC will present The Prisoner miniseries, a reinterpretation of the British 1960s cult hit series starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan.
A man, known as "Six," finds himself inexplicably trapped in "The Village" with no memory of how he arrived. As he explores his environment, he discovers that his fellow inhabitants are identified by number instead of name, have no memory of any prior existence, and are under constant surveillance. Not knowing whom to trust, Six is driven by the need to discover the truth behind The Village, the reason for his being there, and most importantly -- how he can escape.
Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ , The Thin Red Line) will play the role of "Number Six" and two-time Oscar Winner, Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings, TheDa Vinci Code) will co-star as "Number Two."
Mental. Fox. No Date Announced. Only info on this show is that it's a medical mystery from the producers of "The Division" and "Lois & Clark" starring Annabella Sciorra, who played Gloria Trillo on "The Sopranos", and Chris Vance, who played James Whistler in "Prison Break".
NBC's upfront presentation is hitting Manhattan Monday and we'll finally get answers to all our burning questions regarding the networks schedule for next year. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, 30 Rock, The Office, The Biggest Loser (ugh), Celebrity Apprentice (double ugh) and Heroes are all confirmed for next season.
About a month ago it was announced Friday Night Lights is confirmed for another January return after premiering on DirecTV in the fall. This happened in the 2008 season and the deal worked out so well that DirecTV and NBC has already committed to FNL for the 2009 and 2010 seasons.
Shows we won't have final word on until Monday but everyone is wondering about include Southland, Parks And Recreation, My Name Is Earl, and Chuck. Word is Southland, Parks And Recreation and Chuck all look good for next year while it's looking bad for My Name Is Earl, which is a huge shame.
Surprisingly, I haven't heard a word about Medium, good or bad, at all. I am a huge Medium fan, so I'm hoping it gets picked up.
Variety is reporting that there's a few new comedies likely to be presented Monday including an as yet untitled show "starring Joel McHale as a guy who becomes part of an unlikely family after he enrolls in a community college class," and "100 Questions for Charlotte Payne," about a young woman in Gotham." (Not much info in that description...).
There's also "Parenthood", a half hour show based on the 1989 movie...I'm not getting my hopes up about that one - seems like something better geared toward ABC Family. Apparently, though, production on this show halted earlier today when an NBC executive died on set while playing basketball during a break. I don't know how this will affect production but that has to be a bad omen.
For new dramas, there's two that look good to be picked up and two that are on verge. "Mercy", about three female nurses, and "Trauma", about paramedics are probably in while heavy hitters David E. Kelley and Dick Wolf both have dramas, "Legally Mad" and "Lost And Found", that didn't do so well at initial screenings but still have a chance.
If you're playing the scheduling game in you head like I am, you must be going mad due to that Jay Leno 10pm five nights a week thing. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I think it's a terrible idea and it can only complicate scheduling and, if it were me, I'd be afraid of getting nailed by the FCC and religious freaks for showing 10pm fare in earlier time slots.
Shows like Law & Order: SVU and Southland are like candy to pro-family organisations and moving them to the 8 and 9pm blocks could be dangerous.
Anyway, here's what I'm guessing (and I could be totally wrong):
Medium will appear either Sundays after football or as a mid season replacement for Chuck or Heroes (which apparently have a shorter season this year). One of those new dramas may also appear post football, I'm guessing.
The nets reality series, Biggest Loser and Celebrity Apprentice will most likely air Sunday evenings starting mid season after Football.
Monday will be Chuck at 8pm and Heroes at 9pm, with that possible Medium appearance and perhaps a new drama.
Tuesday will be either a new drama or two new comedies at 8pm and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit at 9pm
Wednesday will probably feature Biggest Loser in the fall or two of the new comedies at 8pm and Southland at 9pm with the original Law & Order as a mid season replacement for Southland.
Thursdays will stay the same, except for one of those new comedies replacing My Name Is Early (really angry about this).
Friday will probably see those less popular new dramas (Lost And Found or Legally Mad) at 8 and 9pm, followed by the mid season appearance of Friday Night Lights.
As previously posted, Disney is teaming up with NBC and News Corp on Hulu. Below is a list of ABC shows soon to be posted. Beyond these ABC shows, there will also be series from ABC Family and a very limited selection from Disney Channel. My previous prediction of ESPN material being on the site probably won't happen since Disney made some sort of deal with YouTube for ESPN content last year.
Lost Scrubs Ugly Betty Desperate Housewives Grey's Anatomy Private Practice General Hospital Commander in Chief The View Jimmy Kimmel Live
Obviously, many of ABC's most popular shows are missing, even though they are up for streaming from the network's webpage. I'm not sure what legal or licensing mumbo jumbo is holding up good shows like Brother & Sisters, Better Off Ted, Samantha Who?, The Unusuals, etc, but I'm hoping they get those worked out.
I'm also hoping they start hitting up the back catalog soon. That seems to be a very popular portion on Hulu. Numbers one and two on my list would be thirtysomething and My So-Called Life, followed by The Practice, The Commish, The Wonder Years and a bunch more. Here's hoping.
So far the addition of Disney to the Hulu team doesn't really affect much as, like I said, all the additions to Hulu are already available on the ABC website. The only positive step is the fact that shows streamed on Hulu automatically start back up again after ad viewing where as ABC's web player forces you to click a button to continue the show. Well, that and it's always easier to have everything on one website.
DVR Life is a TV blog. We watch lot's of TV. Mostly on DVR but also streamed, downloaded or on DVD, basically anyway you can possibly watch it with the least amount of commercials. We try to stay away from the "Next Week On..." parts of shows and avoid spoilers at all cost. You'll never see spoilers on this blog. We don't pay much attention to reality television. It's rare that you'll read about it here.
A note about times: DVR Life is based on the east coast, so all times refer to Eastern Standard Time. If you live elsewhere go ahead and delete an hour or two.
A note about reality tv: This blog is about scripted television programming. That's what we prefer. We may mention a reality show from time to time in relation to network news or in an off handed comment but that's about all.
If anyone would be interested in doing, say, a weekly column about reality tv, we would not be against that. But we don't watch it so unless you're willing to write it...
Contact DVR Life If you'd like to contact DVR Life, use the address below. We're always looking for screeners, PR contacts, other TV Bloggers, writers and plain old TV fans.
Posts
