• IDOL chatter, with new AMERICAN IDOL judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler.
• Lois and Lois? Guess which former LOIS & CLARK star is heading to SMALLVILLE!
• iDid not expect this: iCarly to guest on THE GOOD WIFE.
• And the winner is… NBC, who picks up J.J. Abrams’ new Linus & Locke Show.
• $#*! William Shatner says, about his new CBS series premiering tonight at CBS following THE BIG BANG THEORY.
• Goodfellas writer Nicholas Pileggi is making Hollywood an offer they can’t refuse, a GOODFELLAS TV series!
Archives for September 2010
Today’s TV Addict Top 5: Questions with THE MIDDLE Star Patricia Heaton
As any fan of the show will tell you, what THE MIDDLE lacks in MODERN FAMILYesque levels of critical acclaim and COUGAR TOWN’s controversy, it more than make up for with good old fashion laughs. And a big part of the reason why is star Patricia Heaton, who mere hours ago was kind enough to pick up the phone and talk to us about what’s in store for the Heck family when season 2 of THE MIDDLE kicks off tonight at 8PM on ABC.
What are you most excited about heading into the second season tonight?
Patricia Heaton: I’m really just excited to have everyone come and watch, both our old fans from the first season and our new ones. I think ABC did a great job of repeating the show a lot over the summer and I think a lot of people who may have not have been able to catch the show last season caught on so I’m hopeful we’re going to continue to do very well. The show is so funny with really smart scripts and a wonderful cast. Plus, my old nemesis from EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, Doris Roberts, has graced us with her presence in tonight’s season premiere and she was her usual professional, talented and funny self. It was a great episode, and really so far, shooting the whole season has been fantastic.
Last season Brooke Shields tormented the Heck family playing a somewhat-off-her-rocker neighbor. Are there plans this season to get to know anymore of the family’s neighborhood, and is there any chance your former fictional TV husband Ray Romano (of EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND fame) will drop by?
Ray is very busy with his own wonderful and successful show MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE, so I don’t think we’ll be seeing him anytime soon. That said, Norm MacDonald is dropping by this season as Mike’s (Neil Fynn) brother which is wonderful casting because he joins John Cullem who as Mike’s Dad, leaving us with these three wonderfully tall men who never say anything. Which is particularly funny when they’re juxtaposed with Frankie and her family who are overly emotional and talkative. Expect a really funny Thanksgiving episode.
Reviewapalooza! BETTER WITH YOU & THE DEFENDERS
BETTER WITH YOU
Premieres Sept. 22 at 8:30PM on ABC
Mia (JoAnna Garcia) and Casey (Jake Lacy) have been dating for two months and are getting married. Maddie (Jennifer Finnigan) and Ben (Josh Cooke) have been together for nine years, but aren’t married. Their parents are going on 35 years strong (Debra Jo Rupp and Kurt Fuller). Though it is sketched too closely in the image of countless sitcom tropes, the pilot at least is charming — funny in that traditional sitcom sort of way. And these couples, made up of familiar TV faces, feel genuine. However minor a victory (considering the overall tepidness of the fall’s new shows), it is the funniest pilot of the season. Grade: B+
THE DEFENDERS
Premieres Sept. 22 at 10 p.m. EST on CBS (CTV in Canada)
Even if you are still plagued by the seemingly endless run of ACCORDING TO JIM, forgiveness is awarded by Jim Belushi in this surprisingly compelling courtroom drama in the vein of BOSTON LEGAL (so, uh, “quirky”). Him and Jerry O’Connell play Nick Morelli and Pete Kaczmarek, defense attorneys running an upcoming Las Vegas firm that’s building a reputation for going all-in for its clients. It doesn’t amount to much more than your standard CBS procedural, but the cast is well-rounded (FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHT’s Jurnee Smollett also stars as a rookie attorney) and has a sense of (actual) humor. Grade: B-
Aleks Chan is a contributing writer to The TV Addict. He has seen every episode of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER four times, has once referred to his DVR as his “best friend,” and has only seen the pilot episode of THE SOPRANOS — and has no intention to apologize for it. He lives in Austin, Texas. His name is pronounced like Alex. Email him at alekschan.thetvaddict@gmail.com, follow him on Twitter (@alekstvaddict), or his own blog, Screen Reader.
Watch, PVR, Pass: Wednesday September 22, 2010
Is it just us, or are SCRUBS and COUGAR TOWN the Exact Same Show?!
TV Ratings: Tuesday September 21, 2010 (GLEE Soars to New Heights!)
Time | Network | Show | Rating | 18-49 |
---|---|---|---|---|
8PM | CBS | NCIS | 18.92 | 3.9/10 |
FOX | Glee | 12.79 | 5.6/15 | |
ABC | Dancing with the Stars | 12.00 | 2.6/7 | |
NBC | The Biggest Loser | 6.59 | 2.6/7 | |
CW | One Tree Hill | 1.91 | 0.9/3 | |
9PM | ABC | Dancing with the Stars | 18.31 | 4.3/11 |
CBS | NCIS: Los Angeles | 15.68 | 3.4/9 | |
NBC | Biggest Loser | 7.73 | 3.3/9 | |
FOX | Raising Hope | 7.48 | 3.1/8 | |
CW | Life Unexpected | 1.51 | 0.7/2 | |
9:30PM | FOX | Running Wilde | 5.87 | 2.5/7 |
10PM | CBS | NCIS: Los Angeles | 13.60 | 3.0/8 |
ABC | Detroit 1-8-7 | 9.75 | 2.4/7 | |
NBC | Parenthood | 5.87 | 2.4/7 |
We GLEE-cap last night’s High’s and Low’s from “Audition”
High Note: Jacob Ben Israel’s cold “Big Gay Summer” opening scene was a brilliant way in which to introduce the show to TV viewers who may-or-may-not spent the past year living in a cave, while providing the writers with an opportunity to poke fun at some of the series’ most glaring criticisms (Too gay! Too Diva! Too Auto-Tuned!)
Low Note: This just in, Brittany spent the summer lost in the sewers.
High Note: Lea Michele and Charice’s interpretation of Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” was what the rewind on our PVR/DVR was made for.
Low Note: The fact that when we first heard that GLEE was covering “Telephone,” we naturally assumed that the show would open the season with some variation of the classic Bye, Bye, Birdie opening. #outoftouch #old #ouch
Must Read TV: COMMUNITY, MAD MEN, NETFLIX & More!
• Being Awesome, Amy Poehler promotes her upcoming hosting gig on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (above)
• Also BEING Awesome, star Erin Karpluk discusses last night’s ERICA premiere.
• LOST alum Jorge Garcia finds another job, signing on to guest star in an episode of Matthew Perry’s midseason comedy MR. SUNSHINE.
• Sally Draper FTW! 4 Reasons why Kernana Shipka might snag an Emmy Nod.
• Free health care be damned! Canada is finally getting Netflix.
• It’s not just a TV Show! Take a look at the real BOARDWALK EMPIRE!
• Smarter than the average COMMUNITY College, Dan Harmon and Company plan to pre-tweet Thursday’s second season premiere.
You Be the Critic: Tuesday Night Premieres
1) Did RAISING HOPE give you, well, err… hope that FOX remembers how to launch a successful sitcom that isn’t animated? 2) Were you [RUNNING] WILDE about Will Arnett and Keri Russell’s return to series television? 3) Did DETROIT 1-8-7 bring anything new to the small screen’s already oversatuated police procedural market? Let us know in the comments below. Oh, and in case you’re wondering what we thought: 1) Yes, 2) Cautiously optimistic, 3) Passed
Reviewapalooza! GLEE, RAISING HOPE & RUNNING WILDE
GLEE
Returns Sept. 21 at 8PM on Fox (Global TV in Canada)
What can we say about tonight’s second season premiere of GLEE? A helluva lot! But rather than rain on your parade by (a) spoiling all the fun, or (b) nitpicking over the fact that the show remains a frustrating mash-up of musical numbers and repetitive plot points, we’ll leave it at this: Tried and true GLEEKS are in for a slushie-infused treat. Particularly since the low note that is the over-the-top arrival of Coach Beiste, McKinley High’s new female football coach (Dot Marie Jones) is completely overshadowed by the hilariously meta-opening featuring Jacob Ben Israel and the remarkable vocal stylings of new students Sunshine Corazon (Charice) and Sam Evans (Chord Overstreet). Grade: B+ — The TV Addict