TV News, Previews, Spoilers and Reviews
In one of the more heart-tugging series to debut this summer, SWITCHED AT BIRTH is the latest ABC Family Channel series to challenge our perceptions about what makes a family. Taking a modern day horror story about two children switched at birth and turning it into a chance to explore how their families embraced the opportunity to get to know one another, SWITCHED AT BIRTH invites viewers in a loving family drama showcasing two extraordinary families. [Read more…]
Hailing from the ABC Family series about the real life implications of sex and pregnancy for teenagers today, though portrayed through a warm and loving lens, THE SECRET LIFE OF THE AMERICAN TEENAGER holds up a mirror for high school kids today. Co-stars Ken Baumann portrays Ben Boykewich, the gentle teen that found out one night of passion has far reaching implications; and Francia Raisa portrays Adrian Lee, a n outgoing young woman determined to get back at her ex-boyfriend by sleeping with his rival. But that one night changed their lives forever after it ended in an unexpected pregnancy. At the ABC Family/Disney press junket held at ABC Studios on May 14th, Ken and Francia shared their insight on what is next and how they feel about the show’s depiction of teen life today.
Do you think SECRET LIFE realistically portrays teenagers?
Francia: It’s pretty realistic. I have a sister who is still in high school and she says a lot of what is going on has been going on in her experience in high school. Everyone is talking about sex. Everyone is talking about who’s hooking up with who. And nowadays they’re more dealing with drugs. They’re dealing with alcohol. They’re dealing with peer pressure. Pregnancies happen. When I was in high school I knew so many girls who had abortions. Some left because they had babies. It’s pretty realistic. So, yeah, we deal with it in realistic ways.
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Another inspiring series to watch for this summer is EXTREME MAKEOVER: WEIGHT LOSS EDITION, which focuses on the inspiring journey of eight people who undertook the challenge to regain their physical form and self-esteem over the course of a one-year journey with personal fitness trainer, Chris Powell.
While noting that a house may be made-over in one week, to makeover a human being, it takes a full year. As Chris good-humoredly said, “I need a full year — a full year to change these people. They’re looking for extreme transformation and, in order to do that, we need time.”
In MTV’s new supernatural series TEEN WOLF, the typical coming-of-age story is given a new twist — a teenage boy must not only navigate through high school, he must figure out the challenges of being a werewolf in the midst of the most heightened years of his life. Writer and executive producer Jeff Davis and director Russell Mulcahy talked about what drew them to the TEEN WOLF series and teased a bit about what to expect as the show debuts.
Jeff Davis (Executive Producer/Writer)
How was the tone for the show established in choosing between campy vs. dark?
Jeff: The tone was set right off-the-bat from the first meeting with MTV. It was their idea to do the show. I had a meeting with MTV . .. . [MTV] said they were attached to TEEN WOLF the series and asked would I be interested in writing it. So I asked MTV at the meeting, I said, ‘How do you guys see adapting this for a TV series because the original is very much a comedy and, to me, it’s actually a basketball movie.’ . . . . So they said, ‘We want to do it a little different — a little darker, sexier’ and I said, ‘Well, what if we did it kind of like The Lost Boys?’ Which was an ’80’s movie that I still love to this day. I mean, I love Teen Wolf very much. But The Lost Boys just stuck in my head ’cause it is scary, it’s sexy, and it’s still funny — really funny, like Corey Feldman, the Frog Brothers. I mean, you always remember them. So that’s really the paradigm we chose. It’s The Lost Boys with a little bit of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer thrown in. . . It’s funny. We talk about this being a remake or reboot, and after talking with MTV a little while ago, I said, ‘Since it’s MTV, maybe we should call it a remix.’ We’ve taken an old classic and kind of given it a new beat. How’s that for a sound bite?
In MTV’s new dark thriller TEEN WOLF, a teen boy’s life is irrevocably changed after being bitten by a werewolf. While he struggles to adjust to his new physical changes, the world around him shifts as well. He discovers he is not alone and meets a mentor of sorts who helps guide him through the transformations and navigating an increasingly tricky social scene at school. Then, as if that were not enough, he finds out that he is not necessarily the predator in this story; that he may be the prey as well when it is revealed that a team of hunters have moved into town and are tightening their net.
Thus, the cursed and conflicted Scott McCall (Tyler Posey), his mysterious mentor Derek Hale (Tyler Hoechlin) and the new girl in town Allison Argent (Crystal Reed) are all caught up in the thorny tale of star-crossed romance amidst a modern day horror story.
Taking a few minutes to talk with the press about what makes TEEN WOLF a must-see show of this summer, Tyler Posey, Crystal Reed and Tyler Hoechlin candidly shared their insights and offered a few sneak teases.
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If my Twitter feed is any indication, a slew of lucky TV types have already been given the opportunity to check out at least some of Fall’s new offerings. Are you one of the lucky ones, and if so, what our your thoughts thus far? — Mike
The TV Addict: Seeing as though we were only granted access to a select number of Fall pilots under the strict condition that we were not allowed to “review” them (Cue Boilerplate: Episodes were provided for planning purposes only. NOT FOR REVIEW. Episodes are rough cuts that contain temporary picture, graphics, audio and music) our thoughts on what is already shaping up to be a far more exciting September than its predecessor will unfortunately have to wait. Well, except to say one thing that we’re fairly confident the proverbial powers that be won’t mind us spilling: When it comes to shows that may-or-may-not star Emily Van Camp, Sarah Jones and Jennifer Morrison, we are already counting down the days until we can find out what happens next.
Any scoop on ENTOURAGE’s final season? — Alison
The TV Addict: Suffice it to say, after last season’s drug bust, Vince’s career won’t be the only thing going up in flames. So much so that your very own TV Addict has just learned that the gang’s not-so-humble abode will be going up in smoke thanks to a incredibly irresponsible amphibian named Turtle. Oh, and that’s not the only thing heating up this summer. According to sources, one gang member’s hard-partying ways may come back to haunt them in the form of a bun in the oven. But will it serve as the wake up call Vince needs to turn his life around? Stay tuned…
On May 19th, the Paley Center for Media hosted a night to celebrate the end of FRINGE’s spectacular third season. With special guests Anna Torv, John Noble, along with writers/producers Jeff Pinkner, J.H. Wyman and Akiva Goldsman, the evening allowed fans to find out what exactly is going on in the increasingly murky world of FRINGE.
With Emmy season underway, it was only fitting to showcase the episode “Entrada” in which Anna Torv and John Noble magnificently portrayed both sets of doppelgangers: Olivia Dunham and her doppelganger Fauxlivia, and Walter Bishop and his doppelganger Walternate.
As fans of the show already know, the third season of FRINGE took the show out of its procedural pace and focused much more heavily on the underlying mythology of the collision of two universes. Adding to the craziness and sense of urgency, the season began with the principal hero, Olivia Dunham, having been replaced by her alternate and made captive in the alt-verse with her memories wiped and false memories implanted. The show really took things to another level and it played out beautifully over the course of the season until the final moments when Peter Bishop’s sacrifice may have erased himself out of existence.
It was that final revelation that sent shock-waves through the fandom. So it was no surprise that the moderated portion of the evening began with moderator Ralph Garman boldly asking: “Is [Josh] Jackson looking for work?” After John Noble quickly reassured everyone that Josh would have been there for that evening’s panel but for the fact he is working on a film in New Orleans, J.H. reassuringly said, “He’s not looking for work,” and Jeff added, “He will be back for Season 4.” J.H. expanded his response with, “At some point, in some capacity.” As Jeff explained, “The studio and network were very nervous about not having a lot of Josh in early Season 3,” but as he concluded, “And that worked out okay!” So he and J.H. said that the fans will simply have to trust them again for the 4th season that they have a plan to ensure Josh, as Peter Bishop, will be incorporated back into the FRINGE-world in a fun and surprising way.
The month of May in the television world is known for two things: May Sweeps and May Upfronts. In an effort to capitalize on the May Sweeps ratings bonanza, television networks hold their upfront presentations in New York to woo advertisers and pre-sell their available ad-space for their upcoming television season. It is how television gets funded and how the shows we know and love get to stay on the air; particularly as ratings help convince advertisers that there is a built-in audience who will watch their commercials and buy their products. So upfronts provide a unique opportunity to educate and persuade advertisers that they should be buying commercial air-time on the upcoming returning and debuting television shows.
With glossy presentations, a wide range of attractive actors parading before the advertisers, and sneak peeks at the new shows, upfronts are the life-blood to the television industry. If the upfronts do not convince advertisers that there are television shows that either mass or niche audiences will tune-in for, then not only is a particular television show doomed, but the network promoting it will also sustain a major financial loss. So it is a nail-biting time period and absolutely essential in securing the money necessary to keep television shows on the air.
In an effort to reach as many advertisers as possible and to make the upfront presentations more accessible around the country, The CW held special satellite presentations in nearly a dozen other cities where it hosted a special screening of its entire New York City upfront presentation for advertisers and select press. It was a unique opportunity and provided a glimpse into the upfront world where studio executives work their magic to persuade advertisers that their shows are going to deliver the eyeballs in the right age and gender demographics.
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Since you shamelessly took it upon yourself to whip the entire BONES fandom into a frenzy by tweeting out that you had the chance to see tonight’s much-anticipated finale a day early, I am dying to know… your reaction? — Amy
The TV Addict: Truthfully… still processing… can’t function… Hannah… returns… just kidding… But seriously folks, outside of a corner office working at Entertainment Weekly, there is pretty much nothing you could offer me that would entice me to ruin the multiple surprises in store for BONES fans tonight.
Will telling you that you’re 33.2% better looking than Micahel Ausiello earn me any BONES scoop in terms of the show’s central “will-they-or-won’t-they” question? — Bella
The TV Addict: Despite the fact that statistics have actually proven that we are in fact 43.2% better looking than Michael Ausiello, we will aqueous to your sucking up — which by the way we give you a solid B- for — by offering up one tantalizing tease: BONES mastermind Hart Hanson knew what he was doing when he named tonight’s episode “The Change in the Game.” Not only would we not have in a million years predicted the direction the show is headed, we can pretty much guarantee BONES will never be the same.
How much, if any role does last week’s death of Vincent Nigel Murray play into tonight’s episode? — Montana
The TV Addict: Unfortunately, due to the self-contained procedural nature of BONES, the fact that the Jeffersonian gang barely acknowledges the shocking events of last week’s episode — with the exception of one incredibly touching gesture — is our only quibble with tonight’s season ender.
With the end of the official 2010-2011 TV season just around the corner, we here at theTVaddict.com thought now might be as good a time as any to assure our fellow TV Addicts that all is not lost. Suffice it to say, there will be plenty of reasons to avoid those so-called “great outdoors” this summer and ample opportunity to unwind on your comfy, albeit heavily air conditioned, couch. And here with your first of those reasons are stars Missy Peregrym and Gregory Smith with a preview of ROOKIE BLUE’s much anticipated second season.