NGTV Guide: Thursday, March 4

Oddly, most of our Thursday shows are still on hiatus. Enjoy it while you can, Nice Girls!

The Mentalist – CBS 10/9c
“Red Herring” – Jane and the team investigate the murder of an arrogant chef during a cooking competition in Napa Valley.

Burn Notice – USA 10/9c – SEASON FINALE
“Devil You Know” – Michael’s worst fears come to life when a world class terrorist is unleashed on Miami, threatening to detonate a bomb if Michael doesn’t give him what he wants. John Mahoney and Garret Dillahunt guest-star.

NGTV Guide: Thursday, February 18

More medals are in contention tonight, plus Burn Notice and Survivor are all new.

Winter Olympics - 8/7c NBC
Evan Lysacek continues his quest for Figure Skating gold live (ET/CT) in the free skate. Also women’s Snowboarding, Alpine Skiing and Speed Skating (1000m).

Survivor: Heroes vs Villains – 8/7c CBS
“It’s Getting the Best of Me” – Boston Rob passes out in the jungle and requires medical assistance. At tribal council, secrets and strategies are revealed that threaten the well-being of one tribe. One person is voted out of the game.

Burn Notice – 10/9c USA
“Partners In Crime” – Sam convinces Michael to investigate a robbery at a chic fashion house, but they quickly realize the world of design isn’t always pretty. Meanwhile, Michael and Fiona gain the trust of a Polish intelligence officer to get information on an unlisted “black flight,” transporting dangerous cargo. Guest starring Rick Kelly, Jeffrey Vincent Parise & Christina Moore

Burn Notice’s Matt Nix Talks Season Finale, Romance, & More

In a conference call with reporters yesterday, Burn Notice’s Matt Nix gave us some scoop about guest stars, Comic Con, romance, BFF’s, and the season finale.

Guest Stars

Nix revealed that Garret Dillahunt (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) plays an “awesome” bad guy when he shows up later this season. Also guest starring is Carlos Bernard (24) who has a connection to Fiona. Nix described him as a bad guy who, under different circumstances, could’ve been a part of Michael’s team. He’s willing to do things that Michael, Fiona and Sam won’t, crossing lines they can’t. Nix said it’s a “devastating performance”.

Romance

Asked about whether fans pester him about the odds of Michael and Fiona getting back together, Nix explained that theirs is an “unstable romantic connection.” They have a hard time being with other people and have acknowledged how much they care about each other, but neither of them are “built” for a stable romantic connection. The relationship they have right now is probably their ideal, at least at this point in their lives.

BFF’s

Nix laughed at the idea that Sam and Madeline have any sort of romantic connection, saying “that is creepy and wrong and we would never go there.” However, he did admit some surprise at how well the characters relate on screen and said that caused the writers to build a friendship between the two that wasn’t originally planned. Sam is Madeline’s best friend right now, an unusual development, but “it works for us,” said Nix.

Motivation

In “A Dark Road”, the episode featuring Tyne Daly, Michael explains to Madeline that his job is “helping people.” When asked if Michael was settling into the role of helping people without being a spy, Nix explained that Michael has been coming to terms with the fact that there’s a part of him that HAS to help people. Early in the series he was something of a reluctant hero, but as Michael has become more self-aware, he’s realized that this is an innate need of his. The twist is that, because of his background, he uses “dark deeds for a noble purpose … the dark to save the light.”

Gearing Up for the Season Finale

Nix talked about Michael’s relationship with Gilroy, played by Chris Vance, noting that it’s becoming more and more complicated. Nix said the relationship takes an “unexpected turn” in second to last episode of the season, but wouldn’t divulge any details.

Also coming up at the end of the season is an answer to a question related to the burn notice itself. We won’t find out who issued the burn notice, but a big question will be answered. “It’s a question people haven’t thought to ask,” said Nix, “but it is important.”

Comic Con

Last but not least, Nix said he had a wonderful experience at Comic Con last year and hopes they can attend again this year. The logistics of getting cast and creative team members from Miami (where they film) to San Diego is challenging, but he hopes to see us in San Diego in July.

Burn Notice airs Thursdays at 10/9c on USA Network.

NGTV Guide: Thursday, February 11

FOX’s shows are on hiatus until April 1, which gives us a chance to see if Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains is worth watching. What, I’m the only Survivor fan around here? OK, is anyone else excited about a Cho-centric episode on The Mentalist?

Survivor – CBS 8/7c – SEASON PREMIERE
“Slay Everyone, Trust No One” – In one of the most physical reward challenges ever played, injuries threaten to send two castaways home before the first challenge is completed.

The Vampire Diaries - the CW 8/7c
“Fool Me Once” – Stefan helps Elena and Bonnie out of a dangerous situation. Jeremy asks Anna (guest star Malese Jow) to a party in the woods, unaware that she has her own reasons for wanting to meet him there. When Stefan, Damon and Elena work with Bonnie and Grams (guest star Jasmine Guy) to open the tomb, everyone is shocked by what they discover.

Supernatural – the CW 9/8c
“My Bloody Valentine” – Castiel helps Sam and Dean hunt down Cupid (guest star Lex Medlin) on Valentine’s Day after townspeople start to kill each other for love. However, after Cupid tells them he’s innocent, they discover Famine (guest star James Otis), one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, has arrived in town.

The Mentalist – CBS 10/9c
“Blood In, Blood Out” – When a member of Cho’s former gang, the Avon Park Playboys, is found murdered, Patrick Jane insists on helping Cho with his off-the-books investigation.

Burn Notice – USA 10/9c
“Enemies Closer” – Michael ends up in hot water when the black ops sociopath he’s been dealing with asks him to steal sensitive flight information. Things only get worse, however, when Michael’s former mentor Larry shows up, with a Columbian drug cartel on his heels looking for a stolen shipment of cash.

Should TV Series Have A Shorter Run?

With each TV season comes a crop of new pilots, hoping to be picked up by a major network for at least an initial 13 episode run. If things go well for said pilot – such as decent ratings (obviously) as well as fan, and sometimes even critic, acclaim – the series could potentially be picked up for a full season, which is typically 22 episodes.

But what if the major networks took a hint from British television (beyond trying to copy-cat their shows) and began to shorten the episode runs for these new series? Would the new show perform better or worse with the viewing audience? Would the show simply be lost in the shuffle of the multitude of programming that is now available? Would the change really make any difference?

I have to wonder if in the not-too-distant future that the norm for new pilots, once they have been picked up by a network and ordered to series, of course, will be for shortened season runs. This could allow for more programming to be picked up by the networks because each show would only get between, say, 6 to 12 episodes.

Now, this may sound like a crazy idea, but go with me for a minute. The powers that be behind a particular show would be able to focus on story-telling (hopefully better than usual) because they would only have 6 to 12 episodes to focus on. The networks would be able to adopt a “time-share” with the timeslots (even more so than they are now), allowing for more shows to be picked up and hopefully more entertainment for all of us.

This would not only work out for the folks who work within the industry (after all people need to have a job, like writers, producers, actors, et al), but would also hopefully work out for those of us who love to sit at home in front of that big screen and be entertained.

Granted, it would all be about quality AND quantity and yes, that could become a slippery slope; but being the optimist that I’m attempting to be more often, it could be a win-win situation for all concerned. Right? Okay, maybe not… but I have to admit it’s an interesting idea and one that’s not too far fetch given the direction that the major networks seem to be, albeit, slowly heading toward.

And, if they can learn one thing from the cable channels that are already succeeding with this type of format, it is to find good material and allow it to flourish even in a shortened format. Of course, it’s important for the new shows to be cast properly, have good writing and be interesting to watch; otherwise, we would all be watching reality. But I won’t digress into that arena just yet.

Case in point: The Canadian series Being Erica is quite popular with our northern brethren (and is slowly becoming popular here in the States too) and is currently in its second season. The first season of the series had only 13 episodes, allowing the writers to hone in on the storyline, making each episode sharp, engaging and imaginative. The second season will consist of 12 episodes and I’m sure they are just as crisp and creative as last season.

Other examples are Burn Notice which aired 12 episodes in its first season and 16 episodes in its second; In Plain Sight also has 12 episodes during its freshman run and had 15 episodes in its sophomore year; Army Wives had 13 episodes its first season followed by 19 and 18 episodes, respectively, for their next two seasons and The Closer has averaged 15 episodes for each of its seasons except for the 13 episode run it received for its first season.

So, it is possible to have successful shows with shorter runs and here’s to hoping that the major networks can come close to their cable counterparts.

NGTV Guide: Thursday, February 4

When Nice Boys collide! Josh Malina guest stars alongside TJ Thyne in tonight’s winter finale of Bones.

The Vampire Diaries – the CW 8/7c
“Children of the Damned” – In flashbacks, Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) recall the long-ago actions taken by townspeople including their father, Guiseppe Salvatore (guest star James Remar, “Dexter”), and Pearl (guest star Kelly Hu, “Army Wives”), leading to the devastating events that caused the rift in their relationship. In the present, Bonnie’s (Katerina Graham) date with Ben (guest star Sean Faris) takes a frightening turn. Elena (Nina Dobrev) helps Stefan as he and Damon race to find the missing journal that belonged to Elena’s ancestor. Stefan learns the reason behind Alaric’s (Matt Davis) interest in both the journal and the town’s history. Damon discovers that an old acquaintance has returned to town with an agenda he understands.

Bones – FOX 8/7c – WINTER FINALE
“The Devil in the Details” – Brennan and Booth investigate a set of uniquely disfigured remains allegorizing biblical text. As they acquire more information about the victim, a former patient of Dr. Adam Copeland (guest star Josh Malina) at Havenhurst Sanitarium, they are confronted with suspects who are hard to characterize as either good or evil. Meanwhile, Jeffersonian intern Arastoo Vaziri reveals a secret about his past.

Supernatural – the CW 9/8c
“The Song Remains the Same” – The angels send Anna (guest star Julie McNiven) back in time to kill John (guest star Matthew Cohen) and Mary (guest star Amy Gumenick) Winchester before they can conceive Sam (Jared Padalecki) knowing that if Sam was never born then Lucifer won’t be able to use him as his vessel. Castiel (Misha Collins) sends Sam and Dean (Jensen Ackles) back to 1978 so they can stop Anna, and the two brothers are reunited with their parents. Mary recognizes Dean as a hunter since he visited her in the past once before but tries to keep the truth from John.

Fringe – FOX 9/8c – WINTER FINALE
“Jacksonville” – After a violent tremor shakes a Manhattan office building to its core, leaving only one survivor who leads the Fringe Team to believe he is not from this reality. Walter surmises that what shook the building was not geologic, but rather something discovered by him and William Bell many years ago. With another catastrophe imminent, the team races to Jacksonville, the site of Walter and William’s experiments, forcing Olivia to face her mysterious past in an effort to save hundreds of people from certain death.

The Mentalist – CBS 10/9c
“Redline” – Patrick Jane and the CBI team investigate when the body of a high-end luxury car sales woman is found in the trunk of a Bentley in the dealership’s showroom

Burn Notice – USA 10/9c
“Noble Causes” – Michael is caught off guard by a visit from his drug-dealing neighbor Sugar. But to Michael’s surprise, Sugar isn’t looking for trouble — he needs Michael’s help fending off a crew of notorious thieves.

“Burn Notice” Returns Jan. 21

January is a big month for USA, with their top rated shows returning for the second half of their seasons. Burn Notice is one of those shows and your Nice Girls will be there watching as Sharon Gless reunites with her “Cagney & Lacey” co-star and best friend, Tyne Daly, in A Dark Road. Who’s with us?

When a recently widowed woman hires Michael and Fiona to get her away from a group of violent con men, Michael turns to Madeline for help — but he may ask her to go too far. Meanwhile, a mysterious contact goes to extreme lengths to get Michael’s attention.Tyne Daly & Clayne Crawford guest-star in the Burn Notice winter premiere – “A Dark Road” – airing this Thursday at a new but familiar time: 10/9C.

Take a peek:

New Burn Notice Poster

Burn Notice returns with all new episodes on USA Network. Mark your calendars for Jan. 21st! Here is the new poster to get you going.

USA Shifts Schedule for Winter Programming

In a bit of a surprising move, USA is switching their original programming from Thursday, Friday and Sunday nights to Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday come January. Although the schedule could change again before the shows premiere, for now USA Network shows that White Collar will return for the second half of its first season on Tuesday, January 19 at 10/9c, with Psych shifting to Wednesdays at 10/9c beginning January 27, and Burn Notice sticking with Thursdays but moving to 10/9c beginning January 21.

With the 10PM hour scheduled Tuesday-Thursday, that begs the question: what will USA put at 9PM? Are these established shows now going to serve as anchors for some new series? Shows like Royal Pains and In Plain Sight weren’t thought to be returning until summer, but I suppose they could be coming back sooner. Either that or we’ll be seeing more Bones, NCIS and Law & Order: SVU marathons.

Garret Dillahunt Guests on “Burn Notice”

According to Ausiello at EW.com, former terminator, Garret Dillahunt, will guest star in an episode of Burn Notice when it returns this winter.

“Dillahunt will play Simon, a scary-smart new client of Michael’s (Jeffrey Donovan) — and perhaps the first person to outsmart him.”

Personally, I think Garret is one of those actors who deserves his own show.

(Source: EW.com)

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