What Happens When Shows ‘Ship The Wrong Couples?

It seems that no matter if a show is a comedy or a drama, crime procedural or wacky sitcom, viewers inevitably gravitate toward a couple they want to see together. But what happens when the show itself puts two people together who don’t really click? Can the pairing grow on us, or is the show doomed to failure if the core couple doesn’t spark?

Cupid – The whole premise of this show was matchmaking, with Trevor and Claire at the center. For the first couple of episodes, I couldn’t see any romantic potential between them. Mostly, Claire just seemed irritated by Trevor and Trevor seemed more interested in making his 100 matches than pursuing Claire. Eventually, though, the relationship started to progress. Claire softened toward Claire a little, Trevor’s focus widened to include Claire. By the end of the series’ short run, I could see the beginnings of a good, two or three season long run of building toward them being together. Too bad ABC nipped that in the bud.

Royal Pains – In the series premiere we were presented with Jill, on paper the perfect match for Hank. Too bad they don’t have any chemistry. I’m hoping this is another case where the pairing will grow on me, but so far they’ve had a “meet cute”, bantered, helped each other out, had a fight, made up, and shared a dinner in a romantic setting, all with zero sexual tension. They’re good-looking people with shared interests, but sometimes the spark just isn’t there. I’m more interested in the potential with Hank’s fiery assistant, Divya. They’ve had very little screen time together thus far, but seem to have better chemistry than Jill/Hank. Did Royal Pains pick the wrong couple to ’ship?

Killer Hair – Speaking of no chemistry, how about Lacey and Vic in the Lifetime Movie Network adaptation of Killer Hair? As I said in my review, Vic does have the unfortunate obstacle of little character development in the book series on which the movie is based, so this is a ’ship that hits an iceberg across two media. Lacey and Tony, now there’s a sizzler! Will the movie series follow the books and force Lacey to stay with Vic? Or will it break away and give Tony a chance?

True Blood – Here’s another show based on a book series which complicates matters. Sookie and Bill are currently the show’s core couple, and boy do they have chemistry! Real-life couple Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer bring the heat on the series, but those who have read the books know that the relationship doesn’t last. If the series follows the books, we should expect to see Eric and Sookie heat up soon, with a couple of other boyfriends in the mix. Will Sookie/Eric have sparks equal to Sookie/Bill? Or will it feel forced like the Sookie/Sam pairing the show toyed with in season 1?

Can you think of any other current pairings that don’t feel right? How about in past shows? I’ll confess, the Ross/Rachel thing on Friends never seemed that profound to me, but I did think Claude and Kipp would be a spicy pairing on Less Than Perfect.

NGTV Guide: Sunday, June 21

The Nice Girls have a full slate of goodies to watch tonight! From magicians to vampires to witness protection to crimes of fashion, it’s going to be a busy evening.

Merlin – NBC 9/8c – SERIES PREMIERE
The fantasy series, which offers a new spin on the Arthurian legend, opens with the young warlock Merlin (Colin Morgan) arriving in the kingdom of Camelot, whose king (Anthony Head) has outlawed the practice of magic upon punishment of death. He seeks out the court physician, Gaius (Richard Wilson), to whom he inadvertently reveals his gift, has a run-in with the king’s headstrong son, Prince Arthur (Bradley James), and meets an enchanting young maid named Gwen (Angel Coulby). This is a two-hour premiere, so set your DVRs accordingly! Check out BethAnne’s review of Merlin here.

Killer Hair – Lifetime Movie Network 8/7c
Based on the “Crimes of Fashion” book series by Ellen Byerrum. Who knew fashion could be dangerous to anything beyond your credit card balance? Lacey Smithsonian (also seen in “Hostile Makeover”), “Crimes of Fashion” columnist, finds herself reporting on more than just this season’s line when dead bodies start showing up in her best friend’s hot DC hair salon. Lacey’s uniquely trained fashion eye catches clues that others miss. The only thing that knocks Lacey from her high-heeled stride is the sudden appearance of Vic Donovan, the guy she left behind and the one man that makes her heart flutter. With her best friends, Stella, a punky hairstylist, and Brooke, an upper crust Georgetown lawyer, at her side, Lacey foils the murderer, solves the mystery and the fashion crime itself, all while meeting the deadline for her column. Read Melissa’s review of Killer Hair here.

True Blood – HBO 9/8c
“Keep This Party Going” – Sookie goes a bit too far in her effort to help Jessica adjust to her new life; Maryann wields her influence at Merlotte’s, much to Sam’s dismay; Jason makes friends—and at least one foe—at the Light of Day leadership conference; Eric mulls the addition of another member to the ranks.

In Plain Sight – USA 10/9c
““Who’s Bugging Mary?” – When Brandi is arrested by Agent O’Connor for drug trafficking & murder, Mary races to find a way out for Brandi and the sordid motive for his vendetta.

‘Killer Hair’ Brings Crime and Crimes of Fashion to Lifetime

The first of, we hope, several adaptations of Ellen Byerrum’s popular Crime of Fashion mystery series debuts on the Lifetime Movie Network Sunday evening as Maggie Lawson (PSYCH) takes on the role of fashion reporter Lacey Smithsonian in Killer Hair. Lacey is an investigative reporter by training, stuck with the fashion column in a third-rate Washington, D.C. newspaper. When a hair stylist turns up dead, with a terrible haircut, the police rule it a suicide, but Lacey’s friend Stella is convinced that her fellow stylist was murdered and coaxes Lacey into digging deeper to find the real cause of death.

I am a fan of Maggie Lawson’s work on PSYCH and was excited to see her take on a leading role in Killer Hair. Lawson has the potential to be the next Sandra Bullock, an endearing girl-next-door who can balance dramatic chops with comedic timing. Although Lawson is an engaging actor, Lacey feels just a bit flat in this first outing, particularly when she has to act the wronged lover to Victor Webster’s Vic Donovan. I found it difficult to believe that ambitious, witty, confident Lacey would be attracted to someone so bland. To be fair, Vic’s character gets short shrift in the books as well, so Webster didn’t have a lot to work with. He is also overshadowed by Mark Consuelos as crime reporter Tony Trujillo. Now there’s some sizzle! Watching Lawson and Consuelos together brought to mind the Hepburn-Tracey pairings of yore. Perhaps not everything has to follow the novels? I’m definitely on board the Lacey/Tony ’ship!

In addition to the men in her life, Lacey also has the requisite girlfriends with whom to talk funeral fashion etiquette (“This isn’t a nightclub”), men, murder and everything in between. Sadie LeBlanc’s Stella, the stylist, is supposed to be the “quirky” friend, as evidenced by her wacky hair styles and slightly oddball quotes. Lacey and Stella together often seemed forced, like they used to be best friends in high school but don’t have much in common any more and don’t want to admit it. Fortunately, the third member of their girl group, Sarah Edmondson’s Brooke, is pretty adorable and has good chemistry with Lawson. Brooke is a conspiracy theorist in addition to being a rockin’ lawyer on Capitol Hill. She helps Lacey connect a couple of dots in the murder investigation, and, in one of the best scenes of the night, comes to her aid when Lacey needs a lawyer. Seriously, Brooke’s re-entrance as Lacey’s lawyer in the interrogation scene was brilliant and, I hope, an indication of what’s to come in future installments.

Also of note are performances by Rider Strong as the salon owner’s son who has a crush on Lacey; the always delightful Mario Cantone as the salon’s smarmy but sought after top stylist; Jocelyne Loewen as Felicity Pickles, the food editor who has it in for Lacey’s hips; James McDaniel as the perpetually dour editor-in-chief; and Finola Hughes as a Heidi Fleiss-type whose upcoming trial may be linked to the murder. We also get just a glimpse of Mary McDonnell as Lacey’s mother, who will appear in a larger capacity in Hostile Makeover.

No review of Killer Hair would be complete without mentioning the fashion, especially Lacey’s vintage couture. Poor Lacey, so unappreciated by the neutral-clad Washingtonians. She has some lovely pieces, and her shoes are to die for. I wonder if Lawson gets to keep her wardrobe, because then I might have to hate her for being so cute, working with James Roday and Dule Hill, and having such great pieces in her closet. But I digress. Killer Hair is a good piece of summer fun with the potential to turn into a very popular franchise as well as a showcase for Lawson. A couple of the relationships aren’t firing on all cylinders yet, but I’m willing to overlook them as part of the growing pains of a new series. Especially if Lacey and Tony get more scenes together.

Killer Hair premieres on the Lifetime Movie Network at 8/7c on Sunday, June 21.

Writer’s Block: How Did Carrie Bradshaw Do It?

You know, when writing an article means reviewing a show or commenting on someone else’s interview or simply talking about the latest TV news, that doesn’t phase me. OK, the reviewing kind of does, but I’m starting to get the hang of it. Watch for my reviews of Lifetime’s Killer Hair and SyFy’s Warehouse 13, coming soon! [/shameless plug] When it comes to writing a personal column, though, I struggle. What do I have to say about television and/or life that’s at all interesting?

Here’s a glimpse of my week since last Monday when I revealed my secret addiction to reruns of The Nanny and Less Than Perfect: cook dinner for 10 people; yoga; participate in Chuck Me Mondays. Tuesday: Work; mow the lawn; watch The Closer from night before; make cold supper because gas stove won’t turn on. Wednesday: Work; cook dinner in crock pot because gas stove is still not fixed; workout; watch Killer Hair screener. Thursday: Work; NGTV Radio; get takeout because gas stove is still not fixed; skip Burn Notice & Royal Pains so I can watch Warehouse 13 screener in prep for conference call next day. Friday: Work; True Blood Radio; conference call for Warehouse 13 which was so packed I did not get to ask my questions; finally cook supper on own stove. Saturday – Sunday: take care of 7 nieces and nephews while their parents are out of town; collapse.

Other than the saga of the gas stove, I have no idea what to pull from last week to write about this week. And that saga isn’t all that interesting. I still haven’t watched Burn Notice or Royal Pains, although I now have the theme from Polar Express stuck in my head thanks to the nieces & nephews watching it 3 times in 36 hours. Then they switched to That’s So The Suite Life of Hannah Montana, or something. I kind of wished they’d put Polar Express back on, but then I made them go outside and jump on the trampoline instead. I’m such a mean aunt.

And there you have it, the totally glamorous and column-worthy life of a Nice Girl. I guess I did have a column in me after all.