Recaps
The Weekly Round-Up for October 5 to 9
Here are the entertainment news items for this week (October 5 to 9):
NEWS
ABC Family and Harlequin Enterprises Limited announced a new licensing agreement where Harlequin will publish four TEEN tie-in books for the ABC Family series Greek.
Showtime officially picked up Californication for a fourth season.
Flashpoint will have another 13 episodes air on CBS. The drama, about members of a strategic response team, has averaged 9.6 million viewers in its second season on the U.S. network. The series starring Enrico Colantoni was originally developed by Canadian CTV, which has been airing it concurrently with CBS. NOTE: The question now is when will the show return, which timeslot will it take and what new or returning show will be pulled to make room.
Are you a fan of Glee? Well, join the Gleek Club. So far Glee music has been downloaded 1.1 million times. That is astounding.
Fox21 has set up drama project Broken at FX. The one-hour drama series, written by Sheldon Turner (Up in the Air), is set in post-Katrina New Orleans and revolves around an investigative journalist for the New Orleans Gazette who is so frustrated by the breakdown of social and governmental institutions that he takes on a sideline pursuit as a vigilante.
TNT has given a pilot order to Rizzoli, a drama based on Tess Gerritsen‘s Jane Rizzoli mystery novels. Written by Janet Tamaro (Bones), the series will revolve around the crime-solving team of Boston medical examiner Maura Isles and Detective Jane Rizzoli. If Rizzoli goes into production it will join the Steven Spielberg-produced alien invasion project, which TNT picked up in July with Noah Wyle tapped as the lead.
HBO has given an early series renewal to freshman comedy Bored to Death, handing the Jason Schwartzman-led series a second season order following its third episode, which landed its largest audience to date when it jumped 51 percent in viewers week on week.
News broke that ‘Ugly Betty‘ will lose her braces this season; just one more thing in the transformation of the character that has fans in a bit of an uproar.
Former Desperate Housewives scribe Kevin Murphy has joined the writing staff of Syfy‘s Caprica as co-executive producer. The writer also has several other projects in development, including an adaptation of Kate Torgovnick‘s nonfiction book Cheer: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders at CW with studio Warner Bros. Television and Tom Welling‘s production company Tom Welling Prods and USA‘s Velvet Hammer, a drama about a female FBI agent with CBS Studios.
Drop Dead Diva creator and executive producer announced that Ben Feldman, who plays guardian angel Fred will be joining the second season of the Lifetime hit as a series regular.
Ellen Page (Juno) has teamed with HBO for Stitch N’ Bitch, a single-camera comedy she will write with two other young actors, Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development) and musician Sean Tillmann. The trio will executive produce the project, which follows two painfully cool hipster girls as they relocate from Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood to Los Angeles’ Silver Lake enclave in hopes of becoming artists — of any kind. All three might also star, but a decision about them acting in the comedy will be made later. The three worked together on the Drew Barrymore-directed Whip It, which is currently in theaters.
Showtime is set to launch animated webisdoes based on Dexter. Called Dexter: Early Cuts, the webisdoes are set to debut on October 25 on sho.com with 12-parts told in four, one to two minute chapters.
Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) has been cast as the lead in Matt Nix‘s (the creator of Burn Notice) FOX drama series Jack and Dan, which already has a thirteen-episode order from the network for next season. Whitford will play Dan, a drunken, lecherous, wild-card cop who hangs onto his job only because of a heroic act years before. He’s paired with a morally-minded and uber-ambitious cop named Jack. The series is slated to start shooting early next year.
CBS has given a pilot commitment to a modern version of the classic 1970s cop series Hawaii Five-O. Fringe co-creators and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and CSI: NY executive producer Peter Lenkov. Kurtzman and Orci are creating the story with Lenkov, who will write the script. All three will executive produce.
Since NBC’s numbers are down and its new and returning shows are mainly DOA, Chuck’s third season might get to premiere sooner than the March date that’s been bandied about thus far. How much earlier? As early as late October, that’s when. Its unclear if the little show that could w return to its Monday timeslot or find itself a new perch. But, NBC insiders who’ve seen the first four episodes, are calling this season the best yet. If Chuck does come back sooner rather than later, the chances of NBC ordering additional episodes beyond the 13 initially commissioned increases dramatically. And they increase further if it performs solidly.
NEW SEASON TALLY
The following is a run-down of the general state of the TV shows for the fall season – not just the sci-fi(ish) based shows, but exclude half-hour comedies:
First it was Glee. Now CBS has given full season orders to NCIS: Los Angeles and The Good Wife, which have become the two highest rated new fall dramas of the 2009-2010 season.
The networks SEEM to be allowing the new shows room to breathe so far with only one cancellation: The Beautiful Life . New shows that look likely to get full season orders include: The Vampire Diaries and FlashForward.
There are several new shows that really need viewership to improve – FAST! – before the respective networks pull them. Those are: Eastwick, The Forgotten and Melrose Place.
None of the new medical dramas – Mercy, Trauma and Three Rivers – are a hit with viewers and are perched on the edge and could easily be pushed over by their networks very soon. Returning medical dramas House and Grey’s Anatomy have improved over their drops in viewership last year, though.
A number of returning shows are currently struggling and are going to need some life support or just plain ole “eye-balls watching them”. They are: Castle, Cold Case, Dollhouse, Fringe, Heroes, Law & Order and Smallville.
Some returning shows are holding their own but many other returning shows have lost viewership since last season, however, it seems the networks are giving them time. They include: 90210, Criminal Minds, all three of the CSI’s, Bones, Desperate Housewives, Ghost Whisperer, Gossip Girl, Law & Order: SVU, Lie to Me, Medium, The Mentalist, Numb3rs, One Tree Hill, Private Practice and Supernatural.
The fate of Ugly Betty will be determined when it returns on October 16.
A surprise cancellation was made last night by NBC. They canceled the sophomore season of the drama Southland BEFORE the second season premiere could even take place. Fans are very upset about this development as is executive producer John Wells who has stated publicly his disappointment with the network and is looking for another home for the series. Could fingers start to be pointed at the network’s decision to program Jay Leno 5 nights a week, taking away prime time scheduling for grittier dramas? You betcha!
BOX OFFICE NEWS
Fred Thompson (Law & Order), pop star A.J. Michalka (The Lovely Bones), Kevin Connolly (Entourage), Margo Martindale (Mercy), Eric Lange (Lost) and Drew Roy (Hannah Montana) have all joined the cast of Secretariat opposite Diane Lane‘s role as the famous horse’s owner. Michalka will play Diane Lane’s daughter; Thompson will star as racing league president Bull Hancock and Roy will play Thompson’s son. Connolly will play a sportswriter. Martindale will play a veteran executive secretary, who assists Lane through a dark time and Lange will portray real-life sportswriter Andy Beyer.
Samuel L. Jackson has signed on for Same Kind of Different as Me, a weeper based on the true story of an art dealer and a con man who become friends. The movie will be based on the 2005 memoir by Ron Hall and Denver Moore. The book follows drifter Moore (presumably to be played by Jackson) and Dallas art mogul Ron Hall, who find solace when their mutual friend, Ron’s wife Deborah, is diagnosed with cancer. There’s no word yet on who will play Ron or Deborah, or when production will begin.
Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) will co-star with Christina Aguilera in the musical-drama Burlesque (which also stars Cher and Stanley Tucci), which follows small-town, big-voiced Aguilera (in her big-screen debut) as she becomes the star attraction in a Los Angeles neo-burlesque club. The club’s previous golden girl (presumably Bell) begins to spiral out of control.
MADE FOR TV MOVIE NEWS
Gina Gershon (Showgirls), Ryan McPartlin (Chuck), Victor Garber (Alias and Eli Stone) and Rachel Blanchard (7th Heaven) will star in Lifetime Movie Network movie Everything She Ever Wanted based on the popular crime novel by Ann Rule. The mini-series will air on November 14 and 15 and is inspired by the true story of a Southern husband and wife whose storybook wedding signals the beginning of a nightmare marriage that is ultimately upended by greed and violence.
Rob Lowe (Brothers & Sisters) and Lauren Holly (NCIS) star in Ann Rule’s Too Late to Say Goodbye on the Lifetime Movie Network on November 7. The film is inspired by the true story of an outwardly charming couple whose deceit and secret affairs result in fatal consequences.
AS HEARD ON
Songs featured in last weekend’s Drop Dead Diva penultimate episode were “Lighthouse” by Buddy; “Home” by Holly Conlan and “Bad Bad Girl” by The Noises 10.
Last weekend’s episode of Army Wives has these songs featured: “”Reality Check” by Fiona Kernaghan and “Hallelujah” by Drew Holcomb. Plus these songs were sung by character Viola: “Here for the Party” (by Gretchen Wilson) and “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (by Bonnie Raitt).
The songs featured in Sunday night’s episode of Brothers & Sisters were “Sink or Swim” by Dave Thomas Junior and “Man Inside” by Shirock.
Songs featured on the most recent episode of The Vampire Diaries include: “Save the Lies” by Gabriella Cilmi; “Don’t Trust Me” by 3Oh!3; “Boom” by Anjulie; “Beauty of the Dark” by Mads Langer; “Be There” by Howie Day; “When a Heart Breaks” by S.O. Stereo and “Wait it Out” by Imogen Heap.
Free download at iTunes: “Letters From the Sky” by band Civil Twilight. This was the song featured in the short-lived CBS series Harper’s Island.
CASTING SCOOP
Monet Mazur (40 Days and 40 Nights) is joining the cast of NCIS: Los Angeles as a love interest for Chris O’Donnell, playing Natalie Buccola, a confident secret service agent who’s taken with O’Donnell’s Callen. The role is potentially recurring. She will make her first appearance in episode 6.
Former WWF wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is expected to make a guest appearance in an episode of Chuck when it returns to NBC in March 2010 as Hugo Panzer, a master of close-quarters combat. NOTE: Please see above news about Chuck possibly returning earlier than planned.
Kim Raver (24 and Lipstick Jungle) is joining Grey’s Anatomy in a recurring role. She will debut as a surgeon in the episode scheduled to air November 12. Her character will play third wheel in Owen and Cristina’s relationship.
Chris Elliott has landed the pivotal role of Lily’s estranged dad on How I Met Your Mother. The highly-anticipated family reunion is slated to air November 23 when father and daughter come face-to-face at a Thanksgiving celebration hosted by Lily’s grandparents.
Lauren Stamile (Grey’s Anatomy and the Lifetime movie Midnight Bayou) has landed a role on Community, where she’ll make a love connection with Joel McHale‘s Jeff.
It’s been confirmed that Helen Hunt is no longer in the running to replace Maura Tierney in NBC’s new drama Parenthood as Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls) has filled that vacancy.
MY CASTING IDEA FOR EASTWICK: For those of you who watched the second episode of Eastwick last week, you saw a picture featuring the characters portrayed by Veronica Cartwright, Cybill Shepherd and another woman along with a man who looks exactly like Daryl Van Horn (Paul Gross). Who do you think should be the 3rd woman? Her face was turned and obscured by her hair – which I’m sure was deliberate – but I have to wonder who casting and the masterminds behind the series are planning on using for that 3rd woman. Here’s my idea: Why not get either Sela Ward or Anne Archer? They are close in age to the other ladies and either one would make a great “get” for the show. How cool to see either in the show, right? A good friend of mine also made this suggestion, which is just as plausible: Barbara Hershey.
RUMOR PATROL
Deborah Ann Woll and Michelle Forbes (both from True Blood) are co-starring in an upcoming film called Highland Park. This movie is rumored to also star Danny Glover, Billy Burke (Twilight franchise), Naturi Naughton (Fame) and Rockmund Dunbar (Prison Break).
Rumor has it that Tom Cruise is out of the movie Motorcade and Ryan Reynolds is being “eyed” to take his place. The movie is an action thriller about a disgraced Secret Service agent who happens to be in the wrong place at the right time when the president’s motorcade is commandeered by terrorists in New York. Director Len Wiseman (Underworld) is also being replaced by Jon Cassar (24).
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
A few more shows will be coming back next week along with one more new debut. They include:
Wednesday, October 14:
Nip/Tuck on FX at 10 p.m.
Friday, October 16:
Ugly Betty on ABC at 8 p.m (Two-Hours)
NEW EPISODES OF EXISTING SHOWS
Here is a list of new episodes for the series that are finishing up their summer runs and most of the returning and new fall shows that are just getting their season started:
Saturday, October 10:
Robin Hood on BBC America at 9 p.m.
Sunday, October 11:
Mad Men on AMC at 10 p.m.
Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime at 9 p.m. – Finale
Army Wives on Lifetime at 10 p.m. – Finale
Desperate Housewives on ABC at 9 p.m.
Brothers & Sisters on ABC at 10 p.m
Three Rivers on CBS at 9 p.m.
Cold Case on CBS at 10 p.m.
Dexter on Showtime at 9 p.m.
Monday, October 12:
House on FOX at 8 p.m.
Lie to Me on FOX at 9 p.m.
Heroes on NBC at 8 p.m.
Trauma on NBC at 9 p.m.
Castle ABC at 10 p.m.
CSI: Miami CBS at 10 p.m.
Durham County on ION at 10 p.m.
Lincoln Heights on ABC Family at 8 p.m.
Greek on ABC Family at 9 p.m.
One Tree Hill on the CW at 8 p.m.
Gossip Girl on the CW at 9 p.m.
Tuesday, October 13:
NCIS on CBS at 8 p.m.
NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS at 9 p.m.
The Good Wife on CBS at 10 p.m.
The Forgotten on ABC at 10 p.m.
Sons of Anarchy on FX at 10 p.m.
90210 on the CW at 8 PM
Melrose Place on the CW at 9 PM
Wednesday, October 14:
Mercy on NBC at 8 p.m.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on NBC at 9 p.m.
Criminal Minds on CBS at 9 p.m.
CSI: NY on CBS at 10 p.m.
Eastwick on ABC at 10 p.m.
Glee on FOX at 9 p.m.
Thursday, October 15:
FlashForward on ABC at 8 p.m.
Grey’s Anatomy on ABC at 9 p.m.
Private Practice on ABC at 10 p.m.
CSI on CBS at 9 p.m.
The Mentalist on CBS at 10 p.m.
The Vampire Diaries on the CW at 8 p.m.
Supernatural on the CW at 9 p.m.
Bones on FOX at 8 p.m.
Fringe on FOX at 9 p.m.
Friday, October 16:
Dollhouse on FOX at 9 p.m. – check your local listings for actual airtime
Ghost Whisperer on CBS at 8 p.m.
Medium on CBS at 9 p.m.
Numb3rs on CBS at 10 p.m.
Law & Order on NBC at 8 p.m.
Smallville on the CW at 8 p.m.
Stargate: Universe on Syfy at 9 p.m.
Sanctuary on Syfy at 10 p.m.
Monk on USA Network at 9 p.m.
Psych on USA Network at 10 p.m.
Crash on Starz at 10 p.m.
NOTE: Please check your local listings for the correct air dates and times for all of the above.
Have a great weekend!
Please note that I will also soon be featuring a weekly round-up of sci-fi based (and similar genres) news items at our sister site located at http://scifitvzone.com/. Please visit there as often as you can. Thanks!
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