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January 2009 Archives
Tacky Tricks of the TV Trade: NBC's "Office" After Super Bowl, "Chuck" in 3-D
January 30, 2009 7:20 AM
Hoping to cash in on Sunday's Super Bowl audience and momentum, NBC is employing one trick after another. One trick is presenting a special one-hour edition of The Office after the Super Bowl post-game show, and the other is promoting and presenting a special 3-D episode of Chuck on Monday.
Both tricks may end up being successful -- but that doesn't make them any less annoying.
There's nothing wrong with capitalizing on TV's biggest audience of the year by scheduling a well-chosen episode of a new or an established series after the Super Bowl. It would be foolish to do otherwise, and the practice goes back decades. It's made instant hits of The A-Team and The Wonder Years, and presented memorable, franchise-building episodes of Friends and Alias.
In theory, The Office is a commendable selection by NBC for this year's post-Super Bowl slot. Like 30 Rock, which would have been an even better choice, The Office is a clever comedy that deserves a much larger sampling and fan base. No one expected NBC is go all the way out on a limb and present, say, a special Friday Night Lights, but at least the network didn't present an episode of Knight Rider.
But with this special episode of The Office, NBC is guilty of misguided, misleading promotion. The show opens with an extended slapstick sequence, in which Dwight starts an actual office fire, and inflicts a panic, in order to mount a lesson-learning fire drill. So much time and effort goes into this opening, hoping to please and hold the action-loving football crowd, that The Office begins by presenting itself as something it's not.
Even more annoying is another Super Bowl-mandated trick, in which several scenes depict Office workers watching an illegally downloaded copy of an ersatz upcoming film: a fake drama that's supposed to depict a romantic triangle involving Jack Black, Jessica Alba and her grandmother, played by Cloris Leachman.
NBC has hyped this aspect of The Office to death, yet it's only a tiny, peripheral portion of the program, inserted only to inject some guest-star name value into the show. And if you're tuning in for Jessica Alba, be forewarned: Her entire guest appearance is over in about the time it takes to say, "Hey, doesn't Jessica Alba with bangs look a lot like Phoebe Cates?"
The rest of The Office, though, is good, and a fair indication of what the show delivers on a weekly basis: the sensitivity and meditation seminars, and especially the uncomfortable comedy roast at the end.
That's where Michael Scott's colleagues take aim at their boss -- and hit one painful bullseye after another. Those scenes are so good, we didn't need Jack Black, or the Keystone Office Kops of the opening, to mar the occasion.
On Monday, NBC presents a 3-D episode of Chuck, using special glasses already disseminated for a Super Bowl ad. The gimmick is more annoying than effective, especially when utilized for an entire hour -- a network first that, it is hoped, also will be a network last.
But you want REALLY annoying? One scene in this new Chuck, a show I normally enjoy a lot, includes a really reprehensible example of blatant, irritating product placement.
It's an eating-contest scene in which two characters start at opposite ends of a giant Subway hoagie and begin grazing their way towards the center. Not only is the brand name mentioned several times, but it's done so in a context that makes the product look more disgusting than appetizing.
Between the 3-D and the obvious in-show product plug, Chuck ruins itself this week. So if it gets a big audience because of the Super Bowl tie-in I'm not sure that audience will like what it sees, or return for more. NBC, before it adds a third dimension to its TV shows, should concentrate on getting the first two right.
With The Office and Chuck, NBC's promotional zeal took two good shows, and made them less by selling them more.
Katie Couric As Ready-For-Prime-Time Player
January 29, 2009 8:10 AM
Wednesday's prime-time edition of The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric was the first volley in a three-part prime-time salvo aimed at heightening her profile in the next 10 days.
Next Wednesday, she hosts a special prime-time interview special keyed to the Grammys. Then, a week from Sunday on 60 Minutes, she interviews Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and the rest of the crew of the US Airways flight that ditched successfully in the Hudson River.
Most likely, the interview would have run this Sunday, except, against the Super Bowl, there's no way CBS would throw away an exclusive that potent when no one will be watching. By waiting a week, and promoting it heavily, 60 Minutes is all but guaranteed to get its highest ratings in years.
Meanwhile, the ratings for last night's prime-time CBS evening newscast were a mixed blessing. Good news: Couric's prime-time exposure finished second in the time slot among overall viewers. Bad news: Among the young demographic CBS would most love to reach, the prime-time newcast finished fifth, beneath not only Fox, NBC and ABC, but Univision. But hey -- it beat CW.)
At the dinner hour, The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric has been in third place in its time slot, losing to both ABC and NBC, for 122 straight weeks now. The current average is just over 7 million viewers, which, if transferred to prime time, would put it on a par with the CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried, which this past week was ranked in 45th place.
I'm guessing it will draw fewer than 7 million in prime time, especially since most loyal CBS News viewers already will have watched at dinnertime. But this means that a lot of those prime-time viewers, whatever the number, will be new to the program -- which is exactly what CBS is after.
Oh, and saving lots of money by filling prime time with a news-show budget, that can't hurt, either. So from the CBS perspective, even if Couric comes in third in her time slot in prime time, as she does during the regular news hour, she's still a winner. At least for now.
"CBS Evening News" Makes It A Later Evening -- Why Not?
January 28, 2009 9:44 AM
Tonight at 8 ET, in what's called a one-night experiment, The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric is presenting a special prime-time edition. What's wrong with that?
Not much... but there is something.
First, what's NOT bad about it. Network evening newscasts, the ones at the dinner hour, are losing viewers every year, and younger people aren't picking up the habit. A prime-time showcase serves, at least, as a reminder of what's there, as well as a promotion for the CBS News brand -- which, these days, is less defined than it was in the days of Dan Rather and, before him, Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow.
But what IS bad about it, even short-range, is that it's another slice of prime time given up to something other than scripted programming. And, on top of that, it's another encroachment of a different TV daypart in prime time.
This is nothing new -- in fact, it's as old as TV itself. A soap opera, DuMont's Faraway Hill, existed in prime time TV in 1946, before there WAS daytime TV. Game and quiz shows were all over prime time in the 1950s, until the quiz show scandals made them run for the hills and hide for decades.
But now NBC is planning a Jay Leno talk show in prime time, CBS has Drew Carey Price Is Right specials in prime time, and NBC is rerunning Saturday Night Live in prime time every chance it gets. How long will it be before we have The View in prime time, or a nightly newscast or issues show stripped across the board, to save costs?
I'm betting not long. And even if the news is good, that's bad news for fans of quality scripted television.
Catching Up on Press Tour, Courtesy of Bill Brioux
January 27, 2009 10:26 AM
TV's semiannual press tour has been over for a week now, but I didn't write about it, since I didn't go. Teaching, smothered by Smothered, etc.
But Bill Brioux, who contributes stuff here from time to time, was there, and wrote this marvelous one-piece-covers-all overview of the January 2009 TV Press Tour...
So click here to go to that piece on Bill Brioux's own site, TV Feeds My Family -- and follow those links to find other juicy stories by good writers. (Alan Sepinwall's coverage of the "scrum" with ABC's programming executive is especially entertaining.)
Then return to Bill, poke around on his site and keep reading. He's one of the good guys. Journalistically AND personally...
TNT's "Trust Me" Is No Modern "Mad Men" -- or Updated "thirtysomething," Either
January 26, 2009 12:08 PM
TNT's newest series, Trust Me, premieres tonight at 10 ET. It's set in the world of advertising, and thus, in theory, aspires to be a modern Mad Men or an updated thirtysomething.
In practice, though, it's more like another Knight Rider...
No, there's no talking car. But there is a mind-numbing barrage of product placement -- brand-name discussion and recognition that drives the plot, like a runaway KITT, rather than serves the narrative, like the well-chosen clients of Mad Men.
What's more annoying, or at least more disappointing, is that the three very likable leads of this new series -- Tom Cavanagh from Ed, Eric McCormack from Will & Grace and Monica Potter from Boston Legal -- are wasted here. Their characters reveal too much too quickly, act too much like clueless stereotypes, and basically run around in a money-rich environment that already seems about as dated as the three-martini lunches enjoyed by Don Draper.
If you're looking for credible characters, memorable performances and quality drama -- and I know you are, or you wouldn't be here -- there's no real reason to watch Trust Me.
Trust me.
One TV Question Posed, One TV Press Tour Secret Revealed
January 23, 2009 8:43 AM
Today I have a question to ask, as well as one to answer. The one to ask concerns Fox's House -- and the one I've been dared to answer involves something that happened to me on press tour some, sigh, 30 years ago. And I've decided, in this instance, it's high time to come clean...
First the House item.
Every week, when I watch House, I smile at the final credits, when the production house vanity logo comes up to reveal the company name as Bad Hat Harry Productions, with the one animated character saying to another, "That's some bad hat, Harry." I smile because it's a line of obscure dialogue from an even more obscure James Coburn movie, 1973's Harry in Your Pocket.
The movie is about a young pickpocket taken in by an old master, and the only reason I remember it is because the supporting actress, young Trish Van Devere, was stunningly beautiful, and worth repeated viewings. What I want to know, but have yet to ask the producers of House, is: Why that movie, and why that line of dialogue?
Now about my personal confession. It comes in response to an email, sent to this website earlier this week, by Ron Alridge, formerly a TV critic for the Chicago Tribune and, before that, the Charlotte Observer. He was responding to a posting I wrote about the TV press tour. I wrote it about a year ago, but Alridge is retired now, so I guess he marches to his own, much slower drummer.
Ron was one of the smartest, nicest and most influential TV critics ever to attend press tour. We both were founding members of the Television Critics Association, but he was one of its central figures, a true founding father. Yet he was young enough, especially at heart, to participate in some memorable escapades, especially where free network hospitality suite liquor was involved.
Hence his letter, quoted in part:
"David,
"Those were great days and you and the other "young turks" like you did a wonderful job of professionalizing the television beat. I formed a kinship with you and the rest of the gang that to this day is very much part of me... I am thrilled beyond words that the TCA still lives and has even become a bit of a force. As you know, that was always a dream back when we all were young and passionate.
"I must say, though, that you have performed a disservice to your blog readers by not sharing with them the story of how you once turned an "ABC Hospitality Suite" sign into something a tad bit off-color. It took a mind that is both creative and demented to have done that so quickly. I remain awed."
Let me pick up that gauntlet, and that story. ABC, in those days, had many of the crankiest network publicists in the business -- and, at the time this incident took place, some of the worst programming. I'm not sure what set me off, other than too much Scotch, but one night, before heading into ABC's penthouse party room at L.A.'s Century Plaza Hotel, I asked Ron to hold my drink for a moment.
There was a sign outside the door -- one of those signs encased in glass, with a black background and magnetic white letters, identifying the room as "ABC HOSPITALITY SUITE." I slipped open the lock on the glass, stared at the words for a few seconds, and rearranged the letters, tossing away the leftovers in a nearby planter. Then I relocked the glass, retrieved my drink from Ron, and we went in.
For the rest of the night, the sign read: "ABC EATS OILY SHIT."
I apologize, 30something years later, for my youthful indiscretion. But it feels good to finally come clean.
As to another former colleague's demand that I tell my Bonnie Hunt story -- that's a press tour classic that still needs a bit more time to pass before it can be told. By me, anyway...
If Broadcast TV Is to Survive, All is "Lost"
January 22, 2009 9:54 AM
Tuning in to the two-hour season premiere of ABC's Lost, I did something I haven't done with a commercial broadcast TV drama all year. I stopped everything else I was doing, leaned forward excitedly, and watched.
If broadcast television has a future, the future is Lost. And shows like it...
Programs to care about, to savor, to ponder afterward. This is what broadcast TV has to give us, if it is going to continue to matter. News, sports, live events, sure -- but unless it presents and nurtures some of the best television out there, why should people watch?
With Lost, the show itself has been vanishing and reappearing like the island itself. Here one day, gone the next -- for eight months. But when it came back, it was with such assurance, pace and imagination, it was not only a treat, and a joy. It was a relief.
The two-hour season premiere is being repeated by ABC Saturday night, preceded by a repeat of the one-hour clip show that explains and repeats some, but not all, of the series' complex story lines. Together, the two programs gobble up all of Saturday's prime time, just as they did Wednesday's.
That's two nights out of seven in which Hurley and Kate and Locke and Jack and the rest represent ABC. You can't ask for anything more, or for anything better, from ABC. Kate, three years after escaping from the island, looks less rugged. Locke, three years later, looks dead -- but not in flashbacks.
And for Hurley to pull a last-second about-face that derails the best-laid plans of mice and Ben, that's so Hurley... and yet so surprising. Who's doing the right thing here? That's one of the key questions regarding this series. But for ABC, doing the right thing means doing just what it's doing: supporting Lost to the very end, with an end we all know is coming.
You can give ABC credit for developing Pushing Daisies, but also have to blame ABC for jettisoning it. With Lost, there's no blame to go around, just praise, and thanks.
TV Worth Watching -- Lost may as well be our broadcast TV poster boy. Can't wait for next week...
I Watched President Obama in My TV History Class -- Where Were You?
January 20, 2009 5:43 PM
Purely by coincidence, the opening-day class of my Tuesday "TV History & Appreciation 2" class at Rowan University began at 10:50 a.m. -- the perfect time of day to make Barack Obama's inauguration part of the curriculum. How cool...
First day of class, usually, is a brief affair. Explain the course, describe the syllabus, take roll, give a mini-lecture, show something fun and fast, and get out of Dodge. But this was different.
I prepared a brief montage of clips enumerating previous Inaugural speech home runs (FDR's "...fear itself," JFK's "Ask not..."), memorable Lincoln Memorial appearances (including King's "I have a dream..."), and a history of the Mall in Washington, D.C.
Then, to lighten things up and set the stage, two clips from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: one from the day in 2007 Obama announced his candidacy, and one from the day in Philadelphia when Obama gave his speech on race. Both Daily Show programs featured "senior black correspondent" Larry Wilmore, and both were brilliant.
Then it was time to turn to live coverage of the swearing-in ceremony. My order to students was to have them take notes if any lines from Obama's speech leapt out -- if a "fear itself" home run was hidden in there somewhere. Then we watched -- on CBS, for the record -- as Aretha Franklin sang, Rick Warren prayed, Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman played, and Obama spoke.
Afterward, a half-dozen students offered possible suggestions, but the overall consensus was that it was the tone and message of the speech, rather than one particular phrase, that stood out. And several students, I'm proud to say, savored Obama's grammar and sentence structure.
I told the students that it wasn't television that made this event important - but that the event itself was hugely historic, and TV made it easily accessible. Even in a college classroom, on a giant screen, as part of the opening salvo of a course very aptly titled "TV History & Appreciation."
Obama's speech afforded a little of each.
So where were you, and what was YOUR reaction?
Watch History on TV Today, Almost Wherever You Turn
January 19, 2009 8:09 AM
Today, Jan. 20, 2009, President-Elect Barack Obama becomes President Obama, the 44th President of the United States. It's THE show to watch today, wherever you decide to watch it. See BIANCULLI'S BEST BETS for some recommended options.
Let me know where you watched, and what you thought and felt, and I'll do the same.
Meanwhile, I'll extend, because of yesterday's holiday, my pictorial review of Sunday's HBO Inaugural celebration concert special, We Are One.
Here's a quick snapshot album of that day's best and brightest moments...
All told, I'd have only two criticisms, both minor.
First, there were some microphone problems in a few of the numbers, especially the crucial moment (above) when Pete Seeger, Seeger's grandson and Bruce Springsteen fronted a large choir on "This Land is Your Land."
Second, I regret that James Taylor, given the Lincoln Memorial setting and the proximity to today's national holiday, wasn't given time, and one of those massive choirs, to sing "Shed a Little Light," his gorgeous gospel ode to the slain civil rights leader:
"Let us turn our thoughts today to Martin Luther King,
And recognize that there are ties between us,
All men and women
Living on the earth,
Ties of hope and love,
Sister and brotherhood,
"That we are bound together
In our desire to see the world become
A place in which our children
Can grow free and strong,
By the task that stands before us
And the road that lies ahead.
We are bound, and we are bound."
And that's just the intro. Hope he gets to sing it in Washington, D.C. today, somewhere.
As for the concert itself, there were plenty of delights, and unashamedly emotional moments. Here's a fast scrapbook:
Springsteen, backed by a choir, starting things off with a super rendition of "The Rising."
Jamie Foxx, who spoke rather than sang, slaying the crowd at the Mall -- and causing Obama and Vice President-Elect Joe Biden to erupt in genuinely boisterous laughter -- by doing a pitch-perfect impersonation of Obama. Fred Armisen, pay attention. Foxx has it DOWN.
Tom Hanks read Lincoln's words, passionately, while the orchestra played Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Portrait" -- and while HBO's cameras, at one point, showed an astounding shot of the Washington Mall from Hanks' point of view.
Performances were joyful -- no more so than Springsteen and Seeger, generational icons making a perfect partnership.
But what a lineup: Stevie Wonder. Beyonce, singing "America the Beautiful." Bono and U2, singing "In the Name of Love." And for American symbolism, you had an American eagle on one hand -- on the hand of a trainer -- and a grateful Barack Obama on the other.
Today, we remember history. Tomorrow, history continues.
Sunday Serves Up Two Powerhouse Battles for Viewer Attention -- Both Involving HBO
January 16, 2009 10:01 AM
What a Sunday. In the afternoon, and again in the evening, different factions of TV are vying for our attention, serving up powerhouse lineups that exemplify TV Worth Watching.
It's a day made for VCRs, DVRs, picture-in-picture TVs, and rapid-fire channel-flipping...
FIRST BATTLE: FOOTBALL vs. INAUGURAL PARTY
The NFL's conference championship games are played Sunday, deciding which teams will appear in this year's Super Bowl. Fox has the NFC title game at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, with the Philadelphia Eagles on the road against the Arizona Cardinals. That's followed at 6:30 ET by the CBS telecast of the AFC title game, with the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Baltimore Ravens.
Can't miss, right?
Except that, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET, HBO provides live coverage of the Obama Inaugural celebration at the Lincoln Memorial -- a multi-hour affair it's calling We Are One. And to maximize exposure for its exclusive telecast, HBO is clearing its signal, which means anyone with cable or satellite TV should be able to watch it for no extra charge, even if they don't subscribe to HBO.
Scheduled guests include Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington and Martin Luther King III. Guests scheduled to perform include -- and this is one hefty list -- Bruce Springsteen, Pete Seeger, Beyonce, Stevie Wonder, U2, James Taylor, Garth Brooks, Herbie Hancock, and many, many more. Really. Clearly, not to be missed.
HBO is offering two repeat plays of We Are One The first is at 7 p.m. ET, the second at 11:30. And that's important to note, because watching live means missing the Philly-Cardinals game, and watching the first repeat means missing the Steelers-Ravens showdown. My recommendation: Watch football, peek at the Inauguration party during commercial breaks, and watch the entire party at 11:30 on HBO.
SECOND BATTLE: HBO vs. SHOWTIME
At 9 p.m. ET, HBO presents the third-season premiere of Big Love, followed at 10 by the second-season premiere of Flight of the Conchords.
Meanwhile, over on Showtime, the sixth and final season of The L Word begins at 9, with a new series, The United States of Tara, following at 10, and the second season of Secret Diary of a Call Girl beginning at 10:30.
What's a viewer to do? Luckily, both HBO and Showtime will repeat all of these shows during the week, so it's more a question of personal taste. Eventually, you can, and should, see all. The only relatively weak link is Conchords, which starts out a little more flat than last year. But I really like these guys from New Zealand, so I'll stay tuned for a while.
Big Love starts very strongly this year -- but so does The L Word, with a dead body and a series of mysterious, very sexy flashbacks. And as for Tara, the new entry starring Toni Collette as a wife and mother with several newly resurfaced alternate personalities, my best advice is to beg you to watch more than one episode. I've seen four -- and after two, the show really hits its stride.
To hear my review of The United States of Tara on Friday's Fresh Air with Terry Gross, click HERE after 3 p.m. ET Friday. And to navigate through the day, choose your course carefully.
My path: Football. Football. Showtime series. HBO Inauguration. Then tomorrow or Tuesday, pick up on the HBO series in reruns.
Appreciating Patrick McGoohan: To Me, His "Prisoner" Was Number 1
January 15, 2009 7:45 AM
Patrick McGoohan's death at age 80 this week, announced Tuesday, was a sad event -- made sadder by the realization that, in the media world of 2009, few editors and opinion-makers seemed to know or care who he was and what he contributed to TV alone.
McGoohan played two of the best adversaries ever to face Peter Falk on Columbo. But most of all, he played Number 6, the never-named secret agent who has abducted to a mysterious island and subjected to all manner of mental games on that classic 1968 CBS series, The Prisoner.
The Prisoner was absolutely, uncompromisingly brilliant -- so far ahead of its time that much of it seems fresh today, down to the Beatles music in its climax, Number 6's weekly battles of wits with an ever-replaced Number 2, and, at the end, a famously cryptic ending in which interpretations were as open-ended as the non-ending of The Sopranos.
(My take, for the record: Yes, Number 6 and Number 1 were one and the same. Just as, now as in the Sixties, we are all prisoners of our own devices.)
AMC is presenting a remake of The Prisoner this year, and we'll see if it can approach, much less equal, the original. In 1968, The Prisoner arrived as a summer replacement series for The Jackie Gleason Show, and its 17 episodes (the show actually was a lengthy weekly miniseries) were astoundingly surrealistic, multilayered and addictive.
It was Lost, two generations ago... yet the reason McGoohan, who created the series as well as starred in it, got little notice for his passing this week is because The Prisoner, sadly, is at this moment fading from pop-culture memory. Shame, shame, shame.
To revisit the old episodes, read Diane Werts' FOR BETTER OR WERTS blog today -- click to find it HERE -- and follow her directions on how to find them online.
Nice to know, though, that the original computer guru of this website, Chris Spurgeon, checked in with an appreciative private email. So good, I'm making it public:
"Shows like Lost owe everything to The Prisoner, a show that was decades ahead of its time (what WAS a typical prime time drama the summer The Prisoner premiered? I don't remember, but they were pretty damn low on the challenge-the-viewer-scale, I bet).
"I seem to recall that The Prisoner was the summer replacement for The Jackie Gleason Show, right? There must be people out there who STILL haven't recovered from the cognitive dissonance of tuning in for another safe week of Gleason and getting tossed into The Village instead."
I'm one of them. And by the way, Chris, since you asked: Some other TV shows airing that summer of '68? Actually, it wasn't a bad year, especially for a summer crop. I Spy, The Monkees, Star Trek, The Avengers, He and She, Judd for the Defense, Get Smart and Mission: Impossible were all on the air that summer.
And so was The Summer Brothers Smothers Show, the summer-replacement series hosted by Glen Campbell, for which executive producer Tom Smothers gave the first TV jobs to such young writer-performers as Steve Martin and Rob Reiner.
Oh, yeah, the Smothers Brothers. Gotta go. Back to my book...
But I salute you, Mr. McGoohan. The Prisoner was just the sort of bold, innovative show that, as a teenager, made me recognize and appreciate great TV. Tom and Dick, that goes for you, too...
Make 'Em Laugh: PBS Humor Documentary IS a Laughing Matter
January 13, 2009 9:16 AM
For the next three Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET, PBS presents a six-hour humor documentary. Not a funny documentary, like This is Spinal Tap!, but a documentary about funny. And, thankfully, it's funny.
Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America does a lot more right than wrong.
Instead of tracing the history of comedy chronologically, which would be the kiss of death in hoping to lure any audience members under 50, Make 'Em Laugh does it thematically, and allows today's comics to reflect upon, make connections with, and reveal their enthusiasms for the comics of yesterday, and the day before.
It's nice to hear Jerry Seinfeld, for example, admire the individuality of Andy Kaufman's approach to a standup performance. "You couldn't get any more pure than Andy Kaufman," Seinfeld says with a smile. Conan O'Brien and the late George Carlin chime in, too, each with his own take on Kaufman's oddball approach.
The best part of Make 'Em Laugh is the tracing of the comedy family tree. Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, reveals the inspiration for Bart Simpson as being nothing more -- and nothing less -- than the imagined offspring of a bratty character Groening loved from Leave It to Beaver. "Bart Simpson," Groening says, "IS the son of Eddie Haskell."
Lots of classic comics get their due -- W.C. Fields, Groucho Marx, Phyllis Diller, Jack Benny, Don Rickles, the standup comedy of Woody Allen, The Smothers Brothers (hi, guys). But others, like Bob Newhart, are shortchanged, and if I have one problem with this series, it's that the clips, in many cases, are neither the best nor funniest that could be chosen. And sometimes, there's no effort to put the individual bits and jokes in context.
But the six hours will make you laugh, and there are some gems here: Watch for The Dating Game clips, for example, featuring Cheech & Chong as contestants. Or look, for example, for the Dr. Seuss illustration from 1950 that gave us the term "nerd." ("Nerkle," apparently, didn't catch on as successfully.)
For younger viewers especially, Make 'Em Laugh may get them to seek out old DVDs, and new ones, featuring some fabulous comic minds. It's a noble effort, and a good series, and even comedy devotees will find something new here. Good for director-writer-producer Michael Kantor, whose last lengthy PBS triumph was Broadway: The American Musical.
He and co-writer Laurence Masion have done it again: created a collective documentary that comes impressively close to being as good as the sum of its parts.
Golden Globes: This Year, They Went Off Without a Strike
January 12, 2009 7:24 AM
One year after the Golden Globes were dead on arrival -- but televised nonetheless by NBC -- the network got to present a strike-free, dazzle-rich awards ceremony, filling all four hours of its Sunday prime time, and then some.
The awards show spilled over a few minutes past the allotted 11 p.m. ET stop time. Blame Kate Winslet. She won twice -- once for The Reader, once for Revolutionary Road -- and, in her weepy excitement, hogged the mike both times...
I wrote a blog about the Globes for today's Broadcasting & Cable website. To avoid duplication, and allow me to get back to the Smothers Brothers book, please click HERE to read about Ricky Gervais, Mickey Rourke, January Jones and more.
Jack's Back on Fox's "24," Accepting Responsibility -- But Unapologetic
January 9, 2009 8:16 AM
It's that time of year -- time for the Fox network to relaunch its two most important midseason weapons. American Idol returns Tuesday, and 24 returns Sunday. Both are coming back in slightly retooled, but still recognizable, models for 2009.
American Idol is adding, among other things, a new judge. 24 starts off by having Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer agreeing to BE judged -- to appear, before a Congressional subcommittee, in defense of his past actions as a CTU operative. The definition and use of torture is the topic at hand, and at first, things don't look good for Jack's chances to avoid indictment.
But because this is 24, and Jack's show, he isn't in front of that committee for more than a few minutes -- and since 24 runs in real time, that description is literal -- before he's called away by FBI special agent Renee Walker, who needs him immediately for urgent government matters. The senator agrees to reconvene at the same time tomorrow, but the joke's on him.
Why? Because the same time tomorrow will be 24 hours later, and this seventh season of 24 will be over. Score one for Jack.
Meanwhile, we have the first four hours of season seven, rolled out Sunday and Monday night at 8 ET.
They transplant Jack and the show to the nation's capital, a welcome change, and bring back some old faces in unexpected ways, which are fun surprises better left for the show itself to reveal. All I'll say about the way this new season starts is that Annie Wersching, who plays the FBI agent who extracts Jack from his Senate inquisition, has a good chance to become a star before the day is out. The day on 24, that is.
But we'll have to wait and see, because strong starts, on this show, don't always mean strong finishes. Just remember last season -- if you can.
By the way, if you want to hear my review of 24 on Fresh Air with Terry Gross, click HERE after 3 p.m. ET Friday.
Packing Away the Holiday Ornaments, And Saying Thanks...
January 7, 2009 9:46 PM
Overdue, but done: The TV WORTH WATCHING Holiday Shopping Guides and TV listings are retired from the site, packed away. No more little Nippers with Santa hats. Nothing left to do but say thanks...
So, thanks.
Thanks to Diane Werts, for all the work in substantially updating one list and compiling all the rest.
Thanks to Rich Baniewicz, for making the extra web pages and columns come to computerized life.
Thanks to Eric Gould for the special holiday designs -- and for surviving a holiday meal of grisly bear. (No, I didn't misspell it. But I tasted it.)
And thanks, too, for all of you who visited the site during the holidays, surfed through Diane's holiday TV listings, and maybe even purchased a recommended DVD or book on one of our shopping lists.
My tree is still up, but the shopping list is down. One thing at a time. And for the next few weeks, my biggest One Thing is what I hope to be the conclusion of the Smothers Brothers book.
Finishing the book... When it comes to New Year's Resolutions, I have no other.
Except this: Never again, until I die, will I eat bear.
Maximize Your "Damages": Intense FX Legal Drama Is Back
January 7, 2009 7:42 AM
Now that we know what tricks FX's Damages is capable of pulling -- time shifts, loyalty shifts, stunning plot relevations, character assassinations in both the figurative and literal sense -- is there any way for a second season to live up to the first?
Based on the first three episodes, absolutely, resoundingly yes.
Season one included murder, suicide and duplicity galore. Powerful people and scheming underlings were everywhere, like a modern Shakespearean drama peopled only by Othellos and Iagos.
Patty Hewes, the ice-blooded litigator played by Damages star Glenn Close, spent the first season targeting corrupt tycoon Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) in the legal sense. He, meanwhile, was having people targeted in a more literal sense, and so was Patty. In the end, her law-firm protege, Ellen (Rose Byrne), was found bloodied and in shock, her fiance killed and herself, in a separate incident, barely escaping being murdered too.
And as a shocking side note, Frobisher's attorney Ray Fiske, played by Zeljko Ivanek, confronted Patty in her office, pulled out a gun -- and shot himself in the mouth, dying instantly.
It's a complicated description, made more befuddling by the fact that the climax of the drama -- showing blood-covered, disoriented Ellen exiting a ritzy building and being picked up by police -- was the start of the first episode of Damages. From there, flashbacks, episode by episode, slowly worked their way up to the present, until the timelines merged and the drama was resolved.
For season two, there's another time shift. This one begins, again, with Ellen, but this time she's much more in control. As seen above, she's speaking directly and forcefully to the camera -- we don't know to whom -- and the mysteries instantly pile up. Who is she talking to, and why? What is she threatening, and does she mean it?
And then, as with season one, we're back from the future, following a plot line as it works its way forward.
This season begins with Patty wallowing in the fame and riches from her successful lawsuit against Frobisher, and deciding which case to take next. One she's not interested in taking involves a man from her past -- Daniel Purcell, played by William Hurt -- but their collaboration seems inevitable. Hurt, like Danson, shares a co-starring past with Close from long ago, and their scenes together are imbued with texture and context as well as power and fire.
Earlier this year, both Close and Ivanek won Emmys for their roles here. This season, other juicy new roles are played by Marcia Gay Harden as a rival attorney and Timothy Olyphant, from my beloved Deadwood, as a member of Ellen's therapy group. I've seen three episodes from the new season, and each one, at some point, made my jaw drop.
Don't miss it.
So What TV is Worth Watching in 2009? Try These, for Starters...
January 5, 2009 11:48 PM
We're six days into the New Year, and finally have our first quality new show of 2009. Of course, it's only new to ABC, because it used to be on NBC, but Scrubs is back tonight with a fresh pair of episodes (9 p.m. ET), and that's excellent news about an excellent sitcom.
And if you're making a list, and checking it twice, of upcoming new and returning shows to anticipate, also consider these...
Damages (FX, Wed 7, 10 p.m. ET). The second season begins tomorrow night, with another flash-forward set-up that's a jaw-dropper, and another roster of killer guest stars (in terms of talent if not murderous intent). Definitely a show to watch, and enjoy, with William Hurt added to the mix this year.
24 (Fox, Sun 11, 8 p.m. ET). The new season begins, and its biggest primary surprise already has been leaked. (Stop reading IMMEDIATELY, if you haven't heard.) Tony is alive, and back with a vengeance. The first four hours begin, as usual, with a major jolt, and throw Kiefer Sutherland's Jack Bauer right into the thick of things. Again. But it's still a fun ride, and I plan to be along.
American Idol (Fox, Tue 13, 8 p.m. ET). Can't help it. I've seen this competition from the start, and despite its high cheesiness factor, I still watch, and still enjoy most of it. Fourth judge? We'll be the judge of that -- but so long as the game is "Simon says," I'll be aboard.
Battlestar Galactica (Sci Fi, Fri 16, 10 p.m. ET). The last episode ended with a silent, astounding cliffhanger: The crew found Earth and landed there, to find it devastated. What happens now? Great question -- and what ought to be a great ending season for a very imaginative series.
The United States of Tara (Showtime, Sun 18, 10 p.m. ET). This Toni Collette showcase, created by Diablo Cody and produced by Steven Spielberg, is as good as that troika of talent makes it sound. On a big night for cable series -- Showtime's Secret Diary of a Call Girl and The L Word and HBO's Big Love and Flight of the Conchords also return that night -- Tara may be the most sparkling jewel of all.
And that's just for the next two weeks. Past that, January also offers the return of ABC's Lost, Fox's Hell's Kitchen, TNT's The Closer and USA's Burn Notice, and the premieres of Fox's Lie to Me and TNT's Trust Me. Not bad. Not bad at all.
And, in February, comes the show I've been anticipating eagerly all season: Fox's Dollhouse.
So don't give up because of a few days of True Beauty and Momma's Boys. All is not lost -- especially with Lost on the way.
Deeper Into the TV Worth Watching Readers' Poll -- Your Questions, Your Other Favorites
January 5, 2009 9:11 AM
Some readers, checking out the results of and replies to the TV WORTH WATCHING Readers' Poll, asked some follow-up questions. What other shows placed highly in the poll? What shows drew more or less support than expected. Good questions. Here are the answers...
To recap, here were the Top 10, as voted by you impressively tasteful and discerning readers. Pat yourselves on your collective back:
1) Mad Men, AMC; 2) The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Comedy Central; 3) 30 Rock, NBC; 4) Battlestar Galactica, Sci Fi Channel; 5) Pushing Daisies, ABC; 6) Damages, FX, and The Wire, HBO (tie); 8) True Blood, HBO; 9) Lost, ABC; 10) The Office, NBC.
And here, as previously reported also, were the winners of slots 11-15: The Big Bang Theory (CBS), Boston Legal (ABC), The Closer (TNT), Breaking Bad (AMC), and Dexter (Showtime), in that order.
But what about the lower half of the TV WORTH WATCHING Readers' Poll Top 30? Lots of great shows nestled there as well. So here, to answer that question, are the rest of the Top 30, reported for the first time:
16) The Shield, FX
17) The Colbert Report, Comedy Central
18) Burn Notice, USA
19) Life, NBC
20) Friday Night Lights, NBC and DirecTV 101 Network (tie)
Rachel Maddow, MSNBC (tie)
Dr. Who, Sci Fi and BBC America (tie)
23) Late Show with David Letterman, CBS
24) John Adams, HBO
25) Saturday Night Live, NBC (tie)
Life on Mars, ABC (tie)
27) House, Fox
28) In Treatment, HBO (tie)
Real Time with Bill Maher, HBO (tie)
Chuck, NBC (tie)
--
That list astounds me. Surprises? The biggest one is that, except for ABC's Life on Mars, which lost me about episode five, every one of those shows -- every one -- is a show I like and watch, almost off of them religiously. It's great to know that even on mainstream fare such as NBC's Life, I'm not alone.
But the other surprise is the sheer depth of discerning choices. More than 120 in all, including Showtime's Californication, HBO's Entourage, Fox's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, CBS's The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and The Mentalist, ABC Family's The Middleman, even ABC's Hopkins.
Wow. Everything I watched and enjoyed in 2008, from How I Met Your Mother on CBS to Fringe on Fox, you seemed to be watching and enjoying too. (Except for ABC's Desperate Housewives, a show I still enjoy that didn't garner a single vote from readers.)
Good for you. Good for us. Good for TV. Good for 2008.
As for 2009, be patient. The good stuff starts arriving any day now. I hope.
TV Worth Watching Readers' Poll: "Mad Men" Best Show of 2008
January 1, 2009 11:35 PM
The votes are in for the first TV Worth Watching Readers' Poll, and they're very impressive. Good for you guys.
AMC's Mad Men took top honors by an impressive margin, with Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as No. 2 and NBC's 30 Rock as No. 3 -- all claiming significant, fervent viewerships.
As for the rest of the Top 10, as voted by readers of this website?
Here's the full list:
1. Mad Men, AMC
2. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Comedy Central
3. 30 Rock, NBC
4. Battlestar Galactica, Sci Fi Channel
5. Pushing Daisies, ABC
6. Damages, FX
The Wire, HBO (tie)
8. True Blood, HBO
9. Lost, ABC
10. The Office, NBC
The next five, for the record: The Big Bang Theory (CBS), Boston Legal (ABC), The Closer (TNT), Breaking Bad (AMC), and Dexter (Showtime), in that order.
More than 120 different shows were named in all, each as one of someone's 10 favorite shows. TV Worth Watching indeed...
And thanks, to each and every one of you, for taking the time to vote, and for voting with such taste and writing with such flair. One of you, in posting your vote, was similarly impressed, and noted, "A writer always gets the audience he deserves."
In this case, I take this as the highest possible compliment. Thanks to you all. Please stick with me in 2009. I'm trying not to go anywhere...
HAPPY NEW YEAR! My New Year's Resolution Is...
January 1, 2009 9:56 AM
...To finish the Smothers Brothers book I've been working on for, sigh, 15 years now. And this year -- this month -- that goal, I hope most fervently, will be achieved.
Tomorrow I'll comment on, and somehow summarize, all those wonderful Top 10 lists you sent in. If you haven't already, click the BLOG button in the navigation bar, go to the BIANCULLI'S BLOG just below this one, click on COMMENTS, and read what you and your fellow sitemates have written.
Amazing. Impressive. And deliciously, stunningly well-written. What a great start to what I trust, hope and demand to be a good year for us all.
Good luck with your own resolutions, by the way...
