Two Tivos To Paradise 10.23.09

Posted by Al Norton on 10.23.2009

Arrested Development returns to the airwaves (sort of), Fox pulls Dollhouse for sweeps, the cast of the new Celebrity Apprentice, Joss Whedon to direct an episode of Glee, big names line up TV projects, raves for PSYCH, a ratings breakdown, tons of news and notes, the TV Pick of the Week and more, all in the latest edition of Al Norton's Two Tivos To Paradise!

Hello Friends. Crazy weather here in Boston; from snow & sleet on Sunday to sunny & 70 on Thursday. The month of birthdays and events continues with Mrs. Tivo and me celebrating our wedding anniversary on Monday. Actually, the anniversary itself is Saturday and we will be celebrating over the weekend. The biggest gift would be for the twins to let us sleep in on Sunday morning but I doubt that is going to happen.

Katee Sackhoff – fast on her way to becoming an official "Friend of TTTP" - dropped me a quick note about her efforts in last Sunday's Aids Walk LA.

We had such an amazing time and raised a lot of money. I'm blown away by the generosity of my friends and fans. They exceeded my expectations and I am continually surprised by people's compassion and support. I can't wait for next year; hopefully The Frak Ups will be even bigger. I most likely won't be able to puffy paint all the t-shirts though but that's a good thing and means the team's too big!!



Katee was the 8th biggest fundraiser for the walk this year – congratulations to her as well as to any of you who sponsored her in such a worthy endeavor!

Fans of horror should check out www.bookofdolor.com to download Dolor: Lila, the first in series of 10 illustrated horror novels from Rick Florino. Did I mention the download was for FREE?!?!? You can also buy a hardcover, autographed copy on the site as well. This isn't exactly my thing but I can tell you it's good, and plenty freaky.

I've only been able to listen to it once through but so far the new Lyle Lovett CD does not disappoint in the slightest.

Are you in? Livin' in sin is the news thing.

She'll Never Sell Out, She Never Will, Not For A Dollar Bill
While not officially confirmed by NBC, the cast for the network's upcoming season of Celebrity Apprentice was revealed when they were spotted filming segments in New York City this past week. Taking part in the for-charity reality series are Sharon Osbourne, Brett Michaels, Darryl Strawberry, Cyndi Lauper, Sinbad, Holly Robinson Peete, Bill Goldberg, Rod Blagojevich, Carol Leifer, Sumer Sanders, Curtis Stone, and Maria Kanellis,

First off, for those of you who don't know, Sanders is an Olympic swimmer, Stone is a big chef in Australia, and Goldberg and Kanellis are from the world of pro wrestling.

This is an interesting group in that Osbourne and Michaels come in with built-in reality show followings, always a smart casting move, and at one point in their careers both Lauper and Strawberry were quite world famous. And any reality series that gives Sinbad some face time is more than worthy of your tivo's season pass.

Spinning Dreams With Angel Wings, Torn Blue Jeans Plus A Foolish Grin
Multiple networks were busy this week setting up projects with production companies founded by some big name talent. Olive Prods., brought to you by Steve Buscemi and Stanley Tucci (among others) has two new series in the works; Buscemi will star in a new HBO drama about a highly successful attorney attempting to put his life back together after a scandal, and both actors will lend voices to Good and Evel, an animated series for TBS. Tucci and Buscemi will executive produce on both series as well.

Meanwhile Samuel L Jackson's UppiTV has two shows in development with CBS; a comedy about a Congressman's widow who takes over his seat when he dies mid-term and a drama an ER doctor with some out-of-the-ordinary techniques. The comedy is written by Bob Kushell (Samantha Who?) and the drama by Andrea Newman (Private Practice and Cold Case), and Jackson will executive produce both series.

I love when talented folks bring their skill sets to television as it helps to raise the overall bar just a little bit more. Some EP's are more involved than others but seeing how these are the first TV projects for their respective companies, my guess is they want to get things right out of the game.

Good and Evel sounds very interesting to me as it's from the pen of Glenn Eichler, who has the cool resume twosome of being the co-creator of the animated series Daria as well as being a writer for The Colbert Report, and focuses on two brothers, one a small time criminal and one who spends his time trying to get the other out of trouble. Both Buscemi and Tucci have wonderfully expressive voices that should do well in the world of animation.

Take Me To Another Place, Take Me To Another Land
IFC has purchased the rights to the 53 episodes of Arrested Development and will air them in one hour blocks on Sundays and Tuesdays starting later this month. The Emmy winning comedy never enjoyed huge ratings but has a dedicated following and there have been rumors of a big screen version of the show for some time.

I won't lie to you, my readers; I never cared for AD. I watched the first three or four episodes and then just gave up. I didn't think it was bad; it just didn't do anything for me. I have plenty of friends who loved the show and I don't argue with them that it's not as good as they think it is the same way they don't put up a fight when I rave about Starved or The Class. The important news here is that a show that many hold near and dear to their hearts is back on the airwaves, which may help to convert some new followers.

Walked Out This Morning, Don't Believe What I Saw, Hundred Billion Bottles Washed Up On The Shore
I've been writing TTTP for coming up on three years so I thought it time I launch a new recurring feature, answering/responding to emails and comments from you, my readers. Let's give it a whirl…

Chad writes in to say…I just finally started watching Mad Men. I got Season 1 disc 1 from Netflix yesterday. I watched the first 2 episodes and I am seriously disappointed…I guess I am writing to ask if the show takes off somewhere further down the line? Some shows are a hit right off the bat. Others take half a season to get going. Do I need to stick with it until it picks up steam or if I am not interested after the first couple of hours is this show maybe not for me?

I think it's very hard for someone to start watching Mad Men now in that it seems to be universally acclaimed as the best show on TV and that standard is near impossible for any series to live up to. I mean, how could a show with that rep possible live up to expectations? Even if you go in cold, Mad Men is not a show that everyone is going to like; I am not sure if such a show even exists. I love it for the acting, the style, the humor, and because I feel like what I am watching is exactly what the show's creator had in mind when he developed the series.

Season one is good – the scenes with Don and his girlfriend's hippy friends are fantastic – but season two was even better and one of my favorite seasons in TV history. I think giving a drama three full episodes is more than fair (for comedies I usually give something four episodes); if you aren't grabbed than don't waste time because other people like it. There are plenty of other good shows to sample.

Brian dropped a line on Monday to say…What Up With That may be my favorite Saturday Night Live sketch of all time.



I very much enjoyed the episode – and LOVED that sketch – although part of it may be that the previous few episodes were quite shockingly unfunny. Here is another sketch that made me laugh out loud.



I have wondered on these pages previously about the Keenan hate that seems to be out there and I simply don't understand it as the guy is funny.

Jake G left a comment with last week's column that can best be summed up with the words what the hell is going on with SVU this season?

Right there with you on this Jake as each week seems to be worse than the previous. It makes me sad to write this as executive producer Neal Baer is on the official Friends of TTTP list but even that can't save how ridiculous the show has become. Wentworth Miller being saddled with ludicrously over-the-top dialogue on the season seems Emmy worthy when compared to Stabler's five minute stint in lockdown, and the promising start to last week's episode about a guy waking up with a dead body in his apartment quickly dissolved into a "very special episode" about alcoholism.

What's even more shocking is the way Oscar, Emmy, and Golden Globe winner Christine Lahti, a usually outstanding actress, manages to suck the life out of the party faster than Buzz Killington. I have never seen a character bring a scene to a halt the way hers does. I don't blame Lahti as it's the writing that is the real culprit here.

And finally, Julie writes in to ask, "what do you think of the fall season so far?"

I would say the biggest – and most pleasant – surprise of the fall is the sudden abundance of quality comedies. B<>Modern Family, Community, and Bored To Death have both pretty much locked up spots on my year's 10 best list (comedy edition), and Cougar Town is growing on me each and every week. Is Accidentally on Purpose any good? No, but I find Jenna Elfman able to turn stone to bread when it comes to comedy.

Speaking of that Top 10 list, throw in Party Down and Hung and at least half the list will be comedies that premiered in 2008, a very good sign for the state of the sitcom.

Hope you enjoyed our first annual reader mail segment. Right now I am thinking once a month but let's see what happens.

But You Were Up To Your Old Tricks In Chapters Four Five And Six
All you need to know about the Nielsen's for the past week or so…We will be continuing what we tried last week, breaking the ratings down by night…

Thursday
30 Rock's season premiere audience was down 22% from last fall's kick off…Vampire Diaries gave The CW it's best numbers since week one, which helped lead-out Supernatural pick up a bit as well…The 8:00 hour was pretty much the same as last week, with FlashForward finishing behind Survivor but ahead of Community…Same stuff, different week; CBS's pairing of CSI and The Mentalist topped ABC's Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice in total audience but came up short in demos. Actually, The Office topped CSI in demos as well…The Jay Leno Show put up its best Thursday demos in month…

Friday
Ugly Betty's two hour season premiere on its new night averaged 5.1 million viewers, disappointing numbers for ABC and a large drop from last season's kick off – a whopping 58% drop in demos…The opening game of the ALCS topped the night with 7.4 million…Smallville was up 22% in the adult demos…The Jay Leno Show hit a new series low for demos…

Sunday
Desperate Housewives bounced back from an off week to be the night's most watched scripted series in demos and total audience…Both The Simpsons and Family Guy (with the latter being a rerun) put up great numbers for Fox, with former showing an 11% demo increase…14.7 million watched NBC's Sunday Night Football…CBS Sunday lineup benefitted from an NFL overrun, with 60 Minutes drawing 16 million viewers and The Amazing Race posting a strong 10.7 million…

Monday
The Big Bang Theory was Monday's top demo program – a series high in that category, with a not too shabby 13.1 million total audience as well…Dancing with the Stars 16.5 million was the nights top draw…Trauma was up front last week despite facing even tougher competition…Accidently on Purpose was up 10%, tying its season/series high…House was down this week, although that can be blamed on the 8:45 start time because of the Angels-Yankees game going into extra innings…

Tuesday
NCIS dominated Wednesday night with 20.6 million, the third week in a row they broke the 20 million mark…Shark Tank's season finale was a series high, up 20% from last week…The Biggest Loser posted its best numbers since last May's finale and was up 30% from the same night last year…NCIS: Los Angeles 16.5 million was tops for total viewers at 9:00…The Good Wife topped the 10:00 hour in total viewers, including the Angels-Yankees game…The Dancing with the Stars results episode hit a season high with 14.2 million…Sons of Anarchy topped the forgotten and The Jay Leno Show in the demos and is clearly on the list of fall shows with the most momentum…

Wednesday
Mercy was up - for the second week in a row - marking the first time that new NBC dramas Mercy and Trauma had increases in the same week…So You Think You Can Dance? was 8:00's top demo performer…Criminal Minds was the nights top rated show with 13.7 million, and also won the 18-49 demos…Law and Order: SVU produced well at 9:00 pm, with over 9 million in total viewers and season high in demos…Glee dropped a smidge but still placed second in demos…Modern Family and Cougar Town hit series lows but still put up solid numbers…The Jay Leno Show dropped to a series low for a Wednesday…

All The Young Dudes, Carry The News
Industry News, Notes, and Hot Rumors…Southland's executive producer John Wells said they are in talks with two different networks about the show being picked up. Either way, the plan would be to take the seven episodes that aired last spring on NBC and the six that have been completed this fall and run them as a 13 episode season on the new network…EW.com is reporting that Fox will pull Dollhouse from its line up during November sweeps (never a good sign), running back-to-back episodes when the show returns in December…Hulu.com will begin charging users as early as next year, with a subscription model (as opposed to per viewing) pay model likely…ABC picked up a full season of Castle and The CW did the same with The Vampire Diaries along with ordering another 5 episodes of Melrose Place…Joss Whedon will direct an episode of Glee later this season…Bon Jovi signed a deal to appear on The Today Show for all four Wednesdays in November to promote their new album, The Circle. Lead singer Jon Bon Jovi will also appear on Inside The Actor's Studio as part of the deal with NBC Universal…Fox Reality Channel will become National Geographic Wild in 2010…NBC is developing Welcome to Hitchcock, where a cop in search of his missing brother moves to what appears to be a pleasant little town only to discover there's a lot more going on. The project is executive produced by Teri Weinberg, former Executive VP of Programming for NBC…Kelly Ripa and husband Mark Consuelos will reprise their All My Children characters this January as the daytime drama celebrates its 40th anniversary…Oxygen has picked up a 5th season of Tori and Dean, set to premiere next spring…Wilmer Valdderrama is starring in a Fox sitcom pilot based on the life of The Dog Whisperer's Cesar Millan…Disney ordered a third season of The Suite Life on Deck, the top ranked show on TV for kids 6-11. The October 2nd outing drew 6.8 million total viewers…NBC is spinning The Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels into her own show. Losing It with Jillian will find her moving in with families attempting to switch to a healthier lifestyle. The initial order was for an 8 episode first season…Bones writer Karyn Usher is adapting the British series Daylight Robbery for Fox, which follows four housewives who turn to a life of crime to meet their financial needs…Comedy Central has picked up rerun rights to It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia and will begin airing episodes next summer. FX has already picked up 6th and 7th seasons of the show, guaranteeing it's run will be at least 84 episodes…The Weather Channel looks to broaden its viewership by airing movies on Friday nights; The Perfect Storm (10/30) will be followed by March of the Penguins, Misery, and Deep Blue Sea…Paul Rust (I Love You, Beth Cooper, Inglorious Bastards) is developing a sitcom for NBC based on his time as a Wal-Mart employee…Judy Greer (Miss Guided) is starring in ABC's adaptation of the novel I'm With Stupid…Sam Laybourne (Cougar Town, Arrested Development, Aliens In America) is working on Rehab, a comedy for Fox where a guy fakes an addiction in order to reconnect with his high school sweetheart, a rock star who is undergoing treatment for her wild lifestyle…ABC Family is thisclose to picking up the pilot for Little Liars, based on the young adult novel series by Sara Shepard. This would be somewhat darker fare for the network; think Gossip Girl meets I Know What You Did Last Summer…Both The Good Wife and FlashForward have new showrunners but fans of the series shouldn't be worried; both producers who are leaving were brought on because the show's creators had limited hands-on experience. Now that both are up and running on their own, they can fully take the reigns…Rachael Ray's syndicated talk show was picked up for the 2011-2012 season…Steven Seagal: Lawman premieres on December 2nd on A & E…Sarah Palin will do Oprah on November 16th…CGSN launches the reality show Carnie Wilson: Unstapled this January, following the host of the networks Newlywed Game as she balances her work with being a Mom…Sarah Shahi, so great (and so incredibly hot) on Life, has been cast as the lead in the USA pilot Facing Kate that I told you about a couple of weeks ago, where the lead character is a lawyer who switches professions to become a mediator…Bravo ordered a second season of Top Chef: Masters just a couple of days after Food picked up another 26 episodes of Chopped…Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Colin Egglesfield will be leaving Melrose Place in January, with both their characters being written off the show...

Turns Out Not Where But Who You're With That Really Matters
The top thing I watched since the last column went to press AKA The Best Of What's Around…The last two episodes of the first half of the PSYCH season were a great example of the show at its best. The werewolf episode, featuring guest spots by Josh Molina and David Naughton, was laugh out loud funny throughout and I found myself marking out when Gus' Junkyard Dog doll had "THUMP" written across the butt. The Maneater PSYCH-out at the end was a classic in a season full of top outtakes.

Friday's episode featuring Shawn being kidnapped and shot was perhaps the best example in series history of the connection between Shawn and his Dad, how similar their thought patterns are, and who good they both are at what they do. Juliet almost telling Shawn she loved him, too, was a great moment, as was Lassiter calling Shawn "Detective", although I also appreciated the little touch of Lassiter pulling Shawn off the hood of the car to safety behind him before firing his weapon.

This season of PSYCH has been a strong one, funny enough for me to ignore how they have really dropped the ball with Shawn and Abigail's relationship; why bother having them get together if she is barely going to be on screen and we don't get to see how/if boyfriend Shawn is different than flirty Shawn. While that is a legitimate criticism of the show, it's pretty much the only one I have right now. Can't hardly wait for PSYCH's return in January.

People Say I'm Crazy Doing What I'm Doing. Well, They Give Me All Kinds Of Warnings To Save Me From Ruin
What's flashed before my eyes the last seven days…After roughly 20 minutes of the season premiere of Nip/Tuck I gave up out of boredom. I had previously taken the series off my season pass list for similar reasons but last season sucked me back in. Now I think I am done for good…It's taken me until the last year or so to really warm to Sally Field's performance on Brothers & Sisters, although I think it's because they are writing her much better. Still not sure why the Emmy voters see her as the series lead, though…Speaking of Emmys, I am thinking this is the year Hugh Laurie finally brings one home. His work so far this season is reaching a whole new level of complexity, and House finally showing some weakness has made him the one thing I didn't think he ever would be – human. Not sure what freaked me out more this week, the guy waking up during the autopsy or same guy pulling his own tooth out…Love the twist at the end of last week's Sons of Anarchy with the boys ending up under arrest as it gives the fire between Jax and Clay new oxygen to feed on. Words can no do justice to how good Katey Sagal has been this season…I want to give some modicum of credit to Gary Unmarried's new producers for the way they have transitioned the show. They clearly made the decision that they wanted their lead character to have a new job (and a new situation for the comedy to come from) but rather than just open the season and have some expository dialogue explaining the move, the spend the first few weeks of the season showing him working for his dream job, making the move seem much more organic and real…Not a real shock that while The Office still produced some laughs without Jim and Pam around (in particular giving Kevin more screen time is always a good thing), there absence was felt. Smart of the writers to have the other characters feel it, too…30 Rock opened without missing a single beat from last year. Tracy Morgan continues to achieve levels of brilliance I would have never thought possible…All of The Soup editions (classic, Sports, Web, and The Dish) are hitting on all cylinders these days. I am keeping my fingers crossed for some sort of four way year end special, with each introducing their series top five clips of the year. A segment on the clips that overlapped, with the hosts arguing over who had the better punch lines, could be a fun part of said special…The season premiere of Ugly Betty was a fantastic two hour reminder of why fans of the show adore it as much as they do. Funny, caring, even poignant at times, Betty also is a great example of how characters can grow over the life of a show in ways that seem natural and honest and not just, "hey, I am mature now"…Nathan may not be the favorite to win So You Think You Can Dance? but he and Channing (she is from MA so I am rooting for the hometown girl) are my favorites…The restaurant wars episode of Top Chef was as good as ever, with some surprising people in the line of fire. Revolt being called the best team in the show's restaurant wars history was as high praise as I have ever heard from the judges...Fisher Stevens did have a ton of scenes on Medium last Friday but that last one was fantastic. The guy does creepy incredibly well and does so by underlaying, making his characters seem more real and that much more scarey. Actors doing guest spots on Criminal Minds and the like ought to take a few notes...

TV Pick Of The Week
This is just about the best sports time of year there is, with MLB about to crown a world champion, the NFL and NHL heading into full swing, the first BCS poll results just being released, and the NBA beginning its regular season. Just try to not find something that interests you on this list, I dare you…

*Don't both calling any Irish Catholic college football fans on Saturday as the Boston College – Notre Dame game (3:30 pm, NBC) is about as big as it gets.

*Sunday. NFL games. All day. Set your fantasy rosters in the morning and then spend the day checking your stats. Good times.

*TNT kicks off the regular season with a double header on Tuesday night (7:30); first the Celtics, who have a healthy Kevin Garnett and a reloaded bench (Rasheed Wallace, Marquis Daniels) visit the Cavs and their new big man in the middle. After that the Lakers ring ceremony precedes their match up with the Clippers.

*While it is not a sure thing as of press time it looks like the World Series will be a Yankees – Phillies match up, with the Phillies looking to become the first team to repeat since the Yankees did so in 1999 and 2000. Game one coverage begins Wednesday at 7:30 on Fox, with game two the following night.

Don't miss a big week of sports!!!

Hope You Need My Love, Babe, Just Like I Need You
Here is some other noteworthy programming of the next seven days…

*USA has another winner with White Collar, their new series that premieres tonight at 10 pm. The cast works great together from the get go – even some of the more surprising choices – and it doesn't suffer from the silliness that can bog down some of the networks other series; it's more Burn Notice than Monk, and I don't mean any disrespect when I say that.

*Lennie James, who made such a strong impression on Jericho, makes his debut on Lie to Me on Monday in what will be a recurring and pivotal role.

*Season two of TLC's surprise hit Cake Boss premieres Monday at 10 pm.

*It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Tuesday, 8 pm, ABC). Need I say more?

*Some shows you can tell how interested you are by your reaction to the title. I think that's the case with Wednesdays Monsters Vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins From Outer Space (8 pm, NBC), an original spin off of the hit movie.

*Natalie Portman is the guest judge as Top Chef: Las Vegas (Wednesday, 10 pm, Bravo) gets closer and closer to crowning a new champion.

*Is their comedy to be mined from men and their fantasy football obsession? FX sure hopes so as The League premieres Thursday at 10:30 pm.

Two Tivos To Paradise
30 Days, 30 Rock, The Academy, American Idol, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Antiques Roadshow, Better Off Ted, Big Love, Bones, Bored To Death, Breaking Bad, Brothers & Sisters, Burn Notice, Celebrity Apprentice, Cake Boss, Chopped, The Chris Isaak Hour, Chuck, The Closer, Community, Cougar Town, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Daddy's Girls, Damages, The Deadliest Catch, Desperate Housewives, Destination Truth, The Dish, Entourage, Eureka, Flipping Out, Gary Unmarried, Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International, Glee, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, The Hills, House, How I Met Your Mother, Hung, Iron Chef America, Jon & Kate + 8, Last Restaurant Standing, Law And Order, Law And Order: Criminal Intent, Law And Order: Special Victims Unit, Lost, Mad Men, Make Me A Supermodel, Man v. Food, Medium, Modern Family, The New Adventures Of Old Christine, Next Food Network Star, Next Iron Chef, The Office, One Tree Hill, Paranormal State, Party Down, Private Practice, Project Runway, Psych, Real Time With Bill Maher, Rescue Me, Royal Pains, Rules Of Engagement, Run's House, Sanctuary, Saturday Night Live, Scrubs, Shark Tank, Shear Genius, So You Think You Can Dance?, Sons of Anarchy, The Soup, Spectacle: Elvis Costello with…, Sports Soup, Supernatural, Table For 12, Top Chef, Top Design, Torchwood, True Blood, Ugly Betty, The Vampire Diaries, Warehouse 13, Web Soup, Will Work for Food

People Love You When They Know You're Leaving Soon
Here ends another edition of Two Tivos To Paradise. We'll be back next week with a full rundown of the latest in TV headlines plus a visit from a member of the Desperate Housewives cast. Check the site on Thursday for my interview with FlashForward's Sonya Walger (forever Penny from Lost to me).

Don't forget to come back next Friday for all the news, and while you're at it, why not just bookmark the movies/TV page here at 411mania.com and make it that much easier for you to find your entertainment industry hook up! You can also follow us on Twitter!

Feedback is encouraged at [e-mail] as well via the comments section below.

Sources for this week's column include Daily Variety, Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide, and Hollywood Reporter (plus the web sites for those publications) as well as Aintit.cool.com.