Two Tivos To Paradise 04.01.11: Justified, The Office, Mad Men, Oprah, and more!

Posted by Al Norton on 04.01.2011

Raves for The Office and the rest of NBC's Thursday comedy block, Justified gets renewed and wins a Peabody, Mad Men's future, a review of AMC's The Killing and more!



Hello friends. While I wish you all a happy April Fool's Day, rest assured this is a prank free column – no need to worry about if the news items you are reading are real. Also real is the wicked trick Mother Nature is playing on us here in Boston today as the forecast calls for an all-day rain/snow storm. Baseball season having begun is both a salve and a tease considering I may need to find the shovel I had placed in my basement.

More about last Thursday's fabulous episode of The Office below but here is a great look at Michael Scott's romantic history…





I am not sure there is a show I am looking forward to more this spring than season two of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution…





This is most certainly not your Father's Teen Wolf...

Teen Wolf - MTV Shows

If you missed our interviews with Ken Baumann (Secret Life of the American Teenager) and Thom Beers (creator of Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers, Axe Men, and Coal) from earlier in the week you can use the links below to pull them up.

Yes, we're a little trailer/video heavy this week but it was purely organic; some weeks I have to look for things to break up all the text and then there are weeks like this, where I have too much to fit. Sorry Paul Reiser fans; you'll have to wait until next week to see clips from his new show.

Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, from the end of the world to your news.

As He Came Into The Window, It Was The Sound Of A Crescendo
The Killing, the latest original series from AMC, premieres Sunday at 10pm. Based on a Danish series of the same name, the 13 episode season – each episode is one day – looks at the murder of a young woman from three perspectives; the police trying to catch the killer, her family dealing with the loss of a loved one, and the suspects. The show was adapted by Veena Sud, who previously was a writer/executive producer on Cold Case, and the pilot is directed by Patty Jenkins, who wrote and was behind the camera for the Oscar and Golden Globe winning film Monster and has helmed episodes of Entourage and Arrested Development. The cast includes Mireille Enos (Big Love), Michelle Forbes, Billy Campbell, Brett Sexton, Kristin Lehmen, Brandon Jay McLaren and Joel Kinnaman.

We recently caught up via email with McLaren to chat about the show…



TTTP: With AMC's track record for original series (Mad Men, Breaking Bad), did you even need to read the script to know you want to do it?

Brandon Jay McLaren: Nope. However, upon reading the pilot, it was clear that this project was special.

*In the first two episodes your character is playing the role of concerned teacher but something tells me we might get to know a little bit more about Bennett Ahmed.

BJM: You'll get to know a lot more about Bennett. He has some secrets.

TTTP: Not to look too far ahead but I see you're appearing in the 17th Precinct pilot, which is fast turning into a Battlestar Galactica reunion (and I mean that the best of ways). Can you give me any info on the show?

BJML My take on it is sort of CSI in a fictional world where magic is the thing.

TTTP: For folks who might think the last thing they want to watch is another TV show about the solving of a crime, tell me a little about why The Killing is different?

TJM: The Killing is different than other crime shows in its exploration of all the different ways a single murder can affect a family, a school, a community as a whole, etc

While The Killing does start a little slow, there is a purpose to it; we can't see how this murder effects everyone's individual worlds unless we see those worlds as they are pre-tragedy. By midway through the pilot I was hooked and having seen the first two episodes I'm more than ready to call The Killing the best new show of 2011 (at least so far).

The cast and writing are so strong that something remarkable happens during the first hour; even though any remotely experience television viewer knows what's going to happen, you still find yourself rooting against it, hoping against hope that maybe, somehow, this young woman is just out with her friends or has run away in a fit of anger and will be found shortly. It says something about the power of a show that it can get you so emotionally invested so quickly that you find yourself hoping that the logical conclusion your brain is telling you will play out does not. Sadly, it does, and when it does, it hits hard.

The cast is excellent, especially Enos, who before this was best known for her work as twin sisters on Big Love, and Forbes and Sexton as worried parents who are hoping against hope that their little girl walks through the door.

The only think I didn't like about The Killing is that AMC only sent me the first two episodes so know I have to wait three weeks for the next chapter.

There Ain't No Good Guy, There Ain't No Bad Guy, There's Only You And Me And We Just Disagree
After reports last week put all sides close to a deal, negotiations between Mad Men creator/showrunner Matt Weiner and AMC & Lionsgate fell apart over the weekend. Despite reports saying they have agreed on his salary, rumored to be $15 million a year for two years, the break comes from the network and production company asking to reduce the running time of each episode by two minutes to allow for more commercials, for two regular cast members to be let go for budget purposes, and for product integration (i.e. product placement) to appear in the new season. Even though no new deal is in site, AMC did officially pick up a 5th season of the series and in making the renewal announced that the new season would be delayed until early 2012. Mad Men previous seasons have run in the summer.

I feel odd about praising Weiner for sticking to his artistic integrity guns by not allowing his product to be compromised in any way in the same piece that mentions he'll be getting $15 million a year. I know, I know, it's not his job to pay for the show, but clearly part of their cost is paying him that hefty salary.

Mad Men is a highly successful show in the ratings by AMC standards but a series with its numbers wouldn't last a full season on TNT, let alone one of the major networks, so they are left trying to figure out where they can make money. Two extra minutes of commercial time would be four 30 second ads, which over the course of a season translates into a lot of money. Let's not knock AMC and Lionsgate for trying to make money as television is a business and no matter how good a show is, if the numbers don't work, they don't work.

I am hoping they can split some sort of difference here, with Weiner giving up a minute of screen time in exchange for keeping his cast intact. The last thing anyone wants is more of a delay in seeing new episodes of what is not only the best show on television but perhaps the best opening four year run of any show in TV history.

Rolling Through These Hills I've Known I'd Be Coming, Ain't A Man Alive Who Likes To Be Alone
Another week, another network unveiling their summer line up. Here's what ABC will be up to as the weather gets warmer…

May 23rd – The Bachelorette (season premiere)

May 30th – Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition (series premiere)

June 16th – 101 Ways to Leave a Game Show (series premiere), Rookie Blue (season premiere)

June 21st – Wipeout (season premiere), Expedition Impossible (series premiere), The Hot Zone (series premiere)

July 28th – Take the Money and Run (series premiere)

August 8th – Bachelor Pad (season premiere), America's Karaoke Challenge (series premiere)

A very reality heavy summer for ABC, as opposed to last year when they had multiple high profile scripted premieres. The Hot Zone is a medical drama set at the only US Military hospital in Afghanistan and stars TTTP fave Elias Koteas. On the non-scripted side you've got Take the Money and Run (think spy thriller meets game show, executive produced by Jerry Bruckheimer), 101 Ways (trivia quiz show with over-the-top elimination stunts), and Expedition Impossible (3 teams led in crazy outdoor adventures).

Yes It's Gonna To Be A Cold, Lonely Summer, But I'll Fill The Emptiness
CBS has got its May Sweeps/season finale line up set so clip and save this so you don't miss anything…

May 1 – Undercover Boss

May 8th – Amazing Race, CSI: Miami

May 12th – CSI

May 13th – CSI: NY, Blue Bloods

May 15th – Survivor: Redemption Island

May 16th – How I Met Your Mother, Mad Love, Mike and Molly, Hawaii 5-0

May 17th – NCIS, NCIS: LA, The Good Wife

May 18th – Criminal Minds

May 19th – The Big Bang Theory, Rules of Engagement, The Mentalist

May 25th – Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior

The Amazing Race, Survivor, and The Mentalist will all sign off with two hour episode, Survivor's followed by one hour live reunion special. I'm a little surprised they are not having CM and its spinoff head out together but at that point Suspect Behavior will either be renewed or not so it's not like the added numbers of a new lead-in will make a difference.

My best guess is that for Mad Love, Rules of Engagement, and Suspect Behavior it will be series finales as well; CBS needs room in their fall schedule for new shows and those are the easiest to replace. CSI: NY is on thin ice as well, not for a quality or lack of decent ratings issue but simply for room. CSI: Miami has done quite well on Sundays at 10pm and there is no way a new show would survive in that spot so for now, it stays.

Sunny Day, Sweepin' The Clouds Away, On My Way To Where The Air Is Sweet
Our newest feature here at TTTP – the Sesame Street video of the week…





Like A Coin In Your Mint, I's Dented And I'm Spent With High Treason
This is the time of year where news on network pilots flies fast and furious so it makes sense to carve out a new section for updates…

ABC
Nancy Travis has been cast as the female lead in the untitled comedy starring Tim Allen…

CBS
Gerald McRaney is the patriarch in an untitled comedy with Becki Newton (Ugly Betty)…TTTP fave Kevin Corrigan has been cast along with Michelle Trachtenberg and Ben Rappaport in an untitled workplace comedy…The Daily Show's Jason Jones will play Heather Locklear's husband in the comedy The Assistants…

NBC
Will Arnett has been cast as the male lead in the network's untitled comedy from SNL writer Emily Spivey, joining Christina Applegate and Maya Rudolph in the cast. Arnett being a part of this project seems to be a clear indication that he is not going to be the new boss on The Office despite doing a guest spot in that show's season finale…Adrian Pasdar (Heroes) and Sarah Paulson (Studio 60) are the two leads in a untitled comedy from Kari Lizer (The New Adventures of Old Christine, Will and Grace)…Danneel Ackles (formerly Harris), best known for her multi-season One Tree Hill run, is half of a lesbian couple in the comedy I Hate That I Love You…Jere Burns is Jean Smarts husband on an untitled comedy about a young Doctor who joins the family medical practice…

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 7 days…

THURSDAY
7.6 million tuned in to The Jersey Shore season finale, with target demo numbers that were the best ever for a Shore finale. Lead-out The Hard Times of RJ Berger hit series highs in all measurable numbers…Big night for NBC comedies, with Community (+6%), Perfect Couples (+10+%), Parks and Recreation (39%), 30 Rock (+18%) and Outsourced (+7%) with demo gains and The Office (+14%) and Parks (+28%) up big in total viewers as well…Grey's Anatomy was up 10% in totals and demos to top the night in both categories for a scripted show…Private Practice was up 19% in totals and 10% in demos….American Idol dominated with 20.75 million and demos 75% more than anyone elses…

FRIDAY
Fringe was up 15% in the demos from last week's series low…Mixed news on Shark Tank; it finished fourth in the demos at 8pm but was the best ABC had done in that time slot in demos in two months and in total viewers in 4 months and put up better numbers than it did at any point in last season's Fridays at 9pm slot…The Suite Life Movie pulled in 5.2 million total viewers for Disney…

SUNDAY
Army Wives hit a new series high in total viewers, impressive for a hit show in its 5th season…The season finale of Shameless hit a season/series high…America's Next Great Restaurant was up 8%, the first time this year it went up week-to-week…The Celebrity Apprentice hit a season high…The Simpsons was up 12%...American Dad was up 25%, quite the feat considering it had a Family Guy rerun as a lead-in…

MONDAY
Castle hit a new series high…The Event and < b>Harry's Law tied last week's season/series lows…Dancing with the Stars crushed everything in its path last night with 22.3 million total viewers and demos that topped the night…

TUESDAY
A big night for Body of Proof, with the second biggest audience for a series premiere of the 2010-2011 season and numbers that dominated at 10pm…NCIS topped the night – and the week – in totals for a scripted series with 18.3 million viewers…NCIS: LA was up 9% in demos…The Good Wife hit a season low…Parenthood returned and matched its last new episode, meaning its audience is loyal despite the Body premiere opposite…The first elimination show of the new Dancing with the Stars cycle topped the night with 18.8 million viewers…The Game's season finale on BET pulled in 4.4 million viewers, down from their season premiere but more than double what it was averaging on The CW…

WEDNESDAY
The 23.6 million viewers American Idol delivered along with a dominant demo were pretty much even with last week...Survivor hit an all-time low in the demos...Mr. Sunshine didn't have a new Modern Family as a lead-in this week and as such dropped 30%...Off the Map tied a season/series low...Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior won totals and finished second in demos while SVU did the opposite (winning demos and finishing second in totals)...Shedding for the Wedding put up the worst numbers for any show on in primetime for the week, and possibly the month...

All The Young Dudes, Carry The News
Industry News, Notes, and Hot Rumors…FX has picked up third seasons of both Justified (13 episodes) and Archer (16 episodes)…Peabody Awards winners for 2010 include Justified, Men of a Certain Age, 30 for 30, The Good Wife, The Pacific, Frontline, POV, American Masters, Temple Grandin, and If God is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise…Arnold Schwarzenegger's new TV project is an animated series called The Governator, voicing a version of himself that fights crime upon leaving the Governor's mansion. Comic book legend Stan Lee helped develop the project…CBS renewed The Amazing Race and Undercover Boss for new seasons…Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG Award nominee Woody Harrelson has joined Ed Harris and Julianne Moore in the upcoming HBO movie Game Change…Tom Hanks will guest on an episode of 30 Rock later this season…Official Friend of TTTP Katee Sackhoff landed the female lead in the A&E pilot Longmire opposite Robert Taylor (The Matrix). Lou Diamond Phillips is also in the cast…Oliver Stone is executive producing a drama pilot for FX about a company – Darkhorses – that creates fake news stories that help their rich and powerful clients. A real company that does just this was consulted in the research for the show…The last new episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show will air on Friday, May 25th…Jay Mohr will play a Charlie Sheen-esque character (a celebrity fashion designer instead of a TV actor to protect themselves from lawsuits) on a episode during the final season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent…Greg Mottola, who has directed on the big (Paul, Superbad) and small (Arrested Development, Entourage, The Comeback), will helm the pilot of Aaron Sorkin's HBO drama More as the Story Develops…Ken Burns' latest PBS mini-series project is the Viet-Nam War and is expected to run in 2016…Michael Rosenbaum, who will be seen in Breaking In on Fox next weeks, has signed a deal to write a pilot for the network as well…John Wells (Southland, ER) is taking Gimme Shelter, a medical drama pilot CBS passed on, to TNT. The original pilot starred Skeet Ulrich, Sissy Spacek, Amy Smart, and Janeane Garafolo but most/all of the parts are expected to be recast based on availability…Hugh Dancy and Parker Posey will do multi-episode stints on the upcoming season of The Big C, and TV legend Alan Alda will guest on an episode as well…FX is getting into the college football game, with a 13 game schedule including teams from Conference USA, the Big 12, and the Pac 12…Alton Brown signed a three year extension with Food Network, including new seasons of Iron Chef America and Next Iron Chef. The deal calls for him to appear on episodes of Next Food Network Star and appear in three Thanksgiving Good Eats specials…Lifetime picked up a 10 episode second season of One Born Every Minute…Denis O'Hare (True Blood) has joined Connie Britton in the cast of Ryan Murphy's FX pilot American Horror…Lou Diamond Phillips will host Military Channel's new Friday night series An Officer and a Movie, which will open with The Great Santini and include Kelly's Heroes, Three Kings, The Dirty Dozen, Hart's War, and Windtalkers in coming weeks…Andrew Dice Clay will reoccur during the upcoming final season of Entourage…HBO has announced that In Treatment will not return for a 4th season in its current form but conversations between the network and the show's producers continue and it may be reshaped to a more traditional one-episode-per-week format.

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…
A truly stellar night of comedy on Thursday, perhaps the single best of the 2010-2011 season. Community kicked things off with what seemed primed to be a Pulp Fiction heavy 30 minutes only to turn out to be something much more obscure and, in the end, more meaningful, with an homage/mocking of My Dinner with Andre, a classic 80's talkfest where the entire film was the dinner conversation between Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn (it was parodied brilliantly by Andy Kaufman with My Breakfast with Blassie). Joel McHale and Danny Pudi most likely have found their Emmy submission episodes.

Parks and Recreation had a solid half hour of comedy that put the full ensemble to good use; I think only Cougar Town is in P & R's league when it comes to getting the most out of their cast on a weekly basis (as opposed to other groups casts that feature different characters in the spotlight each week). Also liked Ron showing how he generally cares for Leslie, especially since he did so by locking her in a room full of cats.

Will Arnett was his usual brilliant self on 30 Rock, showing why he may indeed be the perfect choice to take over Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch. Oh wait, we said earlier that wasn't going to happen. Damn.

Even with all of that aforementioned comedy quality, nothing could top the last five minutes of The Office, perhaps the most moving in the show's history. It's tough competition for "best emotional moment in Office history"; there's Jim and Pam's first kiss at the end of season two, Jim's proposal, and then of course the wedding sequence that showed the two of them getting married on the ferry mixed in with the scenes from the church, but Michael walking Holly through the history of their relationship before proposing marriage was a really exceptionally executed mix of humor and emotion coming from how well we know these characters.

Steve Carell's work this season has been about as good it gets as he has shown Michael's emotional maturation process to the point that we believe he is ready to spend his life with Holly and has some basic idea of what that commitment means. Carell has never won a Norty but that could very well change come July.

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 …Some non-TV related stuff combined with major network primetime being mostly reruns make this a smaller section than usual…The blood orgy that opened this week's Being Human was memorable, to say the least. Even if you don't like the horror elements of the show, you've got to be impressed with the complex back story and the high quality supporting cast…Justified stands out for many reasons and casting is a big one; the latest strong addition to the show is Rebecca Creskoff, best known previously for her great work on Hung…Don't understand what hold Scotty seems to have on the American Idol judges; his voice is consistent but not stellar and his smirk makes him look like a cross between George W and Alfred E Neuman, and that's not a good thing. I will say that Casey being saved last week showed the true emotional power of the show and reminded me that in the end it's not about how much we like or dislike the judges, it's about these kids doing everything they can to hold on to the opportunity of a lifetime…The Hard Times of RJ Berger's first two episodes of season two proved that season one was no fluke; this is definitely one of the best comedies the masses aren't watching…My late-to-the-game love affair with The Daily Show continues, especially since Jon Stewart made a Chris Gaines reference this week...

TV Pick Of The Week
Regular readers know of the strong love connection between TTTP and The Soup, so it's no surprise that The Soup Awards is our TV pick of the week. This has been a banner year for terrible television as well as people acting terribly on television, and no one runs through the highlights like Joel McHale.

Don't miss The Soup Awards, tonight at 10pm on E!

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

*Yes, a few times have already played their opening games but anyone with a basic understanding of the sport will tell you the baseball season doesn't officially start until the Red Sox play, which they do today at 4pm in Texas on ESPN.

*Star Wars: The Clone Wars (tonight, 8pm, Cartoon) wraps up its latest season with the first series appearance of everybody's favorite wookie, Chewbacca!

*The latest period drama from Starz is Camelot, premiering tonight at 10 pm…



*Never a good sign when a major network premieres a series in April – I mean, not good enough for the fall, or even as a midseason replacement, but we made them anyway so we might as well show them – but CBS' CIA dramedy Chaos has a solid cast (Freddy Rodriguez, Eric Close, Kurtwood Smith) and hey, at least it's a change of pace from the rest of their crime dramas.

*The final four teams in this year's NCAA's do battle on Saturday at 6 and 8:30 pm, with the last two going head-to-head on Monday night to decide a new national champion. All games take place on CBS.

*Jack Black is back for his third stint as host at the Nickelodeon 2011 Kids' Choice Awards Saturday at 8pm.

*Get ready for both kinds of music to invade your TV sets when CBS airs The Academy of Country Music Awards Sunday at 8pm.

*Chopped All Stars finishes up its first season run Sunday at 9pm on Food with a final four episode that will most likely be won by Chef X.

*Wishing there was another food competition show on TV, this one more specifically aimed at one type of culinary skill? Well then set your Tivo for Sunday night's premiere of Last Cake Standing on Food Network.

*It's period drama series premiere weekend apparently as Showtime's original series The Borgias debuts Sunday at 10pm…





*Harry's Law wraps up its first season – a second is likely but not guaranteed by any stretch – Monday at 10pm on NBC.

*Two reality shows are back on Monday at 10 pm; Kate Plus 8 returns on TLC while Steve Austin is the front man for the first new season of Tough Enough (USA) in years

*Spike's Auction Hunters is back for a second season this Tuesday at 10 & 10:30pm

Auction Hunters Returns!
Tags: Auction Hunters Returns!

*Looking for a new guilty pleasure? Pregnant in Heels, Lifetime's new reality show about a high maintenance mothers-to-be, hits the airwaves Tuesday at 10pm.

*The season finale of Lights Out is actually the series finale of Lights Out. Get you last punches in Tuesday at 10pm on FX.

*Fox's VERY funny new comedy Breaking In premiers Wednesday at 9:30pm after American Idol. Don't be put off by the general quality of show's that premiere in April and give this high quality new show a try.





*A revamped Top Chef Masters kicks off season three Wednesday at 11pm with their version of restaurant wars following a one hour Top Chef All Stars reunion special.

*Great late night talk options on Wednesday night; Conan (11pm, TBS) has Danny McBride, Don Rickles stops by to chat with Dave (11:35pm, CBS), Norm McDonalds sits down with Jimmy K (Midnight, ABC) while Jimmy F (12:35am, NBC) has Jennifer Garner, Donald Glover, and Paul Simon.

*Longtime CSI fans will be thrilled to learn Thursday's episode brings Lady Heather back to the scene of the crime, so to speak.

Two Tivos To Paradise
30 Rock, After the Catch, American Idol, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Antiques Roadshow, Archer, Auction Hunters, The Big C, Big Love, Boardwalk Empire, Being Human, Bones, Bored To Death, Breaking Bad, Brothers & Sisters, Burn Notice, Celebrity Apprentice, Cake Boss, The Chicago Code, Chopped, Chuck, The Closer, Community, Cougar Town, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Daily Show, The Deadliest Catch, Desperate Housewives, Destination Truth, The Dish, Entourage, Eureka, Fact or Faked, Fairly Legal, Flipping Out, Food Feuds, Food Network Challenge, Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters Academy, Ghost Hunters International, Ghost Lab, Glee, Gossip Girl, Great Food Truck Race, Grey's Anatomy, The Hard Times of RJ Berger, Hawaii 5-0, Hollywood Treasure, House, How I Met Your Mother, How To Make It In America, Hung, If You Really Knew Me, Iron Chef America, Justified, Kate Plus 8, Last Comic Standing, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Law And Order: Criminal Intent, Law and Order: Los Angeles, Law And Order: Special Victims Unit, Mad Men, Man v. Food, Men of a Certain Age, The Middle, Mike and Molly, Mr. Sunshine, Modern Family, Next Food Network Star, Next Great American Restaurant, Next Iron Chef, The Office, One Tree Hill, Paranormal State, Parks & Recreation, Private Practice, Project Runway, Psych, Raising Hope, Real Time With Bill Maher, Rescue Me, Restaurant Impossible, Royal Pains, Rules Of Engagement, Sanctuary, Saturday Night Live, 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 Chef Just Desserts, Top Chef: Masters, Top Design, Torchwood, Traffic Light, True Blood, V, The Vampire Diaries, The Walking Dead, Warehouse 13, Web Soup, Worst Cooks In America,

People Love You When They Know You're Leaving Soon
Here ends another Two Tivos To Paradise.





We'll be back next week with all the latest and greatest in TV headlines, plus some snark thrown in for good measure.

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, TVline.com & Deadline.com.