Two Tivos To Paradise 04.29.11: The Voice, Supernatural, Blue Bloods, Gossip Girl. Law & Order: Criminal Intent

Posted by Al Norton on 04.29.2011

The CW renews Gossip Girl and four other series, Law & Order: Criminal Intent returns, problems behind the scenes of Blue Bloods, raves for The Voice, tons of news & notes and more, all in the latest edition of Al Norton's Two Tivos To Paradise!



Hello friends. Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter/end of Passover weekend and got the same beautiful Spring weather on Sunday that we enjoyed here in Boston. Mrs. Tivo and I put eggs in the twins' bedroom while they were sleeping on Saturday night so they woke up to find the Easter Bunny had paid them his first visit. The rest of the day was a blur, with lots of family and what seemed like an endless sugar high (for them, not me).

Speaking of such things, I'm thrilled to report that I am more than 60% of the way to my weight loss goal! I hit the 30 pound loss mark on Wednesday morning and am in the process of changing my exercise regime a bit so as not to fall into a rut. I will say I am more shocked by being able to give up soda than I am the total lost so far; this is the longest I've gone without carbonation in 25+ years.

In celebration of last night's final Michael Scott appearance on The Office (until he guests during sweeps next spring), I give you this…





The latest in Syfy's reinvention of classic tales via the miniseries is Neverland…




And speaking of teaser trailer's, here's the brand new one for the upcoming season of Torchwood…





The announcement about the upcoming edition of Two Tivos To Paradise went out this week and I should be able to drop some names next week to start the anticipation. Actually, I can let you know that official friend of TTTP Matt Iseman (Clean House, America Ninja Warrior) already turned in his answers – way to lead the pack, Matt!

Quick interview update – you can read my chat with Gossip Girl's Matthew Settle this Monday on the site.

I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend but I always thought that I'd see news again.

Darlin' If You've Been A Hurtin', I Don't Care What It Is, I Wanna Help For Certin, But It Takes More Than A Kiss
The CW gave 2011-2012 season pick up's to 90210, Gossip Girl, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, and America's Next Top Model on Tuesday night and in the announcement revealed the fall cycle of ANTM will be an all-star edition, with finalists from previous seasons returning to compete. Left on the renewal bubble are Nikita, One Tree Hill, and Hellcats.

Supernatural fans are quite passionate – I should know, I've got one living in my house – so this news is particularly thrilling to them, although none of the renewals should be viewed as a surprise. The big question now is which, if any, of the bubble shows will get picked up. One Tree Hill certainly has the biggest fan base but one wonders if eight (seasons) is enough, and the season finale would work as a series finale if they don't get another batch of episodes. Hellcats is a show I don't hear much about in terms of feedback from readers, while Nikita seems to be growing a nice little cult and has gotten some mainstream critics on board as well, so my best guess is that Nikita comes back while the other two shows fade off into the sunset. Since The CW only runs five nights a week, two hours a night, there is less room on the schedule than the other four major networks so sometimes you have to cut a show that does ok in the hopes of generating the next big thing.

Let The Rain Wash Away All The Pain Of Yesterday, I Know My Kingdom Awaits And They've Forgiven My Mistakes
Law & Order: Criminal Intent returns for a 10th season this Sunday at 9pm on USA, with Vincent D'Onofrio and Kathryn Erbe reprising their roles as Detectives Goren and Eames after a one season absence (they appeared in the premiere of season 9 where their characters left the show). While the network has been hyping this as the show's final season, Law & Order franchise creator Dick Wolfe told the press last week, "being the unbridled optimist that I am, I still have hope that this is a ‘victory lap' and not a ‘swan song. Based on the work so far, I think the audience is going to be very happy, relieved, and welcoming… and hopefully enough fans will come out so the powers-that-be reconsider their decision."

I was all set to review the season premiere for you until I got an email from USA saying the episode they had sent out would actually be episode two and that they were instead showing an hour that featured Jay Mohr playing a Charlie Sheen-esque celebrity involved in a murder, an hour I would not get the chance to preview. Well, fine.

The hour I did see was everything that folks either love or hate about the show, with D'Onfrio seamlessly slipping back into his wonderfully odd performance but still sussing out the truth through deductive reasoning that even Sherlock Holmes would question the plausibility of. At one point he even appears to get something out of sniffing a suspect. Either you love Bobby or you can't stand him and this won't give you anything to change your mind.

Well They Encourage Your Complete Cooperation, Send You Roses When They Think You Need To Smile
Deadline.com broke the story on Friday that CBS has removed Blue Bloods creators Mitchell Burgess and Robin Greene from the show with the idea of making the series more procedural in nature. This would be an interesting story because the show is the most watched new series of the 2010-2011 season but it's even more so because the original showrunner Ken Sanzel left the show last year after butting heads with star Tom Selleck, who felt the show needed to be less procedural and more character driven.

This smacks of a classic case of fixing what's not broken. The show is an undeniable hit, getting more total viewers than any other new show of the season and doing so in the previously disastrous Fridays at 10pm timeslot, and what makes it stand out on CBS is that while there are cases of the week, the stories are more character driven. So what does the network do? Try to make it like all their other shows, with a set formula and feel. Don't they understand that everything being the same makes no sense as a goal, unless by the same you mean a hit, in which case they've already achieved it with this show?

I'm not a huge Blue Bloods fan but I don't understand why you screw with a good thing, and a show that routinely wins its time slot is most certainly a good thing.

You Make Me Dizzy Running Circles In My Head, One Of These Days I'll Chase You Down



Serinda Swan is one of the hottest actresses working in TV today, and yes, I am going for the cheap double meaning joke there. After guest spots on Supernatural, Smallville, and PSYCH, she moved on to the big screen with roles in The Break Up Artist, Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Tron: Legacy. She can currently be seen starring as Erica Reed in A&E's hit series Breakout Kings (Sundays at 10pm) as well as guest starring on Monday's episode of Hawaii 5-0 (10pm, CBS). We caught up with her via email this week for a quick Q & A…

TTTP: What drew you to Erica Reed and how has your take on who she is changed since you first read the Breakout Kings pilot script?

SS: What drew me to her was this amazing back story that Matt and Nick had created and how they were planning on integrating that into the show over the first season. She starts out as this girl who no one really knows why she's on the team, and by the second or third episode she not only proves herself but you also see her motive for being on the team and getting a reduced sentence; her 6 year old daughter.

TTTP: My guess is that with all the craziness that can go on on-screen, the set must be a fun place to work.

SS: It's an amazing place to work. The cast is like an extended family, a dysfunctional extended family that I love. Whether we're throwing tape balls at each other, or other random items from the craft table (carrots were usually the first choice) we're always having fun. Which is imperative when its 30 below and you're shooting exteriors!

TTTP: Speaking of fun places to work, a guest spot on Hawaii 5-0 has it's perks, right?

SS: Well right off the bat the fact that it wasn't 30 below was a good start! That, and that I was there shooting for almost 2 weeks, and most of it took place on the beach. I did have a few days off, so I ended up renting a car and finding some really amazing hikes and this little health bar that had the best breakfast.

TTTP: Coming from a show where you are part of the core cast, is it tough to walk in to another series and feel at home?

SS: Not when you go to a set like "Hawaii Five-O." Everyone was wonderful to work with and it was a lot of fun. I think when getting ready in the morning for work consists of surfing and fresh coconuts you're generally going to be in a good mood!

TTTP: What can you tell me about Monday's episode of 5-0?

SS: Spoilers huh? Hmmm... I can't really tell you much except it's going to be awesome and you should watch it.

TTTP: Your resume includes Smallville, Supernatural, Percy Jackson, and Tron; aside from guaranteeing yourself extra income at conventions, are you drawn to sci-fi or are those simply the roles you are getting?

SS: I don't necessarily go for these roles in particular, it just seems like that's what I'm being drawn to. That's why Erica is such a refreshing departure for me, not only is she completely different in character, but also in looks. I walk into hair and make up every morning, and James (our key hair guy) says "and what would you like today?" And the answer is always "ponytail". It's so nice to be ready for work in half an hour vs. "Tron" which was 7 hours.

TTTP: For those of my readers who haven't watched Breakout Kings yet, why should they tune in? And for those who are watching, can you preview the next couple of weeks

SS: For those who haven't seen it, it's not your typical procedural show. I like to call it a "Dramedy" half drama half comedy. It's a great mixture of high suspense and quick wit, combined with great characters and a new suspenseful plot every episode. They also did such an amazing job of casting the show. Being able to go to work every day with these people is such a pleasure. Dominick Lombardozzi ("The Wire"), Laz Alonso ("Avatar"), Malcolm Goodwin ("Leatherheads") Brooke Nevin ("Call Me Fitz") and Jimmi Simpson ("It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia") come together in a way that makes for some really entertaining television. So if you haven't checked us out, we're on Sunday nights on A&E, and for those who have, thank you! You are the reason we get to go to work every day and do what we love!

Don't miss Breakout Kings, Sundays at 10 pm on A&E and Hawaii 5-0, Monday at 10pm on CBS.

I Had To Meet You Here Today, There's Just So Many Things To Say
With Sunday being May 1st we are about to enter Season Finale Season, so this feature will be your guide to the major network series wrapping up their seasons over the next four weeks…

Sunday, May 1
America's Next Great Restaurant, 8 pm, NBC
Undercover Boss, 9pm, CBS

Wednesday, May 4th
Better with You, 8:30pm, ABC

Thursday, May 5th
30 Rock, 10pm, NBC

Sunny Day, Sweepin' The Clouds Away, On My Way To Where The Air Is Sweet
The Sesame Street video of the week…



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
Community was up 7% in the demos while The Paul Reiser Show dropped a little more than 20% in totals and a little less than 18% in demos from its awful week one numbers…American Idol was down a bit this week but still crushed everything else that aired on Thursday…The Office dropped a bit from week-to-week while Parks and Recreation maintained last week's numbers…30 Rock won 10pm in demos…

FRIDAY
Girls Night Out: Superstars of Country Music was the night's top performer in totals and demos…Friday Night Lights was up in week two… Fringe dropped to a series low in demos…Shark Tank was down 7%...A much hyped episode of Smallville was surprisingly down 10% in the demos…Supernatural posted the same demos but dropped in total viewers…

SUNDAY
MUCH better than last Sunday – shows with demo improvements included Brothers & Sisters (+12%), Celebrity Apprentice (+12%), Desperate Housewives (+7%), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (+10%), and The Amazing Race (+7)…America's Next Great Restaurant matched last week's numbers…Game of Thrones matched last week's premiere, which is pretty damn impressive, while Treme was down 45% from last April's debut…

MONDAY
90210 and Gossip Girl made it two very strong weeks in a row, each up 10% in their target demos…Finishing third in demos and totals despite facing all reruns as competition was another nail in the coffin for Law & Order: LA…Dancing with the Stars was up 13% in the demos after last week's season low…The season finale of RuPaul's Drag Race was the most watched telecast in Logo network history...

TUESDAY
The Voice premiered to the best demos of any new series since Undercover Boss debuted on CBS after the Super Bowl in 2010. It topped Glee and Dancing with the Stars in demos by a wide margin and averaged 11.5 million total viewers over the two hours…Glee and Raising Hope dropped to series lows in demos…The Biggest Loser was up 17%...

WEDNESDAY
Happy Endings was up at 10 & 10:30, continuing to seriously outperform Off the Map in that time slot, and now stands a decent chance at getting a season two pick up…Even better news for The Voice – the rerun of Tuesday's premiere gave NBC its best demo average in that two hour time slot in almost three months…American Idol's dominant totals and demos were even with last week…Cougar Town was down 12% from last week; a drop was expected because the Modern Family lead-in was a rerun this time around…

All The Young Dudes, Carry The News
Industry News, Notes, and Hot Rumors…TBS ordered a 10 episode first season of Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse, based on his Why Did I Get Married? films. No word on if there is a guaranteed large pick up based on ratings like his other series House of Payne (which is signing off this year) and Meet the Browns…Showtime picked up a 10 episode second season of The Borgias…Saturday's season premiere of Doctor Who was the most watched program in BBC America history…NBC pulled The Paul Resier Show after two low rated episodes, replacing it with reruns of The Office through May Sweeps…Emmy winning director Paris Barclay has signed on as an executive producer and principal director for the upcoming season of Sons of Anarchy. Barclay's resume includes EP stints with In Treatment, NYPD Blue, and Cold Case, and he has directed episodes of those shows as well as Glee, NCIS, The Mentalist, Monk, House, The Shield, and The West Wing…Showtime has committed to a second season of The Real L World but all but one of the cast members have been replaced…Countdown with Keith Olbermann makes its Current TV premiere on Monday, June 20th at 8pm…Fox's sketch comedy show In the Flow with Affion Crockett, executive produced by Jamie Foxx, will premiere on Sunday August 14th…Ving Rhames will star in the Comedy Central pilot Black Jack, playing a 20 year special opps agent who gets decommissioned and must adjust to regular life…Coco and Ice-T are getting their own E! reality series…Elisabeth Harnois (Miami Medical) will be a full time cast member on CSI this fall…Olivia Munn (Perfect Couples) and Tony nominee Allison Pill (In Treatment) are the latest to join Marisa Tomei as being linked to Aaron Sorkin's HBO pilot More as the Story Develops. Multiple Golden Globe nominee Jeff Daniels has signed to play the lead…Kelli Giddish, who starred in NBC's Chase, will do multiple episodes of The Good Wife with the potential of returning in the fall…Ron Livingston, Sarah Paulson, and Peter MacNicol have joined Ed Harris and Julianne Moore in the HBO movie Game Change…SNL's Jason Sudeikis will host The MTV Movie Awards this June…Spike picked up a third season of Blue Mountain State…Syfy has extended Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files' second season by 12 episodes...Lauren Stromile (Community, Grey's Anatomy) will do multiple episodes on the new season of Burn Notice...

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…
Who know what will happen in the coming weeks but the first episode of The Voice was a highly entertaining way to spend two hours and may have been different enough to hook in viewers who wouldn't consider themselves the target audience for a singing competition show.

What made the show different? The lack of any age constraints on the contestants made for a more diverse group of singers taking the stage, and they even allowed a duo to take part (a very cool twist). There were also no obviously bad singers thrown in for "entertainment" purposes, and in this case the lack of a William Hung 2011 was a very good thing. The judges/coaches displayed more chemistry in these two hours than anything I've seen on a reality competition show outside of Top Chef, and they also seemed to really enjoy being there. As opposed to Idol, when the judges clearly know the singers' back story and ask leading questions to get them to open up, here it was obvious the panel really knew nothing of each person going in.

Of course the main difference is the way the singers audition, which is with the judges/coaches backs turned, so the initial judgment is 100% on the way they sound, which is really how it should be. Yes, when they spin around they get to see the whole package and make their pitch accordingly, and when America starts voting on the final 16 looks will certainly be a factor, but the overall group of 32 is being selected on nothing other than vocal talent; what a concept for a singing show.

Oh, and did I mention the singing was pretty good?





Was The Voice perfect? No, of course not. Carson Daly made me realize that Ryan Seacrest doesn't get enough credit for what he does (especially in the audition and Hollywood rounds), and the constant reminding of the number of contestants on each team was annoying as well. Even more glaring was the lack of any information on just how many people had made it through to this round; what if the judges just picked the first 32 people – how many folks would be left in the wings? You'd think they'd want to built that tension a bit, that for the contestants the stress is getting in front of the judges before all the spots are filled as much as it is singing well once they are there.

The strongest praise I can give The Voice is from Mrs. Tivo, who usually has no interest in such shows; she got into bed with me at 9:45 when I started watching (via Tivo, duh) and stayed up until the final person sang. If the show can hook folks like her in than NBC may have a BIG hit on their hands.

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 …





If you look up "owning a song" in the dictionary (I know phrases aren't in the dictionary, just go with me on this!) than you'll find the above video. Chris Colfer nailed each and every note and provided the highlight in a strong episode of Glee from this week that further explored the show's central themes of being comfortable with yourself and then dealing with others as they grow comfortable with you…Community's brilliant send up of clip/best of shows was yet another example of how amazing the show is at making fun of stock television concepts while still making it clear how much they enjoy being a part of the genre…Very odd choice by NBC to put on the one hour 30 Rock episode that featured many of the montages that Community was making fun of on the same night, and that's one of the reasons that I felt it to be a less than stellar outing for the show. One bright spot was Ken Howard, who has clearly been having a ball this season. Also, Tracy Morgan was pretty damn funny…Will Ferrell's second week at The Office was a huge improvement – he was hysterical in the back of the car while Dwight and Michael fought – and the Seasons of Love fashioned tribute to Michael was not only a high point of the season but will go down as one of the more memorable scenes in series history…The deeper The Hard Times of RJ Berger dives into the harsh complexities of navigating life as a teenager in high school, the better and funnier the show is. One of real favorites these days…While I do very much enjoy The Chicago Code, episodes without Delroy Lindo are never as good as when he appears…The Boston based No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain was fantastic in its style and content, and I would have said that if they hadn't filmed a segment at one of my favorite places to get a sandwich (Michael's Deli). Any show that gives a national spotlight to candlepin bowling is worthy of praise…Having watched the episodes 3 – 6 I am still of the opinion that Happy Endings is actually pretty funny…If I took over a network I'd hire a couple of the development folks from FX as their shows are consistently among the best on TV. Justified is actually better in season two, and the tension going into Wednesday's finale is palpable…I am still really enjoying Breaking In despite feeling like I am only one. The pop culture references fly wildly, the performances are solid, and the 30 minutes fly by, leaving me with a smile. Michael Rosenbaum has been a real stand out so far...

TV Pick Of The Week
While Law & Order: Criminal Intent is getting much of the publicity, another USA series returns with a new season this Sunday night; In Plain Sight is back for a fourth season at 10pm, with new showrunners (the third new person/team running the show in three seasons) and a pregnancy of series star Mary McCormick that the network says is being written into the show!

McCormick's Mary Shannon is one of the strongest female characters on TV, one with flaws that make her very real, at times annoyingly so, but I mean that in a good way. Her co-star Fred Weller can hold his own with her and the two of them have a natural chemistry that I am glad has not yet been ruined/complicated by a romantic entanglement; it's much more realistic to me that Weller's Mann is secretly in love with her than it would be if the two of them got together.

The show has changed in focus a bit over the last few seasons/showrunners, with a move away from Mary's family and more on to her cases, which at times is problematic since the case-of-the-week formula suffers from too much murder. In some ways it would be much more effective to show us the real day-to-day life of both a Federal Agent and a WITSEC participant, so that those times when murder and gunplay take place would be tenser and less rote. There is a healthy balance the series needs to strike story wise so they can match the excellent way the juggle humor with the more dramatic tones of the plot.

Don't miss the season premiere of In Plain Sight (one of the best shows the masses haven't heard of), this Sunday at 10pm on USA.

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

*Sorry, technical difficulties prevent this section from appearing this week. Not to worry – should be back just fine next Friday.

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, Breaking In, 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, 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 Friday with all the latest in TV headlines, a guide to the week in season finales, and more news on the upcoming anniversary column. As always, visit our Facebook page for breaking news and exclusive content. See you in 7!

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.