Two Tivos To Paradise 06.17.11: Falling Skies, Tosh.0, Doctor Who, Real Time, The Voice, and more!

Posted by Al Norton on 06.17.2011

News on Justified reaping attention from awards shows, Falling Skies making its big premiere, Tosh.0 getting renewed and Doctor Who getting delayed until 2013, plus raves for Real Time and more!



Hello friends. This Sunday is one of my favorite days of the year, or at least it has been since August of 2008; the Father's Day celebration includes breakfast at a local favorite restaurant and then taking the kids for their first walk around Jamaica Pond (they've been to it a couple of times but never to try and complete a full lap, which is about a mile and 1/4 ) and my Dad, who I used to do the same walk with growing up, will be joining us.

Speaking of the benefits of exercise, I am pleased to report that I am now 92% of the way to my weight loss goal, having lost a total of 46 pounds now. The best way to describe how the weight loss has affected me is to say that I no longer feel like a fat guy but instead now a good size guy who is overweight. I certainly don't think I tucked a Polo shirt in at any point in 2010 and now, fashion sense aside, I feel very comfortable doing so.

Here's a teaser for Starz new Boss, starring Kelsey Grammer as a big city Mayor with a secret debilitating medical condition…





And here's a quick look at the new season of Damages, which premiers next month on DirecTV…





NBC has decided that music is the key to turning the network around; The Voice is their first breakout hit in some time and when it begins its second season in February of 2012 it will be paired with the new drama Smash…





The latest names added to the guest list for our upcoming 250th column celebration are Fact or Fiction host Josh Gates, Leverage star Aldis Hodge, and Richard Christy of The Howard Stern Show.

There's a fire starting in my heart, reaching a fever pitch and it's bringing me out the news.

In The Calling Out To One Another Of The Lovers Up And Down The Sand
TNT's new high profile alien invasion series Falling Skies premieres with a two hour episode this Sunday as the culmination of an impressive multi-media campaign, and within three weeks the pilot will have aired in over 75 countries worldwide. Also, Dark Horse Comic Books will release a 104 page prequel next month that has run on-line in the weeks leading up to the premiere. Skies was created by Steven Spielberg and Robert Rodat, who previously teamed up for Saving Private Ryan, and Rodat wrote the script which follows a group of survivors of an alien invasion of earth as they regroup and try to formulate a plan of attack. Five time Emmy nominee Noah Wyle leads a cast that includes Will Patton, Colin Cunningham, and Moon Bloodgood.





Let's talk about what Falling Skies does well; first, and most importantly, the aliens are freaky. I didn't jump when they first appeared on screen but I did scrunch up my face and shoulders a bit. Secondly, the feel of the series works; when the survivors travel as a pack and hit towns that have been wiped out, it feels as eerie as you'd think it would. Also, the use of children's drawing that serves to introduce the viewers to what has happened is also effectively chilling. And by the time the second hour comes to a close the series has introduced the sort of scenery chewing, scene stealing supporting characters you'd expect from a show like this.

What doesn't work? To be honest, Noah Wyle. I am not sure if I don't buy him as a Dad of a teenager or as a history of war Professor but he left me cold here. I don't think the script for the first hour did him any favors, either, as most of the dialogue seems a bit ham fisted, especially with Will Patton's character. The writers make a clear choice to just throw the viewer into the reality of the series but, unlike say, Sheriff Rick Grimes in Walking Dead, there is no character to serve as a surrogate for the audience. That works sometimes but not others; you get the chaos but oddly not a lot of the emotion.

I enjoyed Falling Skies – I've already season passed it – and expect it to be a big hit. TNT clearly does as well as they've hired an executive producer for season two (Remi Aubuchon, co-creator and showrunner on Caprica) which should be greenlighted early next week once the series premiere numbers are in.

You Don't Know How Many Times I've Wished That I Had Told You, You Don't Know How Many Times I've Wished That I Could Hold You
Another week, another group coming out with their award nominations; this week it's the Television Critics Association, who will announce the winners at a ceremony in August hosted by Parks and Recreation's Nick Offerman.

Individual Achievement in Drama:
Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife), Margo Martindale (Justified), Timothy Olyphant (Justified)

Individual Achievement in Comedy:
Ty Burrell (Modern Family), Louis CK (Louie), Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation), Amy Poheler (Parks and Recreation), Danny Pudi (Community), Jon Stewart (The Daily Show)

Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming:
Amazing Race, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Survivor, The Voice, Top Chef: All Stars

Outstanding New Program:
Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Terriers, The Killing, Walking Dead

Outstanding Achievement in Drama:
Friday Night Lights, Game of Thrones, Justified, Mad Men, The Good Wife

Outstanding Achievement in Comedy:
Community, Louie, Modern Family, Parks and Recreation, Raising Hope

Program of the Year:
Boardwalk Empire, Friday Night Lights, Game of Thrones, Justified, Parks and Recreation

Quick Thoughts:
If the last two weeks are any indication it looks like Justified and Community have broken through in their second seasons. Great to see Terriers get recognized here, and Louie deserves all the love it is being shows. The biggest omission is Mad Men's absence from the big Program of the Year Award; I love FNL and thought Boardwalk Empire was excellent but this was perhaps Men's strongest season and it clearly deserves to be in that group.

They Took The Credit For Your Second Symphony, Rewritten By Machine And New Technology
Comedy Central picked up a 26 episode fourth season of Tosh.0 that will premiere in February of 20120. The show, currently airing its third season, is the most watched program on the network in terms of total viewers and demos. To put its level of popularity in perspective, Tosh.0 is the most watched show on all of television on Tuesday nights in men 18-24 and 18-34.

I must admit to being surprised by those numbers as I knew the show did well but had no idea how well. I might go so far as to say it's the biggest show that hasn't fully crossed over to the mainstream yet. I like Tosh.0 but far less than I do The Soup, or even Web Soup. I am not sure fully why but perhaps because I never really enjoy the non-clip segments and always feel like the show seems a bit rushed or thrown together; I know that last part is part of the charm but at some point I expect a more polished product. More than that though, while I find Daniel Tosh to be funny, I always come away feeling somewhat cold, without a connection to him. I suppose I should watch one of his standup specials to get a better idea of who he is.

The bottom line is that Tosh.0 is funny and well watched, and since those two things don't always go together in the TV universe it's always worthy of celebration when a good show finds its audience.

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
As had been the case with the first four games, game five of the NBA finals was down a bit from last season but up from the previous six years…So You Think You Can Dance was down 17% from last week…Love Bites dropped a bit from last week's barely registering premiere numbers…The 4.5 million who tuned in to History's Swamp People were a series high…

FRIDAY
Starz' Camelot's season finale was the second most watched episode of the season, meaning the network has a tough decision to make about renewing the show for a second run…

SATURDAY
NBC's coverage of The Belmont Stakes was up 55% from last year when ABC broadcast the race…

SUNDAY
The new season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians opened down more than 40% from last season's debut…The Glee Project was an unequivocal bomb, pulling in just 455,000 total viewers…The Protector premiere held on to only 50% of its Army Wives demo lead-in…Army Wives finished up its season with solid numbers, down from the premiere earlier this year and also from the series high hit last month but overall up from the season average…The Dallas Mavericks winning the NBA title game ABC its highest rated game six ever and the top rated finals game overall in 11 years…The Tonys were up 11% from last year…

MONDAY
Pawn Stars may not get the publicity that Jersey Shore does but the 7.4 million viewers it pulled in on Monday night put it in rarified air for a cable reality series…Switched At Birth, which broke series premiere records for ABC Family last week, was up double digits in the demos for week two, although the total viewer numbers were down a bit…Teen Wolf recovered from a poor week two to jump up double digits in total viewers and pick up 23% in MTV target demos (12-34)…Masterchef was up 11% in the demos while moving from 8pm to 9pm…Game six of the NHL Stanley Cup finals was down more than 25% from last year, although last year's game was a cup-clincher…The Bachelorette and Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition were both down roughly 8% from last week but both won their time slots in totals and demos…

TUESDAY
The Voice dominated the night in demos and also won both hours in total viewers…America's Got Talent was down double digits but still easily won 8:00pm in totals and demos…MasterChef was even with last Tuesday's episode…Pretty Little Liars' season premiere matched its recent season finale, while lead-out Nine Lives of Chloe King performed under other recent ABC Family premieres, although it was going head-to-head with The Voice…Both Memphis Beat and Hawthorne were down more than 20% from their debuts last summer…

WEDNESDAY
Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals was the top demo performer in all three prime time hours and was the overall most watched program at 9 and 10 pm…


All The Young Dudes, Carry The News
Industry News, Notes, and Hot Rumors…Sorry, Doctor Who fans; it looks like season seven won't run until 2013, with the possibility of several special to air in 2012 to help bridge the gap (that's what the show did in 2009 so fans didn't freak by season four ending in 2008 and season five premiering in 2010)…Last week Danny Glover joined the cast of Fox's mid-season drama Touch and now comes word that Gugu Mbatha-Raw, last seen starring on Undercovers, has landed the female lead opposite Keifer Sutherland…Author Irvine Welch (Trainspotting) has been hired by HBO to write a drama series adaptation of the documentary Knuckle, about a feud between two Irish families that is settled in bare knuckle fights. The documentary was filmed over 12 years and is described in promotional material as Fight Club meets Sons of Anarchy…HBO and BBC2 are teaming up to make an I, Claudius mini-series. Jane Tranter and Anne Thomopoulos, who produced Rome, are on board as producers of this project. The novel by Robert Grimes was previously turned in a Emmy winning mini-series in 1976, with Derek Jacobi's role as the lead being considered hall-of-fame-worthy…Ice-T has re-signed with Law & Order: SVU for two seasons…Smash may not premiere on NBC until 2012 but the network signed a soundtrack deal with Columbia Records, and series star (and American Idol alum) Katharine McPhee signed her own individual deal with Columbia as well…Jeri Ryan will do four episodes of Warehouse 13 this summer, and fellow Star Trek alum Katherine Mulgrew will guest this season as well…Julie Benz first post-No Ordinary Family TV gig will be on an episode of Royal Pains…Brandy will appear in the last three episodes of the upcoming Drop Dead Diva season…Tough Cookies, Food Network's new reality series about two sisters who run a cookie company, premieres on July 11…Rob Lowe will play suspected killer Drew Peterson in a Lifetime movie, with Kaley Cuoco as his fourth wife (who is currently missing and presumed murdered by Peterson by many)…TMZ is reporting Charlie Sheen is in negotiations with a broadcast (as in non-cable) network for a new sitcom, with said network thought to be Fox. There is no actual show at this point; the deal would simply be for Sheen to star in a new sitcom that would then be developed for him…CBS is keeping Rob Schneider's comedy pilot alive, retooling it a bit and adding Cheech Marin as a co-star. The plot finds Schneider marrying into a large and very close Mexican-American family…Goldie Hawn is in talks to star in the HBO pilot The Viagra Diaries, a new comedy from Darren Starr (Sex and the City). The series, an adaptation of the novel of the same name, follows a woman in her 60's as she finds her way as a single woman when her husband of 35 years leaves her for someone younger…The new season of Curb Your Enthusiasm premieres on July 10, with guests lined up including Michael J Fox, Gary Cole, Harry Hamlin, Larry Miller, Ricky Gervais, Bill Buckner, and Mookie Wilson (the latter two I assume in some sort of story pertaining to the 1986 World Series)…Bethany Frankle is taping a pilot for a daily syndicated talk show…Oscar winner Patty Duke will do multiple episodes of Lifetime's The Protector…Former University of Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez has joined CBS Sports Network, working both in studio and as a game analyst…

Turns Out Not Where But Who You're With That Really Matters
While there were plenty of jokes with Anthony Weiner as the punch line over the last few weeks, below is a fantastic example of when the best bet is to sit back and let the story speak for itself. Comedy gold…






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…Jon Stewart's lambasting of the media for their coverage of the release of Sarah Palin's Alaska emails was not only spot on but should also go a long way with folks who think The Daily Show is one sided in its reporting. Yes, there is a strong consistent sensibility to their reporting – pointing out hypocrisy and/or lunacy in politics and the news – but they go after anyone who they feel crosses the line…I continue to enjoy The Voice, both for the contestants and the judges. Even when Christina Aguilera is annoying, which is frequently, it's because she is being her chatty, semi-obnoxious self, and I appreciate that kind of real in a reality show, as opposed to someone who puts a face on because they think that's what the audience will like. Dia and Javier are the favorites in my book…Scott Bakula has been the real standout on Men of a Certain Age these past few weeks, high praise considering his two main co-stars have been giving award worthy performances themselves. Ratings haven't been great but I hope a Peabody Award is enough for TNT to give Men a third season…I have been thoroughly engrossed by Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition so far, with some pretty emotionally compelling stories so far. My own weight loss quest is nothing compared to these folks but I am still inspired by their efforts…Love Bites is just a strange show and one out of place on the current TV landscape. I'm not saying it's all that bad (it's certainly not good) but I wonder how it ever got approved in the first place. On the other hand, the original show had another top TV rom-com actress as a part of the cast plus the other female lead was not pregnant and there was a different head writer, so the original vision is almost unknown…Food Network Star has more than lived up to my expectations the first two weeks, with some strong cooking talent and some interesting personalities, although not many folks have both. The judges' criticisms are the best on TV in terms of being direct and on point, and they continue to send home the folks that should go home, usually in the order they should be sent in. I continue to have the same question for contestants; once you find out you are on the show, why don't you do a weekly practice run, inviting friends over and having someone videotape you doing a cooking demonstration. Hell, there's a TV show for the winner, so why not do it on a daily basis?!?! Many times they fumble like this is the first time they are ever presenting a meal to an audience with a camera on. I know being in those surroundings with that panel is different but it's clear they seem to work more on their cooking than their presentation, which is not smart. Jeff, Orchid, and the Justins are my favorites so far…

TV Pick Of The Week
Two of the best new shows of 2011 - perhaps THE two best new shows of 2011 – bring the freshman seasons to a close on Sunday night; HBO's Game of Thrones airs at 9pm and AMC's The Killing follows at 10pm. Both shows had some pretty major plot point moments last week so one can only imagine what they have in store for their final rookie hours.

While I fully acknowledge that Thrones is incredibly well made in every aspect of production, it simply hasn't grabbed me on an emotional level, which for me is a must as far drama goes. There has been plenty of passion on screen but none that struck a chord in me, so I am not as pumped for the finale as the show's many devoted fans.

The Killing, on the other hand, has me fully engrossed in its story and the characters that populate the screen. I can't tell if the revelations of last week's final scenes mean that person is 100% the killer or perhaps it's a sign that there's no way that person is the killer (trying to be spoiler free in case you haven't watched yet).

If you are new to either of these shows there is still plenty of time; you can watch the first nine hours of Game of Thrones via On-Demand while AMC's sister network Sundance is running The Killing all weekend, six episodes starting at 4pm on Saturday and then the next six on Sunday at 4pm leading right into the finale. With a little investment of time you can be all set for Sunday night.

The best news for fans of quality TV is that both shows have been renewed for second seasons, so this is only goodbye for now.

Don't miss the season finales of Game of Thrones and The Killing this Sunday night!

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

*The Singing Bee – yes, the show is still on, just on CMT now – brings its current season to a close tonight at 8pm with an episode featuring the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.

*If you know a tween looking for something to watch than have them check out A.N.T. Farm, Disney Channel's latest live action comedy, premiering Friday at 8:30pm.

*Celebrity Ghost Stories is back for a new season this Saturday at 9pm and this time Bio has paired it with the new Celebrity Close Calls, featuring "famous" folks talking about near-death experiences. The best thing about these is the re-enactments, where actors play the celebs as the celebs themselves narrate. I always picture someone at a casting session going, "my most recent work was as Anson Williams being haunted by the ghost of his family's dog on Celebrity Ghost Stories."

*This Sunday's Daytime Emmy Awards (8pm, CBS) – hosted by Wayne Brady – may be one of the last to feature drama categories.

*Lifetime's Drop Dead Dive returns for a third season Sunday at 9pm. If you want to catch up on what you missed that check out the six episode season 2 marathon running Saturday at 11am.

*If you're going through gambling withdrawal since the NBA and NHL finals are over, check out the Miss USA Pageant, Sunday at 9pm on NBC. You can do a fantasy draft or auction and then root for your team!

*Ryan & Tatum: The O'Neals (Sunday, 10pm, OWN) is a reality series about the famous father and daughter who share both acting and addiction in their blood.

*Keith Olbermann is back with Countdown with Keith Olbermann, premiering Monday at 9pm on Current TV.

*If diving into the problems of others is your thing than you are probably excited that Hoarders (Monday, 9pm. A&E) is back with a new season.

*ABC is using a new season of Wipeout (Tuesday, 8pm) as a lead-in for the brand new series 101 Ways to Leave a Game Show. To be honest, I'm doing the TV equivalent of judging a book by its cover and letting the name decide I don't need to watch. Of more interest is Combat Hospital, the new drama series with the self-explanatory title that premieres at 10pm. Anything with Elias Koteas is worth watching at least once.

*Thursday is actually a HUGE night for cable premieres; USA has a new season of Burn Notice followed by the new legal dramedy Suits, ABC brings back last summer's surprise hit Rookie Blue for another go-round (shouldn't they change the title if this is their second year on the job?!?!), Comedy Central has new episodes of Futurama at 10pm, and FX gives you the bizarre new comedy Wilfred followed by season two of the not-for-everyone but still quite brilliant Louie.

Two Tivos To Paradise
24 Restaurant Battle, 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, Burn Notice, Celebrity Apprentice, Cake Boss, The Chicago Code, Chopped, Chuck, The Closer, Community, Cougar Town, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Deadliest Catch, Desperate Housewives, Destination Truth, 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, Happy Endings, The Hard Times of RJ Berger, Haunted Treasure, 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, The Killing, Last Comic Standing, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Law And Order: Criminal Intent, Law and Order: Los Angeles, Law And Order: Special Victims Unit, Mad Men, Man v. Food Nation, Men of a Certain Age, The Middle, Mike and Molly, 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 Show with Norm McDonald, Supernatural, Table For 12, Top Chef, Top Chef Just Desserts, Top Chef: Masters, Top Design, Torchwood, True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, The Voice, 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 in 7 days with all the latest TV headlines. Also, check back with the site on Wednesday for my interview with Joe Maddalena from Hollywood Treasure.

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.