Two Tivos To Paradise 06.24.11: True Blood, SVU, Mike Tyson, The Killing, Glee and more!

Posted by Al Norton on 06.24.2011

News and thoughts on True Blood's return, Law & Order: SVU's search for a new male lead, Mike Tyson's new HBO show, Glee getting a dose of Buffy on the writing staff, thoughts on The Killing finale and more!



Hello friends. I hope all the Dads out there had as wonderful a Father's Day weekend as I did. Sure, I got some presents, including the second 30 for 30 box set, but the day was made by the time I got to spend at the park playing with my Dad, Mrs. Tivo, and the twins. Good times.

Here's the scheduled for the upcoming TTTP big events; Friday July 8th is the 5th Annual Norty Awards, Friday July 15th will include the full rundown of the Emmy nominations, and Friday July 22nd is our big 250th celebration!

Joy – Breaking Bad returns soon!!!!





As a baseball fan I am very much looking forward to this with the hopes that it's good and also becomes MLB's version of Hard Knocks (as in a yearly event that follows the defending World Series Champions)…





Hey, we haven't had a give-away in a while so it's great time that the folks at Sue Procko Public Relations and Image Entertainment have provided us with a DVD copy of the just released Syfy original movie Mega Python vs. Gatoroid. If the title doesn't grab you than perhaps knowing that it stars Debbie Gibson and Tiffany will do the trick. Even better, it was directed by Mary Lambert, who helmed Pet Cemetery, so there's some street cred to go with all the wonderful cheese. If you want to win the copy simply go the Two Tivos To Paradise Facebook page, click "Like" if you haven't already, and then post "I think TTTP could take Mega Python AND Gatoroid in a fight", and you'll be eligible to win. Quick note – winners have to be the US (sorry). Speaking of a fight, check out this clip from the movie…



And in a big country, dreams stay with news.

People You Meet, They All Seem To Know You, Even Your Old Friends Treat You Like You're Something New
Deadline.com broke the news Monday night that NBC was flying five actors to New York to test with Mariska Hargitay for the new male lead on Law & Order: SVU. The finalists to replace Christopher Meloni are Danny Pino (Cold Case), Kevin Alejandro (True Blood, Southland, Parenthood), David Conrad (Ghost Whisperer), Michael Raymond-James (Terriers), and Rhys Coiro (Entourage). This is but one of the two big cast changes for the procedural as it enters its 13th season; about halfway through the season Hargitay's character will get a promotion and play a more supporting role, with a new to-be-cast female lead coming on board.

While Alejandro always does solid work and Coiro's Billy Walsh is perhaps my favorite Entourage character, the clear choice among these actors is Raymond-James, whose work on Terriers was award caliber.

Don't Lose Your Grip On The Dreams Of Your Past, You Must Fight Just To Keep Them Alive
Entourage creator Doug Ellin is working with Mike Tyson to develop Da Brick, a drama series for HBO that is based on Tyson's youth in Newark, NJ. John Ridley is writing the script for the pilot, which will be directed by Spike Lee. Casting for young African-American actors with some level of boxing skill has begun for the series, which will use Tyson's experiences growing up as inspiration for the fictional stories that will be set in the present.

Putting aside any personal feelings about Tyson, this certainly sounds good to me. Ridley may be the least well known of the names above but he is an author-turned-screenwriter (he wrote the novel Stray Dogs and then the screenplay for UTurn, the move it was turned into) with diverse credits that include The Wanda Sykes Show, Undercover Brother, Martin, Third Watch, and The John Larroquette Show. He wrote the story for the movie Three Kings and wrote, produced and directed the Showtime adaptation of Barbershop.

Ellin has proven via Entourage that he knows how to take someone's life experiences and turn them into a highly entertaining series, and Lee is an incredibly talented director who brings a passion to his projects that is rare.

Anyone who has seen the brilliant documentary series Brick City knows the issues the city has had and the way the residents and local government are fighting to turn things around, so it's a setting ripe with storytelling possibilities.

Ok, no longer putting aside my personal feelings about Tyson, I had started to wonder even before this new project how it was people had forgotten that he has been convicted of violent felonies on more than one occasions and has a history of drug and alcohol abuse. Does this mean he shouldn't be able to earn a living? Of course not, and I am really quite interested in this new series, but he did a guest spot on Breaking In earlier this year and I remember thinking, why is a guy who has been convicted of both rape and assault being used for laughs? It would be one thing if he were acting (say, like Charles S Dutton or Danny Trejo) but Tyson's not honing his craft, he's just being himself, and at this point has he proven that that's not worthy of being rewarded?

There's Lots Of Those Friendly People, They're Showing Me Ways To Go, But I Never Want To Lose Their Inspiration
For the first two seasons of Fox's uber hit Glee there were only two writers – series creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuck along with Ian Brennan – but heading into season three there have been additions made to assist in the process; coming on board as writers and/or producers include Allison Adler (Chuck), Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Big Love), Michael Hitchcock (MadTV), and Marti Noxon (Buffy, Angel, Mad Men). The writing load on Murphy and Falchuck was even heavier than you'd think since Brennan writes all of Sue Sylvester's material, leaving everything else in the duo's hands.

Whether this move was made in response to the widely held belief that the stories for season two of Glee were a huge step down in quality from the show's freshman year or because Murphy and Falchuck have a new high profile series in development with FX (American Horror Story), there is no doubt that fans of Glee should be quite pleased with this news. Adler is joining the show as co-executive producer and her experience on Chuck, a show that juggled multiple styles over the course of an hour (action/adventure, rom-com, workplace comedy) will come in handy. Aguirre-Sacasa has been in the news lately for handling the re-write of Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark on Broadway, and you might recognize Hitchcock from his roles on Men of a Certain Age, Grosse Point, and multiple Christopher Guest films including Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show.

The most well known name from this list is of course Noxon's, whose work on Buffy and Angel is universally admired. She also has producing stints on Grey's Anatomy, Brothers & Sisters, and Prison Break, but it's her work on the Joss Whedon shows that are good news to Gleeks as she has proven she's got a firm grasp on teen angst and also that she knows how to put a creative spin on it.

I have been a fan of Glee from the pilot and had no plans to stop watching despite the highly erratic quality level of season two but this news has me looking forward to the new season much more than I was after the finale last month.

Decided To Dip, Now You Want To Trip, ‘Cause Another Brother Noticed Me
Stacy A Littlejohn has been making a living as a writer in the entertainment industry for well over a decade, with credits on The Hughleys, One on One, Barbershop, All of Us, and The Wanda Sykes Show. She is also a much sought after script Doctor in the industry, including punching up the movie Hitch. Littlejohn is the creator and executive producer of Single Ladies, VH-1's first original scripted drama. Recently we caught up with her for an email exchange…

TTTP: Opportunities are hard to come by in this business but was there any hesitation about working with a network with literally no track record for scripted series?

SL: Not at all. Because the advantage was: I could make up the rules. They didn't know what not to do. So if we were going to make mistakes, we could make them together. It didn't in any way make me hesitate.

TTTP: How has Queen Latifah (co-executive producer of Single Ladies) been to work with in the creative process?

SL: Very supportive, extremely sweet, and a dream to work with. She's awesome!

TTTP: Is punching up someone else's script a different skill set than writing your own original work?

SL: No, not at all. Funny is funny, and it all comes from within – you draw from within. It's all going to come from the same place; but if you write for yourself, obviously more of your pitches will go in (more of your stuff will be seen). If you're punching up, someone else has to like it. Typically you think you're funny, so you might use more of your own stuff than someone else.

TTP: What shows do you watch? Is there a series out there you'd love to write an episode for?

SL: Nurse Jackie, Breaking Bad, 30 Rock, The Closer, The Daily Show, Modern Family, The Office.

I would love to write an episode for 30 Rock. Would love love to write an episode for Modern Family and Nurse Jackie. Any show I like, I'd love to write an episode for.

TTTP: Do you think that TV landscape for strong female characters has improved over the last 5 years and, if so, why do you think that is the case?

SL: Yes, I think it has – because more women seem to be writing and having a voice on TV. We used to see all-male-lead shows. So something with a woman seems fresh.

TTTP: For readers who have not yet tuned in, why should they give Single Ladies a try?

SL: You should give "Single Ladies" a try because you should give everything a try at least once.

TTTP: What might surprise them about the show?

SL I don't even want that responsibility. They just see if it's something that they like. I don't want to promise a surprise – that's a setup. I'm not reinventing the wheel; I haven't invented friendships or relationships.

Don't miss Single Ladies, Mondays at 9pm on VH-1.

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
So You Think You Can Dance was down 16% from last week and 9% from last year's first elimination episode…Love Bites was the only original scripted series on a broadcast network on Thursday night and was down a smidge from last week's poor numbers…

SUNDAY
The season finale of HBO's Game of Thrones was watched by a season/series high 3 million people, with an additional 900,000 being added in if you combine it with the 11:15 replay that night. Overall the average episode viewership grew 37% from premiere to finale…The season finale of The Killing was up from the last two weeks although down a bit from the series premiere earlier in the year…Drop Dead Diva may have been down a bit in total viewers but it was the most watched season premiere in the demos in series history…The 5.9 million who tuned in to the premiere of Falling Skies made it the most watched cable series premiere of 2011, with last July's Rizzoli & Isles being the last time a new cable show did better…Miss USA was up 37% in total viewers and a whopping 57% in the demos, although last year it aired 7-9 instead of this year's 9-11…The Daytime Emmys were down 27%...

MONDAY
MasterChef was up 10% from last week's numbers and tied with The Bachelorette for the night's demo win…The Bachelorette was down 8%, the second down week in a row, while lead-out Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition was even…

TUESDAY
The Voice was down 7% but still easily won the night in demos…Wipeout was down a dramatic 45% from its summer 2010 debut and finished third at 8pm behind America's Got Talent and Masterchef…Combat Hospital did not open well, with demos that were 37% smaller than what Rookie Blue put up last year…101 Ways To Leave A Game Show matched the numbers that the premiere of Downfall put up last June…

WEDNESDAY
Last week's season premiere of Hot In Cleveland was watched by 2.4 million, quality numbers for a cable comedy but half the audience that watched the series premiere last summer. More impressive was Happily Divorced, which held on to 100% of its lead-in audience…


All The Young Dudes, Carry The News
Industry News, Notes, and Hot Rumors… Emmy winner Terry O'Quinn has joined the cast of Hawaii 5-0 in a major recurring role for the upcoming season. This marks O'Quinn's first return to series TV since Lost and reunites him with his former co-star Daniel Dae Kim…Starz has picked up a first season of Noir, a live action adaptation of the Japanese anime series about two female assassins. Sam Rami and Robert Topert, who teamed to make Spartacus: Blood & Sand for the network, are executive producers…Lisa Edelstein's first post-B>House TV gig will be doing multiple episodes of The Good Wife next season…Thomas Gibson signed a new two year deal to stay with Criminal Minds…Oscar nominee Darren Aronosfky has joined Hobgoblin as an executive producer. The series-in-development for HBO is written by Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Chabon and his novelist wife Ayelet Waldman and follows a troup of con men and magicians who do battle with Hitler's army in World War II Germany…James Frain (True Blood, The Cape) will guest on Burn Notice…CBS is developing Identity Crisis, a new game show produced by David Arquette and Courtney Cox that is based on the board game of the same name. The show features pairs trying to name correctly name famous people (both real and fictional) and Craig Ferguson is thisclose to signing on as host…Kyle Howard (My Boys) and Wilmer Valderrama will do multiple episodes of Royal Pains this summer…Those of you already going through Game of Thrones withdrawal will be happy to learn that filming for season two begins on July 25th…Comedy Central got out of the sports business as fast as it got in, cancelling Sports Show with Norm McDonald and Onion SportsDome after one season runs for each…Showtime is working on a series adaptation of 100 Bullets, the award winning comic book that had 100 issues during its 1999-2009 run…Speaking of comic book/graphic novel adaptations, Jason Patric and Lucy Punch (The Class, Dinner for Schmucks) has landed the leads in the FX pilot Powers…The CW announced their fall premiere dates; Tuesday 9/13 - 90210, Ringer; Wednesday 9/14 – H8R, ANTM; Thursday 9/15 – The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle; Friday 9/23 – Supernatural, Nikita; Monday 9/26 – Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie…CNN's Senior White House Correspondent Ed Henry left the network to become Fox News' Chief White House Correspondent…Spike has renewed Auction Hunters for a 26 episode third season and has plans for a live episode…Denis Leary will co-write and co-produce the USA pilot Sirens, an adaptation of a British series that is in turn an adaptation of a book about a group of paramedics…CBS signed a 10 year extension on their deal to broadcast The Grammys, meaning the awards ceremony will air on the network through 2021…Griffin Dunne has joined the cast of Showtime's House of Lies, which stars Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell…

Turns Out Not Where But Who You're With That Really Matters
The best thing I watched in the last seven days aka The Best of What's Around…
The Killing finale doesn't qualify as the best thing I watched this week but it certainly was the most discussed, with a lot of anger coming from fans at what they perceived to be lies about the concept of the show.

There is no doubt that AMC presented the show as a one season murder mystery and that if the show did well enough to warrant a second season it would involve a different case - this was how the Danish series it was based on did things, with the first case running a 20 episode season that was broken into two parts – but in the closing moments of Sunday's finale it was revealed that the evidence used to make an arrest had been manufactured, raising serious doubts about his guilt.

Executive producer Veena Sud has done a number of interviews this week pointing out that she never said the "Who Killed Rosie Larson?" question would be answered this season, telling various outlets that a decision was made during the production that because the Danish show ran 20 episodes, they would take 20 episodes to tell this story as well, meaning the 13 of season one and then finish it with the first 7 of season two, assuming they actually got to a season two.

I myself was not angry at the end of Sunday's episode – I actually thought the pulling the rug out from under the case was kind of fun as it was certainly unexpected – but I am wondering how they go about constructing season two. Each season one episode was one day in the investigation but I don't think the tension and heavy emotion can carry over if season two opens with "Day 14." I mean, I knew Sarah wasn't actually leaving Seattle for a new life anyway (mainly because I have actually watched TV before) but to drag that whole thing out again would be insulting to the viewers.

My best guess is that they open with something like "Three Months Later" and then there is a new mystery for the viewers to be let in on, namely what happened over the last three months, which would resemble the questions from season one, which were "who are these people and what led them to this point in their lives?".

Yes, The Killing has some plot holes, and yes, Sarah at times is a pretty lousy detective, but the acting is excellent and the dialogue rings true almost all the time. I can't think of a show attempting to deal with emotions like grief and guilt in such honest ways in recent memory, so the fact that the killer wasn't revealed at the end didn't really matter that much to me. Of course, if the show hadn't been picked up for a second season I would have been pissed as "Who Killed Rosie Larson?" would go down as one of TV's biggest unanswered questions, up there with "Did Benson defeat Governor Gatling in the election?"

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…In Plain's Sight's best season continues, with the best mix of the character's personal lives and their work cases they've ever done. I am still laughing out loud at times but now the emotional punch is much stronger…I've got to say I was pleasantly surprised by The Nine Lives of Chloe King; I'm not saying it's the new Buffy or even the new Charmed but I was entertained throughout the first two hours and found myself interested in what happened next. The writers did a good job of making the characters and plot lines familiar enough to be enticing but with just the right amount of spin on them to make them intriguing…The Protector didn't blow me away but also did not insult my intelligence, so the performances by Ally Walker and especially Thomas Robinson as her son Leo were strong enough to bring me back for me. The final scene at the end of the pilot got my heartstrings in a big way and underscored the title of the series without actually saying the words. Robinson was also phenomenal in the Jason Bateman-Jennifer Anniston film The Switch. No idea if he'll be any good when he hits his teens but right now he's the number one seed in his age bracket…Love Bites continues to be quite odd but I do appreciate the level of sex in the show, and by that I don't mean what they show on screen but rather that sex plays a huge role in the lives of many/most people and it's nice to see a series deal with it. Sometimes the subject is tackled for humor, sometimes for shock value, and sometimes as a way to show that the issues that can go with that level of intimacy (or lack thereof) are universal…Top Chef Masters was a huge disappointment this season, with the main reason being the challenges being more about wackiness than actual cooking skill. These are seasoned pros and a large part of the show should be exposing the audience to their strengths (and occasional weaknesses) and instead we got them jumping through kitchen hoops. It was a waste of their talent and a waste of my time and the finale, which found the chefs focusing on cooking, being so good just reinforced my feelings…The last 15 minutes of Men of a Certain Age's League of Their Owen episode were borderline brilliant, a mix of comedy and pathos that was equal parts squirm inducing uncomfortable and heartwarming. I truly love this show and am blown away this season by Scott Bakula's work…Here's a shock – I LOVE The Glee Project. I mean, how could I not?!?; I like reality shows that have prizes the winner really couldn't get any other way, I like the show they are casting for, and I like the music. Factor in that the contestants are all young so the drama that comes with is real and not manufactured (it may be immature at times but that's what happens when you get a bunch of teenagers together), plus it's got the most legitimately emotional elimination sequences I've seen...I am a bit surprised by how much I have liked MasterChef; it's not one of my favorites but seeing Gordon Ramsay relaxed and giving constructive criticisms to the contestants has been so much more entertaining than him in his "Morton Downey Jr. of the kitchen" persona…How amazing was Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer Michael Irvin on Monday's Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition?!?! There is no doubt that James does not lose all that weight without the inspiration provided by that afternoon with Irvin and Nate Newton…I had a three episode Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution marathon on Tuesday while waiting for the Sears repairman to come fix our washing machine (the guilty party – one of my son's socks ) and was immediately sucked into the drama of the show, created by both the importance of the information he is trying to get out there and by the LA school system doing everything they can to keep the cameras out. The one school administrator saying he would never let his daughter eat the public school lunch was really all the information you need to know something is wrong with the system. I know ABC isn't likely to do another season but perhaps TLC or Food Network might be interested in something this combination of entertainment and education…I enjoyed Rocco's Dinner Party enough to keep watching; it's kind of like a mix of Top Chef and Chopped but with the coolest judges table ever…

TV Pick Of The Week
If anyone tells you they knew when True Blood premiered that it was going to be the huge hit that it's turned into, they are lying. Sure, the books were popular enough and Alan Ball was coming off of the brilliant Six Feet Under but no one could have predicted the way it crossed over from TV show to pop culture touch stone almost instantly. On the other hand, in hindsight it's not hard to see that a mix of sex, violence, and subject matter that people clearly feel strongly about is a fantastic recipe for success.

If you haven't jumped on the True Blood wagon just yet, HBO has been so kind as to compress the first three seasons into five minutes…





And now that you've seen that, here's a trailer for season four…





Don't miss the season premiere of True Blood, Sunday at 9pm on HBO.


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

*CMT's Crossroads (Tonight, 10pm) is the best musical performance series on TV and the latest episode teams up Luke Bryan with the Doobie Brothers.

*OWN's latest new series is Carson Nation (Saturday, 10pm), which finds Carson Kressley traveling across the country to give people going through hard times a helping hand.

*This Sunday's Food Network Star (9pm) challenge finds the cast and crew of Cougar Town as guest judges. Maybe something to do with penny can(dy)?

*Law and Order: Criminal Intent nails its final bad guy ever this Sunday at 9pm on USA.

*TTTP fave Steven Weber guests on TNT's Falling Skies this Sunday at 9pm.

*Leverage's first three seasons have established it as a thinking person's mindless fun, much better written and acted than you might think and with a knack for great casting. Season four premieres Sunday at 10pm, with Leon Ripping (Saving Grace, Deadwood) as this year's Big Bad.

*Hot Coffee – the latest in HBO's summer documentary series – looks at big buck lawsuits like the one where the woman got mad McDonalds' cash for spilling coffee on herself as a way to examine the issue of tort reform.

*The Big C is perhaps the best comedy that hasn't hit the mainstream yet but season two, which kicks off Monday at 10:30 pm following the season premier of Weeds, may be what breaks it through.

*A Mozzie-centric episode of White Collar (Tuesday, 10pm, USA) is always reason for celebration.

*The Voice (NBC) crowns their first champion on Wednesday at 8pm.

*Season four (?!?!?!) of TLC's I Didn't Know That I Was Pregnant premieres Wednesday at 9pm.

*The Bachelor meets Survivor. If that grabbed you than you should check out Love in the Wild, premiering Wednesday at 10pm on NBC.

*Callie Thorne, whose work on Rescue Me has been far too ignored by awards voting bodies, is the lead in USA's new Necessary Roughness (Wednesday, 10pm), playing a psychotherapist who starts to take on pro athletes as clients.

*Extreme Chef (Thursday, 10pm) is a new competition show from Food Network. What, you're going to watch Love in the Wild but you won't watch this?!?

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, 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 Nine Lives of Chloe King, 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.





Hey, I forgot to mention what a great time I had yesterday attending another Boston taping of The Soup. This was my second go round at seeing the show up close and personal and the clear highlight was Joel McHale asking the audience if they read Two Tivos To Paradise. Of course he did so during the commercial break so you'll never see it but it was still damn cool. We'll be back in 7 days with all the latest TV headlines.

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.