Two Tivos To Paradise 12.02.11 Sons of Anarchy, The Walking Dead, True Blood, Army Wives, Touch,

Posted by Al Norton on 12.02.2011

From Mad Men and Sons of Anarchy to Community, Breaking Bad and more, 411's Al Norton ranks the best casts on TV! Plus, news on Fox's mid-season lineup, Chris Meloni going to True Blood and more!



Hello friends. Since we last met there's been Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so I hope everyone saved a lot of money while working their way through a good chuck of their holiday shopping lists. The Red Sox finally got a new manager, too; I am neither happy nor upset about Bobby Valentine, I simply want them to get to work on getting a closer and someone to play right field and hiring a manager means they can get down to business.






We've got a great holiday themed DVD giveaway this week; the all new VeggieTales The Little Drummer Boy, which features the incredible vocal talents of Bebe and Cece Winans, and The Original Christmas Classics set, which includes Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Comin' To Town, and Frosty Returns!!! While both these sets are available on Amazon.com and make for wonderful holiday presents, you can win the two by going to the TTTP Facebook page, clicking "like" if you have not already, and posting "I love celebrating the holidays with Two Tivos to Paradise." As long as you have a US mailing address and haven't won anything in six months, you're eligible! We'll choose a winner at random on Monday morning.

A quick look at Fox's upcoming Alcatraz…





And here's the latest trailer for Dallas, coming to TNT next summer….




So here' the plan for December; we'll have regular news columns the next two weeks and then do our Year's Best Lists on the 23rd, followed on the 30th by our annual TV Entertainers of the Year edition.

His news and his cattle are his only companions.

When The Change Was Made Uptown And The Big Man Joined The Band From The Coastline To the City All The Little Pretties Raised Their Hands
The end of the year makes for some slow news weeks, which means I go to the notebook to see what lists I've been working on that all of you can argue with me about. Today's category is Best Casts on Television. Some shows have a mix of strong and weak performances, some have a fantastic lead and less-than-stellar supporting work, and some frankly don't have much to offer at all, but what I am looking at is a top to bottom level of (high) quality. What follows are my picks for the best Comedy and Drama casts currently on TV (as in active shows, so Mad Men makes the list even though it won't be on again until March, but Friday Night Lights, which aired in 2011 but is no longer with us, does not). Also, these are in no particular order other than being in the upper 1% when it comes to talent.

THE 10 BEST CASTS ON TV, DRAMA
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Breaking Bad (NBC)
The Closer (TNT)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
The Good Wife (CBS)
Homeland (Showtime)
Justified (FX)
Mad Men (AMC)
Parenthood (NBC)
Sons of Anarchy (FX)

THE 10 BEST CASTS ON TV, COMEDY
30 Rock (NBC)
Archer (FX)
Community (NBC)
Cougar Town (ABC)
Glee (Fox)
Happy Endings (ABC)
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)
Modern Family (ABC)
Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Raising Hope (Fox)

Not as easy as you'd think to make this list as there were some very tough calls, especially in the comedies. Louie may have been the toughest omission; Louis C.K. is phenomenal but there are others on the show in smaller roles who are simply ok and I was going for the strongest overall cast. The Middle was hard for me to leave off, too, and if I made this list in the spring after Suburgatory had more episodes under its belt, it could be here, too.

Most interesting on the drama side is that only two shows from the big 5 broadcast networks made the cut, and it's not like there was another one that I'd put in the Honorable Mention category, either. Simply put, while we may be in a golden age of dramatic television, 80+% of it is happening on cable.

Please use the comments section below to let me know what shows you would put on your list – I love to know where I epically failed.

He Had A Woman He Loved In Saigon, Got A Picture Of Her In His Arms Now
USA Network co-presidents Jeff Wachtel and Chris McCumber did an interview with The Hollywood Reporter where they discussed plans for new series, including breaking into the reality genre. New series in the works include…

*The Choir; an adaptation of an award winning BBC series about a town that comes together to form a vocal group.

*The Moment; hosted by former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner, finds people put in situations that could change their lives forever.

*Untitled Docu-soap; reality series from Adam DiVello, who created The Hills and The City for MTV.

*Untitled social experiment; reality show about relationships from production company Magical Elves, responsible for Top Chef and Work of Art, to name just two.

They also said they were committed to developing half hour comedies, were excited about adding Modern Family reruns to the lineup in 2013, and had had conversations about the idea of a late night talk show.

I was a huge fan of the original version of The Choir so I am thrilled with the idea of a US version, especially since the choir master will be the same guy. As far as the other shows go, it's simply a part of being a major network in the modern era, and at this point USA is a pretty major network, with a run of successful original scripted programming not seen ever before on cable; I actually can't think of the last time they had a new show go one-and-done, and I'm not going to cheat by going to Wikipedia or IMDB. This past year they launched the ok Fairly Legal, the solid Necessary Roughness, and the fantastic Suits, along with seasons of PSYCH and Burn Notice that may be those long running series best ever. Throw in Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, and White Collar continuing to do well and you've got a lineup that NBC would kill for.

And Just For The Moment She's Wearing The Gown That Broke All Their Minds Back So Many Years
Lifetime added an additional 10 episodes to the upcoming sixth season of Army Wives, bringing the total to 23 and causing potential issues with the future plans of several of the cast members. This was expected by many to be the final season of the show, with Sally Pressman signing a holding deal with NBC and Catherine Bell doing a TNT movie that was to serve as a backdoor pilot to a new action/drama, but the way the network made the order – adding the episodes to the existing season instead of picking up a new one – means the cast is not only contractually obligated to work but to do so at their current rate of pay. Deadline.com, which broke the story, says it's rumored the series regulars were offered an additional $10,000 per episode.

Lifetime is likely to break the 23 episodes into two batches, which is what HBO did with The Sopranos back in 2006; rather than do two separate seasons and have to deal with new contracts, the network ordered a 20 episode season that was broken into two runs (12 and 8 episodes) and offered the cast a 10% raise. A deal was brokered at the last minute when several supporting cast members said they were not going to re-sign.

If this is going to be the last season of the show it gives Lifetime plenty of time to hype the end of what has been the most successful original series in the network's history, and two more opportunities to launch new series behind it. Some new cast additions to the show (Kelli Williams, Susan Lucci, Kellie Martin, Robert John Burke, and Michelle Bathe all doing multiple episodes) have made it seem like the network still wants to keep its options open in terms of keeping the show going minus several of the original cast members.

Pressman is potentially the biggest loser in this as her deal with NBC called for her to be starring in a show (either a new series or her being added to the cast of an existing series) in the fall of 2012 and the production time on these 10 new episodes takes her out of that timeline. Bell's opportunities with TNT are less effected since cable networks are much more likely to launch new series year round.

She's Got Chocolate On Her Face, Got Little Hands, And She Waves At Me, Yeah, Smiles At Me
Multiple networks announced season and/or series premiere dates this week (series premieres have trailers with them)…

Project Runway All-stars (Lifetime), Thursday 1/5, 9pm

Justified (FX), Tuesday 1/17, 10pm

White Collar (USA), Tuesday 1/17, 10pm

Royal Pains (USA), Tuesday 1/18, 10pm

Archer (FX), Thursday 1/19, 10pm

Common Law (USA), Thursday 1/26, 10pm




Luck (HBO), Sunday 1/29, 10pm





Eastbound and Down (HBO), Sunday 2/19, 10pm

Life's Too Short (HBO), Sunday 2/19, 10:30pm




Obviously fans of high quality TV will be excited about the returns of Justified and Archer, both of which have spots on my upcoming year's best lists. USA is breaking from their standard operating procedure by launching a new show without using a current hit as a lead-in but that says a lot about the network's confidence in both this show and the overall brand they have established as well (see above).

To say I am looking forward to the mockumentary that is Life's Too Short is a huge understatement. I've loved Davis since Willow and don't think there is anyone other than maybe Larry David who understands how to translate uncomfortable situations and awkwardness into comedy as well as the Gervais-Merchant duo.

Late in the day on Thursday Fox released their mid-season schedule as well…

MONDAYS
1/16 Alcatraz, 8 – 10
1/23 House 8pm, Alcatraz 9pm
3/19 House 8pm, Touch 9pm

TUESDAYS
1/17 Glee 8pm, New Girl 9pm, Raising Hope 9:30pm
3/6 New Girl encore 8pm, Breaking In 8:30pm, New Girl 9pm, Raising Hope 9:30pm

WEDNESDAYS
1/4 Glee Encore 8pm, Mobbed 9pm
1/11 Mobbed encore 8pm, Mobbed 9pm
1/18 American Idol 8 – 10pm
1/25 American Idol 8pm, Touch preview 9pm
2/1 American Idol 8pm, Mobbed 9pm
2/15 American Idol 8 – 10pm

THURSDAYS
1/12 Bones encore 8pm, The Finder 9pm
1/19 American Idol 8pm, The Finder 9pm

FRIDAYS
1/13 Kitchen Nightmares 8pm, Fringe 9pm

SUNDAYS
1/8 The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, American Dad
1/15 The Simpsons, Napoleon Dynamite, Family Guy, Napoleon Dynamite
1/22 NFC Championship Game 6pm, American Idol 10pm
1/29 The Cleveland Show (7:30pm), The Simpsons, Napoleon Dynamite, Family Guy, American Dad
3/11 The Cleveland Show (7:30pm), The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, American Dad

Allen Gregory is dead and gone, never to see the light of day again (not officially but it's a sure thing), while Terra Nova fans will have to wait until the spring to learn the show's fate. Great to see Breaking In on the schedule. The big question is, where do they put Glee in the spring?!?!?

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
Even in reruns The Big Bang Theory dominates, topping the night in totals and demos by a wide margin…As far as the holiday specials went, Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas was the top performer in totals and demos, followed by A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (ABC), A Very Gaga Thanksgiving (ABC), Happiness is a Warm Blanket Charlie Brown (Fox), Horton Hears a Who (NBC), and The 85th Anniversary of the Macy's Parade (NBC)

FRIDAY
Big movie night, with the second hour of Iron Man on Fox being the night's top demo performer…Blue Bloods was the night's most watched program despite being a rerun, although it did finish third in the 10:00 demos behind a new episode of 20/20 and the final hour of National Treasure: Book of Secrets… Similar results at 9pm with CSI: NY winning total viewers but finishing 4th in demos…The first hour of Shrek the Third won 8pm in totals and tied for demos...The series premiere of Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse did solidly, although one has to wonder why they picked the second day of a four day weekend to launch the show. Week 2 will be a much better indication of the show's audience…

SUNDAY
Huge demos for The Walking Dead mid-season finale, topping those from last year's season finale…Once Upon a Time was down 11% but still put up the best scripted demos of a show on the big 5…Allen Gregory finished last for the night in total viewers and second to last in demos…Sunday Night Football was again the big winner…Kourtney & Kim Take New York posted series highs while helping leadout After Chelsea do the same…

MONDAY
Despite airing all reruns, CBS won every hour in totals and demos…Hart of Dixie hit a demo season/series high…How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Shrek the Halls were both up from their pairing last year…Rock Center was up 33% to hit season/series highs in totals and demos…Both were reruns but Hawaii 5-0 topped i>Castle by a wide margin…You Deserve It lost 50% of its audience in week two without Dancing with the Stars as a lead-in…The Sing Off was down 25% in total viewers and 37% in demos from the season two finale…

TUESDAY
Last Tuesday's premiere of Jeff Dunham: Birth of a Dummy set Bio Channel records for total viewers and demos…Big night for The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, up 35 to last year to hit an all-time demo high…Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer owned 8pm, crushing all comers in totals and demos…8:00 was an hour of mostly gains, with Glee (+11% totals, +5% demos), 90210 (+25 totals, + 33% demos), and The Biggest Loser (+20% demos) showing increases…An NCIS rerun at 9pm was the night's most watched show in terms of total viewers…New Girl and Raising Hope were each up double digits in total viewers…Sons of Anarchy posted its highest ratings since the record breaking season premiere…8 of the top 10 spots on the list of top cable non-news shows of the night were filled with Big Bang Theory reruns on TBS and Storage Wars on A&E…

WEDNESDAY
Harry's Law took advantage of most reruns as competition to hit a season high in totals and demos, up 38% and 27%, respectively…The Muppets helped The CW have their best Wednesday numbers in 12 months…SVU was up 34% in totals and 16% in demos…X-Factor won the night in totals and demos, with Survivor a close second on the evening in both…I Hate My Teenage Daughter launched well after X-Factor, improving over what Traffic Light did post-Idol but down from Breaking In's post Idol premiere…

All The Young Dudes, Carry The News
Industry News, Notes, and Hot Rumors…Bryan Singer (X-Men, Superman Returns) will direct the pilot for NBC's reboot of The Munsters, a project written and executive produced by Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies, Heroes)…Christopher Merloni is thisclose to signing on for a major role on the new season of True Blood. This would be his first TV role since departing SVU last summer…Hugh Laurie told an interviewer that he would retire from acting once House finished its run because he couldn't imagine finding a character as interesting and challenging to play…ABC has announced that The Revolution will premiere on Monday, January 16th. The new daily talk show focused on giving viewers ways to change their lives for the better will feature Ty Pennington, Tim Gunn, Harley Pasternak, Dr. Jennifer Ashton, and Dr, Tiffanie Davis Henrie. The final episode of One Life to Live will air on Friday, January 13th…The NBA settling their labor dispute means there will a NBA tripleheader on Christmas Day and an abbreviated regular season schedule to follow. ESPN, TNT, and ABC are thrilled to not have so much programming to fill…Justin Hartley (Smallville) will guest on Castle…We talked about Parks and Rec's great cast above and now comes word that Kathryn Hahn (last seen on Free Agents) will do four episodes as the campaign manager for Leslie's rival while Louis C.K. will be back to reprise his role as Leslie's ex-boyfriend for an episode…Travel Channel has renewed Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations (8th season), Ghost Adventures (season six), Mysteries at the Museum (season three), The Dead Files (season two), Off Limits (season two), Truck Stop USA (formerly Truck Stop Missouri, season two), and Sand Masters (season two)…ABC Family picked up a third season of Pretty Little Liars…Friday Night Lights alum Jesse Plemons and Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden will do multiple episodes of the upcoming NBC sitcom Bent (a pilot I really enjoyed but one that the network has yet to give an airdate to)…Live Schrieber will play the lead in the Showtime pilot Ray Donovan, a dark dramedy about an LA fixer (helps the rich and famous deal with big problems) who can't keep his own personal life together…Lauren Stamile (Burn Notice, Community, Grey's Anatomy) will do multiple episodes of The Secret Circle…Michelle Forbes will be back as a regular for the second season of The Killing…Ricky Martin will guest on Glee as McKinley's new Spanish teacher and rumors abound that Goria Estefan will appear on the same episode, playing Santana's Mother…Chuck's Zachary Levi will host Spike TV's Video Game Awards later this month…Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Pitbull, and Hot Chelle Rae have been signed to perform on ABC's
Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve…

Turns Out Not Where But Who You're With That Really Matters
(The Best of What's Around aka The Best Thing I've Watched In The Last Seven Days)…
ESPN's Outside the Lines continues to be among the best examples of the real power of television; telling stories about real people that inspire us, give us perspective on our lives, and remind us all what we are capable of when we dedicate ourselves to something…






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…Suburgatory has really won a place in my heart in its first season run, which has given us some quality satire of the lives of suburban adults and teens while at the same time presenting the characters in an endearing light…I know Oded Fehr is a steadily employed actor but he's so charming, smooth, sexy (yes, I said it), and also authentic in his action scenes during his three Covert Affairs episodes that it's remarkable that it's been so long since he was a series regular on anything. Hell, I think he should play the leader of an Israeli motorcycle club on the next season of Sons of Anarchy…Loving all the different folks providing the voice of Geoff Peterson on The Late Late Show the last few weeks. Let's hope this becomes an annual event. It might just be because he went first but I think Alfred Molina has been my favorite…Sunday's Once Upon a Time was the best to date and it was no coincidence how much it reminded me of an episode of Lost, with character back story informing what was happening in present time in a way that made both groups of scenes that much richer. Loved the way Archie stood up to the Mayor at the end. Those dolls were the creepiest thing this side of The Walking Dead that I have seen this fall…Caught a reairing of the Carole King – James Taylor episode of American Masters on PBS; despite some too-arty touches, this was an amazing look at two of our country's most talented musical composers and performers as well as at the entire singer-songwriter movement in the music industry. This is must-see stuff for those interested not only in musical history but in US history as well…Repeat after me, "I am not the Chinese kid from Goonies"…Loved, loved, LOVED Raising Hope this week, not only for introducing me to Brogurt but also for its note perfect homage to The Wizard of Oz. Hey, you know it's a good show if it makes me think that Andrew Dice Clay is funny…Wow, Marcus Samuelsson went home! Next Iron Chef: Superchefs is awesome, with a group of people who are at the top of their game given the opportunity to do what they do best. Yes, the challenges are designed to make them think on their feet – that's what Iron Chef is all about – but they never take away from the cooking, which can't be said of what goes on on many similar shows…Chopped has really grown over its first few seasons and seems to have gotten some pop culture roots (when Bill Simmons writes about you, you know you've made it). The recent episode featuring cafeteria workers from the New York Public Schools was a great example of inspired thinking…I have enjoyed this second season of The Walking Dead greatly – unlike a vocal minority, it seems – but even I will admit that the mid-season finale on Sunday took it up a notch. I could see the end coming but didn't know how they were going to get there, and my heart was racing when Shane started taking whacks at the locks on the barn. I read something recently about how the title refers to the main characters as opposed to the zombies, and I thought that was interesting…

TV Pick Of The Week
The first half of the Sons of Anarchy season finale was almost a non-stop heart racing hour, with twists and turns and some gunshots that will reverberate for a long, long time. The second hour, which airs Tuesday at 10pm, is just as good, but much, much different. Yes, there are twists, including a biggie in the first 15 minutes, but the majority of the episode is about the characters reacting to the developments as opposed to the developments themselves, and features some great performances and even a few much needed lighter moments.

I worry some may be disappointed that it's a different kind of finale, one that, as I mentioned, is more character driven than others the show has done, but long time fans of the show will be in awe of the way the show that has the best long term storytelling on television finds ways to top itself again.

Don't miss part two of the Sons of Anarchy season finale, Tuesday at 10pm on FX.

Hope You Need My Love, Babe, Just Like I Need You
Other viewing options from the next seven days…

*It's a HUGE college football weekend for Fox, with the Pac 12 Championship tonight at 7:30pm and the inaugural Big 10 Championship game the following night in the same time slot. ESPN gets into the act with the ACC Championship game Saturday at 8pm. There, I think I got those right.

*The CW airs mid-season finales of Nikita (8pm) and Supernatural (9pm) tonight.

*Neverland, Sunday and Monday at 9pm on Syfy





*Going through Sing Off withdrawal? Monday at 8pm NBC gets finalists from the first three seasons together for The Sing Off Holiday Special.

*I really can't wait to see what happens on the next How I Met Your Mother (Monday, 8pm, CBS).

*I already have The Closer (Monday, 9pm, TNT) season passed but Fred Willard doing a guest spot makes me want to add it again.

*Syfy gives us Christmas episodes of Eureka (8pm) and Warehouse 13 (9pm) this Tuesday.

*Teen Moms 2 (Tuesday, 10pm, MTV) is back for a second trimester…err, season.

*Season two of Covert Affairs signs off Tuesday at 10pm, with things perhaps finally heating up between Auggie and Annie.

*It's an all holiday themed night for the ABC comedies on Wednesday (The Middle, Suburgatory, Modern Family, and Happy Endings), followed by the mid-season finale of Revenge.

*Community (Thursday, 8pm, NBC) holiday episode featuring the study group singing?!?! You had me at Community.

Two Tivos To Paradise
24 Hour Restaurant Battle, 30 Rock, After the Catch, American Idol, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Antiques Roadshow, Archer, Auction Hunters, The Big C, Boardwalk Empire, Being Human, Bones, Bored To Death, Breaking Bad, Burn Notice, Celebrity Apprentice, Cake Boss, Chopped, Chuck, The Closer, Community, Cougar Town, Crave, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Deadliest Catch, Desperate Housewives, Destination Truth, Entourage, Eureka, Fact or Faked, Falling Skies, Fairly Legal, Family Guy, Flipping Out, Food Feuds, Food Network Challenge, Food Network Star, Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters Academy, Ghost Hunters International, Ghost Lab, Glee, Gossip Girl, Great Food Truck Race, Grey's Anatomy, Happy Endings, Haunted Treasure, Hawaii 5-0, Hell on Wheels, Hollywood Treasure, House, How I Met Your Mother, How To Make It In America, Hung, If You Really Knew Me, Iron Chef America, Justified, The Killing, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Law And Order: Special Victims Unit, Louie, Mad Men, Man v. Food Nation, The Middle, Mike and Molly, Modern Family, Necessary Roughness, New Girl, Next Iron Chef, The Office, One Tree Hill, Outside the Lines, Parks & Recreation, Private Practice, Project Accessory, Project Runway, Psych, Raising Hope, Real Time With Bill Maher, Restaurant Impossible, Revenge, Ringer, Rocco's Dinner Party, Royal Pains, Rules Of Engagement, Sanctuary, Saturday Night Live, The Secret Circle, Shear Genius, So You Think You Can Dance?, Sons of Anarchy, The Soup, Suits, Suburgatory, Supernatural, Table For 12, Terra Nova, Top Chef, Top Chef Just Desserts, Top Chef: Masters, Top Design, Torchwood, Tosh.0, True Blood, Up All Night, The Vampire Diaries, The Voice, The Walking Dead, Warehouse 13, Web Soup, Wilfred, 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 in TV news.

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.