Two Tivos To Paradise 02.06.09: The Ultimate Destination for TV News

Posted by Al Norton on 02.06.2009

Amy Poehler's new sitcom finally has a name, Reaper comes back early, Bob Saget returns to primetime, ABC Family's new schedule does not include Kyle XY, Big Love gets renewed, the Emmys change things up, another big update on pilot season, raves for Battlestar Galactica, tons of news & notes, the TV Pick of the Week and more, all in the latest edition of Al Norton's Two Tivos To Paradise!

Hello Friends. Another week, another snow storm here in Boston. Between abnormally high snow fall and two 15 pound twins, my back is getting a serious work out.

A quick note for readers of the Two Tivos To Paradise American Idol Revue: because the Hollywood rounds go at such a fast and furious pace, I stopped the nightly recap until next Wednesday's episode, when the final 36 are revealed (top 18 men, top 18 women). If you are looking for something to read you can check out my interviews with 10 Items or Less' John Lehr here and with Ugly Betty star (and former Lost cast member) Grant Bowler here.

TTTP official singer/song writer Will Dailey launched a new website this week, which is the only place you can find our semi-weekly chats about, well…everything. It's also the best place to learn about his upcoming gigs, like Valentine's Day at Harper's Ferry in Boston and The Mercury Lounge in New York on 2/24. Dailey's Peace of Mind, featuring Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuin on harmonies, is my favorite song of 2009.

I found hot news on the hot news highway.

Well I Fought For You, I Fought Too Hard To Do It All Again, Babe
The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences made a big change to their annual awards – The Emmys – by adding an additional nominee to the top 10 major categories. Starting with the awards this spring each of the drama and comedy acting awards as well as the best series in those groups with have six contenders instead of the previous five. The other big change approved by the Academy's board of governors is that the nominations will be simply the top six vote getters in each category (actors vote to nominate actors and everybody votes for the series awards) and then a re-vote will take place after it's narrowed down. For the last several years a blue ribbon panel had input in the nominations as well but that experiment is no longer. If the voting for the last slot is within 2%, the categories will increase to seven nominations.

This strikes me as being the Academy saying we can't think of a way to get some of our voters to break their bad habits (voting for the same shows and people every year regardless of whether or not they've maintained their quality level) so our solution is to add more names. It's not really a bad idea, especially if it leads to the Friday Night Lights and Battlestar Galacticas of the world getting more recognition. For some high quality cable shows that are still trying to build an audience – Sons of Anarchy, as an example – one nomination in a major category can mean millions more people being aware that they exist.

The answer to the question I know you are asking is yes; the Norty Awards will follow suit and go to six nominations as well.

All Our Times Have Come, Here But Now They're Gone
It was good news and bad news for Reaper fans this week when The CW announced its midseason line up changes; the good news is the show will return on March 3rd, several weeks earlier than originally planed. The bad news is that its timeslot was shifted from 9 pm to 8 pm, meaning it will be going up against ratings juggernauts American Idol and NCIS. Privileged will wrap up its freshman season on February 24, withReaper debuting the following Tuesday, followed by 90210.

Anything that gets new episodes of Reaper on the air faster is ok with me, despite the fact that building an audience up against those hits will be tough. The show really came into its own the last half dozen or so episodes of last season, moving past it's lame villain-of-the-week issues. That being said, why is the network not showing season one on Sundays as a way to get people on board? You've got a show that had tremendous buzz when it debuted and then finished strong after a weak middle, and not only are you placing it against some proven hits but you are doing nothing to remind people of the quality of your product?!?!

Is there a way Reaper gets a third season, especially now when it seems much more likely that Smallville will be back in the fall? Stranger things have happened but it will take a combination of a good product and a loyal – and very vocal – fan base.

I Heard That People Get Married In The Park On Sunday Afternoons
CBS has ordered a first season on a new reality show tentatively titled Arranged Marriage, which documents the post-ceremony lives of total strangers who marry after their friends decide they are a good match. Produced by the team that gave us Top Chef and Project Runway, the series will open by introducing the audience to four single adults (25-45) who will have spouses selected for them by a group of friends and families, and the show takes off from there. There is already some controversy about a network TV program that marries people off, recalling memories of Fox's Married by America, where viewers voted on to whom contestants should get married.

CBS take on this is that it is more of a documentary series than anything else, bringing to the states the concept of arranged marriages, which go on in other countries throughout the world. The last CBS reality series that had this much immediate buzz was Kid Nation, a show that ultimately proved to be more mild that wild, both in terms of on-screen activities as well as Nielsen numbers.

I actually think this could be really interesting but the show being on CBS instead of FX or another cable network that can afford to take risks. One of the things I love about 30 Days – the single best reality show on TV – is that they aren't afraid to have unhappy endings, people going their separate ways still disagreeing about issues. A major network might feel more pressure to go the root of "smiles everyone, smiles" instead of digging deeper.

Let Me Tell Y'all What It's Like Being Male, Middle Class, And White
Last week we mentioned how ABC was looking in to picking up the Bob Saget starring Surviving Suburbia sitcom that was left over from when The CW was leasing out it's Sunday nights to MRC and now comes word that not only is the network picking it up but they've scheduled it in the prime post-Dancing With the Stars timeslot of Mondays at 9:30 pm starting in April. Sitcom vets Jere Burns, Dan Cortese, and Cynthia Stevenson co-star.

Wow, talk about a change of fortune; you go from not knowing if the show you had already made 13 episodes will ever see the light of day to getting a major network time slot that most would kill for. I mean, they all signed on for a show that was going to be on The CW on Sunday nights, not exactly a recipe for high ratings, and now they get to come on after one of ABC's most proven winners.

ABC is clearly sticking to their promise of getting more comedy on their airwaves; when Surviving Suburbia debuts it will become one of five sitcoms they have in the lineup along with Scrubs, Better Off Ted (debuting in March), Samantha Who?, and In The Motherhood (also starting in March).

One thing I am interested in seeing is what kind of character Saget plays. On Full House and AFHV he was playing it super nice but recently the mainstream has become much more familiar with his very, very dirty side, which I am hoping the writers take advantage of by making him a suburban Dad with an edge.

When I Saw The Ambulance Screaming Down Main Street I Didn't Give It A Thought
ABC Family made some programming news this week, the biggest item being their cancellation of the sci-fi series Kyle XY after three seasons. Greek got picked up for a third season, as did the criminally under watched Lincoln Heights. While The Secret Life of the American Teenager did not get an official pick up, the renewal is a forgone conclusion and the delay is based on figuring out how many episodes will be ordered.

Three new shows were picked up, all set to debut in 2009.

*10 Things I Hate About You is an adaptation of the movie of the same name, focusing on the two, very different Stradford sisters. The pilot was directed by Gil Junger, who was behind the camera for the big screen version as well.

*Ruby and the Rockets is a comedy from David, Shaun, and Patrick Cassidy and tells the story of a former teen idol (Patrick) whose enjoyment of a quiet, suburban life is interrupted by the arrival of his brother – and former band mate – (David) and his teenage daughter, played by Alex Vega, whom he just found out he had.

*Perfect 10 revolves around a group of teenagers in the world of competitive gymnastics. Peri Gilpin (Frazier) stars in the hour long drama.

There are a lot of Kyle XY fans sending petitions out on the web right now but the ratings for the current season premiere probably sealed its fate. Word is that producers will have enough time to wrap things up in the finale. Lincoln Heights is one of the best family dramas - as in a show the whole family can watch together and have neither the adults or the kids feel patronized – on TV right now and I am hoping that ABC Family gets behind it more by running the first two seasons leading up to the third as a way to draw more viewers.

The network is silent on the fate of The Middleman, named best comedy of 2007 by this space, although TVGuide.com is reporting that an announcement about the show's future, including the possibility of a new format (big screen? TV movies?) is expected shortly.

So I Sing You To Sleep, After The Lovin'
A Double Shot At Love's season finale aired last Tuesday, which means I can now run a couple of the answers the Ikki Twins gave me in our conversation last week without risking ruining the episode, in particular the part about Rikki's choice for love not choosing her.

TTTP: Since the show was taped a few months back you've had to stay away from the person you choose since then. Are you excited to start the next phase in the relationship with them? Nervous?

Rikki: After the final elimination we are not allowed to see the person we chose till the reunion. This was not hard for me because I didn't get chosen. What was hard though was, in order to keep the ending a surprise I was not allowed to be single and mingling. So it was difficult being rejected and not having a rebound. It was also very lonely. Vikki had somebody, even though she couldn't see him she had someone to think about someone to talk to. I had no one and I couldn't even look, it was like putting you're love life on hold. I want to find love more then anything and now I have to wait. However, I have learned a lot about my self being independent but I am very excited to get back out there.

TTTP: What's next for the Ikki Twins?

Rikki: What's next?!? Hopefully for me, LOVE! But who knows what the future has in store for us? I can tell you though, whatever it is we are doing, well be doing it together!

Vikki: What's next for us... A fab threesome! Dirty minds! Not like that, but expect to see Rikki, Trevor, and I together a lot!

Do I smell a sequel, where maybe this time Vikki makes the pick for her sister, since Rikki choosing on her own didn't work out so well?

Like A Coin In Your Mint, I'm Dented And I'm Spent With High Treason
It's pilot season in TV Land and as such we've broken the updates about new shows out of the "All The Young Dudes" section below and given it it's own feature. All of the shows mentioned below are having pilots filmed, putting them one step closer to getting a spot in their network's line ups this fall…

ABC: Let it Go, a single camera comedy that marks Lauren Graham's (Gilmore Girls) return to primetime, got the "move forward" order from the network…Scrubs writing staff alum Tad Quill got a new sitcom picked up, one that focuses on two friends whose lives are heading in very different directions (one with a new baby, the other dealing with an empty nest)…Jerry Bruckheimer's new show finds a team of amateur detectives trying to solves cases involving unidentified victims…McG is executive producing Limelight, a soap based at a performing arts college in New York…Mark Gordon (Grey's Anatomy, Army Wives) is one of the executive producers of Empire State, a drama revolving around two families, one blue collar and the other super wealthy, and the romance that causes the two to interact…Two Tivos favorite Sofia Vierga has joined the cast of American Family…Yves Simoneau (The 4400, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee) will direct the pilot for the remake of V…

CBS: The biggest CBS pilot news is that Entertainment Weekly is reporting that LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell are thisclose to signing on for the NCIS spin off. Both would appear in an episode of NCIS this spring that would introduce the team that would populate the new show…Here is a shock – CBS is working on new crime dramas! The Unit executive producer Frank Military has a series that follows a team of federal prosecutors based in New York…Criminal Minds showrunner Ed Bernero got the thumbs up for Washington Field about an elite team of experts who work globally protecting US interests. The series is being made with the full cooperation of the FBI…In non-crime series, the network has Back, a drama about a man who returns home after being missing for 8 years after 9/11. Dean Widenmann, who has written for Bones and CSI Miami, is executive producing…Mark Gordon is certainly busy; along with his ABC pilot (see above) is word that House Rules, a show that follows an incoming group of Congressman and women in Washington DC, is in production for CBS. Both Gordon produced pilots are written by Michael Seitzman (North Country) and it's understood that House Rules tops Empire State on his priority list…One of the more interesting sounding comedy pilots of the season is The Fish Tank, which finds a high school student given his house to himself five days a week after his parents take jobs that involve traveling. The show is from the team of Josh Goldsmith and Kathy Yupa, who previously were executive producers/showrunners for King of Queens and created Till Death…

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 week (or so)... Super Bowl XLIII was the most watched Super Bowl in history with an average of 98.7 million…Burn Notice topped it's big 3 network competition in men 18-34 and beat a rerun of ER in total audience as well…Las Thursday's American Idol pulled in 24.3 million and helped lead out Hell's Kitchen pull 11.1 million in to it's season premiere, Fox highest rated Thursday season premiere in over 9 years…Despite being up against the Super Bowl, Big Love was up 29% from the previous week's season premiere…CSI took advantage of the lack of a new Grey's to secure an average audience of 20.1 million…Supernatural had it's strongest numbers since the season premiere…Chuck's special 3-D episode was a season high for total audience and demos…Heroes 8.6 million was an increase of 8% from its last new outing and the show beat 24 in the demos with it's best numbers since October…The Bachelor continued it's renaissance, posting the series best numbers of the season…House's 100th episode was down from the big numbers from it's last episode, and 24 dropped 14% in kind…Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill jumped a bit in the demos they treasure…CSI Miami drew 16.1 million, almost doubling the number of people who tuned in to the season premiere of Medium…How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory both dropped a bit from their last episodes…It's not looking good for TNT's Trust Me – its second episode lost roughly 65% of the lead-in audience from The Closer and was down more than 40% from week one…American Idol is picking up steam as they enter the Hollywood rounds; Tuesday's total 26.28 million was a seven figure increase over last week. That lead-in helped Fringe to its second best total – and best ever with the demos…How do you know when a show is a hit? When a rerun still draws over 14 million, which was the case with this week's NCIS…Without A Trace and SVU did their standard "former wins the totals, latter wins the demos" dance…Wednesday's AI was down a bit from last week but still dominant with 26.6 million, which meant good things for Lie to Me to the tune of 13 million, almost a seven figure jump from last week and enough to tie Lost in the demos...Life returned up 30% from it's last new episode - GREAT NEWS...Law and Order won the 10:00 hour...Life on Mars dropped from last week's poor outing, not a good trend for a quality show fighting for its life...

All The Young Dudes Carry The News
Industry News, Notes, and Hot Rumors…Amy Poehler's upcoming NBC sitcom finally got a title – Parks and Recreation…TNT ordered a 15 episode second season of Leverage…HBO has given Big Love a 4th season…NBC ordered 12 more episodes of Howie Do It. Seriously….TNT will give George Lucas' animated series The Clone Wars a second run with a two episode premiere during NBA All Star Weekend later this month. The show's regular timeslot will be Wednesdays at 10 pm…A&E has Obsessed in development, a new reality series that follows people with extreme disorders and phobias…E! has scheduled an 8 episode run of Kendra, a spin-off of The Girls Next Door…CMT picked up a second season of Can You Duet?...Stephen Graham rejoins his Streets of New York director when he plays a young Al Capone in Martin Scorsese's Boardwalk Empire for HBO…Chef Eric Ripert, who has been a Top Chef guest judge on multiple occasions, got a 10 episode order from PBS for Avec Eric…Steve Zahn has joined the cast of Treme, David Simon's first post-Wire series that is set in post-Katrina New Orleans. Also signing on for the HBO pilot is Kim Dickens (Deadwood)…The new MLB network scored a coup when they signed Bob Costas away from HBO this week. Costas will do play-by-play for the regular season games on the network as well as host MLB Studio Network 42 with Bob Costas, an interview show that actually debuted last night with Joe Torre as the first guest…Lifetime renewed DietTribe for an eight episode second season to run this summer…Vivica A Fox will host TV Land's The Cougar, which finds an older woman choosing between 20 young men competing for her affections…The always great Christine Baranski will do three episodes of Ugly Betty as the mother of Betty's new boyfriend…Speaking of Emmy winners doing guest spots, Swoozie Kurtz will be popping up on Desperate Housewives in March and may be staying a while…

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…Battlestar Galactica's The Oath was a phenomenal hour of television, with the intensity – and quick quips – that placed the show at-or-near the top of just about every list of the best shows on television. From Adama's raw intensity in rare form to Starbuck having more fun shooting people than should be allowed to a fantastic confrontation between Roslin and Baltar, this episode was a winner start to finish. Three episodes in to this final run of 10 and I am more of a fan than I've ever been. It's a unique situation to be both dying to see how it ends and dreading it being over but that's exactly how I feel each and every Friday night at 10 pm.

Clearly I am not the only one who recognized how good this hour was as it gave the show it's highest ratings since the 2005 season two premiere, especially thanks to the 32% increase when the DVR +7 numbers are factored in.

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…William Hurt has pulled me full force on to the Damages bandwagon. Last week's big twist didn't seem to make the most sense in the world – it's a long way to go to make sure you don't get caught for killing your wife – but I am rather curious to see where things go from here. Hurt has reminded me just how talented an actor he is, raising playing emotionally cold to an artform…PSYCH's football episode was very funny, especially the running gag about the players not getting Shawn's pop culture references…Scurbs continued it's very strong run on Tuesday night, although Donald Faison's absence was clearly notable. In his absence the janitor got more of the spotlight, and his description of his fight with a duck was one of the TV highlights of the week. The friendship between Kelso and Cox has been extremely well done and Ken Jenkins has never been better. If this is the final season of the show they are going out on a serious high note. Also, that may have been my favorite version of Carry On My Wayward Son ever.…Chloe Sevigny continued her march for a Norty – and hopefully an Emmy – on Big Love. Extra points this week for using Alphaville's Forever Young at end of the episode…Steve Martin's banjo number created one of the more awkward moments in recent SNL history, with the audience clearly not able to tell if this was a sketch or if the song was supposed to be funny. I know the guy can play banjo quite well and even has a new CD out, but there must have been a better way to do that…Not sure if I should call this week's Gossip Girl "Eyes Wide Chuck" or "Bass Wide Shut" but the storylines they have Chuck in are getting more and more ridiculous considering he is what, 17? The end was a nice little jolt, with Dan seemingly cheating on Serena without much hesitation…Each week I watch How I Met Your Mother and wonder how Neil Patrick Harris is still Emmy-less. My favorite part of Barney's video resume was the way he kept taking his glasses off for dramatic effect, which showed his training at the Lank Thompson School of Handsome Acting…The post Super Bowl episode of The Office had some serious highs and lows, with the CPR seminar being a high (Dwight harvesting the organs and then wearing the face of the dummy was just slightly more hysterical than the group Staying Alive sing-a-long), and the lows being everything happened after up until the last scene, when Michael's late response to being roasted managed to salvage things. It was worth it for the first 15 minutes...I love how open Ben is on Lost these days, whether it's telling Hurley that he is indeed hard to trust or on Wednesday when he admitted he was behind the lawyer approaching Kate. Also fantastic was the performance of Josh Holloway; with no words at all he conveyed incredible longing while watching Kate deliver Claire's baby, and then his scene with Juliet later on as he tried to put his verbalize his feelings was pitch perfect. I can't be the only one getting the "I don't think I fully trust Sun" vibe right now. Last week's conversation with Kate where she told her she forgave her for any part she (Kate) played in Jin's death was hardly convincing. Jeremy Davies continues to impress...Carla is far and away my favorite on Top Chef and I'd love to see her and Stefan forced to partner up...

TV Pick Of The Week
This season of Friday Night Lights is as good as the show has ever been, and this week's episode clears that bar with ease. Part of the deal for getting a third season involved some budget cuts, and that's why Smash bids Dillon, TX adieu tonight. Of course with a writing staff this talented the exit is perfectly executed, holding true to both the character and the series. Gaius Charles has quite a career in front of him, that's for sure. If you can watch without needing a Kleenex than you may be just a bit frozen inside.

Don't miss Friday Night Lights, tonight at 9 pm on NBC.

Also worthy of TV PotW status is Tulia, Texas, a documentary via the PBS Independent Lens series that has its TV premiere on Tuesday (check your local listings). One day back in July of 1999 one of the biggest drug busts in Texas history took place in Tulia, with 46 people arrested for selling drugs. Awards were won and cigars smoked, followed by very speedy trials and some pretty harsh prison sentences. It was only as time went by and some lawyers took interest in the fact that 39 of the 46 people arrested were African-American that a closer look was taken at narcotics agent Tom Coleman, who was the lone witness in every single one of the arrests.

This is a truly shocking story of abuse of power as well as about a small town trying to bring the relationship between its white and black communities into the modern age, and it's extremely well done.

Don't miss Tulia, Texas this Tuesday on PBS.

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

*Jockeys, a new Animal Planet reality series that looks at the lives of those who sit on top of horses for a living, premiers tonight at 9 pm.

*Oscar winner Cuba Gooding, Jr. is starring in the made-for-TNT movie Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story Saturday at 8 pm. A little too earnest perhaps but the performances more than make up for it.

*The 51st Annual Grammy Awards begin at 8 pm on Sunday night following two hours of pre-show red carpet arrivals on both E! and the TV Guide Channel.

*The Fine Living series Wingman premieres on Tuesday at 9 pm, with comedian (and Glamour magazine advice columnist) Michael Somerville acting as a coach for singles who are having issues finding love.

*Leverage puts out the welcome mat for the Star Trek universe as Brent Spiner, Kitty Swink, and Armin Shimerman guest on an episode directed by Jonathan Frakes.

*Halle Berry and Tyler Perry host The 40th NAACP Image Awards on Fox Thursday at 8 pm.

*Survivor: Tocantins – The Brazilian Highlands is the EIGHTEENTH season of the ground breaking reality show and kicks things off Thursday at 8 pm on CBS.

*Seal does songs from his new album of classic soul covers on the new episode of Soundstage(PBS) this Thursday.

*Season two of Millionaire Matchmaker kicks off on Thursday at 10 pm on Bravo.

Two Tivos To Paradise
30 Days, 30 Rock, The Academy, American Idol, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Antiques Roadshow, The Apprentice, Battlestar Galactica, Best Day Ever, Best Week Ever, Big Love, Bones, Breaking Bad, Brothers And Sisters, Burn Notice, Chocolate News, Chopped, Chuck, The Closer, Criss Angel Mindfreak, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Daddy's Girls, Damages, The Deadliest Catch, Desperate Housewives, Destination Truth, Dirty Sexy Money, The Dish, Entourage, Eureka, Everybody Hates Chris, Flipping Out, Gary Unmarried, Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters International, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, The Hills, House, How I Met Your Mother, Iron Chef America, Jon & Kate + Eight, Last Comic Standing, Last Restaurant Standing, Law And Order, Law And Order: Criminal Intent, Law And Order: Special Victims Unit, Life On Mars, Lost, Mad Men, Make Me A Supermodel, Man v. Food, Medium, The Middleman, My Name Is Earl, The New Adventures Of Old Christine, Next Food Network Star, Nip/Tuck, The Office, One Tree Hill, Paranormal State, Private Practice, Project Runway, Pushing Daisies, Psych, Real Time With Bill Maher, Reaper, Rescue Me, Rules Of Engagement, Run's House, Samantha Who?, Sanctuary, The Sarah Jane Chronicles, Saturday Night Live, Scrubs, The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Shear Genius, Skins, So You Think You Can Dance?, Sons of Anarchy, The Soup, Sports Soup, Step It Up and Dance, Supernatural, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Top Chef, Top Design, Torchwood, True Blood, Trust Me, Ugly Betty, Will Work for Food

People Love You When They Know You're Leaving Soon
Here ends another edition of Two Tivos To Paradise. The interviews keep coming next week; Monday I'll have my conversation with Chuck's Julia Ling, and Wednesday finds my one-on-one with Man v. Foods Adam Richman posted on the site. Of course next Friday finds us back in this space going over all the latest in TV happenings. See you in 7!

Feedback is encouraged at [e-mail] as well via the comments section below.

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.