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December 21, 2005

TV: The Year that Was

The year is drawing to a close and, since last January, one TV season came to an end and the current one has hit its mid-section. I would now like to take a moment to revisit the best and worst of the year that was.

Best New Comedy: Ok, lots of people have praised “Everybody Hates Chris� and many have raved about Neil Patrick Harris’s work on “How I Met Your Mother.� But for my money, the best new comedy has been NBC’s “My Name Is Earl.�
“Earl� follows a petty criminal (Jason Lee), who discovers that being a good guy has its advantages and sets about righting the many, many wrongs in his life.
For one thing, it matched pretty much its entire cast with the roles they were born to play (more on them later). Also, what other show combines the Buddhist concept of karma (which Earl believes is guiding him on his quest) with plots involving “Smokey and the Bandit� and mother-daughter beauty pageants?
Genius.
Best New Drama: Ok, it debuted on TNT in the summer, so lots of people probably missed “The Closer,� but it was worth checking out. Its strength wasn’t a novel concept or great plotting. It was basically a standard crime drama about a fish out of water Georgia cop heading an elite homicide task force for the LAPD.
Ah, but what a fish Kyra Sedgwick’s Brenda Lee Johnson is. Abrasive and cranky with a weakness for junk food and little regard for personal grooming, Johnson was a great creation and Sedgwick, God love her, recognized this as the role of her life and played it to the hilt.
Best Comeback: Jason Lee, “My Name is Earl�
Again, I know that everyone else is agog over Neil Patrick Harris’s Doogie-killing performance as a womanizer on “How I Met Your Mother,� but it’s Lee whose career has gotten the biggest boost this year.
Best known as a second banana in movies like “Mallrats� and “Almost Famous,� Lee seemed to be on the fast track to a stint on “The Surreal Life.� Not any more.
He is a revelation as the goofy, enlightened Earl Hickey. Lee’s been funny before, but never has he commanded center stage with such off-kilter grace. His broad facial expressions, lazy drawl and other mannerisms would seem phony in other actors’ hands, but Lee pulls off his over-the-top performance beautifully.
Funniest Person We Didn’t Know Was Funny: Jaime Pressly, “My Name is Earl�
Usually confined to cruddy B-movies, Pressly seemed for the longest time like one of those modestly-talented pretty girls who got work based mainly on her looks. Sorry, Jaime. We underestimated you. As Earl’s white trash vixen ex-wife Joy, Pressly is hilarious.
Whether scamming her way into a beauty pageant by presenting her “dead� mother’s ashes (they were really cigarette butts) or growling winsomely at her dim ex, Pressly lives up to her character’s name. Who knew that the co-star of “Not Another Teen Movie� was so gifted?
Best Facial Hair: Is there any doubt? Jason Lee’s mustache in “My Name is Earl� is the best lip garnish since Thomas Selleck’s Magnum.
Worst Facial Hair: Maybe I’m late to the party with this, but what is up with George Eads’s ‘stache on CSI? He looks like Eric Roberts in “Star 80.� Not a good look for law enforcement.
Best Character Turnaround: Chloe (Mary Lynn Raksjub) on “24�
Remember when “24� first introduced the character of Chloe? A scrubby little computer nerd who whined and got in everyone’s way, she was beyond annoying.
Yet, at some point in the fourth season, she became cool. Yes, she was still obnoxious, but in a good way. Blunt, aggressive and just as defiant of authority as Keifer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer, Chloe emerged as a hero when she blew away a bad guy on a rare field assignment.
Best Parents: Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) on “Gilmore Girls� and Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni) on “Veronica Mars�
It goes without saying that Lorelai is the coolest mom in TV history, with her hip wardrobe and pop culture inflected speech. But this season, she proved herself to be a genuinely good mom, not afraid to lay down the law with daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel), even though it caused a rift between them.
Keith, meanwhile, has his own tough, strong-willed daughter to deal with (Kristen Bell’s scrappy Veronica), and does it well. Like Lorelai, he’s a single parent who worries about being both father and mother to his child. I admit I choked up a little this season when Keith lovingly told his 18-year-old daughter “Honey, to me, you’ll always be nine – going on 30.� It’s the lament of all of fathers of daughters.
Best Siblings: Well, I’m a broken record now, but it’s, of course, Earl and Randy (Ethan Suplee) on “My Name is Earl.�
They’re the white trash equivalent of Wally and the Beav: brothers who don’t always agree, but who are endlessly devoted to each other. Part of Earl’s goal in improving himself is to be a better brother to the sweet, dopey, impressionable Randy. And Randy, despite not quite grasping his brother’s quest, is a loyal sidekick and helpmate.
Brotherly love has never been so sweet and funny.
Biggest Cliffhanger: No, it wasn’t the identity of the Carver on “Nip/Tuck� or the contents of the hatch in “Lost.� It was simply this: Is “Arrested Development� canceled or not? The smart, funny Fox show’s fate has been in jeopardy its entire run. Now, this season it seemed like the show was finally going to be axed. Maybe.
Fox cut back the show’s order, so it didn’t look good. But no one officially said the show was canceled. Now there are reports that even if Fox cancels it, “AD� may get picked up Showtime or ABC.
When will we know? What will happen? Stay tuned.

Posted by amanda on 5:51 PM | Comments (0)

December 19, 2005

Who is the Carver?

Ok, “Nip/Tuck� fans, tomorrow night is the night we’ve all been waiting for for over a year.
It’s the FX drama’s third season finale and the show’s promos promise us that we will finally learn the identity of the elusive Carver, the serial rapist/mutilator terrorizing the landscape of the most outlandish show on television.

Fans debated the fiend’s identity since last season’s finale, when the Carver took a scalpel to one of the show’s three main characters, Dr. Christian Troy (Julian McMahon).
Everyone has his or her view on who the Carver is, even Vegas oddsmakers, who name creepy surgeon Quentin Costa and type-A police detective Kit McGraw as favorites (8 to 5 and 5 to 2, respectively). Christian’s the longshot, at 5,000 to 1.
Below is my own list of most of the show’s characters, along with their likelihood of being the Carver (five scalpels for most likely, one scalpel for least).
I’ve left off some characters, including Christian. After all, we’ve seen him attacked, and he’s already been arrested for and cleared of the crimes. I also eliminated one of the other main characters, Christian’s business partner Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh), who we also saw attacked. Also out is Christian’s fiancée Kimber (Kelly Carlson), who was kidnapped by the Carver.
Otherwise, they’re all here.
Gina (Jessalyn Gilsig)
Who she is: Ex-girlfriend of Christian, business partner of Sean’s ex-wife Julia
Why it could be her: Vicious, catty, and manipulative, Gina is clearly capable of slicing people’s faces. Also, she verbally terrorized Kimber shortly before her kidnapping, and has a highly charged distaste for Christian.
Why it might not be her: It’s debatable whether she has the medical expertise to know what tranquilizers to use to subdue victims, but she did date a doctor. And she works at a medical spa.
Verdict: With means, motive and opportunity, Gina is my number one choice. Five scalpels.
Liz (Roma Maffia)
Who she is: Sean and Christian’s anesthesiologist and another business partner of Julia’s
Why it could be her: She has the medical expertise, and access to drugs, to pull it off. Plus, she’s the show’s kindest, sanest character. Obviously, she’s a timebomb.
Why it might not be: Because we’ve already seen Liz shackled and arrested in the promos for this week. I doubt “Nip/Tuck� would show its hand this early.
Verdict: Still, it would be interesting if the Carver were not only someone we know, but someone we like. Making it Liz would be shocking, and shock is what this show is all about. Four scalpels.
Matt McNamara (John Hensley)
Who he is: Julia and Christian’s son, who until last year thought Sean was his dad.
Why it could be him: He’s creepy. Shave-your-head-date-a-neo-Nazi-beat-up-a-drag-queen creepy. And he has access to drugs and medical equipment through his dad’s (dads’?) practice.
Why it might not be: Too obvious. Matt has committed enough crimes. Making him the Carver would be overkill.
Verdict: Probably not him, but expect him to be a serious suspect. Three scalpels.
Quentin (Bruno Campos)
Who he is: Plastic surgeon who briefly worked with Sean and Christian
Why it could be him: Again, creepy. He’s a liar and a bully and he’s charming. All earmarks of a psycho. Plus, he has the medical know how.
Why it might not be: If Matt’s obvious, Quentin is, like, mega-obvious. He might as well wear a T-shirt reading “I’m a loon. Commit me.�
Verdict: No matter what Vegas says, my money isn’t on Quentin. Two scalpels.
Julia McNamara (Joely Richardson)
Who she is: Sean’s ex-wife and new owner of a medical spa, with Liz and Gina
Why it could be her: As a former medical student, maybe the Carver is the vehicle through which Julia acts out her not-so-secret rage over not being a doctor.
Why it might not be: But come on! Julia is the emotional core of the show, the one so many characters revolve around. Making her the Carver would completely shake its structure. Which isn’t beyond show creator Ryan Murphy, but I still doubt it.
Verdict: Two scalpels
Kit McGraw (Rhona Mitra)
Who she is: Hard-boiled detective investigating the Carver case
Why it could be her: Access to the crime scenes
Why it might not be: She’s too marginal a character. No one would care if it was her.
Verdict: One scalpel
Ariel (Brittany Snow) and Ava (Famke Janssen)
Who they are: Former loves of Matt. Ariel is a neo-Nazi, and Ava is a post-op transsexual.
Why it could be one of them: Both are bit unbalanced, and certainly manipulative.
Why it might not be: Because Ariel’s too new, and we’ve barely glimpsed Ava in over a season.
Verdict: one scalpel.
Oh, and if it turns out to be Sean’s grade-school-aged daughter Annie, I’m officially throwing out my TV.

Posted by amanda on 11:46 AM | Comments (0)

December 13, 2005

Not quite golden

While the Golden Globes are considered one of the major predictors for Academy Award nominations, their effect on the TV world is significantly less.
Though the Globes recognize both television and movies, for some reason, their impact on the Emmys is nowhere near as great as their impact on the Oscars. However, as a TV fan, I always look forward to the Globes because they often recognize shows and actors ignored by the Emmys.

For instance, last year, Denis Leary got a Globe nom for his work on FX’s superlative “Rescue Me,� although he was later snubbed at the Emmys. So this year, I hoped the Globes would step forward and praise the Emmy-ignored.
The news was good and bad. Bad first – no nod for Leary, or his FX channel mates, Michael Chiklis (of “The Shield�) and Julian McMahon and Dylan Walsh (of “Nip/Tuck�). I was also hoping that the Globes would give some love to “Veronica Mars� star Kristen Bell.
Though she’s arguably the best young actress on television, her show is on UPN, which is tragically ignored by the Emmys, along with fellow netlet, The WB.
But, sadly, Bell and “Veronica Mars� won’t get a shot at the Globes either.
Also, not one cast member of “Arrested Development� got a nod, and the show was also shut out. Shame on you Hollywood Foreign Press!
And don’t even get me started on the Globes’ weird habit of mashing all the supporting actors from comedy, drama, TV movies and miniseries into a single category. I’m sure that’s why only one “Lost� castmate (Naveen Andrews) got a nod, and why Jaime Pressly and Ethan Suplee of “My Name is Earl� were shut out.
Still, there were some pleasant surprises, my favorite of which was the nod for Kyra Sedgwick of TNT’s “The Closer� in the “Best Actress in a Drama� category.
Sedgwick’s charming, funny performance as an abrasive but brilliant police detective made that show, a pretty standard crime drama, worth watching. Let’s hope the Emmy’s follow suit in recognizing her great work.
Another newbie was Wentworth Miller of Fox’s “Prison Break,� nominated as “Best Actor in a Drama.�
Again, here’s a case of a charismatic performer giving life to series that could have been awful in the wrong hands. Miller’s gift is in making us believe all the ridiculous twists the series throws at us (straightlaced engineer robs a bank so he can break out his brother, on death row for a crime he didn’t commit? If you say so, Wentworth).
Also, although I don’t watch “Everybody Hates Chris,� I was happy to see at least one UPN show nominated for something (in this case, “Best Comedy Series�).
So the Globes took some risks this year, but not enough. Better luck next year.

Posted by amanda on 12:15 PM | Comments (0)

December 9, 2005

Yo, Mallory!

This is just a brief post to let you know that my favorite canceled show has at least scored a fan-tab-ulous guest star before it takes its final bow.

You may remember that I've previously lamented that "Arrested Development" scuttled plans to have Justine Bateman, real life sis of the show's star, Jason Bateman, guest star on the show. Well, E! Online’s Kristin Veitch has reported that the former Mallory Keaton will appear on the almost-certainly-canceled “AD� before it ends its run.
Not exactly sure what the setup will be, but Veitch reports that the episode will be called “Family Ties.�
Oh, “Arrested Development,� I miss you already. Sob.

Posted by amanda on 12:02 PM | Comments (0)

December 5, 2005

Super Cooper: Will a potential star ever find the right show for him?

Bradley Cooper makes me sad. I should clarify that. Cooper himself doesn’t make me sad.
No, in fact, he makes me deliriously happy. He’s one of those few actors whose presence alone on a series can perk it up, just by virtue of his charisma, good looks and talent.
No, what makes me sad is that, try as he might, Cooper, who I am convinced could be a big star someday, just can’t find a project that sticks.

The actor is probably best known for his role as the gullible, lovestruck Will on ABC’s “Alias.� It was, admittedly, a weak role. Will was basically the series’ whipping boy – the guy who constantly found himself used, abused and beaten senseless because of his affection for Jennifer Garner’s Sydney, who was in love with another guy.
Still, Cooper imbued the role with sweetness, intelligence and wit, and made us actually care about this poor sap.
Once the writers didn’t know what to do with him anymore, he was written off that show. He’s worked steadily since, on decent shows, but none of them has lasted long.
USA’s “Touched By Evil,� and the WB’s “Jack & Bobby� were two shows to feature Cooper, and they were both axed. This season, Cooper finally got a chance to headline a show, Fox’s cute, funny “Kitchen Confidential,� based on the great book by Anthony Bourdain.
Granted, it didn’t have the scathing wit of its lead-in “Arrested Development,� but “Confidential� was a great vehicle for Cooper, who ate up his role as a brilliant but troubled chef. The show really gave him a chance to shine.
So, of course, it’s been canceled. It will be on tonight, 8:30 p.m. on Fox, and will feature a guest shot by Cooper’s former “Alias� co-star Michael Vartan. However, I don’t know if Fox plans to air any more episodes, or if this will be the last we see of the show.
I’m hoping that it won’t be the last we see of Cooper. Why can’t this poor man have a hit show? He has a great screen presence, is funny and, it must be said, is great to look at.
So great, in fact, that I literally blush every time I see him (proof not just of his attractiveness, but also of my inability to keep my cool around good-looking guys, even when they aren’t actually in the room with me).
Cooper, apparently, won’t be wanting for work, despite his show’s cancellation. He’s co-starring with Julia Roberts in a Broadway play next year, is expected to be part of the cavalcade of guest stars that “Alias� plans to trot out in its final episodes.
But real fame continues to elude him. Poor Cooper. He deserves better. We all do.
A Brief Aside: I must mention another actor on “Confidential� who’s had an equally tough time landing a hit show, the delightful John Francis Daley, star of my all-time favorite (also canceled) show “Freaks and Geeks.� What a funny, likable actor he is. Granted, he doesn’t look like a TV star, with his wide babyface and offbeat looks, but he’s always fun to watch.
Hopefully, he’ll also land on his feet.

Posted by amanda on 11:59 AM | Comments (0)