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December 31, 2007

"Late Show" reconciles with writers

So, in case you didn't know by now, when the late night talk shows began airing new episodes on Wednesday, at least a couple of them will be doing so with the full cooperation of their writers.
Talk show host David Letterman, whose production company Worldwide Pants produces both his show and "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" was able to make a deal with his striking writers. Thus, writers for his show and Ferguson's are returning to work.

This gives these shows an edge over other returning late night programs, including "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," as those programs will resume sans writers. That's also true of the Comedy Central shows "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report," both of which will start airing writerless new episodes on Jan. 7. Most of these hosts are members of the striking Writers Guild, and are limited in the material they can perform. That means that their shows will likely return without the monologues and skits they're known for. Letterman and Ferguson, however, will be able to get back to business as usual. As for what this means for the progress of the strike as a whole, I don't know.
But it does offer a little hope that deals can be made and that, maybe -- just maybe -- this strike won't have to last forever.

Posted by amanda on 1:19 PM | Comments (0)

December 28, 2007

The Best (and Worst) of the Rest

On Sunday, I'll have a column listing the 10 best TV shows of 2007. But, of course, being a TV critic isn't just about shows. It's about sharing the moments, the people and the stories that catch our eye and engage our imagination.
So, here is my list of some of the other things on TV that had me talking this year.

Best trend: Cable shows that appeared out of nowhere and turned into some of the best the year had to offer. A year ago, nobody had ever heard of AMC's "Mad Men," or its leading man Jon Hamm, and now both are critics' darlings. The quick-witted USA action comedy "Burn Notice" premiered during the summer with little fan fare, and became a modest hit. And FX's "Damages," while not a ratings blockbuster, was critically adored and gained a mass of ardent fans. Plus, it reminded us how terrific Ted Danson is.
Worst trend: Disappointment. Sure, "Cavemen" stunk, but that was to be expected. The bad shows that really hurt me were those that had the potential to be good -- lackluster remakes like "Bionic Woman" and "Viva Laughlin;" the prestige-heavy (but boring) "Cane" and TNT's strident "Saving Grace" (I know it was a big hit, but I just didn't get it). Of course, the biggest disappointment was HBO's indecipherable mess "John From Cincinnati." It had oodles of pedigree, coming from "Deadwood" mastermind David Milch, and started promisingly. But then it disappeared up its own rear end, becoming a preachy, overly complicated piece of hooey. I'm still depressed.
Best argument against musical television: CBS's "Viva Laughlin," which tried to integrate clunky musical numbers into its storyline about murder and mayhem in Nevada. Actors sang wanly against backing tracks of songs like "Sympathy for the Devil." Could have been campy fun. Instead, it was just embarassing.
Best argument for musical television: "Flight of the Conchords" and "Pushing Daisies." Both seamlessly integrated songs into their shows. That was easy for "Flight," which is about a pair of musicians. But in "Daisies," there's no real reason for the characters to sing -- except that they can't help it (besides, you don't cast stage goddesses Kristin Chenoweth and Ellen Greene in a show and keep them quiet). Characters don't sing in every episode, but when they do, it's pure pleasure. Greene's tender rendering of "Morning Has Broken" still makes me a little misty when I think about it.
Best plot twist: FX's "Damages" was full of twists and turns. But the most shocking occurred when we learned that ruthless attorney Patty (Glenn Close) ordered the hit on her young, ambitious associate Ellen (Rose Byrne). Ellen's realization of that fact in the show's season finale made for gripping TV -- especially when she returned to work for her would-be murderer at the episode's end.
Worst plot twist: Three-way tie between Landry's murder of a rapist on "Friday Night Lights" and any storyline on the sixth season of "24" and the second season of "Heroes."
Best new character: Dana Delaney's snarky and secretive Katharine on "Desperate Housewives."
Worst new character: Any of the new characters on "Heroes"
Best ending: After an appallingly uneven seventh season, the CW's once-charming dramedy "Gilmore Girls" finally pulled itself together and rallied to a warm, satisfying finish. Rory (Alexis Bledel) graduated Yale, got a job and tenderly bid adieu to her mom/best friend, Lorelai (Lauren Graham). Meanwhile, Lorelai finally shared a warm moment with her parents, and reconciled with ex-fiance Luke. Sigh.
Worst ending: "Veronica Mars." Hastily cancelled due to low ratings, this clever and well-acted drama about a teen detective ended without a proper conclusion. Too many questions were left open-ended, making fans squeal in agony. Hopefully, a movie, book or SOMETHING is forthcoming. But I'm not holding my breath.
Best reality show: Sort of a false category, as there's only one reality show I really watch -- "Kathy Griffin, My Life on the D-List." The show, which provides a window into the life of comedienne Griffin, isn't the usually celeb-reality freak show. Instead, we see a hard-working professional with a quick wit and a dedicated team of employees and supporters. This season was more melancholy than the first two, as Griffin went through a divorce and lost her dad. But all of that was handled with tact, class and, of course, humor.
Best TV movie: It's not been mentioned much, but I really liked HBO's "PU-239" about a man dying of radiation poisoning who decides to sell plutonium on the black market.
Best special event programming: Again, the prize goes to HBO, for the fun and involving documentary "Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project."
Best Guilty Pleasure: "Dirt," FX. Yes, it wasn't as well-crafted as other FX shows, like "The Shield" or "Damages." But damn, it was fun. Courtney Cox was bitchtastic fun as a cold-blooded tabloid editor and Ian Hart was nothing short of brilliant as her scizophrenic photographer-best friend. It also nabbed some great guest stars, like David Fincher, Paul Reubens, Vincent Gallo and Cox's "Friends" co-star Jennifer Aniston.
Runner-up: "Tin Man," Sci-Fi. A fun, campy sci-fi take on "The Wizard of Oz." The image of winged monkeys flying from Kathleen Robertson's boobs still haunts my dreams.
Best cliffhanger: The shocking flash-forward reveal in the season finale of "Lost."
Worst cliffhanger: The one involving striking writers, their producer adversaries, and the fate of the TV season.
Only mystery on "24" that I cared about:What exactly did Mike Doyle (Rick Schroder) DO in Denver?

Posted by amanda on 10:40 AM | Comments (0)

December 10, 2007

The end of the Incident

"Friday Night Lights" fans rejoice! The show's most controversial storyline has (seemingly) come to a close. Hurray!

For those not in the know, "Friday Night Lights," a fantastic but low-rated drama on NBC, has drawn scorn from its fans this season for a storyline in which two of the main characters Tyra (Adrianne Palicki) and Landry (Jesse Plemmons) killed a man in self-defense and disposed of his body. The soap opera-style plot twist, dubbed "The Incident" by fans and bloggers, admittedly didn't fit in with the show's earthy, realistic tone. However, I felt that the vehement hatred it inspired in fans was a bit of an overreaction. Yes, the storyline was a bit over-the-top, but it never ruined the show for me, due mainly to the terrific acting by Palicki and Plemmons. Still, I was happy to see the story come to something of a resolution last week.
Landry, plagued by guilt, finally confessed to his crime. At first, he seemed bound and determined to take the fall and do time for a crime that was clearly in self-defense. But, at the urging of Tyra and his own loving police officer dad (Glenn Morshower of "24," another cast standout), he tempered his story, and admitted that he was in fear for his life.
There was a somewhat corny mislead after the confession, when an anxious Landry saw the police at his door. Oh no, we thought, he's headed to the slammer. Nope. Turned out, they were just there to tell him that he was free and clear.
Well, let's hope that's the end of it. While I didn't hate the story as much as other fans, I did find it distracting. And, I felt it undercut the character of Landry, seen in the first season mainly as comic relief. I look forward to the return of his wisecracking yet sensible persona.
Unfortunately, the show is on hiatus until next year. And even then, it's only matter of time before "FNL," like so many other shows, runs out of new episodes due to the writers strike.
But I prefer to stay positive, so I'm looking forward to the remaining episodes, which I pray are Incident-free.

Posted by amanda on 3:13 PM | Comments (0)

December 4, 2007

"Now who's this guy supposed to be?"

The title of today's post comes from Monday's "Heroes" fall finale. Now, they're calling it a "fall finale" because a) this is when the show would normally go on hiatus and b) the show is also out of new episodes due to the ongoing writer's strike. If they don't come back soon, the "fall finale" could very likely be the season finale.
And boy, did Monday night's episode sure feel like a season finale. Two characters (maybe) died;the world was (maybe) saved and lots of other stuff happened.
Let's recap, shall we? (beware of spoilers).

So, we finally got to see the fight between Hiro, armed with his sword and Peter, armed with his balls of electricity. Surprisingly, Hiro did fairly well in the fight. Is it just me, or did it look to you like Hiro's sword absorbed the electricity? Hmm. Tricky. Anyway, Hiro was there to stop Adam/Kensei from spreading the virus. Peter, dope that he is, refused to believe that Adam/Kensei was a bad guy. That is, until Nathan convinced him otherwise. Meanwhile, Hiro and his former friend A/K fought and Hiro cleverly transported A/K to a place where he could "never hurt anybody again" -- the inside of a casket, buried six feet under. I must say, I didn't see that coming at all. For a sweet cubicle creature, Hiro can sure be a badass when he needs to.
As Hiro buries his fallen hero, Matt, Nathan and Peter stop the virus. Oh, I forget to mention the context of the headline -- it's what Matt says when he glimpses a typically enthusiastic Hiro at Primatech. I guess I didn't realize that Matt and Hiro hadn't met before.
Anyway, having stopped the virus, Matt, Nathan and Peter decide to "out" themselves at a press conference, but, at the press conference, Nathan is shot.
That was the main storyline. Here are some others:
* Nikki and Micah go to save Monica from the gang that kidnapped her last week. Monica gets away, but the building explodes before Nikki gets out. Is she dead? I think so. Last week's promo advertised "two heroes will fall," so I guess Nathan and Nikki are the two.
* Silar convinces, Maya, the female half of the Dunder Twins to go to Suresh's apartment. When Suresh arrives, Maya displays her powers, then calls them back upon seeing little Molly. Maya also learns the truth about Silar, including his murder of her beloved brother.Then, Silar shoots her. Maya, honey, when will you learn -- never piss off a psycho with a gun. Suresh heals Maya with Claire's blood, then Silar steals the remaining blood. Elle attempts to stop him, but fails. Yet she's sheepishly bashful when Suresh thanks her for saving his life, and the lives of Maya and Molly. At episode's end, Silar's shooting himself up with blood like some sort of vampire junkie, and gets his powers back.
* Claire learns her dad is alive, and he talks her out of exposing her secret to the public. But, knowing HRG, he probably has a few tricks up his sleeve.
All in all, an OK episode, in a season that's been VERY uneven. I'm half hoping it doesn't come back again this season, giving the writers (once they -- God willing -- return from the strike) a chance to iron the kinks out.

Posted by amanda on 10:35 AM | Comments (0)