Chi McBride

Fall TV

The Stars of Human Target Dish on Season 2!

We may be months into Fall TV, but we haven't seen the last of the premieres just yet!

We may be months into Fall TV, but we haven't seen the last of the premieres just yet! Tonight ushers in season two of the action heavy series Human Target. Mark Valley returns as Christopher Chance, the elusive central character who works as part bodyguard, part P.I., alongside his buddies Guerrero (Jackie Earle Hayley) and Winston (Chi McBride). But it won't be just a boys' club this year: we're finally getting some females in the mix with the addition of Ilsa Pucci (Indira Varma) and Ames (Janet Montgomery). I recently visited the cast in Vancouver, where the actors reveal what lies ahead. Watch for the scoop!

Video

Video: The Stars of Human Target Dish on Season 2!

We may be months into Fall TV, but we haven't seen the last of the premieres just yet!

We may be months into Fall TV, but we haven't seen the last of the premieres just yet! Tonight ushers in season two of the action heavy series Human Target. Mark Valley returns as Christopher Chance, the elusive central character who works as part bodyguard, part P.I., alongside his buddies Guerrero (Jackie Earle Hayley) and Winston (Chi McBride). But it won't be just a boys' club this year: we're finally getting some females in the mix with the addition of Ilsa Pucci (Indira Varma) and Ames (Janet Montgomery). I recently visited the cast in Vancouver, where the actors reveal what lies ahead. Watch for the scoop!

TV

Pilot Watch: Human Target

The networks have announced their Fall schedules, but which series will be worth watching?

The networks have announced their Fall schedules, but which series will be worth watching? Throughout the Summer, as I watch the pilots, I'll be posting my first impressions. Note that a lot can change before a show actually makes it to air, so these aren't reviews, just quick thoughts on how the shows look now. Today's pick: the Fox action drama Human Target, which will launch after American Idol next year.

What's it about? Christopher Chance is a bodyguard to the extreme, boldly throwing himself into the line of fire to save his clients' lives.

Who's in it? Mark Valley, Chi McBride, Jackie Earle Haley

The good: The pilot is full of fast-paced, one-wrong-step-and-you-die action, not unlike 24. As he showed on Fringe, Valley has a strong presence on screen, and he makes an appealing action star. McBride and Haley don't have a ton of screen time in the pilot, but it was enough to make me want to see more from their characters — McBride as Christopher Chance's business partner/manager, Haley as a renegade hired gun — who add a bit of snark and comic relief.

The bad: From what I knew about the comic book series on which the show is based, I was expecting Christopher Chance to literally become the target of the bad guys who are chasing his clients. To find out he's just their bodyguard was a bit of a bummer. Some of the action was a little cheesy, and the success of the show might depend on the writers' ability to find new and dangerous scenarios for Chance every week. We get a hint that the show might explore what compels Chance to take these dangerous jobs, but it's mostly lost in all the train-jumping and heist-stopping.

Will I watch? We'll see how the TV schedule shakes out come January, but I'm not jumping out of my seat with anticipation.

To check out a trailer and some photos, just read more

TV

Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode 13, "Kerplunk"

I think I need a hug.

I think I need a hug. The last episode of Pushing Daisies is about as solid a finale as possible, considering that nobody knew it was a finale at the time. It has a story that brings most of the major characters together and a massive reveal at the end — and even the last-minute bit of closure seemed to fit. "For endings, as it is known, are where we begin," we'll chat about this episode when you read more

TV

TV Tonight: The Pushing Daisies Series Finale

Goodbye, fair pie-maker. Goodbye, alive again girl named Chuck.

Goodbye, fair pie-maker. Goodbye, alive again girl named Chuck. Goodbye, snarky, shady PI and singing itty-bitty waitress. Tonight's the night that Pushing Daisies comes to a close.

It's still a bummer that ABC let this whimsical gem of a show go — but in all honesty, I can't say I'm surprised. From the beginning, it seemed like the kind of show that was going to break my heart, destined for critical acclaim, a niche audience, and premature cancellation. In fact, looking back, the true miracle seems to be that we got two seasons out of it at all, even if they were both shortened (one by the writers' strike and one by ABC's axe).

Tonight's episode, "Kerplunk," wasn't filmed as a finale and doesn't feel like one, but it does have plenty of satisfying moments, especially where the aunts are concerned: They become a central part of the episode's investigation when one of their former swimming rivals goes down at the hands of a shark during a performance. And with a comic book on the way, I'm just glad we'll be able to see more of Ned, Chuck, Emerson, and Olive in any form.

Will you be watching tonight? For a preview of what's to come, just read more

TV

Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode 12, "Water and Power"

This week's episode of Pushing Daisies — well, really the whole series, but this episode in particular — is about the silly things we do for love.

This week's episode of Pushing Daisies — well, really the whole series, but this episode in particular — is about the silly things we do for love. In this installment, it's level-headed, eye-rolling Emerson who falls head over heels into stupidity when a case leads him to his daughter's mother. Olive, meanwhile, makes some questionable relationship decisions of her own about how to proceed with Randy Mann. To chat about this episode, read more

TV

Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode 11, "Window Dressed to Kill"

Welcome back, Pushing Daisies fans!

Welcome back, Pushing Daisies fans! It's been a long time since this beloved show went off the air, and while it's sad that the final episodes are airing in what may be the worst time slot on television, I'm just relieved that they're airing at all.

This episode picks up with Ned holding fast to his promise from the last episode to stop using his powers — not for good, not for evil, not even to un-rot the fruit for his pies. But can he hold out when there's a whole world in need of his powers? Meanwhile, we get a glimpse of young Olive and her daddy issues (go figure), and that helps to bring the Chuck-Olive-Ned love triangle to some delightfully awkward new heights. Ready to chat about it? Just read more

TV

TV Tonight: Pushing Daisies

The TV landscape has looked a little less colorful since December.

The TV landscape has looked a little less colorful since December. A little less whimsical. A little less fun. That's because Pushing Daisies last aired Dec. 17, and it's been a drab, pie-less world since then.

But! At long last, Daisies returns tonight with the first of its final three episodes. Yes, writing "final three episodes" still breaks my heart a little, but I'm just glad we'll get to see the conclusion of this lovely show on television at all.

When we left off, Ned's father issues were about to get a lot more complicated, as it seemed his dad had started hanging around the Pie Hole. And last we heard, he'd sworn off using his powers — whether for good or for evil. So I'm curious to see where things pick up tonight with "Window Dressed to Kill," which finds Chuck getting recruited onto Emerson's crime-busting team. Also, there's singing from Kristin Chenoweth, which is always a delight, and while this scene with her song may be a bit spoilery, it just made me all the more excited to watch tonight. Tell me: Are you coming back to see how Daisies wraps up?

Photo copyright 2009 ABC, Inc.

TV

Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode 10, "The Norwegians"

The final episode of Pushing Daisies of 2008 is a doozy, all full of daddy issues and betrayals and Norwegians.

The final episode of Pushing Daisies of 2008 is a doozy, all full of daddy issues and betrayals and Norwegians. Yup, turns out that Emerson's PI business has a rival in the form of three Norwegian detectives who are surprisingly reminiscent of some other folks we know, and Vivian's hired them for a case pretty close to Emerson's heart: the mysterious disappearance of one Dwight Dixon. This episode has a lot of twists and turns and one shocking reveal, so to get to talking about it, just read more

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Pushing Daisies Rundown: Episode Nine, "The Legend of Merle McQuoddy"

On this week's Pushing Daisies, Charles Charles is still alive and well-ish thanks to Ned's powers and Chuck's reckless decisions — but let's just say gratitude isn't exactly the first emotion he's showing.

On this week's Pushing Daisies, Charles Charles is still alive and well-ish thanks to Ned's powers and Chuck's reckless decisions — but let's just say gratitude isn't exactly the first emotion he's showing. Meanwhile, Shane Botwin (er, Alexander Gould) turns up as the son of a lighthouse operator who's been fried to death on her own spotlight. It may have been one of my favorite Daisies episodes of all time — was anyone else loving it? To talk about it, just read more