The Return of Jezebel James

• FitSugar wants to know: What are your thoughts on these billboards promoting Forgetting Sarah Marshall?
• Popwatch asks about the shows you meant to watch, but never got to see before they were yanked (like the recently canned Jezebel James).
• Speaking of which, TV Filter wonders: What killed Jezebel James — the time slot, the concept, something else?
• Vulture has the — good? bad? baffling? — news that Scarlett Johansson's album has gotten at least one good review.
• Got questions for the cast of the book-to-film adaptation of Twilight? Submit them to the MTV Movies Blog.
• TV Squad looks at the magic that can happen when television and real life collide.
• TV with MeeVee wonders what a TV series version of Children of Men might look like in the hands of Battlestar Galactica's David Eick.

It hurts me so much to write this post, because the fact is, The Return of Jezebel James should be my new favorite TV show. It stars Parker Posey, one of my favorite actresses of all time, alongside Lauren Ambrose, who absolutely stole my heart as Claire Fisher on Six Feet Under. It has an intriguing plot: The sister who has her life together (Posey) can't have children, so she asks her screwed-up younger sister (Ambrose) to carry a child for her. And the whole thing is created and written by Amy Sherman-Palladino, who made her mark with Gilmore Girls.

So it hurts me, truly, to say that I didn't like The Return of Jezebel James. When I talked to Amy Sherman-Palladino at the TCA press tour last summer, she said she wanted Jezebel to be a return to her sitcom roots, when she was a writer on Roseanne. But Sherman-Palladino's quick and witty dialogue just doesn't seem to lend itself well to a show with a laugh track. Both Posey and Ambrose — but especially Posey — feel too big for the very two-dimensional world of Jezebel. And, maybe worst of all, the two don't quite have a believable chemistry as sisters. That last part, I believe, would come with time — but, given the show's other problems and the fact that Fox has already cut its order to seven episodes and socked it into a killer Friday night time slot, I'm not sure the actresses will ever have that chance.

It's possible my expectations were just too high. Maybe I'm being too hard on poor Jezebel; maybe it is a return to the days of Roseanne (or, as Posey suggested, Family Ties) and nothing more. But I wanted more, and Jezebel just didn't deliver for me. Still have faith? The show's first two episodes air tonight starting at 8 p.m. EDT and PDT. To watch a preview, just read more

Parker Posey doesn't speak in sentences; she speaks in stories. Ask her a question, and her incredibly detailed response will often start with the line "So I was doing this play in New York . . . " and then dart all over the place before ultimately reaching the answer.

I had the chance to chat with Posey last summer at the TCA press tour, when she was first promoting The Return of Jezebel James. The show, which co-stars Lauren Ambrose of Six Feet Under and was created and written by Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, finally premieres Friday night on Fox. So, I figured it was time to share Posey's thoughts on her new co-star, her move to the small screen, and even her path to becoming a Project Runway guest judge a couple of seasons back. Here were highlights:

• On becoming a fan of Ambrose through Six Feet Under: "I was a huge fan of her in the show. I was hooked. [Tells long story about breaking her finger doing a play in New York and renting the first season's DVDs while she was recuperating.] I had Monday off. I watched the entire first season, high on Vicodin, crying and eating lasagna from takeout somewhere, and I was like, 'This is the greatest time ever. I'm working on this play, I had one day off, I'm watching the best TV ever.'"
• On learning Ambrose would be cast as her sister: "It just made sense. . . . When I met her, she really reminded me of my cousin, so I knew there was something about us. I don't know her that well, but there's something about us that's relatable."

More from Posey about her move to TV and the ProjRun connection, so read more

• Variety has the news that Fox has ordered fewer scripts of Amy Sherman-Palladino's new comedy series, The Return of Jezebel James.
• Zap2It reports that Helen Mirren will star alongside Joe Pesci in Love Ranch, a movie about a legalized brothel in Nevada.
• EW has the scoop on George Lucas' live-action Star Wars TV series.
• According to Billboard, Led Zeppelin's music will finally be available digitally as of November 13.
• Logan Marshall-Green of The OC and Traveler will play the lead in a new Fox pilot about a Harvard-educated rookie cop, Variety reports.
• Matt Dillon will portray Leonard Chess in a biopic about the founder of Chicago blues label Chess Records, Reuters reports.
• The threat of a Hollywood writers' strike is keeping some struggling new shows on the air for longer than normal, Broadcasting & Cable reports.

Photo courtesy of Fox

• The totally awesome Dianne Wiest has joined the cast of "The Return of Jezebel James", playing the mother of Coco (Lauren Ambrose) and Sarah (Parker Posey). That's three awesome ladies on one screen, especially given Wiest's particular skill at playing the crazy mother. Here's hoping the show itself can match up.
• Speaking of awesome, multi-time Emmy winner Marlo Thomas — aka "That Girl" — will guest-star on "Ugly Betty" as a jewelry company owner with a weakness for younger men, including one Daniel Meade. Saucy!
• TV Guide says Alyssa Milano will play a love interest for Earl on the upcoming season of "My Name is Earl." Could it be a serious love match? She's reportedly on board for at least eight episodes.




• Also from TV Guide: Edie Falco has booked a three-episode run on "30 Rock," former ER doctor Michael Michelle has a guest spot on the upcoming season of "House" as a CIA doctor, and Jessalyn Gilsig of "Nip/Tuck" will play Tami Taylor's sassy sister on "Friday Night Lights," sticking around for at least six episodes.
• So you wanna be one of the new "American Gladiators"? Now's your chance. NBC is holding a cross-country search for gladiators and contenders, starting in Los Angeles on Saturday. Hmm, that's not much time to get in shape ...

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The networks have announced their fall schedules, but which of the series will actually 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 comprehensive reviews, just quick thoughts on how the shows look now. Today's installment: Fox's "The Return of Jezebel James."

What's it about? Two estranged sisters — a driven book editor and an alterna-slacker — reconnect when the younger sister agrees to carry the older one's baby.

Who's in it? Parker Posey, Lauren Ambrose, Michael Arden, Scott Cohen

The good: The show is written by Amy Sherman-Palladino of "Gilmore Girls" fame, and the first episode packs in plenty of her signature snappy dialogue. Posey and Ambrose have a great sisterly chemistry, and the plot seems full of potential for at least a couple of strong seasons.

The bad: The production of this show was a huge turnoff for me. It's a half-hour comedy that should be a one-hour drama — or, at the very least, a comedy produced more in the style of "The Office." At least a couple of good lines got buried in the distracting laugh track, and the show felt very sound-stage-y — I'm not sure there was a single exterior shot! The episode also seemed rushed, as though 30 minutes wasn't enough for all the plot and character development the writers wanted to do.

Will I watch? This show has two of my favorite actresses and one of my favorite writers, so I want it to be good. But I have to say, if this show doesn't change a lot before it makes it to the air at midseason, I don't think I'll be watching.

To watch a preview clip and see a gallery of photos from the show, read more

Thanks to Fox, we now have sneak previews of that network's new fall shows, to add to the clips we've already seen from ABC, NBC, CBS and the CW. I'm eager to hear what you think of these clips, so get watching!

"New Amsterdam" (pictured above)
I still think this story of an immortal detective is the strangest of Fox's shows.

"The Return of Jezebel James"
Somehow, I think this would be much better without the laugh track.

I've got clips from the other Fox shows plus lots of photos, so read more

Now that I've had a while to think through the new Fox fall schedule, I have some thoughts on which news is good, which is bad and which is still a little baffling. Take a spin through my list, then let me know what you think. (Don't forget to look at my thoughts on the ABC, NBC and CBS schedules, too!)

• "The Rules for Starting Over," starring Rashida Jones, got picked up for midseason — so do you think Karen's going to corporate tonight?
• At first glance, Fox's schedule looked like such a confusing jumble that I wasn't sure I understood what they were doing — but on second thought, I think parts of it could be brilliant. One of the big problems with TV this year was shows being split up by lots and lots of midseason repeats, losing their momentum (and viewers) along the way. Fox seems to want to run more shows straight through ("24" style) and replace them with a new show when the episodes run out, and I think that's a good move. On the other hand, moving so many shows around to new time slots midseason just seems like a way to frustrate viewers.




• For the moment. there's no mention of "American Idol" being on Thursdays at all next year; the current schedule would keep it at a maximum of two nights per week. Fingers crossed.

A few more thoughts, so read more

Fox closed out Upfronts today by announcing 10 new shows, including the New Orleans cop tale "K-Ville" (pictured above), the band-focused "American Idol" spinoff, and the immortal detective story "New Amsterdam." Six of the new series will premiere in the fall, before the network shuffles its schedule in the spring to make room for four more new shows plus "American Idol" and "24."

Among returning shows, here's a sampling of the big news:

• "House" is one of the few shows staying put in its time slot all season. "Prison Break" will take a midseason hiatus, and "Bones" will start on Wednesdays, then later move to Fridays.
• "'Til Death" will return on Wednesdays and will get to reclaim its post-"Idol" slot in the spring.
• "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?" got a full-season order and will kick off the Thursday night lineup. Ugh!

Here's the network's official press release, and to see the schedule and read descriptions of the new shows, read more

It's TV pilot season, when hopeful writers, directors, and actors give the networks glimpses of what could be their next big hits. Few pilots will ever make it to air, and the odds might be especially long over on ABC, which has already renewed many of its current shows. Over the past few weeks, I've been looking at the pilots and trying to spot the trends that could be coming soon to a TV near you. I've already told you about tough working women, the supernatural, British imports, and cops.

For this, the final installment before the networks begin announcing their schedules on Monday, I wanted to take a look at some of the most intriguing shows that don't fit into any of the trends. Sometimes these one-of-a-kind shows go on to become the biggest hits, so here are a few that caught my eye:

• "Dirty Sexy Money": I hate the name, but I love everything else about this ABC drama pilot, which stars Peter Krause (at right) as an attorney who takes over his father's practice after his death and ends up thrust into the world of the Darlings, a wealthy and fundamentally screwed-up New York family. The series was created by Craig Wright, who was a writer on "Six Feet Under," and it also stars Donald Sutherland and William Baldwin. When I recently interviewed Krause, he said he almost didn't do the series because of comparisons to "Six Feet Under" but said it would be a funnier show that would examine "some of the more wobbly things in the world — greed, division between rich and poor, that sort of thing." It's been getting a ton of good buzz, and I'd be surprised if it doesn't earn a spot on ABC's schedule.




• "Gossip Girl": The CW reportedly went gaga for this pilot from "The O.C." creator Josh Schwartz. The show is based on the popular book series about an anonymous teen girl blogger who dishes dirt on everyone at her wealthy private school. Schwartz has shown he knows the world of boozy, floozy rich kids, and the network is already talking like this is a sure thing.

Three more, so read more