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TV Tonight: ABC Dramas and Showtime Hits

BuzzSugar — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 13:30:11 -0700

It's a busy night for premieres! There are a few notable hour-long dramas returning for the Fall season tonight, so make sure your DVR is ready to go.

First Showtime has Dexter's fourth season premiere, followed by Californication's third. I can't wait to see how Dexter balances his life as a family man along with his serial issues. Then, on Californication there'll be more eye candy than just David Duchovny: Ed Westwick will be guest starring tonight, as I showed you in my sneak peek.

To see what else is on tonight, just read more.

Over on ABC, it's the return of Desperate Housewives and we'll finally figure out who Mike chose (which my look at the season may or may not have revealed).

Then, at 10, Brothers & Sisters comes back, rounding out the night of drama. Not watching Showtime or ABC? Get animated with the series premiere of The Cleveland Show and the season premieres of The Simpsons and Family Guy.

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:30:30 -0700

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. This week the new TV options are more exciting than the movies, so I'm making a few recommendations for shows to catch up on before Fall TV is here.

Gossip Girl: Season 2
Catch up on all the hot gossip with our favorite Upper East Siders with the second season of Gossip Girl. It's senior year, which means there's just as much scandal, romance, and heartbreak as the first season - plus a few new faces added to the mix.

Personal highlights include Jenny's brief stint as a runaway emo chick, Serena's short-lived relationship with a lame artist, and Chuck and Blair's never-ending, sexy roller coaster of emotions. Season three premieres on Sept. 14, so you've got a month to catch up on all the fun or just give yourself a refresher course. Special DVD features include a gag reel and unaired scenes.

Two more new series on DVD, so read more.

Dexter: Season 3

If high school drama isn't your thing, try something a little more serious with season three of Dexter. Michael C. Hall returns as the mysterious forensics expert by day/serial killer by night in the thriller that always keeps us on our toes. It's not for the faint of heart, but the constant moral dilemma makes it easy to get sucked into Dexter's world. Season four of this Showtime show premieres Sept. 27, so you've got some time to catch up before Dexter is back and hunting down John Lithgow. I've got goosebumps already.

Greek: Chapter Three
Re-live your college days with the third season (excuse me, chapter) of my beloved Greek. The gang is back together for senior year, though a lot has changed at Cyprus Rhodes over the Summer. There are love triangles for both of the Cartwright sibs, while Cappie and Evan find themselves getting closer than expected. The new season premieres on Aug. 31, so grab a keg cup and get watching.

2009 Comic-Con: Michael C. Hall, John Lithgow and a Preview of Dexter's Season 4

BuzzSugar — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 07:30:40 -0700

At Comic-Con's Dexter panel, we not only got a glimpse of season four with a fairly extensive preview (the video of which I've included after the jump), but we got to hear from the show's producers and actors - including new addition John Lithgow. Lithgow's character is chilling indeed, even from the brief snippets we see of him in the preview. And Lithgow is pleased as punch to be playing such a scary villain.

The video after the jump is great - very funny in a serial-murderer-gently-holding-a-baby kind of way. Before that, though, some highlights from Thursday's panel:

Michael C. Hall addressed the challenge of being both funny and scary: "Well, it’s hard. That has so much to do with what’s written for the character. I think the writers manage to infuse the show with a certain degree of levity and humor and without that I think it wouldn’t be so palatable." He likes playing a character that has such humor but who "also stabs people in the heart."
Julie Benz said of her character, Rita: "Her journey, the strength that she has gained through her love and her relationship with Dexter has been beautiful." Though she also said it’s like watching "a train wreck about to happen" because Dexter is, you know, a serial killer.
The producers chatted a little about Dexter being in other countries now, and Michael C. Hall explained a difference between Europe and America's understanding of the show: In America people remark that Dexter's bad because "he's killing people," but then someone points out that he's killing murderers and Americans basically nod and are like, "yeah, you're right." In Europe they reply, "Yeah, but he's still killing people!"

More Dexter goodness if you read more.

Moderator: "John, I have to say it's great to see you being bad again."
John Lithgow: "It's good to be bad. . . . I'm proud as can be of Third Rock From the Sun, but it’s nice to put it in its place and move on," he said with a grin.
Michael C. Hall talked about going from playing David Fischer on Six Feet Under to playing Dexter: "You know, if you’re gonna play two characters, I can’t think of a better two." And after playing David for so long, "it is a relief, you know, David was a wonderful character but it is good to play a character who’s more of a go-getter, a bit more proactive."
One of the producers responded to a question about the show's occasional inclusion of comic book characters and references: "It wasn't a conscious decision, one of our writers, Tim Schlattmann, is kind of a comic book geek . . . and Tim wrote the 'Dark Defender' episode. And there is a superhero aspect to who Dexter is . . . like Clark Kent . . . so it’s not a conscious decision on our part but it is a natural [thing]."
Michael C. Hall was asked what scene or episode really freaked him out: "I would say, the tenth episode of the first season, doing the face plant into that room full of blood . . . I mean, it was fun, it brought back memories of Slip-n-Slide, but that was pretty heavy. But honestly, nothing really freaks me out."
John Lithgow talked more about how "elated" he is to be a part of Dexter: "I'd seen snippets of Dexter . . . I really had not seen the show, but I heard a fantastic pitch . . . to persuade me to take this part, they had me on the edge of my seat. [Now] I’m the only one on this set who knows what happens . . . I could say two sentences here right now that would make the building explode!" And now that he has watched the whole series thus far, "I absolutely love the show and I'm elated to be a part of it."

And now . . . a preview of season four!

Photo courtesy of Showtime

Buzz News Roundup, 5/27

BuzzSugar — Wed, 27 May 2009 13:30:11 -0700

John Lithgow has landed a - ahem - killer role on the upcoming season of Dexter. - The Futon Critic
Dustin Hoffman will star opposite Paul Giamatti in the indie drama Barney's Version, based on Mordecai Richler's final novel. - Variety
Jennifer Westfeldt and John Boyd are the newest cast members of 24 season eight, joining Anil Kapoor and Chris Diamantopoulos. - TV Guide
Eminem's back on top of the Billboard charts this week, while the Glee cast's "Don't Stop Believin'" hits the singles chart at No. 4. - Billboard
HBO's new series Hung will launch after True Blood in June. - Variety
Speaking of HBO, Al Pacino is in talks to portray Dr. Kevorkian in the HBO movie You Don't Know Jack. - Reuters
Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig will star together in a new dramatic play titled A Steady Rain this fall on Broadway. - NY Post
Former Wilco member Jay Bennett died on Sunday at the age of 45. - Billboard

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Link Time! 12/18

BuzzSugar — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:30:38 -0800

Kristen Wiig reflects on 2008. - Pop Candy
Today's the day to answer at least one phone call with: "Buddy the Elf. What's your favorite color?" - Popwatch
Don Cheadle opens up about Iron Man 2. - Cinematical
Wow, this campaign to get Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" on the UK charts is fascinating. - Stereogum
Taylor Lautner shares his enthusiasm for continuing his role as Jacob Black in New Moon. - MTV Movies Blog
10 TV stars worth following on Twitter (are you following me yet?) - TV Squad
Check out the various stages of Nico Reilly's cell phone evolution. - geeksugar
Dissecting what's working with Dexter . . . and what's not. - The TV Addict

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Dexter to Slay Showtime Twice More

BuzzSugar — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:32:58 -0700

Dexter Morgan's got a little more killing to do on Showtime. The network has just picked up two more seasons of Dexter, ensuring it will be around at least through season five.

The third season is airing right now on Showtime. Season four will start shooting in the Spring in Los Angeles.

Dexter's already broken a ton of records for Showtime: It's the network's highest-rated drama, and on DVD, it's the network's best-selling show. It's also gotten boatloads of critical acclaim and nabbed five Emmy nominations this year. In a statement, Showtime entertainment president Robert Greenblatt said:

"I thought at best we would attract a devoted cult audience but soon realized that, ironically, this show is so thematically rich and layered with humanity that audiences of all kinds have flocked to it."

So, Dexter fans, are you glad you won't have to say goodbye to your favorite serial killer anytime soon? Do you think the show has enough good material for another two seasons?

Photo courtesy of Showtime

Link Time! 9/18

BuzzSugar — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 14:30:38 -0700

Read an excerpt from Juliana Hatfield's memoir. - Rock and Roll Daily
Rainn Wilson talks about planning a vicious attack on Ricky Gervais. - E! Online's Watch With Kristen
Five steps to fixing Saturday Night Live. - The TV Addict
BET presents . . . an award show without women. - Popwatch
Grey's Anatomy gets the Lolcat treatment. - TiFaux
Do you buy Nicole Kidman as an action star? 'Cause she might become one. - Cinematical
Which female novelists would make your list of the funniest writers ever? - Jezebel
Check out this Dexter-inspired townhouse! - CasaSugar
Do the books about Carrie Bradshaw as a teenager = too much of a good thing? - The Frisky
Handicapping which Fall TV shows are likely to be axed first. - Vulture

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First Look: Dexter's Third Season

BuzzSugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 12:30:26 -0700

I was lucky enough to be in the room yesterday at Comic-Con when Showtime debuted a first look at Dexter's upcoming third season. It's just two minutes long, but it includes a bunch of fantastic teases for some of the upcoming action, including the appearance of Jimmy Smits as attorney Miguel Prado, who becomes a friend of Dexter's.

A friend? Really? Yup, Dexter may be becoming a bit more emotionally full this season, and his evolution (along with "family values") will be one of the season's main themes. "Dexter's playing catchup," said executive producer Clyde Phillips, "and he may be catching up faster than he may have planned." He's also going to set some major events into motion in the season premiere that will change him forever - at least one of which is hinted at in the trailer below. And is that some Rita/Dexter lovin' I see? (There were lots of cheers when that part of the trailer aired at Comic-Con.) To check out the trailer for yourself, and see a couple of other tidbits from the panel, just read more.

Phillips teased that Deb is ready to have a normal relationship this season, but not with the person you might expect.
Michael C. Hall said his favorite kill as Dexter was Little Chino. "It was just so big!" he said.
Could Rita and Dexter ever get over the whole serial-killing thing and be a normal couple? Joked Julie Benz, "I honestly believe every man needs a hobby," and Rita would prefer killing to golfing.
Someone asked about the possibility of a Dexter/CSI crossover, which prompted this response from Michael C. Hall: "It would be funny if I got called in on a CSI episode and all I did was help them solve a crime."

Also, I know this picture's fuzzy, but I just thought it was adorable, so enjoy!

TV Casting News: Smits, Hopper, Cole

BuzzSugar — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:29:39 -0700

The TV upfronts may be nothing more than a fond memory, but there's still a trickle of casting news coming in about Fall shows - both on networks and on cable. One of these stories involves a recently displaced actor whose show's cancellation bummed some of you out, while another puts a veteran film actor in the lead of a series based on an Oscar-winning movie. Read on:

Smits Joins Dexter
Jimmy Smits, seen most recently in the CBS show Cane, will be staying in Miami for his next role: Smits will play an attorney on Showtime's Dexter. His character is described as ""an ambitious, charismatic assistant district attorney who comes from one of Miami's most politically powerful and beloved families" and forms an unlikely partnership with Dexter. No return date has been set for the show, but it's expected to premiere sometime in the Fall.

Hopper to Crash
Dennis Hopper, best known for his film roles, will lead the cast of the TV adaptation of Crash, the Oscar-winning film that is being made into a series for Starz. It looks like the show is less of a direct adaptation and more of an "inspired by" sort of situation, as none of the characters match directly to the film counterparts; Hopper will play Ben, a veteran music producer searching for one more great hit. The series is expected to premiere in October. It will be Hopper's first TV project since his stint on the short-lived E-Ring several years back.

One more bit of news about an Office Space favorite, so read more.

Cole on Good Behavior
Fresh off his stint on Desperate Housewives as Katharine's squirm-inducing ex, Gary Cole has landed a potential full-time TV role. He's joining the cast of the ABC pilot Good Behavior, playing the father of the criminal clan that decides to get out of the business when he ends up in prison. That means he'll be the TV husband of Catherine O'Hara and father of Mae Whitman (Arrested Develoment's Ann); we're still waiting to see who will play their other daughter. Rob Thomas of Veronica Mars is leading the adaptation for ABC. Also good news: Jeffrey Tambor has signed on to guest-star in the same show!

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What Are You Most Excited to Watch on TV Tonight?

BuzzSugar — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 07:30:00 -0800

For one of the first times since the writers' strike began, I'm actually having trouble deciding what to watch on TV tonight. NBC has the season finale of American Gladiators and the premiere of the Knight Rider movie (and possible series), while ABC has the final pre-strike episode of Brothers and Sisters. Meanwhile, CBS has the premiere of its cleaned-up version of Dexter, and Fox has new episodes of all of its animated shows. That's in addition to regular goodies like The L Word and The Wire. So I'm wondering: What will you be tuning in tonight?

Photos courtesy of NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox