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Pushing Daisies Wins a Full Season

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:02:30 -0700

Dandelion high-fives all around for this news: Pushing Daisies has become the newest series to get a full-season order! It joins Gossip Girl, Private Practice, and the Big Bang Theory as the only series guaranteed to stick around for the whole TV season.

With the threat of a writers' strike looming, I expect we'll be hearing about more pickup orders in the coming weeks. Here are some of the series that may be well on their way:

Carpoolers has just gotten an order for three more scripts, and CBS asked for four more scripts from Moonlight.
There have been reports that Reaper and Aliens in America will be picked up soon.
All of NBC's new series and Cane on CBS received script orders a while back.

How psyched are you about Daisies? And which other series should get to stick around?

TV Tonight: "Cavemen" and "Carpoolers"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 07:30:00 -0700

Tonight's the night we've all been waiting for: the official premiere of "Cavemen"! I'm sorry, was that too much excitement?

Truth be told, I am actually curious to see the first episode of "Cavemen" tonight, if only because it's been totally revamped from the episode ABC sent to critics this summer. The network didn't send out versions of this new episode, so we're all in the dark. And while holding back screeners is not typically a good sign (it even prompted Time's TV critic to launch an ironic High Quality Show Alert!), maybe ABC just wanted to keep it quiet so we'll be blown away by the subtle humor and realistic depiction of being an outsider in modern society. Who knows?

The show is paired with "Carpoolers," a series I surprised myself by kinda-sorta liking when I saw the pilot. I really think this is one that could go either way, either being goofily great or painfully stupid. I'll give it a few episodes, at least, if only to watch TJ Miller, whose very presence on screen makes me chuckle.

Interestingly, ABC - which has made its name recently with female-centric shows like "Grey's Anatomy," "Desperate Housewives" and "Dancing with the Stars" - is way into promoting the manliness of these two shows. To watch their "man date" music video promo, just read more

Fall TV Preview: Five Total Toss-ups

BuzzSugar — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 06:30:00 -0700

All summer long, I've been giving you my first impressions of the networks' new shows. Now, with fall TV upon us, it's time to tell you which shows are deserving of space on your TiVo and which ... well, aren't. Yesterday, I told you about five shows I'll be skipping this fall, and on Monday, I'll be revealing my top five picks for the season. But today, I'm focusing on the shows that could go either way, just as likely to become megahits as they are to sink like stones.

5. "Bionic Woman" - "Bionic" has seen quite a bit of upheaval since the pilot I saw was filmed. One supporting part (the bionic woman's younger sister) has been recast and reconceived, and - just within the past couple of weeks - one of the executive producers left the show. In the version of the pilot I saw, lead actress Michelle Ryan didn't seem to have the sort of fearless toughness you'd want in an action star, and the whole thing seemed surprisingly low-energy. But now, "Friday Night Lights" producer Jason Katims will be consulting on the show, and NBC has ensured a steady stream of publicity by hiring Isaiah Washington for a guest spot. I'm still not confident about this remake, but I think it has an equal chance of being a breakout hit and a flop.

4. "Carpoolers" - I'm really of two minds about "Carpoolers." On the one hand, the whole idea of inane car banter is why I try not to catch rides with casual acquaintances. On the other hand, this pilot made me laugh surprisingly hard, and I'm finding myself rooting for it. The writing may not be completely there yet, but the comic timing from funny guys like Jerry O'Connell, Jerry Minor, Fred Goss, and potential breakout star TJ Miller gives me hope - as does that Phil Collins video. I'm not sure if I see it getting more than a "Knights of Prosperity"-sized following, but if enough people give it a chance, maybe it will be a small hit.

Three more tossups - plus a brand-new clip of the first few minutes of one of them - so read more

3. "Moonlight" - "Moonlight" is a toss-up in the truest sense of the word because it's gone through so many changes. Virtually everyone except lead actor Alex O'Loughlin has been recast since the spring, and I haven't seen either the old or the new versions of the pilot. I generally suspect this will be a cheesy mix of vampire myth and cop drama, and its Friday night timeslot tells me CBS doesn't have a ton of confidence in it either. On the other hand, CBS has had a good sense of humor in promoting the show - witness this "Interview with a Vampire" clip and the creepy vs. sexy video - and I think there are legions of "Angel" and "Buffy" fans who might latch on to this show.

2. "Aliens in America" - Of all the pilots I watched for the fall, this one about a friendship between a small-town Wisconsin kid and his family's Pakistani exchange student, left me the most conflicted by far. On the one hand, it made me laugh harder than any other comedy pilot, and the two young actors in the lead roles are charming and perfectly cast. On the other hand, many parts of the pilot made me squirm because I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be offended or amused. I have no idea where the show will go from here, and - more than that - I have no idea how people will react. Will they think it's sweetly hilarious or blatantly over the line?

1. "Private Practice" - So far, this show is nothing but a giant question mark. It's the only pilot the general public has seen, and so we've all had almost four months to rip the very special episode apart - and nobody's been shy about doing that.
Some critics who have seen the proper first episode of the series say the show has gotten itself together, while others say it's even more inane than we feared. For me, the whole point of Kate Walsh's Addison on "Grey's" was to be sassy, complicated, and tough-as-nails; on the snippets of "Private Practice" I've seen, she seems gigglier and girlier, without the backbone that made her such a gem. Creator Shonda Rhimes has said this show won't be "Grey's 2.0" - but it's too early to tell whether "Private Practice" will be able to capture any of the magic that made that show a hit. Just for good measure, here's the newest preview clip:

"Private Practice" and "Carpoolers" photos copyright 2007 ABC, Inc..
"Moonlight" picture courtesy of CBS
"Aliens in America" photo courtesy of The CW
"Bionic Woman" photo Source
"Moonlight" photo courtesy of CBS

Pilot Watch: "Carpoolers"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 10:30:00 -0700

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. A lot can change before a show makes it to air, so these aren't comprehensive reviews, just quick thoughts on how the shows look now. Today's installment: ABC's "Carpoolers"

What's it about? Four guys share their daily triumphs and woes on their ride to work

Who's in it? Faith Ford, Jerry O'Connell, Jerry Minor, Fred Goss, TJ Miller

The good: This show is a classic example of the "Reaper" effect: I thought it was going to be awful, and so I was quite impressed when it actually made me laugh. The show is from Bruce McCulloch of "The Kids in the Hall," and the comedy pedigree is impressive, with Second City alum Minor, up-and-comer Miller, and "Significant Others" star Goss. The show has a similar feel to "The Knights of Prosperity," with over-the-top slapstick humor and a rooting-for-the-little-guy sensibility. The entire show does not take place in the car, which is a relief.

The bad: The actual carpooling segments (battling for a parking space, etc.) aren't very interesting. If I were in a prickly mood, I'd take offense at the fact that the pilot centers around Goss feeling emasculated because his wife makes more money than he does.

Will I watch? I wouldn't have expected to say this, but I'm going to give the show a try. It's incredibly goofy, and sometimes that's what I like in my comedy.

To watch a couple of video previews and see a gallery of photos, read more

View 17 Photos ›

TJ Miller: Comedy's Next Breakout Star?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 08:30:12 -0700

You've got to love a guy who spends his first appearance in his first TV role wearing little besides his tighty-whiteys - and that's exactly what comedian TJ Miller does in ABC's new show "Carpoolers." Miller plays the son of one of the carpoolers, and I think he could be one of this year's breakout comedy stars: His character, Marmaduke, steals scenes left and right in the pilot, including one where he's interviewing for a job sans pants. When I saw what Miller was wearing for the show's panel at the TCA press tour (that's him at right), I knew I had to talk to him. Here are some excerpts from our chat:

Where did you come from?
I was at Second City in Chicago, and I was doing stand-up there. ["Carpoolers" co-star] Jerry Minor was also an old Second City guy. So I was touring with Second City for about a year and a half, and then this project came to my attention through management and I liked it. I obviously love [executive producer] Bruce McCulloch because of "Kids in the Hall." That was insane. I remember the first day showing up and meeting him - like, that's one of my comic idols. His show was in my sketch comedy education. So I came to it there and got the pilot out of Chicago and then the pilot got picked up and I got another film out of Chicago and so now I'm in LA, but yeah. I hope to be the rookie of the year this year for network television.

Are you ever going to wear pants?
Yes. And that's in my contract. No, I wish I had stipulated that ... We're going to see that he is going to have an even stranger fashion sense than could even be communicated there. To let you know, he's got this amazing shorts and terry cloth Hawaiian shirt combo that is all matching. So it's just a very eccentric character, and that's going to be seen visually, verbally, everything. So yeah, eventually I will get pants, but you may see me in my underwear again.

More from Miller, including what's up with that sweatsuit and his possible JJ Abrams connection, so read more

You've got a little Royal Tenenbaums going on today.
Yeah, just a little bit. Honestly, these [presentations] can be so stuffy, I was like, let's do this. And this is dressing down for me.

You guys sound like this is just a fun time on this show.
I mean, look how funny the people are. Jerry Minor is somebody that I used to watch at Second City, and he's one of the best improvisers around. Fred Goss is unbelievable. He's just so funny and so good off the cuff. Faith [Ford] is really funny and great - you see her work and then you see her on the show and you're like, wow, this is why she's one of the most successful television actresses ever. Allison Munn, you're going to see come even more out of the woodwork in the forthcoming episodes ... she's got a great comic timing, great comic persona. Tim [Peper], everybody. And Jerry O'Connell, of course, is Jerry O'Connell, so that's a really surreal, funny presence to be around too. He's a lot of fun, albeit a little ridiculous at times.

What's the movie that you're doing?
It is kind of top secret, but I will tell you that the trailer was in front of Transformers.

Oh, THAT movie.
It'll be good. It's gonna be a good movie.

Get a Sneak Peek of ABC's New Shows

BuzzSugar — Tue, 15 May 2007 23:30:03 -0700

ABC isn't giving us quite as extensive a sneak peek of its fall lineup as NBC did for its new shows, but we can still get a taste: In addition to a ton of photos of the new shows and their casts, ABC's put up brief video clips of its pilots. You can see the whole batch of them together, or you can just click on the name of the show in this list to go directly to that show's clip: "Sam I Am," "Cavemen," "Carpoolers," "Pushing Daisies," "Private Practice," "Dirty Sexy Money," "Big Shots," "Women's Murder Club," "Cashmere Mafia," "Eli Stone," and "Miss/Guided."

It's not easy to judge a show from a minute of video, but I'm going to try anyway. "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Pushing Daisies" grabbed me the most, "Miss/Guided" could either be wonderful or awful, "Eli Stone" is worth watching for the George Michael cameo, "Big Shots" is "Sex and the City" for dudes (but does star geek-wonderful Joshua Malina, so points for that), and "Cavemen" ... well, at least it made me chuckle, which is more than I can say for "Carpoolers."

I have tons of pictures of the new shows - and really, you've got to see the crazy "Cavemen" makeup and the fanciful world of "Pushing Daisies" - so to take a spin through, read more

"Cavemen"

View 27 Photos ›

"Dirty Sexy Money"

View 20 Photos ›

"Private Practice" (more photos here)

View 10 Photos ›

"Big Shots"

View 25 Photos ›

"Pushing Daisies"

View 22 Photos ›

"Sam I Am"

View 16 Photos ›

"Carpoolers"

View 22 Photos ›

"Women's Murder Club"

View 19 Photos ›

"Eli Stone"

View 15 Photos ›

"Cashmere Mafia"

View 24 Photos ›

"Miss/Guided"

View 16 Photos ›

All photos copyright 2007 ABC, Inc.