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TV Tonight: The Finale of Samantha Who?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:45:36 -0700

From Pushing Daisies to Dirty Sexy Money to Kings, this Summer has been a time for networks to show the final episodes of shows they canceled. The latest in that string is Samantha Who? which airs its final two episodes tonight.

I didn't expect to be writing something like that about Samantha Who? after just two seasons. The show was one of the strongest debuts of the year back in '07, getting a plum slot after Dancing With the Stars and capitalizing on it with the story of Samantha Newly (Christina Applegate) developing amnesia and slowly learning about her bad-girl past. The show nabbed two Emmy nominations for Applegate (including this year, after the show had already been canceled) and a win for supporting actress Jean Smart. And at least at first, its ratings were solid.

But then the writers' strike happened, and then Samantha had trouble drawing viewers without Dancing With the Stars, and then came the final blow: apparently the show could have been renewed if it slashed its budget, but in the end, a deal couldn't get done.

So Samantha joins the ranks of the other Summer burn-offs with its final two episodes tonight. The finale is set on Andrea's wedding day, with Samantha feeling torn between Todd and Winston Funk. Will you be watching? To check out a clip from one of the episodes (with guest star Angie Harmon), just read more.

Upfronts Buzz: Samantha Who? Canceled, While ABC and CBS Pick New Shows

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:30:00 -0700

Over the weekend, things were looking pretty good for Samantha Who? to return in the Fall. But apparently, the numbers just didn't work: Christina Applegate's show won't be back on ABC next season because the budget just couldn't be cut down enough for ABC to pick it up.

Meanwhile, the network turned its attention to picking up new shows - and it's got a bundle of them. It's the next network to present at the Upfronts tomorrow, and its rumored list of shows includes Eastwick, V, Flash Forward (which has already gotten advertised during Lost),the crime drama Happy Town, a law show called The Deep End, a new police drama called Copper, and a Jerry Bruckheimer show called The Forgotten.

ABC also has four comedies in the works, including Cougar Town with Courteney Cox, Hank with Kelsey Grammer, The Middle with Patricia Heaton, and the mockumentary-style Modern Family. That's a ton of new shows, and I'm curious to see where they all fall on the schedule tomorrow.

Meanwhile, over at CBS, four series were reportedly ordered, though the official word won't come till Wednesday. Julianna Margulies's The Good Wife and Alex O'Loughlin's Three Rivers both reportedly earned spots on the schedule, as has the Jenna Elfman comedy Accidentally on Purpose and the NCIS spinoff with Chris O'Donnell and LL Cool J.

Lots more to come in this crazy week, but let's talk about these developments for now. Sad about Samantha Who? or not surprised? Liking the sound of any of the new shows?

ABC Launches Thursday Comedy Lineup in March

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 12:30:05 -0800

ABC revealed some major changes to its comedy lineup today, and maybe the biggest news of all is that the network will be challenging NBC head-on by launching a Thursday comedy block of its own.

Starting March 26, Samantha Who? will air at 8 p.m. Thursdays, followed by the new comedy In the Motherhood. That means Samantha will be battling My Name is Earl, while Motherhood will have a head start on its major competitor, the new Amy Poehler show, which premieres April 9. The new comedy block means Ugly Betty will take a hiatus (though ABC says it will return once the comedies have finished their runs).

There are a couple of other changes in the works, too: Scrubs will move to Wednesdays at 8 p.m. starting March 18, leading into the new series Better Off Ted at 8:30 p.m. (That makes way for the Dancing with the Stars results show to take over Tuesdays in the Spring.)

What do you make of the news? Do you think ABC's comedies can take on NBC's? And will you miss Betty?

Buzz News Roundup, 1/23

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 13:30:09 -0800

It's true: Dakota Fanning has been offered a role in New Moon. - Entertainment Weekly
Samantha Who? has been bumped for The Bachelor but will have Angie Harmon in the cast when it returns. - TV Guide
Tom Wilkinson and Jim Belushi are rounding out the cast of Roman Polanski's The Ghost. - ComingSoon
Hooray, an actors' strike is looking way, way less likely. - AP
ABC has piked up a pilot based on The Witches of Eastwick, while NBC has ordered a medical pilot called Mercy. - The Hollywood Reporter
Tom Hanks and Oprah are producing a film adaptation of the bestselling book The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. - Variety
13: Fear is Real is moving to Fridays, and Privileged repeats will take its spot on Wednesdays. - The Futon Critic
Keira Knightley and Colin Farrell are set to star in London Boulevard, a crime drama that marks the directing debut of The Departed screenwriter William Monahan. - ComingSoon
Steve Martin's banjo album The Crow: New Songs For the Five-String Banjo will be available Jan. 27. - Billboard

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First Look: Mary-Kate Olsen on Samantha Who?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 05:30:17 -0800

We've already seen Nicole Richie on Chuck and Katie Holmes on Eli Stone, and next week, it'll be Mary-Kate Olsen's turn. The actress is popping up on ABC's Samantha Who? as Natalie, a troubled young woman whose life Samantha decides to turn around.

In the episode, Samantha has an altercation with a police officer that ends with her getting community service, where she meets Natalie, who's apparently an unrepentant thief. Samantha tries to help her by arranging a job interview, but that looks to be something of a disaster, at least judging from the clips below. It's nice to see Mary-Kate back on TV after her Weeds stint last year. To check out a couple of clips from the episode, just read more.

Kath and Kim and Samantha Are Sticking Around

BuzzSugar — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 05:30:52 -0800

We won't be forgetting about Samantha Who? or Kath and Kim anytime soon. Both comedies are sticking around for the remainder of the season.

ABC has ordered seven more episodes of Samantha Who? while NBC asked for nine more from Kath and Kim. They're the first two comedies to be picked up for a full season, though CBS has ordered additional scripts for both Worst Week and Gary Unmarried.

Samantha Who? is averaging 10.5 million viewers per episode so far this season while airing after Dancing With the Stars. Meanwhile, Kath and Kim has averaged about 6 million viewers per episode airing between My Name is Earl and The Office in NBC's Thursday night block. According to The Hollywood Reporter, an NBC executive called Kath and Kim "a show we love and believe in," while Samantha Who? could help ABC launch any of the six midseason comedies it's got planned.

Are you happy these funny ladies will be sticking around? Does either pickup surprise you? Sound off below!

How Much Would Those Jobs on TV Pay in Real Life, Anyway?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:30:50 -0700

Being in the writing biz myself, I've always marveled at how Carrie Bradshaw pulled off such a fabulous lifestyle including that spacious, beautifully furnished, ideally located apartment on a newspaper columnist's salary. I know later in the television series she confronts some financial realities but for the most part, being a columnist looks especially lucrative on TV!

It's things like that (remember that huge, awesome apartment Rachel and Monica shared on Friends even though Rachel was a waitress for a while?) that make this story on the salaries of TV characters so fun.

CareerBuilder.com asks what I think a lot of us think every now and again, "Would our favorite characters' lavish lifestyles make it on the other side of the TV screen?" and comes to some pretty interesting conclusions:

Samantha Newly, of Samantha Who? is a vice president at a real estate firm whose real life salary would likely be $145,051. Dang! And she lives at home so pretty much anything she buys or wears is completely plausible.
Head pie maker Ned of Pushing Daisies would probably make about $21,241 in the real world, but they figure he's financially solvent due to the reward money he earns bringing murdered people back from the dead on the side.

Are there any TV characters whose lifestyles don't seem to match up with their jobs?

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Buzz In: What's Your Ideal Night of TV?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:30:15 -0700

Sometimes, I think network programmers manage to pair shows together perfectly (can't really argue with Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill). Other times, not so much (what do Knight Rider, random reality shows, and Lipstick Jungle have in common?). In this age of DVRs, I spend a lot of time thinking about how I'd rearrange the week if I could just create my own custom programming lineup.

So today, I wanted to pass that challenge on to you. What shows would you pair together if you could pick and choose anything you wanted from the lineup? Dramas, comedies, network and cable shows - anything's fair game. The only rule is that together, they should total three hours (the standard length of a network primetime programming block) or less.

I'll start you out with one of my current favorites: I dream of the TV happiness that would come from watching Greek followed by Privileged, moving into Samantha Who? and capping things off with How I Met Your Mother. What's your ideal night of TV?

Photos courtesy of ABC Family, ABC, CBS, and The CW

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 06:30:57 -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. In addition to my selections below, you can also check out the dreamboat special that is Leatherheads and Simon Pegg's comedy Run, Fat Boy, Run.

Sex and the City: The Movie
Well, the big day has arrived: the Sex and the City movie is here for you to rent or own. Whether you missed this one in theaters (hard to imagine) or are excited to fast-forward to your favorite parts, the fab four has come full circle back to your small screen. I'm interested in revisiting this one, since the movie is super long and there is a lot to take in.

This is the kind of movie for which special features were made. Get a load of these: commentary by director Michael Patrick King; a conversation with Sarah Jessica Parker and Michael Patrick King; featurettes titled, "The Fabulous Fashion of Sex and the City," "Fergie in the Studio: Watch a Hit in the Making as the Singer Records Labels or Love for the Movie Soundtrack," and additional scenes.

So, are you bringing this one home this week?

Three more selections to go, so read more.

More TV-to-DVDs
The neverending flow of TV-to-DVD continues this week as more of our favorite shows return to the air with new episodes. Here are two of my favorites, out today.

Samantha Who?: Season One
My mom called after the Emmys to ask about that show Jean Smart is on and I told her Samantha Who?. Then we got into one of those "who's on first?" (ha!) conversations where she kept saying, "Who?" and I would say, "No, that's the name of the show." Anyway, I convinced her to give it a shot because it really is one of the sweetest, most entertaining little scripted comedies around right now. Special features include a blooper reel, deleted scenes, and commentary.
Brothers and Sisters: Season Two
This ABC drama is coming back this Sunday, so catch up on last season while you can! Special features include featurettes ("TV Dinners: Food From Season Two," "Open House: Designing The Brothers and Sisters Set"), and bloopers.

This American Life: Season One
I know a lot of people who, despite my encouragement, still haven't checked out the TV version of this popular Ira Glass NPR radio series, so I'm hoping this DVD release will get more eyeballs on it. The show is unlike most things on television right now, as it gives Americans of all shapes, sizes, colors, and geographical locations a chance to tell their stories.

I can't help but think how nice it feels to explore America this way in the midst of a heated campaign season that can sometimes make the country feel bitterly divided.

Buster's Turn! Tony Hale Cast on Chuck, Samantha Who?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:33:45 -0700

Remember that week when Arrested Development alumni were getting cast in things all over the place? Well, possibly the wackiest member of the Bluth gang - Tony Hale, who played mama's boy Buster - was nowhere to be found. But no more! The Hollywood Reporter made my morning with its story that Hale has landed recurring roles on two series, NBC's Chuck and ABC's Samantha Who?

On Samantha, Hale will play Andy Adams, a new doctor for amnesiac Samantha (Christina Applegate). OK, fine. But what I'm really ready for is his turn on Chuck: He's playing Emmett, a new assistant manager at Buy More who surely will have numerous chances to torture Chuck, Morgan, and the gang. According to the Reporter, Emmett makes his entrance as an efficiency expert sent in from corporate to whip the Buy More into shape but ends up staying on when he realizes just how poorly the store is run.

Neither of those roles sounds quite as absurd as the hook-handed Buster, but I'm thrilled to get to see Hale back on TV after his all-too-short run as the best thing about Andy Barker, PI. Does his casting make you more curious about either show?

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