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First Look: Joss Whedon's Dollhouse on Fox

BuzzSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:34:20 -0700

How many of you caught the ad for JJ Abrams' Fall show Fringe during American Idol last night? I think it looks pretty good, so I'm excited Fox is preparing for a potentially one-two punch when they roll out a sci-fi thriller from Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer) come mid-season. This means that if both Fringe and Dollhouse are as good as they look I'm going to be spending a lot of time over at Fox this year.

Dollhouse stars Eliza Dushku as Echo, an "Active" who is part of an illegal, underground group of people who have had their former lives wiped from their memories so that they can, as the show's description states, "fulfill any number of scenarios for anyone including romantic, criminal, uplifting, dangerous, comical and the occasional pro bono good deed." It's like the Bourne story but instead of turning people into killing machines, they can do just about anything for anyone. And just like another show this series reminds me of, Alias, Echo has a handler named Boyd (played by Harry Lennix). The drama unravels as Echo begins to remember her past personality at the same time as an FBI agent starts to figure out the existence of the "Dollhouse."

I think this has loads of potential and will cross my fingers it's a good one. To see a preview trailer and a short scene from Dollhouse, read more.

Photos courtesy of Fox

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 17 May 2008 07:30:35 -0700

We appear to have a mellow movie weekend ahead of us in terms of new releases, but there is still lots out there to keep you busy. Which movie are you headed to this weekend?
Holy cow, it was a busy week for TV! The network upfronts gave us a lot of good stuff to look forward to this Fall. Fox added some cool-looking sci-fi shows to its roster while the CW charts a clear path forward, littered with rich kids.
Speaking of the CW's rich kids, are you excited for the new 90210 now that we've got some pictures? And what do you think about the series Surviving the Rich (based on the book How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls)?
Hooray for Reaper! It will not be canceled, which I assume is a great relief to its star, Bret Harrison, who I had the honor of interviewing!
There were a lot of trailers out on the Web this week some good, some not so good. I thought Edge of Love looks breathtakingly gorgeous (and so romantic!) and I'm really intrigued by Woody Allen's latest all-star flick.
Is it just me or does it seem like only people raised in the '80s are running the show down in L.A. right now? They're bringing Fraggle Rock to the big screen and. . . wait for it. . . a cereal box mascot movie (yeah, it's odd, just read the post).
James Frey, author of the bestselling memoir A Million Little Pieces (which later turned out to be more fiction than anything else) has a new book out and it's getting stellar reviews. Are you open to reading his stuff?
Definitely make time to check out what's new on iTunes because there's some great stuff out this week, including Duffy and Death Cab for Cutie. And if you're curious about who's singing that sweet little tune on the diamond commercials, I have the entire song here.
Also, the new Flight of the Conchords video for "Ladies of the World" is. So. Funny.

Source

The Fox Fall Schedule: My Take (With Video!)

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 05:45:13 -0700

Fox just revealed its Fall and mid-season schedules, including the addition of big new sci-fi dramas, the return of 24 (complete with that two-our prequel airing in November) and a new comedy. Now that I've had a chance to think about the schedule and watch some clips, here are my thoughts:

In the Fall, Tuesday night will be pretty darn cool with the return of House followed by the new J.J. Abrams thriller Fringe. I'm excited about this new Abrams series - based on the clips I've seen it looks like The X-Files meets Lost with a tiny bit of Alias sprinkled in. Plus a lot of needles. The mood is dark and tense but the oh-so-adorable Joshua Jackson is back to his wise-cracking ways.
Joss Whedon's Dollhouse will not arrive until mid-season and will be paired up with 24. Between that and their big Tuesday night, Fox is going to be dishing out a ton of sci-fi dramas. I'm OK with this since the sci-fi genre lends itself to great characters and gives us a bit of everything: romance, intrigue, mystery, action, even comedy. I think it's a smart type of show to stock up on, especially from the folks who do it best (Abrams, Whedon).
One interesting thing to note for Dollhouse and Fringe is that they are both what Fox is calling "remote free TV." They promise to have significantly fewer commercials through the entire run of their seasons. Also, both dramas are introducing what they described as "ingénues" in Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse) and Anna Torv (Fringe). Who knows? Maybe these ladies will become the next Jennifer Garner or Gillian Anderson.
I really love Niecy Nash and think the premise of the new comedy Do Not Disturb is cute (as is Jerry O'Connell). I'm not totally sold on whether or not it's built to last, but I'll cross my fingers. I did see some clips of Mitchell Hurwitz's first animated comedy, Sit Down, Shut Up, and wiped away some tears from laughing. The cast of voices is great, though we've got a while before that one's on the air.

I've got some clips and photos from both new shows this fall, and you can check them out if you read more.

Fringe

View 5 Photos ›

Do Not Disturb

View 4 Photos ›

Dollhouse

View 3 Photos ›

Photos courtesy of Fox

Fox Fall Schedule: Two New Shows This Fall

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:57:33 -0700

Fox revealed its Fall TV schedule at the 2008 upfronts this morning, announcing two new shows and the two-hour "telefilm" 24 prequel that will air in November before the regular (much delayed) new season of the show starts up again in January 2009.

The Fox show getting the most buzz this upfront season (and the basket in which Fox is placing all its eggs) is the J.J. Abrams drama Fringe (featuring Joshua Jackson - yay, Pacey!) which will follow House (in a new spot) on Tuesday nights. The other new addition to the schedule is the scripted comedy Do Not Disturb (formerly known as The Inn) which is directed by Jason Bateman.

Coming up mid-season? More sci-fi including Dollhouse from Joss Whedon and two new animated comedies: The Cleveland Show (the Family Guy spinoff) and Sit Down, Shut Up from Arrested Development's Mitchell Hurwitz.

Here's Fox's official press release, and to check out the full schedule and descriptions of the new shows, just read more.

All caps = new show
** = new timeslot

MONDAY
8:00 p.m. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
9 p.m. Prison Break

TUESDAY
8 p.m. House**
9 p.m. FRINGE

WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. Bones
9 p.m. 'Til Death
9:30 p.m. DO NOT DISTURB

THURSDAY
8 p.m. The Moment of Truth
9 p.m. Kitchen Nightmares

FRIDAY
8 p.m. Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader
9 p.m. Don't Forget the Lyrics!

SATURDAY
8 p.m. Cops
8:30 p.m. Cops
9 p.m. America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back
11 p.m. MADtv
Midnight Talkshow

SUNDAY
8 p.m. The Simpsons
8:30 p.m. King of the Hill
9 p.m. Family Guy
9:30 p.m. American Dad

Mid-season: SIT DOWN, SHUT UP, DOLLHOUSE, 24, American Idol, Hell's Kitchen, SECRET MILLIONAIRE, HE CLEVELAND SHOW

Here's how Fox describes the new shows:

Fringe
From J.J. Abrams (Lost), Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, the team behind Star Trek,Mission: Impossible III and Alias comes a new drama that will thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between science fiction and reality. When an international flight lands at Boston's Logan Airport and the passengers and crew have all died grisly deaths, FBI Special Agent OLIVIA DUNHAM (newcomer Anna Torv) is called in to investigate. After her partner, Special Agent JOHN SCOTT (Mark Valley, Boston Legal), is nearly killed during the investigation, a desperate Olivia searches frantically for someone to help, leading her to DR. WALTER BISHOP (John Noble, Lord of the Rings), our generation's Einstein. There's only one catch: he's been institutionalized for the last 20 years, and the only way to question him requires pulling his estranged son PETER (Joshua Jackson, Dawson's Creek) in to help. When Olivia's investigation leads her to manipulative corporate executive NINA SHARP our unlikely trio along with fellow FBI Agents PHILLIP BROYLES, CHARLIE FRANCIS and ASTRID FARNSWORTH will discover that what happened on Flight 627 is only a small piece of a larger, more shocking truth.

Do Not Disturb
Do Not Disturb (working title) is a hilarious workplace comedy set at one of New York City's hottest and hippest hotels: The Inn. Named one of the Big Apple's "10 Best Places to Stay," The Inn is just that the "in" place to be, with its chic dcor, stylish staff and celebrity clientele. Behind the scenes, however, the upstairs/downstairs dynamic tells quite a different story. The hotel's top-notch reputation and sophisticated look is due in large part to NEAL (Jerry O'Connell) at least in his opinion. Although The Inn's charismatic owner R.J. (guest star Robert Wagner) takes all the credit, Neal is the egotistical, hyper-stylish, detail-oriented general manager who will do whatever it takes to keep the hotel and its employees up to his standards. RHONDA (Niecy Nash, Reno 911!) is the head of Human Resources who also keeps Neal's demands in check. She's brash, fabulous and brutally honest and runs the HR department from her bullpen downstairs with a set of rules that are all her own. Rhonda does her best to keep the back of the house in line and the front of the house out of trouble. At the front desk handling check-in while wearing 6-inch Manolos is NICOLE (Molly Stanton), an aging model who is svelte, cynical and slightly starving. Fresh from Nebraska is JASON (Brando Eaton), the nave bellman who would prefer to work behind-the-scenes, but was hired to show off his chiseled face and perfect pecs at the front of the hotel. The downstairs staff includes MOLLY (Jolene Purdy), a reservations clerk who dreams of pop-singer stardom as much as she craves to be part of the action upstairs; and LARRY (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), the head of housekeeping who spends more time on the phone cleaning up his messes at home than he does cleaning up after the guests upstairs.

Dollhouse
Joss Whedon, creator of groundbreaking cult favorites Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly returns to television and reunites with fellow Buffy alumna Eliza Dushku for a thrilling new drama, DOLLHOUSE. ECHO (Dushku) is an "Active," a member of a highly illegal and underground group who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas. Confined to a secret facility known as the "Dollhouse," Echo and the other Actives including SIERRA (Dichen Lachman) and VICTOR (Enver Gjokaj) carry out engagements assigned by ADELLE (Olivia Williams), one of the Dollhouse leaders. The engagements cater to the wealthy, powerful and connected, and require the Actives to immerse themselves in all manner of scenarios romantic, criminal, uplifting, dangerous, comical and the occasional "pro bono" good deed. After each scenario, Echo, always under the watchful eye of her handler BOYD (Harry Lennix), returns to the mysterious Dollhouse where her thoughts, feelings and experiences are erased by TOPHER (Fran Kranz), the Dollhouse's genius programmer. Echo enters the next scenario with no memory of before. Or does she? As the series progresses, FBI Agent PAUL SMITH (Tahmoh Penikett) pieces together clues that lead him closer to the Dollhouse, while Echo stops forgetting, her memories begin to return and she slowly pieces together her mysterious past. Dollhouse revolves around Echo's blossoming self-awareness and her desire to discover her true identity. But with each new engagement, comes a new memory and increased danger inside and outside the Dollhouse.

Secret Millionaire
Secret Millionaire is a dramatic unscripted series that takes America's wealthiest individuals away from their lavish lifestyles, sprawling mansions and private planes and places them undercover into some of the most impoverished neighborhoods in America. Shot under the guise of a documentary, the series reveals the dramatic personal return that millionaires will get when they leave their fortunes to invest in those less fortunate. Challenged with living on minimum wage, the millionaires will immerse themselves in situations beyond their comprehension. They will work side-by-side with community members and befriend those in need to decide who should ultimately receive their gifts of a lifetime. The millionaires will be touched by the people they meet. Some will inspire with their dedication to helping others, while others will relay stories of overcoming tremendous odds. On the final day, the Secret Millionaires meet with the chosen recipients and reveal their true identity and intention: to give them at least $100,000 oftentimes more of their own money and to change their lives forever. Secret Millionaire will engage viewers in important social issues, extol the virtues of volunteerism and change the lives of disadvantaged people and the philanthropists who helped them in unexpected ways.

The Cleveland Show
Many years ago, CLEVELAND BROWN (voiced by Mike Henry) was a high school student madly in love with a beautiful girl named DONNA. Much to his dismay, his love went unrequited, and Donna wound up marrying another man. Cleveland once told Donna he would always love her, and if this man ever done her wrong, he'd be there when she called. Well, this man done her wrong. Donna's husband skipped town with another woman, leaving Donna with a daughter and a baby. Now she's come to Cleveland and offered him another chance at love. Unattached after the Loretta-Quagmire debacle and true to his word, Cleveland joyously accepts and he and CLEVELAND JR. move to Stoolbend, VA, to join their new family. Once in Stoolbend, Cleveland has a few surprises in store for him, including a flirtatious new stepdaughter, a 5-year-old stepson who loves the ladies, as well as a collection of neighbors that includes a loudmouth redneck couple, a British family seemingly stuck in the Victorian era and a family of bears living at the end of the block. Family Guy was only the beginning. Get ready for The Cleveland Show (working title)!

Sit Down, Shut Up
From Emmy Award-winning writer Mitchell Hurwitz (Arrested Development) and Eric and Kim Tannenbaum (Two and a Half Men) comes Sit Down, Shut Up (working title), an animated comedy that focuses on the lives of eight staff members at a high school in a small northeastern fishing town (Go Baiters!) who never lose sight of the fact that the children must ALWAYS come second. We watch them grapple with their own egos, needs and personal agendas, their petty insecurities and prejudices, unrequited loves, and ruthless battles for power and that's just at the staff meeting. SUE SEZNO (Kenan Thompson), a woman who frequently says "no," is the acting principal of the school (the actual principal is recovering from a series of unfortunate accidents that might be seen as escape attempts). Then there's Vice Principal STUART PROZACKIAN (Will Forte) who has a terrifically positive and upbeat attitude... possibly from the performance-enhancing medication he's been secretly put on by the other teachers. There is one educator who feels the focus should be on academics, but despite the old adage, at this school, those who can teach, teach gym and that's where LARRY SLIMP (Jason Bateman) has been exiled to. Immensely frustrated, Larry nurses a crush on science teacher MIRACLE GROHE (Maria Bamford), a woman whose superficial grasp on science is balanced by her superficial grasp on spirituality. Rounding out the staff is the aging German teacher WILLARD DEUTSCHEBOG (Henry Winkler), a deeply defeated man whose yearbook quotation reads "If I believed in reincarnation, I'd kill myself tonight." Uptight HELEN KLENCH (Cheri Oteri) is a librarian whose life's work in research and archiving can now be surpassed by the average Google search from the average cell phone. Proud ANDREW SAPIEN (Nick Kroll) is the flamboyant drama teacher. ENNIS HOFFTARD (Will Arnett) is a fellow teacher and a self-obsessed body builder who yearns to be thought of as a "cool dude" by his students. And finally there's HAPPY (Tom Kenny), the plotting secretive custodian who's assumed to be Hispanic despite the fact that his real name is Muhannad Sabeeh Fa'ach Nuaba. With a distinctive new look a combination of animation against a live-action backdrop Sit Down, Shut Up is a series for the young and old at heart. It lampoons modern society while exposing the dreams, flaws and struggling humanity of our first and most formative authority figures: teachers.

Photos courtesy of Fox

First Look: Surviving the Filthy Rich

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 08:15:12 -0700

Given that 90210 hasn't even cast its father yet, it's safe to say it'll be a while before we see clips of that show. But in the meantime, we can at least check out another one of the CW's new shows about the wealthy and powerful: Surviving the Filthy Rich.

The show centers on Megan, a 23-year-old Ivy League graduate - played by JoAnna Garcia, who recently appeared in Reba and thus is no stranger to the CW - who gets fired from her magazine job and becomes a live-in tutor to the twin granddaughters of a cosmetics mogul. I'm sure the girls will deliver their share of sass, but Megan has other things to deal with, too - namely that her best friend is in love with her, and her hot neighbor is dating her estranged sister.

This is the CW's second shot in two years at adapting something from a book, and just as with Gossip Girl, I'm curious to see how the book's fans react to the show. To check out some clips, just read more.

Photo courtesy of The CW

The CBS Fall Schedule: My Take (Plus Video!)

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 16:30:06 -0700

CBS revealed its plans for Fall at the upfronts this morning, including more comedy and a few high-profile drama series. Now that I've had the chance to mull the schedule over, here are some of my thoughts:

CBS' decision to expand into a second night of comedy has to be good news for fans of traditional sitcoms, which CBS already did more of - and arguably does better - than any other network at this point. While the descriptions for Project Gary (pictured above) and Worst Week didn't wow me on paper, I'm curious to check out the full shows for myself.
I wouldn't have pegged CBS as a network for remakes of shows from other countries (that tends to be more NBC's bag), but that's what three of their new series are: The Ex List is imported from Israel, Worst Week is based on a BBC comedy, and Eleventh Hour was originally a BBC miniseries starring Patrick Stewart.
Hooray for How I Met Your Mother! Looking back at my coverage of last year's upfronts, I realized the show followed exactly the same pattern then: Things looked bleak for a while, but then the show went on a big upswing and made the schedule without trouble.
Which of the canceled series will you miss most? Cane never got a lot of buzz, Moonlight had a big fan following but not big ratings, and Shark . . . well, I'm not really sure what the issues were with Shark, to be honest.
Speaking of which, I assume the failure of Jericho to gain an audience after the peanut campaign pretty much puts the kibbosh on any chance of Moonlight returning no matter what fans use to bombard the network, right?

I've got some clips and photos from all the new CBS shows, and you can check them out if you read more.

Eleventh Hour

The Ex List

Worst Week

Project Gary

The Mentalist

Harper's Island

The CBS Fall Schedule: Five New Series, No Vampires

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:35:31 -0700

CBS took its turn at the 2008 upfronts this morning, revealing a slate that boasted five new shows - and the cancellation of a couple of fan favorites. Chief among them: Moonlight, the network's Friday night vampire drama, which in recent weeks had fans organizing a blood drive in its honor. I wonder if stakes and cloves of garlic will soon be arriving at CBS' door?

The schedule also has the network opening up a new comedy night on Wednesdays, with The New Adventures of Old Christine and a new half-hour comedy called Project Gary filling the night's first hour. How I Met Your Mother is indeed back - and keeps its 8:30 p.m. slot on Mondays. As for new shows, they include the Jerry Bruckheimer project Eleventh Hour, the buzzed about drama The Mentalist, and a dramedy called The Ex List starring Elizabeth Reaser, aka Ava/Rebecca/Jane Doe from Grey's Anatomy.

Shark, Cane, Jericho, Kid Nation, and Welcome to the Captain were other series that didn't make the cut for the new season's schedule. Here's the official CBS press release, and to check out the full schedule and descriptions of the new shows, just read more.

All caps = new show (except NCIS and CSI)
** = new time slot

MONDAY
8 p.m. The Big Bang Theory
8:30 p.m. How I Met Your Mother
9 p.m. Two and a Half Men
9:30 p.m. WORST WEEK
10 p.m. CSI: Miami

TUESDAY
8 p.m. NCIS
9 p.m. THE MENTALIST
10 p.m. Without a Trace**

WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. The New Adventures of Old Christine**
8:30 p.m. PROJECT GARY
9 p.m. Criminal Minds
10 p.m. CSI: NY

THURSDAY
8 p.m. Survivor
9 p.m. CSI
10 p.m. ELEVENTH HOUR

FRIDAY
8 p.m. Ghost Whisperer
9 p.m. THE EX LIST
10 p.m. Numb3rs

SATURDAY
8 p.m. CBS Crimetime
10 p.m. 48 Hours Mystery

SUNDAY
7 p.m. 60 Minutes
8 p.m. The Amazing Race
9 p.m. Cold Case
10 p.m. The Unit**

Midseason: HARPER'S ISLAND, Rules of Engagement

Here's how CBS describes the new shows:

Worst Week
Worst Week is a comedy about Sam Briggs, an entertainment magazine editor who will do anything to please his girlfriend's parents . . . but instead becomes a one-man wrecking crew whenever he's around them. Sam (Kyle Bornheimer, Jericho) and his girlfriend, Melanie Clayton (Erinn Hayes, Kitchen Confidential), have only one hurdle left to clear as they start their life together: breaking the news to Mel's conservative parents that they have a wedding in the works and a baby on the way. Dick (Kurtwood Smith, That '70s Show), a stern Judge, and his wife Angela (Nancy Lenehan, My Name is Earl), are protective of their daughter, and are really trying to let go of the anger they feel toward Sam ... after all, disaster follows whenever he visits their house. But despite his best efforts, every time Sam takes one positive step forward in winning over his future in-laws, he inevitably takes two crushing steps back. But with support and love from Melanie who stands up for him despite his knack for making himself look bad, Sam will hopefully charm his way into her family.

Project Gary
Project Gary stars Jay Mohr (Ghost Whisperer) and Paula Marshall (Nip/Tuck) in a comedy about Gary Barnes, a recently single painting contractor, and his controlling ex-wife, Allison, who face post-divorce mayhem after 15 years of marriage as they each embark on new relationships. He's the fun parent and she's the strict one. Together, they share custody of their two children - Louise (Laura Marano, Without a Trace), a politically correct and environmentally conscious 11-year-old, and Tom (Ryan Malgarini, How to Eat Fried Worms), their socially awkward 14-year-old son who is nervous around girls. Charming and acerbic, Gary hasn't dated since the split, but finally connects with Vanessa (Jaime King, The Class), a single mother whose condo he was hired to paint. He dreads telling Allison about Vanessa because it doesn't adhere to her belief in their marriage counselor's book, Rules for the Perfect Divorce. However, when Allison tells him that she's engaged to their shrink, all bets are off and Gary decides it's time to move forward. Now, in pursuit of post-marriage happiness, Gary must juggle his eclectic world of an ex-wife, their two kids, their shrink and his gorgeous new girlfriend.

The Mentalist
The Mentalist stars Golden Globe Award nominee Simon Baker (The Devil Wears Prada) as Patrick Jane, a detective and independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who has a remarkable track record for solving serious crimes by using his razor sharp skills of observation. Within the Bureau, Jane is notorious for his blatant lack of protocol and his semi-celebrity past as a psychic medium, whose paranormal abilities he now admits he feigned. Jane's role in cracking a series of tough high-profile cases is greatly valued by his fellow agents. However, no-nonsense Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney, Prison Break) openly resists having Jane in her unit and alternates between reluctantly acknowledging Jane's usefulness and blasting him for his theatrics, narcissism and dangerous lack of boundaries. Lisbon's team includes agents Kimball Cho (Tim Kang, Rambo), Wayne Rigsby (Owain Yeoman, The Nine), and rookie member Grace Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti, The O.C.), who all think Jane's a loose cannon but admire his charm and knack for clearing cases.

Eleventh Hour
Eleventh Hour from acclaimed producer Jerry Bruckheimer follows Dr. Jacob Hood (Rufus Sewell, The Illusionist), a brilliant biophysicist and special science advisor to the government, as he investigates scientific crises and oddities. His jurisdiction is absolute and Hood is dogged in his pursuit of those who would abuse and misuse scientific discoveries and breakthroughs for their own gain. His passion and crusade is to protect the substance of science from those with nefarious motives. He is called in at the eleventh hour and he represents the last line of defense.

The Ex List
The Ex List is a comedic drama about Bella Bloom (Elizabeth Reaser, Grey's Anatomy) - a single, 30-something, successful business owner who is surprised to learn from a psychic that she's already dated her future husband AND there's a catch: if she doesn't find him in the next year, she'll remain alone forever. During a bachelorette party for her sister, Daphne (Rachel Boston, American Dreams), Bella learns from the psychic she must revisit her past relationships and sort through the mistakes to find her soul mate. Skeptical, Bella begins to analyze every past liaison and failed romance with her close circle of friends, Augie (Adam Rothenberg, Mad Money), an endearing guy who has listened to Bella's love woes since college, Vivian (Alex Breckenridge, Dirt), Augie's long-term girlfriend, and Cyrus (Amir Talai, Campus Ladies), who's chronically unemployed and full of wry observations. Once Bella witnesses proof of the psychic's other predictions, her cynicism disappears and she begins her search. Along her trip down break-up lane, Bella is determined to remain optimistic and receptive, believing that when destiny reopens doors to the past, every relationship can matter in the future.

Photos courtesy of CBS

The CW's Fall Schedule: My Take

BuzzSugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 08:30:01 -0700

The CW announced its intention to bring a bunch of rich kids back to the big screen at the network's upfront presentation yesterday, scheduling a 90210 remake and a show about surviving the "filthy rich". Now that I've had some time to mull it over, here are some of my thoughts on the schedule:

I'm surprised that the CW is putting 90210 and Surviving the Filthy Rich on the same night. Why not pair Gossip Girl with 90210 and One Tree Hill with Filthy Rich? Seems like that would give all the shows a boost.
I'm actually looking forward to Stylista, Tyra Banks' The Devil Wears Prada-esque show about assistants trying to work their way up the fashion magazine ladder. I'm surprised Anne Slowey is the magazine personality involved, though - when she's guest-judged Project Runway auditions before, I haven't found her terribly charismatic.
Speaking of Stylista, I guess we'll see if that gets big enough to make up for Elle reportedly losing all its ties to Runway!

Some other thoughts - plus pictures of the new shows - so read more.

Hooray for Reaper! The buzz had been sounding good on a renewal for a couple of days now, but that doesn't mean I didn't breathe a big sigh of relief when I saw the announcement. The current plan seems to be putting Reaper on Thursday nights with Supernatural once Smallville finishes its run, and I could see those two shows pairing well together.
We heard a few weeks back that the CW was drastically cutting back on comedies - but I didn't picture that meaning only having two on the schedule and dumping them on Friday nights! Also, there was talk at some point of wrapping Girlfriends up with a TV movie, but I haven't seen anything official about that.
Will this be the year the CW can really break out? It seems like they're going really hard for this teen and 20something niche, and I'm not sure if that will work forever - but hey, it worked for the old WB back in the Dawson's Creek ad Felicity days, right?

Some photos:
Surviving the Filthy Rich

View 2 Photos ›

Stylista

View 2 Photos ›

Photos courtesy of The CW

The CW's Fall Schedule: Rich Kids and Beverly Hills

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:02:45 -0700

Hmmm, think the CW knows its target demographic? At its upfront presentation today, the network introduced several new shows that seem to appeal to the same audience that tunes in for, say, Gossip Girl.

One of those shows is the 90210 remake, now known simply as 90210 (pictured above), which will pair on Tuesday nights with another show about wealthy teens, Surviving the Filthy Rich. We first heard about the latter show when it was still called How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls; like Gossip Girl, it's based on an Alloy Entertainment book, this time focusing on a young woman who serves as live-in tutor to a couple of wealthy Palm Beach twins. The network also officially unveiled Stylista, a reality show about the fashion magazine world produced by Tyra Banks and starring Elle magazine's Anne Slowey.

Also notable: The CW is almost completely out of the comedy business, moving its two remaining comedies (Everybody Hates Chris and The Game) to Friday nights. Sundays, meanwhile, have been outsourced to another company that will create original programming to air on the CW.

As rumored earlier this week, Reaper will indeed be returning, with 13 episodes scheduled for midseason. Aliens in America, meanwhile, didn't make the cut. Here's the CW's full press release, and you can see the schedule and descriptions of the new shows if you read more.

All caps = new show
** = new time slot

MONDAY
8 p.m. Gossip Girl
9 p.m. One Tree Hill

TUESDAY
8 p.m. 90210
9 p.m. SURVIVING THE FILTHY RICH

WEDNESDAY
8 p.m. America's Next Top Model
9 p.m. STYLISTA

THURSDAY
8 p.m. Smallville
9 p.m. Supernatural

FRIDAY
8 p.m. Everybody Hates Chris**
8:30 p.m. The Game**
9 p.m. ANTM repeats

Midseason: Reaper

Here's how the CW describes the new shows:

90210
An edgy, contemporary spin-off of the iconic drama Beverly Hills, 90210, the new 90210 looks at life through the eyes of Annie Mills (Shenae Grimes, Degrassi: The Next Generation) and her brother Dixon (Tristan Wilds, The Wire), whose first day at West Beverly Hills High School leaves no doubt they're not in Kansas anymore. The Mills family, including dad Harry (casting TBD) and mom Debbie (Lori Loughlin, Summerland), has relocated to Beverly Hills to keep an eye on Harry's mother Tabitha (Jessica Walter, Arrested Development), a feisty-but-faded former television star and a charter member of the Betty Ford Clinic. For Annie and Dixon, the awkwardness of being the new kids is made worse by the fact that their dad has taken a job as the high school principal. The school is one big culture shock for Annie, a sweet and friendly girl with a passion for the theater, and Dixon, a star athlete and scholar who was adopted by the Mills family after they took him in as a foster child. Annie and Dixon have a close sibling relationship, which they'll need to help them cope with all the new cliques and classmates, including Naomi (AnnaLynne McCord, Nip/Tuck), a hot, spoiled, rich girl; Ethan (Dustin Milligan, Runaway), a popular jock whose abilities rival Dixon's; Navid (Michael Steger, The Winner), an aspiring reporter who heads up the school's daily newscast; and Silver (Jessica Stroup, Prom Night), a rebel who produces and stars in a YouTube-type video series. Even the faculty seems hip and sophisticated at WBHHS, such as smart and funny teacher Ryan Matthews (Ryan Eggold, Dirt) and beautiful guidance counselor Kelly Taylor (guest star Jennie Garth, the original Beverly Hills, 90210). The Mills family has just begun to realize how much their lives are about to change.

Surviving the Filthy Rich

Twenty-three-year-old Megan Smith (JoAnna Garcia, Reba) has a Yale education, a relentlessly positive attitude and a plan to conquer the world of journalism, despite the fact that she is currently slaving away at a tabloid rag. Megan's plan is thrown off course when, in one whirlwind day, she gets fired, meets cosmetics mogul Laurel Limoges (casting TBD) and becomes the live-in tutor for Laurel's twin teen granddaughters in the heady Palm Beach world of wealth and power. The girls, Rose (Lucy Kate Hale, Bionic Woman) and Sage (Ashley Newbrough, The Best Years), are beautiful, rebellious and less-than-thrilled with their new tutor, but Megan is determined to win them over as she enjoys the perks of her new job - breathtaking private suite, gorgeous convertible and live-in chef Marco (Allan Louis, Stomp the Yard). Even the neighbors are fabulous in Palm Beach, and Megan quickly catches the eye of Will (casting TBD), the wealthy and extremely hot dilettante who lives on the estate next door and just happens to be dating Megan's estranged sister Lily (casting TBD). Completing this romantic quadrangle is Megan's best friend Charlie (Michael Cassidy, Smallville, The O.C), who is secretly in love with her. Despite her own complicated romantic and family relationships, Megan is committed to making a difference in the lives of her two headstrong charges as she navigates the treacherous waters of high society in Palm Beach. Surviving the Filthy Rich is based on the Alloy Entertainment book How To Teach Filthy Rich Girls by best-selling author Zoey Dean (The A-List).

Stylista
If The Devil Wears Prada were a reality show, it would be Stylista. Eleven aspiring fashion enthusiasts vie for a much-coveted editorial job with Elle magazine. They work as assistants to Elle's Fashion News Director, Anne Slowey, a demanding but well-respected fashion icon. The competitors will carry out an assistant task and a fashion editorial assignment in each episode. Each week, in consultation with Elle's Creative Director, Joe Zee, Anne fires one person, until the last assistant standing gets "promoted" to the coveted real-life job opportunity. The grand prize includes a paid editorial position at Elle magazine, a paid lease on a great apartment in Manhattan, and a clothing allowance at H&M, all for one year, valued at $100,000.

Photo courtesy of the CW

ABC's Fall Schedule: My Take (With Video!)

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:30:24 -0700

I just finished watching ABC's upfront presentation to advertisers, where the network's executives went over the schedule that was announced this morning and showed clips of the new shows - including Life on Mars, pictured above. The presentation gave me some insight into what ABC's thinking with its schedule, which only includes two new shows for the Fall:

Basically, Fall 2007 was so nice, ABC wants to do it twice. "By far, we had the best Fall in decades," entertainment president Stephen McPherson said, "and then came the lovely strike." So the network is mostly doing it over, bringing back the majority of the new shows from last year.
That doesn't mean ABC isn't actively developing shows for later in the year: They've picked up 20 pilots, split pretty evenly between comedy and drama.
McPherson promoted a few of those shows in his presentation, including Four Play, the new comedy from Will and Grace creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick. If the show is as funny as those two were just talking about it, we'll be in for a treat.
Also funny: clips from ABC's remake of the Web series In the Motherhood. It reminded me a bit of Bravo's Significant Others if all the characters were moms battling bratty children.
On the downside, the presentation ended with clips from Wipeout, the game show with people falling and running into things. The voiceover dared me not to laugh. I didn't laugh.

To see what I thought of the new shows - Life on Mars, reality show Opportunity Knocks, and animated series The Goode Family - and see clips and pictures of them for yourself, just read more.

Life on Mars
I was pleasantly surprised at how faithful the trailer for this BBC remake seemed to the original - and maybe I'm warming to Jason O'Mara as time-traveling detective Sam Tyler after all. Here's a video and pictures:

View 9 Photos ›

Opportunity Knocks
This traveling game show seems family-friendly almost to a fault. It definitely reminded me of the Saturday morning game shows of my childhood. I see it as more a companion to America's Funniest Home Videos, though, not necessarily anchoring Tuesday night.

The Goode Family
This animated series about a family of vegan, politically correct, recycle-happy folks from King of the Hill's Mike Judge could either be hilarious or unbearable. From the clip, I was actually leaning toward unbearable. What's your take?

View 6 Photos ›

Oh, and here's a Scrubs-on-ABC promo, just because: