Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Mailbag: Your TV Questions answered! House, Lost, and more!


Q; Hey there! I'm a huge Alyssa Milano fan and was wondering if she was up to anything these days? - Samantha, Chicago, IL

A: Samantha, you're in luck. Alyssa will be starring in a new comedy for ABC called 'Romantically Challenged.' The show centers on a thirtysomething man who is torn between his new girlfriend and needy best friend. Alyssa plays the girlfriend. The show was picked up for a midseason order of 13 episodes. Look for it sometime after the new year.

Q: Hey TVN&N, Please give me some news on my favorite shows 'House' and 'Lost?' - Mike, Sacramento, CA

A: Just ask and I shall deliver! Let's start with House first. Do you long for the old days when Cameron and Chase were on House's team? Well long no more. Chase and Cameron will be back on House's team during the new season which returns on September 21st. Too many people on the team now, you say? Not for long, one of the team members will be getting fired.

Now for 'Lost.' Lots of "new" old faces will be back next season. Many of the Losties that you had the pleasure of watching in the first few seasons will be back for Season 6, such as Charlie and Boone, among others. Also, the very fascinating character of Richard Alpert will be explored extensively in the upcoming final season. Can't Wait!!

Q: My favorite show is 'Damages' on FX. Can you tell me anything about season 3? When is it coming back? - Jo-Ann, Boston, MA

A: Production for season 3 gets underway very soon, September 1st, to be exact. No premiere date has been set yet, but my guess is that it will be early March. Lots of people have been asking about Ted Danson, he will be returning for season 3.

Q: I haven't heard much about the new season of 'Sons of Anarchy.' Can you give me any news about it? - Jack, Detroit, MI

A: I sure can. The show returns Tuesday, September 8th on FX. I'm hearing that Henry Rollins and Adam Arkin will be guest starring this season in multiple episodes. We'll also be seeing a former cast member of 'The Shield' making an appearance. For those wondering about Opie... despite his wife's death in Season 1, Opie's commitment to SAMCRO will be even stronger. "Opie is a guy who needs a task," series creator Kurt Sutter says. "Opie's task will find him getting even closer to Clay, which will most definitely have an effect on Jax's emotional arc this season."


Have a question about your favorite TV show? Send your questions to tvnewsandnotes@gmail.com. Questions will be answered in a future Mailbag post.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

'Project Runway' scores best ratings ever in Lifetime premiere

'Project Runway' premiered to record ratings for it's 6th season.

The first episode of the show on its new network, Lifetime, scored 4.2 million viewers, making it the highest rated reality competition series on cable this year.

The highly anticipated return of the show was also the highest rated premiere of the series ever and the highest rated show in the history of the Lifetime network.

“Not only has this premiere generated the series’ highest rating, but the reviews have been the best we have ever received," said Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of the Weinstein Co. "I was thrilled to get our friends Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Fergie, Lindsay Lohan and Diane von Furstenberg to help us launch this season, and I look forward to many more surprises in the coming months.”

So much for the speculation that the show's move to Lifetime and the ensuing lawsuit had permanently damaged the franchise.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

'Mad Men' sets ratings record

AMC's Emmy winning drama, 'Mad Men' set a ratings record for the network. The premiere showed a 33% increase in viewership up to 2.8 million viewers. The shows largest audience ever.

This is also pretty amazing when you consider that last season the show only averaged 1.5 million viewers per week.

Adding the viewership numbers from the premiere and AMC's two repeats of the episode, "Mad Men" garnered 4 million viewers, up 29 percent from the cumulative audience for last year's premiere episode.

'Mad Men' is nominated for 16 Emmy's, the most for any drama series.

'Alias' and 'Heroes' star joins '24'

Former 'Alias' and 'Heroes' bad guy David Anders has joined the cast of '24.'

Anders will be a recurring character on Season 8 of the Fox drama. We don't yet know what role Anders will be playing.

Anders is the latest addition to the '24' cast which has already added Freddie Prinze, Jr. and 'Battlestar Galactica's' Katee Sackhoff.

Anders is best know for his recurring role on 'Heroes' and for his role as Julian Sark on the hit ABC series, 'Alias.'

Friday, August 14, 2009

TNT cancels 'Saving Grace'

TNT has cancelled 'Saving Grace.' The series will conclude next summer with a 9 episode run.

The show stars Holly Hunter as Grace Hanadarko, a high-spirited detective who holds nothing back, on the job or in her personal life. The role has earned Hunter two Emmy nominations. Kenneth Johnson, Leon Rippy, Yaani King and Laura San Giacomo co-star.

Originally, the cable network had ordered a typical split 15-episode third season -- nine to run this summer and six in the winter.

TNT now has ordered three more episodes, which will be added to the six earmarked for winter. Those nine episodes will air next summer.

It is understood that TNT offered 'Grace' producer Fox TV Studios a full-blown fourth-season pickup, but the studio declined to accept it for financial reasons.

Faced with the possibility of an abrupt end to the show, known for its woven story lines, TNT decided to order the extra episodes that would tie up all the loose ends. The network also opted to give the show a proper send-off in the summer, when cable series draw larger audiences.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

What will Paula's absence mean to 'American Idol?'

As most of you know by now, Paula Abdul will not be returning to 'American Idol' as a judge next season. Count me among the people that think this is a good thing.

In my opinion, Paula really added nothing to the show. In fact I feel that she detracted from it. She would very rarely offer any constructive criticism to the contestants and her cheerleading of the 'Idol' hopefuls usually bordered on embarrassment. A judge should remain neutral, for the most part. It's ok to say that someone is your favorite or the one you think is the best. But to stand and dance or cheer for a contestants performance is embarrassing, and I think she loses any credibility she had when she does things like that.

I don't think 'Idol' will miss a beat with Paula's absence. Kara DioGuardi can fill her shoes quite nicely and frankly do a better job. Paula had a big problem criticizing a performance. She couldn't bring herself to say something bad about a contestant. Randy and Simon have no such problem, and neither does Kara. I think you'll all agree that when Simon or Randy gives someone a good review, it really means something. Does it mean anything when Paula says something good about a contestant?

No. Because she says something good about everyone.

Paula, as a judge, needed to be more honest and critical when a contestant needed it. Paula wanted to be liked, and it didn't work. I think that is part of the reason she is no longer there. We've been told that it was Paula's decision not to return and that her salary was part of the reason. What i'm hearing is that producers didn't feel she was worth the money she was asking because of the reasons mentioned above. It was a totally mutual decision and that behind the scenes the producers think it is good for the show that she doesn't return.

I'd like to see 'Idol' go back to the 3 judge format with the occasional guest judge. But the show doesn't need 4 judges at all times.

What do you think?