After a rather good showing this past awards season, Showtime is looking to add a few more statues to their collection. With three trailers released recently, two new shows and one returning, their chances are looking quite good.
For awhile, I thought I was the only person watching Shameless. Then I couldn’t decide if the show was actually good or if my adoration for William H. Macy was influencing my decision. Thankfully I’ve had some third-party input to cement my idea that it really is a good show. The Gallagher’s are sad and depressing and you just want to take them all up in a big hug, but they are also smart and funny and that is what makes me turn in each week. Not surprisingly, this season 3 trailer looks promising.
So pretty much the same as the previous two seasons. As Lip so eloquently put it, they need to “steal or scrap” to get by and it seems as if they are going to do plenty of both in season 3. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it I suppose. Although I do have to disagree wholeheartedly with Veronica (Shanola Hampton)- a man with a mop is extremely sexy and the sooner men learn this, the happier we will all be.
Time to dust off the old Chicken Dance! Arrested Development is getting even more new episodes when it releases the exclusive new season to Netflix. According to EW, the original order of 10 new episodes has been increased by an undisclosed number. Creator Mitch Hurwitz and crew took a short break from filming recently to review current events and incorporate the new material, ensuring the story of the Bluths would be even more relevant to our present world.
So here we are again with the lovable rogues that now comprise the Misfits crew. This week Alex and Jess had some hiccups regarding their new relationship, mainly because he has lady parts downstairs. Rudy is so obsessed with the woman he met at the party he can think of nothing else and for the first time has experienced love. After new girl Abbey is found drunk (again) in the probation locker rooms, Finn covers for her. To save him from getting a beating from angry Greg, she pretends to be a new community service worker. While seeing a single mum in the toilets who is having second thoughts about the child inside of her, Abbey finds the mum had a power and has transferred her unborn baby into Abbey, who decides to keep it. However, after a heartfelt plea from the mother, she agrees to give the baby back. Jess tells Rudy about Alex’s condition and as can be expected from Rudy he tells everyone, really ticking off Alex. Rudy sees his mystery woman again and finds out she is a nun. Alex finally finds out the woman who stole his penis and goes after her with a gun. The crew track Alex to a night club where they are ready to help, but get so distracted by Greg who is on stage singing an amazing rendition of The Power of Love, that it is left up to Jess to find Alex. Alex breaks down in front of his penis snatcher and she is so gutted by what she has done she gives him it back. Alex and Jess finally get it on, but it was not really the romantic night she was expecting.
With this new series of Misfits, it seems that the writers are having trouble giving the new members of the group decent introductions. Finn and Jess had an average intro to the group, while Alex was introduced in the bar and has done little since. With Abbey, her main episode introduction here (yes I am aware she was in last week’s episode, but as she was unconscious through most of it I am not counting it) is to carry a blooming baby about and even gave her the very cliched “oh I have amnesia” character trait which reeks of laziness. This really annoyed me because out of all the new cast members, she is the most interesting by far. Her attitude is fantastic and I love the fact she just breezes through each episode, never really shocked about anything and pretty much always has that slightly droopy drunk look on her face! The fact she is now on probation because she pretended to be on probation is a pretty lousy way of getting her to stay in the group but it is not any worse than what has happened to her so far. She tries her best with this stinker of a plot point and I am hoping she has a better role in the future, as I really think she will make a great edition to the team.
Jess and Alex float around this episode like a bad smell. This was meant to be their episode, a powerful hitting episode about love without male parts and the effect that has on a man. It tried to be but it just came off as a filler episode. I still think Alex is dull as dish water as a character and poor Jess just mopes along after him like a love sick puppy. Alex’s speech at the end was his only shining moment in this episode and it is one of the best pieces he has had to perform all series. More scenes like this would be well received. Their love making scene makes Alex seem like a jerk. Who wants to check out their own booty while they are in bed! Jess looked less than impressed too. I am wondering if now he has his dick back he is going to act like a…well…a dick I guess! At least this would make him interesting.
Finn does nothing this episode aside from mope about over how he has no chance with Jess. He is just there as nothing ground breaking happens to him, but he does not come off as annoying either. Rudy’s love angle however is a different story. I am guessing the writers are wanting to expand his character a little more and he does look cute when he is trying to court someone rather than sleeping with them. Next episode focuses more on the history of his love interest and as she has very few scenes here, I will look at the character next week. The problem with the new love angle is it makes Rudy a bit dull. The reason I love him as a character is he is a sex mad simpleton. Rudy 2 is the heart and more thoughtful one and I like how they both interact together. Rudy, however, now acts like a mix of both of them and it does not gel at all. Rudy 2 does finally make an appearance in this episode, but it was so short they might as well not bothered.
With everybody moaning in this episode (and ironically me moaning about them moaning) was there any fun to be had? Not really. The thing is the episode as I mentioned before felt like a filler piece for a bigger episode. But it was also very dull. People aimlessly wandering about moaning or in Abbeys case trying to make a very clichéd story work is not my idea of fun. But at least someone uses their powers in this episode. For some reason this series seems to have had very little power use by the Misfit group. I do not know if this is because their powers are rubbish or just because building the story lines up is more important. It would have added a bit of excitement though. There was one saving grace in this episode however. When they hit the nightclub Greg starts to sing at the karaoke bar and man, he is a great singer. Much like the Misfit crew who stood there transfixed by this amazing mans vocals, I looked on in delight as well. It was mainly used as a joke on his gruff character, who is obviously not as gruff as we think. The joke fell completely flat, but his singing will ring in my ears for years to come. For some reason the last ten minutes of the episode really picks up (Greg’s singing is a big part of this), with great acting and very funny scenes. It is a shame they made us wait so long for it. Really below average story telling which without Greg’s singing would have sent me off to snooze land.
What if a serial killer escaped from prison and it is discovered that he had amassed quite a following of fellow serial killers and others while incarcerated and those people are now willing to help him evade the authorities trying to capture him once again? Well then we’d have the show premiering on January 21st, on Fox, called The Following.
Kevin Bacon stars as Ryan Hardy, a former FBI agent who was instrumental in the search and eventual capture a serial killer named Joe Carroll played by James Purefoy. Since the capture, Hardy has stepped out of the spotlight and is living his own life with the mental and physical scars left by the hunt for Carroll. Put in prison for murdering 14 co-eds who attended the Virginia college at which he taught literature, Carroll has spent his time in prison reaching out to and connecting with his fellow serial killers. They form a network that not only puts into motion his escape from prison, but also aide him in finishing what he started years earlier.
The story picks up with Carroll’s escape and the FBI reaching out to Hardy in hopes that his intimate knowledge of the killer will help them track him down again. Hardy is no longer the top dog which takes some getting used to by not only him but by the team now working the case, including a “young, razor-sharp” Mike Weston who idolizes Hardy, and the investigation lead, Specialist Debra Parker who along with everyone else (minus Weston) isn’t too keen on Hardy being around, seeing him as more of a hindrance than a help.
The ensuing investigation leads Hardy and the team back to Carroll’s ex-wife and young son. It appears as if not all was kosher in the “investigator/wife of serial killer” relationship in the past
Well don’t let me tell you all about it, check out the trailer-
REMOVED BY YOUTUBE
Looks rather promising. I’ll admit that I’d hoped this one was on cable, but Fox has had success in the past with good crime(ish) dramas before- 24, Prison Break,New York Undercover– so perhaps my concern will be for naught.
This is Kevin Bacon’s first serialized TV stint (not counting guest spots) since he appeared on Guiding Light way back in 1980. I, for one, hope this doesn’t turn into a movie actor vs. TV actor thing when people start talking about the show. Just because someone who has predominantly worked in film decides to tackle a television project does not mean they’ve given up on life and spend their downtime wearing sweatpants and eating cheese puffs.
James Purefoy (who had a Bacon score of 2 before this show) on the other hand, has gone the TV route more recently with the short-lived but still really good, The Philanthropist. He also played Marc Anthony in the incredible BBC/HBO series, Rome.
In addition to two great actors, The Following is created and written by a man who is no stranger to TV hits. Even though he has had some shows that sucked, Hidden Palms being a good example, Kevin Williamson has been the creative force behind two shows that are undeniably TV classics. Okay, so The Vampire Diaries might be just more popular than classic right now, but there is no one that can deny that Dawson’s Creek is a television benchmark for an entire generation. If you are a member of that generation and want to have a nostalgic, if not tear-jerking moment (I cried. Pathetic, I know.), check out James Van Der Beek’s letter to Dawson Leery.
As for Williamson’s latest outing, I’m hoping that The Following has the ratings that lead to a longer run because I’m interested in seeing how he and the writing staff tell this cat and mouse story.
If you can’t wait and just need more footage of Bacon and Purefoy playing that game, I am more than happy to oblige.
A bit more of an in-depth look at the upcoming show:
James Purefoy and Kevin Bacon talk to The Hollywood Reporter at Comic-Con:
The Following will premiere on Fox, on January 21st at 9 Eastern/8 Central.
[Ed. Note – Also, Natalie Zea left Justified for this, so it better not suck…]
The Jeremy Renner episode of SNL was a very long three weeks ago and usually when there is a longer break, the show’s writers, who were recently nominated for a Writers Guild Award, come back with a renewed vigor that makes for a great show. Last night with Jamie Foxx was no different.
It started off strong with the cold open. Jay Pharoah’s Pres. Obama impression is on fire. At the beginning of the season I was a little nervous but seriously, it has just gotten better each and every time he’s come out. That combined with Bill Hader’s picked on John Boehner, was hysterical. Poor John Boehner, his milk is thrown in the trash and they held him down and took his pants.
I have to say, Jamie Foxx if the most comfortable I’ve seen anyone while doing the monologue this season. Even Louis C.K. seemed a little out of his element even though the monologue that week was stand-up, exactly his element. I imagine it is partly in thanks to Foxx’s time spent on the timeless classic, In Living Color, but he looked right at home. I cringed just a bit when he sat down at the piano because seriously this has been the season of the musical monologues, but this is Jamie Foxx! He can certainly sing, this we know. And I’ll admit, his cheekbones did seem more defined after he sang a little ditty.
If you are like me and had never heard “Birthday Song” and had no idea who the dude was that showed up at the end of the monologue… that was an artist named 2 Chainz. Learn something new everyday.
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen an episode in which there were two game show sketches. I’m not complaining by any means because I happen to be a fan of game show sketches, just thought it was odd. The first “Bitch, What’s the Answer?” was quite amusing in it’s simplicity. I think it’s the mark of a good episode that when the second worst sketch of the entire show is actually funny. Make no mistake though, this was a low point which makes one wonder- why on earth do you lead with the bottom of the barrel? So unusual.
I’m about to say something critical of Taran Killam. I hate saying critical things of Taran Killam.
This sketch has got to go. It’s third on my most hated list (right behind Fred Armisen as the disgusting talk show producer and The Californians) and it has just run it’s course. Jason Sudeikis is actually the funniest part of this one but even he can not save it. It was barely funny when they first did this sketch, it’s not even remotely funny anymore. Just put it out to pasture already. Please.
Alex Cross 2/Madea Special Ops
Again, a pre-taped piece is one of the better ones of the night.
I’m sort of surprised that it took them this long to write this bit. Maybe they knew Jamie Foxx was coming up so they shelved it until this week, who knows? What I do know is I loved it. When “Madea” was telling “Alex Cross” to look her in the eye and Jamie Foxx was going crosseyed, I damn near pissed myself I laughed so hard. The premise was equally ridiculous and genius all wrapped up in hysterical.
Ne-Yo can be described with these few words: Fly girls, WTF are those pants, perfect fedora, stage too small for that many dancers, “she is” sound like “shit”. The end.
Weekend Update was perfect this week. Perfect. Perfect picture of perfection. I take that back, there was one blemish in the near perfect complexion and that would be “Chicken Sandusky”. I wonder where it was written that SNL, and Seth Myers especially, is required to make the whole Jerry Sandusky thing funny. It seems as if they are trying really hard to find the joke and have been doing so all season. Give it up guys and gals, it isn’t working.
You know what is working? Jamie Foxx as a Ding Dong.
Between “snack profiling” and “snack brother from a different batter”, I was dying. Even my husband who is not much of an SNL type of comedy fan, found the “call me dong” line hysterical. I was also really impressed that even though it was obvious Jamie Foxx was moments away from losing it completely, he kept it together and was able to finish the bit without only a few little breaks. That’s tough, once you get the giggles it’s difficult to regain composure. At least I’ve never been able to do it.
Even though this episode had very little female presence, what little it did have was divine. Aidy Bryant is slowly but surely starting to get in more sketches which just makes my heart sing. Her Mrs. Claus was both brilliant and disturbing. I don’t know about anyone else, but the idea of Santa’s grooming situation downstairs is not something I want to think of at all. However when she mentioned Criss Angel: Mind Freak, I guffawed. Quite loudly. I don’t know who wrote her bit but good on them. It was so much fun.
Usually I’ll chuckle a time or two during the actual “news” parts of Weekend Update but there was twice this week that I was actually laughing. The first was the “Obama insults Israel” line about Fox News and the National Christmas Tree and the second was this: I don’t know if it was because it was just so unexpected and/or so ridiculous but damn was I tickled by this. It wouldn’t have mattered what that tweet said, the name “muffinbuster14” alone was enough to set me off. I’m still laughing about it today.
The “Tree Pimp” was somewhat entertaining but outside of Keenan Thompson humping a tree, it wasn’t all that great. Well the tree humping and then Fred Armisen making out with the tree in his car. Freaky.
There are sketches and parts of sketches that have worked their way from SNL into everyday lexicon. I imagine there are many people who would recognize John Belushi as the Samurai and Martin Short’s Ed Grimley. In more recent times, Turd Ferguson is pretty well known as is Chris Farley’s “van down by the river”. I think three of the last four (Tree Pimp being the fourth) sketches have potential of becoming that kind of catchphrase.
There were a lot of people (internet people) who were pissing and moaning that there was way too much “racial humor” in this episode. Well that’s just ridiculous. It was humor, plain, simple, and funny humor. Of course some of it had a racial tone to it but it’s no different than when people who are from other countries host the show, their culture is usually worked into different sketches. When it comes to “Dylan McDermott or Dermot Mulroney” the race component is only a small part of the joke. Yea yea, it’s funny that white people think all black people look the same and all black people think white people look the same but with this one? No one can tell these two apart! I can not tell you the number of times I’ve watched a movie or TV show that one of them has been in and wondered to myself, now who is this again?
If “Rupert Everett is the gay Dylan McDermott” was comedy gold then “Derbel McDillet” was platinum. I’m sure my neighbors thought we’d added a hyena to our animal collection because I was laughing like a mad woman. I’d almost go so far as to say that Derbel McDillet is funnier than Turd Ferguson. Derbel McDillet- that shit’s funny.
If ever there was a sketch that you could point at and say, “yes that was written by people conscious thanks solely to copious amounts of caffeine and nicotine”, this was it. “Maine Justice” worked only because it was so over the top and so asinine that it couldn’t be anything but hilarity. Even with how stupid this sketch was, it was enjoyable. Especially to watch Jason Sudeikis who seemed to genuinely have a good time as the Col. Sanders look-a-like judge. Sadly, I think it’s been awhile since he has enjoyed this job as much as he did in the past so it was nice to see that again. Of course there have been rumors flying around for over a year whether or not he would be leaving, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him announce he was done if not in the next weeks, in the next few months. He will be missed but hopefully he’ll go on to have a successful movie career, even perhaps team up with his Horrible Bosses and now “Maine Justice” co-star, Charlie Day.
The ‘stupidest, most ridiculous, how on earth did this make it on the show, yet funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time’ award goes to “Swavorski Crystals”. Give Vanessa Bayer and Cecily Strong credit for this sketch’s success because it was all in the timing. Anyone can make a joke about ex-porn stars shilling Swavorski Crystals but these two took that joke and made it their own. Although Cecily Strong forgetting her name and Vanessa Bayer losing her foot because it “broke off in a butt” were funny, I think we can all agree that “Anal” was the funniest thing uttered in that entire sketch, if not the entire show.
It is rare that SNL ends on such a strong sketch, but it was a refreshing change that is for sure.
Overall, very strong episode. I love this kind of episode where you could see the host easily being a cast member each week. I would not be opposed to seeing Jamie Foxx as an SNL regular. Actually I’m surprised he’s only hosted twice! That needs to be amended. Perhaps in another couple years we’ll see him back on the SNL stage. For now, I’m just going to go rewatch this episode and laugh at Derbel McDillet some more.
Next week is Martin Short and Paul McCartney which has the potential to be quite a good episode.
I think Arrow has finally decided to just go ahead and embrace the “so bad it’s good” mentality. This is not a bad thing though. Sometimes “so bad, it’s good” actually ends up being the most enjoyable types of entertainment. However, minus the reveal of the “Well Dressed Man” as Tommy’s father and the return of Walter, last week was a bit lacking. Helena Bertinelli wasn’t all that riveting, Oliver was delusional in his “justice vs. vengeance” non-argument, and there wasn’t nearly enough John Diggle.
Thankfully Diggle returns this week in ‘Vengeance’, because Oliver needed his ass handed to him. What part of “secret lair” is hard to understand? Why not just have an open house at this point? Bake some cookies, put out a cheese ball, and invite the whole neighborhood why don’t you?
Oliver likes Ritz with his cheeseball
Best line of the entire episode though came from that chick that shouldn’t know his secret in the first place. I damn near aspirated my coffee when after Oliver tries to get Helena to learn how to be a proper vigilante from him she says “Thanks for the coffee… and the sex, but I’m not interested.” Someone call Hallmark, I think we’ve got a winner here! Actually this entire episode was one fabulously ridiculous line after another.
“You should be in the Olympics” John Diggle to Oliver who is working out… again
“Street cred” both Helena and Oliver utter this without a trace of irony
“I don’t speak Chinese so I’m going to assume you said goodbye.” Helena before she shoots a member of the Triad
Okay, the last one was fantastic. It was one of those things that you certainly didn’t expect in the middle of a fight scene which made it a thousand times funnier. I am a little peeved that like Boardwalk Empire (how many times this week have you seen a correlation made between Boardwalk Empire and Arrow?) they talk about this huge war and how it’s going to tear the city apart and it’s all over in one nice and neat scene. The Triad (with the kick-ass China White making another appearance) storms Bertinelli’s house and that’s it? That’s a war? Perhaps I’ve been watching too much Gangland but that seemed a little weak.
“You have failed this city”
Speaking of Chinese in the show, there is a tumblr user who watches the show and posts the translations of the Chinese spoken there. You can find her blog here. Shameless plug time: while you are on tumblr anyway, might as well go ahead and follow Grizzly Bomb as well.
Helena became Huntress even though they never called her that, unless I missed it. We got to see her girl out on the color of her outfit (purple of course) but we saw a bad girl quality when it came to the unintentional double date with her and Oliver and Tommy and Laurel. She was the one who suggested they have dinner with them and then she got all pissy when she found out who they were. Come on Helena, don’t be like that, you are giving us girls a bad name. It was fun to see her and Oliver go hunt down Anthony Venza together though.
I’ll admit that I thought Oliver was going to win out over Helena and she was going to see the err of her ways and turn to the Force. I was wrong. So wrong that when we saw Helena standing over father, crossbow aimed at him, I was taken aback. Come on now, taking down his business is one thing but now you want to flat out kill him? I’m with Oliver on this one, put him in jail, no need to go off and revenge kill your dad.
Random, but I really hope I’m not the only person that thought immediately of Bryan Adam’s 1991 power ballad, “I Do It For You” from Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves when Mr. Bertinelli was begging his daughter not to shoot him. I fully expected Kevin Costner to come walking from the woods. Actually now that I think about it, that would have been awesome.
Subplots? No real big surprise, Walter doesn’t trust Moira. Well if he did, the trust was fleeting because Felicity comes and shows him an image that he knows he’s seen before and he ends up finding a book that looks exactly like Oliver’s book of names and it is filled with names as well! Ahhhhh! What does this mean? Will Walter confront Moira? Will she tell him about Merlyn/Well Dressed Man? Will he leave again? Will he and Felicity join up and become super sleuths together? Yes please. Felicity is easily the most entertaining person on this show. She needs more air time and I’m hoping this detective bit with Walter will do just that.
The whole Tommy and Laurel thing is just a means to an end (that end somehow being Tommy an antagonist and Laurel and Oliver together) so I refuse to get emotionally invested in that. That being said, Laurel needs to shut her mouth. It was absolutely none of her business if Tommy went to Oliver for a job or not. Then to bring it up at dinner? That’s dirty and results in one of the most awkward double dates I’ve watched in recent memory. Yikes.
As for Diggle? I think he’s going to end up with his sister-in-law. Not only did he give a telling look her way when he was talking to Oliver about the “right one” but she made a point of saying she was his “ex-sister in-law”. I’m interested in seeing how that plays out. If for no other reason than to hear them talk more about what a bad neighborhood this immaculate and relatively beautiful fast food restaurant is in. I don’t think he’s going to leave Ollie, no matter how much he says he is. At least he better not.
Overall, great episode. Like I said, I think they have decided to just own the cheesy dialogue and ridiculous story lines and I think it makes for a better show in the long run. There’s only one episode left until the hiatus and I’m sure it will be a good one. This week was lacking John Barrowman and Yao Fei, but made up for it with Felicity and Diggle so let’s stick with a four out of five rating.
For awhile, I thought I was the only person watching Shameless. Then I couldn’t decide if the show was actually good or if my adoration for William H. Macy was influencing my decision. Thankfully I’ve had some third-party input to cement my idea that it really is a good show. The Gallagher’s are sad and depressing and you just want to take them all up in a big hug, but they are also smart and funny and that is what makes me turn in each week. Not surprisingly, this season 3 trailer looks promising.
Grizzly Bomb 