Category Archives: Television

‘The Newsroom’ treks into desert territory in new TV spot

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Together they stand alone.

That’s the new tagline for the second season of Aaron Sorkin’s political drama The Newsroom returning to HBO July 14. Playing in front of Tom Odell’s mesmerizing track “Can’t Pretend” is this new promo revealing the tagline and starring the core members of Atlantic Cable News. Jeff Daniels’ Will McAvoy leads his cable news team into a barren desert where relationships are tested and a TV stuck in static remains. What does it mean? The comment section is yours.

Update: A new clip with actual footage from season 2 is live: watch after the break. Continue reading ‘The Newsroom’ treks into desert territory in new TV spot →

‘The Walking Dead’ season 4 premiere names its writer and director

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When The Walking Dead returns to AMC this fall, the season 4 opener promises to be one special episode. It is written by new showrunner Scott Gimple (who previously wrote last season’s gem “Clear,” the one where Rick finds Morgan) and directed by the show’s zombie-maker Greg Nicotero. Such a collaboration should have fans salivating for the fourth season premiere. Watch a clip announcing the news above; unfortunately it does not contain new footage but fans can expect that next month at the show’s hyped Comic Con panel.

J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot acquires the rights to Rod Serling’s screenplay ‘The Stop Along the Way’

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J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot production company just secured the rights to Rod Serling’s final screenplay The Stop Along the Way. Serling is most famous for creating and hosting The Twilight Zone in the ’60s; he also wrote many screenplays and some of his works include Planet of the Apes and Requiem for a Heavyweight. Like all things Bad Robot, plot details are non-existant this early in the stage. In Serling’s final interview before his passing in 1975 he mentioned the project saying, “I just wrote The Stop Along the Way, which is, I think, a lovely script.” Abrams’ Warner Bros. TV-based Bad Robot plans to develop the script into an event limited series, according to Deadline. As the project gets shopped around to various networks, it is one to keep a close eye on and you can check back here for any and all pertinent updates. Abrams (the man behind one of the most mysterious television series Lost) and Serling (the visionary who thought up The Twilight Zone and all its intrigue) together–one can only imagine the possibilities of a such an exciting partnership.

Mitch Hurwitz opens up about the future of ‘Arrested Development’ (video inside)

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Warning: Do not proceed if you haven’t finished watching the new season of Arrested Development. Spoilers ahead; you have been warned.

Netflix wants more, Imagine Entertainment wants more, and obviously so does series creator and mastermind Mitch Hurwitz. On May 26 Arrested Development returned after a seven year hiatus with 15 new episodes. The new season ends with without much resolution and this is by design, reveals Hurwitz. In a postmortem interview with Vulture, Hurwitz discusses exactly why so many plot points and character arcs were left up in the air.

The initial idea for these new episodes was to reset things. Let’s show what happens to this family, who were starting to make progress as human beings, when they decide to go it alone. Part of the theme of this thing is that we do need our families. Our families are attached to us whether we like it or not, in all these mysterious, invisible ways. It’s somewhat allegorical but we see that they’ve all affected each other’s lives in really profound ways for the negative because there’s no communication between them to speak of. So in one sense that was the theme, but in another way it really was just setting up the future. If the pilot was about their lives falling apart, then this was designed to be the first act of a larger story about winding everybody up, getting everybody to a point of peril and then having a jumping-off place for the next story where they all come together.

Whether it’s a movie or another season on Netflix, Hurwitz has a plan for what’s to come next. As far as we know, Lucille Austero aka Lucille 2 is dead and the impetus for the next Bluth adventure will be a murder mystery.

That really is the idea. Everybody’s gotten their lives into a state of peril and everybody said, “To hell with this family,” and Michael said “I’m done with all of you,” and then — Buster is arrested for murder! Now what do they do? Now they have to come together or let their baby brother go to the chair. We’re sort of resolving or ending the season with both an emotional story and a plot story. The plot is that Buster’s been arrested for the murder of Lucille 2. And think about it, all the Bluths have a relationship with her. One of the main reasons we were kind of obsessed with telling the story in the right order is because we wanted to slowly reveal not only that Lucille 2 was gone and that she died, but that they all had ways in which they were connected to her that could either look like motives or could exculpate some of them. But they’re all connected to this woman who disappeared … It’s always been a show that dealt with a lot of big plot points, stealing the Queen Mary and all these off-the-wall things. The more important stuff is really what’s going on in their hearts and minds. That’s what the Michael–George Michael thing is about.

When can fans expect the next chapter in the story? It’s all up to the talent and their inherently conflicting schedules.

Whatever the next step is, I will say that by design the Bluths will come together. They’re all going to be together. Now it’s a question of what’s the most efficient way to do that, how do we make that happen and when do we make that happen? It certainly won’t be another seven years. If we do it, we’re going to do it soon while we’re all still alive. While we’re all still sensate. A lot of it has to be worked around John Beard’s schedule.

I highly recommend you jump over to Vulture to read the Hurwitz interview in full; in addition to talking about the future of the show, he also discusses the intensive creative process behind making the new season, Franklin’s absence, the return of Ben Stiller as Tony Wonder, making Ann Veal a more substantial character, the idea behind the Fantastic Four musical, the many easter eggs, George Michael’s almost chicken dance, and why ostriches.

Also this week, Hurwitz spoke to the press at large about making more Arrested, responding to reviews, finally revealing Michael’s late wife Tracey Bluth in a flashback, going back on his idea of watching the new episodes out of order, the inspiration behind Terry Crews’ Herbert Love, and he shares a scene that didn’t make the final cut involving Mitt Romney and George Clooney. In fact, he also blurted out that there are tons of extra footage that he hopes will eventually see the light of day. “We have a lot of material that we’re planning on putting out on Netflix at a later time, probably, to tie in there.” Consume all the juicy quotes at Entertainment Weekly.

Bonus! Pop after the break to watch behind-the-scenes featurettes with Hurtwitz, Portia de Rossi (Lindsay Bluth), David Cross (Tobias Fünke), Jessica Walter (Lucille Bluth), and Henry Winkler (Barry Zuckerkorn). Also there you’ll find a Q&A clip with some of the cast and a look at the walk-on contest winners. Continue reading Mitch Hurwitz opens up about the future of ‘Arrested Development’ (video inside) →

Discover new music: Lucy Schwartz closes new “Arrested Development” with infectious “Boomerang”

Music, Television, ,

As the final episode of the new season of Arrested Development fades to white and then black with credits a memorable track pops onto the scene. As you sit there stunned that all 15 are complete you find yourself bouncing to the infectious track but you’re stiff in contemplation unable to reach for Shazam wishing there were more episodes to satiate your need for, well, more. Let me help you…

The track is called “Boomerang” and it’s by singer-songwriter Lucy Schwartz. For you AD fans, if that last name rings a bell you’re not mistaken. Lucy’s father David Schwartz is the series’ composer and therein lies the connection. During the series’ initial three season run, David pushed for her daughter–a self-proclaimed big fan of the show–to contribute in some capacity. Creator Mitch Hurwitz allowed it and Lucy would be the one who sang the “For British Eyes Only” theme and the staple “Mr. F” line that still continues to pop up in the new episodes. In addition to landing the prime final credits sequence slot with “Boomerang,” Lucy for the first time was featured in an episode this season–she makes a quick cameo as the girl in the glasses in George Michael’s band in college.

If you like what you hear in “Boomerang,” you can support Lucy by anticipating her upcoming full-length album Timekeeper out August 6. “Boomerang” is the lead single and is currently available to purchase on iTunes along with another new track “Time Will Tell.” (For a limited time you can download “Boomerang” for free at her website.) She’s been making music for some time now; you can preview her previous full-length releases Winter In June (2007) and Life In Letters (2010) on her iTunes page; there you’ll also find other singles and EPs. Her YouTube channel is also packed with soulful material from over the years. “”Boomerang” doesn’t really fit into my genre, though,” Schwartz admits to Mother Jones. “If you listen to my new album, it’s very eclectic; there’s a banjo song, another one with soul singers.” That can only be a good thing in my book; in addition to the catchy “Boomerang” listeners will experience other sounds from the uniquely talented Lucy Schwartz.

Hurwitz has publicly shared that he’s a big fan of Lucy’s. Obviously he must be for incorporating her sound into his grand experiment that is Arrested Development over all these years. Hurwitz had been following Lucy’s work during AD‘s downtime between ’06-’13 but had only discovered “Boomerang” and its potential to serve as the new season’s outro days before he had to hand in the final edit to Netflix. “This is perfect!” Hurwitz told Schwartz, “Exactly the way I want to end it!” “He got it in [in the episode] just in the nick of time,” Lucy says. Hurwitz gushed to Entertainment Weekly his excitement about Lucy’s upcoming release. “Lucy’s latest album is her Sgt. Pepper,” he says. “Unbelievable. I can’t stop playing it or thinking about it. So brilliant and amazing.”

You want to know what’s really funny about all this? As great and animated a track “Boomerang” is, it also manages to encapsulate a feeling of dread and longing–all AD fans will associate it with the new season coming to a punchy close.

‘Arrested Development’: the aftermath

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In case you’re putting off watching all 15 episodes of the new season of Arrested Development, I’ll be careful not to spoil things here.

And so it came and went. On May 26 Netflix released an entirely new batch of Arrested Development episodes that played out quite brilliantly; I consider them to be some of the most complex, layered & brilliantly designed episodes ever produced for any series spanning the drama and comedy genres. Even more so than the original three seasons, these new installments beg to be rewatched again and again.

The consensus is like this: the majority of long-time AD fans absolutely loved the new episodes while critics gave mixed reviews. The New York Times bashed the whole experiment starting with the line, “Chalk one up for the Internet: It has killed Arrested Development.” But in my opinion, the NYT review must be taken with a grain of salt since the piece’s writer had only watched the first 8 of 15 episodes before “deadline” arrived. Fans would ferociously argue that all 15 must be screened before an appropriate review could be conjured; jokes set up in episode 1 are not unlocked until the final episode, in fact. A more delicate review can be found over at The Atlantic; “Hurwitz et al. have bequeathed to us something that doesn’t really have a name, or a meaningful precedent: not a series, or a movie, or even a mini-series, but rather a single, eight-hour work of dada televisual art,” writes Christoper Orr. It’s true–what creator Mitch Hurwitz did here is something so unusual and unique that it’s hard to categorize it into a single genre or type.

No matter which way you see it, Netflix has confirmed that the May 26 launch Arrested Development was a great success. “It’s been huge, just as we had hoped,” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings told CNBC in a televised interview. When pressed about sharing numerical results, Hastings held back. “Netflix is about being able to watch when you want, not having to watch at a certain time like linear TV is. So we’re really not focused on the day one ratings, it’s really over the first year.” So perhaps by next May we will have a better idea as to how the new episodes performed for the streaming service in terms of how many people watched and how many new subscribers the company picked up along the way.

This brings us to the big question fans ’round the world are wondering: is there more where this came from? AD season 4 ends with many plot points still up in the air, but this shouldn’t have come as a huge surprise for most. Leading up to the launch star Jason Bateman spilled that these new installments serve as “simply just the first act of what we hope to continue and complete in a movie, which would [serve as] Act 2 and 3. These episodes set that up. One does not work without the other.” He added, “There is certainly a satisfying conclusion to these episodes, if for some unfortunate reason the movie does not happen. But [the episodes and the movie] are all meant to work within each other as a hybrid package of Arrested Development stuff.”

Since the new season launched, Netflix’s Hastings and someone high up in the AD camp commented on the series’ future. “Arrested is unique, because that’s really up to the talent. If the talent were willing to do more, and interested in that, I’m sure we would be willing,” said Hastings to CNBC. And then in an interview with Deadline, Imagine Entertainment co-founder Brian Grazer said, “It’s up to [Netflix Chief Content Officier] Ted [Sarandos]. If Ted is into it, we would be very excited to pursue it.” Added Imagine TV president Francie Calfo, “It’s also up to Mitch, who is probably resting right now as he put everything he had into these episodes and hasn’t had a chance to think beyond that.” When asked about the potential of the long-imagined AD movie Grazer simply stated, “We’re hoping that we could do that; the popularity of the series will inform that decision.” So in sum, Imagine (the producers) and Netflix (the content distributor) are certainly interested in bring the gang back together to make more Arrested whether it’s another season or a movie. First, Mitch must do what he does best and come up with more character arcs and interweaving plots to continue the story; and second, the actors must make time in their busy schedules to reunite again.

As we wait (again) to learn the fate of Arrested Development, don’t lose sight of what’s right in front of you and available now.

Showrunner Josh Safran discusses what would have been ‘Smash’ season three

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Smash took a dive in the ratings in its second season following a showrunner change from Broadway vet Theresa Rebeck to former Gossip Girl executive producer Josh Safran. It wasn’t long until NBC moved the creatively fickle musical dramedy to Saturday nights, effectively canceling the show without physically pulling it from the schedule. In an in-depth interview with Entertainment Weekly, Safran shares his vision for what would have been Smash season 3 and comments on how season 2 turned out. I’ve pulled some quotes here (they’re posted after the break), but I recommend you jump over to EW for the full read. Continue reading Showrunner Josh Safran discusses what would have been ‘Smash’ season three →

USA decides not to pick up ‘Happy Endings’, sitcom stumbles into grave

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This sucks. This is so sucky. Every now and then there’s a network series that is so incredibly raw and genuine and infectious that catches the attention of a small percentage of TV viewers and for that reason it gets the sharp axe. For some, life goes on; ABC’s Cougar Town and NBC’s Southland both found life after death in the cable arena on TBS and TNT, respectively. Even FOX’s Breaking In managed to come back from the dead and return to FOX, but that didn’t last long. And most recently there is Arrested Development, an irreverent show that got cancelled before its time telling stories up and seven years later it was resurrected on Netflix.

One causality to low ratings this season was the critically acclaimed Happy Endings, an ABC sitcom with an all-star cast and impeccable writing. Like Arrested before it, Endings comes out up with too many jokes to count and leaves it up to the viewer to sift through it all laughing all the while. It’s fast-paced, younger-skewing nature is probably what led to its demise; ABC president Paul Lee admitted it was “on brand” for the network but unfortunately wasn’t “broad” enough to warrant a fourth season. And so backing studio Sony TV began shopping it around to cable nets to find a new home for it. USA showed interest in possibly picking it up for another season, but Deadline reports those talks have shut down and the cable network ultimately decided to pass on it and invest in its own programs. Sony TV continues to shop it, but now it’s really starting to look like Happy Endings has come to the end of the road.

That’s such a shame, since its ensemble cast including Casey Wilson, Elisha Cuthbert, Eliza Coupe, Adam Pally, Zachary Knighton, and (who I considered to be the funniest man on TV this season) Damon Wayans Jr. make a wonderful, natural comedic team that are always in sync week after week. I guess all we can do now is be thankful that the show even managed to make it to three seasons despite bubble ratings along the way, just like we did with Arrested. Now hopefully it won’t take a network nearly a decade to realize just how funny and hip Happy Endings really is and produce at least another season.

Dan Harmon says he’s returning to ‘Community’ [Update: it’s official]

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This came out of nowhere. Following the debacle from last year involving Community creator Dan Harmon and star Chevy Chase publicly exiting the show, it looks like Harmon is making a comeback for the NBC sitcom’s fourth season. “RT @dpeanutbutter: @danharmon GIVE US A STRAIGHT ANSWER! ~ Yes yes yes! I’m back I’m back I’m back. You can thank @joelmchale.” Harmon tweeted this out to his nearly 200,000 followers on June 1. Network NBC and producer Sony TV have not confirmed nor denied Harmon’s out-of-the-blue exclamation, but nevertheless fans of the quirky comedy should be shaking in their boots with excitement. The show’s third season never quite felt like Community fans had come to know, love, and cherish; a friend described it to me as ‘the shell of Community missing its soul.’ Harmon’s replacements David Guarascio and Moses Port are apparently not coming back next season, so the showrunner position is open for the taking. Even with Chase out of the picture, it only seems fitting that the show’s inventor take his rightful seat on the throne back, especially if ratings remain low and season four becomes the final run of 13 episodes for the series.

At a certain point the network and/or the studio will have to make some sort of announcement and when they do I’ll amend this post accordingly.

Update (6/10): Sony TV confirms Dan Harmon’s return to his old showrunning post at Community. Woohoo! Joining him is reinstated executive producer Chris McKenna. Fellow Human Beings, season four will feel familiar again.

[Via Deadline]

NBC renews ‘Hannibal’ for a second season

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Unexpected, joyous news: despite dangerously low ratings following a midseason berth, NBC has greenlit a second season of Bryan Fuller’s imaginative serial killer psychological thriller Hannibal. “We’re so proud of Bryan’s vision for a show that is richly textured, psychologically complex, and very compelling,” said NBC Entertainment president Jennifer Salke. “There are many great stories still to be told.” A 13-episode second season is expected to find a spot on the Peacock’s schedule during the latter half of the 2013-14 season. Hannibal, which stills airs new episodes Thursdays at 10, is currently averaging 4.7 million viewers and a 2.0/6 share in the adults 18-49 demo.

Though Mads Mikkelsen plays the title character in Dr. Hannibal Lecter (and with an incredibly delicate balance of madness and concern, I might add), it’s Hugh Dancy as expert criminal profiler Will Graham who steals the spotlight in Hannibal. Over the course of the season he’s been submitting himself to psychological torture by embracing pure empathy and stepping into the shoes of the most insane of killers. It’s Mikkelsen’s Hannibal who is attempting to mold him into a real killer, ever so meticulously. It’s this journey into darkness and the unknown, with its mythology-driven and not so usual procedural tendencies, that has been coming back every week for more. Hannibal, though on a much darker side of the spectrum to Fuller’s previous work Pushing Daisies, serves as a perfect sequel to that. Absolutely ecstatic more is on the way.

Neil Patrick Harris to host the 65th Emmy Awards

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Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother, Dr. Horrible) returns to host the Emmys for the second time when the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards airs Sunday, September 22 on CBS. The last time he hosted the awards show celebrating television was back in ’09. He’ll be hot off hosting this year’s 67th Tony Awards on June 9, his fourth turn at leading the awards show acknowledging the best on Broadway.

“I couldn’t be more honored and excited to be hosting this year’s Emmy Awards,” said NPH in a press release. “And what perfect timing – I’ll just do the exact same script I’m about to use for the Tonys. ‘And the Emmy for Best Revival of a Musical goes to Breaking Bad!’ See, told you it works.”

Nina Tassler, President of CBS Entertainment, also released a statement. “Neil is the quintessential host – engaging, entertaining and a true showman – with a passion for celebrating the medium we all love. We’re thrilled for him to return for CBS’s broadcast of the Emmy Awards.”

In case you’re counting, NPH is a three-time Emmy winner; he previously took home the statue for guesting on Glee and for hosting the 2009  and 2011 Tonys. Here’s to hoping Dr. Horrible and Nathan Fillion’s Captain Hammer take over again!

TV reminder: ‘Arrested Development’ premieres this Sunday with 15 new episodes on Netflix

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We made it. Seven years after it was cancelled and banished from network TV, cult comedy Arrested Development is not making a huge mistake by coming back for another season consisting of 15 brand new episodes. All of them will be made available for streaming on Netflix at once when the clock strikes midnight (PT) / 3AM (ET) on Sunday, May 26. Creator Mitch Hurwitz recommends you watch the episodes in order, at least during your initial binge marathon. Each installment intentionally follows a single member of the Bluth clan but don’t fret–characters will weave in and out of other characters’ storylines and the entire bunch will congregate at least twice over the course of the season. Other things to look out for: you will witness the same scenes multiple times but they will play out differently and you will learn more context each time because they will be told from different character perspectives; also, these episodes serve as one giant setup for more AD in the future, whether it’s another season or the long dreamed about feature film.

Relive the journey of Arrested‘s anticipated comeback here. After the break, watch four teaser clips taken from the new batch; G.O.B., Lucille, Maeby, Lindsay, bees and an ostrich are all involved.

Ladies and gentleman, it’s the final countdown. Grab some bananas and blue paint and let’s (almost) break Netflix!

Update: AD creator Mitch Hurwitz (a man who obviously knows to always leave a note) posted to Facebook a picture of a handwritten letter made out to “friends, fans, supporters, detractors, haters, enemies, and arch enemies.” In it he acknowledges everyone who supports the show and he is thankful for the opportunity to bring these characters back to life. The note is posted in full after the break. Continue reading TV reminder: ‘Arrested Development’ premieres this Sunday with 15 new episodes on Netflix →