Believe it, people.Arrested Development is back…in production. On Tuesday the seventh of August in the year 2012 the cult comedy was officially resurrected as shooting began on the upcoming 10 episode fourth season for Netflix. To celebrate the occasion (and prove it was actually taking place) star Jason Bateman (aka family man Michael Bluth) tweeted a picture (see above) from the set, tagging it with the words “First day. Away we go…” There isn’t much that can be gleaned from the photo, except that Workaholics stars Adam DeVine and Anders Holm are present inside of what appears to be an airport. Speculate!
Although the pic does not contain any familiar Development faces, Deadline reports that the entire cast–that is Jason Bateman, Jeffrey Tambor, Portia de Rossi, David Cross, Jessica Walter, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Alia Shawkat and Tony Hale–is returning for the relaunch; actor contracts are currently “in final negotiations” as shooting begins. This news deserves a loud, obstructive “STEVE HOLT!” chant right about now… STEVE HOLT! So does this: Executive producer Ron Howard is back as the show’s all-knowing narrator. If you were afraid this comeback would play differently than before, your fears are now righteously quelled.
Howard’s Imagine TV and 20th Century Fox TV are the studios behind Arrested Development 2.0, and series creator Mitch Hurwitz, Troy Miller, and Imagine TV’s Howard, Brian Grazer, and Francie Calfo are executive producing. All ten episodes will go live on Netflix in 2013, and the word on the street is that while some episodes will bring us up to speed with each character individually, storylines will still cross into one another for a true Bluth family reunion.
BONUS! Hop after the break to view two more photos from the set. Bateman shared these via Twitter about a week back and they feature his TV son George Michael.
NBC is taking advantage of its exclusive Olympics coverage by stuffing previews of two upcoming fall sitcoms smack in the middle of it. Tomorrow, on August 8, viewers will get a sneak peek at the premiere of the latest Matthew Perry vehicle Go On. A few days later on Sunday, August 12 the already easy-to-pan Animal Practice starring Justin Kirk and Crystal the monkey from The Hangover Part II will screen its pilot. Both episodes will premiere following the Olympics broadcasts on their respective days and will return to NBC’s primetime schedule in September.
To learn more about Go On and Animal Practice, refer to NBC’s Upfronts report. And Grimm fans, note that your show returns earlier than most, premiering on Monday, August 13 at 10PM; new episodes will air on three consecutive Mondays and then during their regular Friday at 9PM timeslot beginning September 14.
MTV has announced the nominees for a Moonman this year and frequent collaborators Drake and Rihanna lead the pack with five nominations each. Rihanna’s video for her hit single”We Found Love” is up for Video of the Year, along with Drake’s “Take Care” (featuring Rihanna), Katy Perry’s “Wide Awake,” Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know,” and M.I.A.’s “Bad Girls.” Speaking of Katy Perry, she’s on the heels of Drizzy and RiRi banking four nods. Following with three nods are artists such as Beyoncé, Coldplay, newcomer Frank Ocean, M.I.A., and The Throne (aka Kanye West and Jay-Z). Thankfully ‘Ye’s clip for “Mercy” was nominated twice for Best Hip-Hop Video and Best Editing–well deserved. I know you want to see all the nominees, so go on and skip after the break for the full rundown.
The 2012 MTV Video Music Awards airs live September 6 at 8PM (ET) and will feature performances from the talented Alicia Keys and UK boy band One Direction.
Update: Host Kevin Hart jokes with lovebirds Kanye West and Kim Kardashian in a promo after the break.
The highly anticipated second season of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story is coming soon. The facts are these: season one star and Golden Globe winner Jessica Lange is back but this time in the lead role. Zachary Quinto, Lily Rabe, Sarah Paulson, and Evan Peters, other cast members featured in season one, return. All returning actors, however, will be playing completely different characters. Since AHS has been branded an anthology series, every season will tell a completely new story and feed off a different kind of fear. Season two ditches the haunted house for an east coast mental institution and goes back in time to take place in 1964.
And now for things you haven’t heard yet. Season two has a name: American Horror Story: Asylum. Murphy shares: “When we launched the show last year, we kept quiet about the closed-ended nature of the show because we didn’t want to tip off the audience that the characters were not going to survive. Now that it has been established that each year is a closed-ended story, the time seemed right to reveal what we’re calling the new installment. We picked Asylum because it not only describes the setting — an insane asylum run by Jessica Lange’s character which was formerly a tuberculosis ward — but also signifies a place of haven for the unloved and the unwanted. This year’s theme is about sanity and tackling real-life horrors.”
The growing cast is not something to bat an eyelash at. In addition to the returning season one stars, AHS season two brings the following actors into the fold: Adam Levine (yes, of Maroon 5), Jenna Dewan, James Cromwell, Joseph Fiennes, Chloe Sevigny, and Clea Duvall.
Besides what he’s said here, Murphy has yet to spill on the beans on a more well-rounded plot description. Still, Lange runs an insane asylum; that should be enough of a hook to get you watching. Surrounding this subtitle announcement, though, Murphy leaked two pictures from set; one featuring star Adam Levine shining a light on the mysterious wall paint “Bloody Face” (see above) and the other also includes Levine with co-star Jenna Dewan and Glee‘s Lea Michele (see after the break). What does it all mean? Tune into FX this October to find out.
For the sake of everyone who has yet to catch up on Showtime’s breakout drama Homeland, stop reading this and do not watch the teaser embedded above. If you have watched all 12 episodes that comprise season 1, Carrie on… (get it?)
Showtime has released this schizophrenic teaser to promote the second season of the critically acclaimed political drama Homeland starring the scene-stealer Claire Daines and the enigmatic Damian Lewis. When the season concluded, Carrie Mathison of the CIA stitched together Nicholas Brody’s “Issa” night terrors with the facts at hand; but before she could tell anyone her shock treatment began and her memories erased. Or were they? In the teaser above, Carrie stands in front of a barrage of images and sounds from season 1. Toward the end of the all-too-brief clip, she shuts her eyes, opens them and we hear, “You are a traitor and a terrorist and now it’s time to pay for that.” The promo is called “Look Again.”
Homeland returns Sunday, September 30 at 10PM on Showtime.
Update (8/7): Showtime has uploaded a second Homeland teaser; this one shows war vet-turned-politician Brody inching closer to the Vice President. He asks, “If everything you had was taken away and you had nothing left to lose, what lengths would you go to for the one idea that pulled you through?” Carrie, meanwhile, looks levelheaded and determined since we last saw her. Watch the 45 second clip after the break. Continue reading TV teaser: ‘Homeland’ season 2 [Update: new teaser]→
High off his record-breaking seven Emmy nominations, Louis C.K. has more to be excited about. On Saturday FX renewed his comedy series Louie for a fourth season. The cable network also renewed Russell Brand’s new talk show BrandX and said it will undergo creative changes as the show continues through the fall. Wilfred and veteran Justified were not renewed, but FX entertainment president John Landgraf remains positive about their respective futures. On Wilfred, he expects the bizarre comedy to remain on the air for “many years.” On Justified, he sees the Timothy Olyphant-led show run for at least six seasons (season three concluded in April).
Charlie Sheen’s comeback vehicle Anger Management has performed well enough in the ratings for FX to grant it a (whopping) 90-episode order. Though Landgraf has yet to greenlight the order, he expects to do so in the near future. “We won’t make a decision on the 90 episodes until all 10 have aired but the series up until now has given us every indication [that it will return],” he said. In episode 10, Charlie’s father Martin Sheen will join the cast as a series regular. “What the entry of Martin Sheen’s character will do is it will give an extra dimension to the show and make it a multi-generational family show,” Landgraf explained. “The show will still deal with his relationship with his patients and the women in his life, but will also [expand to focus on his family].”
Currently Anger Management, Louie, and BrandX air Thursday nights at 9:30PM, 10:30PM, and 11PM, respectively, on FX.
The nominees for the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards were announced this past Thursday, so let’s take a look. Mad Men and American Horror Story dominated this year with seventeen nominations each. Mad Men, in the outstanding drama category, will be battling Boardwalk Empire, Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, Game of Thrones, and newcomer Homeland for the top prize. If Mad Men wins, it will break a record claiming the most outstanding drama wins (5). Ryan Murphy’s thriller, however, was placed in the outstanding TV miniseries or movie category and will face off against HBO’s political movie Game Change, the History channel’s ratings monster Hatfields & McCoys, the PBS Sherlock episode “A Scandal in Belgravia,” and also Hemingway and Gellhorn and Luther.
Let’s take a look at the drama categories first. Outstanding actors include Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), and Damian Lewis (Homeland). Outstanding supporting actors include Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey), Jim Carter (Downton Abbey), Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), and Jared Harris (Mad Men). Outstanding actresses include Kathy Bates (Harry’s Law), Glenn Close (Damages), Claire Danes (Homeland), Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey), Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife), and Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men). Outstanding supporting actresses include Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad), Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey), Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey), Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife), Christine Baranski (The Good Wife), and Christina Hendricks (Mad Men). For American Horror Story fans, Connie Britton, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, and Denis O’Hare were all recognized for their acting chops in the miniseries categories. Sherlock fans, the phenomenal Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman were nominated, too.
The theme here is that the Academy loves Mad Men (hot off its five year in a row winning streak), Downton Abbey (hot off its best miniseries win last year), and Homeland (hot off its critically adored first season). So what shows were overlooked? The Academy is known for passing over genre shows like The Walking Dead and Fringe, so their lack of a presence is a shame but not surprising. Other snubs include the Academy not recognizing the final season of House and nominating Hugh Laurie for his turn as the iconic doc and Mad Men‘s John Slattery for his much talked about performance in the trippy episode “Far Away Places.” I want to make a case for NBC’s shortlived series Awake. I understand how the low-rated drama was not nominated, but if Kathy Bates can be nominated for outstanding actress for the recently cancelled Harry’s Law, I am dumbfounded as to how Jason Issacs’ performance was not accounted for. Heck, even Missing‘s Ashley Judd was nominated for lead actress in a miniseries; NBC should’ve sold Awake as a miniseries and perhaps Issacs would’ve been recognized. Also, no love for Revenge? It’s plain to see that the cable is king this year as the big four networks were shut out in the outstanding drama category, a place where they once dominated.
“It’s only 13 episodes so I’m going to be careful with what I say because I really want you guys to experience it. I’m going to be tight lipped.” Fringe sole showrunner J.H. Wyman warned fans early on that the show’s panel would not spoil anything for fans eagerly anticipating the sci-fi drama’s fifth and final season. He did, however, shed light on when exactly he finally decided on how the show would end. Ideas were already brewing during season one, “but those change because people bring things to the pie that you don’t expect. I had two and a half versions of what I should do at the end and I decided about a month ago.” He also teased fans by saying that he’s already told the cast members how things will conclude. “We want to write the scripts early to make sure everything is absolutely perfect. If I’m doing that, I wanted to make sure the actors had enough time to bring their ideas and to know where they are going for the final season. I want to make sure they had enough advance warning.” The only thing that Wyman would spill is that the season 5 premiere will take place in the year 2036 and is “going to pick up exactly where we left off in [episode] 419, the next day.”
Other tidbits… Wyman would not confirm nor deny the return of Henry Ian Cusack’s character; and we will soon learn why we have yet to see female Observers. Interesting, yes.
Without diving deep into where season five will go, the Fringe panel mostly reminisced about the past four seasons and at one point looking back made Jasika Nicole (Astrid), Anna Torv (Olivia), and even Lance Reddick (Broyles) cry like babies.
“The characters don’t end when the show ends,” said Josh Jackson (Peter). Two items so worth mentioning spring from this statement. Wyman announced that a book will release after the show ends; it will tell a tale through the perspective of our friend September the Observer. “We are trying to give you guys back so much because without you, we would not be here,” Wyman said to the cheering fanbase.
And then there’s this bombshell. When a fan asked if the show will survive after the fifth season airs, John Noble (Walter) responded like this: “Anything is possible. If this season goes off as we think it will, I would think a film is very possible down the track.” Added Jackson, “The show will live on in some form or another.” These are actors talking here, not network execs or movie studios, and so this must be taken with a grain of salt. But still, knowing that the actors are just as passionate as the fans are that they’d even mention such an exciting idea should make you feel good inside no matter what happens.
With all those words out of the way, indulge yourself with the season 5 preview trailer that’s embedded above. Most of it contains highlights from last season, especially from pivotal episode 419. But there’s also some new stuff sprinkled in that’ll get you going. Fun fact: Wyman says that this video was used to sell a fifth season to FOX. The cult fanbase had its say, of course, and for that Wyman and the entire cast of the show forever remains grateful.
In the future Olivia will join Walter, Peter, Astrid, Henrietta, and even Belly in the fight against the Observers. “We need to keep those bald-headed basterds occupied,” says Peter. “What’d you have in mind?” Olivia asks. “I think it’s time we caused a few fringe events of our own,” Peter replies. But it is Walter’s new line that takes the licorice-lined cake: “I know what we need to do. I know how to rid our world of the Observers.” BOOM.
Fringe returns Friday, September 28 at 9PM on FOX.
Update: Major kudos awarded to Warner Bros. for posting the Fringe panel in its entirety to YouTube in glorious high definition! Watch the waterworks fly in the video link provided here. Also inside you’ll be privy to a Comic Con exclusive video made by the Fringe team for the fans; it spectacularly highlights some of the best moments of the show over the course of the past four seasons and tees things up for the final thirteen. Pick an hour out of your day and WATCH IT.
The Walking Dead returns October 14 at 9PM on AMC. And here’s your very first look at season three! While Rick and his gang attempt to penetrate the prison merely teased at the end of last season, Andrea and Michonne are captured by next season’s villain known as The Governor and are brought to a town called Woodbury. There will come a time when these storylines cross and Rick will face off with The Governor as our hero won’t easily give up their newfound home. “I’m not giving up this prison. We took it, it’s ours. We split blood. If we see you out here, anywhere near our people, I’ll kill you,” snarls a gruffy Rick Grimes. Speaking of appearances, you’ll surely notice that Rick is overdue for a haircut and shave and the former goes for his son Carl too; and old man Hershel is rocking one helleva white beard. What else? David Morrissey’s Governor comes off as an inviting fellow in this teaser; obviously everything is not as it seems here. “I don’t trust him,” Michonne whispers to Andrea in that perfect little town of his. And then, at the very end, Merle returns in the flesh this time. Dontcha like what he did with his stub?
Jump after the break to see The Walking Dead Comic Con banner. It features Rick with a hoard of zombies creeping behind him, Michonne with her zombie slaves wielding her katana sword, and The Governor offering his hand with that mysterious helicopter flying in the skies above him. “May-day, May-day!” the soldiers controlling the ‘copter scream in the clip. Is it the same one Rick saw recently? The questions pile on as anticipation ramps up like never before. Is it October yet? Continue reading Comic Con 2012: ‘The Walking Dead’ season 3 trailer inside→
The second season of ABC’s Once Upon A Time is already proving to be more magical than the first. At the show’s Comic Con panel attendees got a glimpse into what’s in store for the citizens of Storybrooke. In a brief teaser for the upcoming season, little Henry warns that “bad things are still happening in Storybrooke” and proof follows: Captain Hook from Peter Pan fame breaks into Mr. Gold’s pawn shop to retrieve what is his. Now that the citizens of the mysterious Maine town remember their past lives in fairytale land perhaps Mr. Gold should upgrade his security. The season 2 preview is embedded above.
During the panel which consisted of executive producers Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and many of the show’s stars, it was shared that season 2 will reveal the identity of Henry’s father, Dr. Whale’s fairytale character, and the fate of Rumpelstiltskin’s son Bae. Also, “the show this year is not going to change from the one you loved last year,” Kitsis reassured fans. We will still be shifting back and forth from fairytale land and Storybrooke even though magic has been introduced into the latter locale. He also made it a point to say that even though the Storybrooke residents remember their true fairytale identities, their Storybrooke memories do not fade away.
Two more videos were screened at the panel. One is a clip that contains all of season 1’s title sequences plus a few new ones coming soon in season 2 (spoiler: Mulan, Sleeping Beauty, and Jack (from Jack and the Beanstalk) will be introduced). The third video is a parody of online dating services called Singlebrooke that features Once‘s main characters discussing what they look for in the perfect mate; funny stuff. Check these out after the break. Continue reading Comic Con 2012: ‘Once Upon A Time’ teases new fairytale characters for season 2→
Game of Thrones season two just ended last month so what better way to bide your time than by marking your calendars with the season three premiere date. Ready? Here it is: March 31, 2013.
Other than announcing this special day, the Game of Thrones panel at Comic Con moderated by author George R.R. Martin included a five-and-a-half minute recap of the epic second season and a brief introduction to (a whopping) 14 new characters we will be forced to know next season. The former video is embedded above while the latter one hangs after the break. Under that video there’s a listing of all the new characters explaining how they’re each tied to the ones we already know. Continue reading Comic Con 2012: ‘Game of Thrones’ season 3 lands a March 2013 premiere date, new cast members introduced→
Firefly is coming back to TV. But not in the same sense as Arrested Development. Instead of a series revival, fans will have to do with a 10th anniversary reunion special. EW confirms that the special is called Browncoats Unite and will feature footage from the upcoming reunion panel at this week’s Comic Con in San Diego and “an in-depth behind-the-scenes roundtable interview that will dive deeper into burning fan questions about the beloved series.” The beloved Joss Whedon space western only lived to see a single 10-episode season and FOX cancelled it in 2002. Recently the series found a new home at the Science channel where that network has been re-airing it so fans can remember it fondly. Science will air the reunion special on Sunday, November 11; preceding it will be a requisite all-day marathon of the first season in its entirety.
Science released this statement: “Firefly is a landmark work of science fiction and a favorite with our viewers. Ever since it premiered on Science, fans have asked us to do something special to mark its 10-year anniversary. With this signature celebration, punctuated by Browncoats Unite, we will connect the minds behind this classic franchise with its legions of passionate fans.”
If you’re attending Comic Con and want to attend the Firely reunion panel, start lining up now. The panel, featuring stars Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Morena Baccarin, Sean Maher, Summer Glau, showrunner Tim Minear, writer Jose Molina, and creator Joss Whedon, will be held in Ballroom 20 at 12:30 on Friday, July 13.
