Category Archives: Television

‘Arrested Development’ on Netflix: “IT’S ALIVE”

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We already know that the short-lived cult comedy Arrested Development is getting revived for a brand new 10-episode season on Netflix in 2013. But after years of speculation, some fans remain skeptical about the truth behind all this. Let this breaking news quell your fears and further ramp up anticipation. Renowned filmmaker and series executive producer Ron Howard took to Twitter to confirm that the ball has indeed started to roll on this thing.

First Howard tweeted, “Arrested Development for Netflix. IT’S ALIVE. This is what the writer’s room looks like.” Attached was a picture of conference room with tons of colored index cards clinged to walls with indecipherable episode ideas scribbled on them. (See the image of the the break.) A couple hours later Howard took another picture and tweeted, “Mitch [Hurwitz] let Jason [Bateman] and I in on some of the twists and turns ahead. hilarious.” This one features Howard, AD creator Mitch Hurwitz, and star Jason Bateman. (The image is embedded above.)

And to top things off, Bateman also jumped onto his Twitter account to share this exciting bit of news: “Taken at AD mission control, today! All systems are go. Filming for the new episodes starts in four weeks. Woo!” Another picture was attached, this one also starring Howard, Bateman, and Hurwitz in mid-laughter. (See the image of the the break.)

So yeah, Arrested Development is coming people. There’s no denying it, so detractors keep silent. IT’S ALIVE. Wink. Continue reading ‘Arrested Development’ on Netflix: “IT’S ALIVE” →

‘Community’ creator Dan Harmon opens up about his ousting

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Dan Harmon was fired from his show Community this past spring just as the third season of the cult NBC sitcom came to a close. This week he sat down with G4’s Attack of the Show guest host Marc Maron and opened up about his recent ousting. Is he bitter? Maybe a little. But he was actually anticipating the show getting cancelled due to low ratings and so the firing didn’t make him sink into a deep depression after all. Watch the 11-minute interview to hear what Harmon has to say about the situation (his feud with Community star Chevy Chase is not discussed, however) and what he has planned for the future (a multicam comedy, perhaps).

‘The Walking Dead’ marathons this weekend with a peek at season 3

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Do you need your Walking Dead fix? This weekend is your antidote. Over the course of two days, AMC will be re-airing the first two seasons of The Walking Dead. The marathon begins Saturday, July 7 at 11:30AM and all nineteen episodes will have been played come Sunday night at 8PM. What happens after that? A very special edition of Talking Dead will air Sunday at 9PM and host Chris Hardwick will tease fans with a glimpse into season three including a scene from the new season, a tour of the new set (the prison!), and interviews with the cast, executive producers, and celebrity fans. And that’s not all. Following the marathon and Talking Dead, AMC will screen the pilot episode “Days Gone By” in black-and-white! Before the show premiered in October 2010, executive producer Robert Kirkman experimented with the black-and-white formula because that is how he tells the zombie saga in his comic books. View a full schedule of the two-day ‘thon right here.

While the popcorn’s popping, here’s a season 3 sneak peek for you to gaze upon. Open the gallery below to view pictures of the mysterious Michonne (played by Danai Gurira) and The Governor (David Morrissey); also bunched in there is yet another still of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) pointing his gun menacingly (also seen above) and (spoiler alert!) the return of Daryl’s racist, one-handed brother Merle Dixon (Michael Rooker). The cherries on top are two images provided by EW: one that features our gang of survivors fending off a hoard of walkers as a unit Avengers-style and the other starring Maggie (Lauren Cohan) doing her best karate chop with a sharp machete.

Dead heads rejoice. This is your time.

[Via TWD 1, 2]

A&E greenlights a 10-episode season for ‘Bates Motel’

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Are you ready to check into Bates Motel? Well get ready because A&E is skipping over the pilot stage and ordering a ten episode first season of the Psycho prequel series from Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Kerry Ehrin (Friday Night Lights). Traditionally networks will decide if a series is worth producing in full after they’ve watched a pilot episode; in this case, however, the cable execs jumped the gun because they believe in the concept that much.

A&E released a statement saying, “We are proud to be partnering with Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin on their thrilling reinvention of one of the most compelling characters in cinematic history. It’s a provocative project from two of the best storytellers in the business, and we’re looking forward to getting started.”

The press release provides an updated synopsis: “Bates Motel, inspired by Hitchcock’s genre-defining film, Psycho, is a contemporary exploration of the formative years of Norman Bates’ relationship with his mother, Norma, and the world they inhabit. Viewers will have access to the dark, twisted backstory and learn firsthand how Norma helped forge the most famous serial killer of them all.”

Pre-production and casting are already underway (who do you think will fill the shoes originally worn by Anthony Perkins?) and A&E promises a series premiere in 2013.

[Via A&E]

HBO renews Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The Newsroom’

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Jeff Daniels’ epic monologue was worth it; after two episodes had aired HBO renewed Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom for a second season. The June 24 series premiere attracted a healthy 2.1 million total viewers. The drama follows network anchor Will McAvoy (Daniels) and his newsroom staff led by executive producer MacKenzie McHale (Emily Mortimer) as they attempt to revamp the way news is reported to viewers whilst weaving their way through personal entanglements. The premiere was solid and typical Sorkin: dialogue-heavy, which can be dizzying but at the same time quite invigorating. Have you seen his previous TV effort The West Wing and his award-winning recent screenplay in The Social Network? The Newsroom is intellectual and highly entertaining; if anything it’s an uplifting look into the chaotic world of reporting. If you missed the premiere you’re only two episodes behind; catch up because this isn’t one to miss.

In related HBO renewal news, True Blood is coming back for a sixth season (but without series creator Alan Ball because he’s moving onto a new show for Cinemax called Banshee) and Eastbound & Down will swing once more in season four (the network ordered eight more episodes).

The Newsroom airs Sunday nights at 10PM on HBO; True Blood precedes it at 9PM.

[Via Deadline 1, 2]

‘FRINGE’ Comic Con poster confirms the Observers are coming

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(Spoiler alert) At the very end of Fringe season four, our favorite Observer September delivered grave, unexplained news to Walter Bishop: “they are coming” he whispered before the screen went black. Well fellow Fringe fans, a shiny poster surfaced today featuring that mysterious, tantalizing bit of dialogue, as well as three bald-headed sharp-dressed men carrying black briefcases. It confirms what we all expected: season five will shed major light on the Observer-ruled world we glimpsed in episode 19 “Letters of Transit.”

The poster you see above will be the one fans will takeaway from the final Fringe panel at Comic Con later this month. Newly lone showrunner J.H. Wyman spoke to EW about the affair. “The Comic Con panel is something I always look forward to, but this year it’s bittersweet,” he said. “I think we have lots of good stuff in store for them.” The panel will be held inside the massive Hall H on Sunday, July 15 at 10AM. Series stars Anna Torv, Josh Jackson, Lance Reddick, Blair Brown, Jasika Nicole, and John Noble will join Wyman on a panel that will serve as a Q&A for fans and also include “an exclusive video presentation.”

Fringe begins its fifth and final 13-episode season on September 28 on FOX. The season premiere is called “Transilience Thought Unifier Model-11.” Yeah.

[Via EW]

TV reminder: ‘Louie’ returns to FX tonight at 10:30PM (also, he’s going on tour)

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Louie Louie Louie Louieeeeeee. Sing it. You know you want to.

Tonight stand-up comedian Louis C.K. returns to your television screen in his highly lauded comedy Louie. The season three premiere is called “Something is Wrong” and the log line goes like this: “Louie has a challenging day.” This has got to be good. As you should be used to by now, C.K. wrote, directed, and edited the episode; you will see his name plastered all over the opening credits throughout the 13-episode season. He hit a high point in last year’s war-themed “Duckling,” and he’s still red hot following the massive success that was Live at the Beacon Theatre. Expect a bunch of guest stars to pop up throughout the season including Oscar winner Melissa Leo (The Fighter) and fellow comedians Robin Williams and  Jerry Seinfeld (the latter will help carry a three episode arc towards the end of the season).

Louie airs Thursday nights at 10:30PM on FX. Also premiering tonight on the cable network is the return of Charlie Sheen in Anger Management (9PM) and Wilfred season 2 (10PM).

In related news, C.K. is going on tour again soon. It starts on October 3 in Cleveland, OH and comes to a close on February 1 in Washington, DC. He’s following his previous means of success (read: Live at the Beacon Theatre) by directly selling tickets to his fans through his website. Tickets go for $45, no fees, no annoying emails.

In a blog post he explained, “Making my shows affordable has always been my goal but two things have always worked against that. High ticket charges and ticket re-sellers marking up the prices. Some ticketing services charge more than 40% over the ticket price and, ironically, the lower I’ve made my ticket prices, the more scalpers have bought them up, so the more fans have paid for a lot of my tickets.” He continued, “By selling the tickets exclusively on my site, I’ve cut the ticket charges way down and absorbed them into the ticket price. To buy a ticket, you join NOTHING. Just use your credit card and buy the damn thing.” And he means business. “Also, you’ll see that if you try to sell the ticket anywhere for anything above the original price, we have the right to cancel your ticket (and refund your money). this is something I intend to enforce. There are some other rules you may find annoying but they are meant to prevent someone who has no intention of seeing the show from buying the ticket and just flipping it for twice the price from a thousand miles away.”

That’s the C.K. way, and it rules. Click here to read the rest of his blog post and here to view the tour dates.

Update: He did it again, only this time he did it faster. According to the AP, Louis sold 100,000 tickets and raked in $4.5 million in sales in 45 hours. He shared his excitement in a tweet: “I guess it was a good idea.”

‘Bored to Death’ movie in the works!?

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After three seasons and twenty-four episodes on HBO, the Jonathan Ames series Bored to Death starring Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis, and Ted Danson was cancelled. The critically-acclaimed detective-noir themed series lived a life too short, but now there’s speculation that a TV movie is in the works. Vulture scooped that Danson told French journalist Pierre Langlas that there is a good chance of a 90-minute film being made. HBO reps have reached out to Vulture and The Hollywood Reporter to say that early discussions are being had regarding the revival of Bored to Death as a made-for-TV movie. That’s all there is for now, but rest assured I’ll be keeping my ear to the ground and will report back if any of this becomes more substantial.

Long live Jonathan Ames, novelist by day, moonlighting private eye by night.

‘Fringe’ co-showrunner Jeff Pinkner steps down prior to final season

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When Fringe returns this fall for its fifth and final season, it will be down one showrunner. It has been made official that executive producer and co-showrunner Jeff Pinkner will not be involved in the making of Fringe‘s 13 episode swan song. Co-creator J.J. Abrams handpicked Pinkner to run the show in season 1 and J.H. Wyman was made co-showrunner the following season. With Pinkner out, Wyman will serve as the sole showrunner next season. Fans should note that Pinkner’s exit was amicable and he did it so that he could start pursuing new projects.

Abrams released this statement concurrent with the announcement: “We’re so excited to begin work on a fifth season of Fringe and to be able to deliver the 13 final episodes to our passionate and devoted fans. For four years, J.H. Wyman and Jeff Pinkner have worked tirelessly as a team to keep all the worlds in order on Fringe. We’re thankful for the invaluable contributions Jeff has made to the show and of course wish him well and look forward to working together in the future. J.H. Wyman’s importance to Fringe cannot be overstated, however, and I’m thrilled that he will continue as showrunner for the concluding chapters of our story. We can’t wait for our fans to see what we have in store for them in the wild conclusion of Fringe.”

Fringe returns Friday, September 28 on FOX.

[Via TVGuide]

TV trailer: ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ are coming to Nickeldeon this fall

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This marks the fourth Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series to debut on television. As you will see in the first full-length trailer embedded above, the Ninja Turtles embody a unique style of CGI animation. If the clip is any indication of what’s in store, viewers can prepare to watch the Turtles’ origin story unfold in the premiere episode. And if you are wondering, the voice cast includes recognizable talents like Jason Biggs (American Pie), Sean Astin (Lord of the Rings), Robert Paulsen (who voiced Raphael in the original 1987 TMNT animated series) Kevin Michael Richardson (The Cleveland Show), and Mae Whitman (Arrested Development).

Executive producer Ciro Neili told EW the aim of the show: “I tried to boil it down and get to really what’s at the core of it which is this sense of brothers and camaraderie. Everything grew out of that. It’s like a band. You want a Beatles thing.”

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles debuts October 20 on Nickelodeon. Kowabunga!

Andy Samberg confirms ‘SNL’ exit

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It was rumored and now it’s true: Andy Samberg has left the building; Studio 8H, that is. Following Kristin Wiig’s emotional exit from Saturday Night Live, fellow castmate Samberg has also decided to call it quits after spending six seasons with the late-night sketch comedy. In an interview with the New York Times, the original of the Digital Short made it official. “It’s an incredibly emotional and strange moment in my life,” said Samberg. “Obviously it’s not a huge shock, but I did officially decide not to come back.” He admits that leaving SNL is “one of the hardest decisions [he has] ever made.” Samberg shared that Wiig gave him insight into her decision to ultimately step away from the show, and this helped him make one. “She kept saying it just feels like it’s her time,” he said. “I connect with that. Something about it just feels like it’s the moment. My contract’s up and I did so much more than I ever thought I would ever even do.”

Though it’s certainly sad to see Samberg go, this does not spell the end for some of his most memorable characters and sketches. When asked if he would be willing to return as a host: “Well, hopefully things will work out well enough that they’ll want me.” And although “Lazy Sunday 2” served as the pitch-perfect closing to his SNL Digital Shorts era, Samberg hopes that he’ll get the opportunity to reunite with his Lonely Island crew to sporadically produce more Shorts for upcoming seasons of the show. “That’s the kind of thing that I really do hope happens,” he said.

Like Wiig, Samberg is leaving SNL to pursue a career in film; he stars in the upcoming Adam Sandler comedy That’s My Boy in theatres June 15. The only other castmember whose contract is up is Jason Sudekis; unless he pulls a Samberg and quietly leaves via an online interview, we might not get an answer until the season 38 premiere credits roll in September.

From “Dick in a Box” to “Jizz in my Pants” and “I’m on a Boat“, “I Just Had Sex“, “Motherlover” and everything before, in between, and after, Andy Samberg helped launch Saturday Night Live into the digital age and contributed to the definition of the viral video. And for that he will always be remembered as one of the most influential cast members to come and go on the show. Now if that’s not high praise, I’m not sure what is.

[Via NYT]

Jason Mraz hosts an emotional ‘VH1 Storytellers’ this Friday night

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This Friday Jason Mraz will take the stage and host the season premiere of VH1 Storytellers, the music/reality channel’s original program that invites artists across all genres to perform a collection of their songs and share insight into how the music came to be. In this installment VH1 promises that viewers will be privy to “a rich assortment of songs from [Mraz’s] truly outstanding body of work,” including tracks from his latest album Love Is A Four Letter Word. And things will get emotional. In a nearly nine minute preview clip embedded after the break, Jason explores the inspiration behind his hit single “I Won’t Give Up” and tears flow before he performs the song in front of a live audience. The gifted singer/songwriter is known for digging deep into his mind and soul and past life experiences to come up with lyrics and rhythms for his songs; fans should be excited because Storytellers gives him a platform to reveal the secrets behind his most popular tunes. Get a taste of what’s in store after the break. Mraz is arguably the greatest live performer to live, so it is somewhat of an understatement when I say this is must see TV.

VH1 Storytellers with Jason Mraz airs this Friday, June 1 at 11PM. Click here to see pictures from the previously recorded event. Continue reading Jason Mraz hosts an emotional ‘VH1 Storytellers’ this Friday night →