Posted on Tuesday, December 20th, 2011 by Angie Han
Plenty of offices around the country have already begun winding down for the holidays, but apparently Showtime and HBO had a few things to get out of the way first. Meanwhile, Fox is still holding out on a decision on Terra Nova til the new year — though the producers are apparently feeling optimistic. After the jump:
- HBO renews Enlightened, axes Bored to Death, Hung, and How to Make It in America
- Showtime drops a trailer for Shameless Season 2
- Dexter showrunner Scott Buck talks about the finale’s climactic moments
- Homeland exec producers discuss the tense first season finale
- Terra Nova producers are “guardedly optimistic” about the show’s chances for a second season
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Time to round up some TV news, and what better place to start than with the announcement that Goodfellas writer Nicholas Pileggi and James Mangold will collaborate on Ralph Lamb, a ’60s-set Vegas crime drama based on the life of “cowboy-turned-Las Vegas sheriff” Ralph Lamb. CBS is producing; Mangold will direct and Pileggi will write with Greg Walker (Without a Trace).
Ralph Lamb served as sheriff of Clark County from ’61 to ’79 – a long run! — and actually rode his horse on duty for many of those years, even as he modernized the Vegas sheriff’s department and created the city’s first SWAT team. He was also a staunch anti-mob figure, which was no small deal given the mafia control over many casinos. It’s great, if expensive material for a show. [Deadline]
After the break, trailers for the third season of Bored to Death and Sarah Michelle Gellar’s new show Ringer, along with Kurt Sutter’s explanation for taking a powder from Twitter. Read More »
ABC’s Charlie’s Angels is finally going into production. It was first mentioned almost a year ago that the channel was looking to greenlight a pilot that would bring the series back to television, but it experienced a change in the development process that set it back until now. Originally, Josh Friedman (the creator of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) was developing the project, but now ABC has handed the show over to Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar.
The show is planned to shoot at the start of the new year in Miami. ABC is currently searching for actresses to play the ‘Angels’. Leonard Goldberg (one of the producers of the original show) and Drew Barrymore remain involved in the series as producers. [Deadline]
After the break, the fate of three TV shows hang in the balance. Read More »
This Week in DVD & Blu-ray is a column that compiles all the latest info regarding new DVD and Blu-ray releases, sales, and exclusive deals from stores including Target, Best Buy and Fry’s.
COMMUNITY (SEASON 1)
It’s been asserted more than once that Community didn’t start becoming good until well into its first season, and while I’d agree that the series became more assured as it went on, I’d disagree that its early episodes are any less worth watching than its later ones. When the series first aired, people (me included) hadn’t yet gotten a grasp on what Community was trying to be. Rewatching the pilot now though, its self-aware, satirical undertones are far more prevalent. This is a show that understands the age we live in, and seeks to playfully mock and celebrate it. It’s a show that’s unafraid to openly admit that the initially introduced budding romance between two characters didn’t have the spark it was supposed to, and then slyly develop it into a more chemistry-infused love triangle—one that’s as parodic as it is compelling. Is Community a sitcom, or a deconstruction of sitcoms? It’s both, among other things, and by the time it finds its groove, the balance it strikes between the two is pitch-perfect. When the series truly soars though, is when it takes on a more specific genre, such as action movies in the fan-favorite episode “Modern Warfare”. If you gave up on Community early on, and need an incentive to start watching again, this is the episode that will convince you to do so.
Available on Blu-ray? No.
Notable Extras: Cast & Crew Commentary on Every Episode, Outtakes!, Creative Compromises, Community Season One Cast Evaluations, “Advanced Criminal Law” Alternate, Season One Highlight Reel, Mini Episodes, Communication Studies Extended Producer’s Cut, and The Art of Discourse Commentary.
| BEST DVD PRICE |
| Target |
Best Buy |
Fry’s |
| N/A |
$29.99 |
$28.49 |
| Amazon – $17.99 |
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HBO has released two new trailers for the upcoming second seasons of Danny McBride‘s sports comedy series Eastbound & Down and the Jonathan Ames-created detective comedy Bored to Death starring Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson, and Zach Galifianakis. Watch them both, after the jump.
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HBO has premiered the first full episode of the new television series Bored to Death online almost a week before the televised premiere. For those of you who haven’t heard of the show, Death is being billed as “A Noir-otic Comedy”.
Jason Schwartzman stars as Jonathan Ames (well, not the real Jonathan Ames, although he is a writer on the show), an alcoholic noir-fiction-obsessed writer who impulsively decides to become an unlicensed private detective. The show also features Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) as Ames’ best friend Ray, a comic book writer, who along with Ames’ editor (played by Ted Danson), winds up tagging along for a few detective cases. Seems like a great concept for a television show.
The series also features guest appearances from John Hodgman (Daily Show, Mac ads), Patton Oswalt, Kirsten Wiig, Parker Posey, Bebe Neuwirth, Oliver Platt, Olivia Thirlby. And if you’re not sold yet… Paul Feig, of Freaks and Geeks, The Office and Arrested Development fame, directs a couple episodes. Check out the first episode now embedded after the jump. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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HBO has premiered a full trailer for the new television series Bored to Death, which is being billed as “A Noir-otic Comedy”. Jason Schwartzman stars as Jonathan Ames (well, not the real Jonathan Ames, although he is a writer on the show), an alcoholic noir-fiction-obsessed writer who impulsively decides to become an unlicensed private detective. The show also features Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover) as Ames’ best friend Ray, a comic book writer, who along with Ames’ editor (played by Ted Danson), winds up tagging along for a few detective cases. Seems like a great concept for a television show.
The trailer also features guest appearances from John Hodgman (Daily Show, Mac ads), Patton Oswalt, Kirsten Wiig, Parker Posey, Bebe Neuwirth, Oliver Platt and while I didn’t notice her in the trailer, IMDb also lists the wonderful Olivia Thirlby. And if you’re not sold yet… Paul Feig, of Freaks and Geeks, The Office and Arrested Development fame, directs a couple episodes. Check out the trailer now embedded after the jump. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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Just last week, Marshall Fine wrote an open letter to Zach Galifianakis that echoed what a lot of his long-time fans are probably thinking as The Hangover crosses the $200m mark. Basically: “Zach, please don’t screw this up.” Now the Hollywood Reporter has news that the comic is circling three different projects at Warner Brothers (in addition to the potential Hangover sequel), two of which don’t sound particularly compelling. As Galifianakis becomes the latest unlikely superstar, what’s his next move? Read More »
