Friday, October 22, 2010

Another BSG Prequel Greenlit and the Fate of Caprica

Initially conceived as a webseries focusing on a the young William Adama during the Cylon War, Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome has now officially been greenlit by Syfy as a TV movie to premiere in the fourth quarter of 2011, or possibly 2012 if Syfy decides to adapt Blood & Chrome into a full fledged series.

As for the fate of Caprica, Syfy promised a decision by November 15th. Especially after this week's action packed episode I'm certainly crossing my fingers for a renewal.

For more details on production and casting click here for Maureen Ryan's exclusive report on the new project.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Premiere Week Part Deux...

Wednesday was a pretty light night, I caught the very well designed, yet underwhelming Undercovers and the conventionally funny Modern Family.
Undercovers was full of beautiful people, gorgeous set design and a clear story. Unfortunately there are so many shows (and spy shows) on TV these days that I'm not sure this show will make the cut for appointment viewing, but certainly worthy of time on the tivo or catching up on DVDs later. We'll have to see how it fares in its second week.

I was one of the few who did not watch Modern Family in its first season, so perhaps enlighten me, was the first season miles ahead of the season 2 premiere, because it was funny, but certainly didn't live up to the hype that preceded it.

Thursday
Remember when Jim finally came to his senses and asked Pam on a date on The Office. How the internet seemed to brake down under the strain of millions of fan girls and boys squeeing over message boards everywhere. That is what my brain felt like last night while trying to process the insane amount of excellent TV that returned last night.

The Big Bang Theory: It was so great to see these guys (and gal) back in action. What was so brilliant about this premiere episode is that it didn't feel like a premiere, it felt like every other episode, which is in other words, brilliantly funny. No major spectacular or welcome back, but spot on characters in situations we would only find on TBBT.

30 Rock: It's back to work of Liz, Jack and the TGS crew. The best part of insane and seemingly incompetent characters is when you see them actually function. Jenna as a brilliant cut-throat producer once the clause on her contract kicked in on season 5 was as hilarious and thankfully short lived. The heart of the show, the relationship between Jack and Liz was highlighted as they differently deal with "adult relationships" as Matt Damon guest starred and Avery (Elizabeth Banks) remained off-screen.
How long do we think until Kenneth is reinstated as a page at TGS?

The Office: I just... don't know. But I'm going to keep watching. Out of habit? On this overcrowded night The Office has made it to the bottom of the priority list. I miss when this show was great, I think I still have delusional hope that it will become great again, but with Steve Carrell leaving at the end of this season, and probably Mindy Kaling on her way out as well, my delusions are fading.

Community: I originally hated this show because it was trying so hard with the self referential crap. As season one progressed it was that same self referential, or meta and breaking of the 4th wall by Abed that I grew to love. Community is just an all out crazy fest in one of those like our worlds but a little bit off, pitch perfect.
The world of Community reminds me of the world in Scrubs at Sacred Heart. Is that a worthy comparison?

Bones: Heaatwarming, heartbreaking, and everything in between. I love Caroline being the lynch-pin personality bringing everyone together to save Cam's job. The case(s) of the week were especially backgrounded as the reconnecting characters were at the fore, it's really the most important part of the show.
I really appreciate that Brennen actually stopped to recognize how her actions affected others and changed her behaviour to accommodate that. As much as we hate the will they/wont they with Booth and Bones, the fact that he has chosen to move on rather than continue to be strung along makes a lot of sense, was true to his character and worked organically within the story. It's just how they deal with it now that they're a team again will be the test.
Of course Angela and Hodgins come back from Paris with a bun in the oven. She wants a million babies and he wants everything she does. Beautiful.
Other little things I loved: Sweets' new look; Brennan trying to hug Caroline and the literal Mastadon in the room!
LOVED: Sweets' new looks;

Fringe: I'm still processing. But pretty much, Olivia Dunham is not only the most kickass woman on television, but the most kick ass character on television. Mark of a brilliant premiere episode, I'm not only excited for the next episode because of a cliff hanger ending, I'm left excited for the entire season.
Bonus! Andre Royo (from The Wire fame) guest starring as the cab driver who gets stuck driving Olivia around the altverse.

Even more premieres this weekend. Can we say Dexter Crazy!

What shows were you most excited to return? Which was the best premiere episode this week?

Thursday, September 23, 2010

The Big Bang Theory TONIGHT!

Nerds rejoice! The Big Bang Theory is back for its' third season finding itself a new home on Thursday nights!

To celebrate the return of The Big Bang Theory, the cast took over Craig Ferguson's Late Late Show last night. Missed it? Here's a taste:


Still antsy for tonight? Check out this great interview GeekChicDaily posted with Jim Parsons!

The Big Bang Theory airs Thursday nights at 8pm on CBS.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Terry O'Quinn, Michael Emerson and J.J. Abrams walk into a bar...

Talk of a new TV show being shopped around by former LOST cast mates Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn isn't news. Both actors enjoyed working together on the set of LOST and have been bouncing around the idea of a new show in which the pair would co-star about hit-men in suburbia. The ideas kept changing and seemed abstract, was it a joke?

Recently J.J. Abrams joined the actors in their quest to make this idea a reality. Today NBC announced that they would be signing on for a pilot. Originally pitched with the title "Odd Jobs", the project is currently untitled and will be a comedic drama about two former black-ops agents.

I can't wait to see what this pilot looks like, both actors are incredibly charismatic and play off each other extremely well. Are you still interested these castaways now that they've left the island? Does this concept sound silly or hilarious? I'm feeling optimistic!

Premiere Week!

I love premiere week, this is like the 12 Days of Christmas, or 8 Days of Hannukah. Continued goodness and excitement for a week or two in September!

Sunday:
I sat through the 2 hour long premiere of Law & Order: SVU's 12th season. L&O: SVU this is an impressive run, especially considering that the core team has been together for at least 10 seasons and Benson & Stabler have been at the heart of the show since it's inception in 1999.
What made the premiere extra awesome? A guest star in our love of Lostie island. Henry Ian Cusak. He really knocked it out of the park, and it was great to have him on the small screen again.

Monday:
This is when things started to get hairy. The premiere of four shows; two are strongly appointment viewing, and two that my fingers were crossed for a rebound from the mess that was their previous season, you suss that one out.

Chuck: First a few Highlights: Casey has feelings (of love & caring, I think I saw a tear); Harry Dean Stanton as the Repo Man; Sex Writing; General Beckman live and in person (and tiny!); and an awesome baby on the way!
Very pleased with the return of this show, in it's third season the plot has become more complicated and this premiere did a good job of recapping what the show is about for new viewers while keeping the plot moving forward for us loyal viewers.

Castle: I actually think this show may have revolutionized television is some scary way, screw 3D and smell-o-vision, this was like emote-o-vision. I could actually feel the love from the cast/characters emanating through my television screen into my living room. Who knew that a show containing so much grizzly violence could leave its' audience with an epic case of the warm and fuzzies. Great to see the Castle crew back in action both in the squad room and at home with the fam.

House: Mixed feelings on this premiere episode in terms of what it means for the rest of the season. I found it to be an enjoyable hour of television and if I ignore the part where Cuddy seemed to totally forget/not care about her daughter, the totally isolated getting wrapped up in a relationship without thinking it through thing felt eerily real and familiar. It is exactly that kind of relationship that is perfect in a bubble but is then subject to the complications of... real life.
Bonus highlight: Chase going for it with Thirteen, you have a zero percent chance of scoring if you don't take the shot.

How I Met Your Mother : This week's HIMYM felt like it was really back on track, we're sort of getting to the mother, in the round about way this show goes it seems like real headway was made by reintroducing her roommate. Barney's sleaze was funny instead of forced, and the emotional root of the show, the group's dynamic was back to what we remembered from earlier seasons.

Tuesday:
Glee: This was the show that I loved to hate over the summer. I relished in ignoring it's inordinate amount of press releases despite claims of secrecy for the upcoming season. It's smugness was a huge turn off.
However, last night's premiere really brought the show to it's first half of it's first season glory. Perfect comedic timing, quick pacing and most importantly, incorporating the fantastic music into the story rather than letting it become a weird separate entity.
Bonus! Exciting, eccentric new characters introduced. I'm most excited for Cheyenne Jackson as the new vocal adrenaline coach. This canuk was hilarious on 30 Rock last season and even showed off his pipes for a brief moment there before Jenna was threatened and he had to put 'em away. I'm sure Glee will allow him to sing more.

Coming up...
Tonight: Undercovers, Modern Family
Tomorrow: Big Bang Theory on it's new night, 30 Rock, The Office, Community, Bones, Fringe...

Caprica Returns October 5th

Love it, hate it, note sure? Following up Battlestar Galactica with well, anything is a tough job.

Caprica played it smart by being something completely different than it's predecessor but playing within the same universe.

Syfy put together a 4 minute and 43 second recap of the first season. If you missed the first half of the season or just need a refresher, check it out so you can jump right back in for Caprica's October 5th return.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

FOX to Showcase it's Musical Talent (and we're not just talking Glee)

From April 29th to May 5th many of FOX's top shows including; Bones, House, and Fringe will be revamping their style to take on a musical format!


To celebrate this week of musical madness TV Squad has compiled a top ten list of best musical moments in television. It's worth noting that this list features actors who are slated to appear on Glee. Kristen Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies) will be appearing on Glee tonight. Neil Patrick Harris finds himself on the list twice for How I Met Your Mother and Batman: The Brave and Bold. He will be guesting in a few weeks along side guest director and #1 on this list Joss Whedon!

Check out the list below, tell me your favourite musical moments on TV in the comments!

10. 'That '70s Show': 'That 70s Musical.' Even curmudgeon Red catches the fever on the show's 100th episode in season four, when Fez dreams up song-and-dance numbers while prepping for a high school concert. This love letter to the 1970s features characters belting out famous 70s tunes.



9. 'Pushing Daisies': 'Dummy.'
Any time Kristin Chenoweth gets to flex the golden pipes, I'm a happy camper. 'Pushing Daisies' often featured musical numbers, and here's one of my favorites, 'Hopelessly Devoted to You,' from the second episode in season one.



8. 'Northern Exposure': 'Old Tree.'
Pregnant Shelly wakes up one day to discover she's in her own little musical. She can't stop singing, and she's worried she'll never be able to stop. The best part of this tune is when her beloved Holling joins in with a sweet duet in this episode from season four.



7. 'Batman: The Brave and the Bold': 'Mayhem of the Music Meister.'
The talented Neil Patrick Harris gets to show off his chops in this episode from season one, where the Music Meister uses his singing voice to hypnotize everyone within hearing range into obeying him.



6. 'Mad Men': 'My Old Kentucky Home.'
I'm stretching it here, because this isn't a musical episode from start to finish. 'Mad Men' is way too cool for that. But this episode from season three featured the characters engaging in music in a believable way for that era. We got Joan playing an accordion while crooning 'C'est Magnifique,' Roger (in black face!) singing to his fiance, and Pete and his wife dancing a lively Charleston.



5. 'South Park': 'Chef Aid.'
When Cartman comes to school singing the new hit song, 'Stinky Britches,' Chef realizes that the song he wrote 20 years earlier has been stolen. An expensive lawsuit, attorney Johnny Cochrane, a charity concert, and a bunch of famous singers all come together in a musical montage from season two.



4. 'The Simpsons': 'A Fish Called Selma.'
Can anything be turned into a Broadway musical? Yes, and Troy McClure proves it in this musical episode from season 7, where 'Planet of the Apes' takes to the stage.





3. 'Scrubs': 'My Musical.'
When a patient with a brain disorder hallucinates everyone in the hospital singing, it gave us the classic 'Guy Love,' in which Turk and J.D. sing about their, uh, friendship in season 6. Nothing gay about it.



2. 'How I Met Your Mother': 'Girls vs. Suits.'
The show's 100th episode in season five creates a tough choice for our beloved Barney -- menswear or a sexy bartender? He gets some help from backup singers and dancers -- in suits, of course.



1. 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer': 'Once More, With Feeling.'
Joss Whedon's essential episode from season six finds our Sunnydale friends bursting into song for no apparent reason, revealing their innermost secrets in the process. Could it be demons? Witches? Ghosts? Anya has another idea -- bunnies.