This Is A Man’s World

From the creators of “Dirty Sexy Money” comes family drama “Political Animals” which debuted on USA this month to modest ratings, but that hasn’t stopped the show from becoming one of the smartest series currently seen on television. The miniseries stars Sigourney Weaver in her first television role as Elaine Barrish, the former First Lady and current Secretary of State navigating her way through family and professional issues in Washington, D.C. The show also stars Ciaran Hinds as Bud Hammond, the former President and current ex-husband of Weaver’s Elaine, who has seen his popularity diminish as a result of his womanizing ways following his divorce. The ensemble cast also includes Carla Gugino who plays Susan Berg, a reporter who became famous for her news coverage of Bud’s infidelities while in the White House. Critically adored actor James Wolk plays Douglas Hammond, Elaine’s son and Chief of Staff who is about to get married.

There also is “Once Upon a Time” star Sebastian Stan who plays T. J. Hammond, Elaine’s openly gay son who has been battling addictions of his own. Veteran actress Ellen Burstyn finishes off the cast as Margaret Barrish, Elaine’s mother and a former showgirl who enjoys a highball and isn’t allowed to speak on the record about her family because she is either “too drunk or too honest or, God forbid, both.” While the show centers on the various issues surrounding Elaine’s family, it also features her day-to-day crises as the Secretary of State, which include saving the lives of three journalists while agreeing to a week-long interview to cover up a damaging story involving one of her sons. “Political Animals” is an excellent representation of an ensemble family drama with great writing of strong, female characters. The pilot, which was watched by nearly three million people, was put together so nicely that it effortlessly passes from scene to scene.

Not only is the writing smart, but the actors playing the parts are exquisite as well, with monologues that are delivered with such compassion it could bring viewers to tears. During a candid interview with Susan, Weaver’s Elaine exclaims that “most of life is hell” and “the best moments of life, when everything comes together, are few and fleeting, but you’ll never get to the next great moment if you don’t keep going. So that’s what I do; I keep going.” There has been some news that this six episode run could be picked up to series much like what happened with Debra Messing’s “The Starter Wife” in 2008, but given the small audience that have caught the first two episodes, the possibility of that happening seems less likely. After looking passed the obvious comparisons to the life of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, this show doesn’t seem like it’s trying to get America ready for a female President, much like ABC’s “Commander in Chief” in 2005, because, truthfully, we are already there.

If I Ever Leave This World Alive

Science fiction thriller “Prometheus” brought audiences back to the terrifying world of aliens and gave actress Charlize Theron her second consecutive blockbuster this summer after scoring with “Snow White and the Huntsman” the week prior. Previously helmed as a prequel to the “Alien” series, film creator Ridley Scott chose to portray this as a standalone film with some elements of the original 1979 “Alien” starring Sigourney Weaver. “Lost” writer Damon Lindelof was brought on to rewrite the script after it took several years for this story set nearly eighty years into the future to get off the ground. After a two year voyage in space, a ship named Prometheus arrives on a planet that is thought to be inhabited with aliens responsible for the birth of humans according to cave paintings found in various parts of the globe.

A team was developed with the help of a mysterious, ailing funder to find out if these aliens are alive and how exactly we are linked to them, but after the ship makes its landing it quickly becomes clear that these aliens are hostile toward humans. Noomi Rapace stars as Elizabeth Shaw, an archaeologist with strong beliefs in God and is desperate to find out if these aliens are truly the “engineers” she believes them to be. It was somewhat of a surprise to see “The O.C.” star Logan Marshall-Green cast in such a high profile role as Rapace’s love interest and partner. Theron plays Meredith Vickers, one of the funder’s employees sent to keep an eye on the crew and control the situation, but has her own agenda. The film tackles such issues as Faith and Science just as Lindelof’s ABC show did for six seasons. It was very interesting how Scott chose to develop the aliens in this film as they technically did not have to be replicas from his past films.

Theron was not the only familiar face on board the ship, as “X-Men: Origins” actor Michael Fassbender plays David, an android who acts as the ship’s butler and liaison to the project’s billionaire funder, ensuring that his dying wishes are granted. Fassbender gave perhaps the best performance of the film from his devious actions as a robot obeying his master to his immeasurable amount of knowledge; at one point he toyingly whispers “there is nothing in the desert and no man needs nothing.” This movie certainly echoed the original, but lacked character development and actual horror with the exception of a few scenes; whereas the original “Alien” had a cast of five, this one has nearly twenty. Just as in the footsteps of Theron’s previous hit, “Prometheus” made over $50 million in its first weekend after premiering on June 8^th 2012. A sequel seems imminent as the door is left wide open at the end of the film with so many unanswered questions and possibilities to go from here.

Cold Hard Bitch

Finally making its debut at the tail end of the television season, raunchy comedy “Don’t Trust the B—– in Apartment 23” offers a new kind of humor with an “odd” premise. Taking over the coveted post-“Modern Family” spot after “Happy Endings” ended its second season early last week, the new ABC comedy has a great platform to use for its seven episode run. On the heels of past success with pre-online viewing, ABC has made the show’s first two episodes available for the last two weeks and from what’s been shown, critics and audiences seem to agree that this show is hilarious. With interesting characters, great writing and an amazing cast, this comedy offers a glimpse into the chaotic lives of two New York City roommates who don’t always “trust” each other.

“B—-” tells the story of June, played by the adorable Dreama Walker, who just found out that the great new job she landed with a huge loft turned out to be a scam and she is forced to move into an apartment with a roommate: enter Chloe, played by the talented Krysten Ritter. After finding work at a local coffee shop and expecting a visit from her fiancé for her twenty-fifth birthday, it seems that June’s life is starting to get back on the right track until she catches Chloe having sex with her fiancé on top of her birthday cake. But instead of packing up her belongings and excepting defeat, June comes to the realization that Chloe saved her from wasting the best years of her life with the wrong guy and forms an unlikely friendship with her slightly unstable roommate.

James Van Der Beek makes his triumphant return to television playing a fictionalized version of himself who is charming, self-obsessed and best friend’s with Ritter’s Chloe. Also added to the cast is Chloe’s stalker from across the hall and a perverted neighbor who spies on the girls. The show uses a similar premise recently seen in CBS’ “2 Broke Girls” without the racist jokes or irritable laugh track. “B—-” takes more pages from “The Odd Couple” than it does the CBS sitcom and continues a trend of fast-talking, narcissistic characters as seen from the timeslot’s last occupant “Happy Endings.” After going through a few name changes and waiting months for a premiere date, ABC is finally ready to unveil this show Wednesday night at 9:30 after an all new “Modern Family:” let the games begin.

Through The Looking Glass

Now that the Super Bowl has passed, let’s take a look back at some of the shows that the networks have offered viewers as mid season replacements. While some shows have already been cancelled, others have not even been given a premiere date leading some to question if their pilots will ever see the light of day.

FOX’s “Alcatraz” may have a similar setup of flashbacks, use of background music and even one of the stars of ABC’s cult favorite “Lost,” but its development of characters hasn’t come close to anything remotely similar than that of the mystery island adventure. Although the series has performed well for the network, it is pretty much breaking even with the dinosaur themed drama “Terra Nova,” which left the schedule back in December for a shortened thirteen episode run. “Alcatraz” will see a similar fate when it concludes its first season in March in order to make room for Kiefer Sutherland’s “Touch.” Also premiering last month was “The Finder,” which is a quirky spinoff of “Bones” and airs directly after it.

When ABC chose to leave new comedy “Don’t Trust the B**** in Apartment 23” and returning favorite “Cougar Town” off of their midseason schedule, viewers were not pleased. However, due to new comedy “Work It” being what it was, a terrible show, the ladder has been welcomed back to ABC and will premiere next Tuesday following “Last Man Standing.” The Alphabet network has also given an April premiere date to “Don’t Trust the B**** in Apartment 23” and political drama “Scandal,” while the highly anticipated Ashley Judd series “Missing” will debut sometime in March. Horror series “The River,” a show about a group of people who are searching for a lost adventurer in the Amazon, debuted soft last night with a two hour episode.

After debuting to mediocre ratings, NBC’s critically acclaimed serial drama “The Firm,” a reboot based off of the 1993 film of the same name, has been banished to Saturdays where it will be cancelled. The same will most likely ring true for the Chelsea Handler comedy “Are You There, Chelsea?” which has not been able to hold onto as many viewers as “Whitney” and suffers from flat jokes and odd characters. But something interesting happened to NBC this week starting with the premiere of “The Voice” after the Super Bowl, which gave the singing competition nearly 40 million viewers. The following night the show premiered in its regular timeslot with new Broadway drama “Smash” preceding it and NBC won the night for the first time in years.

Will “Alcatraz” make it to season two? Will“Don’t Trust the B**** in Apartment 23” ever premiere? Can “Smash” save NBC? It’s too soon to tell, but one thing is certain: things are finally looking up for the Peacock.

Sweets Dreams (Are Made Of These)

Supernatural procedural “Grimm” is the other fairytale drama that made its way to the airwaves this television season and while the show shares a similar premise with ABC’s “Once Upon a Time,” its dark tone and police backdrop make it a completely different experience. Along with its counterpart, the NBC show was held back until October where it scared up over seven million viewers during its premiere just days before Halloween. From the producers of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” each episode brings viewers closer to feeling like they are watching long lost episodes of the cult favorite WB show “Angel.”

The series centers on Detective Nick Burkhart, played by David Giuntoli, who just found out that he is a descendant of a long line of Grimms, hunters who protect the innocent from supernatural forces. With the help of his partner Hank Griffin, played by Russel Hornsby, Nick must keep the secret and take on the evil that lives in his town of Portland, Oregon. After his aunt is attacked by a fairytale creature, Nick meets and later befriends Monroe, played by Silas Weir Mitchell, who is one of the creatures he has sworn to hunt, but has chosen to assimilate into human culture and help Nick along the way.

Nick also has his girlfriend, Julliette, to worry about, as well as his Captain, who seems to know a lot more about what is really going on then he perceives. Viewers seem to have taken a liking to the mystery drama bringing in a healthy six million people each week for the Peacock, which has been suffering in the ratings for some time. “Grimm” seems like a safe bet for a second season pickup given that its one of the highest rated shows on NBC’s current schedule. With already ten episodes under its belt, the Friday night drama can be caught On Demand for free in its entirety for Cablevision subscribers.

The series thus far has reintroduced viewers to such fairytale characters as Hansel and Getel, The Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood. “Grimm” has received many positive reviews and comparisons to “Once Upon a Time,” saying that it puts an interesting twist on an old story and that “on a repeat viewing the craftsmanship and attention to detail made more of an impression.” In the beginning of each episode, a quote from a fairytale is displayed in scriptive writing giving viewers hints about what lies ahead. Check out the pilot along with the rest of the season; you’ll be humming Marilyn Manson’s rendition of the eighties classic for days.

Sweet Sweet Fantasy, Baby

Last Sunday’s “Once Upon A Time” brought viewers back to the land of fairytales with an episode that centered on the show’s best storyline to date: Snow White and Prince Charming. While the ABC drama’s winter premiere focused on the mischievous Rumplestiltskin’s past, many viewers found the episode to be less interesting, especially after the show killed off the Hunstman just as he was starting to remember his past and show feelings for Emma Swan. The fairytale drama might sound childish to some, but it is quickly becoming one of the best new shows on television with strong comparisons to another ABC show with mystical storylines: “Lost.”

Perhaps it’s the viewers need for escapism or the pure fun of watching a retelling of childhood memories, but “Once Upon a Time” has become a hit of its own, bringing over ten million viewers in each week for the Alphabet Network. There has also been buzz that a companion show could join “Once Upon a Time” next fall in the form of “Beauty and the Beast,” which is also being remade at the CW, as well. This episode titled “7:15 AM” centered on the torn romance going on between Mary Margaret, played by Ginnifer Goodwin, and David Nolan, played by Josh Dallas, while also flashing back to their past lives as fairytale characters.

In Storybrooke, we learn that each morning Mary Margret rushes down to the diner at precisely 7:15 AM in order to “accidentally” run into David because it’s the only way she can see him without feeling sorry for his wife, Kathryn. Little does she know that David comes to the diner for the exact same reason. Meanwhile, Regina and Emma both become suspicious of the stranger who has come to Storybrooke, which apparently has never happened before with the exception of Emma, of course. After some cute banter, the stranger, also known as the poor man’s Graham, reveals to Emma that he is a writer who perhaps wrote the book that Henry is carrying around.

In Fairytale land, Prince Charming’s wedding to King Midas’ daughter, Abigail, leaves Snow White little time to mend her breaking heart. After getting a letter from the Prince confessing his love for her, she ventures off to the castle to do the same, only to be captured and held prisoner with two dwarves, Grumpy and the not-so recognizable Stealthy, which makes sense once he is killed. Prince Charming’s father forces Snow White to tell his son that she never loved him leading Snow White to drink a potion to forget she ever knew Prince Charming just as he leaves Abigail at the alter.

The real reason why viewers might be taking such a liking to “Once Upon a Time” could be its strong resemblance to ABC’s former hit “Lost.” With its character centric episodes and flashbacks to Fairytale land that comes to mirror the real world the characters currently live in, this show might just be what fans have been waiting for. Rather than continuing to torture viewers with hopes that Mary Margret and David would get together, the writers chose to move this story along by having them kiss in Storybrooke at the end of the episode, unaware that Regina watches their secret love affair unfold from a parked car.

I Kissed A Drunk Girl

Late night talk show host Chelsea Handler debuted her first venture into scripted television with NBC’s “Are You There, Chelsea?” The old fashioned sitcom premiered last Wednesday to over six million viewers as part of NBC’s new “Happy Hour Wednesdays,” which also includes Handler’s friend Whitney Cumming’s sitcom “Whitney.” Although Handler’s take on the modern day sitcom was a step up from its unfunny counterpart, the pilot lacked laughs from its misguided introduction of characters.

After going through serious changes from the original pilot including relocation and recasting, “Are You There Vodka, It’s Me Chelsea?” also saw its name shortened for fear that viewers would be turned off by the show’s blatant reference to alcohol. After reading Handler’s book of the same name, fans of the comedienne envisioned something different from the sloppy sitcom that NBC has developed. What could have been a rather funny premise was morphed into a missable comedy starring yet another obnoxious young woman.

The pilot got a few laughs from Handler’s portrayal of her older sister, Sloan, and Chelsea’s odd roommate who undoubtedly stole the show, but some viewers were dumbfounded by the dead air present in between the blaring laugh track. “That 70’s Show” actress Lara Prepon was cast as the lead role, but viewers could not get past her horrible narration and raspy voice. If comedy is what you desire, check out ABC’s “Happy Endings” or CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” for more consistent storytelling and likable characters.

The age old question still persists: is the sitcom dead? If you are to answer this question after viewing this show then you would think yes, but the answer is actually no. There are plenty of great sitcoms that are currently on air that keep comedy alive like any of CBS’ comedies or even Tim Allen’s new show “Last Man Standing.” Much like the network it has come to represent, NBC sitcoms just feel outdated and unfunny. “Are You There, Chelsea?” had all the ingredients for a great comedy had it not been formatted into such poor storytelling.

You Spin Me Right Round

A spinoff is not an easy task to create; for every “Frasier” there is a “Joey,” for every “CSI: Miami” there is a “Baywatch Nights.” After selecting five of the best spinoffs of all time, “What Jason Watches” has come to the conclusion that each show comes from a similar mold.

In 1987, “The Tracey Ullman Show” was looking for an animated short to fill time during the variety show, which led to the creation of “The Simpsons.” Viewers enjoyed it so much that FOX ordered a pilot in 1989 that featured the town of Springfield and its many inhabitants. Six voice actors were hired to fill the roles of every single character in the episodes, which dealt with political issues as well as everyday life. Some twenty-three years later, “The Simpsons” is still alive, kicking and was just renewed through 2014; way to go homey!

After three seasons of torturing viewers with a doomed romance alongside Buffy Summers, Angel left Sunnyville behind for the big city of Los Angeles. It is here that he re-teams with former “Buffy” cast members Cordellia Chase and Wesley Windom Price to form a new team to fight “the big bad.” The series became a success for the WB averaging over four million viewers, but after five seasons and some dark storylines, the show was cancelled. “Angel” promised to “not fade away” as the series ended with the vampire with a soul fighting with his team to save the world.

In 2004, MTV premiered a little reality show called “Laguna Beach,” which starred Lauren Conrad as a girl who tried to navigate through her senior year of high school with her family, friends and enemies; drama naturally ensued. Viewers took such a liking to Conrad that MTV offered her a spinoff where she moved to Los Angeles to start a career in fashion while attending school. The show gave MTV record ratings and created a new type of reality that could turn an ordinary person into a star. After five years, Conrad left “The Hills” behind and has become a successful designer, author and producer.

During the summer of 1988, NBC aired the middle school sitcom “Good Morning, Miss Bliss” on Saturday mornings. After some retooling, the Peacock changed the focus of the show onto the character of Zach Morris and his friends A.C., Kelly, Screech, Jesse, and Lisa. “Saved by the Bell” brought to life many real life insecurities and issues that young teenagers face in high school, albeit in a mostly “lesson of the day” kind of way. Even that said, this show will always stand the test of time and represents a landmark in television.

When viewers found out that “McDreamy” was actually “McMarried” at the end of season one of “Grey’s Anatomy,” they weren’t too pleased to accept Neonatal Surgeon Addison Montgomery into their lives. But after two years on “Grey’s,” viewers seem to have come to enjoy Addison even more than the titular character, which is probably why she was given her very own spinoff in 2007. “Private Practice” followed the newly single Addison to Los Angeles where she wished to become a mother and found a job at her friend’s practice. Did Addison get the life she always wanted? I don’t know, I stopped watching.

So there you have it: a spinoff requires a character from the original show, a move to Los Angeles, or a new group of really pretty rich kids. And while some are just born out accident and only last a season, others have lived on to be even more successful then there predecessor.

Hearbeat

Gloomy rock band The Fray debuted a new music video last month for their hit single “Heartbeat” off the album “Scars & Stories,” which is in stores on February 7^th, 2012. It’s the band’s first single in nearly two years after two internationally successful albums that brought the group many awards. The music video shows the newly-bicked front man Isaac Slade giving an impromptu concert to a group of beautiful young people on a rainy day at the beach. There are sparklers, bonfires and plenty of make-out sessions, but is this what this song is really about?

Just what does The Fray mean when they sing “I wanna kiss your scars tonight?” The group was recently interviewed about their upcoming album, which was written after the band used half of the album’s budget to travel and see the world before recording. The band told interviewers that this single is essentially about “a woman escaping a horrible situation in the middle of the night and coming back to life.” The woman in question was from Rwanda and met the band by chance on their travels. Slade in particular told reporters that he felt an instant connection to her after holding her hands and not being able to tell if it was her pulse that was beating or his own; which explains the song’s title “Heartbeat.”

Other tracks on the upcoming album like “Munich” and “Rainy Zurich” were inspired by the band’s journey to those locations. Guitarist Joe King explained that they “pull from different locations and places” and added that “you have to live life, you have to have experiences in order to be able to write stories.” The song debuted at number forty-three on the Billboard Hot 100, mirroring The Fray’s use of piano as the lead instrument in their music just as they have done in the past. Many critics have compared the band with other English piano-driven groups like Coldplay, The Wallflowers and Better Than Ezra.

The group formed in 2002 after schoolmates decided to start a band in Denver, Colorado. Their debut album “How to Save a Life” was certified double platinum in 2005, spawning such hits as “Over My Head (Cable Car)”and “How to Save a Life,” which both became top ten hits in the United States. “How to Save a Life” brought the band worldwide fame after ABC medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy” used the song in the season three promos for the show. The group’s second self-titled album, released in 2009, debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and was certified gold in the United States.

SOS

With the crisp chill of winter in the air, “What Jason Watches” has compiled a list of shows from the 2011 Television Season that have already been cancelled or are in serious danger of ending in the near future. While some new series, like ABC’s “Pan Am,” have not been able to take off, other long running shows, like FOX’s “House,” are just not pulling in the numbers they used to.

Period drama “Pan Am” is about to make a crash-landing as the series that centers on the failed airline continues to see ratings plummet along with new comedy “Man Up” following in its screech marks. ABC opted to end long running neighborhood drama “Desperate Housewives” after many viewers gave up on the show that has just run its course after eight mystery-filled seasons. The same could be said for medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy” and its spinoff “Private Practice.” The network has also sent newcomer “Charlie’s Angels” to heaven after it was never able to capture as much popularity as its predecessor.

CBS’ crime scene procedurals have seen better days with “CSI: NY” easily being the weakest of the franchise. After a ratings decline followed by schedule shuffling and cast shake ups, it might be time to bury this procedural. The same could be said for newcomer “A Gifted Man” averaging under eight million viewers; which are decent ratings but this network is able to make tough decisions. Just ask comedy “How to Be A Gentleman,” which was cancelled just four episodes in after premiering to nearly ten million people.

While none of NBC’s shows draw earth-shattering ratings, even this network has a number and that doesn’t seem to be the right one for comedies “Community” and “Parks and Recreation,” which although critically acclaimed are viewerly challenged. Meanwhile, NBC announced the season’s first cancellations with “The Playboy Club,” which was quickly followed by “Free Agents.” Comedy spy series “Chuck” was given a fifth and final season and Gritty cop drama “Prime Suspect” has already been pulled from the lineup, but not officially cancelled.

Apparently there is a show on FOX about dinosaurs, which is news to most people as back-in-time drama “Terra Nova” was not given a full season order. The head ache-prone plot will conclude in December with FOX detailing budgetary costs for the shortened season. Meanwhile “Fringe” has suffered an immense ratings decline after being banished to Friday nights; there’s a reason why they call it the graveyard. And it looks like the prognosis for a certain sarcastic doctor is in: FOX has decided to end “House” after eight seasons.

Aging CW drama “Gossip Girl” has been running out of storylines and viewers ever since cast member Taylor Momsem decided to high-tail it out of the Upper East Side in favor of her music career. Ratings for the show have continued to dwindle, hardly ticking over one million viewers. Fellow revitalized teen drama “90210” hasn’t been fairing much better suffering from cast shakeups and odd storylines. Meanwhile, “One Tree Hill,” which was originally about a high school basketball team, has finally been axed after nine seasons.

Although most networks make their final decisions on renewing or cancelling a show in May, it’s safe to say that some of these programs aren’t going to make it. With walking papers given to some long running shows and production halts given to many newcomers, time will tell who will be next on the chopping block.