What I'd like to see from 'Go On'

More Terrell Owens

Less Piper Perabo (and by less I mean none)

Someone to graduate.... for real this time. Let's make it Piper Perabo. And let's make it her idea. Break up with the group and break up with Ryan at the same time, to go travel the world or something.

A new group member. Maybe a guy similar to Ryan, who lost his wife, too. It would give Ryan a chance to see how far he's come, and help someone similar through it.

One more appearance by ghost Janie, just to tell Ryan she won't be visiting him anymore.

More John Cho and Carrie.

More Ryan and Anne interactions outside of group.

More back stories on the other group members. Some of my favorite episodes have been the ones where we've gotten to know Mr. K better. Danny. Owen. I want that to happen with every group member and expand upon the stories we've already learned.

More Sonia and Danny.

Game of Thrones Season 3 Trailer!

Cancellation Anxiety + What's coming on 'Justified'

Particularly good Ask Matt this week over at TV Guide. Some items of interest, including a couple of questions from yours truly:

Regarding the possible cancellation of Nashville: These days, the networks would almost kill for "lackluster," so while Nashville isn't what you'd call a runaway hit, it's doing OK, and because it's going the right way creatively (pulling out of its first-half slump), and like Glee and Smash it has a separate revenue stream with its music downloads and CD releases (which seem to get good reviews, though I'm not a music critic), I'm cautiously optimistic that ABC will renew it. As our in-house ratings guru puts it when we gather to discuss such things, they can't cancel everything.

Regarding seeing Limehouse again on Justified, and this season's 'big mystery' instead of 'big bad': I've heard that Mykelti Williamson may reprise his role sometime this season, but can't say when or how. (I'd like it to be a surprise, should it occur.) Regardless, I'm loving this season, as I have the past three, in part because it's so different from what's come before. Still the same blend of action, intrigue and wry humor that we can't get enough of, but once again the show is taking us into new areas of Harlan mythology, from the brutality of the hill people to the murderous machinations of the Clover Hill power-brokers, with whom Boyd and Ava have memorable dealings this week. This Tuesday's episode gives Elmore Leonard a story credit, and it introduces one of my favorite characters from his recent novel Raylan. I'll let you discover her for yourself, but I'm curious what avenues she'll eventually lead our besotted marshal down.

Regarding my concerns about the fate of Up All Night: The situation with Up All Night brings to mind the metaphor about rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. What is the point? Nothing happening on the show is as fascinating or laughable as what's taking place behind the scenes. If we ever see it again in any shape or form, I'll be amazed. And outside of professional morbid curiosity, completely uninterested as a viewer. Let it go.

Regarding my concern that Happy Endings moving to Fridays is a very bad thing:  Regarding Happy Endings' current misadventures in ABC limbo, I knew it was the odd ensemble out in the current schedule (not unlike Cougar Town before it), but until the news that the remainder of episodes would be burned off on Friday, I didn't view it as necessarily endangered. Now it's hard to see it as anything but. (Which of course will prompt questions about whether someone will swoop in to rescue it, like TBS did with Cougar Town. I usually don't encourage such speculation, but while I'm not especially fond of Happy Endings, it generates enough buzz and media attention to make it a good candidate.)

[Side note: I'm worried Matt and I have nothing in common, as I discovered he likes Big Bang Theory, and as stated above, isn't a fan of Up All Night or Happy Endings. Wha?!]

First Look at Pilot Season!

Sick of all the dead-end almost cancelled shows on TV right now? Never fear. Pretty soon there will be a whole new batch of shows for us to fall in love with and then see cancelled!

There are a lot of pilots that already have stars attached to them - Felicity Huffman as an assassin on Fox, Josh Holloway as a microchipped cop on CBS, and Jason Isaacs as the Surgeon General on CBS, for example. Below are a few shows from each network that I found particularly.... interesting. (You can take that as good, bad, whatever.) If you've got a minute (or 20) check out the full pilot reports from Fox, CBS, ABC, NBC and CW.

Blink (CW) 
A car accident leaves a family's patriarch in a coma-like state where he cannot speak or move, but can hear. His narration and various fantasy sequences provide a wry counterpoint to the stories and conflicts of his family ---> Are we sure this is a drama? Sounds like it could be a comedy to me.

The Hundred (CW) 
Nearly a century after a nuclear war has destroyed civilization, a spaceship sends 100 juvenile delinquents back to Earth to investigate the possibility of re-colonizing. ---> Need a cop? Jason Mara might be free if Vegas gets cancelled!

Reign (CW)
Watch as a 15-year-old Mary Queen of Scots (Adelaide Kane) arrives in France, betrothed to Prince Frances. She must survive fierce foes, dark forces and a world of sexual intrigue. ---> On a cable network... maybe. But on the CW this may as well be called 'The Mary Diaries'.

Betrayal (ABC) 
A beautiful, unhappily married female photographer begins a torrid affair with a lawyer for a powerful family. When he turns out to be defending a murder suspect who is being prosecuted by her husband, the relationship and the case begin a spiraling series of betrayals with cataclysmic results for everyone involved. ---> Because the titles Scandal and Deception and Revenge were already taken.

Big Thunder (ABC)*
A brilliant, late-19th-century New York doctor and his family are given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to relocate to a frontier mining town run by a powerful, but mysterious tycoon. They quickly realize that not everything in Big Thunder is as it seems. Based on the Disney ride?

Gothica (ABC) *
A sexy, modern gothic soap weaves together the mythologies of Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, Frankenstein and Dorian Gray, among others.  If every episode of Once Upon a Time was a Dr. Whale episode.

Super Fun Night (ABC) 
Kimmie (Rebel Wilson) and her two best friends (Lauren Ash and Liza Lapira) worry that their Friday-night tradition (staying home in their pajamas) will be threatened when Kimmie gets a big promotion at her law firm and is invited to a party by the cute transfer from the London office (Kevin Bishop). It's time to take Super Fun Night on the road!  And this is a series? Not a movie? I'm confused.

NCIS: Red (CBS)*
An upcoming episode of NCIS: Los Angeles will act as this show's backdoor pilot, in which a small mobile team of agents — John Corbett, Kim Raver, Gillian Alexy, Scott Grimes and Edwin Hodge among them — are forced to live and work together as they crisscross the country solving crimes. ---> A spinoff of a spinoff of a spinoff, inspired by Road Rules. My parents will love this.

Reckless (CBS)
A sultry legal show set in Charleston, S.C., where a gorgeous Yankee litigator and a Southern city attorney struggle to hide their intense attraction while clashing amidst a police sex scandal. ---> Because the titles Scandal and Deception and Revenge and Betrayal were already taken.

Jacked Up (CBS)
Rules of Engagement's Patrick Warburton stars as a beloved, recently retired baseball player who finds that adjusting to not working isn't as easy as he thought it would be. ---> So Rules of Engagement finally got cancelled?

The McCarthys (CBS)
This family comedy is about a loud, sports-crazy Boston clan that includes Jake Lacy, Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver and Jack McGee. ---> Would be better if it starred cousins Jenny and Melissa. Super

Clyde (CBS)*
A meek, unassuming fast-food worker (Harry Potter's Rupert Grint) decides to become a superhero. ---> Ron!

Boomerang (Fox)
Felicity Huffman will star as Margie Hamilton, the matriarch of a family of assassins, who has to balance the demands of motherhood with her unusual job. ---> So... Desperate Housewives, Part II?

The List (Fox) 
A U.S. Marshal leads the hunt for the person who stole "The List," a file that reveals the identities of everyone in the Federal Witness Security Program, who begin showing up dead. ---> I find that shows built around one mystery cannot work. The Killing, Alcatraz, that one with Ashley Judd... Maybe The Following will renew my sense of confidence, but I just have little faith this can work (unless the emphasis is on a compelling U.S. Marshal and compelling villain as characters, and not just focused on the chase itself).

Sleepy Hollow (Fox) 
Ichabod Crane partners with Sleepy Hollow's sheriff to solve the mysteries of a town ravaged by the battle between good and evil. ---> Ugh, I sort of hate what the success of Grimm and Once Upon A Time have done to television pitches. Maybe this one will be more like Do No Harm?

Untitled Dan Goor/Mike Schur Project (Fox) 
A group of detectives — including Saturday Night Live alum Andy Samberg, Andre Braugher, Terry Crews and Melissa Fumero — form an odd family in a police precinct in the outermost neighborhood of New York City. ---> Okay. You got me. I hope Terry Crews is playing a reformed Cheeseburger Eddie.

Hatfields & McCoys (NBC) 
Set in present-day Pittsburgh, a startling death reignites the feud between the legendary families. Unleashing decades of resentment, the blue-collar McCoys will put the Hatfields' wealth and power at risk as they battle for control of the city. ---> So, no pig stealing in this one?

Ironside (NBC)
In a remake of the 1960s drama, an acerbic police detective (Blair Underwood) who uses a wheelchair pushes and prods his hand-picked team to solve the most difficult cases in the city.---> My gripe here is with the choice of words - 'uses a wheel chair'? Is that to imply he may not need it? Why not call him paralyzed or wheelchair-bound?

Brenda Forever (NBC) 
We meet Brenda Miller through a double narrative of the protagonist at 13 and 31 (played by The Office's Ellie Kemper) ---> Because if she was 30, that would be too similar to 13 Going on 30.

Holding Patterns (NBC)
A group of friends' lives change after they survive a plane crash. ---> Experience has taught me that these friends will either want to 'go back', buy a hospital or eat eachother.

Untitled Owen Ellickson and Craig Robinson Project (NBC)
A talented musician (Craig Robinson, who will also produce) adjusts to a new life as a middle-school music teacher. Like Treme, but less characters and less depressing!

*UPDATE. Read '10 Shocking Pilot Rejections'

'Happy Endings' moves to Fridays

UGH!

Last week, TV Guide named Happy Endings as one of the shows on the bubble and I think a BIG part of that has to do with it constantly changing nights (that and the fact that people in the age range that watch the show use DVR, downloads, etc, not live viewing). Wednesdays, Tuesdays, Sundays.... and now Fridays! Seriously?!

I fear the end is near for one of the funniest, smartest comedies around.

What's maybe more sad is that its time slot on Tuesdays is being filled with sub-par reality shows - Celebrity Wife Swap and The Taste, and then former favorite Dancing With the Stars. Sad day for television.

Christina Applegate leaving. Is this the end for 'Up All Night'?

Son of a b!-%$#.

I really, really like Up All Night, but I fear the show is doomed. There have been so many changes - getting rid of the Ava Show at the beginning of this current season and the plan to move to a multi-camera/live audience format later this season - the show is going to be unrecognizable if/when it returns. And now, it looses it's star? EW reported that they are courting Lisa Kudrow, but for what role? The new Reagan? Just replacing her like on a soap opera? That seems ridiculous. Will they kill off Reagan or something? Also seems ridiculous for a show like this.

Honestly - Can Up All Night survive this? And even if it does - is it worth saving? The 'new' Up All Night would be a completely different show!

Are you watching 'The Following'?

I'm really love The Following on Fox.

I will say, if The Following were on cable, it wouldn't be that impressive. I think it is up to par (in terms of both story and violence) with shows like Justified, Dexter, and now possibly The Americans. But I applaud network TV to take this kind of step. To intrigue an audience in this way. Not treat us like we want reality TV or easily digestible drama or simple 'myths'. I haven't seen network TV do something like this since Lost. (And in fact, my sister, a fellow Lostie, said that this might be the first show she's watched since Lost that captivated her in the same way. I would slightly disagree, however - as my attention has been on Game of Thrones and Boardwalk and heck, sadly even Pretty Little Liars) - but I do think The Following has quickly moved on to my 'favorites' list.

And with this week's plethora of flashbacks, the show is reminding more and more of Lost - a show driven by characters, rather than plot. (Love it or hate it.) I was so worried that the show would become a 'crime of the week' series, much like many other promising shows have showed signs of (Fringe, Elementary, Dexter), but with the introduction of / emphasis on the other cult members, it's clear that we'll have enough back story to explore to at least last a season.

I do have to say, however, RIP and shame on you The Following for [SPOILER ALERT] killing off Agent Reilly! Same actor was killed off Dexter - for the sake of a strong plot line, I will add - after barely a season. Poor guy can't catch a break.

Read more about how The Following could impact television. 

Shows on the bubble

UH, WHAT?! Almost every show I watch is in trouble, according to TV Guide. Check out the shows on the bubble and my response:

Happy Endings : Finding a home for Happy Endings since it moved from Wednesday and away from its strong­­ lead-in Modern Family has been tough (it now airs on Tuesday, a night full of comedies). And its scheduling options are limited, since ABC still embraces the concept of family hour and avoids airing shows with racy content before 9pm. Happy Endings is popular with the network's ad-sales department, since the audience has a high concentration of viewers with incomes over $100,000. The question is, are there enough of them? With only 2.9 million people tuning in to the Jan. 29 episode, maybe not.

I think you solved the problem here, TV Guide. When is Happy Endings even on? We were used to Wednesdays, then it switched to Tuesdays (when we're already watching a TON of other comedies!) and then it pops up on Sundays recently? I don't think ABC has ever given Happy Endings a chance. They are too busy fawning over Modern Family (and now, for some reason, The Neighbors it seems).

Besides that, Happy Endings is most definitely geared towards a younger crowd (at least I think so). That is historically a great demo for advertisers, but nowadays we're DVRing, watching online, downloading episodes, waiting for the DVD, etc. Until we can figure out a new model that factors in those viewers better, I fear all 20/30 something-centric shows will fail.

Nashville : The Music City drama hasn't attracted the kind of audience it deserves based on the critical raves it has received. But it's making money, and ABC's other fall dramas (like Last Resort) fizzled fast. Marketing new shows gets harder and more expensive every season, so ABC is likely to stick with Nashville and hope its viewership can grow.

I don't doubt it will. Every person (girl) I know that has started watching Nashville is instantly obsessed.   We need a good soap - no more One Tree Hill, Desperate Housweives, Brothers & Sisters, etc. I think Nashville fills that role.

Parenthood : NBC often wins Parenthood's Tuesday-at-10pm time slot among broadcast networks in the 18-49 age group that advertisers covet. That should make it a sure thing for a fifth season, right? Not necessarily: The large and expensive cast could be an obstacle. If Parenthood returns, don't be surprised if there's a budget-related family tragedy that thins the herd. Another route the show can take is to keep the entire cast on board but not for every episode, as ABC did with Brothers and Sisters in its later seasons. 

As much as that solution saddens me, it actually makes sense with the storyline. Keep Haddie at college except for a couple episodes. Send Drew off the same way. Send Sarah to live with Hank in Minnesota or Michigan or wherever he moved. Cut Mark completely.

That being said, more people should be watching Parenthood. Seriously. It is so, so good. A bright spot in the week - despite me usually spending half the episode in tears. The Bravermans are such a joy to watch. It would be a shame not to spend time in their world every week.

 Vegas : Eleven million seems like a lucky number for any new show. Not CBS' Vegas. Despite the large average audience, it hasn't fared well with the 18-49 demographic. (Not even close: The median viewer age is 60.7.) Nor does it generate the kind of online buzz that serialized shows typically do (yes, network executives pay attention to that). With its high-priced cast, including Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis, and feature film-worthy production design, Vegas is too expensive to move to Friday, where there are plenty of ­older viewers but where programming costs need to be low. Don't bet on this one to come back. 

This kind of sucks. I'm 26, and I kind of like Vegas. I agree that it has done what Playboy Club couldn't 
for recreating that Mad Men  magic on network television. That being said, people my age are not going to get into this show. Ever. Great cast, sure. Interesting storyline, yes (I'm really rooting for Chiklis to go straight! And more Chiklis / Quaid interaction!). But it doesn't hold a candle to any other crime shows / dramas we watch. Justified. The Following. Boardwalk Empire. I'm sorry, but the gangsters on Vegas are goody goodies compared to what we're used to watching. Implied violence, a wink and a nudge, will only get you so far.

 The Mindy Project : The Mindy Kaling-led Fox comedy hasn't shown any sign of being popular enough to lead off a night next season. "They chopped Ben and Kate, and it wasn't doing that much worse than Mindy," says one rival network exec. "It depends how many comedies they need next fall." Mindy does have supporters at the network who like the show creatively; one insider gives it a 75 percent chance of returning. 

Excuse me while I go lay down in a fetal position in the corner and cry. First, you cancel Ben & Kate - my favorite new show of the season. And now you speak of cancelling my 2nd favorite? I wish I could make all my friends watch Mindy. Literally. Tie them down. Force them to watch 'In the Club'. Force them to witness Mindy and her BFF wrestling. Force them to watch Mindy date that total douche / prince charming and see them be like 'OMG this is my life. This show is hilarious.' Mindy is the more PG, less awkward, less naked, network TV version of Girls.

The Carrie Diaries : The CW's Carrie Diaries is an example of how online streaming is changing the TV business. The network's deals with Hulu and Netflix to carry its shows are based on the number of episodes produced. So even if The Carrie Diaries isn't a hit the night it airs, if viewership remains steady, it might just come back.

No comment here. Cool I guess, about that Hulu / Netflix deal.

The Hummels on Justified!

Anyone else catch Mr & Mrs Burt Hummel on Justified this week? He, as Theo Tonin's right hand man (that you do not want to mess with ) and she, as Arlo's lawyer?

Monday Mornings rips off Grey's Anatomy

Am I the ONLY one who is outraged at this Monday Mornings trailer? Why (why!) would a show that is already being compared to Grey's Anatomy (just becuase it's another medical drama) use one of the biggest, baddest, best Grey's references in its trailer?

If you're a Grey's fan - or even caught ANY of the first season - you know that George was nicknamed 007 by his fellow interns after 'killing' a patient. License to kill. Same reference made here in this godawful trailer for Monday Mornings.

That similarity alone would be bad enough - but the 007 moniker came up again when (spoiler alert?) George died in the fifth season finale and just before surgery, 'told' Meredith that it was him by writing '007' on her hand. That moment (in the clip below) still gives me goosebumps. It was (IMHO) one of the defining moments of the series. It had be ugly crying for the rest of the episode and depressed at the bar when I went out afterward (what? It was a Thursday and I was in college). See the clip below -


You're telling me that not a single writer, producer, editor, actor, craft services person on Monday Mornings knew this reference? I find that very hard to believe.

'Friends' reunion on 'Go On'!

Can we get a #cougartown #goon crossover to reunite Chandler and Monica? #friends
— Danielle Hohmeier (@daniellesmyname) February 3, 2013

My wish has been granted!!! Courtney Cox to guest star on Go On. Read more here.

I told you no one would watch Elementary after the Super Bowl!

''Elementary' Super Bowl ratings dim.' Fewer sports fans stuck around to watch Elementary compared to any post-Super Bowl entertainment show in the past nine years.

 via Ew

I told you Elementary was a bad choice! 

In EW's analysis, they claim that it was the blackout to blame for no one watching Elementary. The game was already running late, it was a Sunday night, bla bla bla. And while, sure, I think that's one of the reasons, I think more to blame is (a) not enough promotion of Elementary during the broadcast and (b) the choice of a scripted drama to begin with.

A.
Sure, there were a TON of CBS general commercials. I was like, 'man, my mom loves all these shows!'  And there were a couple Elementary-only commercials, featuring the stars giving their thoughts on the characters. But I don't think any of it compared to what we've seen with Glee and The Voice and The Office in recent years. You could not avoid those shows. Was it overkill, maybe? But their ratings were higher, so it must have worked.

I feel like CBS promoted 2 Broke Girls more during the Superbowl than Elementary. Maybe they should have showed that instead? Kat Denning definitely would attract the male football crowd...

B.
Which leads me to my 2nd point. I don't think a scripted drama does well after the Superbowl, especially one as 'smart' as Elementary. Read more here and see what show I would have picked.

Thoughts on 'The Kiss'

SPOILER ALERT! WATCH THE NEW GIRL! SPOILER ALERT!

Um. Best. TV. Kiss. Ever. ever.

Remember when The Wedding Singer came out and everyone was like "The kiss between Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler is one of the best movie kisses ever!"?

Well, last week's New Girl was that. But for TV. 

I even KNEW it was going to happen because I didn't watch the episode live and saw people posting about it on Facebook and Twitter (thanks for the spoiler alerts, people! rude.), but it didn't matter. The anticipation for this has been building since the show started, and even throughout the whole episode. I'm so glad that they didn't kiss during the game, because, as Nick said 'not like this'. It would've been forced and weird and waiting for the end was definitely unexpected. 

And oh man, did he kiss her. In this most recent episode, when Jess is telling CeCe about the kiss and she's like 'damn.' Yup, my thoughts exactly. 

From here on out - I only want to be kissed like Nick kissed Jess. 

Read more about the kiss and the direction of the show from EW.