From John Madden to Sarah Paulson, Bradley Whitford, and superheroes on the small screen (where they really flourish) -- here are the five things I'm looking forward to this Fall TV season:1. Lex, Lana, and General Zod love triangle: Forget Bryan Singer's not-too-bad film, forget the foul and execrable My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Smallville does comics right. And no ditzy bimbo sidekick for television's Lex Luthor, who appears to have won the heart of Clark's ex, Lana Lang, over the course of last season, and now he's possessed by the Superman II film villain, Zod. That's character development that movies, (even 2 hour 45 minute movies) just don't have time for. A Smallville cast addition: Jimmy Olsen? Who cares. And is that freckled goofball the best they can do as a love interest for adorable Chloe (Allison Mack)? Also, I'm thankful the suits passed on Aquaman. There's a reason Aquaman is the fake movie on Entourage -- the very idea is just ridiculous. A superhero should have powers that at least outweigh his weaknesses. (Has gills and the ability to bond with lobster and other entrees, but can't be out of water more than one hour?) Now, Justin Hartley is freed up to play Green Arrow on a Smallville arc. Come to think of it, cut Chloe a break and hook her up with Green Arrow.
2. Longer blocks of good shows. Battlestar Galactica is running its next full season without a break. And producers convinced ABC that Lost fans are right and their two-weeks-on, three-weeks-off schedule the first two seasons really wasn't the best thing for a show composed a long story arcs. Lost season three, will run in several longer blocks.
3. Sunday Night Football on NBC. I don't care what night or network it is on, nighttime football is the best, and John Madden and Al Michaels are the anchor team to end all anchor teams. Let's hope NBC doesn't get goofy with the casting and try to add, I don't know ... say, the Tonight Show's John Melendez, or Matt LeBlanc to the mix. Or Joe Rogan. Him neither. Plus, though like Jimmy Kimmel, I won't miss his cricket-chirp-inducing taped bits from the final season of ABC's Monday Night Football.
4. & 5. Sarah Paulson and Bradley Whitford. They are both on the soon-to-be canceled Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. ( I hope I'm wrong -- but come on, you know it's true -- and at least the complete series DVD set that'll be out by this Christmas will make a nice gift.) Aside from the fact that both are great actors, my reasons for looking forward to their performances are completely different:
So Bradley Whitford: I was not a devoted West Wing viewer, but gravitated mostly to the campaign-year seasons. I'm going to miss Josh and am happy Whitford is diving right back into another Sorkin drama. Okay, Josh had to run around trying to keep the free world on track, so maybe his new role of a guy trying to get a moribund TV-skit show back on track is more than a bit of a comedown in stakes, but I love Whitford's easy and casual delivery. I hope his wife, Jane Kaczmarek, who played Mom Lois, on the recently-ended Malcolm in the Middle, gets another gig soon too.
Last but not least, Sarah Paulson. A well-regarded character actress with memorable TV guesting roles recent years on Deadwood and Nip/Tuck, she plays one of the "big three" on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip -- that is, one of the three stars of the SNL - inspired calcified comedy skit show that is the focus of the new Sorkin drama. With a gaggle of characters ranging from studio suits (like Amanda Peet) to show runners like Whitford and Matthew Perry's characters, and other cast members like D.L. Hughley, Paulson's (unfortunately Geritol-set named) character, Harriet Hayes, is one of many many that will have to fight for screen time. Her character sounds like something that came out of a first-year screen writing class exercise: "Hey she's a Christian but she's on a hit Hollywood show, AND she's smart and fair minded." But Paulson can't help but tease out the realism in any role she's tackled. She even stole her brief scene via hologram in in Serenity , the Firefly movie. With Paulson in the role and Sorkin at the helm, Harriet's not likely to turn into one of those loopy TV caricatures of a human being like, say, Ann Coulter or Elisabeth on the The View. Plus, the character now has to work for her ex-boyfriend -- and even worse -- it's Matthew Perry. How horribly fraught with dramatic potential is that?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
8-04-2006 @ 2:59PM
mike c2 said...
"Hey she's a Christian but she's on a hit Hollywood show, AND she's smart and fair minded."
"Harriet's not likely to turn into one of those loopy TV caricatures of a human being like, say, Ann Coulter or Elisabeth on the The View."
Hey, got any more insensitive and bigoted comments for us TVSquad? Why don't you tell us how you really feel in your PC world that only includes liberals.
I find myself less inclined to read this site more and more.
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8-04-2006 @ 3:08PM
Michael Canfield said...
Those are my statements, not TVSquad's. And the first is clearly sarcasm against the idea that an Christian CAN'T be smart, fair-minded. But if all you're looking for is to be injured and offended, then that is what you will find, unless you decide to give up reading altogether.
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8-04-2006 @ 3:15PM
mike c2 said...
No victim here. Not loopy either.
But if you harbor such animosity towards people who don't think like you, why put it on display on a site that discusses television?
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8-04-2006 @ 3:18PM
elf said...
Michael, don't worry. Many of us are not humor-impaired and knew exactly what you meant.
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8-04-2006 @ 3:21PM
Michael Canfield said...
I don't harbor any such animosity. And television is too broad a subject for me to worry about offending by expressing my opinion. Would you rather, I kept my "liberal PC worldview" -- both of these labels are inaccurate by the way -- to myself? Probably you would. But a blog where everyone keeps their own opinion to themselves isn't worth reading, it is just TV.com.
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8-04-2006 @ 3:33PM
mike c2 said...
You're certainly entitled to your view and free to express it.
It's just the hypocrisy of targeting those who disagree with the "liberal PC worldview" that I find annoying and offensive. You knew exactly what you were referring to when you wrote:
"Hey she's a Christian but she's on a hit Hollywood show, AND she's smart and fair minded."
"Harriet's not likely to turn into one of those loopy TV caricatures of a human being like, say, Ann Coulter or Elisabeth on the The View."
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8-04-2006 @ 3:43PM
Michael Canfield said...
Yeah, I know I am entitled to my opinion, but I was responding to your query that I explain why I must express it. As for Ann Coulter and Elisabeth of "The View." You are right, I don't like them, and their presence on TV does more to promote the mistaken belief that all Christians and convservatives are narrow-minded bigots and bullies, than any critique of them ever could. Something I think Sarah Paulson and "Studio 60" have a chance to correct -- which was my original point. Now you can have the last word.
Does no one want to take me to task on Jimmy Olsen?
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8-04-2006 @ 3:46PM
Chris said...
What development? "Character" you say? Lana is the reason I WON'T be watching Smallville.
I would rather go see Bryan Singer's Superman Returns anyday over watching Lana - a minor character - get more attention than Chloe, a character created for the series, and lets face it, the prototype for the future Lois.
If I do happen to turn the tv to this show, it's for Allison Mack and Annette O'Toole.
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8-04-2006 @ 3:47PM
Tim said...
I still think they shoulda killed off Lana, instead of Jonathan Kent...
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8-04-2006 @ 4:05PM
Dorv said...
Mike,
Yeah, I think you were a bit harsh. Of coarse, I'm referring to the fact that you think Studio 60 won't make it past December.
Your comments about "Hariet Hayes" are seemingly to me an attempt to be more witty and look cool than anything else. I've seen the pilot too, and I personally don't think her religious beliefs will play s much into the long term as they did there.
What I'm looking forward to most (besides Whitford reading Sorkin-dialoge again), is to see if Peet (whom I believe to be an underrated actress) can improve upon her performance in the pilot. I don't know if she just wasn't into the character yet or what, but she just had a weird smile on her face the entire time (except for the part about the office).
All that being said, yeah, I'm with Chris. Lana has been the worst thing about Smallville for a long, LONG time. They tried to butcher Chloe all year this year with being exposition/"amazing investigative skills"/computer hacker extrodinaire even more than ever, but she's still one of my favorite parts of the show (Check that, she IS my favorite part of the show. With Rosenberg's Lex a close second).
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8-04-2006 @ 4:19PM
IM said...
It's good that Jonathan was killed off instead of Lana. Kristin Kreuk is terrific actress and incredibly easy on the eyes! But I don't like that she's with Lex...it's disgusting!! Let her find out about Clark's secret already!!
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8-04-2006 @ 4:36PM
SJ said...
What is with people getting so sensitive? Of course Ann Coulter is a nutjob! She called Clinton a homosexual!! I can't comment about Elisabeth since I have never really seen The View, but from what I've read she's the typical Christian republican who bashes gays/liberals/you get the idea. I saw the first episode of Studio 60 and Sarah Poulson's character does not look like the 'typical' one-dimensional Christian person at all. I hope the show lasts, since I enjoyed the pilot.
As for Smallville, the previous season was AWFUL. Lana is one of the worst characters on TV, and they have turned Chloe into a crappy character. Let's hope there are more Brainiac/Lex/Clark/Superman scenes.
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8-04-2006 @ 4:45PM
Ron's man said...
BSG without a break?
According to Ron Moore (http://blog.scifi.com/battlestar/archives/2006/07/#001019):
To catch up on things: we're currently filming episodes 10 & 11, our mid-season cliffhanger episodes, after which we're going to take a four week hiatus from shooting, then resume production on the remaining eight. "Eight?" you ask, perceptively recognizing that would only add up to 19 and our much-publicized order
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8-04-2006 @ 6:39PM
Scott H said...
Oh, yeah, the woman playing Lana is a GREAT actress, and will have a LONG career after the "Smallville" producers finally get over their inexplicable crush on her, or the show goes off the air. And the character ISN'T tiresome and incredibly annoying. And "American Idol" is the pinnacle of 21st century television.
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8-04-2006 @ 9:45PM
matthew m. barnes said...
oh.. isn't this fun? all the stupid bickering on these things is why i'm less and less inclined to keep reading. (of course... being that we live in a voyueristic society of which myself and my television watching ways are a huge indication... here i am anyway!)
as a Christian and a fairly conservative person, i totally got what you were saying and was not at all offended in any way by it. not that it matters.
the only thing that bugged me was that you're so sure that it's going to be cancelled? why is that exactly?
some have said that the networks won't allow Sorkin and Co. to bash on television or SNL and that's why it will be cancelled. i don't think that's the case. they wouldn't have ordered the show if they thought that. besides... if they do that, then they're just proving Sorkin's exact point. he's kinda brilliant that way.
if viewers could get into the West Wing (especially Sorkin era WW), then they can handle this. it's like the perfect balance between The West Wing and Sports Night.
just my thoughts. if you all want to find things to fight about in it, have fun! i'll just watch.
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8-04-2006 @ 9:48PM
matthew m. barnes said...
ps... Lana, while not being the best actress in the world, is totally hot which is why i put up with her being on the show. however, the smart choice would have been to kill her instead of Jonathan (or really shake it up and kill them both).
but seriously people... Chloe??? annoying as crap. does the same thing every week. serves no purpose. Lana could serve a purpose at least if her acting was better and the writing for her was better. why they couldn't take a chance and actually let her and Clark be happy (and in the know) for a while is beyond me.
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8-04-2006 @ 9:55PM
Michael Canfield said...
Thanks Matthew, (and everyone) for your comments. My fears for Studio 60 cancellation come from these factors:
Most new shows don't last. The show looks expensive, and networks are impatient with expensive shows and expect them to perform: that's why Firefly was axed. But mainly, shows about television don't seem to last, it can get a little annoying watching rich and powerful tv execs battle it out, the stakes seem petty compared with West Wing or even the weekly life-and-death dramas of CSI's and cop shows. But, as I say, I hope I am wrong, I liked the pilot and look forward to the show.
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8-05-2006 @ 9:09AM
kennethstewart said...
sarahpaulson is openly gay in real life do you think that it will hurt the show?
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8-05-2006 @ 12:08PM
Michael Canfield said...
Kenneth-- no I don't think that will hurt the show.
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8-05-2006 @ 1:32PM
kennethstewart said...
well I'm a christian and homosexualality is a sin and my own opinion is that there will be a backlash about an openlygay actress playing christian sketchcomedy star by the religiousrights groups so what do you think about that?
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