It's about time Maria Bello got her own series, because it seems like she's always playing the wife of someone. She hasn't done a lot of TV lately, not since ER in the 1990s. But at the movies, she's played the wife of Viggo Mortensen (A History of Violence), Nicolas Cage (World Trade Center), Tim McGraw (Flicka), and Brendan Fraser (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor), to name a few. Maybe Bello finally realized that in order to front a series, she'd have to do it herself! She's signed a deal with HBO to executive produce and star in a new series, according to Variety.
The untitled hour-long project follows a woman who's forced into a life of crime to support her three teenage sons after her husband is killed (so, no husband whatsoever in this series).
And doesn't it sound a little like Showtime's Weeds, starring Mary-Louise Parker as a suburban mom who starts selling pot to support her family after her husband dies? And like Parker's Nancy Botwin, Bello's character gets her kids involved in the business, employing her sons as henchmen.
If the behind-the-scenes crew has any bearing on this show's success, I'd say it's a winner. It's being created and written by Gary Lennon, who wrote a couple episodes of The Shield this year, as well as the short-lived The Black Donnellys in 2007 (which I thought had potential). Gavin Polone (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and John Carrabino are also executive producers.
The TV Squad Podcast: Linda Purl talks about The Office, we talk spoilers, and more
Ask TV Squad: Ghost Whisperer and more!
The TV Squad Podcast: Bill Scheft of The Late Show, Cake Boss, Mad Men and more
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-23-2008 @ 8:52AM
bruce said...
Sounds too much like Weeds. If the only difference is this show will be "serious" while Weeds has a sense of humor, I'll stick with Weeds.
Then again, if the next season of Weeds is as bad as the last one was, maybe I will give this new show a try.
Yeah I know I've set up a false dichotomy between having to watch one or the other when I can always watch both, but come on, the false dichotomy is the staple of modern American discourse.
Reply
12-23-2008 @ 9:53AM
Jimmy said...
Maria was great in A History of Violence, but you left off what was probably her best role: opposite William H. Macy and Alec Baldwin in The Cooler.
She is a great actress, and I'm excited she is getting this opportunity!
Reply
12-23-2008 @ 12:26PM
collin said...
Actually, this shows sounds a lot like Weeds when Weeds USED TO BE FUNNY (e.g. Seasons 1 & 2). Who knows what the heck is going on with Weeds anymore? Do us all a favor (well, for me then) and cancel Weeds before we get a fifth season full of unfunny garbage like the last two seasons.
But Maria Bello is a wonderful character actress, and this could be a great opportunity for her (especially since HBO is hurting for original content at the moment, True Blood aside).
I'm assuming this is a drama of some sort, correct?
Reply
12-23-2008 @ 9:06PM
YouFaceTheTick said...
Sounds too much like weeds. We're just into episode 3 of season 3 and it's still funny. Does it go sour at some point?
Reply
12-24-2008 @ 3:05PM
collin said...
If you're asking whether Weeds goes bad in Season 3, then the answer is yes. I am assuming that you saw the first two seasons before watching Season 3, so you have an idea of how funny it used to be.
While this is simply my opinion, the storyline for the third season of Weeds got out of control and made no sense. More importantly, the humor got sucked out of the show and got progressively more ridiculous as the season went on. Season 4 was even more of a nightmare.
While other forgiving viewers claim that shows like Weeds change so drastically because "they're going in a different direction," I'm simply not that tolerant. Weeds is simply unwatchable.
Of course, this is my opinion.
12-24-2008 @ 6:09PM
Brent McKee said...
"Sounds too much like Weeds?" Maybe. Surely it depends on the type of crimes they're committing. Bank Robbery is significantly different - and would make a different TV series - from dealing Pot.
Reply