Kelly Woo
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Ten faux incestuous on/off-screen relationships
This news totally makes me want to go re-watch old episodes of Beverly Hills, 90210: Shannon Doherty sorta hinted that she may have hooked up with Jason Priestley, who played her on-screen brother. Brenda and Brandon might've been getting in on, folks. This isn't the only case of faux-incest on television. On Brothers & Sisters, there's a whole storyline about Justin Walker falling for Rebecca, who he thought was his half-sister. The actors, Dave Annable and Emily VanCamp, got into a relationship off-screen. Then -- poof! -- it turned out she wasn't the Walkers' long-lost sibling and they started dating on-screen.
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TNT making more cop dramas
After the success of The Closer, you can't blame TNT for going with a proven formula.The cable network is close to greenlighting two police drama pilots, a project from Jerry Bruckheimer about young undercover officers and Bunker Hill starring Donnie Wahlberg (which actually already received an a pilot order).
TNT's certainly been a busy little bee, stacking up new series left and right. Besides these two pilots, they've got Time Heals, starring Jada Pinkett Smith as a hospital nursing director; Night and Day, with William Fichtner playing an agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; and Men of a Certain Age, a dramedy featuring Ray Romano, Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher.
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Seven new characters that worked
The genius that was Amy Ryan's Holly beatboxing on The Office last week got me thinking about other cast additions that have made shows better. The first that came to mind was actually another Amy Ryan role -- Beadie on season two of The Wire. It took awhile for me to get into the whole dockworkers storyline, but it was Beadie that helped me through.
If a show plans to stay on air for awhile, it needs fresh blood -- but the process of introducing new characters isn't easy (witness how reviled Maya was on Heroes). The best new additions combine great actors with well-written characters.
Here are seven other (fairly recent) new characters that succeeded.
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Is there hope for Swingtown?
If you didn't watch Swingtown this summer, you're not alone.The CBS drama posted low ratings over the summer, despite buzz over its salacious topic. Still, the show gained some fans (including me), who have been waiting on word of its renewal or cancellation.
Now comes news that Bravo will air reruns of the show this fall. The Hollywood Reporter says the deal "essentially closes the door" on the show, with CBS unlikely to produce new episodes and Bravo uninterested in doing so.
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Project Runway on Lifetime auf'd?
Heidi and Tim, hold on before you pack your bags.Variety reports that a judge has blocked Project Runway's network move from Bravo to Lifetime, putting the sixth season's January debut in limbo. The fifth season is currently airing on Bravo.
To recap: Lifetime signed a five-year, $150 million deal to steal away the hit reality series with its production house, The Weinstein Company. NBC Universal (which owns Bravo) filed suit, claiming that it had the right to match any offer made by another network.
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What's old is new again: Partridge Family, Melrose Place being remade?
As everyone knows, there are no new ideas in Hollywood. So, it's no surprise TV is looking to the past for future new shows.Variety reports that The Partridge Family is getting a "tongue-in-cheek, modern-day" remake. A former Cashmere Mafia writer is on board and insiders say the project will be getting a network deal soon.
Meanwhile, E! Online has scoop from former Melrose Place star Lisa Rinna that the soapy drama might follow in 90210's footsteps at the CW, though that network denies the rumor.
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Fox cancelling Do Not Disturb?
Another new TV show bites the dust.EW's Michael Ausiello reports that Fox has cancelled Do Not Disturb. The network won't confirm anything, telling TV Guide that the critically-panned sitcom is "pre-empted" next week.
This comes on the heels of the show's producers apologizing for "perpetrating bad television," but asking critics and viewers for a second chance. Guess they'll never get it.
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Everybody hates The Hills
Do you loathe The Hills? Well, you're not alone. Even Oscar-winning actresses have a hate on for the hit MTV reality series.Charlize Theron told MTV News she didn't understand why the show is so popular. "Why is it so big? It's about nothing!" she wondered. "The Hills is about nothing. I think the girls are beautiful and when they cry their mascara runs and that's real, but I don't get it!"
And she's not the only celebrity who's befuddled by The Hills phenomenon, either. Singer Juliana Hatfield blogged, "I hate the fact that I know Heidi Montag's name; that I know who she is; that she takes up any space at all in my consciousness."
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Let's get ready for some football ... on Friday Night Lights - VIDEO
Is anyone else out there as excited about Season 3 of Friday Night Lights, which premieres Oct. 1, as I am? Apparently, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning might be, since he's a big fan of the show. (And if you're a true Colts fan, you'd better watch too -- especially if you're a Nielsen viewer. Or else, um, you might jinx him and cause the team to lose the Super Bowl.)
As you may have heard, FNL will air exclusively on DirecTV this fall (and repeat on NBC in early 2009. Yeah, it's a pain if you don't get DirecTV (like me), but subscribers will be happy to learn they'll be able to watch commercial-free.
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Do Not Disturb creators sorry for perpetrating bad television
Honesty in Hollywood is a rare commodity, so when producers confess their television show is not very good, you've got to give credit where credit's due.According to Variety, the team responsible for Fox's poorly-reviewed new comedy Do Not Disturb sent a letter to select TV critics (uh, where's mine guys?) acknowledging the poor quality of the premiere episode.
But they try to defend themselves by giving those critics a DVD of the second episode, which they claim is the actual pilot and should have aired first.
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The TV Squad Podcast: The Prisoner, '80s TV, soap news and more
Let's talk about spoilers ...
The Prisoner -- An early look
