TVSquad

Usually when a show is canceled, you don't hear about it from the stars. Once in a while you do (like Kelsey Grammer when Back To You was canned), but it's usually the producers and/or critics who make the most fuss about a show being canceled. My Own Worst Enemy star Madchen Amick is speaking out about the cancellation of the NBC show (one of several she is currently on).

She says that the show actually was a hit, especially if you include DVR/Tivo/online viewers. She thinks that the show's high budget is what made NBC cancel it. If it didn't have a big budget and still got fair ratings, it could have survived a little longer. She's frustrated by the experience.

Hello! My name is Isabelle and I watch watched Lipstick Jungle and My Own Worst Enemy.

See the verb tense there? Yep, past. That's because NBC decided that in the near future, LJ and MOWE would not be part of my viewing schedule anymore.

All major entertainment websites report that NBC has decided to cancel both series. What they don't know, and that's because NBC ain't talking yet, is if the already-in-the-can episodes would see the light of a TV screen before the series retire.

Looks like the NBC black hole time slot of Monday at 10 p.m. is about to swallow another victim.

My Own Worst Enemy, the new Christian Slater spy series that I'm really enjoying, continues to drop in the ratings. The premiere episode did only so-so, and this week's second episode saw a drop of 22%. Those aren't the kind of numbers that scream "second season renewal" or even "full season order." Seems more like "put on hiatus" or maybe a "let's put it on Friday nights instead!" thing.

(S01E01) Watching My Own Worst Enemy is like deja vu. You feel like you've seen something like this before. Was it The Bourne Identity, Casino Royale, Minority Report, Mr. and Mrs. Smith? Or maybe it was something on TV, like that failed Ray Liotta series Smith or Jennifer Garner's Alias or The Bionic Woman or The Six Million Dollar Man or something else...

See, that's the problem with My Own Worst Enemy. It's familiar but not in a cool way. Rather it's derivative and not very compelling. NBC is already doing a double life, super secret spy thing much better in the ratings-challenged Chuck.

The obvious appeal of My Own Worst Enemy is two-fold: lots of action including cool gadgets, cars (thank you, GM), guns, blood and the mystery, combined with the charm and complexity of Christian Slater. Slater's a fun actor, a sort of Jack Nicholson only younger. I remember when he first started on Ryan's Hope! He's got something.

Some day I should probably type up an official list of the actresses who, by their mere presence, will guarantee I'll watch a series. The fact that I saw every episode of Freddie should serve as proof that Mädchen Amick is on that list. After following that up with Viva Laughlin, I think we can all agree that this latest role has her career moving in the generally upwards direction.

My Own Worst Enemy was already on my short list of new shows to keep an eye on in the fall. It's an interesting premise, has Christian Slater, and the previews look great. The addition of Amick just makes it that much more intriguing. She'll be taking over the role of Henry's wife that was originally played by Yara Martinez (The Unit). It's a bit of rough luck for Martinez. Before this she was set to appear in that ill-fated Spaced remake.

Today was the very last day of the press tour here in Beverly Hills. It was "TCA Day," with members of the association (including me) going to the Warner Brothers lot to visit the sets of ER, Pushing Daisies, and Chuck, where we spoke to cast members and producers (Oh, we went to the set of America's Best Dance Crew, but let's just forget I mentioned that one). Then we bused it over to the Fox lot, where Joss Whedon showed us around the set of Dollhouse, and the entire cast of King of the Hill gave a table read of their 250th episode. All this fun will be in upcoming posts later this summer.

Despite some of the griping you may have seen from me, it's been lots of fun. It's just a very tiring experience. Case in point: On Monday, NBC decided to close out the press conference portion of the tour by having us sit through ten panels, five of them after lunch. Here's a wrap-up post that goes over some of what went on yesterday that I haven't already covered.

Alfre Woodard has an exciting new role on the upcoming NBC drama My Own Worst Enemy. The Emmy winner is set to play Christian Slater's boss in the spy series, which premieres this fall. If you followed TV Squad's coverage of the upfronts, you already know that the drama focuses on a man (Slater) living two different lives: the life of an ordinary suburban father named Henry and the life of a spy named Edward.

Woodard's character, Mavis Heller, is Edward's "tough and astute boss" at headquarters. Like Edward, Mavis is leading a double life as well. Her alter ego, Helen, will be a part of Henry's suburban existence. My Own Worst Enemy premieres on Monday, September 29.

NBC is reportedly moments away from ordering a series starring Christian Slater, according to a story in The Hollywood Reporter. The series is described as "The Bourne Identity meets Jekyll & Hyde"-- where Slater's suburban house dad discovers he has a super-spy alter ego. It would be the first television series for Slater, who has been on television's hot list for years but never made it to primetime.

The spy series is created by Jason Smilovic, who also created critically adored-but-ultimately-canceled series Kidnapped and Karen Sisco.

Christian Slater is coming back to weekly television.

The actor has signed to star in a new NBC drama called Dirty Little Secrets. He'll play an investigative reporter who tackles the stories that "get swept under the carpet." The show will be produced by Arymyan Bernstein, one of the producers of the acclaimed Clive Owen film Children of Men.

It's good to hear that NBC isn't abandoning scripted shows after canceling so many this season (Kidnapped, Andy Barker, P.I., The Black Donnellys, probably Studio 60, Raines, etc). This new show has an interesting premise. Anything but another reality show or game show, eh?

The Hollywood Reporter has an interesting story about the five "hottest" television actors who are looking for plum roles. And by "hottest", the publication means they're most in demand (plus, they're good-looking).

The five actors that all the networks are trying to scoop up are: Jeremy Sisto, Paul Rudd, Peter Krause, Simon Baker and Gabriel Macht. Honorable mentions include Christian Slater, Steve Zahn, and Michael Vartan, who just took a role in an untitled ABC drama. A look at their profiles on IMDB show that most of these guys (except Slater & Zahn) currently have a break in their schedules.

(S02E08) This episode gave us a look at the eco-friendly Earl Hickey. Who would have known that he had a burning desire to save the Earth from global warming after spending a week in a dung cottage at the Sunshine Collective?

I know I'm repeating myself, but this show continues to make great use of guest stars, and Christian Slater as Woody IMHO was outstanding here. Of course, one could be cynical and say that he was a good choice to play a stoner based on his past history--the scenes of him stumbling around his house as Earl and Randy slowly rob him of all his possessions were certainly authentic.