Piper Perabo's most recognizable roles have been in the Cheaper by the Dozen films, as well as a turn in Coyote Ugly. And yet, hers is one of those names unique enough to remember. Someone at USA recalled Perabo well enough to cast her in Covert Affairs, a pilot about a young CIA trainee abruptly called up as a field operative. While she thinks it's because she's so awesome and all, it turns out that it has more to do with some secret in her past.
In other words, she may be woefully unprepared for the cases she finds herself involved in. At least she'll have Christopher Gorham (Harper's Island) on hand to help her navigate, though I wouldn't trust him. Plus, he's blind which limits his abilities in the field.
For those of you tracking which of the Harper's Island alumni would be the first to land regular work elsewhere, it looks like it was the most unstable of the bunch. I guess that means Gorham won't be available for that Weekend at Bernie's style reunion special.
How would the remaining cast of CBS' Harper's Island like to die? That's one of the things you'll see in this video below. There's also footage of the two-hour series finale, which airs this Saturday.
And I'm sorry to fans who question my using the term "series finale" when it's the season finale and the show could always come back. Well, I'm basing it on the fact that this was meant to be a limited series and that CBS quickly moved the show to Saturday nights because of low ratings.
On last night's two-hour season finale of Ugly Betty, Henry came back to New York to warn everyone that there's a killer going around killing all of the wedding guests one by one. Well, no, but Christopher Gorham came back to possibly screw things up between Betty and Matt.
Was this a good season finale? Is the show as good as it used to be? Does it deserve to get another season (though it's moving to Friday nights next season, always a sign that it's on its way out)?
CBS is moving their new murder-mystery series Harper's Island to Saturday nights. Guess the ratings just weren't what the network wanted, so starting next week the show will air on the night of reruns and movies. But don't worry that this is a sign that the show will vanish from the schedule altogether. This was created as a limited-run series and CBS says they'll show all of the episodes, just on another night (though I wouldn't bet on a second season).
I know what these networks are doing. It's all part of their master plan to make Saturday nights a "must-see" night of television again, an attempt to recapture of the glory years of shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Carol Burnett Show, and The Bob Newhart Show. Someday all of the best show will be on Saturday nights and we'll be home in our Slankets watching them.
Sure, sometimes recaps can be unnecessary, but sometimes they're actually welcome, especially if you missed just an episode or two and you want to get caught up. Below is a summary of what has happened so far on CBS' Harper's Island, which airs tonight at 10. It's actually a good little recap for those of us who missed the first two episodes (of course, the full episodes are available too). Catch up before there are so many episodes you say to yourself, "eh, I don't have time to watch this!."
When Ugly Bettymoved production to NYC, not everyone made the jump to the east coast. Most notably, Christopher Gorham, who played Betty's geeky-hot boyfriend, Henry, left the show. However, Michael Ausiello is reporting that Gorham, who has been seen recently on Harper's Island, is reprising his UB role this season.
As Betty fans know, our titular heroine has moved on to her Yeti classmate Matt (Daniel Eric Gold). Since Betty can't seem to focus on one guy at a time, Henry of course has to come back to New York. What confuses me about this entire storyline is that it seems very... familiar.
Back in January, I mentioned that I am going to give Harper's Island a shot. I've been a little antsy about getting involved in yet another continuing drama (and one that could be canceled at anytime), but this was filmed and is being marketed as a limited-run series. Somewhere between a mini-series and a regular season, and that makes me feel a little better about taking the time to watch it.
Of course, one could argue that shows like Kidnapped and Daybreak were also shows that were designed for a limited run, but NBC and ABC didn't market those shows the way that CBS is marketing this one. The ads for Harper's Island make it very clear that it's only going to be on for a short time. In the TV ads, they're very specific about the dates the show will run (April 9 to July 2), and the people behind the show are calling it "an event." It's a smart way to do it, and the TV ads have actually been clever and well-done.
I'm a big fan of mysteries, but it's hard to watch them on television. I'm talking about the onslaught of serial TV shows that we've seen the past couple of years. For every Lost or Heroes we've had, we've had an infinite number of shows that didn't make it, such as Daybreak and Kidnapped. It's easy to get frustrated and disillusioned when you start to watch a continuing drama and the show doesn't even get past its first 13 episodes. ABC pulled Daybreak after a handful of episodes and then put the rest online. NBC did the same with Kidnapped (it was also on Saturday nights, which didn't work out either).
When CBS presented their upfront last May, one of the more intriguing dramas was a murder mystery/slasher film/whodunit about a wedding party on a Seattle island. It was called Harper's Island and projected for mid-season. The preview played like a cross between Ten Little Indians and Twin Peaks to me, and I liked what I saw. I certainly plan on giving it a try when it shows up on CBS.
I don't know if I can think of a tougher gig on television than being a girl on Supernatural. Things just never seem to go well for any of them. The good news is that the show seems to be acting as a springboard and many of the actresses have been able to land on their feet with good roles.
Adrianne Palicki moved from playing Sam's sweetheart, Jessica, to Friday Night Lights. Alona Tal, who played the controversial Jo, moved right into a regular spot on Cane. It was short lived, but still a nice credit. And now they're joined by Katie Cassidy, the season three demon, Ruby. She's been added to the ever changing cast of Harper's Island. She takes over the role, originally played by Samantha Noble, of the bride whose wedding is the setting for a whole mess of murders. Now, if we can just get someone to hire Nicki Aycox, the sinister Meg.
While Ugly Betty's move to New York City might not have been good news for the show's crew, Queens residents couldn't be happier to have the Suarez family in town. Fans welcomed the comedy series with a block party-style celebration in Jackson Heights, Betty's home base.
Actors America Ferrera and Tony Plana attended the event and thanked fans in both English and Spanish. The Ugly Betty cast and crew have already been seen filming in their new, more authentic surroundings. As Allison mentioned, America Ferrera was recently spotted riding a motorcycle in Brooklyn (dressed as Betty Suarez, of course).
Ugly Betty's Henry is going to Harper's Island. Actor Christopher Gorham has been cast on the new mystery Harper's Island. Good for Chris, but what about his other character, Henry, the lovable geeky accountant on Ugly Betty? That remains in question.
On Harper's Island, which CBS is calling a Ten Little Indians/Twin Peaks-style horror mystery in which a wedding party on a Seattle island find themselves cut off from the mainland with a murderer on the loose. The killer is doing away with characters week after week and everyone is a suspect or a victim.
In addition to Christopher Gorham, actor Bill Pullman (Sleepless in Seattle) is also in the show as a jovial, drunken Uncle Marty.
We're far enough removed from Buffy's original run now that there really aren't any surprises left for most of us. By this point we've seen the episodes so many times through DVD, streaming, and syndication that the story has been told. There's still something to be gained from watching again, though.
A little water under the bridge has given all of those bit-part actors that were once feeling lucky to book a Buffy gig a chance to move on to bigger and better things. I'm still occasionally surprised when I catch an old Buffy and realize just who that is standing in the background. After the jump, nine of my favorite small part players from Buffy that went on to bigger successes.
(S02E14) That look says it all, doesn't it? Betty spent part of her birthday with fellow dreamer Gio, and came home to Henry with a lot on her mind. The reappearance of Charlie reminded us that Henry's baby is coming soon. There's a difficult decision in Betty's future. Who will she choose, Henry or Gio?
If you're frugal, TV-obsessed, and in a relationship (a winning combination if there ever was one), you might want to check out ABC.com's free Valentine's Day e-cards. You can use your favorite characters from Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, and Lost to express your love for that special someone. Tell your significant other that you're McDreamin' of them, send a post-it note from Henry Grubstick, or impart a creepy--but loving--message from Benjamin Linus. My only complaint is that more ABC shows, like Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money, weren't included. Who wouldn't want a valentine from Olive Snook or Clark the driver?
Piper Perabo's most recognizable roles have been in the Cheaper by the Dozen films, as well as a turn in Coyote Ugly. And yet, hers is one of those names unique enough to remember. Someone at USA recalled Perabo well enough to cast her in Covert Affairs, a pilot about a young CIA trainee abruptly called up as a field operative. While she thinks it's because she's so awesome and all, it turns out that it has more to do with some secret in her past.
Oh, fans of this show are going to be ticked.
When 
Back in January, I mentioned that 
I'm a big fan of mysteries, but it's hard to watch them on television. I'm talking about the onslaught of serial TV shows that we've seen the past couple of years. For every 
When CBS presented their upfront last May, one of the more intriguing dramas was a murder mystery/slasher film/whodunit about a wedding party on a Seattle island. It was called 
I don't know if I can think of a tougher gig on television than being a girl on 
While 
If you're frugal, TV-obsessed, and in a relationship (a winning combination if there ever was one), you might want to check out ABC.com's free 
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