Hip-hip-hooray! Don't get me wrong. My heart goes out to Maura Tierney who had to drop out because she was diagnosed with breast cancer. I wish her a speed recovery and a great role in another series after her treatments are successful. And Helen Hunt might have been a lovely choice, too. But I am a major Gilmore Girls fan. I'm thrilled to pieces that Lauren is coming back to series TV.
When Maura Tierney had to leave the production of the new NBC comedy Parenthood for cancer treatments, it was rumored that Helen Hunt would take her place. Now comes word that Hunt is out and another beloved TV star might be slipping into the role.
When Maura Tierney had to leave Parenthood because she needs to undergo treatment for breast cancer, there was speculation about who might replace her since the NBC project would be resuming. Well, the name that's come to the fore as Maura's replacement is a good one. Oscar and Emmy-winner Helen Hunt is in discussions for Parenthood, and usually if they're talking and it's in the trades, it's close to being a done deal.
If I were advising her and she cared about what I think, I'd tell Helen to take it. While Helen's TV experience was in a sitcom, Mad About You, she's better in dramedy. That's what As Good As It Gets was, and it got her an Oscar!
Actress Maura Tierney has been forced to abandon Parenthood, the NBC ensemble series in which she was cast last spring. Tierney had been diagnosed with breast cancer, had surgery and now must have treatment – chemotherapy and radiation.
The producers had pushed back production when Tierney's health crisis arose in July, but now that her condition requires prolonged treatment, she's walking away from the project and they will move on without her.
Maura released a statement saying that she was disappointed about not being able to do Parenthood, but she was confident that she would recover and resume her career after her treatments are complete.
The networks have had a quiet summer, quietly introducing scripted bomb after scripted bomb, so they're certainly ready to jump into the new fall season. And It looks to be an interesting one. ABC is scheduling a two-hour block of new comedies on Wednesdays as the sitcom tries to make a comeback.
Even more risky is NBC handing 10:00 to Jay Leno every night of the week. Everyone's waiting to see how that one plays out. FOX is banking on huge positive buzz for Glee to make it a hit, while ABC is hoping FlashForward can pick up where Lost is leaving off when it wraps its run this season.
To help you with it all, TV Squad has put together a handy calendar of all the premieres so you can schedule responsibly in this busy time of TV watching. Some nights have as many as twelve premieres scheduled, so you might need to invest in a few more DVRs to catch all your favorites; Monday's still look grim. Bookmark this page and you'll have it handy to help see you through.
Previewing NBC's fall offerings has been a long process. First I gave you Community and Trauma, then Parenthood. Now, I have NBC's second medical drama that's premiering this year: Mercy. While Trauma follows first responders in San Francisco, Mercy follows nurses in a hospital in New York.
While it's true that I've seen the pilot and should be able to give you some insight into what to expect when it premieres (Wednesday September 23, at 8 PM ), the fact is, every single thing you need to know about Mercy is summed up in its synopsis:
"Nurse Veronica Callahan (Taylor Schilling) has just returned to Mercy Hospital from a tour in Iraq and knows more about medicine than all of the residents combined. Together with fellow nurses Sonia Jimenez (Jaime Lee Kirchner) who turns the heads of everyone at Mercy hospital and Chloe Payne (Michelle Trachtenberg) a naïve newcomer who learns to deal with the difficulties of working in a challenging and sometimes unsettling profession, they navigate the daily traumas and social landmines of life and love both inside the hospital and out."
NBC seems to be sending out their screeners in dribs and drabs, so I'm making my way through their fall offerings very slowly. I've already given you previews of both Community and Trauma, and now we've got Parenthood, a new series based on a movie that was already turned into a series nearly twenty years ago. Who says Hollywood is out of ideas?
Parenthood is basically a less-melodramatic Brothers & Sisters. It follows the Braverman clan, a family in Fresno made up of four siblings: Adam (Peter Krause), Crosby (Dax Shepard), Sarah (Maura Tierney), and Julia (Erika Christensen), along with their children and parents, played by Craig T. Nelson and Bonnie Bedelia. They all have their share of drama, but at the end of the day, they're all brought together in the most suburban of pursuits: Little League. Say it with me now: "awwww."
Maura Tierney, most recently on ER and now one of the stars of NBC's new comedy/drama Parenthood, is ill and will be going through a medical evaluation that will take several weeks. This means that the show will not start filming at the end of this month as originally planned. Instead, production will begin in September. No word yet on what exactly is wrong with Tierney.
It's always great to hear the fall premiere dates for shows. It reminds you that, yes, eventually the summer is going to end and the fall will be here. Here are the dates when the new seasons of your favorite old NBC shows (and new ones) will launch (more dates to come).
Sunday, September 13: Football Night in America and Sunday Night Football Monday, September 14:The Jay Leno Show Tuesday, September 15: The Biggest Loser Thursday, September 17:SNL Weekend Update Thursday, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and Community Monday, September 21:Heroes Wednesday, September 23:Parenthood and Law and Order: SVU Friday, September 25: Law and Order and Southland Saturday, September 26:Saturday Night Live Monday, September 28:Trauma Thursday, October 15:30 Rock
It probably strikes some people as odd that a network would greenlight a show in 2009-2010 that's based on a movie from 1989 that was later made into a series in 1990 (one of the writers on that version was Joss Whedon). But this seems like a natural for a network family sitcom, and it least it has some good people behind it: producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, director Thomas Schlamme, and cast members Peter Krause and Maura Tierney. Could be worth checking out.
This leak appears to be unauthorized, but still pretty solid. It looks like the television remake of Ron Howard's 1989 film Parenthood has been picked up by NBC for next season. Peter Krause (Six Feet Under, Dirty Sexy Money), Maura Tierney (NewsRadio, ER) and Craig T. Nelson (Coach) are on board to star, and that's a pretty solid foundation right there.
The original Parenthood movie starred everybody who was anybody in the late '80s, including Keanu Reeves, Jason Robards, Jr. and Mary Steenbergen and Steve Martin. It was like Crash with an extended family, following multiple story lines that all ultimately connected.
If you're are sick of your TV remaking shows and movies every season, don't fret. Your TV has found a solution: remaking the stuff they've already remade.
NBC has given the big ol' emerald glo-stick to a remake of the movie Parenthood, a movie that they have already turned into a show.
The show is being produced by Imagine Entertainment, the Ron Howard company that produced and made the original movie. The network has asked for a pilot and former Friday Night Lights writer-executive producer Jason Katims will breathe life into it.
(S01E04) If you've been watching this new series of Robin Hood since episode one, you've probably been waiting on a major turning point in the show to spur things on a bit. You know, like the death of a prominent figure, or a deadly moral dilemma for the lead character?
Well, this week's episode, "Parent Hood", delivered more than a few of those, and I can't help but feel that the tone set in this episode could have given the show the much-needed early boost which seems to have been lacking in previous episodes.
It's one of the major faults of this show (apart from the feeble attempt to give a 13th Century tale a 21st Century makeover): a lack of ambition when it comes to serious matters like death and betrayal.
Even Doctor Who regularly delves into topics such as absent parents, unrequited love and irresponsible leadership.
It's official. As of today, Lauren Graham will replace Maura Tierney in Parenthood, the NBC mid-season family drama. After the talk of Helen Hunt getting the role of a divorce mom struggling to get by, the former star of Gilmore Girls has landed the role... just like Bob wrote.
When Maura Tierney had to leave the production of the new NBC comedy Parenthood for cancer treatments, it was rumored that 
When 
Actress 
The networks have had a quiet summer, quietly introducing scripted bomb after scripted bomb, so they're certainly ready to jump into the new fall season. And It looks to be an interesting one. ABC is scheduling a two-hour block of new comedies on Wednesdays as the sitcom tries to make a comeback. 
Wow, this sounds rather serious.
It's always great to hear the fall premiere dates for shows. It reminds you that, yes, eventually the summer is going to end and the fall will be here. 
There weren't a lot of surprises at 
This leak appears to be unauthorized, but still pretty solid. It looks like the television remake of Ron Howard's 1989 film 
If you're are sick of your TV remaking shows and movies every season, don't fret. Your TV has found a solution: remaking the stuff they've already remade. 
(S01E04) If you've been watching this new series of Robin Hood since episode one, you've probably been waiting on a major turning point in the show to spur things on a bit. You know, like the death of a prominent figure, or a deadly moral dilemma for the lead character?
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