SitcomsOnline.com News Blog: Mixology

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Thursday, March 20, 2014

MeTV Network Acquires Welcome Back, Kotter Starting April 2014; ABC 2014 Season Finale Dates

Welcome back, welcome back! Beginning Monday, April 14, 2014, Welcome Back, Kotter will be added to the MeTV Network lineup. Welcome Back, Kotter, the 1970s American television series which stars Gabe Kaplan and features a young John Travolta will replace F Troop and will air Monday-Thursday at 9:30pm ET. F Troop will take a brief hiatus, but will return to the MeTV schedule soon. As for Welcome Back, Kotter, the sitcom has not aired on television regularly since it was on AmericanLife TV (now known as YooToo TV) some years back and also on ION Television in 2006-07. WGN America aired the sitcom as part of a '70s week back in 2008. So get ready to watch all four classic seasons with all of your favorite Sweathog kids! Barbarino, Horshack, Boom Boom, Juan and of course Mr. Kotter himself. Tune in starting April 14 on MeTV. Stay with us for continued updates.

ABC

ABC has announced the majority of its season finale dates for the 2013-14 Season. First up, on Friday, April 11 at 8:30pm, the season finale of The Neighbors will air with mini-Full House reunion, as DJ Tanner and Steve reunite. Then on Thursday, April 17 the juicy Scandal season finale will air at 10pm. ABC's Friday comedy anchor Last Man Standing will have its season finale of April 25 at 8pm. On Sunday, May 4 the thrilling finale of the new hit Resurrection will air at 9pm. The following Sunday (May 11) will have the spellbinding two-hour season finale of Once Upon a Time leading into the Revenge finale at 10. The next night will have the sixth season finale of Castle at 10pm with Castle and Beckett on the case. ABC's Tuesday line-up will have their finales on Tuesday, May 13 with Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. at 8, The Goldbergs at 9 and the hilarious Trophy Wife at 9:30. On Wednesday, May 14 the season finale of Suburgatory will air at 8:30pm and then later that night its the sophomore finale of Nashville at 10. On Thursday, May 15 at 9, the tenth finale of Grey's Anatomy will air.

Moving on to Friday, May 16, Shark Tank will have its season finale, while America's Funniest Home Videos ends its season on Sunday, May 18 at 7 leading into the Billboard Music Awards. On Monday, May 19, ABC will have the performance finale of Dancing with the Stars leading into The Bachelorette premiere. Then on the next night, Tuesday, May 20 it is the two-hour finale of Dancing with the Stars from 9-11pm as a champion is crowned. And finally on the last day of the TV season, Wednesday, May 21, The Middle will have a one-hour season finale leading into the season finales of Modern Family and Mixology from 9-10pm. ABC has not announced anything for Mind Games or Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, but the latter will end its run on April 3. Stay with us for continued updates.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

ABC Midseason Pilot Review: Mixology - Premieres Wednesday, Feb. 26; USA Network's Benched Adds Another Cast Member

Mixology - Wednesdays at 9:30PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres Wednesday, February 26, 2014 at 9:30PM ET/PT

by Pavan

One bar. One night. This high-concept comedy from the writers of The Hangover chronicles the misadventures of 10 people in search of love. Or sex. But mostly love. Okay fine, sex. Recently dumped by his fiancée, Tom (Blake Lee) hasn't been out on the town in a decade. His best friends, the handsome, confident Cal (Craig Frank) and wise-ass Bruce (Andrew Santino), are throwing Tom back into the dating pool whether he likes it or not. Tom's first encounter is with Maya (Ginger Gonzaga), an attorney who's as beautiful as she is brutal. Before long, Tom is in tears. But the night is still young and the boys have plenty of people to meet in Mix's chic crowd, including Maya's engaged friend, Liv (Kate Simses), aggressive and sexy single mom Jessica (Alexis Carra), Jessica's gorgeous yet catty frenemy Fabienne (Frankie Shaw), bubbly cocktail waitress Kacey (Vanessa Lengies), hot and mysterious bartender Dominic (Adan Canto), and failed internet entrepreneur Ron (Adam Campbell). As the night unfolds and closing time approaches, some people may get lucky while others are destined to spend the night alone. The question of the season is...who's going home with whom?

Cast Details:

Blake Lee as Tom
Craig Frank as Cal
Andrew Santino as Bruce
Ginger Gonzaga as Maya
Kate Simses as Liv
Alexis Carra as Jessica
Frankie Shaw as Fabienne
Vanessa Lengies as Kacey
Adan Canto as Dominic
Adam Campbell as Ron

Blake Lee (Tom) got his start on the hit series Parks and Recreation where he recurred as a guest star as Derek, April's oddball "boyfriend." His work on the show gave him exposure and led to various other roles in both film and TV. In addition to acting, Blake is currently writing a comedic screenplay with his friend and former Parks and Recreation co-star, Aubrey Plaza.

Craig Frank (Cal) has been pretty blessed to have worked in the industry, working in commercial ads for Nike, McDonalds, Samsung, Lexus, and Coke -- just to name a few. Now, Frank has his big break on this TV series.

Andrew Santino (Bruce) has guest starred on Family Tree on HBO, Children's Hospital on Adult Swim, Arrested Development on Netflix & The Office on NBC. Santino was named Comedy Central's Top 10 Comics to Watch and was most recently seen on Adam Devine's House Party, which aired on Comedy Central. Santino began his career by writing and starring on MTV's final season of PUNK'D.

Ginger Gonzaga (Maya) has guest starred in numerous television shows including CBS's The Millers, Fox's The Finder, and Family Guy, but is most recently known for her recurring role as Jim Jefferies's frustrated girlfriend on FX's critically acclaimed dark comedy Legit. In features, Ginger was seen in the Seth Macfarlane hit summer comedy Ted for Universal, and will next be seen in the indie Someone Marry Barry opposite Ed Helms and Tyler Labine. She has leant her comedy writing skills to Comedy Central for a live touring show starring David Koechner, Abby Elliott and Owen Benjamin, as well as Hulu for their daily series, The Morning After, which she also hosted.

Kate Simses (Liv) began her career with guest spots on shows such as Comedy Central's Important Things with Demetri Martin, and NBC's 30 Rock, Law and Order: SVU, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Her most recent film work includes roles in What's Your Number with Ana Farris and the upcoming That Awkward Moment. Kate has voiced characters on cartoons for Nickelodeon, CBS, and many incredibly angst-y books on tape for teens. She also co-produced and starred in the original web series Sylvia Plath: Girl Detective.

Alexis Carra (Jessica) has been on top Broadway shows including Wicked, Sweet Charity, and Fame on 42nd St. After closing the Broadway show The Pirate Queen, she guest starred on TV series such as Grey's Anatomy, Castle, The Mentalist, and Bones.

Frankie Shaw (Fabienne) most recently appeared on HBO's Hello Ladies, opposite Stephen Merchant, Christine Woods and Kevin Weisman. She recently guest starred on CBS' 2 Broke Girls, opposite Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs. She previously starred in the Spike TV/Lionsgate half-hour series, Blue Mountain State. Shaw will next be seen in the independent film, The Pretty One, for director Jenée LaMarque, opposite Jake Johnson and Zoe Kazan, as well as Andrew Levitas' Lullaby, opposite Garrett Hedlund, Richard Jenkins, Jessica Brow-Findlay, Amy Adams, and Terrence Howard, which screened at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival. She recently shot Rob Pearlstein's Someone Marry Barry, opposite her Mixology co-star Ginger Gonzaga, Tyler Labine and Hayes MacArthur. Shaw was also seen in the Wrekin Hill Entertainment film, The End of Love, directed by Mark Webber, opposite Mark Webber, Michael Cera, Amanda Seyfried, and Jason Ritter, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. She also voiced the role of Victoria Primm on the animated PBS show Nate the Great, and has appeared on Law & Order and One Life to Live.

Vanessa Lengies (Kacey) was last seen as Sugar Motta on the hit Fox series Glee. She previously starred opposite Jada Pinkett Smith on the popular TNT series HawthoRNe. Acting professionally since childhood, Lengies began her career working on several popular Canadian TV series such as Are You Afraid of the Dark and Radio Active. Canadian audiences will also remember her as co-host with Elisha Cuthbert on the hugely successful Popular Mechanics for Kids. She made her American series regular debut when she was cast as Roxanne Bojarski on the NBC drama series American Dreams, which portrayed Philadelphia in the era of "American Bandstand." Lengies work on the show won the hearts of audiences across America, made her a household name and earned her a Teen Choice Award nomination. Lengies has also made a name for herself on the big screen with lead roles in audience favorites like Stick It, Waiting and The Perfect Man. She co-starred in My Suicide, which won several best film awards including the Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for Best Feature Film- Generation 14plus.

Adan Canto (Dominic) is an established actor in his native Mexico and has recently made his mark in the U.S. This past January, he made his stateside debut as series regular in the Kevin Williamson drama, The Following, alongside Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy. Additionally, Adan stars in Fox's upcoming X-MEN: Days of Future Past where he plays Sunspot, one of the new mutants.

Adam Campbell (Ron) most recently had a recurring role on the last season of Fox's Touch, playing the corrupt Tony Rigby opposite Lukas Hass and Kiefer Sutherland. Adam's work has included other series regular roles such as CBS's cult-favorite Harper's Island, as well as recurring and guest starring appearances on a number of noteworthy television shows such as 2 Broke Girls, Best Friends Forever, Parenthood, and Up All Night. On the big screen, his credits include The Five Year Engagement and he was the male lead in Fox's spoof films Epic Movie and Date Movie.

Pilot Plot:

We got to watch the first three episodes, so this review will be based on that.

#1. "Tom & Maya" (airs Wednesday, February 26 at 9:30PM ET/PT)

In the premiere episode for the series, recently dumped by his fiancée, Tom hasn't been out on the town in a decade. His best friends, the handsome, confident Cal and wise-ass Bruce, are throwing Tom back into the dating pool whether he likes it or not. Tom's first encounter is with Maya, an attorney who's as beautiful as she is brutal -- before long, Tom is in tears. But the night is still young and the boys have plenty of people to meet in Mix's chic crowd, including Maya's engaged friend, Liv, aggressive and sexy single mom Jessica, Jessica's gorgeous yet catty frenemy Fabienne, bubbly cocktail waitress Kacey, hot and mysterious bartender Dominic and failed internet entrepreneur Ron. As the night unfolds and closing time approaches, some people may get lucky while others are destined to spend the night alone.

"Tom & Maya" was written by written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore and directed by Larry Charles.

#2. "Liv & Ron" (airs Wednesday, March 5 at 9:30PM ET/PT)

After a chance meeting outside of the bar, the sweet and innocent Liv is charmed by the sophisticated Brit, Ron, and the two have instant chemistry. Meanwhile, Jessica and her frenemy Fab, start a friendly competition to win the affections of Dominic, the very hot bartender. Tom, Bruce and Cal are still on the hunt for some ladies, and even though Tom is smitten over Maya, he shockingly comes through and takes one for the team.

"Liv & Ron" was written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore and directed by Michael McDonald.

#3. "Bruce & Jessica" (airs Wednesday, March 12 at 9:30PM ET/PT)

Bruce is as abrasive as they come and when he sets his eyes on Jessica, a single mom from New Jersey, he thinks she's easy prey. He's very quickly rejected, but he ignores Tom and Cal's advice to abort the mission and he continues to pursue her. Meanwhile, Liv decides to indulge her curiosity with Ron, but that leads to some unexpected trouble.

"Bruce & Jessica" was written by Ira Ungerleider and directed by Adam Davidson.

Analysis:

This is a very unique show. It's something different and out of the box and having watched the first three episodes, I'm hooked. Each episode focuses on two characters and we get to learn quite a lot. I really like character-driven shows and this is a solid one. We have 10 characters on this show and while we don't know much about some of them yet after three episodes, we care enough to stick around. I really like how they focus on a "couple" for each episode but not exclusively to that couple. We get to see how the relationship folds (or unfolds). Like the couples, we enter the night as strangers and are in for the ride. The most funniest characters so far have been the three guy friends - Tom, Bruce and Cal. They bring the funny and so far have been heavily featured in each episode (maybe because 2 of the 3 episodes are theirs so far). They might be the bread and butter of the show because you root for them and laugh with them. You have the classic wimp, the classic goofball and the classic wiseguy.

The rest of the cast is good, too. Vanessa Lengies as Kacey and Ginger Gonzaga as Maya bring the sex appeal, while Kate Simses as Liv brings the innocence. Kate's character reminds me of Soleil Moon-Frye. Gotta love that voice. And for you gals out there, I'm sure you'll love Dominic and Ron. This is a young and hip show, for sure. Without giving away any of the plotlines, some might find unlikely love, some might find true love and some might not find anything...yet. This is a ride you'll want to be a part of, because it's one night and you never know what might happen at the end of the night. You'll be invested and intrigued. And there may or may not be a kiss in episode three. If so, you'll want to see which couple that is!

Conclusion:

This is a solid show. It's not perfect yet, but it is very watchable. There are clever lines that you'll certainly laugh at. There are no pratfalls or gimmicky laughs, so it might not be laugh-out-loud like the typical sitcom, but that's fine. Following Emmy-award winning Modern Family, which is a classic character-driven series, I can see why they would want to air it after that series. Hopefully fans of good writing and good characters will stick around because they might be pleasantly surprised. This series might be finally the hit following that mega sitcom. It's better than the hit or miss Super Fun Night, which relied on gimmicks most of the time. Fans of The Hangover will certainly love this comedy since it comes from the people who made that funny movie.

I watched the pilot and wanted to see more. That's always a good sign of audience engagement. I think it is the characters that made me want to keep watching. Once you watch one, you have to watch the rest. I mean, the show takes place on one night. Don't be a party-pooper and leave the party early after just one sampling. Or don't be late to the party, so tune in tomorrow night at 9:30|8:30c. This is certainly better than the other recent mid-season comedy premieres this month (About a Boy, Growing Up Fisher), so tune in America and see what we mean. Mixology is fun, fresh and will be a new favorite for many. It's like eating potato chips, you can't just have one.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 4/5
Funniness: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday, February 26, 2014 at 9:30PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

ABC.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

Mixology Photo Gallery

Preview:

Jolene Purdy has been tapped as a series regular on USA Network's upcoming courtroom comedy Benched. Purdy will play Micah, an intern in the public defender's office. She joins previously announced Eliza Coupe (Happy Endings), Jay Harrington (Better Off Ted) and Oscar Nunez (The Office). This comedy is from ABC Signature and The Mark Gordon Company. The sitcom is a single-camera half-hour courtroom comedy that focuses on Nina (Coupe), a dedicated, career-driven corporate attorney who has a very public nervous breakdown after getting passed up for an expected promotion, and finds herself working as a public defender. Her personal and professional worlds are turned upside down when she joins the ranks of the legal world's underdogs and very quickly realizes that the law isn't quite as fair as she once thought. Jay Harrington stars as Nina's new colleague, Phil, a tall, dark and handsome, if not a little scruffy, public defender and avid gambler. We still do not have a premiere date yet, but as a reminder USA Network will launch new comedy Sirens next Thursday (March 6) at 10pm

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

ABC Midseason 2014 Schedule; NBC to Co-Produce New Comedy Working the Engels

The ABC Television Network announced midseason premiere dates today for new series The Assets, Killer Women, Mind Games and Mixology. In addition, the network has scheduled premiere dates for the new season of The Bachelor with Juan Pablo Galavis, critically acclaimed comedy Suburgatory, and the cooking competition series The Taste, now expanded to two hours. Previously announced new drama series Resurrection will now premiere at 9:00pm on Sunday, March 9, thus Revenge will move into the 10:00pm time slot starting on that date. The midseason schedule launches on Thursday, Jan. 2 with the return of The Taste expanded to two hours and on a new night. Previously announced reality series The Quest will now premiere at a later date. Then at 10pm on Thursdays, new series The Assets, an eight-part limited series based on the real life events of CIA counter-intelligence officer Sandy Grimes (Jodie Whittaker) will air. Grey's Anatomy and Scandal will return on Thursday, Feb. 27 from 9-11pm to air repeat-free for the remainder of the season. Both series have their "fall" finales on Dec. 12. As for Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, no return date has been planned but five episodes will remain to be aired after its Dec. 12 "fall" finale.

Moving on, no surprise that The Bachelor will launch its new season on the first Monday of the new year, on Monday, Jan. 6 from 8-10pm. On the following night, new Tricia Helfer drama Killer Women will premiere on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 10pm for eight episodes before another new drama premieres on Tuesday, March 11 in the time period: Mind Games starring Christian Slater. Wednesday comedies will have some new entries, with the return of Suburgatory on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 8:30pm, replacing the canceled Back in the Game, which would have aired its 13 episodes by then. At 9:30pm, current occupant Super Fun Night has a 17 episode order and by Feb. 26 a new comedy will get a chance. That comedy will be Mixology from Ryan Seacrest. And finally, as mentioned earlier Resurrection will now premiere at 9:00pm on Sunday, March 9 into Revenge at its new time. Once Upon a Time will also return on this date. It is unclear still what will air in January and February on Sunday nights, but there could be some airings of the current ABC Sunday drama line-up (Once, Revenge, Betrayal) in January before taking a short break. One other note, Nashville will return for its midseason premiere on Wednesday, February 26 at 10. It is still uncertain if that series will be on a hiatus in January and February. If so, no idea yet what will air in that slot. Stay with us for continued updates.

NBC

NBC has entered a deal to co-produce 12 episodes of the half-hour singlecam comedy Working the Engels from producers Halfire-CORE Entertainment in partnership with Shaw Media. Working the Engels marks the first time a U.S. and Canadian broadcaster have collaborated to produce a half-hour network comedy. The series, created and written by Katie Ford and Jane Ford, centers on a family who must band together to keep their heads above water when their father and breadwinner passes away, leaving them a mountain of debt. The Engels must all go to work running Dad's storefront law firm, with one minor problem - daughter Jenna is the only one who is qualified to practice law.

SCTV legend and two-time Emmy Award winner Andrea Martin will play Ceil, the overly confident family matriarch. Working the Engels also stars Kacey Rohl (Hannibal), Azura Skye (American Horror Story) and Benjamin Arthur (Less Than Kind). No word as of yet when NBC plans on airing the comedy series, but as soon as we know, we'll let you know!

SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Thursday, March 20, 2014

MeTV Network Acquires Welcome Back, Kotter Starting April 2014; ABC 2014 Season Finale Dates

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

ABC Midseason Pilot Review: Mixology - Premieres Wednesday, Feb. 26; USA Network's Benched Adds Another Cast Member

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

ABC Midseason 2014 Schedule; NBC to Co-Produce New Comedy Working the Engels

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