Tuesday, September 22, 2009
ABC Fall Pilot Review: Modern Family - Premieres September 23; Nick at Nite Moves Chris to 9PM
Modern Family - Wednesdays 9:00PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at 9:00PM ET/PT
Today's American families come in all shapes and sizes. The cookie cutter mold of man + wife + 2.5 kids is a thing of the past, as it becomes quickly apparent in the bird's eye view of ABC's new half-hour comedy, Modern Family, which takes an honest and often hilarious look at the composition and complexity of family life in 2009.
Take for example Phil and Claire, two parents who want to have that open, healthy, honest relationship with their three kids. It's not always easy, especially when you have a teenage daughter who's growing up a little fast, a too-smart-for-her-own-good middle daughter and a rambunctious boy. On top of that, Phil wants to be the "cool dad," while Claire is just trying her best to run a tight ship, determined not to let her kids have the rebellious childhood she had.
Then there's Jay, a true guys' guy who is having a bit of mid-life crisis. Jay has found a much younger wife, Gloria, who has become the center of his world. She's a passionate and sassy divorcee who comes with an 11-year-old son, Manny. Already taking notice of girls and a hopeless romantic, Manny is as passionate as his mom and spends his time daydreaming and writing poetry. His new step-father isn't altogether comfortable with the sensitive stuff and would like to toughen Manny up. But that's only one of Jay's challenges. The biggest is that people often mistake him for Gloria's father, not her husband.
And lastly there's Mitchell and his partner of five years, Cameron. They've just taken that amazing 'next step' by adopting a child together from Vietnam. Cameron has a wonderfully big personality and maybe a flare for the dramatic, whereas Mitchell is the more serious of the two. But they balance each other out and are already doting fathers.
Life, it seems, is neither tidy, politically correct or in any way predictable. For these three families, it turns out, are not three but one... one big, blended family, with Jay the patriarch and Claire & Mitchell his grown kids. Yet it's just such surprises that make things so interesting in this window into the sometimes warm, sometimes twisted embrace of the modern family.
Cast Details:
* Ed O'Neill as Jay
* Sofia Vergara as Gloria
* Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell
* Eric Stonestreet as Cameron
* Ty Burrell as Phil
* Julie Bowen as Claire
* Sarah Hyland as Haley
* Rico Rodriguez as Manny
* Nolan Gould as Luke
* Ariel Winter as Alex
Ed O'Neill (Jay) is best known for his role as the main character, Al Bundy, on the long running sitcom, Married... with Children. Signed by the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, he was cut in training camp and worked as a social studies teacher before becoming an actor. He has appeared in a number of movies, including The Bone Collector, Little Giants, Dutch and the Wayne's World series. Besides his role on Married...with Children, O'Neill's television credits include the reincarnation of Sgt. Joe Friday on Dick Wolf's ABC remake of Dragnet, the recurring role of Baker (D-PA), a potential Vice Presidential candidate on the NBC drama The West Wing, the role of Detective Michael Mooney on David Milch's CBS series, Big Apple, and most recently that of a retired cop on HBO's John from Cincinnati. His other TV credits include a guest shot on ABC's 8 Simple Rules, which reunited him with Katey Sagal of Married...with Children.
Sofía Vergara (Gloria) was already one of the hottest Hispanic TV stars and one of the most beloved personalities of the Latino world when she decided to pursue her career in the U.S., becoming one of the few Hispanic stars to find crossover success. Most recently Vergara has appeared in Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns and Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail films for Lionsgate, and recurring roles on ABC's Dirty Sexy Money and MEN IN TREES. Before that she played the sexy Colombian actress who stirred things up on Entourage, starred in Amas de Casa Desesperadas, the Latin-tailored version of Desperate Housewives, and in the comedy feature Chasing Papi. She was also a regular on ABC sitcoms Hot Properties and The Knights of Prosperity, while guest starring on ABC's My Wife & Kids and Rodney.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Mitchell) received rave reviews and was honored by The Hollywood Reporter in 2006 as one of Ten to Watch for his role on the CBS ensemble sitcom, The Class. Additional television credits include Do Not Disturb and Ugly Betty. Ferguson's film credits include Untraceable, directed by Gregory Hoblit and starring Diane Lane, and Griffin & Phoenix, with Amanda Peet and Dermot Mulroney. He will next appear opposite Matthew Broderick in Wonderful World, a 2009 Tribeca Film Festival selection that marks the feature directorial debut of Joshua Goldin.
Eric Stonestreet (Cameron) has an impressive resume of memorable characters on shows including Dharma & Greg, Malcolm in the Middle, Party of Five, Spin City, ER, The West Wing, American Dad, Providence, Close to Home, Crossing Jordan and Bones. His most notable character is from his recurring turn as Ronnie Litre, the questionable documents tech on the original CSI. Stonestreet was a series regular in the Fox pilot 13 Graves and has most recently guest starred in The Mentalist, N.C.I.S., Nip/Tuck and Pushing Daisies.
Ty Burrell (Phil) is quickly establishing himself as one of the most versatile actors of our time, taking on challenging roles and carving out a diverse career in movies, television and on stage. In film Burrell recently completed shooting Fair Game, opposite Sean Penn for Doug Liman. He is scheduled to start shooting Morning Glory, opposite Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton. He played Dr. Samson in Universal's The Incredible Hulk, with Edward Norton and Liv Tyler, and was in National Treasure 2, opposite Nicolas Cage. Burrell starred opposite Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr. in Steven Shainberg's film Fur, about the life of Diane Arbus. On television Burrell starred in the Fox sitcom, Back to You, opposite Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton. He also recently starred in the half-hour CBS sitcom Out of Practice, with Stockard Channing and Henry Winkler, and has been recurring on the FX series Damages.
Julie Bowen (Claire) spent two seasons on ABC's critically-acclaimed Boston Legal as attorney Denise Bauer. She plays the recurring role of Matthew Fox's wife on the hit ABC series Lost and, for three seasons, played Carol Vessey, the dream girl of former classmate-turned-lawyer Ed Stevens on the charming NBC series, Ed. Bowen was recently seen in a guest star arc on the darkly-comedic Showtime series Weeds as Lisa Ferris, a cheese shop owner who seduces a younger man, and she will soon be seen in Crazy on the Outside, a feature starring and directed by Tim Allen. Also on the big screen she starred as Adam Sandler's love interest in the comedy Happy Gilmore and appeared with Michael Keaton in Multiplicity. She also starred in An American Werewolf in Paris, performed with Lynn Redgrave in the independent romantic comedy Venus & Mars, and starred opposite Tim Allen in Joe Somebody. In the advertising world, Bowen has been both the face of Neutrogena and the voice of Pampers.
Sarah Hyland (Haley, oldest daughter of Phil & Claire) is a Native New Yorker, born to actors Edward James Hyland and Melissa Canaday. Trained in all areas of dance from the age of three and vocally trained since she was seven, Hyland is a true triple threat. She has been working in film, TV series, soaps and commercials since she was four years old. Hyland's first film was Howard Stern's Private Parts. At the age of eight she landed the role of Molly in ABC's Annie, and Young Audrey in The Audrey Hepburn Story. After filming Annie, she landed the role of Jess Pistone on Falcone. She's guest starred on episodes of Lipstick Jungle, Touched by an Angel, Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU.
Rico Rodriguez (Manny, Gloria's son) booked his first role in the video How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Next came the role of Chanchito in the film Epic Movie, a super fun role as the kid janitor in the soon to be released Opposite Day, and another great part -- including flying cake -- in the upcoming The No-Sit List. His Television credits include co-starring as Young Guillermo in Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Cory in the House, ER, 'Til Death, iCarly, Nip/Tuck, Surviving Suburbia and NCIS. He has also has been seen in commercials for Roundtable Pizza, Time Warner Cable, Dodge, Walmart, BlueCross, Chrysler and AT&T.
Nolan Gould (Luke, Phil & Claire's son) began his career at the tender age of three doing commercials and totally fell in love with acting. He has worked consistently since the day he first stepped on that commercial set. His most recent films include leads in the features Space Buddies and Montana. Current television credits include Eleventh Hour and the movie of the week, Sweet Nothing in My Ear.
Ariel Winter (Alex, Phil & Claire's younger daughter) had a recurring role on the final six episodes of ER as Lucy, a young girl whose mother is brought into the ER in need of a heart transplant. This year she will also appear in the thriller Duress, opposite Martin Donovan. Best known as Trixie in Warner Bros.' Speed Racer, Ariel's other recent credits include the film Opposite Day and Nic & Tristan Go Mega Dega. Ariel's past credits include guest-starring roles on the hit TV shows Criminal Minds, Crossing Jordan, Nip/Tuck and Bones. Feature credits include a lead role in the hit thriller One Missed Call, in which she plays the killer of the film. In addition, Ariel is the voice of Gretchen on Walt Disney's hit show Phineas and Ferb, voiced a supporting character in the hit animated film Horton Hears a Who and played Thumper's sister in Bambi II. She started her motion picture career at age seven in director Shane Black's hit cult film, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, starring Val Kilmer, Robert Downey Jr. and Michelle Monaghan.
Pilot Plot:
#1 "Pilot" (Airs September 23)
Today's families come in all shapes and sizes, and that is very evident in Jay Pritchett's very full and very blended family. Jay and his new gorgeous and much younger wife, Gloria, are happily married and getting accustomed to their new life together. But when her pre-teen son develops a crush on a 16-year-old girl, it becomes apparent that Jay and Gloria may have some generational and cultural gaps to bridge. Jay's grown daughter, Claire, has a family of her own -- three kids and a husband, Phil, who is practically a giant kid himself. Things get a little tense when their teenage daughter, Haley, brings a boy home and Phil tries to adopt the cool, hip dad approach. Then son Luke misuses of his BB gun, which results in Phil and Claire turning it right back on to him. Jay's other grown son, Mitchell, is in a committed relationship and has just adopted a baby girl from Vietnam with his life partner, Cameron. They're going through the joys and anxieties of bringing a baby home for the first time, but Mitchell still has the daunting task of introducing their new addition to the whole family.
Guest starring are Reid Ewing as Dylan, Hayley Erin as Brenda Feldman, Lillian Adams as passenger #1, Duane Shepard Sr. as passenger #2, Heather Lee as passenger #3, Jenica Bergere as soccer mom, Matt Corboy as Josh, aka soccer dad, and Marcus Brown as security guard.
"It Takes a Village Idiot" was written by Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd, and directed by Jason Winer.
Analysis:
I first saw the pilot back in May and it was hilarious! I just watched the final cut a few days back and it is STILL hilarious! This is clearly the best new sitcom of the new season. It is a single camera sitcom with lots of smart lines and is laugh out loud! It is in mockumentary form like The Office. This show is basically about three families who are part of a big family...which is the reveal at the end of the episode, as the ABC promos gave away already. Even though if you know that, you'll still laugh and enjoy the episode. The first family is Jay and Gloria with Gloria's son Manny. Jay is an older man who married a much younger woman, who has a kid. The next family is the traditional family, husband and wife Phil & Claire and their three children. And finally the last family is Mitchell & Cameron, who are gay. These three families are all related. Jay is the father of Claire and Mitchell.
The pilot is very funny and so good. Basically each family have their own separate storylines in this episode until then end, which is the "reveal." Jay & Gloria are dealing with Manny's crush on an older girl. Phil & Claire are dealing with their kids, who each have a dilemma. And Mitchell & Cameron just adopted a baby, and they think Mitchell's family won't like it. There are hilarious scenes throughout this episode. I can't pick one scene in particular, since there are so many. Ty Burrell as Phil is a breakout star on this pilot. He is very good in the episode and has very funny lines and also even some physical comedy. He dances to High School Musical and also acts cool with teenage slang. And at the end of the episode I couldn't stop laughing when Gloria says, "Hi Phil" and what Phil does is brilliantly funny! You'll see! Even the children are funny. Phil & Claire's older daughter (who I think is 15) has a boy over for the first time and of course the parents, especially Claire, try to snoop in. This show is so real!
I liked everything about the pilot. I have no complaints whatsoever. I think the show will get even better now that the series is set-up and we know that these three families are all related. The Lion King song during the reveal of the adopted baby was classic and came out of nowhere, which is always a positive in comedy to be surprised rather than to expect something. No cliches here at all!
Conclusion:
Every critic out there is saying that this is the best comedy or best new show even of the fall. I agree and I'm not saying that just because they are. I saw the show back in May during ABC upfront before all the critics were raving about it and I mentioned back then that this was brilliant. The pilot will certainly be sampled as it will follow a special Dancing with the Stars: The Results on a special night and time. The question is will it continue after that? It better because the quality will be there and there will be great guest stars coming aboard such as Elizabeth Banks, Ed Norton, Shelley Long, and Krista Allen. If you like the pilot, which I'm sure everyone who watches will, stick around every week please! There are no family comedies currently on broadcast and we need a big hit in comedy that is a family comedy. This is not your average family comedy, so you'll see some new and unexpected stories. The pilot is so funny and real that it will make you look at your own family and wonder if you would do the same thing! Everything about this show is 5-star, which is very rare to find. Laugh with America on the new ABC Comedy Wednesday with Modern Family, the best new sitcom of the season! It's funny, seriously!
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Watchability: 5/5
Funniness: 5/5
Overall: 5/5
-- Reviewed by pavanbadal on 09/22/09
Discuss the show after you watch it on Wednesday, September 23 on our message board.
Related Links:
Preview:
Stay tuned tomorrow for our pilot review of Cougar Town, which follows Modern Family on ABC Comedy Wednesday at 9:30pm ET/PT.
Yesterday Nick at Nite made a very last minute schedule change. They switched George Lopez and Everybody Hates Chris' timeslots. George Lopez is now back to its old 10pm hour every night, while Everybody Hates Chris is now in the 9pm hour from Sun-Thurs. So this means Chris on Fridays and Saturdays won't be seen until 2-3am, since Nick at Nite doesn't start until 10pm on Friday and Saturday nights. Chris will continue to air 2-3am every night, while George Lopez airs 1-2am Mon-Fri nights. Malcolm in the Middle will air 1-2am on weekends leading into Chris. Malcolm will also lead into Chris now in the Sun-Thurs 9pm hour. I think Malcolm and Chris will be a good combo and a good fit, while George is back to its powerhouse time of 10pm.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Hallmark Channel Welcomes Back I Love Lucy; 61st Primetime Emmy Awards Winners
As for I Love Lucy, you people need to watch if you want it to STAY on the schedule, especially 5pm-8pm. They are giving it yet another chance...but Hallmark seems to have a short leash, so watch it this time or you'll have some splaining to do! Luuuuuuuucy!
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Weeds (Showtime)
The Office (NBC)
How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
30 Rock (NBC)
Entourage (HBO)
Family Guy (Fox)
Flight of the Conchords (HBO)
WINNER: 30 Rock.
OUTSTANDING LEAD COMEDY ACTOR
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (NBC)
Tony Shalhoub, Monk (USA Network)
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Steve Carell, The Office (NBC)
Jermaine Clement, Flight of the Conchords (HBO)
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
WINNER: Alec Baldwin.
OUTSTANDING LEAD COMEDY ACTRESS
Sarah Silverman, The Sarah Silverman Program (Comedy Central)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Old Christine (CBS)
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who? (ABC)
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds (Showtime)
Tina Fey, 30 Rock (NBC)
Toni Collette, United States of Tara (Showtime)
WINNER: Toni Collette.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTOR
Kevin Dillion, Entourage (HBO)
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Rainn Wilson, The Office (NBC)
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Jack McBrayer, 30 Rock (NBC)
Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock (NBC)
WINNER: Jon Cryer.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTRESS
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty (ABC)
Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies (ABC)
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock (NBC)
Amy Poehler, SNL (NBC)
Kristin Wiig, SNL (NBC)
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds (Showtime)
WINNER: Kristin Chenoweth.
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Lost (ABC)
House (Fox)
Damages (FX)
Big Love (HBO)
Mad Men (AMC)
Dexter (Showtime)
Breaking Bad (AMC)
WINNER: Mad Men.
OUTSTANDING LEAD DRAMA ACTOR
Hugh Laurie, House (Fox)
Simon Baker, The Mentalist (CBS)
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Gabriel Bryne, In Treatment (HBO)
Michael C. Hall, Dexter (Showtime)
Jon Hamm, Mad Men (AMC)
WINNER: Bryan Cranston.
OUTSTANDING LEAD DRAMA ACTRESS
Glenn Close, Damages (FX)
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer (TNT)
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace (TNT)
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men (AMC)
WINNER: Glenn Close.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTOR
Christian Clemenson, Boston Legal (ABC)
William Shatner, Boston Legal (ABC)
William Hurt, Damages (FX)
John Slattery, Mad Men (AMC)
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Michael Emerson, Lost (ABC)
WINNER: Michael Emerson.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTRESS
Cherry Jones, 24 (Fox)
Ross Byrne, Damages (FX)
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Hope Davis, In Treatment (HBO)
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Diane Wiest, In Treatment (HBO)
WINNER: Cherry Jones
View the full list of winners at Emmys.tv
Stay tuned for pilot reviews of Modern Family, Cougar Town, Brothers, and The Cleveland Show from Tues-Fri this week...we have a sitcom pilot review each day for you! See what we think of all the sitcom pilots this season!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Summer Week 17 Sitcom Ratings (Last Week of Summer!)
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of Sept 7-13)
- The Simpsons (Fox) - preempted.
- King of the Hill (Fox) 2 episodes - The final two episodes on Fox did 6.26 and 6.04 million after NFL. Not bad, could be better. 18-49 rating was decent of a 3.0 and 2.9.
- Family Guy (Fox) - Repeat only did 4.98 million and a below normal 2.4 18-49 rating.
- American Dad! (Fox) - Repeat only did 4.02 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating.
Monday Sitcoms
- How I Met Your Mother
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - Only 6.62 million for a repeat on at a delayed time of 9:41pm in the east/central. Season premiere is tomorrow for this show as well!
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 6.64 million for a repeat at a delayed time of 10:12pm in the east/central. 2.2 18-49 rating is below normal, but the weird time in the east/central is the reason for that. Season premiere is tomorrow. Can it do a series high of a 5.0 or more in 18-49? We shall see.
- None.
- Old Christine (CBS) - Only 4.2 million for a repeat. The season premiere is this Wednesday but it will have a tough time vs. a special Dancing with the Stars: The Results Show on a special night and time.
- Gary Unmarried (CBS) - 4.01 million for a repeat of this sitcom. I am not sure why this show was brought back.
- Parks & Recreation (NBC) - The season premiere did only 4.89 million, that is down 29% from its series premiere in April. It was also down 30% in 18-49 from its series premiere. This show is going to have a tough time.
- The Office (NBC) - A solid season premiere doing 8.21 million and a 4.1 18-49 rating, but that also was down from last year's season premiere of 9.39 million and a much better 4.9 18-49 rating. I think the show has peaked.
- Community (NBC) - The series premiere got off to a promising start with 7.91 million and a 3.8 18-49 rating, holding a good portion of its lead-in. If it can maintain these numbers for the next few weeks, NBC will take it...but the competition gets much much harder this week. This premiere however was down from 30 Rock's season premiere of 8.73 million last year, but that was Sarah Palin affected.
Friday Sitcoms
- None.
- The Office (NBC) - Encore of Thursday's season premiere only did a prelim 1.9 million, not good.
- Community (NBC) - Encore of Thursday's premiere only did 1.64 million...also not good.
See you next week for the new season!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Blog DVD Review: Castle - The Complete First Season (9/22)
Castle: The Complete First Season (ABC Studios, $39.99) brings the first season of the witty crime series starring Nathan Fillion on DVD with all 10 episodes! Get on the beat with this great new show! It is loaded with provocative banter and a talented cast. Richard Castle is a world-famous crime novelist whose stories come to life in the pilot episode when a copycat killer follows his literary blueprint. He then enlists to help the NYPD stay a step ahead of the murderer. Castle realizes working with the police can also supply him with a new slew of ideas for his next book. The relationship gets a little more complicated -- and a whole lot more fun -- when he is paired with the attractive Detective Beckett, who doesn't appreciate Castle's unorthodox style. If you like Moonlighting and The Rockford Files, this show is in the same vein as those as the characters are the most important part of the show.
The series will return to its Mondays at 10PM timeslot on ABC this coming season following Dancing with the Stars. The series stars Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, Stana Katic as Detective Kate Beckett, Jon Huertas as Detective Javier Esposito, Seamus Dever as Detective Kevin Ryan, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Dr. Lanie Parish, Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Captain Roy Montgomery, Molly Quinn as Alexis Castle, and Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers. Among the recurring stars are Stephen J. Cannell and James Patterson as themselves, and Bailey Chase as Will Sorrenson. Among the guests this year are Dan Castellaneta, Jayne Brook, Bill Smitrovich, K Callan, Darby Stanchfield and Judy Reyes.
This first season got better and better as the season went a long. I don't like crime shows of today, but this one is a throwback to the ones of the past and focuses on characters than more about the case. I like that! The series airs Mondays at 10pm and had a Dancing with the Stars direct lead-in a few times in season one, but now in season two...it will get that lead-in each time! The more people find this show, the better...because it has something for everyone. The humor, the crime, the relationships, the action, and great characters! The second season premieres on Monday (Sept. 21) and I have seen the season premiere already and it is awesome. We are about two months later in the story when Castle has to "tell" Beckett something, which I won't give away if you haven't watched the first season finale yet. It is a great premiere you won't want to miss, for sure! Beckett looks even more stunning this coming season with longer hair! She has a very stunning scene near the end of the second season premiere. Anyway, as for season one, some memorable episodes include the premiere, "Flowers for Your Grave," where popular and famous mystery novelist Richard Castle, who is bored with his own success, learns that a real-world killer has begun staging murders based on scenes from his novels. In "Nanny McDead," the body of a young woman is found spinning inside the dryer in the laundry room of an upscale apartment building. In "A Chill Goes Through Her Veins," the body of a frozen woman found tangled in steel bars at a construction site leads Beckett and Castle to a years-old mystery and a long abandoned case...as the two uncover startling revelations about the victim's past, the investigation forces Beckett to face some difficult memories of her own family tragedy. In "Always Buy Retail," when an immigrant is found tortured and murdered in a ritualistic killing, Beckett navigates the uncharted territory of the mysterious Vodun religion with Castle along for the ride, meanwhile, Castle is confronted with the possible return of his first wife, Alexis' mother, whose dizzying personality threatens to upend the tranquility of the entire family. In "Little Girl Lost," when a two-year-old girl is discovered missing from her home, Beckett is called in to assist with the investigation only to discover that the FBI agent in charge is, in fact, her ex-boyfriend. Finally, in the outstanding season finale "A Death in the Family," Castle and Beckett investigate the murder of a missing plastic surgeon who is found dead in the front seat of his car after a week of being parked curbside. As they delve into the twisted world of surgery obsessed patients and secret operations, Castle experiences a fatherly rite of passage as Alexis attends her first prom. And by looking into Beckett's past, he digs into information that could end his relationship with her forever.
Packaging has a thin outer box that you can remove from the top or bottom to get to the case inside. Both the thin outer box and case have the same artwork for both the front and back. The cover has a nice full body photos of Castle and Beckett in the New York City night sky, with one of Castle's books below that as we see a dead body I guess below the book. The show logo is in the middle in white lettering. The back has that dark blue night background with information on the set and has some episodic screen shots from episodes and we also have a cast photo. There is also a section detailing the bonus features box with technical specifications also.
Opening the case, on the left side we see disc one. On the right side we see discs two and three, overlapping each other. There is also an insert for Blu-ray inside. Disc artwork is very nice. Disc one has episodes 1-4 with artwork of a pen with some blood. Disc two has episodes 5-8 and has artwork of two of Castle's books including "At Dusk We Die." And disc three has episodes 9-10 plus bonus features and has artwork of two more of Castle's books including "A Calm Before the Storm." When you remove the discs, the panels have a nice cast photo, along with a disc-by-disc breakdown of episode titles and bonus features.
The menu screen starts with the opening credits from the series with the theme music, then we get to the main menu where we see moving video images with the closing theme playing in the background. The options on the main menu are Play All, Episode Selection, Set Up, Bonus Features, and Sneak Peeks (disc three). But before the main menu screen comes on disc one, we get some auto sneak peeks of other DVDs: ABC on DVD, The Proposal, and Cheri. Sneak Peeks option is only found on disc three on the main menu and has previews of many titles like Ugly Betty, Life on Mars, Lost DVDs, and an ABC promo for Desperate Housewives. Set Up section has the option of subtitles in English, French or Spanish and how you can register your DVD. The Episodes option gives us the episode number, title and a screenshot. Bonus Features option has all the extras listed. All of the sub-menus have different background music from the show.
The episodes run usually 41-43 minutes...unedited of course with all the great music intact. There are about 9 chapter stops per episode. The video is digitally mastered and is in widescreen and looks very good! The audio is great and sounds very good, as it is in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. This is from mid-season 2009, so it had better be good. There is nothing to complain at all here...it is perfect!
Moving on the bonus features. Discs one and two have audio commentaries, while the rest of the extras are on disc three. Disc one has audio commentary for the first episode "Flowers for Your Grave" with creator/executive producer Andrew Marlowe, executive producer Rob Bowman, Nathan Fillion (Castle), Stana Katic (Beckett), and Jon Huertas (Esposito). They give lots of details and are very fun to listen to. Fillion is very witty in real life, too. On disc two we have audio commentary for the great episode "A Chill Goes Through Her Veins," with creator/executive producer Andrew Marlowe, executive producer Rob Bowman, Nathan Fillion (Castle), Stana Katic (Beckett), Jon Huertas (Esposito), and also this time Molly Quinn (Alexis). Once again this is very fun and Molly Quinn is on it this time. She is a teenager but doesn't seem like it at all. She is very smart!
All of the other extras are on disc three! We have two more audio commentary tracks. They are for the same episode, the season finale "A Death in the Family." The first track is with creator/executive producer Andrew Marlowe, executive producer Rob Bowman, Nathan Fillion (Castle), Stana Katic (Beckett), Jon Huertas (Esposito), and Molly Quinn (Alexis) once again. This team is so good to listen to! And we also have a track with Seamus Dever (Ryan) and Jon Huertas (Esposito). So Huertas does commentary TWICE for this episode! We have an interview featurette titled "Whodunit: The Genesis of Castle" (6:14). This is a very good detailed extra that gives us the inside scoop on the cast, characters and the season. Interviewed are Andrew Marlowe, Stephen J. Cannell (writer/producer, novelist), Rob Bowman, Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Molly Quinn, Susan Sullivan, Jon Huertas, Seamus Dever, and Ruben Santiago-Hudson. Then we have another featurette titled "Castle's Godfather" (7:15). This has the trio of Stephen J. Cannell, Rob Bowman and Andrew Marlowe. We find out how Cannell got involved with the show and how he has known Rob Bowman since he was a child! This is a very interesting featurette. The final featurette is a GREAT one! It is very unique and very funny. It is titled "Write-Along with Nathan Fillion" (9:06). Nathan spends an entire day with Stephen J. Cannell and learns how to be a mystery writer. It is a tough job! This is very comical and even has Cannell doing his famous throwing the paper in the air. One of the best extras ever and a must watch! Finally, we have some "Misdemeanours: Bloopers & Outtakes" (2:36)...yes, bloopers! See all the goofs and play on the set!
I recommend this series and set...it is an ABC Studios DVD, so it is good and filled with special features. I think this series will break out this season and will get a full season to show America how witty and great this show is. This DVD is awesome! We get of course all ten great episodes from the first season, good packaging, and great extras that has one of my favorite extras ever with Fillion and Cannell. We need more extras like that on DVDs! I don't understand why the DVD is coming out on Sept. 22, when the second season launches a day before on Sept. 21, but ABC did re-air all ten episodes this summer (some multiple times). So I hope you saw them all. Everyone needs to be watching this show. Make a date with Castle and Beckett every Monday at 10pm on ABC! This is the best crime drama on TV right now because it has substance to the characters. It has a bit of everything and fans of older series like The Rockford Files and Moonlighting will enjoy this series. It's a whole new chapter in crime solving, indeed! See the tension between Castle and Beckett! As Castle would say, "Tell Me You Saw That!"
View the Season One Trailer.
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4.5/5 stars)To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Official ABC Website
Castle TV.com Page
Friday, September 18, 2009
CBS Fall Pilot Review - Accidentally on Purpose - Premieres September 21; Our Emmy Picks for 61st Annual Event
Accidentally on Purpose - Mondays 8:30PM ET/PT on CBS
Premieres Monday, September 21, 2009 at 8:30PM ET/PT
ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE, based on the bestselling memoir by Mary F. Pols, is a comedy about a single woman, Billie, who finds herself "accidentally" pregnant after a one-night stand with a much younger guy, and decides to keep the baby...and the guy. A newspaper film critic, Billie is barely surviving a humiliating breakup with her charming boss, James, who's still trying to resume their relationship. Pregnant, after a brief fling with her "boy toy" Zack, Billie and Zack make an arrangement to live together platonically. Billie's party girl best friend Olivia, and Abby, her conventional, younger married sister, eagerly look forward to the new addition and offer their own brands of advice and encouragement. But when Zack and his freeloading friends, including Davis, start to turn her place into a frat house, Billie isn't sure if she's living with a boyfriend, a roommate, or if she just has another child to raise.
Cast Details:
* Jenna Elfman as Billie
* Jon Foster as Zazk
* Ashley Jensen as Olivia
* Lennon Parham as Abby
* Grant Show as James
* Nicolas Wright as Davis
Jenna Elfman (Billie) is best known for her role as Dharma in the hit series Dharma & Greg for which she garnered a Golden Globe Award, three Emmy Award nominations and two TV Guide Awards. Elfman's other television credits include Courting Alex, and guest appearances in the series Two and a Half Men, both on CBS, and guest-starring roles on My Name is Earl and Brothers & Sisters. Elfman also has an impressive feature film resume, starring opposite Ben Stiller and Edward Norton in Keeping the Faith and Ron Howard's Edtv opposite Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. Recently, she starred opposite Elisha Cuthbert and Tim Allen in The Six Wives of Henry LeFay, and in the independent comedy Love Hurts opposite Richard E. Grant and Carrie-Anne Moss. Elfman also starred in the half-animated feature film Looney Tunes: Back in Action.
Jon Foster's (Zack) 11 feature film credits include the leading role as Eddie in The Door in the Floor starring opposite Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger, Tenderness opposite Russell Crowe and The Informers opposite Billy Bob Thornton, among others. Foster's television credits include series regular roles in Windfall and Life As We Know It, and guest-starring roles in Judging Amy, on CBS and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He also starred in the television movie Murder in Greenwich.
Ashley Jensen (Olivia) appeared on the first three seasons of Ugly Betty playing Christina, the seamstress for the fictional "Mode" magazine and Betty's one true ally in the office. Jensen also recently starred in the BBC America series Eleventh Hour, where she co-starred opposite Patrick Stewart. Jensen's other television credits include Rebus, Clocking Off, City Central, Sweet Medicine, Two Thousand Acres of Sky, Outside the Rules and films such as A Cock and Bull Story and Topsy-Turvy. For two seasons Jensen starred opposite Ricky Gervais on the Golden Globe winning-series Extras, which originally aired on BBC 2 in the United Kingdom. Jensen reprised her role in the special Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale, for which she was nominated for an Emmy (Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie).
Lennon Parham (Abby) began her comedy career at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in N.Y. She graduated with a B.S. in Theatre from the University of Evansville in Indiana and taught French for two years with Teach for America at TL Weston High School in Greenville, Miss., before moving to N.Y. After graduating from the Second City New York program, she began attending classes at U.C.B. Eventually, she became involved in the comedy Improv shows Asssscat 3000 and Reuben Williams as well as becoming a member of the UCBT Touring Company. She has been teaching at the U.C.B. training center for two years, including a special class for improvising in character. Last year, she gained critical acclaim for her one-woman show based on a collection of comedic characters titled She Tried to be Normal.
Best known for his role as Jake Hanson on Melrose Place, Grant Show (James) recently starred in Swingtown on CBS. Show also had regular roles in Point Pleasant and the daytime drama Ryan's Hope, as well as recurring roles on Private Practice, Six Feet Under Dirt Strong Medicine and Beautiful People. Show has also starred in numerous television movies including The Natalee Holloway Story and Sex and the Single Mom. Among Show's theater credits are productions of On the Waterfront, The Glass Menagerie and the Off-Broadway hit Wit, with Judith Light.
Nicolas Wright (Davis) began his career on the stage as one of the founding members of the multi-award-winning theater company Gravy Bath Productions. In 2003, his portrayal of the title role in The Portrait of Dorian Gray at the Saidye Bronfman Centre earned him a nomination for Best Actor by the Montreal Critic's Circle. He continues his work on stage with the Montreal Based Improv/Sketch troupe Uncalled For, whose last show won several awards including 'Best of the Fest' at the Toronto Sketch Fest and the 'Just For Laughs Award' at the Montreal Fringe. Over the last few years, Wright has appeared in numerous feature films including The Greatest Game Ever Played and the thriller Whiteout. He has played leading roles in several award-winning Canadian productions including the animated series Delta State, Hatley High, which received the Best Director/Best Screenplay, Aspen Comedy Festival, Best Actor Nomination, ACTRA Awards (2006) and End of the Line (Official Selection, Toronto International Film Festival).
Pilot Plot:
#1 "Pilot" (Airs September 21)
Billie, a newspaper film critic, just went through an ugly breakup with her boss, who still wishes to mend their relationship. After a fling with a much younger guy, Billie ends up pregnant and decides that she really wants to keep the baby -- and the guy she hooked up with.
Directed by Pamela Fryman
Written by Claudia Lonow
Guest Stars: Larry Wilmore as Dr. Roland, Pooch Hall as Ryan, Andrew Caldwell as Shane, Melinda Y. Cohen as Another Woman, Nadege Auguste as Beautiful Woman, Olympia Lettry as Cosmetic Counter Girl
Analysis:
Jenna Elfman returns for her second starring role on a CBS sitcom. Her short-lived Courting Alex aired from January-March 2006 for 8 episodes (12 produced). Despite some respectable ratings when it began on Monday nights, the show suffered when it was briefly moved to Wednesdays before it was pulled from the schedule with 4 episodes unaired. It was not picked up for a second season. CBS then inked her to a new development deal to create another comedy vehicle. She has spent the last four years making pilots trying to find the right show.
The pilot was pretty decent. It begins with Billie talking to Olivia at an office party. Then we see a flashback to a month earlier when she's at the Eiffel Tower with her boss and boyfriend, James. We later meet her sister Abby at a bar and Billie goes to talk to three younger guys. Billie decides to go home with Zack to his apartment and they have a one night stand. 5 weeks later, she takes a pregnancy test and discovers that she is pregnant. Zack takes her in his van to see the doctor. Billie later invites him to move in with her.
I think this show has the potential to be a slight upgrade over her previous show, Courting Alex. I've always been an Elfman fan. She's a gifted comedic actress who had some success on Dharma & Greg for 5 seasons. She recently announced that she is pregnant in real life with her second child. I guess she will start showing by the 3rd or 4th episode.
The rest of the supporting cast is pretty good but maybe lacks some sitcom experience. Jon Foster's only major sitcom experience was on the short-lived CBS sitcom Danny in 2001. He's pretty funny and likeable in the pilot, but we'll see how his chemistry with Elfman develops in future episodes. Ashley Jensen was excellent in Ugly Betty for 3 seasons. I would expect her role to expand a bit more from the pilot. I love her Scottish accent. Lennon Parham plays Billie's sister, Abby. We will probably be seeing her husband in future episodes. Zack's freeloading friends, led by Davis, have a few funny one-liners. Since the pilot mostly focused on Billie and Zack, I would expect their roles to expand.
San Francisco is the setting for the show. There are a couple of exterior shots of trolley cars. Billie plays a movie critic, so there are a number of movie references. She also has some movie posters, including one for An American Werewolf in London, in her apartment. The sets look a little cramped and cluttered, but I guess that was the look they were going for. The newspaper office set looks similar to the Winfred-Louder Department Store set used by The Drew Carey Show I remember they also used this stage for Courting Alex.
There were several songs in the pilot and the music score is composed by John Swihart. This is a multi-camera comedy that is filmed in front of a studio audience.
Conclusion:
This must be the year of the cougar with Accidentally on Purpose and Cougar Town. Will the second time be the charm for Jenna Elfman on CBS? They have been trying to find the right comedy vehicle for her for the last several years. Courting Alex had some decent ratings but was canceled after only 8 episodes aired. I think the pilot for Accidentally on Purpose is a slight upgrade over that. The pilot follows the basic premise of the movie Knocked Up but lacks the amount of funny scenes and lines. I just wonder which direction the show will take. Upcoming episode descriptions seem to indicate that Billie and Zack will be dating other people. What will they do once she has the baby at the end of the season and possibly marries Zack? This shows seems like it is set up to air for one season and then be done.
This show has a comfortable time slot between the established How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men. It will be important to find an audience early because Rules of Engagement is waiting in the wings. If you are a fan of the adorable and witty Jenna Elfman or any of the other actors, the show is definitely worth checking out. It's hard to judge a show just by the pilot, which sets up the whole premise of the show and gives the necessary background details on the characters. It probably would be best to give this show a try for at least 3-4 episodes to see how it develops.
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Watchability: 4/5
Funniness: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller on 09/18/09
Discuss the show after you watch it on Monday, September 21 on our message board.
Related Links:
Preview:
It's time for our annual Emmy picks!
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Weeds (Showtime)
The Office (NBC)
How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
30 Rock (NBC)
Entourage (HBO)
Family Guy (Fox)
Flight of the Conchords (HBO)
OUR PICK: 30 Rock. It's the favorite, but I wish something else would win.
OUTSTANDING LEAD COMEDY ACTOR
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (NBC)
Tony Shalhoub, Monk (USA Network)
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Steve Carell, The Office (NBC)
Jermaine Clement, Flight of the Conchords (HBO)
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
OUR PICK: Jim Parsons. He is very deserving and his character of Sheldon is funny with a straight face! Sheldon never smiles or laughs!
OUTSTANDING LEAD COMEDY ACTRESS
Sarah Silverman, The Sarah Silverman Program (Comedy Central)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Old Christine (CBS)
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who? (ABC)
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds (Showtime)
Tina Fey, 30 Rock (NBC)
Toni Collette, United States of Tara (Showtime)
OUR PICK: Tina Fey will win likely, but I would give it to Christina Applegate who was outstanding.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTOR
Kevin Dillion, Entourage (HBO)
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Rainn Wilson, The Office (NBC)
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Jack McBrayer, 30 Rock (NBC)
Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock (NBC)
OUR PICK: Neil Patrick Harris. He is hosting...so I bet he wins. If not maybe another 30 Rock winner.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTRESS
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty (ABC)
Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies (ABC)
Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock (NBC)
Amy Poehler, SNL (NBC)
Kristin Wiig, SNL (NBC)
Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds (Showtime)
OUR PICK: Vanessa Williams. She is hilarious as the evil character she plays.
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Lost (ABC)
House (Fox)
Damages (FX)
Big Love (HBO)
Mad Men (AMC)
Dexter (Showtime)
Breaking Bad (AMC)
OUR PICK: Lost. An outstanding year for the fifth season! But I think Mad Men will take it.
OUTSTANDING LEAD DRAMA ACTOR
Hugh Laurie, House (Fox)
Simon Baker, The Mentalist (CBS)
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Gabriel Bryne, In Treatment (HBO)
Michael C. Hall, Dexter (Showtime)
Jon Hamm, Mad Men (AMC)
OUR PICK: Bryan Cranston. Could he repeat?
OUTSTANDING LEAD DRAMA ACTRESS
Glenn Close, Damages (FX)
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer (TNT)
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace (TNT)
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men (AMC)
OUR PICK: Sally Field. Nora Walker is funny, real and America's mom!
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTOR
Christian Clemenson, Boston Legal (ABC)
William Shatner, Boston Legal (ABC)
William Hurt, Damages (FX)
John Slattery, Mad Men (AMC)
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Michael Emerson, Lost (ABC)
OUR PICK: William Shatner. One last hurrah, maybe? If not Emerson, please!
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTRESS
Cherry Jones, 24 (Fox)
Ross Byrne, Damages (FX)
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Hope Davis, In Treatment (HBO)
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Diane Wiest, In Treatment (HBO)
OUR PICK: Chandra Wilson. Please give it to her!!
View the full list of nominations. The 61st Annual Emmy Awards air this Sunday (September 20 at 8pm on CBS).
Thursday, September 17, 2009
ION Television October 2009, More Programming Hours; Remembering Henry Gibson
Moving on to weekends starting in October, ION will be adding 3 more hours to both days! Yes, that means the start time goes from 6pm to 3pm on Saturdays and Sundays! Movies will rule on weekends but there are times when there will be a filler in the 3pm half-hour or 3pm hour even. Right now the filler is TBD, but I'd expect maybe Reba or something to fill in.
ION will have many movie premieres this October, as movies airs Fri-Sun. The premieres are The Rainmaker, The Medallion, The Departed, The Perfect Storm, Wild Wild West, The Return, On Deadly Ground, and Breach. Among the encore airings are Heat, A Bronx Tale, Inside Man, Above the Law, The Specialist, Hard to Kill, The Break-Up, Patriot Games, and more. If you say you missed Heat, then you are crazy since ION is airing it so many times. No excuse for missing that 1995 movie!
View the full ION Television October 2009 schedule.
Henry Gibson, a wry comic character actor whose career included Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Nashville and Boston Legal, died Monday at his home in Malibu after a brief battle with cancer.
Gibson's breakthrough came in 1968 when he was cast as a member of the original ensemble of NBC's top-rated Laugh-In, on which he performed for three seasons. Each week, a giant flower in his hand, he recited a signature poem, introducing them with the catch phrase that became his signature: "A Poem, by Henry Gibson."
After Laugh-In, he played the evil Dr. Verringer in The Long Goodbye (1973), the first of four films in which he appeared for director Robert Altman. Their second collaboration came in Nashville (1975), in which Gibson earned a Golden Globe nomination and a National Society of Film Critics supporting-actor award for his performance as unctuous country singer Haven Hamilton. He also wrote his character's songs.
In television, Gibson's recent work included a five-season stint as cantankerous Judge Clarence Brown on ABC's Boston Legal and providing the voice for sardonic, eye-patched newspaperman Bob Jenkins on Fox's animated series King of the Hill.
His previous TV work include appearances on The Joey Bishop Show, The Beverly Hillbillies, My Favorite Martian, The Dick Van Dyke Show, F-Troop, Bewitched, Love American Style, Fantasy Island, The Dukes of Hazzard, Smurfs, Magnum P.I., Simon & Simon, The Love Boat, The Fall Guy, Knight Rider, Newhart, Evening Shade, MacGyver, Sisters, Coach, The John Larroquette Show, Maggie Winters, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Early Edition, Charmed, Becker, Malcolm in the Middle, and the short-lived Cracking Up.
Gibson was a true character actor and will be missed. He was 73.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
NBC Fall Pilot Review: Community - Premieres September 17; TeenNick Premiere Week
Community - Thursdays 9:30PM ET/PT on NBC (Moves to 8:00PM on Oct. 8)
Premieres Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 9:30PM ET/PT
From Dan Harmon (The Sarah Silverman Program) and Emmy Award-winning directors Joe and Anthony Russo (Arrested Development) comes Community, a smart comedy series about a band of misfits who attend Greendale Community College. At the center of the group is Jeff Winger (Joel McHale, E! TV's The Soup), a fast-talkin' lawyer whose degree has been revoked. With some help from his fellow classmates, Winger forms a study group who eventually learn more about themselves than their course work.
Also among the series stars who comprise the group are comedy legend Chevy Chase as Pierce, a man whose life experience has brought him infinite wisdom; Gillian Jacobs as Britta, the 28-year old drop out with something to prove; Yvette Nicole Brown as Shirley, a sassy middle-aged divorcée; Danny Pudi as Abed, a pop culture junkie; Alison Brie as Annie, a high-strung perfectionist; Donald Glover as Troy, a former high school football star trying to find his way and Ken Jeong as Spanish professor, Señor Chang.
Cast Details:
* Joel McHale as Jeff Winger
* Gillian Jacobs as Britta
* Yvette Nicole Brown as Shirley
* Danny Pudi as Abed
* Alison Brie as Annie
* Donald Glover as Troy
* Ken Jeong as Señor Chang
* Chevy Chase as Pierce
Joel McHale (Jeff Winger) is poised to make 2009 a breakout year. In addition to his starring role in Community, he recently wrapped production on the Steven Soderbergh directed, Warner Independent dark, comedic thriller The Informant opposite Matt Damon. McHale is best known as the star of The Soup, a weekly entertainment show that satirizes pop culture and current events. He also serves as a writer and producer on the show. McHale's quick wit and sharp comedic timing have made The Soup a pop culture phenomenon and led to the success of The Soup Presents specials. McHale recently began touring the country to sold-out audiences with his stand-up act. McHale's guest starring roles include Will & Grace, CSI: Miami and, most recently, Pushing Daisies. He also jumped onto the big screen with roles in Spider-Man 2 and Lords of Dogtown.
Gillian Jacobs (Britta) was most recently seen in Richard Kelly's film The Box, starring Cameron Diaz and Frank Langella. Jacobs can also be seen in the upcoming films Coach directed by Will Frears, Watching TV With the Red Chinese, NoNames and Helena From the Wedding.
On the small screen, she has appeared in Fringe, Law and Order: Criminal Intent and Royal Pains. Jacobs will also be seen in the upcoming drama series The Good Wife and had a recurring role in The Book of Daniel.
Yvette Nicole Brown (Shirley) dreamed of a career on stage and screen as a young girl. She began her entertainment career as a vocalist while still in her teens, when after an impromptu audition for Michael Bivins (New Edition; Bell Biv DeVoe) she was signed to Motown Records as a part of the East Coast Family, a group of new talents that included Boyz II Men. In just a short time, Brown has emerged as one of the most sought-after character actresses in Hollywood, highlighted by memorable appearances on numerous hit TV shows, including: House, Entourage, The Office, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Two and a Half Men, Malcolm in the Middle, 7th Heaven, Fat Actress, 'Til Death, That's So Raven, Rules of Engagement, Privileged and That '70s Show among others. In addition, she has had recurring roles on Boston Legal, Girlfriends, Sleeper Cell, Half & Half and Drake & Josh. She also was a series regular on the short lived sitcom The Big House.
Danny Pudi (Abed) is an actor and comedian originally from Chicago. On the small screen, Pudi's credits include NBC's ER and TBS's The Bill Engvall Show, as well as recurring roles on Greek and Gilmore Girls. He can also be seen in the upcoming films Road Trip 2: Beerpong and the independent film Thunder Geniuses directed by Michael Clancy.
Alison Brie (Annie) can currently be seen as Trudy Campbell on the award-winning drama series Mad Men, which returns in August 2009. She will also appear in a film titled Montana Amazon with Olympia Dukakis and Haley Joel Osment, slated for release later this year. Brie guest-starred on Comedy Central and Disney's Hannah Montana and landed leading roles in some independent films before her current role in Community.
Donald Glover (Troy) is a talented actor, comedian and writer. He studied improvisation and comedy writing with the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theatre in New York and had the pleasure of improvising with the likes of Amy Poehler and Horatio Sanz. Glover also performed on Late Night with Conan O'Brien multiple times. He was hired as a staff writer on the show 30 Rock while he was still a resident assistant at NYU. During his time at 30 Rock, the show has won two Emmys for best comedy, as well as a Writers Guild Award for best comedy.
Ken Jeong (Señor Chang) is known as the "scene stealer" and is quickly establishing himself as the go-to character actor for today's hit comedies. In the summer of 2009, Jeong appeared as the Asian-mobster "Mr. Chow" in the sleeper-hit comedy The Hangover, also starring Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis. Since his feature-film debut as the doctor in Knocked Up in 2007, Jeong has gone on to a number of memorable roles in a series of successful comedies. Directed, written and produced by Judd Apatow. In 2008 Jeong starred in his first major role as the villain, King Argotron, in Role Models, opposite Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott and Christopher Mintz-Plasse. The same year, Jeong had supporting roles in two other major comedies, Pineapple Express and Step Brothers. On the TV side, he has appeared on The Office, Entourage, and MADtv.
Chevy Chase (Pierce) is one of the most honored and beloved actors of his generation, Chase first came to national prominence as a writer and performer with the original cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live, for which he won two Emmy Awards. Soon after he had endeared himself to television audiences, Hollywood beckoned and Chase made his feature film debut in the comedy-thriller Foul Play with Goldie Hawn. His many memorable films include: Caddy Shack, Seems Like Old Times, National Lampoon's Vacation, Fletch, National Lampoon's European Vacation, Spies Like Us, The Three Amigos, Funny Farm, Caddyshack I, Fletch Lives, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Cops and Robbersons, Man of the House, Vegas Vacation, Snow Day, Ellie Parker, and last year's Funny Money. In 2007, Chase received critical acclaim for his guest-starring role on NBC's award-winning series Law and Order. He followed that return to the small screen with a two-episode guest-appearance on the ABC drama series Brothers and Sisters. Most recently, Chase guest starred on the NBC series Chuck.
Pilot Plot:
#1 "Pilot" (Airs September 17)
A band of misfits attend Greendale Community College. At the center of the group is Jeff Winger, a fast-talking lawyer whose degree has been revoked. With some help from his fellow classmates, Winger forms a study group who eventually learn more about themselves than their course work. The study group consists of Pierce a man whose life experience has brought him infinite wisdom; Britta a 28-year old drop out with something to prove; Shirley a sassy middle-aged divorcée; Abed a pop culture junkie; Annie a high-strung perfectionist; Troy a former high school football star and Spanish professor, Señor Chang.
Directed By Joe Russo and Anthony Russo.
Analysis:
"The funny thing about being smart is that you can get through most of life without having to do any work."
To be perfectly frank, when re-typing the above line I wasn't sure if I was quoting a line of my favorite of the fall pilots, or writing the first sentence of my autobiography. Writing this review you have a reviewer who perhaps above all else ultimately wants people on his agenda. And the lead character in the new show Community is extremely similar. Joel McHale plays Jeff, a lawyer who was suspended by the state bar after it was discovered that his Bachelor's degree was in fact from Colombia (the nation) and not Columbia (the school). He turns to the local community college in part because one of the psychology professors (portrayed by John Oliver) is one of his frequent clients and he hopes to take advantage of their friendship. Not to spoil a little twist in the final episode, but the professor isn't a doormat.
Jeff is already enrolled when the pilot begins, and it's through his actions one day that we meet his co-stars. McHale's character met a girl (Britta, played by Gillian Jacobs) in Spanish class that he likes (aww). To learn more about her, he consults with Abed (Danny Pudi) who recites a whole list of things he learned about her just through the hunt for a pencil. This leads to Jeff creating a study group for the class, where the rest of the main and recurring characters really begin to come into their own. You have Chevy Chase as Pierce, a senior who was married seven times. Chevy also provides one of my favorite bits of physical humor in the show when trying to figure out what to do with a disgusting cafeteria hot dog. (No, no, nothing obscene. He stuck it in with the hot dog buns in their drawer after some debate). Other cast members include Donald Glover as Troy, Yvette Nicole Brown as Shirley and Alison Brie as Anne.
I'm really going to like this show, and might even have a message delivered home to me, for a reason I strongly hint at in the beginning of this review. Jeff's character, through coincidence, has a personally not entirely unlike mine. We've both spent a very, very long time being able to BS our way through virtually any situation -- but as the grand culmination of that BS we both have recently found ourselves in situations where, like it or not we each might have to actually do a little work. Though there's no way to know what direction the character will proceed from here, the fact is that the rendition of Jeff in the pilot is probably the character on TV I'm empathized with the most in a very long time.
And through both my own twisted narcissism and a desire to see quality stories told on television, the end result of the 25 minutes of the pilot is a comedy that I truly enjoy. It doesn't have the wacky hijinks of 30 Rock or the random fantasy sequences of Scrubs or, well, Dwight from The Office. What you see here is one of the most genuine comedies I've seen on TV in a long time. Will you, the reader, like this though? If you've never seen a single-camera comedy you've liked? Your opinion probably isn't going to change. But quality pieces of entertainment like The Office, 30 Rock, and yes now Community are all wonderful shows in their own, wildly different, rights when you give them a chance.
Conclusion:
I'm supposed to score this show on "Funniness" and "Watchability." It is definitely 5 stars in watchability. But it took a lot of gnashing of the teeth to score it on the funniness. It's funny, but there are different types of humor. For someone like me, the show is hysterical yet poignant. For someone else, they might have a different reaction. I know at least one person who refused to even discuss the show after hearing Chevy Chase was in it. While they have a right to their opinion, I think that's a silly opinion. Even if you don't like one component there is a LOT of FUNNY stuff here to watch even if you're not a fan of one of the actors. There's something to laugh at for (nearly) everyone.
This is a five star show, airing amongst a couple of other five star shows (The Office, 30 Rock). NBC has possibly their strongest lineup of comedies on Thursday in over a decade, and I personally think it's a wonderful replacement for My Name is Earl. Given that they finally wrote a sitcom about me, I obviously can't recommend this one enough. In all sincerity though, and with all self-indulgence removed: this sitcom is hilarious, two huge reasons being McHale and Chase. Joel and Chevy deliver the laughs, and you're in for a great show.
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Watchability: 5/5
Funniness: 4.5/5
Overall: 5/5
-- Reviewed by Seth Thrasher on 09/16/09
Discuss the show after you watch it on Thursday, September 17 on our message board.
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The N will change its name to TeenNick on Monday, September 28, as you all know. So from now on our labels (the links on the bottom of every story) for the network will be TeenNick. So bookmark that if you follow all The N's schedules in one shot. This will be our last label for The N. Anyway, TeenNick will not have any changes for premiere week. So the same schedule, that we mentioned, that started this week and that will be for week of Sept. 21, will continue when The N changes its name to TeenNick on Sept. 28. You'll still have Full House in primetime from 8-10pm for example.
However, there will be a huge Degrassi: The Next Generation marathon starting Oct. 1 at 2am (technically Oct. 2) running all day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (Oct. 2-4). The only stoppage on those three days is for That '70s Show from 12-2am.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Married with Children Returns To Spike TV; TV Land Celebrates Brady and Cosby Anniversaries
In other changes, Unsolved Mysteries will also air on Sunday mornings from 9-11am starting Oct. 11. This is in addition to its return to the daily line-up airing Mon-Wed at 2am starting Sept. 28, as we previously mentioned
View the full and update Spike TV Fall 2009 line-up.
We mentioned that TV Land will do anniversary stunts for The Brady Bunch and The Cosby Show, and now TV Land has given the full details.
TV Land breaks out the bubbly this September to celebrate the milestone anniversaries of two of television's most beloved and celebrated sitcoms, The Brady Bunch and The Cosby Show. The network will pay homage to Mike, Carol and the whole Brady clan for the 40th anniversary of the launch of the series and will also celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Huxtables joining the TV fray with marathons of the most memorable episodes from both series, including the premiere episodes. Additionally, TVLand.com will honor the two series' with content such as extensive photo galleries, video clips of classic moments from each show, games and trivia.
The network will honor the 40th anniversary of the day when this lovely lady met this fellow and they became The Brady Bunch almost 40 years to the day beginning Monday, September 21, 2009 through Friday from 7PM-9PM ET/PT and Saturday, September 26 & Sunday, September 27 from 10AM-6PM ET/PT. Tune in to some of the funniest episodes including the September 26, 1969 pilot featuring Mike and Carols wedding when Tiger destroys the cake and other classics like Cindy's missing Kitty Karry-All doll, Greg and Marcia competing for class president, Jan in a brunette wig, a family trip to the Grand Canyon and many more! TVLand.com gets in on the anniversary action with exclusive web content on The Brady Bunch microsite which includes photo galleries, games such as the "Marcia Brady Football Toss" and Brady trivia, as well as video clips of favorite Brady moments and beloved musical performances. Additionally, in partnership with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation's Archive of American Television, interviews with the cast and Brady creator Sherwood Schwartz will be featured. Fans will also be able to follow Barry "Greg" Williams, Susan "Cindy" Olsen, Geri Reischl ("Fake Jan" of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour), Wendy Winans (BradyWorld.com) and author and Brady expert Lisa Sutton on Twitter as they "tweet" throughout the anniversary marathon week. Sutton will also contribute to blog entries during the week to discuss subjects such as "Where are they now?" and "Brady Collectibles."
The festivities honoring the Huxtables Silver 25th anniversary will air with a marathon of extra-special episodes of The Cosby Show highlighting memorable moments on Wednesday, September 23 from 9PM to Midnight ET/PT. From the pilot episode which originally premiered September 20, 1984 when Denise goes on a date with an older merchant marine -- much to Cliff's dismay -- to Theo's disastrous designer shirt knock-off home-sewn by his sister, to the unforgettable staircase family lip-synch performance of Ray Charles' classic, "Night Time Is The Right Time," for Grandma and Grandpa Huxtable's Anniversary, viewers are sure to have a smile on their face – especially after Rudy steals the show. The Cosby Show is also featured at TVLand.com with a Cliff Huxtable sweater gallery, favorite video clips from the show and Cosby trivia about the cast and the loveable characters they played.
Congrats to our friend Wendy of BradyWorld.com on being featured on the Brady Bunch anniversary! As for The Cosby Show, WGN America will be doing a much better tribute this coming Sunday, as we mentioned.
Monday, September 14, 2009
TBS and ABC Family Renew Original Sitcoms; Remembering Larry Gelbart
Co-starring in My Boys as PJ's mostly male group of close friends are Kyle Howard as boyfriend Bobby, Reid Scott as best friend Brendon, Michael Bunin as Kenny and Jamie Kaler as Mike. Kellee Stewart co-stars as Stephanie, a former schoolmate and the only female influence in PJ's life.
The single camera sitcom premiered to critical praise on TBS in November 2006. When the series returned in summer 2007, it scored 22% growth among adults 18-34. Earlier this year, the show's third season garnered 11% growth among adults 18-34. The comedy is particularly strong among DVR users, delivering 72% growth among adults 18-34 and 52% growth among viewers when comparing Live to Live + 7 viewing for the third season.
Meanwhile, ABC Family has ordered another season of ten episodes of original comedy 10 Things I Hate About You. The ensemble single camera sitcom based on the 1999 feature of the same name has performed well for ABC Family since its July 7 debut. The comedy is created and executive produced by Carter Covington and stars Lindsey Shaw, Meaghan Martin, Larry Miller and Ethan Peck. The series just finished its first season episode order (10 episodes) last Tuesday.
However, the news was not as good for another original ABC Family series that premiered this summer, Ruby and the Rockits. ABC Family will not renew the multicamera sitcom that revolved around a pair of aging pop stars and their families, which starred Patrick Cassidy, David Cassidy and Alexa Vega and was executive produced by Shaun Cassidy. The series still has two episodes left to air in its only season episode order, with the series finale airing next Tuesday at 8:30PM.
Larry Gelbart, the award-winning writer whose sly, sardonic wit helped create such hits as Broadway's A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, the film Tootsie, and of course television's M*A*S*H, died Friday. Gelbart died at his Beverly Hills home after a long battle with cancer. He is likely best remembered for the long-running TV show about Army doctors during the Korean War. Gelbart won an Emmy for M*A*S*H and was nominated for writing but quit during the show's fourth season, saying he was "totally worn out."
Gelbart's Broadway show, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, written with Burt Shevelove, was a runaway hit. It was based loosely on the Roman plays of Plautus with songs by Stephen Sondheim.
His films Oh, God! with George Burns as a philosophical deity, and Tootsie, with Dustin Hoffman as a cross-dressing actor, both brought him Academy Award nominations, and the HBO movie Barbarians at the Gate, about Wall Street chicanery, brought another Emmy.
Gelbart's other television work was creating the short-lived CBS sitcom Roll Out! in 1973. It starred Stu Gilliam and Hilly Hicks, and featuring Ed Begley, Jr. and Garrett Morris, the series was set in France during World War II and was loosely based on the 1952 film Red Ball Express. Instead of Army medics, Roll Out! highlighted the pratfalls of the supply drivers of the 5050th Quartermaster Trucking Company of the U.S. Third Army's Red Ball Express, whose staff was mainly African American.
Gelbart was also known for writing the first television pilot for Three's Company in 1976, which today is known as "The Larry Gelbart Pilot." The pilot never aired originally, but has been on DVD and aired on cable on TV Land. In 1980, Larry had another show that didn't last too long. The series was for NBC titled United States and starred Beau Bridges. It was a show about Richard and Libby Chapin and their two children Dylan and Nicky. The show differed from other sitcoms in that there might not be closure to problems after a frank discussion and the subjects discussed were not common to other sitcoms.
In 1983, Larry came back to M*A*S*H in the spin-off AfterMASH. It only lasted two seasons and had the Korean War ended with Colonel Potter, Sergeant Klinger, and Father Mulcahy finding themselves together once again, this time at a veteran's hospital.
In recent years Larry has been interviewed for TV Land Confidential, Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America, Inside TV Land: The Dick Van Dyke Show, M*A*S*H: 30th Anniversary Reunion, and most recently Biography: Three's Company. He was also at the TV Land Awards earlier this year.
Larry will certainly be missed and his great writing will live on forever in M*A*S*H and his other work. He was 81.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Summer Week 16 Sitcom Ratings; Blog DVD Review: Private Practice - The Complete Second Season (9/15)
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of August 30-Sept. 6)
- Til Death (Fox) - A repeat at 7pm did only 1.17 million...but it was Labor Day weekend.
- The Simpsons (Fox) - preempted for a movie.
- King of the Hill (Fox) - preempted for a movie...one-hour series finale airs tonight.
- Family Guy (Fox) - preempted for a movie.
- American Dad! (Fox) - preempted for a movie.
Monday Sitcoms
- How I Met Your Mother
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 9.02 million for a repeat on Labor Day, yet up from previous week I believe.
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 8.09 million for a repeat. 2.8 18-49 rating is excellent for repeats, and the best of the CBS sitcom block for this night.
- None.
- Old Christine (CBS) - preempted for Obama Address to Congress.
- Gary Unmarried (CBS) - preempted for Obama Address to Congress.
- Parks & Recreation (NBC) - preempted for NFL Opening Night game.
- The Office (NBC) 2 episodes - preempted for NFL Opening Night game.
- 30 Rock (NBC) - preempted for NFL Opening Night game.
Friday Sitcoms
- None.
- None.
It is time for a special Sunday edition of the "Blog DVD Review." This week we take a look at ABC Studios' Private Practice: The Complete Second Season. Private Practice is the hit spin-off series of Grey's Anatomy that has Addison (Kate Walsh) in Los Angeles to work at her best friend's 'private practice' instead of the big hospital surgeries. See my Blog DVD review of Private Practice: The Complete Second Season:
Private Practice: The Complete Second Season (ABC Studios, $39.99) brings the second season of the Grey's Anatomy spin-off starring Kate Walsh on DVD with all 22 episodes! This season we experience all the challenges, changes, and second chanced found in this sizzling hit. This year Oceanside Wellness will have a competitor, as neo-netal surgeon Dr. Addison Montgomery will face the challenge of bringing the practice back on its feet after a rough patch.
The series will return to its Thursdays at 10PM timeslot on ABC this coming season following Grey's Anatomy. The series stars Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery (Obstetrics & Gynecology, Genetic Counseling), Tim Daly as Dr. Pete Wilder (Complementary Medicine), Audra McDonald as Dr. Naomi Bennett (Endocrinology & Fertility), Paul Adelstein as Dr. Cooper Freedman (Pediatrics), KaDee Strickland as Dr. Charolotte King (Chief of Staff at the nearby hospital), Chris Lowell as Dell Parker (Receptionist/Nurse), with Taye Diggs as Dr. Sam Bennett (Internal Medicine), and Amy Brenneman as Dr. Violet Turner (Psychiatry). Among the recurring stars are David Sutcliffe, Brian Benben, Grant Show, Jayne Brook, Josh Hopkins, and Jay Harrington. Among the special guests this year are Amy Acker, Ernie Hudson, Bill Dee Williams, Liz Torres, Patty McCormack, Amanda Detmer, Idina Menzel and the cast of Grey's Anatomy in a cross-over.
This second season was I believe a lot better than the first season when it was shortened by the strike and was trying to find itself. The series moved to Thursdays at 10pm in January after airing Wednesdays at 9pm prior to that. The third season premieres on October and I have seen the season premiere already and it leaves off where the second season leaves off. It is a great premiere you won't want to miss, for sure! Anyway, as for season two, some memorable episodes include the season premiere, "A Family Thing," where friendships are tested and secrets are revealed when Addison discovers that Naomi is concealing the practice's financial problems. In "Nothing to Talk About," Charlotte tries to woo Addison to St. Ambrose Hospital with promises of surgeries, as Addison and Kevin's relationship heats up. In "Tempting Faith," Addison receives a surprise visit from her brother and fellow surgeon, Archer (Grant Show), and his presence not only causes trouble for her, but for Naomi and Sam as well. In "Know When to Fold," Charlotte's rival practice, Pacific Wellcare, opens its doors and the competition with Oceanside Wellness begins, as Sam and Pete steal one of their clients, a favorite patient of Addison's goes to a Pacific Wellcare doctor for a second opinion. In "Homeward Bound," as Addison and Kevin struggle in their relationship, she finds herself attracted to Wyatt, the cocky doctor from rival Pacific Wellcare, while Violet seeks a way to carry on relationships with both Pete and Sheldon (Brian Benben), and Cooper grows closer to Charlotte when she experiences a family emergency. In "Acceptance," when Archer suffers a seizure, Addison and Naomi search for a cause and a cure and later call Derek for help. In "Ex-Life," Bailey (Chandra Wilson) and Naomi try to discover why Sam has a sudden asthma attack while Addison helps Derek (Patrick Dempsey) save the life of his pregnant patient, in a cross-over episode with Grey's Anatomy. In "Finishing," Addison is attracted to a colleague at St. Ambrose Hospital who turns out to be more than she bargained for, while Pete and Sheldon team up to persuade Violet to take a paternity test, but she firmly resists their effort. In the outstanding season finale "Yours, Mine, and Ours," as Violet chooses between Pete and Sheldon, Addison faces her feelings for Noah as Morgan goes into labor, while Dell has concerns for his daughter when a drugged-out Heather returns to town and Naomi must decide if it's in her best interest to stay with Oceanside Wellness or start anew at Pacific Wellcare. And in the cliff-hanger, a grief-stricken patient poses a danger to Violet.
The episodes run usually close to 43 minutes (unless it is an extended episode, which I will discuss a bit later)...unedited of course with all the great music intact. There are about 7 chapter stops per episode. The video is digitally mastered and is in widescreen and looks very good! The audio is great and sounds very good, as it is in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. This is from the 2008-09 season, so it had better be good. Now as I discussed in the Grey's Anatomy Season 5 DVD Review, only the crossover episodes that aired as its own episode are here. So on the Grey's DVD, if it was under a Grey's episode, it is on that DVD only and not on the Private Practice DVD. So we don't get the Grey's Anatomy episodes "Beat Your Heart Out" (in which we see Derek at the end of the episode receiving the phone call from Addison), "Before and After" (the first actual cross-over with the gang going to Seattle) and "An Honest Mistake" (as Addison hangs around in Seattle to help on a case). It would have been nice if we had those episodes as extras at least! "Before and After" at least should be here as that episode is really needed, as the Private episode "Ex-Life" needs that episode to make sense. Buy the Grey's Season 5 DVD, I guess.
Packaging has an outer box that you can remove from the right then you'll see the digipak case inside, as last time. The outer box's cover has a nice big photo of Addison's face (with long hair) in the middle, with the seven remaining stars below that. The show logo is on the top in white wording and blue background. The back of the box has that blue background with information on the set and has some episodic screen shots from episodes that feature all eight of our stars. There is also a section detailing the bonus features box with technical specifications also. On the case itself, we have a nice cast photo at the beach on the front with the show logo and a nice blue background. The back of the case has the same style, with a episodic photos of Charlotte & Violet and one of Cooper. Opening the case, on the left side we see a pocket that holds inserts and on the pocket itself we have a disc-by-disc breakdown with episode titles and bonus features. There are two inserts in the left side pocket. We don't get an episode booklet this time, which is strange...but seems to be the case for all ABC DVDs this fall. Then there is an insert for other ABC Studios products and an insert for Blu-ray. On the right side of the case, we see an episodic photo of Sam and Naomi. Then we open the case again, in the middle we see discs one & two (overlapping, ugh) and the right side we see an episodic photo of Addison and Pete with Dell & Violet in the background. Opening the case on final time, we have a panel for discs three & four and on the far right we have a panel for discs five & six. Each disc matches the set's color scheme, that blue background and has nice character artwork. Disc one has episodes 1-4 with artwork of Addison & Pete. Disc two has episodes 5-8 and has artwork of Sam & Naomi. Disc three has episodes 9-12 and has artwork of Cooper & Violet. Disc four has episodes 13-16 and has artwork of Dell & Charlotte. Disc five has episodes 17-20 and has artwork of the entire cast. And finally disc six has episodes 21-22 and the bonus features with artwork of palm trees. When you remove the discs, the panels have nice artwork of different characters.
The menu screen has clips in the background with background music from the series playing in the background audio wise. The options on the main menu are Play All, Episode Selection, Set Up, Bonus Features (disc six), and Sneak Peeks (disc six). But before the main menu screen comes on disc one, we get some auto sneak peeks of other DVDs: ABC on DVD, Grey's Anatomy Season 5, Desperate Housewives, The Proposal, and Blu-ray DVD. Sneak Peeks option is only found on disc six on the main menu and has previews of many titles like Ugly Betty, Life on Mars, Castle DVDs, and an ABC promo for Grey's Anatomy. Set Up section has the option of subtitles in English, French or Spanish and how you can register your DVD. The Episodes option gives us the episode number, title and a screenshot. Bonus Features option is only on disc six and it has all the extras listed. All of the sub-menus have different background music.
Moving on the bonus features. We get two extended episodes with never before scenes! The extended episodes are "Crime and Punishment" (53:17) and "Nothing to Fear" (60:04). Wow, those are song long episodes! We also have an ABC Starter Kit (4:41) that recaps what has happened so far. A nice little fresher! This is listed in the episodes section on disc one.
All of the other extras are on disc six! We have an interview featurette titled "Patient Confidentiality: Examining Season 2" (12:50). This is a very good detailed extra that gives us the inside scoop on season two. Interviewed are Shonda Rhimes & Betsy Beers, Amy Brenneman, Paul Adelstein, and Tim Daly. We have one more featurette titled "Life Through the Lens: The Pictures of Chris Lowell" (8:08). This shows us Chris' talent of photography and we also see some cool shots from his collection. He travels a lot as well. Interviewed are Chris Lowell, Tim Daly, KaDee Strickland, Paul Adelstein, Kate Walsh, and Taye Diggs.
Then we have "Deleted Scenes" that are better organized and handled on this set. They are listed with episode titles so you know where they are from! We also have optional audio commentary on these deleted scenes from Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers! So you'll know why they were removed from the actual airing. If my counting skills are correct, we have about 23 deleted scenes! They are from episodes "A Family Thing," "Equal & Opposite," "Nothing to Talk About," "Past Tense," "Let It Go," "Know When to Fold," World's Apart," "Contamination", "Homeward Bound," "Second Chances," "Wait and See," "Finishing," "What Women Want," and "What You Do for Love." Finally, we have some "Bloopers" (4:16)...yes, bloopers! See all the goofs and play on the set!
I recommend this series and set...it is an ABC Studios DVD, so it is good and filled with special features. I think this series broke out after the crossover episodes and now it will have a full season behind Grey's Anatomy on Thursday nights. This season is miles better than the shortened first season and the characters have personalities and great stories and you won't want to miss this. As I mentioned, I saw the third season premiere in advance already and it is a very well written episode and leaves off where we last left off. It focuses on the hospital, but it is intense. You'll want to tune in for sure on Oct. 1, but you need to refresh yourself, catch up with these 22 season two episodes first! You won't need to have an illness or injury to watch this season on DVD, so no excuses to click on the link below to order today!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4.5/5 stars)To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Tuesday, November 3
Tyler Perry's Assisted Living - "Not Afraid" (BET, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Determined to face his fears alone, Philip returns to school; his family's covert intervention nearly lands them in jail, forcing everyone to confront trust, boundaries and unconditional love.
Lot Patrol - "" (BET, 9:30PM ET/PT)
A squad of security guards patrol a Hollywood studio, wrangling unhinged actors, rogue crew members, and their own dysfunctional lives.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 2)
Tuesday, November 3
- Ronny Chieng (Young Rock/Ronny Chieng: International Student) - Ronny hosts Comedy Central's The Daily Show at 11pm.
- Jane Leeves (Hot in Cleveland/Frasier/Throb) - Andy Cohen interviews Jane on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen at 3:30am on Bravo.
- Henry Winkler (Barry/Arrested Development/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - Henry talks about Hexed and Detective Duck: The Mystery of the Flash Flood on ABC's GMA3 at 1pm.
- Emma Roberts (Scream Queens/Unfabulous) - Emma drops by for a chat about FX's American Horror Story on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Justine Lupe (Nobody Wants This/Cristela) - Justine talks about Nobody Wants This on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- David Zayas (The Bear) and Dominic Fumusa (Nurse Jackie) - David and Dominic will be on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Awkwafina (Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens) - Awkwafina talks about The Unlikely Chef on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 9am hour.
- Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show) - Wilmer talks about NCIS on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Timothy Simons (Nobody Wants This/HouseBroken/Veep) - Timothy can be heard on the Morning Mashup on SiriusXM.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/20/26 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27/26 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11/26 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
04/11/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
04/21/26 - Famous Studios Champion Collection (Blu-ray) (DVD)
05/19/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (DVD)
05/19/26 - Looney Tunes Cartoons - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
06/16/26 - Difficult People - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
06/30/26 - Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
07/14/26 - The Office - The Complete Series - Superfan Extended Episodes (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Bill Dana Show - The Complete Series (DVD)
07/28/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Paper - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
08/25/26 - Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/08/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
09/22/26 - Bridget Loves Bernie - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/20/26 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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