Monday, September 20, 2010
Fox Fall Pilot Review: Running Wilde - Premieres September 21; Top 10 Sitcom Bodacious Babes & Humongous Hunks
The 2010-2011 TV season officially begins TONIGHT! Are you excited? Our new sitcom pilot reviews continue all this week though Thursday! Today we have a pilot review for Fox's new comedy Running Wilde.
Running Wilde - Tuesdays 9:30PM ET/PT on Fox
Premieres Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at 9:30PM ET/PT
From the Emmy Award-winning creator and the star of the critically acclaimed Fox series Arrested Development comes Running Wilde, a romantic comedy starring Will Arnett as Steven Wilde, a filthy-rich, immature playboy trying desperately to win (or buy) the heart of his childhood sweetheart, Emmy Kadubic (Keri Russell), the über-liberal humanitarian who got away – all told through the perspective of a 12-year-old girl.
Steve Wilde has never performed a selfless act. But why should he? He's rich! The son of an oil tycoon, Steve hasn't had to work a day in his life and has always gotten everything he's wanted – with one exception: the love of Emmy.
The daughter of a former Wilde housekeeper, Emmy is an earnest do-gooder who has spent her adult life trying to save the world. And though Emmy is content living with an indigenous tribe in the Amazon rainforest, her 12-year-old daughter, Puddle (Stefania Owen), just wants to be a normal kid experiencing her adolescence in a normal place. And she would speak up except for the fact that she hasn't spoken in six months.
When Wilde Oil's expansion in the rainforest threatens her adopted tribe, Emmy decides to attend Steve's self-thrown "Humanitarian of the Year" award ceremony in hopes of convincing him to help her cause...and also maybe because she still has a thing for Steve. But same-old Steve is unwilling to help because fighting Wilde Oil (a/k/a Dad) means putting his meal ticket in jeopardy.
Rather than run the risk of letting Emmy slip away again, Steve pulls out all the stops to win her heart. To do so, he enlists the only other people in his life who can help: Oxford-accented neighbor and "frenemy" Fa'ad Shaoulian (Peter Serafinowicz); Migo Salazar (Mel Rodriguez), Steve's employee/sidekick/errand-boy; and (reluctantly) the scheming Mr. Lunt (Robert Michael Morris), Steve's "manny"-turned-secretary as well as the biggest protector of Steve...and his own job.
Despite having everything he ever wanted, Steve knows he can't buy love and happiness, which falls in sharp contrast to Emmy, who has nothing but love and happiness. So with Emmy committed to doing good for nothing, and Steve being a good for nothing, will this hopelessly mismatched pair ever be able to reconcile their differences?
Running Wilde is produced by Tantamount Studios, Five Hole Pictures and Principato-Young Management in association with Lionsgate Television. The series is written and created by Mitch Hurwitz, Jim Vallely and Will Arnett. Hurwitz, Vallely, Arnett, Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, Peter Principato and Paul Young serve as executive producers. Anthony Russo and Joe Russo directed and served as executive producers on the pilot episode.
Cast Details:
* Will Arnett as Steven Wilde
* Keri Russell as Emmy Kadubic
* Stefania Owen as Puddle Kadubic
* Peter Serafinowicz as Fa'ad Shaoulin
* Robert Mitchell Morris as Mr. Lunt
* Mel Rodriguez as Migo Salazar
Will Arnett (Steven Wilde) stars and co-wrote the series pilot and serves an executive producer and writer on the series. Arnett earned his first Emmy nomination in 2006 for his work on the critically acclaimed comedy series Arrested Development, where he portrayed Gob Bluth for three seasons. Arnett's recurring guest-starring role as Devon Banks on the comedy series 30 Rock most recently earned him a 2010 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, a role in which he was nominated for previously in 2008.
Before Arrested Development, Arnett was a regular on the comedy series The Mike O'Malley Show. His additional television credits include Parks and Recreation, Sex and the City, The Sopranos, Will & Grace, Boston Public, Third Watch, Law & Order: SVU and a regular on the animated Sit Down, Shut Up.
Keri Russell (Emmy Kadubic) has starred in a number of major motion pictures, independent films and television shows. Russell first garnered attention starring in the title role in the hit television series Felicity. In just four months after the show's acclaimed premiere, Russell was honored with a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Drama Series. Her television work also includes the mini-series Into the West executive-produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Simon Wincer, and the Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation The Magic of Ordinary Days.
Stefania Owen (Puddle Kadubic) was most recently seen in director Peter Jackson's feature film adaptation of The Lovely Bones. She is making her television debut. She is only 12 years old.
Peter Serafinowicz (Fa'ad Shaoulian, Steve's neighbor) is a familiar face to audiences in his native England. Serafinowicz co-created with Robert Popper the cult British TV series Look Around You, which was nominated for a BAFTA and won the Rose d'Or for Best Comedy in 2006. He also created a series of internet shorts with his brother, James, that led to a television series commissioned by the BBC entitled The Peter Serafinowicz Show. The series went on to receive a BAFTA nomination, and in 2008 Serafinowicz won the Rose d'Or for Best Entertainer.
Robert Michael Morris' (Mr. Lunt, Steve's secretary) breakthrough role was as flamboyant hair stylist Mickey Deane opposite Lisa Kudrow in the critically acclaimed cable series The Comeback. His additional television credits include Brothers & Sisters, How I Met Your Mother, The Class, Arrested Development and Will & Grace.
Mel Rodriguez's (Migo Salazar, Steve's driver & friend) television work includes recurring roles on Big Love, FLASHFORWARD, The Middle and George Lopez. His film credits include Little Miss Sunshine and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. Rodriguez recently guest-starred on the cable comedy series Workaholics.
Pilot Plot:
#1 "Pilot" (#104, Airs Tuesday, Sept. 21)
Steven Wilde is a filthy-rich, immature playboy trying desperately to win (or buy) the heart of his childhood sweetheart, Emmy Kadubic, the über-liberal humanitarian who got away. Given the chance to reconnect with Emmy, Steve pulls out all the stops to win her heart.
Guest starring is David Cross as Andy Weeks.
"Pilot" was written by Mitch Hurwitz, Jim Vallely & Will Arnett and directed by Anthony Russo & Joe Russo.
Analysis:
The pilot is OK. I was expecting it to be a bit better with Will Arnett and Keri Russell in the cast. The pilot was very quirky, I think. It might not get the mainstream audience. The supporting characters I think are much funnier it seems in the pilot. Steven Wilde is a billionaire and he has a pretty big ego. Sometimes he is very unlikeable in this pilot. This is not your ordinary romantic comedy for sure. I guess that is good since it is really different. Anyway, Steven's friends are probably the funniest part of the pilot. His driver/friend Migo is pretty funny, as are his secretary Mr. Lunt (who also was his "manny" when he was a child), and his rich neighbor Fa'ad. Mr. Lunt looks like a dead-ringer for the late Rod Roddy of The Price is Right. In fact, Steven and Mr. Lint mention The Price is Right in the pilot, which made me immediately think that Mr. Lint looks like Rod!
Steven is obsessed with his childhood sweetheart Emmy. They haven't seen each other since they were kids, though. Steven sets up The Humanitarian of the Fiscal Year award and honors himself. He invites Emmy, who is now living in the Amazon with her 12 year old daughter, Puddles. The series is told through the perspective of Puddle (that means she is the narrator). Puddles is very unhappy living in the Amazon, but Emmy doesn't listen and realize it. Puddles hasn't spoken a word in 6 months. That is strange. Emmy has a boyfriend in the Amazon named Andy (played by David Cross) and he is an "eco-terrorist." We only see him briefly in this pilot, but he definitely doesn't seem that interested in Emmy. Ironically, Wilde Oil (ran by Steven's father) is trying to kick the tribe out of the Amazon. I guess that is the reason Emmy goes to the award event to persuade Steven to ask his father not to drill in the Amazon. Of course Steve refuses. But will he do anything to get her back?
Apparently he does. He and his neighbor Fa'ad create a story after Puddles finally talked and told Steven that she wants out of the Amazon. So Steven and Fa'ad try to trick Emmy...will it work? At the end Steven shows a little bit of heart, but is it enough?
Conclusion:
This pilot has its moments. It could be better but this is a set-up of the story so it might take an episode or two to find is footing. The supporting characters are great, but they really need to make Steven a bit nicer at least as he seems heartless. I am not sure why Emmy is even interested in Steven. The pilot is certainly "wild." It's "ego meets eco" in this comedy, will Steven's ego ever go away and will Emmy's eco-craziness ever go away? Maybe at some point they will both meet half-way and realize they need to back off a bit on the ego and eco stuff.
The series will have a pretty hard time in the ratings, I think facing steep competition on ABC, CBS and even NBC. Fox hasn't had a live-action comedy hit in years. The series will follow Raising Hope, which we reviewed yesterday. Will this show follow in the path of Arrested Development and never catch on in the ratings? I think that will be the case here. It should have a cult following like that show, especially online. The series has potential, but it needs to back off a bit on heartless Steve (like at the end of the pilot). This is not your ordinary romantic comedy, so be prepared for something a little different (and "wild").
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Watchability: 3.5/5
Funniness: 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5
-- Reviewed by Pavan on 09/20/10
Discuss the show after you watch it on Tuesday, September 21 on our message board.
Related Links:
Fox.com Official Site TV.com epguides.com Internet Movie Database Wikipedia Running Wilde Photo Gallery
Preview:
Running Wilde - Tuesdays 9:30PM ET/PT on Fox
Premieres Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at 9:30PM ET/PT
From the Emmy Award-winning creator and the star of the critically acclaimed Fox series Arrested Development comes Running Wilde, a romantic comedy starring Will Arnett as Steven Wilde, a filthy-rich, immature playboy trying desperately to win (or buy) the heart of his childhood sweetheart, Emmy Kadubic (Keri Russell), the über-liberal humanitarian who got away – all told through the perspective of a 12-year-old girl.
Steve Wilde has never performed a selfless act. But why should he? He's rich! The son of an oil tycoon, Steve hasn't had to work a day in his life and has always gotten everything he's wanted – with one exception: the love of Emmy.
The daughter of a former Wilde housekeeper, Emmy is an earnest do-gooder who has spent her adult life trying to save the world. And though Emmy is content living with an indigenous tribe in the Amazon rainforest, her 12-year-old daughter, Puddle (Stefania Owen), just wants to be a normal kid experiencing her adolescence in a normal place. And she would speak up except for the fact that she hasn't spoken in six months.
When Wilde Oil's expansion in the rainforest threatens her adopted tribe, Emmy decides to attend Steve's self-thrown "Humanitarian of the Year" award ceremony in hopes of convincing him to help her cause...and also maybe because she still has a thing for Steve. But same-old Steve is unwilling to help because fighting Wilde Oil (a/k/a Dad) means putting his meal ticket in jeopardy.
Rather than run the risk of letting Emmy slip away again, Steve pulls out all the stops to win her heart. To do so, he enlists the only other people in his life who can help: Oxford-accented neighbor and "frenemy" Fa'ad Shaoulian (Peter Serafinowicz); Migo Salazar (Mel Rodriguez), Steve's employee/sidekick/errand-boy; and (reluctantly) the scheming Mr. Lunt (Robert Michael Morris), Steve's "manny"-turned-secretary as well as the biggest protector of Steve...and his own job.
Despite having everything he ever wanted, Steve knows he can't buy love and happiness, which falls in sharp contrast to Emmy, who has nothing but love and happiness. So with Emmy committed to doing good for nothing, and Steve being a good for nothing, will this hopelessly mismatched pair ever be able to reconcile their differences?
Running Wilde is produced by Tantamount Studios, Five Hole Pictures and Principato-Young Management in association with Lionsgate Television. The series is written and created by Mitch Hurwitz, Jim Vallely and Will Arnett. Hurwitz, Vallely, Arnett, Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, Peter Principato and Paul Young serve as executive producers. Anthony Russo and Joe Russo directed and served as executive producers on the pilot episode.
Cast Details:
* Will Arnett as Steven Wilde
* Keri Russell as Emmy Kadubic
* Stefania Owen as Puddle Kadubic
* Peter Serafinowicz as Fa'ad Shaoulin
* Robert Mitchell Morris as Mr. Lunt
* Mel Rodriguez as Migo Salazar
Will Arnett (Steven Wilde) stars and co-wrote the series pilot and serves an executive producer and writer on the series. Arnett earned his first Emmy nomination in 2006 for his work on the critically acclaimed comedy series Arrested Development, where he portrayed Gob Bluth for three seasons. Arnett's recurring guest-starring role as Devon Banks on the comedy series 30 Rock most recently earned him a 2010 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, a role in which he was nominated for previously in 2008.
Before Arrested Development, Arnett was a regular on the comedy series The Mike O'Malley Show. His additional television credits include Parks and Recreation, Sex and the City, The Sopranos, Will & Grace, Boston Public, Third Watch, Law & Order: SVU and a regular on the animated Sit Down, Shut Up.
Keri Russell (Emmy Kadubic) has starred in a number of major motion pictures, independent films and television shows. Russell first garnered attention starring in the title role in the hit television series Felicity. In just four months after the show's acclaimed premiere, Russell was honored with a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Drama Series. Her television work also includes the mini-series Into the West executive-produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Simon Wincer, and the Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation The Magic of Ordinary Days.
Stefania Owen (Puddle Kadubic) was most recently seen in director Peter Jackson's feature film adaptation of The Lovely Bones. She is making her television debut. She is only 12 years old.
Peter Serafinowicz (Fa'ad Shaoulian, Steve's neighbor) is a familiar face to audiences in his native England. Serafinowicz co-created with Robert Popper the cult British TV series Look Around You, which was nominated for a BAFTA and won the Rose d'Or for Best Comedy in 2006. He also created a series of internet shorts with his brother, James, that led to a television series commissioned by the BBC entitled The Peter Serafinowicz Show. The series went on to receive a BAFTA nomination, and in 2008 Serafinowicz won the Rose d'Or for Best Entertainer.
Robert Michael Morris' (Mr. Lunt, Steve's secretary) breakthrough role was as flamboyant hair stylist Mickey Deane opposite Lisa Kudrow in the critically acclaimed cable series The Comeback. His additional television credits include Brothers & Sisters, How I Met Your Mother, The Class, Arrested Development and Will & Grace.
Mel Rodriguez's (Migo Salazar, Steve's driver & friend) television work includes recurring roles on Big Love, FLASHFORWARD, The Middle and George Lopez. His film credits include Little Miss Sunshine and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. Rodriguez recently guest-starred on the cable comedy series Workaholics.
Pilot Plot:
#1 "Pilot" (#104, Airs Tuesday, Sept. 21)
Steven Wilde is a filthy-rich, immature playboy trying desperately to win (or buy) the heart of his childhood sweetheart, Emmy Kadubic, the über-liberal humanitarian who got away. Given the chance to reconnect with Emmy, Steve pulls out all the stops to win her heart.
Guest starring is David Cross as Andy Weeks.
"Pilot" was written by Mitch Hurwitz, Jim Vallely & Will Arnett and directed by Anthony Russo & Joe Russo.
Analysis:
The pilot is OK. I was expecting it to be a bit better with Will Arnett and Keri Russell in the cast. The pilot was very quirky, I think. It might not get the mainstream audience. The supporting characters I think are much funnier it seems in the pilot. Steven Wilde is a billionaire and he has a pretty big ego. Sometimes he is very unlikeable in this pilot. This is not your ordinary romantic comedy for sure. I guess that is good since it is really different. Anyway, Steven's friends are probably the funniest part of the pilot. His driver/friend Migo is pretty funny, as are his secretary Mr. Lunt (who also was his "manny" when he was a child), and his rich neighbor Fa'ad. Mr. Lunt looks like a dead-ringer for the late Rod Roddy of The Price is Right. In fact, Steven and Mr. Lint mention The Price is Right in the pilot, which made me immediately think that Mr. Lint looks like Rod!
Steven is obsessed with his childhood sweetheart Emmy. They haven't seen each other since they were kids, though. Steven sets up The Humanitarian of the Fiscal Year award and honors himself. He invites Emmy, who is now living in the Amazon with her 12 year old daughter, Puddles. The series is told through the perspective of Puddle (that means she is the narrator). Puddles is very unhappy living in the Amazon, but Emmy doesn't listen and realize it. Puddles hasn't spoken a word in 6 months. That is strange. Emmy has a boyfriend in the Amazon named Andy (played by David Cross) and he is an "eco-terrorist." We only see him briefly in this pilot, but he definitely doesn't seem that interested in Emmy. Ironically, Wilde Oil (ran by Steven's father) is trying to kick the tribe out of the Amazon. I guess that is the reason Emmy goes to the award event to persuade Steven to ask his father not to drill in the Amazon. Of course Steve refuses. But will he do anything to get her back?
Apparently he does. He and his neighbor Fa'ad create a story after Puddles finally talked and told Steven that she wants out of the Amazon. So Steven and Fa'ad try to trick Emmy...will it work? At the end Steven shows a little bit of heart, but is it enough?
Conclusion:
This pilot has its moments. It could be better but this is a set-up of the story so it might take an episode or two to find is footing. The supporting characters are great, but they really need to make Steven a bit nicer at least as he seems heartless. I am not sure why Emmy is even interested in Steven. The pilot is certainly "wild." It's "ego meets eco" in this comedy, will Steven's ego ever go away and will Emmy's eco-craziness ever go away? Maybe at some point they will both meet half-way and realize they need to back off a bit on the ego and eco stuff.
The series will have a pretty hard time in the ratings, I think facing steep competition on ABC, CBS and even NBC. Fox hasn't had a live-action comedy hit in years. The series will follow Raising Hope, which we reviewed yesterday. Will this show follow in the path of Arrested Development and never catch on in the ratings? I think that will be the case here. It should have a cult following like that show, especially online. The series has potential, but it needs to back off a bit on heartless Steve (like at the end of the pilot). This is not your ordinary romantic comedy, so be prepared for something a little different (and "wild").
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Watchability: 3.5/5
Funniness: 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5
-- Reviewed by Pavan on 09/20/10
Discuss the show after you watch it on Tuesday, September 21 on our message board.
Related Links:
Preview:
To celebrate tonight's premiere of Mike & Molly, our friends at TV Tango weigh in with a list of TV characters who are bodacious babes and humongous hunks. Did your fave fleshy fictional character make the list? See who makes the the top 10! Maybe Roseanne will make the cut? Find out by viewing the top 10! And if you missed it on Friday, here is our pilot review for Mike & Molly airing tonight on CBS!
We have three more pilot reviews to do the next three days for the fall sitcom season:
*Tuesday, September 21: Better With You, ABC (premieres Wednesday, Sept. 22)
*Wednesday, September 22: $#*! (Bleep) My Dad Says, CBS (premieres Thursday, Sept. 23)
*Thursday, September 23: Outsourced, NBC (premieres Thursday, Sept. 23)
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Fox Fall Pilot Review: Raising Hope - Premieres September 21
Raising Hope - Tuesdays 9:00PM ET/PT on FOX
Premieres Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at 9:00PM ET/PT
RAISING HOPE is a new single-camera family comedy from Emmy Award winner Greg Garcia that follows the Chance family as they find themselves adding an unexpected new member into their household.
At 23 years old, JIMMY CHANCE (Lucas Neff) is going nowhere in life. He skims pools for a living, parties every night and still lives at home with his family, including his MAW MAW (Cloris Leachman); his mother, VIRGINIA (Martha Plimpton) and his father, BURT (Garret Dillahunt).
Jimmy’s life takes a drastic turn when a chance romantic encounter with LUCY (guest star Bijou Phillips) goes awry once he discovers she is a wanted felon. Months later, when Jimmy pays a visit to the local prison, he learns Lucy is pregnant with their baby, and after she gives birth, he is charged with raising their daughter.
Back at home, Jimmy’s family is less than enthusiastic about a new addition to the household. His parents, who had him when they were 15, never knew anything about raising a child and have no interest in trying again. Jimmy may be able to get some help from SABRINA (Shannon Woodward), a sardonic checkout clerk he met at the supermarket if only he can work up the nerve to ask her out. Despite it all, Jimmy is determined to take care of his baby – whom Virginia thinks they should name HOPE.
With very few useful skills but their hearts in the right place, will the Chance family be successful when they step into the unpredictable and immensely challenging world of parenting?
RAISING HOPE is produced by Amigos de Garcia Productions in association with 20th Century Fox Television. The pilot was written by Greg Garcia and directed by Michael Fresco. Garcia serves as executive producer on the series.
Cast Details:
* Lucas Neff as Jimmy Chance
* Martha Plimpton as Virginia Chance
* Garret Dillahunt as Burt Chance
* Shannon Woodward as Sabrina
* Cloris Leachman as Maw Maw
* Skyler Stone as Mike
Lucas Neff's (Jimmy Chance) acting career began as an accident when his application at the University of Illinois was misprocessed and they assigned him to the performing arts department by mistake. After graduating from college, he went on to study at the School at Steppenwolf.
Neff's theater credits include Jon, Talk Radio, Honest and Hamlet. He recently completed shooting John Sayles' Amigo with Chris Cooper.
Multi-talented Martha Plimpton (Virginia Chance) has achieved success on stage, screen, and television. She made her film debut in Alan J. Pakula's Rollover and went on to star in over 30 films, including The Goonies, The Mosquito Coast, Running on Empty, Beautiful Girls, Parenthood, 200 Cigarettes and Pecker.
Plimpton most recently starred in her one-woman cabaret act at Lincoln Center to critical acclaim and sold-out audiences. Prior to that, she starred opposite Stockard Channing in Pal Joey for the Roundabout Theater Company. The performance garnered her a third Tony Award nomination, a Drama League Award nomination and a Drama Desk Nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In 2008, Plimpton starred in Top Girls for the Manhattan Theatre Club opposite Marisa Tomei, which resulted in Tony and Drama League nominations. As a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts Award.
Plimpton's memorable television appearances include The Good Wife, a recurring role on How To Make It In America and Law & Order: SVU, which garnered her an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
Garret Dillahunt (Burt Chance) recently completed work on John Sayles' Amigo and Ryan Redford's directorial debut, Oliver Sherman, playing the title role opposite Molly Parker and Donal Logue. This summer he can be seen in Winter's Bone, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, as well as the thriller Burning Bright opposite Brianna Evigan. His additional film credits include The Road with Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron, Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left, the Academy Award-nominated The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and the Coen Brothers Oscar-winning drama No Country For Old Men opposite Tommy Lee Jones.
Dillahunt is probably best known for his work on the critically acclaimed cable series Deadwood, in which he portrayed two entirely different characters: the assassin "Jack McCall" and the complex and deadly "Francis Wolcott." After recognizing Dillahunt's talent in his first incarnation, executive producer/writer David Milch created a second character for him. Additional television credits include Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, John From Cincinnati, The Book of Daniel, ER, The 4400, Damages, Life, Lie to Me, Law & Order: SVU, Criminal Minds, Burn Notice and White Collar.
Shannon Woodward (Sabrina) hails from Boca Raton, FL, and Austin, TX. The 25-year-old's television credits include guest-starring roles on ER, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Psych, Cold Case, Without a Trace, Crossing Jordan and Grounded for Life. Woodward was a series regular on The Riches.
Her film credits include Man of the House and The Comebacks, as well as independent films Girlfriend, The Shortcut, The Haunting of Molly Hartley and The Quiet.
Pilot Plot:
#1 "Pilot" (Airs September 21)
When well-meaning 23 year-old Jimmy Chance has a one-night stand with a wanted felon (guest star Bijou Phillips), he ends up with a brand-new baby girl. Inspired to do the right thing by his daughter he has to convince his less than enthusiastic parents and great grandmother Maw Maw (guest star Cloris Leachman) to help him raise her.
Directed by Michael Fresco
Written by Greg Garcia
Guest Stars: Cloris Leachman as Maw Maw, Bijou Phillips as Lucy, Ben Bagley as Newscaster, Gregg Binkley as Barney, Alycia L. Cooper as Dana, Kelly Heyer as Young Virginia (note that the guest stars weren't listed on the screener pilot - credits are from the IMDB and may be incomplete)
Analysis:
The opening scene begins with Jimmy and his cousin Mike skimming a pool. Jimmy's boss and father, Burt, rides on a lawnmower and blows some leaves back into the pool. Jimmy promptly quits the job. Jimmy says hello to his mom who goes to her housecleaning job. While "Chelsea Dagger" by The Fratellis (the Chicago Blackhawks goal song) plays in the background, Jimmy makes his life plan. The family has dinner together and discover they are out of bubblegum ice cream. Jimmy is the odd man out and picks up a frantic Lucy in his van on his way home from getting the ice cream. After a one-night stand, she meets the family the next morning. Everybody is shocked to watch a news report on TV that says Lucy is wanted in connection with a series of murders. Eight months later, Mike goes to the local prison and finds out that Lucy is pregnant. After she gives birth, he brings the baby, known as Princess Beyonce, home. Jimmy later pushes a shopping cart with the baby to go to a pawn shop to get a car seat. He meets Sabrina in the parking lot at the local grocery store. The shopping cart is stolen at the pawn shop, so Virginia drives him back. There is a flashback scene with a young Virginia and Jimmy in a car in a unbuckled car set. Jimmy goes to the grocery store to get some baby food and meets Sabrina again. Later, Jimmy changes the baby's diaper and he and Virginia have a bad experience. When the baby cries that night, Virginia sings a song to get her to sleep. Virginia later suggests that they name the baby Hope.
This single-camera comedy pilot is very funny and entertaining. It's shot like a mini-movie. There are many different scenes and shooting locations. The only sets appear to be the interior of the Chance family house and the grocery store. All of the other scenes appear to be shot at real locations. This is a very edgy and dark comedy. Some may find some of it to be tasteless, rude and crude, but I think it fits perfectly on Fox. I couldn't imagine this on another network. There's also a certain amount of warmth and sweetness to it. This blue-collar comedy is similar to one of creator Greg Garcia's earlier projects, My Name Is Earl. Like Earl, quite a few songs and flashbacks are used in the pilot.
There really isn't anything that I didn't like about the pilot. It sets up the characters and premise of the series nicely. It will be interesting to see who they bring in to play some quirky recurring characters in future episodes. Bijou Phillips will be brought back for at least one more episode. Cloris Leachman is listed as a guest star for the pilot. Her role is pretty small as the senile grandmother, but she makes the most out of her limited screen time and lines. The show could use a little less of her shirtless, however.
Conclusion:
Raising Hope appears to be one of the most promising new comedies this season. I'm usually not a big fan of single-camera comedies, but this one is set up the right way. I was a big fan of Greg Garcia's My Name Is Earl and this show has a bit of the same feel to it. Those episodes were shot like mini-movies with many different scenes per episode. They also used quite a few songs and flashback scenes, just like the Raising Hope pilot episode. Lucas Neff, as the young dad Jimmy, could be one of the breakout stars of the fall TV season. He seems to be a unknown with only a handful of film and TV credits. There isn't even a Wikipedia page for him yet. He does an excellent job in the pilot and is surrounded by an experienced ensemble cast. It's nice to see Martha Plimpton as a regular in a TV series. She has had a number of film and TV guest star appearances over the years, but this is her first lead role on a weekly series.
This will be a new show to watch this season. I've seen it listed on many critic's top new shows this fall. Fox really hasn't had a great live-action comedy since Arrested Development ended, but this should fill the void and end their drought. It faces some tough competion against the Dancing with the Stars Results show, NCIS: LA and the second hour of The Biggest Loser. I don't think it will generate great ratings, but this is a show that should be popular with DVR users and for people who watch shows online at the official sites. Tune in amd meet the Chance family on Fox on Tuesday nights at 9 ET/PT.
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Watchability: 4.5/5
Funniness: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5
-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller on 09/19/10
Discuss the show after you watch it on Tuesday, September 21 on our message board.
Related Links:
Preview:
Our normal weekly ratings report will be back next week. We will be bringing you pilot reviews over the next few days. Here is the schedule:
Friday, September 17: Mike & Molly, CBS (premieres Monday, Sept. 20)
Sunday, September 19: Raising Hope, Fox (premieres Tuesday, Sept. 21)
Monday, September 20: Running Wilde, Fox (premieres Tuesday, Sept. 21)
Tuesday, September 21: Better With You, ABC (premieres Wednesday, Sept. 22)
Wednesday, September 22: $#*! (Bleep) My Dad Says, CBS (premieres Thursday, Sept. 23)
Thursday, September 23: Outsourced, NBC (premieres Thursday, Sept. 23)
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Digital Digest: Castle - The Complete Second Season DVD Review (9/21)
Welcome to another edition of Digital Digest! Our normal Digital Digest blogger (skees53) as you know is off for the summer and is missed. We hope to have him back in the next few weeks! As always, we have the latest news, upcoming releases for Tuesday, and our DVD review this week is of ABC Studio's Castle - The Complete Second Season. TV's most engaging and unlikely crime-solving duo is back!
DIGITAL NEWS
It was another pretty slow news week. Several sitcoms will have some long-awaited new releases in the upcoming months. It has been a long wait since 2005 for Season 4 for Boy Meets World fans. Lionsgate has announced The Complete Fourth Season on a 3-disc set for December 7th for a MSRP of only $29.98! Some cast reunions and TV appearances are also being planned to promote this highly anticipated release. California Dreams - Season 4 should be available as early as December from Shout! Factory's Shout! Select online store.
Parks and Recreation - Season Two will be available from Universal Studios Home Entertainment on November 30th. The 4-disc set will contain all 24 episodes from the second season of the mockumentary starring Amy Poehler. Hung, HBO's comedy series, will have their second season available on DVD and Blu-ray.
In other TV news, Perry Mason - The Fifth Season, Volume Two has been announced by CBS DVD and Paramount Home Entertainment for November 17th. Package art has been released for Shout! Factory's December 7th release of Dragnet 1969 - Season Three. A press release is available for Warner Home Video's October 5th release of the Peanuts Deluxe Holiday Collection.
For more information on titles that we won't cover with full or blog DVD reviews, you can head on over to the news section of TVShowsOnDVD.com for all of the latest details.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (September 21) will have a lot of sitcom releases. HBO Home Video is releasing the first season of the comedy series Bored to Death on DVD and Blu-ray. Sony will have Community - The Complete First Season. This set is jam-packed with special features. Look for our full review soon. Suit up for 20th Century Fox's legendary release of How I Met Your Mother - Season Five. The hilarious and Emmy-winner Modern Family will have their Complete First Season on DVD and Blu-ray. Shout! Factory is releasing Rhoda - Season Four via their online Shout! Select store. 30 Rock - Season 4 will be available from Universal. Finally, Warner Home Video is releasing Two and a Half Men - The Complete Seventh Season. Check for our full reviews of many of these releases in the upcoming days.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
DVD Review: Castle - The Complete Second Season
by Pavan
Castle: The Complete Second Season (ABC Studios, $45.99) brings the second season of the witty crime series starring Nathan Fillion on DVD with all 24 episodes! TV's most engaging and unlikely crime-solving duo is back in the spectacular second season of ABC's Castle. The banter flies faster than the bullets in this unique series, loaded with drama, romance, and laughs. Best-selling mystery novelist Richard Castle's unique approach to crime solving may have won over Detective Kate Beckett, but after crossing her, Castle is going to have to do his best work to get her back on his side. Relive all your cases in this 5-disc set. Packed with never-before-seen bonus features, including inside secrets from the set, this collection is a must-have for every Castle fan.
The series will return to its Mondays at 10PM timeslot on ABC this coming season following Dancing with the Stars once again after a decent summer run of repeats on Wednesdays at 10. 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, Michael Connelly and James Patterson as themselves, Monet Mazur as Gina Cowell, Arye Gross as Medical Examiner Dr. Sidney Perlmutter, and Michael Trucco as Detective Tom Demming. Among the guests this year are Alyssa Milano, Debi Mazar, Tom Bergeron, Beth Broderick, Kelly Carlson, Dan Cortese, Bill Bellamy, French Stewart, Fred Willard, Mark Moses, J.B. Smoove, Anne Dudek, Rider Strong, Joe Torre, Rocco DiSpirito, Chandra West, Michael Ironside, Julie Gonzalo, Suzy Nakamura, Mitch Pileggi and Dana Delany.
This second season is even better than the first season. I don't like most 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! And the back and forth banter between Castle and Beckett is sexy! As far as memorable episodes, we have the season premiere "Deep in Death," where Beckett is still plenty peeved at Castle for looking into her mother's murder against her wishes, yet Captain Montgomery forces her to chat with a reporter who is jazzed to write about her crime-solving partnership with Castle. The very next episode is a fun one called "The Double Down," when Castle and Beckett are handed the murder of a couples therapist and Ryan and Esposito are assigned to investigate the death of a dead man found shot in a park, Castle makes a bet on which pair can solve their murder first. In "Fool Me Once...," while dropping playful hints to Beckett about the plot of Castle's first book based on her, the two investigate the murder of a con man posing as a Arctic explorer for school children. In the classic episode "Vampire Weekend," as Halloween approaches, Castle and Beckett are assigned to investigate the death of a young man found stabbed in the heart with a wooden stake in a graveyard. In "Love Me Dead," Castle and Beckett are thrust into the world of ex-cons and escorts after a respected Assistant District Attorney is tossed off a multi-story car parking garage. In "A Rose for Everafter," Castle reconnects with a former girlfriend (Alyssa Milano) on her wedding day when one of her bridesmaids is found murdered, causing sparks to fly between them once again, and Beckett to have to deal with the possibility of being jealous. In "Sucker Punch," the case of the murder of an enforcer for an Irish gang takes a terribly personal turn when Lanie and a forensic expert friend of Castle's uncover an undeniable connection between the case and Beckett's mother's unsolved murder. In part-one of a two-part episode, Beckett and Castle team up with experienced FBI Special Agent Jordan Shaw (Dana Delany) in the hunt for a serial killer with an apparent obsession for 'Nikki Heat', the character Castle based on Beckett in his best-seller Heat Wave in "Tick, Tick, Tick..." In the conclusion, "Boom!," after barely surviving an explosion set by the serial killer, now identified as Scott Dunn, that destroys her apartment, Beckett pushes Shaw's imposed boundaries on her involvement in the investigation, and gets herself removed from the case. In "The Late Shaft," when a legendary talk show host (Tom Bergeron) is found dead after Castle appears on his show and he reveals to Castle that his life is in danger, Castle and Beckett work to piece together a timeline of his final hours that could crack the case even though it seems the victim died of natural causes. In "Den of Thieves," an investigation into the death of a thief uncovers some painful parts of Esposito's past and results in Beckett making a connection with the handsome robbery detective, Tom Demming, assigned to help with the case. In the season finale, "Deadly Game," the death of a man who was involved in a simulated spy game leads Castle and Beckett to wonder where exactly the game ends and reality begins.
The episodes run usually 42-43 minutes...unedited of course with all the great music intact. See the runtimes below:
Disc 1
1. "Deep in Death" 41:34
2. "The Double Down" 42:16
3. "Inventing the Girl" 42:39
4. "Fool Me Once..." 42:58
5. "When the Bough Breaks" 43:03
Disc 2
6. "Vampire Weekend" 42:43
7. "Famous Last Words" 43:17
8. "Kill the Messenger" 42:43
9. "Love Me Dead" 41:10
10. "One Man's Treasure" 43:04
Disc 3
11. "The Fifth Bullet" 43:04
12. "A Rose for Everafter" 42:12
13. "Sucker Punch" 42:58
14. "The Third Man" 42:52
15. "Suicide Squeeze" 42:58
Disc 4
16. "The Mistress Always Spanks Twice" 42:11
17. "Tick, Tick, Tick..." 42:18
18. "Boom!" 42:58
19. "Wrapped Up in Death" 42:49
20. "The Late Shaft" 43:01
Disc 5
21. "Den of Thieves" 43:06
22. "Food to Die For" 42:59
23. "Overkill" 43:05
24. "A Deadly Game" 43:05
Packaging has a thin outer box that you can remove from the top or bottom to get to the case inside, just like the last set. 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 at night in New York City during a crime scene as Castle holds one of his books. The show logo is present in white lettering. The back has a dark red background with information on the set and has some episodic screen shots from episodes and also a nice gallery photo of Castle & Beckett. There is also a section detailing the bonus features box with technical specifications also.
Opening the case, on the left side we see some inserts which includes an ad for the new Castle book "Naked Heat." On both the left and right panels we have nice artwork of episodic photos along with a disc-by-disc breakdown of episode titles. The discs this time are on plastic holders that you can flip a page in a book. That is much better than overlapping discs. Plastic holder one holds disc one on the front side and disc two on the back side. Plastic holder two holds disc three on the front side and disc four on the back side. Disc five is on the right panel itself. Disc artwork is very nice and has that dark red background. Disc one has episodes 1-5 with artwork of Richard Castle. Disc two has episodes 6-10 and has artwork of Kate Beckett. Disc three has episodes 11-15 and has artwork of Alexis & Martha. Disc four has episodes 16-20 and has artwork of Ryan, Esposito, Captain, and Lanie. And disc five has episodes 21-24 plus bonus features and has artwork of both Castle and Beckett.
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, similar to the previous set. The options on the main menu are Play All, Episode Selection, Set Up, Bonus Features, and Sneak Peeks. But before the main menu screen comes on disc one, we get some auto sneak peeks of other DVDs: ABC on DVD, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, and FLASHFORWARD. Sneak Peeks option is only found on disc five on the main menu and has previews of Private Practice, Legend of the Seeker, Brothers and Sisters, Ugly BettyDVDs, and an ABC: Great Stories. 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 and is only on disc five. All of the sub-menus have different background music from the show. Catchy!
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 2009-2010, so it had better be good. There is nothing to complain at all here...it is perfect! Perfection here. There are about 9 chapter stops per episode.
Moving on the bonus features. We don't get audio commentaries this time, which is ashame but we get plenty of featurettes! All of the extras are on disc five. But first, on disc one in the episodes menu we have a "Starter Kit" for the series as you can catch up in 4:05. Moving on to the actual extras, we have a cool behind the scenes featurette titled "On Set with Seamus & Jon" (7:37). They give us a tour of the set and secrets from the set. They are very funny, too, as you know. Next we have "On Location with Nathan" (6:49). Nathan is on location outside with many crew members and he introduces us to them! We see Ray Rifice (sound utility), Joe Foglia (sound mixer), Tina Amedun (craft services), Ruby Stillwater (2nd 2nd A.D.), Bernie Martinez (driver co-captain), Richie Elson (set production assistant), Artemio Carpio (costumer), and Joshua Check (assistant props).
Next we have a featurette titled "Manhattan's Most Unusual Murders" (7:55). Find out how much research goes into these crime stories along with props and special effects. Interviewed are Andrew Marlowe (creator/executive producer), Laurie Zaks (executive producer), Stana Katic, Rob Bowman (director/executive producer), Marta Evry (editor), Jon Huertas, Tamala Jones, Brady Romberg (stunt double), Nathan Fillion, Dennis Madalone (stunt coordinator), Alfred Sole (production designer), Bob Calvert (special effects coordinator), and Seamus Dever. Next, we have some "Misdemeanours: Bloopers & Outtakes" (2:35)...yes, bloopers! See all the goofs and play on the set! We have three deleted scenes from the episodes "Deep in Death" (0:30), "Vampire Weekend" (1:14), and "The Mistress Always Spanks Twice" (0:30). And finally we have two music videos from Haley Blue (played by Brianna Haynes), who was featured in the episode "Famous Last Words." The first music video is titled Haley Blue: Here Kitty Kitty (1:22). And the last one is Sky Blue: Threshold (2:51).
I recommend this series and set once again...it is an ABC Studios DVD, so it is good and filled with special features. This series really breaked out last season, especially after the thrilling two-part episode with Dana Delany. This DVD is awesome! We get of course all 24 great episodes from the second season, good and improved packaging, and great extras. Too bad we don't have a great extra like last time when we had Fillion and Cannell playing around in a very funny featurette. However, the extras on this set are still good! I don't understand why the DVD is coming out on Sept. 21, when the third season launches a day before on Sept. 20. They did this last year, too. ABC did re-air the show this summer on Wednesdays (and some Saturdays, too). So I hope you saw them all, if not get this DVD for sure then. Everyone needs to be watching this show and I think it will get even better this season. Has Castle moved away from pursuing Beckett romantically? Shut the front door!
(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
LOOKING AHEAD
Come on back right here next week for more news and reviews. Next week we will have another good blog review for you. And don't forget to read our full DVD reviews, as many sitcoms are coming fast now as we enter the fall season. Our normal Digital Digest blogger (skees53) will hopefully be back next week. We've greatly missed his DVD reviews and contributions to our blog. So please stay with us! Stay healthy and keep it digital!
DIGITAL NEWS
It was another pretty slow news week. Several sitcoms will have some long-awaited new releases in the upcoming months. It has been a long wait since 2005 for Season 4 for Boy Meets World fans. Lionsgate has announced The Complete Fourth Season on a 3-disc set for December 7th for a MSRP of only $29.98! Some cast reunions and TV appearances are also being planned to promote this highly anticipated release. California Dreams - Season 4 should be available as early as December from Shout! Factory's Shout! Select online store.
Parks and Recreation - Season Two will be available from Universal Studios Home Entertainment on November 30th. The 4-disc set will contain all 24 episodes from the second season of the mockumentary starring Amy Poehler. Hung, HBO's comedy series, will have their second season available on DVD and Blu-ray.
In other TV news, Perry Mason - The Fifth Season, Volume Two has been announced by CBS DVD and Paramount Home Entertainment for November 17th. Package art has been released for Shout! Factory's December 7th release of Dragnet 1969 - Season Three. A press release is available for Warner Home Video's October 5th release of the Peanuts Deluxe Holiday Collection.
For more information on titles that we won't cover with full or blog DVD reviews, you can head on over to the news section of TVShowsOnDVD.com for all of the latest details.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (September 21) will have a lot of sitcom releases. HBO Home Video is releasing the first season of the comedy series Bored to Death on DVD and Blu-ray. Sony will have Community - The Complete First Season. This set is jam-packed with special features. Look for our full review soon. Suit up for 20th Century Fox's legendary release of How I Met Your Mother - Season Five. The hilarious and Emmy-winner Modern Family will have their Complete First Season on DVD and Blu-ray. Shout! Factory is releasing Rhoda - Season Four via their online Shout! Select store. 30 Rock - Season 4 will be available from Universal. Finally, Warner Home Video is releasing Two and a Half Men - The Complete Seventh Season. Check for our full reviews of many of these releases in the upcoming days.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
DVD Review: Castle - The Complete Second Season
by Pavan
Castle: The Complete Second Season (ABC Studios, $45.99) brings the second season of the witty crime series starring Nathan Fillion on DVD with all 24 episodes! TV's most engaging and unlikely crime-solving duo is back in the spectacular second season of ABC's Castle. The banter flies faster than the bullets in this unique series, loaded with drama, romance, and laughs. Best-selling mystery novelist Richard Castle's unique approach to crime solving may have won over Detective Kate Beckett, but after crossing her, Castle is going to have to do his best work to get her back on his side. Relive all your cases in this 5-disc set. Packed with never-before-seen bonus features, including inside secrets from the set, this collection is a must-have for every Castle fan.
The series will return to its Mondays at 10PM timeslot on ABC this coming season following Dancing with the Stars once again after a decent summer run of repeats on Wednesdays at 10. 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, Michael Connelly and James Patterson as themselves, Monet Mazur as Gina Cowell, Arye Gross as Medical Examiner Dr. Sidney Perlmutter, and Michael Trucco as Detective Tom Demming. Among the guests this year are Alyssa Milano, Debi Mazar, Tom Bergeron, Beth Broderick, Kelly Carlson, Dan Cortese, Bill Bellamy, French Stewart, Fred Willard, Mark Moses, J.B. Smoove, Anne Dudek, Rider Strong, Joe Torre, Rocco DiSpirito, Chandra West, Michael Ironside, Julie Gonzalo, Suzy Nakamura, Mitch Pileggi and Dana Delany.
This second season is even better than the first season. I don't like most 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! And the back and forth banter between Castle and Beckett is sexy! As far as memorable episodes, we have the season premiere "Deep in Death," where Beckett is still plenty peeved at Castle for looking into her mother's murder against her wishes, yet Captain Montgomery forces her to chat with a reporter who is jazzed to write about her crime-solving partnership with Castle. The very next episode is a fun one called "The Double Down," when Castle and Beckett are handed the murder of a couples therapist and Ryan and Esposito are assigned to investigate the death of a dead man found shot in a park, Castle makes a bet on which pair can solve their murder first. In "Fool Me Once...," while dropping playful hints to Beckett about the plot of Castle's first book based on her, the two investigate the murder of a con man posing as a Arctic explorer for school children. In the classic episode "Vampire Weekend," as Halloween approaches, Castle and Beckett are assigned to investigate the death of a young man found stabbed in the heart with a wooden stake in a graveyard. In "Love Me Dead," Castle and Beckett are thrust into the world of ex-cons and escorts after a respected Assistant District Attorney is tossed off a multi-story car parking garage. In "A Rose for Everafter," Castle reconnects with a former girlfriend (Alyssa Milano) on her wedding day when one of her bridesmaids is found murdered, causing sparks to fly between them once again, and Beckett to have to deal with the possibility of being jealous. In "Sucker Punch," the case of the murder of an enforcer for an Irish gang takes a terribly personal turn when Lanie and a forensic expert friend of Castle's uncover an undeniable connection between the case and Beckett's mother's unsolved murder. In part-one of a two-part episode, Beckett and Castle team up with experienced FBI Special Agent Jordan Shaw (Dana Delany) in the hunt for a serial killer with an apparent obsession for 'Nikki Heat', the character Castle based on Beckett in his best-seller Heat Wave in "Tick, Tick, Tick..." In the conclusion, "Boom!," after barely surviving an explosion set by the serial killer, now identified as Scott Dunn, that destroys her apartment, Beckett pushes Shaw's imposed boundaries on her involvement in the investigation, and gets herself removed from the case. In "The Late Shaft," when a legendary talk show host (Tom Bergeron) is found dead after Castle appears on his show and he reveals to Castle that his life is in danger, Castle and Beckett work to piece together a timeline of his final hours that could crack the case even though it seems the victim died of natural causes. In "Den of Thieves," an investigation into the death of a thief uncovers some painful parts of Esposito's past and results in Beckett making a connection with the handsome robbery detective, Tom Demming, assigned to help with the case. In the season finale, "Deadly Game," the death of a man who was involved in a simulated spy game leads Castle and Beckett to wonder where exactly the game ends and reality begins.
The episodes run usually 42-43 minutes...unedited of course with all the great music intact. See the runtimes below:
Disc 1
1. "Deep in Death" 41:34
2. "The Double Down" 42:16
3. "Inventing the Girl" 42:39
4. "Fool Me Once..." 42:58
5. "When the Bough Breaks" 43:03
Disc 2
6. "Vampire Weekend" 42:43
7. "Famous Last Words" 43:17
8. "Kill the Messenger" 42:43
9. "Love Me Dead" 41:10
10. "One Man's Treasure" 43:04
Disc 3
11. "The Fifth Bullet" 43:04
12. "A Rose for Everafter" 42:12
13. "Sucker Punch" 42:58
14. "The Third Man" 42:52
15. "Suicide Squeeze" 42:58
Disc 4
16. "The Mistress Always Spanks Twice" 42:11
17. "Tick, Tick, Tick..." 42:18
18. "Boom!" 42:58
19. "Wrapped Up in Death" 42:49
20. "The Late Shaft" 43:01
Disc 5
21. "Den of Thieves" 43:06
22. "Food to Die For" 42:59
23. "Overkill" 43:05
24. "A Deadly Game" 43:05
Packaging has a thin outer box that you can remove from the top or bottom to get to the case inside, just like the last set. 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 at night in New York City during a crime scene as Castle holds one of his books. The show logo is present in white lettering. The back has a dark red background with information on the set and has some episodic screen shots from episodes and also a nice gallery photo of Castle & Beckett. There is also a section detailing the bonus features box with technical specifications also.
Opening the case, on the left side we see some inserts which includes an ad for the new Castle book "Naked Heat." On both the left and right panels we have nice artwork of episodic photos along with a disc-by-disc breakdown of episode titles. The discs this time are on plastic holders that you can flip a page in a book. That is much better than overlapping discs. Plastic holder one holds disc one on the front side and disc two on the back side. Plastic holder two holds disc three on the front side and disc four on the back side. Disc five is on the right panel itself. Disc artwork is very nice and has that dark red background. Disc one has episodes 1-5 with artwork of Richard Castle. Disc two has episodes 6-10 and has artwork of Kate Beckett. Disc three has episodes 11-15 and has artwork of Alexis & Martha. Disc four has episodes 16-20 and has artwork of Ryan, Esposito, Captain, and Lanie. And disc five has episodes 21-24 plus bonus features and has artwork of both Castle and Beckett.
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, similar to the previous set. The options on the main menu are Play All, Episode Selection, Set Up, Bonus Features, and Sneak Peeks. But before the main menu screen comes on disc one, we get some auto sneak peeks of other DVDs: ABC on DVD, Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, and FLASHFORWARD. Sneak Peeks option is only found on disc five on the main menu and has previews of Private Practice, Legend of the Seeker, Brothers and Sisters, Ugly BettyDVDs, and an ABC: Great Stories. 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 and is only on disc five. All of the sub-menus have different background music from the show. Catchy!
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 2009-2010, so it had better be good. There is nothing to complain at all here...it is perfect! Perfection here. There are about 9 chapter stops per episode.
Moving on the bonus features. We don't get audio commentaries this time, which is ashame but we get plenty of featurettes! All of the extras are on disc five. But first, on disc one in the episodes menu we have a "Starter Kit" for the series as you can catch up in 4:05. Moving on to the actual extras, we have a cool behind the scenes featurette titled "On Set with Seamus & Jon" (7:37). They give us a tour of the set and secrets from the set. They are very funny, too, as you know. Next we have "On Location with Nathan" (6:49). Nathan is on location outside with many crew members and he introduces us to them! We see Ray Rifice (sound utility), Joe Foglia (sound mixer), Tina Amedun (craft services), Ruby Stillwater (2nd 2nd A.D.), Bernie Martinez (driver co-captain), Richie Elson (set production assistant), Artemio Carpio (costumer), and Joshua Check (assistant props).
Next we have a featurette titled "Manhattan's Most Unusual Murders" (7:55). Find out how much research goes into these crime stories along with props and special effects. Interviewed are Andrew Marlowe (creator/executive producer), Laurie Zaks (executive producer), Stana Katic, Rob Bowman (director/executive producer), Marta Evry (editor), Jon Huertas, Tamala Jones, Brady Romberg (stunt double), Nathan Fillion, Dennis Madalone (stunt coordinator), Alfred Sole (production designer), Bob Calvert (special effects coordinator), and Seamus Dever. Next, we have some "Misdemeanours: Bloopers & Outtakes" (2:35)...yes, bloopers! See all the goofs and play on the set! We have three deleted scenes from the episodes "Deep in Death" (0:30), "Vampire Weekend" (1:14), and "The Mistress Always Spanks Twice" (0:30). And finally we have two music videos from Haley Blue (played by Brianna Haynes), who was featured in the episode "Famous Last Words." The first music video is titled Haley Blue: Here Kitty Kitty (1:22). And the last one is Sky Blue: Threshold (2:51).
I recommend this series and set once again...it is an ABC Studios DVD, so it is good and filled with special features. This series really breaked out last season, especially after the thrilling two-part episode with Dana Delany. This DVD is awesome! We get of course all 24 great episodes from the second season, good and improved packaging, and great extras. Too bad we don't have a great extra like last time when we had Fillion and Cannell playing around in a very funny featurette. However, the extras on this set are still good! I don't understand why the DVD is coming out on Sept. 21, when the third season launches a day before on Sept. 20. They did this last year, too. ABC did re-air the show this summer on Wednesdays (and some Saturdays, too). So I hope you saw them all, if not get this DVD for sure then. Everyone needs to be watching this show and I think it will get even better this season. Has Castle moved away from pursuing Beckett romantically? Shut the front door!
(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
LOOKING AHEAD
Come on back right here next week for more news and reviews. Next week we will have another good blog review for you. And don't forget to read our full DVD reviews, as many sitcoms are coming fast now as we enter the fall season. Our normal Digital Digest blogger (skees53) will hopefully be back next week. We've greatly missed his DVD reviews and contributions to our blog. So please stay with us! Stay healthy and keep it digital!
Friday, September 17, 2010
CBS Fall Pilot Review: Mike & Molly - Premieres September 20; Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 20, 2010)
Mike & Molly - Mondays 9:30PM ET/PT on CBS
Premieres Monday, September 20, 2010 at 9:30PM ET/PT
MIKE & MOLLY is a comedy about a working class Chicago couple who find love at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting. Officer Mike Briggs is a good-hearted cop who sincerely wants to lose weight. Mike's partner, Officer Carl McMilllan, is a thin, fast-talking wise-guy who, despite his teasing, encourages Mike on his road to slimness and romance. While speaking at an O.A. meeting, Mike meets Molly Flynn, an instantly likeable fourth-grade teacher with a good sense of humor about her curves. For Molly, focusing on smart clothes isn't easy while living with her sexy older sister, Victoria, and their mother, Joyce, both of who flaunt their effortless figures while indulging their healthy appetites right in front of her. Mike also faces temptation at the diner he and Carl frequent, where they've become friends with a Senegalese waiter, Samuel, to whom dieting is a foreign concept. Mike and Molly found each other in the most unexpected of places. Now, they're about to find out where their quest for companionship will take them.
Cast Details:
* Billy Gardell as Officer Mike Briggs
* Melissa McCarthy as Molly Flynn
* Reno Wilson as Officer Carl McMillan
* Katy Mixon as Victoria Flynn
* Nyambi Nyambi as Samuel
* Swoosie Kurtz as Joyce Flynn
Billy Gardell (Officer Mike Briggs) co-starred in the critically acclaimed television series, Lucky. His other television credits include Yes, Dear and Judging Amy on CBS, My Name is Earl, The Practice, Monk and Gary the Rat.
He made his major motion picture debut alongside Anthony Quinn and Sylvester Stallone in Avenging Angelo, and had a memorable scene with Billy Bob Thornton in the Cohen Brother's film, Bad Santa. He also appeared in You, Me & Dupree.
Melissa McCarthy (Molly Flynn) is best known for her role as the clumsy culinary genius Sookie St. James in Gilmore Girls, and was most recently seen as Dena in the television series, Samantha Who? She also guest-starred on Curb Your Enthusiasm.
McCarthy will appear in the upcoming feature films The Nines, Just Add Water and Pretty Ugly People. Her additional feature film credits include White Oleander, Pumpkin, The Life of David Gale, Go and God. She recently turned her creative attentions to writing, directing, producing and starring in the short film Polk Valley.
Reno Wilson (Officer Carl McMillan) made his television debut as Theo's best friend, Howard, on the legendary television series, The Cosby Show. He has since starred and guest-starred in dozens of television series, including Heist, Blind Justice and the critically acclaimed Showtime series, The Hoop Life.
He can be seen in the upcoming feature film Bolden, in which he plays legendary jazz icon Louis Armstrong. Wilson's other movie credits include Mighty Joe Young, Rough Draft, Fallen and White Hype. He is also an accomplished voice-over artist who, most notably, gave voice to the Decepticon Frenzy in the blockbuster film Transformers, and later voiced the Autobot "Mudflap" in Transformers 2.
Katy Mixon's (Victoria Flynn) feature film credits include Four Christmases, State of Play, All About Steve, The Informers and the upcoming Drive Angry 3D.
Her television credits include My Name Is Earl, Eastbound and Down (for which she will reprise the role of April in its second season) and the recurring role of Betsy on Two and a Half Men on CBS.
This summer, Nyambi (Samuel) is participating in the New York City Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park in The Merchant of Venice and The Winter's Tale with a cast that includes Al Pacino, Ruben Santiago-Hudson and Hamish Linklater. His other theater credits include the first Broadway revival of August Wilson's Joe Turner's Come and Gone, The Tempest opposite Mandy Patinkin for the Classic Stage Company, Coming Home at the Wilma Theater, and various productions with the Classical Theatre of Harlem (where he is a company member) and the Williamstown Theater Festival. He is also a LAByrinth Theatre Company member.
Nyambi has appeared on the television series, Law & Order. He was in the Cannes and Spirit Award-winning independent film, Day Night Day Night, as well as the upcoming In Praise of Shadows.
Swoosie Kurtz (Joyce Flynn) was most recently seen in the SHOWTIME television series, Nurse Jackie. Her extensive television work includes the series Pushing Daisies, Huff, Desperate Housewives, Heroes, Law & Order: SVU, Lost, ER, Sisters, Love, Sidney and the television movies And The Band Played On and Texas Cheerleading Murdering Mom.
Her feature film credits include Citizen Ruth, Liar, Liar, Dangerous Liaisons, Cruel Intentions, The Rules of Attraction, Bubble Boy, Reality Bites, The World According to Garp, Against All Odds and An Englishman in New York, which premiered at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.
Pilot Plot:
#1 "Pilot" (Airs September 20)
When teacher Molly Flynn hears Officer Mike Biggs' "share" at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting, she's instantly smitten and invites him to come speak to her fourth grade class.
Directed by James Burrows
Written by Mark Roberts
Guest Stars: Brendan Patrick Connor as Group Leader, Zachary Balagot as Gary, Kiara Muhammad as Krystal, Tucker Albrizzi as Little Boy/Tucker, Kathy Nagler as Dispatcher (V.O.)
Analysis:
In the opening scene, we are introduced to Officer Mike Biggs and his partner Officer Cal McMillan at the diner they frequent where Samuel is the waiter. Molly is then introduced exercising on an elliptical trainer. Her mother and sister eat some cake in front of her. Molly and Victoria go to the Overeaters Anonymous meeting. Mike speaks at the meeting. Molly invites him to speak to her fourth grade class. Mike and Carl go to the Walter Payton Elementary School. Mike holds a questions and answer session with the kids where he explains why he became a police officer. Back at the diner, Mike tries to blow his diet, but Carl won't let him. Molly shares her story at the O.A. meeting. Mike tries to ask her out but suffers an injury to his hand after falling on a table. Carl and Mike receive a dispatch to a house that was robbed. It turns out to be Molly's house. Mike questions her about the stolen items and then asks her out. Note that the final scene from the Upfront version where Mike & Molly go on their first date was removed from this final cut. They will have their first date in the second episode.
This is a very strong and funny pilot. It's directed by the legendary James Burrows. He will be directing all of the episodes. This show has a lot going for it. There are some good and experienced actors here. I wasn't very familiar with some of the cast members before seeing the pilot. They may not be household names to some people. Billy Gardell and Reno Wilson had previously worked together as police partners in the short-lived 1996 TV series, Heist. It would seem like they have worked a lot longer than that by the way they exchange lines. Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy have some instant chemistry in the pilot. They just seem right together. It will be interesting to see how their romance and relationship develops in future episodes. The script is very solid and fast paced. Many different locations are used in a number of scenes. There are quite a few fat jokes in the pilot. I would expect that they will cut down on them in upcoming episodes. Chuck Lorre has said in articles that the show is not about weight. The show is set in Chicago. In some pilots, it's hard to tell where a show is set. They do a fine job establishing the show is set in Chicago with the exterior shots and references to actual locations. I also noticed Samuel wearing a Brian Urlacher Bears shirt. Hopefully they will continue to give the show a Chicago feel and have some local celebrities as guest stars. Chicago is my kind of town.
There are a few things that I didn't like about the pilot. Victoria is described as Molly's older sister in the show summary, but Katy Mixon is 29 while Melissa McCarthy is 40. I'm not sure if viewers will buy that age difference. I don't really find the Victoria character too appealing with the references to her getting high and using a water pipe, but perhaps she will grow on me in future episodes. Some people might find her character hilarious and to be a riot. Swoosie Kurtz is funny in her limited screen time. Hopefully they will expand her role a bit. It would be a shame if she is underutilized. Some additional recurring characters are probably needed. Cleo King has been cast as the grandmother of Mike, who is mentioned several times in the pilot. She will appear in seven out of the first 13 episodes. Chuck Lorre is known for tinkering with his shows to fix things that aren't working. He's a very involved executive producer.
Conclusion:
Executive Producer Chuck Lorre has already brought CBS hit sitcoms with Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory. I don't think Mike & Molly will be an instant hit, but it should be able to gradually build an audience this season. It has a comfortable time slot after TV's most watched sitcom, Two and a Half Men, and before the action-packed Hawaii Five-O remake. I would not be surprised if it is the most watched new sitcom this season.
With the popularity of NBC's The Biggest Loser and ABC Family's Huge, the time seems right for a sitcom with two plus-sized lead actors. There have been many sitcoms in recent years with a fat husband and a thin wife, but I don't think there has been a sitcom like this since Roseanne. Many people should be able to relate to these real-looking people. Some people may be turned off by the number of fat jokes in the pilot episode, but I would expect them to tone it down a bit in future episodes. This show isn't about weight. It has a lot of heart and sweetness to it.
With a talented and likeable cast, good scripts and sitcom geniuses like Chuck Lorre and James Burrows behind it, Mike & Molly seems like it will be a good fit for CBS and should be set up to have a successful run. We definitely need more traditional multi-camera sitcoms like this one. Fall in love with Mike & Molly this fall on CBS!
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Watchability: 4/5
Funniness: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller on 09/17/10
Discuss the show after you watch it on Monday, September 20 on our message board.
Related Links:
Preview:
It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars (but we won't cover movie stars like Tom Hanks or John Travolta, since they won't be talking about their past sitcoms likely), so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of Sept. 20-24, 2010, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!
Monday, September 20, 2010
- Courteney Cox (Cougar Town/Dirt/Friends) - Catch Courteney on an all-new Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12:06am on ABC. Earlier in the day, you can catch her on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your listings.
- Mindy Kaling (The Office) - Catch another appearance by Mindy on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:35am on CBS.
- Sofia Vergara (Modern Family/Knights of Prosperity/Hot Properties) - Catch Sofia on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am then on LIVE! with Regis & Kelly, so check listings.
- Cloris Leachman (Raising Hope/Facts of Life/Phyllis) - Watch Cloris on Lopez Tonight on TBS at 11pm.
- Jason Ritter (The Class) - Catch Jason on NBC's Today show, sometime between 7-9am.
- Ed Helms (The Office) - Catch Ed on an all-new Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Julie Bowen, Ty Burell, Eric Stonestreet, & Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family) - Catch four of the stars of the hit sitcom on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12:06am. Also, catch Jesse Tyler Ferguson on The Ellen DeGeneres Show earlier in the day.
- Patricia Heaton (The Middle/Everybody Loves Raymond/Back to You) - Catch Patty on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:35am on CBS.
- Tina Fey (30 Rock) - Catch Tina on an all-new Late Night With Jimmy Fallon at 12:35am on NBC.
- Kevin Nealon (Weeds/Glenn Martin) - Watch Kevin on Lopez Tonight, at 11pm on TBS.
- Joey Lawrence (Melissa & Joey/Blossom/Gimme a Break!) - Watch Joey on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or check listings.
- Jim Belushi (According to Jim) - Catch Jim on LIVE! with Regis & Kelly so check your local stations.
- Betty White (Hot in Cleveland/Golden Girls/Mary Tyler Moore Show) - The legendary Betty White is on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Cast of The Big Bang Theory - Watch them on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:35am on CBS.
- Ben Rappaport (Outsourced) - Catch Ben on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:35am on ABC.
- Patricia Heaton (The Middle/Everybody Loves Raymond) - Catch Patty on The Rachel Ray Show, so check listings.
- Nathan Lane (Modern Family) - He talks about his guest shot on Modern Family to the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Eric Roberts (Less than Perfect) - Watch Eric on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or check listings.
- Anthony Anderson (All About the Andersons/Bernie Mac/Hang Time) - Watch Anthony on Lopez Tonight at 11pm o TBS.
- Sofia Vergara (Modern Family/Knights of Prosperity/Hot Properties) - Catch Sofia on an all-new Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Amy Poehler (Parks & Recreation) - Catch Amy on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on NBC at 12:35am. Earlier in the day, you can catch her on LIVE! with Regis & Kelly, so check your listings.
- Rashida Jones (Parks &Recreation/The Office) - Watch Rashida also on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:35am on NBC.
- Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld) - Watch Jerry on Larry King Live at 9pm on CNN.
- Cybill Shepherd (Cybill) - Watch Cybill on The Oprah Show, so check listings.
- Ben Rappaport (Outsourced) - Watch Ben on NBC's Today show sometime between 7-9am.
- Tina Fey (30 Rock) - Tina is also on NBC's Today show on this day.
- Ken Jeong (Community) - Yet another star appearing on NBC's Today show on this day.
- Ed Helms (The Office) - Catch Ed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
- None.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
TV Land October 2010 Schedule REVISED with Jeannie; Nick at Nite Pulls Malcolm
TV Land has revised its October 2010 schedule and will air I Dream of Jeannie as a regular after all. Previously, it was slated to have just a launch marathon the weekend of Oct. 23-24 and then join the line-up in November. The marathon is still happening, but the series will actually join the line-up now on Tuesday, Oct. 5! I Dream of Jeannie will air back-to-back in the 10am hour starting Oct. 5, replacing an episode each of The Jeffersons and Good Times. Those two series will air Tues-Fri in the 9am hour (Jeffersons/Good Times) and weekdays in the 5pm hour (Good Times/Jeffersons) starting Oct. 4.
Other schedule changes happening are Gunsmoke moving to weekdays at 12pm, Bonanza now weekdays 1pm-4pm, as Andy Griffith Show is now cut to weekdays in the 4pm hour, leading into Good Times & The Jeffersons in the 5pm hour. The morning changes are Tues-Fri, as movies air on Mondays. Boston Legal is now gone from 8am, as an episode each of All in the Family and Sanford & Son will air. Those two sitcoms will still air in the evenings, 6-7pm and 7-9pm, respectively. As mentioned The Jeffersons & Good Times are at 9am, followed by I Dream of Jeannie in the 10am hour leading into the return of Bewitched, airing back-to-back in the 11am hour! One other note, starting this Monday (Sept. 20), The Nanny will air Monday nights in the 9pm hour leading into the TV Land PRIME movie at 10pm. Everybody Loves Raymond still airs every other night at 9.
View the UPDATED TV Land October 2010 schedule and feel free to discuss these morning/afternoon changes that start on Oct. 4 and Oct. 5.
Moving on to sister network Nick at Nite, effective tonight (Sept. 16), Nick at Nite is pulling Malcolm in the Middle from the line-up. The sitcom was airing every night at 12:00am & 12:30am and will now be replaced by another hour of The Nanny. That series will now air every night from 11pm-1am and in the 4am hour. The other change is on Fridays, with My Wife & Kids added to Fridays in the 9pm half-hour, replacing Everybody Hates Chris, which moves to Fridays at 12:30am, replacing Malcolm (so no The Nanny in this half-hour). Everything else remains the same as it is now.
As we previously mentioned, this Saturday (Sept. 18), there is an Everybody Hates Chris marathon from 10pm-5am. There is a chance Malcolm in the Middle will still air weekends in the 12am hour, but we're not sure yet. It is not airing this weekend though due to the Chris marathon. The Nanny already airs on weekends in the 11pm, 1am, and 4am hours, so maybe 12am will remain Malcolm on weekends? We'll let you know.
For now, view the updated Nick a Nite Fall 2010 schedule.
Other schedule changes happening are Gunsmoke moving to weekdays at 12pm, Bonanza now weekdays 1pm-4pm, as Andy Griffith Show is now cut to weekdays in the 4pm hour, leading into Good Times & The Jeffersons in the 5pm hour. The morning changes are Tues-Fri, as movies air on Mondays. Boston Legal is now gone from 8am, as an episode each of All in the Family and Sanford & Son will air. Those two sitcoms will still air in the evenings, 6-7pm and 7-9pm, respectively. As mentioned The Jeffersons & Good Times are at 9am, followed by I Dream of Jeannie in the 10am hour leading into the return of Bewitched, airing back-to-back in the 11am hour! One other note, starting this Monday (Sept. 20), The Nanny will air Monday nights in the 9pm hour leading into the TV Land PRIME movie at 10pm. Everybody Loves Raymond still airs every other night at 9.
View the UPDATED TV Land October 2010 schedule and feel free to discuss these morning/afternoon changes that start on Oct. 4 and Oct. 5.
Moving on to sister network Nick at Nite, effective tonight (Sept. 16), Nick at Nite is pulling Malcolm in the Middle from the line-up. The sitcom was airing every night at 12:00am & 12:30am and will now be replaced by another hour of The Nanny. That series will now air every night from 11pm-1am and in the 4am hour. The other change is on Fridays, with My Wife & Kids added to Fridays in the 9pm half-hour, replacing Everybody Hates Chris, which moves to Fridays at 12:30am, replacing Malcolm (so no The Nanny in this half-hour). Everything else remains the same as it is now.
As we previously mentioned, this Saturday (Sept. 18), there is an Everybody Hates Chris marathon from 10pm-5am. There is a chance Malcolm in the Middle will still air weekends in the 12am hour, but we're not sure yet. It is not airing this weekend though due to the Chris marathon. The Nanny already airs on weekends in the 11pm, 1am, and 4am hours, so maybe 12am will remain Malcolm on weekends? We'll let you know.
For now, view the updated Nick a Nite Fall 2010 schedule.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
TBS, Spike TV and MTV Comedy News; RTV Launches in New York and New Orleans, New Saturday Morning Sked
TBS has announced a premiere date for the one-hour comedy Glory Daze. The series will air Tuesdays at 10pm starting Nov. 16 for eight episodes. Glory Daze centers on a group of friends who are trying to navigate college life in 1980s Wisconsin. From being out on their own for the first time to pledging a fraternity, they discover how challenging the next few years are going to be. The series stars Kelly Blatz (Aaron Stone), Callard Harris (Sons of Anarchy), Matt Bush (High School), Drew Seeley (Freshman Father), Hartley Sawyer (Killian), Julianna Guill (My Alibi) and Tim Meadows (Saturday Night Live, Mean Girls).
Meanwhile, TBS has canceled sports comedy My Boys after four seasons. The series aired its finale on Sunday (Sept. 12) and now that is the final episode of the series. The past three seasons each, the series had 9 episodes orders after having 22 in its first season. The ratings for the series declined the past few seasons, with episodes getting less than a million viewers.
Spike TV's hit original scripted sports/comedy series Blue Mountain State returns to the gridiron for a second season this fall starting Wednesday, October 20 at 11:00 PM, ET/PT. Blue Mountain State chronicles the on and off-field antics of the fictional college football powerhouse Blue Mountain State.
Season two of Blue Mountain State finds Coach Marty Daniels (Former NFL-er Ed Marinaro) under pressure to deliver a winning season after an embarrassing showing last year that has put his legacy and job security in grave danger. Adding to the coach's troubles is the arrival of his contentious and meddling ex-wife Debra (Denise Richards).
Season two of Spike's Blue Mountain State features numerous guest appearances including Bill Parcells, two-time Super Bowl Champion coach (NY Giants), four-time Pro Bowl QB and 1988 MVP Boomer Esiason (Cincinnati Bengals, NY Jets), four-time Super Bowl Champion Bill Romanowski (Denver Broncos), two-time NCAA All-American Brian Bosworth (Seattle Seahawks), actress Stacy Keibler, UFC legend Chuck Liddell and renowned sports announcers Dan Patrick and Craig Carton.
MTV has moved further into the scripted world, giving series orders of 12 episodes each to the coming-of-age entry That Girl and the horror comedy Death Valley. Both series, which will premiere sometime next year, come on the heels of previously ordered scripted entries Skins and Teen Wolf. MTV also has a second season on tap of The Hard Times of RJ Berger.
"That Girl" (working title) centers on a 15-year-old misfit who suddenly becomes the center of attention after the kids in school mistakenly believe she tried to commit suicide. The series takes on issues of jealousy, body image, friendship, sex and parental guidance, MTV said.
The documentary-style Death Valley follows the Undead Task Force, which battles zombies, vampires and werewolves that have overrun the San Fernando Valley. Ensemble cast includes Caity Lotz (Mad Men) and Tania Raymonde (Lost).
Retro Television Network (RTV) has officially launched in New York and New Orleans this week. As we previously reported, WSAH aired RTV programming in 2009, but then dropped it. Now, WKOB-LP in New York is the station that has brought back RTV in the New York market! You can see RTV programming on channel 42.2 over the air. See the schedule for RTV in New York!
As for New Orleans, RTV launched Monday in New Orleans on WVUE! The RTV programming is airing on channel 8.2 over the air. See the schedule for RTV in New Orleans!
And as we mentioned, RTV launches in the next few days on TV 8 in San Fransisco! And if you don't know by now, RTV is a television network that provides each affiliate a customized feed with classic hit shows, in addition to local programming including news, weather and sports.
Starting in October, RTV will have a new Saturday morning block that will feature Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, Ghost Busters, Archies, BraveStarr, She-Ra and He-Man from 8-11am, followed by an hour of Lassie. All of these programs are from Filmation. Hopefully they bring in the rarely seen Gilligan's Planet, The New Adventures of Gilligan and The Brady Kids back on the air.
Meanwhile, TBS has canceled sports comedy My Boys after four seasons. The series aired its finale on Sunday (Sept. 12) and now that is the final episode of the series. The past three seasons each, the series had 9 episodes orders after having 22 in its first season. The ratings for the series declined the past few seasons, with episodes getting less than a million viewers.
Spike TV's hit original scripted sports/comedy series Blue Mountain State returns to the gridiron for a second season this fall starting Wednesday, October 20 at 11:00 PM, ET/PT. Blue Mountain State chronicles the on and off-field antics of the fictional college football powerhouse Blue Mountain State.
Season two of Blue Mountain State finds Coach Marty Daniels (Former NFL-er Ed Marinaro) under pressure to deliver a winning season after an embarrassing showing last year that has put his legacy and job security in grave danger. Adding to the coach's troubles is the arrival of his contentious and meddling ex-wife Debra (Denise Richards).
Season two of Spike's Blue Mountain State features numerous guest appearances including Bill Parcells, two-time Super Bowl Champion coach (NY Giants), four-time Pro Bowl QB and 1988 MVP Boomer Esiason (Cincinnati Bengals, NY Jets), four-time Super Bowl Champion Bill Romanowski (Denver Broncos), two-time NCAA All-American Brian Bosworth (Seattle Seahawks), actress Stacy Keibler, UFC legend Chuck Liddell and renowned sports announcers Dan Patrick and Craig Carton.
MTV has moved further into the scripted world, giving series orders of 12 episodes each to the coming-of-age entry That Girl and the horror comedy Death Valley. Both series, which will premiere sometime next year, come on the heels of previously ordered scripted entries Skins and Teen Wolf. MTV also has a second season on tap of The Hard Times of RJ Berger.
"That Girl" (working title) centers on a 15-year-old misfit who suddenly becomes the center of attention after the kids in school mistakenly believe she tried to commit suicide. The series takes on issues of jealousy, body image, friendship, sex and parental guidance, MTV said.
The documentary-style Death Valley follows the Undead Task Force, which battles zombies, vampires and werewolves that have overrun the San Fernando Valley. Ensemble cast includes Caity Lotz (Mad Men) and Tania Raymonde (Lost).
Retro Television Network (RTV) has officially launched in New York and New Orleans this week. As we previously reported, WSAH aired RTV programming in 2009, but then dropped it. Now, WKOB-LP in New York is the station that has brought back RTV in the New York market! You can see RTV programming on channel 42.2 over the air. See the schedule for RTV in New York!
As for New Orleans, RTV launched Monday in New Orleans on WVUE! The RTV programming is airing on channel 8.2 over the air. See the schedule for RTV in New Orleans!
And as we mentioned, RTV launches in the next few days on TV 8 in San Fransisco! And if you don't know by now, RTV is a television network that provides each affiliate a customized feed with classic hit shows, in addition to local programming including news, weather and sports.
Starting in October, RTV will have a new Saturday morning block that will feature Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, Ghost Busters, Archies, BraveStarr, She-Ra and He-Man from 8-11am, followed by an hour of Lassie. All of these programs are from Filmation. Hopefully they bring in the rarely seen Gilligan's Planet, The New Adventures of Gilligan and The Brady Kids back on the air.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Me-TV and Me-Too Chicago Fall 2010 Schedules; Remembering Character Actor Harold Gould
Me-TV and Me-Too Chicago has announced their fall schedules and will continue to roll in classic TV series. The fall schedules will start on Monday, Sept. 27 for both stations. New to Me-TV will be E! True Hollywood Story airing weekdays at 4am. Returning to the Me-TV schedule are The Bob Newhart Show, The Addams Family, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, and The Flying Nun, but with shows returning, some shows are leaving: The Bernie Mac Show, Gimme a Break!, The Odd Couple, The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, My Three Sons, The Munsters, The Honeymooners, 3rd Rock From the Sun, Burns and Allen, The Jack Benny Show, The Phil Silvers Show, McHale's Navy, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days, Family Ties and Made in Hollywood: Teen Edition. Me-TV rolls shows in and out each season, so you can expect some of these back by winter or spring. Among the highlights for Me-TV's fall schedule are now Who's the Boss? and Diff'rent Strokes now airing weekdays (10am-11am and 2am CT respectively). Other series airing weekdays are Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best, Silver Spoons, Maude, One Day at a Time, Gilligan's Island, Bewitched, All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Sanford & Son, That's My Mama!, and Married...with Children. Weekends will have classics as well of course. Some of the series airing don't air on weekdays, and they include The Brady Bunch, The Monkees, Taxi, Flying Nun, Mork & Mindy, and My Favorite Martian.
View the FULL Me-TV Fall 2010 schedule starting Sept. 27.
Moving on to sister station, Me-Too, they will also start their fall 2010 schedule on Sept. 27. While Me-TV airs classic sitcoms, Me-Too showcases classic dramas. New this fall to Me-Too are Hardcastle & McCormick, Here Comes the Brides and Missing. Returning to the station are Police Woman, Magnum, P.I., Starsky & Hutch and S.W.A.T. And of course with the new additions, some series will leave such as Cagney & Lacey, The Streets of San Francisco, The A-Team, Kojak, The Rockford Files, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, In the Heat of the Night, Combat! and Batman. Just like Me-TV, Me-Too rolls shows in and out each season, so you can expect some of these back by winter or spring. Classic dramas airing weekdays include Hart to Hart, Hawaii Five-0, Charlie's Angels, and Perry Mason. Series airing on weekends include T.J. Hooker, Dragnet, Hardcastle & McCormick, and Starsky & Hutch.
View the FULL Me-Too Fall 2010 schedule starting Sept. 27. My oh my Chicago gets everything!
Harold Gould, a veteran character actor who played Martin, Valerie Harper's father on Rhoda and Miles, Betty White's boyfriend on The Golden Girls, has died. He died Saturday (September 11, 2010) of prostate cancer. Over five decades, he made scores of appearances on shows such as The Donna Reed, Dennis the Menace, Route 66, Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Twilight Zone, Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mister Ed, Perry Mason, Jack Benny, Hazel, That Girl, Get Smart, The Fugitive, The Flying Nun, I Dream of Jeannie, Here Come the Brides, Hogan's Heroes, Columbo, Mannix, The Partridge Family, New Dick Van Dyke Show, Lotsa Luck, Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-0, SOAP, The Love Boat, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Rockford Files, Webster, Night Court, Empty Nest, Dallas, Dinosaurs, Lois & Clark, Felicity, The King of Queens, Touched by an Angel, Judging Amy, Cold Case, and most recently Nip/Tuck.
He played the father, Howard Cunningham, in a 1972 segment of Love, American Style, titled "Love and Happy Days," which led to the series Happy Days. But before the series went into production, Gould went abroad to do a play, and Tom Bosley was cast for the series role and the rest is history.
Mr. Gould will be deeply missed. He was truly a great character actor and his roles on Rhoda/Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls will never be forgotten. Mr. Gould was 86.
View the FULL Me-TV Fall 2010 schedule starting Sept. 27.
Moving on to sister station, Me-Too, they will also start their fall 2010 schedule on Sept. 27. While Me-TV airs classic sitcoms, Me-Too showcases classic dramas. New this fall to Me-Too are Hardcastle & McCormick, Here Comes the Brides and Missing. Returning to the station are Police Woman, Magnum, P.I., Starsky & Hutch and S.W.A.T. And of course with the new additions, some series will leave such as Cagney & Lacey, The Streets of San Francisco, The A-Team, Kojak, The Rockford Files, The Courtship of Eddie's Father, In the Heat of the Night, Combat! and Batman. Just like Me-TV, Me-Too rolls shows in and out each season, so you can expect some of these back by winter or spring. Classic dramas airing weekdays include Hart to Hart, Hawaii Five-0, Charlie's Angels, and Perry Mason. Series airing on weekends include T.J. Hooker, Dragnet, Hardcastle & McCormick, and Starsky & Hutch.
View the FULL Me-Too Fall 2010 schedule starting Sept. 27. My oh my Chicago gets everything!
Harold Gould, a veteran character actor who played Martin, Valerie Harper's father on Rhoda and Miles, Betty White's boyfriend on The Golden Girls, has died. He died Saturday (September 11, 2010) of prostate cancer. Over five decades, he made scores of appearances on shows such as The Donna Reed, Dennis the Menace, Route 66, Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Twilight Zone, Man from U.N.C.L.E., Mister Ed, Perry Mason, Jack Benny, Hazel, That Girl, Get Smart, The Fugitive, The Flying Nun, I Dream of Jeannie, Here Come the Brides, Hogan's Heroes, Columbo, Mannix, The Partridge Family, New Dick Van Dyke Show, Lotsa Luck, Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-0, SOAP, The Love Boat, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Rockford Files, Webster, Night Court, Empty Nest, Dallas, Dinosaurs, Lois & Clark, Felicity, The King of Queens, Touched by an Angel, Judging Amy, Cold Case, and most recently Nip/Tuck.
He played the father, Howard Cunningham, in a 1972 segment of Love, American Style, titled "Love and Happy Days," which led to the series Happy Days. But before the series went into production, Gould went abroad to do a play, and Tom Bosley was cast for the series role and the rest is history.
Mr. Gould will be deeply missed. He was truly a great character actor and his roles on Rhoda/Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls will never be forgotten. Mr. Gould was 86.
Monday, September 13, 2010
TV One October 2010 Schedule; AmericanLife TV Not Launching The Fall Guy
On Friday we told you of the TV One schedule changes happening during the evenings starting Sept. 20, now we can give you the TV One October 2010 schedule, which is part two of their fall schedule. As we mentioned, beginning on Monday, October 4 at 6pm, TV One adds the series premiere of Judge Karen's Court with Judge Karen Mills-Francis. Called "the most colorful judge on TV," by The Los Angeles Times, Judge Karen is known for her trademark burgundy robes and blonde hair along with her razor-sharp wit and compassionate heart. Viewers will embrace Judge Karen's feisty personality and passionate advocacy for families and children. The show will premiere back to back episodes at 6pm & 6:30pm with encores airing the following day at 6am & 6:30am. The morning encores will replace Divorce Court.
Judge Karen's Court will be replacing Good Times in the 6pm hour. Good Times will move to the 5pm hour replacing Sanford & Son, which will still remain in the 3pm half-hour. The only other change is in the 4pm hour, with New York Undercover coming back replacing an hour of Divorce Court, and yes that means it is off the schedule for now.
As for stunts, on Sunday, October 10 beginning at 12pm Noon through 5pm, TV One airs a premiere week marathon of the new courtroom series Judge Karen's Court with Judge Karen Mills-Francis as the presiding judge. On Saturday, October 16 beginning at 1pm through 8pm (encores from 12-6am), it's boys being boys as TV One presents the "Martin - Boys will Be Boyz" Marathon featuring episodes of the popular TV One sitcom focusing on the friendship between Martin Payne and his boy and confidant Tommy. And finally, on Sunday, October 31 beginning at 12 Noon through 8pm, the ghouls and goblins are upon us as Halloween comes to TV One in the form of the TV One "Hallo-Scream" Marathon. TV One showcases Halloween-themed episodes of TV One sitcoms A Different World, The Jeffersons, Martin, Living Single, and The Hughleys. You can watch encores of The Jeffersons Halloween episodes from 3am-5am later that night.
View and discuss the TV One Fall 2010 schedule.
A couple of weeks ago we gave you AmericanLife TV Network's fall schedule and mentioned that among the new series joining the line-up would be '80s drama The Fall Guy starting Oct. 1. ALN has announced that the series will not be joining the schedule after all. As a result, Sue Thomas F.B.eye will remain in the Mon-Thurs 7pm and 10pm ET hours. All of the other new series we mentioned that would join the line-up will still join. They are Power of Attorney, Texas Justice, Cristina's Court, Chicago Hope and ALN Today original series.
It is too bad The Fall Guy is not joining. It is not joining the line-up due to a few episodes having music issues, so ALN has decided to just remove the series before launching. ALN was seeking a replacement from 20th Century Fox, but as of now, it is not happening. We had word that 4 sitcoms would join, but that didn't happen. And then there was word of Boston Public being the replacement, but so far nothing on that. Stay tuned if anything at all is added, but as of now Sue Thomas F.B.eye is staying in its current slots.
View and discuss ALN's Fall 2010 schedule.
Judge Karen's Court will be replacing Good Times in the 6pm hour. Good Times will move to the 5pm hour replacing Sanford & Son, which will still remain in the 3pm half-hour. The only other change is in the 4pm hour, with New York Undercover coming back replacing an hour of Divorce Court, and yes that means it is off the schedule for now.
As for stunts, on Sunday, October 10 beginning at 12pm Noon through 5pm, TV One airs a premiere week marathon of the new courtroom series Judge Karen's Court with Judge Karen Mills-Francis as the presiding judge. On Saturday, October 16 beginning at 1pm through 8pm (encores from 12-6am), it's boys being boys as TV One presents the "Martin - Boys will Be Boyz" Marathon featuring episodes of the popular TV One sitcom focusing on the friendship between Martin Payne and his boy and confidant Tommy. And finally, on Sunday, October 31 beginning at 12 Noon through 8pm, the ghouls and goblins are upon us as Halloween comes to TV One in the form of the TV One "Hallo-Scream" Marathon. TV One showcases Halloween-themed episodes of TV One sitcoms A Different World, The Jeffersons, Martin, Living Single, and The Hughleys. You can watch encores of The Jeffersons Halloween episodes from 3am-5am later that night.
View and discuss the TV One Fall 2010 schedule.
A couple of weeks ago we gave you AmericanLife TV Network's fall schedule and mentioned that among the new series joining the line-up would be '80s drama The Fall Guy starting Oct. 1. ALN has announced that the series will not be joining the schedule after all. As a result, Sue Thomas F.B.eye will remain in the Mon-Thurs 7pm and 10pm ET hours. All of the other new series we mentioned that would join the line-up will still join. They are Power of Attorney, Texas Justice, Cristina's Court, Chicago Hope and ALN Today original series.
It is too bad The Fall Guy is not joining. It is not joining the line-up due to a few episodes having music issues, so ALN has decided to just remove the series before launching. ALN was seeking a replacement from 20th Century Fox, but as of now, it is not happening. We had word that 4 sitcoms would join, but that didn't happen. And then there was word of Boston Public being the replacement, but so far nothing on that. Stay tuned if anything at all is added, but as of now Sue Thomas F.B.eye is staying in its current slots.
View and discuss ALN's Fall 2010 schedule.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Summer Week 15 Sitcom Ratings; Coming Week Preview
Summer is still in session for just another week and it's repeats galore for sitcoms. We will be back with our normal weekly report with the first four nights numbers and analysis in a few weeks as the fall season is on the horizon, but we still will have our regular how the sitcoms did for the rest of the summer, along with a coming week preview! Here are our summer ratings:
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for Week 14, week of Aug. 30-Sept. 5)
Monday Sitcoms
Tonight you can watch encores of Fox's animated comedies from 8-10 tonight following NFL coverage. ABC airs repeats of two episodes of America's Funniest Home Videos and one Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Then it will be an all-new The Gates at 10pm. NBC will air the season premiere of Football Night in America followed by the first Sunday night NFL game of the season between the Cowboys and Redskins. CBS has a new 60 Minutes at 7pm followed by Sunday edition of Big Brother 12 and then repeats from 9-11 with Undercover Boss at 9 and CSI: Miami at 10.
Coming Week Preview (Sept. 13-18):
For Monday, on ABC, it's the season finale of steady performer The Bachelor Pad from 8-10pm with hosts Chris Harrison and Melissa Rycroft and the season finale of Dating in the Dark at 10pm. NBC will have a repeat of America's Got Talent from 8-10 followed by a new Dateline at 10. On Fox, Lie to Me is all-new on its time of 9pm right after a House repeat. CBS is in repeats with their comedies and CSI: Miami while The CW has season premieres of 90210 and Gossip Girl from 8-10.
On Tuesday, ABC will have a two episode season finale of Wipeout from 8-10pm and the special Last Witness at 10. NBC has a new Minute to Win It at 8, then the penultimate episode of America's Got Talent at 9, leading into the season premiere of Parenthood at 10. Fox is in repeats with two Glee repeats. The CW has the season premieres of One Tree Hill and Life Unexpected. And once again CBS is in repeats with their regular Tuesday, but 10pm will have the special Fashion's Night Out 2010. Cable is good on Tuesdays too with a new episode of the multi-camera sitcom Melissa & Joey at 8 on ABC Family and the two-episode season finale of spy drama Covert Affairs starring the sexy Piper Perabo on USA Network from 9-11pm.
On Wednesday, Fox has the two-hour season finale of MasterChef from 8-10. NBC has the two-hour season finale of America's Got Talent from 8-10 followed by the series preview of upcoming Friday drama Outlaw at 10. ABC has repeats of the comedies and Castle Wednesday at 10pm. CBS will have the season premiere of Survivor: Nicaragua at 8 leading into the two-hour finale of Big Brother 12 from 9-11. The CW has an all-new episode of reality series America's Next Top Model at 8pm followed by week two for drama Hellcats at 9.
On Thursday, ABC will have a special Thursday repeat of Wipeout followed by the thrilling two-hour season finale repeat of Grey's Anatomy from 9-11pm. Fox will have a two-hour repeat of Fringe. CBS has a mini-marathon of encores of The Big Bang Theory from 8-10pm, followed by the normal The Mentalist repeat. NBC has two repeats of The Office from 8-9 then the two-hour season premiere of The Apprentice at 10. And The CW has an all-new Vampire Diaries at 8 leading into episode two of Nikita at 9.
On Friday, ABC has a repeat of Wife Swap at 8, followed by a repeat of ratings hit Primetime: What Would You Do? at 9pm, followed by a new 20/20 at 10. NBC has a two-hour Dateline from 8-10 followed the Friday premiere of new drama Outlaw at 10, which will be the pilot episode that aired Wednesday. CBS will have repeats of Medium and CSI: NY leading into the finale of Flashpoint at 10. Fox has repeats of Human Target & The Good Guys. The CW will have encores of Hellcats and Nikita.
On Saturday, its slow as usual. CBS has a crime repeat leading into two new hours of 48 Hours Mystery from 9-11. Fox will have its usual crime reality with Cops and AMW. ABC has Saturday Night College Football coverage. NBC has an encore of The Apprentice from 8-10 and then a repeat of Parenthood.
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for Week 14, week of Aug. 30-Sept. 5)
- The Simpsons (Fox) 2 episodes - A repeat did 3.54 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating at 8pm, bit lower than usual due to Labor Day weekend. A 7:30pm repeat led into the 8pm repeat doing 2.61 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating.
- The Cleveland Show (Fox) - 3.28 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating for a repeat at 8:30, down some from usual due to the holiday weekend.
- Family Guy (Fox) 2 episodes - Two repeats did 3.77/4.06 million and a 1.7/1.8 18-49 rating...also down from normal summer numbers.
- American Dad! (Fox) - A repeat at 7pm did just 2.15 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating. The regular 9:30pm airing is not airing currently.
Monday Sitcoms
- How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 4.37 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating for a repeat. Down from normal summer numbers due to Labor Day.
- Rules of Engagement (CBS) - preempted.
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 8.02 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating for a repeat, down some due to Labor Day.
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 7.74 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating for a repeat. Lower than usual due to the holiday but still built a bit in 18-49 from its lead-in.
- None.
- The Middle (ABC) 2 episodes - The 8pm repeat did 4.55 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, a bit higher than recent weeks. Then the 8:30pm repeat did 4.5 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, also bit higher than recent weeks.
- Modern Family (ABC) - A repeat at 9pm did 4.69 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, ties a summer high in 18-49.
- Cougar Town (ABC) - A summer repeat did 3.08 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, similar to summer levels this summer.
- Community (NBC) - preempted for NFL kick-off game.
- 30 Rock (NBC) - preempted for NFL kick-off game.
- The Office (NBC) - preempted for NFL kick-off game.
- Parks and Recreation (NBC) - preempted for NFL kick-off game.
Friday Sitcoms
- None.
Tonight you can watch encores of Fox's animated comedies from 8-10 tonight following NFL coverage. ABC airs repeats of two episodes of America's Funniest Home Videos and one Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Then it will be an all-new The Gates at 10pm. NBC will air the season premiere of Football Night in America followed by the first Sunday night NFL game of the season between the Cowboys and Redskins. CBS has a new 60 Minutes at 7pm followed by Sunday edition of Big Brother 12 and then repeats from 9-11 with Undercover Boss at 9 and CSI: Miami at 10.
Coming Week Preview (Sept. 13-18):
For Monday, on ABC, it's the season finale of steady performer The Bachelor Pad from 8-10pm with hosts Chris Harrison and Melissa Rycroft and the season finale of Dating in the Dark at 10pm. NBC will have a repeat of America's Got Talent from 8-10 followed by a new Dateline at 10. On Fox, Lie to Me is all-new on its time of 9pm right after a House repeat. CBS is in repeats with their comedies and CSI: Miami while The CW has season premieres of 90210 and Gossip Girl from 8-10.
On Tuesday, ABC will have a two episode season finale of Wipeout from 8-10pm and the special Last Witness at 10. NBC has a new Minute to Win It at 8, then the penultimate episode of America's Got Talent at 9, leading into the season premiere of Parenthood at 10. Fox is in repeats with two Glee repeats. The CW has the season premieres of One Tree Hill and Life Unexpected. And once again CBS is in repeats with their regular Tuesday, but 10pm will have the special Fashion's Night Out 2010. Cable is good on Tuesdays too with a new episode of the multi-camera sitcom Melissa & Joey at 8 on ABC Family and the two-episode season finale of spy drama Covert Affairs starring the sexy Piper Perabo on USA Network from 9-11pm.
On Wednesday, Fox has the two-hour season finale of MasterChef from 8-10. NBC has the two-hour season finale of America's Got Talent from 8-10 followed by the series preview of upcoming Friday drama Outlaw at 10. ABC has repeats of the comedies and Castle Wednesday at 10pm. CBS will have the season premiere of Survivor: Nicaragua at 8 leading into the two-hour finale of Big Brother 12 from 9-11. The CW has an all-new episode of reality series America's Next Top Model at 8pm followed by week two for drama Hellcats at 9.
On Thursday, ABC will have a special Thursday repeat of Wipeout followed by the thrilling two-hour season finale repeat of Grey's Anatomy from 9-11pm. Fox will have a two-hour repeat of Fringe. CBS has a mini-marathon of encores of The Big Bang Theory from 8-10pm, followed by the normal The Mentalist repeat. NBC has two repeats of The Office from 8-9 then the two-hour season premiere of The Apprentice at 10. And The CW has an all-new Vampire Diaries at 8 leading into episode two of Nikita at 9.
On Friday, ABC has a repeat of Wife Swap at 8, followed by a repeat of ratings hit Primetime: What Would You Do? at 9pm, followed by a new 20/20 at 10. NBC has a two-hour Dateline from 8-10 followed the Friday premiere of new drama Outlaw at 10, which will be the pilot episode that aired Wednesday. CBS will have repeats of Medium and CSI: NY leading into the finale of Flashpoint at 10. Fox has repeats of Human Target & The Good Guys. The CW will have encores of Hellcats and Nikita.
On Saturday, its slow as usual. CBS has a crime repeat leading into two new hours of 48 Hours Mystery from 9-11. Fox will have its usual crime reality with Cops and AMW. ABC has Saturday Night College Football coverage. NBC has an encore of The Apprentice from 8-10 and then a repeat of Parenthood.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Digital Digest: Private Practice - The Complete Third Season DVD Review (9/14)
Welcome to another edition of Digital Digest! Our normal Digital Digest blogger (skees53) as you know is off for the summer and is missed. We hope to have him back in the next few weeks! As always, we have the latest news, upcoming releases for Tuesday, and our DVD review this week is of ABC Studio's Private Practice - The Complete Third Season. Head on over to the Oceanside Wellness Group for everything that you need!
DIGITAL NEWS
It was a short week for news, due to the Labor Day holiday weekend. We have some sitcom DVD news for you. Shout! Factory has announced Leave it to Beaver - Season 5 for Dec. 14 at a $37.97 MSRP. View the packaging and a list of features. We already knew this, but Shout! Factory has now officially announced The Larry Sanders Show - The Complete Series for Nov. 2. View the official press release. We also get an official confirmation from ABC Studios for The Golden Girls - 25th Anniversary Complete Collection. Yes, we knew about this one, too, but now the official press release is out. View that release and the packaging art.
Punky Brewster and Blossom will be both getting single-disc releases from Mill Creek Home Entertainment. Punky Brewster - TV Flashbacks: Turn Your World Around is coming out Oct. 12 with 10 classic episodes for just $9.98 MSRP. Read more about this set and these Mill Creek single disc sets that they have done in the past as well. Now Punky has been complete on DVD already, but Blossom's first two seasons are only out as of now. So it is a bit strange Mill Creek is going to do a single-disc best-of set already. Blossom - TV Flashbacks: 10 Very Special Episodes. This set is also out on Oct. 12 with 10 special episodes from 1990-91 at a $9.98 MSRP. Read more about this set.
In cable comedy news, United States of Tara - The Second Season will be out on Dec. 28 from Showtime DVD. View the packaging and the bonus interviews included. And finally, TVShowsonDVD.com is reporting that Nurse Jackie - Season 2 will be out soon. No date is given, but read the story.
For more information on titles that we won't cover with full or blog DVD reviews, you can head on over to the news section of TVShowsOnDVD.com for all of the latest details.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (September 14) will have a lot of sitcom releases. Warner Home Video is releasing The Big Bang Theory - The Complete Third Season, and you can read our review of this nice set here. Shout! Factory is releasing Designing Women - The Complete Fourth Season and look for our review of this soon. Shout! Factory is also releasing Leave it to Beaver - Season Four and you can read our review of that hopefully soon, too! And finally Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is releasing Rules of Engagement - The Complete Third Season and we will have a review of that shortly, too.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
DVD Review: Private Practice - The Complete Third Season
by Pavan
Private Practice - The Complete Third Season (ABC Studios, $45.99) brings the third season of the Grey's Anatomy spin-off starring Kate Walsh on DVD with all 23 episodes! Relive every moment of the medical drama and the challenges that Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) and her co-workers at Oceanside Wellness Group face every day have bonded them into a tight-knit family, but big changes may be just around the the corner.
The series will once again 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 Brian Benben, Geffri Maya, Hailey Sole, Michael Patrick Thornton, Agnes Bruckner, Caterina Scorsone, Christina Chang, Stephen Lunsford and James Morrison. Among the special guests this year are Amanda Detmer, JoBeth Williams, Stephen Collins, Amanda Foreman, and from Grey's Anatomy cross-overs Chandra Wilson & Eric Dane.
This third season was excellent and filled with lots of drama. I think it was probably their best season both with the medical cases and the personal stories. The season was very well written. The fourth season premieres on Sept. 23 and we cannot wait for that. Anyway, as for season three, some memorable episodes include the season premiere, "A Death in the Family," where after Pete discovers Violet dying on the floor of her home, having barely survived a violent attack from her patient, Katie, he rushes her to the hospital where Addison and Naomi fight to save her life, while the whereabouts and condition of Violet's stolen baby are unknown. In "Right Here, Right Now," Miranda Bailey (Grey's Anatomy's Chandra Wilson) brings a kidney transplant patient to Los Angeles, and Addison isn't the only Oceanside Wellness doctor pleased to see her. In "Strange Bedfellows," Katie Kent is apprehended and on trial and Violet is asked to testify against her attacker, but she struggles with whether or not she can face her attacker in court. In the classic episode, "The Hard Part," Addison and Sam go for a hike in Malibu, and must perform urgent field care when they stumble upon an expecting couple, trapped in their car after an accident. In the two-part episode "The Parent Trap/Blowups," Addison performs a complex in utero surgery, proving not only her talents to her father but also finally giving them some common ground and later a terrible explosion at Dell's house lands Betsey and Heather in the hospital, and everyone is pushed to the limit trying to save their lives. In "Another Second Chance," Desperate to help his pregnant daughter, Mark (Eric Dane) follows Addison back to Oceanside Wellness, Dell and Naomi struggle to raise their children under the same roof, and Violet and Cooper heatedly disagree on how to treat a patient. In "Til Death Do Us Part," as Violet continues to help Sam with Maya's wedding, Naomi refuses to take part as she works with Addison and Pete to save the life of a 25-week-old premature baby. In "Second Choices," after her open-ended escape to Costa Rica, Violet has finally returned home and to the practice and everyone treads a little lightly around her, especially Pete and Addison who have mixed feelings about Violet's desire to reconnect with Lucas. And in the thrilling season finale, "The End of a Beautiful Friendship," Maya and her unborn baby are fighting for their lives on the operating table, and Addison, Amelia and Fife try everything humanly possible to save them, while Sam operates on an incoming crash victim and later makes a grim discovery and then later an unexpected death occurs.
The episodes run usually close to 43 minutes, unedited of course with all the great music intact. There are about 7 chapter stops per episode. View the episode runtimes:
Disc 1
1. "A Death in the Family" 43:05
2. "The Way We Were" 43:00
3. "Right Here, Right Now" 43:01
4. "Pushing the Limits" 43:05
Disc 2
5. "Strange Bedfellows" 42:56
6. "Slip Slidin' Away" 43:07
7. "The Hard Part" 43:06
8. "Sins of the Father" 43:05
9. "The Parent Trap" 41:58
Disc 3
10. "Blowups" 44:08
11. "Another Second Chance" 43:07
12. "Best Laid Plans" 43:04
13. "Shotgun" 43:04
14. "Love Bites" 43:03
Disc 4
15. "'Til Death Do Us Part" 43:06
16. "Fear of Flying" 43:07
17. "Triangles" 43:04
18. "Pulling the Plug" 42:30
19. "Eyes Wide Open" 43:05
Disc 5
20. "Second Choices" 43:05
21. "War" 43:07
22. "In the Name of Love" 43:05
23. "The End of A Beautiful Friendship" 43:05
Packaging has an outer box that you can remove from the top or bottom then you'll see the keep case inside. We previously had a digipak, but now ABC Studios has changed it to a keep case. Both the outer box and keep case have the same cover, a cast photo of them on the beach with medical tools. The show logo is on the top in white wording in a purple background. The back of the box and keep case has that purple 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. 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 and nice promotional photos, as last time. There are two inserts in the left side pocket. We don't get an episode booklet again. There are inserts for other ABC Studios products and an insert for Blu-ray. We have two little plastic holders, that we can flip like a page on a book. The first holder holds disc one in the front, and disc two in the back. The second holder holds disc three in the front, and disc four in the back. Disc five is on the right panel itself. Each disc matches the set's color scheme, that purple background and has nice character artwork. Disc one has episodes 1-4 with artwork of Addison. Disc two has episodes 5-9 and has artwork of Cooper & Charlotte. Disc three has episodes 10-14 and has artwork of Violet & Pete. Disc four has episodes 15-19 and has artwork of Naomi & Sam. Disc five has episodes 20-23 plus bonus features and has artwork of Dell. When you remove the discs, the panels have nice artwork of different characters, as mentioned.
The menu screen has clips in the background with background music from the series playing in the background audio wise, similar to last time. The options on the main menu are Play All, Episode Selection, Set Up, Bonus Features (disc five), and Sneak Peeks (disc one). 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 6, Desperate Housewives Season 6, and Castle Season 2. Sneak Peeks option is only found on disc five on the main menu and has previews of many titles like Cougar Town, Prince of Persia, A Christmas Carol, Blu-ray titles, and ABC: Great Stories. 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 five and it has all the extras listed. All of the sub-menus have different background music once again.
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 2009-10 season, so it had better be good. Now as I discussed in the Grey's Anatomy Season 6 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 "Invasion" (in which we see Dr. Bailey at the end of the episode saying she is going to California), and "Blink" (with Addison in Seattle helping Mark). It would have been nice if we had those episodes as extras at least! Buy the Grey's Season 6 DVD, I guess.
Moving on the bonus features. Technically this isn't a bonus, but on disc one we have an ABC Starter Kit (4:44) that recaps what has happened so far. A nice little fresher! All of the other extras are on disc five! We have a featurette titled "Kate's Top 8" (12:15). This is a very good extra that has Kate Walsh giving the eight best things about season three. Interviewed are Kate Walsh, Brian Haynes (location manager), Audra McDonald, Taye Diggs, KaDee Strickland, Chris Lowell, Shonda Rhimes & Betsy Beers, Amy Brenneman, Paul Adelstein, Cynthia Bergstrom (costume designer) and Tim Daly.
Then we have "Deleted Scenes" listed with episode titles so you know where they are from! We do NOT have optional audio commentary on these deleted scenes from Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers like last time, though. Too bad. If my counting skills are correct, we have about 13 deleted scenes, down from the 23 the previous season. "The Way We Were" (1:49), "Pushing the Limits" (0:57), "Slip Slidin' Away" (0:58), "The Hard Part" (1:35), "Another Second Chance" (1:09), "Best Laid Plans" ((0:29, 1:19), "Shotgun" (1:17), "Triangles" (0:45), "Pulling the Plug" (0:42), "Eyes Wide Open" (1:11), "Second Chances" (1:23), and "War" (1:01). Finally, we have some "Bloopers" (4:25)...yes, bloopers! See all the goofs and play on the set! The timing is up a lick from the last set, too, but really on par.
I recommend this series and set...it is an ABC Studios DVD, so it is good and filled with special features. I think we don't get as many special features as last time, though, which is strange. The packaging changed from digipak to a keep case. Not sure if that is good, but at least overlapping discs are gone. This season was great and perhaps my favorite so far. You'll want to tune in for sure on Sept. 23 for the fourth season premiere, but you need to refresh yourself, catch up with these 23 season three episodes first! Lots of changes happened this season. Mostly sad stuff, but there are light moments that will have you smile. Check into Oceanside Wellness and you'll be treated well!
(4/5 stars)
To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Official Website
Private Practice TV.com Page
LOOKING AHEAD
Come on back right here next week for more news and reviews. Next week we will have another good blog review for you. And don't forget to read our full DVD reviews, as many sitcoms are coming fast now as we enter the fall season. So please stay with us! Stay healthy and keep it digital!
DIGITAL NEWS
It was a short week for news, due to the Labor Day holiday weekend. We have some sitcom DVD news for you. Shout! Factory has announced Leave it to Beaver - Season 5 for Dec. 14 at a $37.97 MSRP. View the packaging and a list of features. We already knew this, but Shout! Factory has now officially announced The Larry Sanders Show - The Complete Series for Nov. 2. View the official press release. We also get an official confirmation from ABC Studios for The Golden Girls - 25th Anniversary Complete Collection. Yes, we knew about this one, too, but now the official press release is out. View that release and the packaging art.
Punky Brewster and Blossom will be both getting single-disc releases from Mill Creek Home Entertainment. Punky Brewster - TV Flashbacks: Turn Your World Around is coming out Oct. 12 with 10 classic episodes for just $9.98 MSRP. Read more about this set and these Mill Creek single disc sets that they have done in the past as well. Now Punky has been complete on DVD already, but Blossom's first two seasons are only out as of now. So it is a bit strange Mill Creek is going to do a single-disc best-of set already. Blossom - TV Flashbacks: 10 Very Special Episodes. This set is also out on Oct. 12 with 10 special episodes from 1990-91 at a $9.98 MSRP. Read more about this set.
In cable comedy news, United States of Tara - The Second Season will be out on Dec. 28 from Showtime DVD. View the packaging and the bonus interviews included. And finally, TVShowsonDVD.com is reporting that Nurse Jackie - Season 2 will be out soon. No date is given, but read the story.
For more information on titles that we won't cover with full or blog DVD reviews, you can head on over to the news section of TVShowsOnDVD.com for all of the latest details.
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (September 14) will have a lot of sitcom releases. Warner Home Video is releasing The Big Bang Theory - The Complete Third Season, and you can read our review of this nice set here. Shout! Factory is releasing Designing Women - The Complete Fourth Season and look for our review of this soon. Shout! Factory is also releasing Leave it to Beaver - Season Four and you can read our review of that hopefully soon, too! And finally Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is releasing Rules of Engagement - The Complete Third Season and we will have a review of that shortly, too.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
DVD Review: Private Practice - The Complete Third Season
by Pavan
Private Practice - The Complete Third Season (ABC Studios, $45.99) brings the third season of the Grey's Anatomy spin-off starring Kate Walsh on DVD with all 23 episodes! Relive every moment of the medical drama and the challenges that Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) and her co-workers at Oceanside Wellness Group face every day have bonded them into a tight-knit family, but big changes may be just around the the corner.
The series will once again 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 Brian Benben, Geffri Maya, Hailey Sole, Michael Patrick Thornton, Agnes Bruckner, Caterina Scorsone, Christina Chang, Stephen Lunsford and James Morrison. Among the special guests this year are Amanda Detmer, JoBeth Williams, Stephen Collins, Amanda Foreman, and from Grey's Anatomy cross-overs Chandra Wilson & Eric Dane.
This third season was excellent and filled with lots of drama. I think it was probably their best season both with the medical cases and the personal stories. The season was very well written. The fourth season premieres on Sept. 23 and we cannot wait for that. Anyway, as for season three, some memorable episodes include the season premiere, "A Death in the Family," where after Pete discovers Violet dying on the floor of her home, having barely survived a violent attack from her patient, Katie, he rushes her to the hospital where Addison and Naomi fight to save her life, while the whereabouts and condition of Violet's stolen baby are unknown. In "Right Here, Right Now," Miranda Bailey (Grey's Anatomy's Chandra Wilson) brings a kidney transplant patient to Los Angeles, and Addison isn't the only Oceanside Wellness doctor pleased to see her. In "Strange Bedfellows," Katie Kent is apprehended and on trial and Violet is asked to testify against her attacker, but she struggles with whether or not she can face her attacker in court. In the classic episode, "The Hard Part," Addison and Sam go for a hike in Malibu, and must perform urgent field care when they stumble upon an expecting couple, trapped in their car after an accident. In the two-part episode "The Parent Trap/Blowups," Addison performs a complex in utero surgery, proving not only her talents to her father but also finally giving them some common ground and later a terrible explosion at Dell's house lands Betsey and Heather in the hospital, and everyone is pushed to the limit trying to save their lives. In "Another Second Chance," Desperate to help his pregnant daughter, Mark (Eric Dane) follows Addison back to Oceanside Wellness, Dell and Naomi struggle to raise their children under the same roof, and Violet and Cooper heatedly disagree on how to treat a patient. In "Til Death Do Us Part," as Violet continues to help Sam with Maya's wedding, Naomi refuses to take part as she works with Addison and Pete to save the life of a 25-week-old premature baby. In "Second Choices," after her open-ended escape to Costa Rica, Violet has finally returned home and to the practice and everyone treads a little lightly around her, especially Pete and Addison who have mixed feelings about Violet's desire to reconnect with Lucas. And in the thrilling season finale, "The End of a Beautiful Friendship," Maya and her unborn baby are fighting for their lives on the operating table, and Addison, Amelia and Fife try everything humanly possible to save them, while Sam operates on an incoming crash victim and later makes a grim discovery and then later an unexpected death occurs.
The episodes run usually close to 43 minutes, unedited of course with all the great music intact. There are about 7 chapter stops per episode. View the episode runtimes:
Disc 1
1. "A Death in the Family" 43:05
2. "The Way We Were" 43:00
3. "Right Here, Right Now" 43:01
4. "Pushing the Limits" 43:05
Disc 2
5. "Strange Bedfellows" 42:56
6. "Slip Slidin' Away" 43:07
7. "The Hard Part" 43:06
8. "Sins of the Father" 43:05
9. "The Parent Trap" 41:58
Disc 3
10. "Blowups" 44:08
11. "Another Second Chance" 43:07
12. "Best Laid Plans" 43:04
13. "Shotgun" 43:04
14. "Love Bites" 43:03
Disc 4
15. "'Til Death Do Us Part" 43:06
16. "Fear of Flying" 43:07
17. "Triangles" 43:04
18. "Pulling the Plug" 42:30
19. "Eyes Wide Open" 43:05
Disc 5
20. "Second Choices" 43:05
21. "War" 43:07
22. "In the Name of Love" 43:05
23. "The End of A Beautiful Friendship" 43:05
Packaging has an outer box that you can remove from the top or bottom then you'll see the keep case inside. We previously had a digipak, but now ABC Studios has changed it to a keep case. Both the outer box and keep case have the same cover, a cast photo of them on the beach with medical tools. The show logo is on the top in white wording in a purple background. The back of the box and keep case has that purple 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. 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 and nice promotional photos, as last time. There are two inserts in the left side pocket. We don't get an episode booklet again. There are inserts for other ABC Studios products and an insert for Blu-ray. We have two little plastic holders, that we can flip like a page on a book. The first holder holds disc one in the front, and disc two in the back. The second holder holds disc three in the front, and disc four in the back. Disc five is on the right panel itself. Each disc matches the set's color scheme, that purple background and has nice character artwork. Disc one has episodes 1-4 with artwork of Addison. Disc two has episodes 5-9 and has artwork of Cooper & Charlotte. Disc three has episodes 10-14 and has artwork of Violet & Pete. Disc four has episodes 15-19 and has artwork of Naomi & Sam. Disc five has episodes 20-23 plus bonus features and has artwork of Dell. When you remove the discs, the panels have nice artwork of different characters, as mentioned.
The menu screen has clips in the background with background music from the series playing in the background audio wise, similar to last time. The options on the main menu are Play All, Episode Selection, Set Up, Bonus Features (disc five), and Sneak Peeks (disc one). 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 6, Desperate Housewives Season 6, and Castle Season 2. Sneak Peeks option is only found on disc five on the main menu and has previews of many titles like Cougar Town, Prince of Persia, A Christmas Carol, Blu-ray titles, and ABC: Great Stories. 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 five and it has all the extras listed. All of the sub-menus have different background music once again.
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 2009-10 season, so it had better be good. Now as I discussed in the Grey's Anatomy Season 6 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 "Invasion" (in which we see Dr. Bailey at the end of the episode saying she is going to California), and "Blink" (with Addison in Seattle helping Mark). It would have been nice if we had those episodes as extras at least! Buy the Grey's Season 6 DVD, I guess.
Moving on the bonus features. Technically this isn't a bonus, but on disc one we have an ABC Starter Kit (4:44) that recaps what has happened so far. A nice little fresher! All of the other extras are on disc five! We have a featurette titled "Kate's Top 8" (12:15). This is a very good extra that has Kate Walsh giving the eight best things about season three. Interviewed are Kate Walsh, Brian Haynes (location manager), Audra McDonald, Taye Diggs, KaDee Strickland, Chris Lowell, Shonda Rhimes & Betsy Beers, Amy Brenneman, Paul Adelstein, Cynthia Bergstrom (costume designer) and Tim Daly.
Then we have "Deleted Scenes" listed with episode titles so you know where they are from! We do NOT have optional audio commentary on these deleted scenes from Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers like last time, though. Too bad. If my counting skills are correct, we have about 13 deleted scenes, down from the 23 the previous season. "The Way We Were" (1:49), "Pushing the Limits" (0:57), "Slip Slidin' Away" (0:58), "The Hard Part" (1:35), "Another Second Chance" (1:09), "Best Laid Plans" ((0:29, 1:19), "Shotgun" (1:17), "Triangles" (0:45), "Pulling the Plug" (0:42), "Eyes Wide Open" (1:11), "Second Chances" (1:23), and "War" (1:01). Finally, we have some "Bloopers" (4:25)...yes, bloopers! See all the goofs and play on the set! The timing is up a lick from the last set, too, but really on par.
I recommend this series and set...it is an ABC Studios DVD, so it is good and filled with special features. I think we don't get as many special features as last time, though, which is strange. The packaging changed from digipak to a keep case. Not sure if that is good, but at least overlapping discs are gone. This season was great and perhaps my favorite so far. You'll want to tune in for sure on Sept. 23 for the fourth season premiere, but you need to refresh yourself, catch up with these 23 season three episodes first! Lots of changes happened this season. Mostly sad stuff, but there are light moments that will have you smile. Check into Oceanside Wellness and you'll be treated well!
(4/5 stars)To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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Related links:
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Private Practice TV.com Page
LOOKING AHEAD
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