Tuesday, November 15, 2011

How "Community" might be in danger of Cancellation


Since Fox cancelled Joss Whedon’s Firefly and Dollhouse, there hasn’t been a network that comes close to making me as nervous that they will cancel a great series, or until now.  NBC announced that they will be putting the Thursday Night sitcom on the backburner for the midseason.  The network claims that the show is just taking a break and that it is not being cancelled but why else are they benching the show?

Community is comedy at its best.  They have done parodies of iconic films, tv shows and even themselves.  Last year they went as far as to parody the classic claymated winter classics as well as the popular targets of Breakfast Club and Star Wars.   The writing is unique, the cast is amazing and the pop culture references, parodies and themed episodes will keep anyone who watches coming back for more.

While Community is being pushed aside, new shows Whitney and Are you there, Chelsea? are on Wednesday night’s timeslot at the midseason start.  Is NBC seeing something that I am definitely missing with this move?

Monday, November 14, 2011

3 Reasons that Everyone Should Love ABC's Pan Am


Coming in on the heels of Mad Men’s success, ABC’s Pan Am has captivated audiences across the globe on Sunday nights.  The creators got it right with this new period drama.  And why has a show about one Pan Am flight crew set in the tumultuous 1960’s in American History kept people coming back every Sunday night when they could be watching  Emmy winning Julianna Margulies in The Good Wife or Sunday’s NFL ticket?  

1    1.)    With the amazing success of Mad Men, it only makes sense that we would love another great period drama.  Each week, the crew of Pan Am fall into major historical events that happened in a period of major changes in the World.  They have been to JFK’s speech in Berlin, and witnessed the beginning of the space race.
2    2.)    Christina Ricci - Some may not agree but who didn’t tune in the first couple of weeks just to see what this movie star brought to the small screen every week?  Besides, who doesn’t love Casper, Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, and Now & Then?
3    3.)    Lastly, put 4 flight attendants, and 2 pilots all in close quarters day after day while jet setting the world and you are strapped in for some serious drama.  Plus throw in a Stewardess/ CIA Spy and you have even more storylines to explore.

ABC gave Pan Am a full season pickup so I can’t wait see what other shenanigans this crew gets into.  

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

How a Canadian gets "Revenge"


America fell in love with Emily VanCamp in Everwood and fell even harder in Brothers and Sisters.  This season, the Canadian actress took on a very different role than the girl next door that we have all known her as.  Emily takes on the role of revenge in a modern take on the classic Alexandre Dumas Novel, The Count of the Monte Cristo as she plays the leading lady, Emily Thorne a/k/a Amanda Clarke.  Thorne is a young orphaned heiress spending her summer in East Hamptons among the fabulously wealthy and a world where nothing is what it seems. In flashbacks we watch  Emily/Amanda learn that her convicted terrorist father was framed by the people he trusted most.  She sets out on a mission of revenge for her now deceased father, set on destroying everyone who had a hand in the lie and anyone who gets in her way.


Many time young actresses fall on their face when trying to get away from their typecast but VanCamp has obviously set herself apart as the ratings remain positive week after week.  Fans of the show have come back every week for answers to questions surrounding the first 5 minutes of the Pilot that flash-forward to the end of the summer, when tragedy strikes.  The cast also includes that of Madeline Stowe (The Last of the Mohicans), Gabriel Mann (The Bourne Trilogy), and Nick Wechsler (Roswell).

As a former Roswell and Everwood fan, I cannot begin to express my excitement for this new series and have yet to be disappointed.  Who doesn’t love a remake of a classic, mixed with the drama of the rich and scandalous in an East Hamptons summer?  It sounds like the recipe for Gold if you ask me.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

The World of Fairy Tales - The supernatural that we did not even know that we were missing.

This week two new shows premiered on network television that share a common plot twist, they exist in a reality where fairy tales are real.  ABC's Once Upon A Time and NBC's Grimm both premiered with strong ratings this week, but trouble could be ahead for one of both of these prime time dramas.   As we have seen this year with 1960's set Pan Am and The Playboy Club, it seems that there may be only enough room for one new show reaching the same demographic/captive audience.  So which one of these supernatural-filled shows be here to stay as they battle it out?

I have now had a chance to watch both Pilots and I am torn by who gets my vote.  Before its premiere, I will admit that I was not overly excited by the new project chosen by the minds that brought us LOST but I think that I may have been bewitched by this new Sunday night drama, Once Upon A Time.  The story line brings new intrigue to my Sunday night schedule with an original new idea.  The creators mix the supernatural with good ole' fashion small town drama that I have been missing since the days of Gilmore Girls' Stars Hallow. The plot is about a world of fairy tale creatures from The Enchanted Forest, that have been put under a curse by the evil queen/witch.  The curse takes the Happily Ever After away from everyone in the forest and forces them to live in a prison of the worst place imaginable, our world.  I do not want to give too much away because I want everyone to learn for themselves and watch as new mysteries unfold each week.

The other contender for the Fairy tale audience is Grimm.  This show has less of a well known cast and a very different story line.  Also set in modern times, this show is a bit darker, where the main character is a homicide detective that finds out he is from a long line of "Grimms" or humans that can see the supernatural in our world and have to protect the rest of the world from those creatures.  While the idea is still interesting, it also feels less original.  While watching the Pilot my mind wandered back to similar concepts, like Charmed, Supernatural and of course Buffy & Angel.  All were similar plots where the main character is either destined to fight evil and the supernatural or fell into the trade because of the family business.

So the question still remains as to who will make it past november sweeps and after the mid-season break. Will both survive, none or will they battle it out for one winner? In my opinion Grimm has a tough road ahead with its friday night time slot and its possibly over-done plot.  But with that being said, it could also be that same plot with the loyal fan bases of its predecessors that bring in its own cult following.  As for me, I will keep watching both for the next few weeks to see which show puts a spell on me.  (I know it was corny but definitely called for.  Sorry guys. )

Thursday, October 27, 2011

The Pilot

Every legitimate TV fanatic knows that the only way to start a new series is to not jump in mid season but to start at the beginning, the pilot.  A good pilot episode gives enough background information to lay the ground work for the series while also telling a good independent story and hinting at story lines to come.  A strong pilot is imperative to the series because it is the very framework that networks use to determine whether the show is even worth picking up in the first place.  So while this blog is written by a television freak, the best place to start would be the pilot.   The pilot episode of my blog.

Hi my name is Christine and I am a Shipper.  This is when you all respond with, "Hi Christine." For those of you that don't know what a "shipper" is, it is someone who becomes way too emotional involved in the relationship of two characters.  This truth has been a difficult one for me to admit but the first step is always admitting that you have a problem.  I know usually this only applies if you want help, but I need a first step so I figured this was a good place to start.  When most people hear that I love TV they immediately peg me as a lazy couch potato.  Don't get me wrong, I am lazy and I am a definite couch potato but that has nothing to do with why I love television. There is something that television shows give you that no movie or book can ever give you and that is a deeper character development then is possible with any other avenue of storytelling.  There is a reason that most successful television characters are dynamic and that is because over time, people change so why shouldn't fictional characters?  Time and experiences shape our own characters so since television shows usually span over several seasons, and usually longer timelines, their characters are shaped by their own experiences as well.  When you watch someone change before your own eyes, week after week, you cannot help but become emotionally involved in their well being or the people they choose to have in their lives.  So since I am an avid shipper, as this blog goes on, I will keep it updated with story lines of current shows as well as my thoughts and strong opinions on current as well as old series that I have recently started watching.