new show review: v

It's a little late, but I want to weigh in on "the most talked about pilot of the season." ABC loves that line. It might actually be somewhat true this time though. Delaying the premiere until November was a smart move for the network because V premiered right when everyone was starting to get bored with buzzing about the new fall shows. Problem is, we'll only see 3 or 4 episodes before the winter hiatus, and it's not clear if the show will return before or after the Olympics.

Anyway, let's get into it. I've only seen the pilot so far, and I'm coming into the story of V as a newbie. As I said here, after some Wiki research, I learned that V was a two-part miniseries written by Kenneth Johnson that aired in 1983. Johnson wrote a sequel miniseries called V: The Final Battle to conclude the story. As networks often do, NBC decided to keep it going by creating a series in 1984. Johnson parted ways with the project, and the show only lasted one season. The new series is a remake/reconceptualization of the story - an extraterrestrial race arrives on Earth with seemingly good intentions, only to slowly reveal their true machinations the more ingrained into society they become.

With that bit of background, I started into the pilot. The first 5 minutes moved quite quickly...very much in the style of Lost or FlashForward. Not to dwell on the comparison, but I thought V had a better disaster intro than FlashForward. What initially seems like an earthquake hitting the entire planet, turns out to be a fleet of space ships hovering over the major cities across the world - the special effects around the ships are pretty amazing.

During these scenes, we meet Erica Evans, an FBI agent, played by Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost) and her son Tyler played by Logan Hufman. Also, her friend and partner Dale Maddox played by Alan Tudyk (Firefly, A Knight's Tale). Then we have Ryan Nichols played by Morris Chestnut (The Best Man, Ladder 49) and his girlfriend Valerie Holt played by Lourdes Benedicto (The Nine, 24). And cautious priest Father Jack Landy (Joel Gretsch). Finally, there's Scott Wolf (Everwood, Party of Five) playing local newscaster Chad Decker.

The "Visitors" introduce themselves by way of a videocast of their (conveniently) beautiful leader, Anna (Morena Baccarin), who promises they have come in peace and are met by applause from most civilians watching in the streets. Right off the bat, Erica is skeptical. She and Dale begin investigating a terrorist sleeper cell they believe may be connected. I imagine they're not the only law enforcement personnel in the world doing so, but of course, we're to believe they are.

If the Visitors just learned about Earth, why are they so easily adapting to Earth culture? Anna held a press conference. Many of the most experienced public speakers on this planet cannot pull that off. Science fiction, suspend belief.

I'm having a bit of a hard time seeing Elizabeth Mitchell as a cop-type (and as a mother to a teenager), but I think that's lingering Lost attachments. She's consistently authentic in her performances, and I like Tudyk playing her partner. They start to uncover some fishy stuff related to a terrorist sleeper cell, including stockpiles of hidden C4 and a murder victim.

We always believe aliens will have much cooler modes of transportation - this is certainly no exception. Tyler and his friend ride a V shuttle to the mother ship with a bunch of other curious humans. This ship is all kinds of rad. They must think humans are living like pilgrims. The lucky boys confirm the theory that all Vs are attractive, including Lisa (Laura Vandervoot), who tries recruiting them for a V ambassador program. They're too young to join, but not too young to get roped in.

Meanwhile, Father Landry sees an influx of attendees at Mass looking for support and answers, including a man claiming to have been healed of paralysis in his legs. They all seem inspired with renewed faith since the arrival of the Vs. He's not convinced this is good news. Soon after, he's visited by a gravely injured man who turns over an envelope of information about the dangerous Vs.

Turns out Ryan (Chesnut) has a connection to the case that Erica and Dale are investigating. He has a shady past connected to some kind of citizen vigilante group. Erica finds an invitation to one of these meetings believing it's tied to the sleeper cell. She goes to check it out by herself because that's what badass female television cops do. Erica learns that the group (Father Landry's there too) has formed in resistance to the Vs. They claim this is not the Vs' first appearance on Earth, that they are disguised by cloning human flesh over reptile skin and are implementing a plan for decades to exterminate the human race by infiltrating all facets of life. The leader of the group warns against their plan to gain the trust of all mankind with the promise of friendship and technology - the "saviors" of mankind.

Meanwhile, chronically underachieving newscaster Chad has been chosen by Anna for an exclusive interview. The writers haven't given him much depth yet, but superficially, Scott Wolf is the perfect choice for this character. The pre-interview begins with Anna asking Chad to refrain from "asking questions that will portray them in a negative light." She threatens to cancel the interview without this guarantee, basically threatening him. Britney Spears is wishing she had this woman running the show about two years ago. He proceeds with the interview.

Anna claims the Vs have evolved to expel all negative feelings. They care only about tranquility and peace. She's a real sweet talker, this one. She goes on about their plans to open a healing center in every major city across the world (universal healthcare). This starting to sound a little familiar?

Back at the meeting, Father Landry shows proof of Vs living on Earth - photos from the dying man at the church - including one of the sleeper cell terrorist that Erica is investigating. A sleeper cell of Visitors? Suddenly, the meeting is invaded by a scary floating computer bomb and some really violent dudes. Ryan shows up at the last minute to kick some butt, and it turns out Erica can hold her own too. Mid-fight, Erica realizes she is fighting Dale. Guess what? He has reptile flesh. He is one of them. Damnit. I did NOT see that coming. So much for that partnership.

In the end, we see Tyler forge his permission slip to become a V ambassador. Erica didn't see Ryan at the meeting, but we do seem him talking to the group leader revealing that he also has reptile flesh. He claims to be a trader/deserter who promises to help defend the Earth against the Vs. Is he telling the truth? Is Dale a trader/deserter too? Looks like Erica will be joining the resistance group along with Father Landry. She observes, "They arming themselves with the most powerful weapon out there...devotion."

I won't get into the political parallels and symbolism of the show right away, but I do think some of the major themes are not surprisingly convenient for the current political climate. Overall, the pilot was really compelling. I think there are two types of pilots - those that can stand on their own as mini-movies and those that set up a bunch of scenarios and questions for the season. The best ones do both (Lost still has the number one spot), but I think this was more of the latter.

This may be because I haven't been enjoying FlashForward lately, but I can safely say V currently has a DVR reservation as my favorite new sci-fi action drama. At least until Lost comes back. (UPDATE: I lied. That spot still belongs to Fringe for the time being).

shit my dad says

According to the Hollywood Reporter, CBS is picking up a comedy pilot based on the Twitter account Shit My Dad Says. I've been following this guy for a while (me and 700,000 others), and I can't get enough of it. The story goes, 28-year-old Justin Halpern moved back in with his parents and started a Twitter account to post observations and pieces of wisdom from his father during the course of the day.

Will & Grace creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick will executive produce and supervise the writing for the multicamera family comedy. Halpern and Patrick Schumacker will co-write and also co-executive produce. Halpern and Schumacker will also co-exec produce. Obviously, they'll have to change the name if the show gets on the air.

Who would you cast as Dad? I can't help picturing the dad from Wonder Years.

Here are some of my favorite tweets:

"Love this Mrs. Dash. The bitch can make spices... Jesus, Joni (my mom) it's a joke. I was making a joke! Mrs. Dash isn't even real dammit!"

"Why would i want to check a voicemail on my cell phone? People want to talk to me, call again. If i want to talk to you, I'll answer."

"My flight lands at 9:30 on Sunday...You want to watch what? What the fuck is mad men? I'm a mad man if you don't pick me the hell up."

"You're like a tornado of bullshit right now. We'll talk again after your bullshit dies out over someone else's house."

"If mom calls, tell her I'm shitting... Son, marriage is about not having to lie about taking a shit."

sterling cooper draper pryce

Matthew Weiner is nothing if not a builder. A skilled architect of each season of Mad Men. And the man does not lay one brick too soon. After the rush of information about Dick Whitman we got last year, we had ants in our pants during the first weeks of season three as our characters seemed unsettling calm.

One minute you're watching a slow and steady show, the next minute some secretary is running over your foot with a lawnmower.

The third season ended last night with "Shut the door. Have a seat." On the business end of things, the show garnered 2.3 million viewers, the highest of the season. Still nowhere near major network dramas (we won't talk about how much better Khloe Kardashian's wedding did on the same night), but a 33 percent larger audience than last season's finale. I've definitely felt a stronger buzz around Mad Men this season, and rightly so.

As she often does, Maureen Ryan at the Chicago Tribune pinpointed exactly why I loved this episode. It was a heist. She called it "Draper's Eleven". A group of unlikely allies coming together to pull off the ultimate heist (I do love a heist movie). And the writers have been setting up this idea of allies, rivals, and relationships all season. Sterling/Draper, Pete/Ken, Peggy/Paul, Joan/Greg, Betty/Don, Betty/Sally...

Of course, we must start with Don. With a harsh hand at the chopping block, Connie Hilton tells Don his agency has been sold. With the expression on his face leaving Connie's room and the memory of his father abandoning his farming co-op only to die drunk and alone as Don walks into Sterling Cooper, we see that Connie lit a fire in Don. But he can't keep it burning alone.

First stop, Cooper. Second stop, Sterling. These were some of my favorite scenes of the show.

Don: I wanna work. I want to build something of my own. You did it yourself 40 years ago. How do you not understand that? (and that's when he had Cooper)

Sterling (to Don): I want to see what you look like with your tail between your legs.

Cooper: You sold your birth right, so you could marry that trollop.

Sterling: This is your pitch? Well, move along.

Don: I can sell ideas, but I'm not an account man.

Sterling: You're not good at relationships because you don't value them.

Don: I value my relationship with you.

And there it is. Relationships. I would argue that Don isn't bad at relationships, he's just bad at seeing them for that they are. As we've seen much more of this season, he has a terrible childhood to thank for that. Disappointed in Sterling for marrying the trollop and selling the agency, he abandoned their relationship and didn't recognize how important Sterling actually is to him both professionally and oddly personally. This idea of re-evaluating relationships forms the basis for bringing a new agency to life.

Next stop, Pryce, who just got the unfairly late news of PPL's sale and feels like the neglected step-child. Lucky for all, he has the power to sever all of their contracts.

Sterling: Lane. We've worked next to each other for a year. Don't act like a stranger. We've got tea.

Pryce: Nothing good ever came of seeking revenge.

Bert: Nonsense. We'll make you a partner.

Sterling: Well, it's official. Friday, December 13, 1963. Four guys shot their own legs off.

And the plan is set in motion. But this means Don has more work to do on those aforementioned relationships. The most important of course being Peggy. Both Don/Peggy scenes had me cheering with my arms in the air. Good for her, and GOOD for him. The words had been hanging in the air for a long time.

Peggy: I've had other offers you know. That came with a sales pitch about opportunity. Everyone things you do all my work. Even you. I don't want to make a career out of being there, so you can kick me when you fail.

[Don comes crawling back the next day at Peggy's apartment.]

Don: I take you for granted, and I've been hard on you, but only because I think I see you as an extension of myself. And you're not.

Don: There are people who buy things like you and me. And then something happened. Something terrible. And the way that they saw themselves is gone. And nobody understands that. But you do. And that's very valuable.

Don: With you or without you, I'm moving on. And I don't know if I can do it alone. Will you help me?
Peggy: What if I say no? You'll never speak to me again?
Don: No, I'll spend the rest of my life trying to hire you.

And then there was dear old Pete who faked sick to interview with other agencies on this fateful day. Sterling and Cooper show up at his apartment to make the pitch.

Pete: Oh, am I getting a few more adjectives added to my title? Don't bother. I have other plans.
Trudy (from the next room): Peter, may I speak to you for a moment?

He is so lucky to have that lady. I hope we continue to see more of her (and he behaves). She cracks me up.

And with a much-craved pitch from Don, Pete is on board. As is Harry after some "sweet talking" from Cooper. It's obvious they were confident that Harry would take the offer for fear of wasting away in his mid-level office.

Cooper: We're starting a new agency. We'd like you to join us as our new head of media.
Harry: Are you kidding?
Sterling: Yes, yes we are. Happy birthday.
Harry: I should really call my wife.
Cooper: Mr. Crane. Harry. This matter is secret. If you turn us down, we'll have to lock you in the store room until morning.

And it's the moment we've all been waiting for. Joanie is back. Only Joan can pull this ragtag group together and get the plan in motion (who else noticed the "Fart Department" sign?). And in motion it is. Before we know it, the group officially walks out of Sterling Cooper (Pete's shot gun slung over his shoulder) and sets up shop in the Pierre Hotel.

Favorite early moments at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce:

Joan (wearing her gold pen necklace once more): Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, how can I help you? Yes, Harry, it's Room 435.
Roger: Peggy, can you get me some coffee? Peggy: No.
Don doing his own typing.

Back at the old agency, Paul is dismayed to find he hasn't been picked for the cool kids' team. Sorry, Paul. You have the desire to be an "alternative thinker" but you don't have the sincerity or the talent. And Pryce has the last laugh.

St. John: You are fired for lack of character!
Lane Pryce: Very good, Happy Christmas!

In the midst of the heist, I almost lost my energy for the Draper family. But there's no way Betty was letting that happen. Well, this is it. She hired a lawyer and boarded a plane to Reno with Henry Francis to earn her divorce. I have to say, with all the build up of Don's secrets over the years and Betty just now finding out, I feel a little rushed. But I suppose that's the point. Don has had the rug ripped from under him.

Two episodes ago, after Don finally confessed everything to Betty, I actually thought they might have a chance. Betty seemed to actually warm to the wounded bird. But a shot to JFK and a few glances at Henry Francis, and she's outta there. I wish we had seen more "courting" between those two. Are we really supposed to believe they're in love? But again, I guess that's the point. We're not seeing the last of Betty, and something tells me that plane ride to Reno doesn't equal riding off into the sunset.

In the end, we're not surprised. Don tells Betty to calm down, she's had a tough couple of weeks. Betty aptly retorts "I've had a tough year." That she has. And that after years of lies from an unfaithful husband. As Don says in the end, I hope Betty finds what she's looking for. I just don't think she knows what that is.

One one hand, I found this to be a clean break in the end. (Save for those poor, poor children) And I'd like them to move on and not go back and forth with Don/Betty drama next season. But on the other hand, I can't imagine this show without Betty.

So many questions for next season. Will these major changes actually stick? How does Betty fit as the only non-agency non-Draper character? Will Pete and Peggy share more than a desk? Have we seen the last of Duck, Ken, Smitty and others? Will Greg go to Vietnam? Will Joanie get the position she truly deserves? And what about Sal? With Lucky Strike still a client, will we ever see him again? Will Don get to be a big part of the children's lives? God knows they need him.

Cannot. Possibly. Wait.

UPDATE fall 2009: fate of new shows

** I'll bring this post to the top every time there's an update.

News is starting to come in about the fate of the new fall shows. We know the first ship to sink was The Beautiful Life, which CW cut after airing only 3 episodes. I will keep a running list on this post.

FYI when reading this, "picked up for a full first season" means the network ordered enough episodes for the show to complete a full season. Usually, when a pilot is ordered and put on the schedule, they only ask for 8 or 9 episodes to see how the ratings go. If the network likes what they see, they order a "back nine" or a full season. Early full season pickups are usually a good sign for a second season order. We may even see early announcements for second seasons, so I'll list those here as well.

There are also notes about returning shows at the bottom (as they come in). If there's a show that I'm not including, please post a comment, and I'll do my best to track it down.

NBC
The Jay Leno Show
Trauma - cancelled, but the original 13 episode order will air in its entirety.
Mercy - picked up for a full first season
Community - picked up for a first full season

ABC
The Forgotten - network ordered five more episodes
Hank - cancelled, no plans to air the remaining five episodes
The Middle - picked up for a full first season
Modern Family - picked up for a full first season
Cougar Town - picked up for a full first season
Eastwick - network decided not to order more episodes after initial 13, essentially cancelled
FlashForward - picked up for a full first season, but the showrunner left, which is curious
V - airing 4 weeks starting Nov. 3 then scheduled to return after the Olympics

CBS
Accidentally On Purpose - picked up for 5 more episodes in addition the original order
NCIS: Los Angeles - picked up for a full first season, and increased order to 24 episodes
The Good Wife - picked up for a full first season, and increased order to 23 episodes
Three Rivers - back nine pick up is unlikely, but the show's fate is still up in the air
Medium (new to CBS)

FOX
Glee - first half of the season wraps on Dec. 9, back nine episodes scheduled to air in the spring
Brothers - pulled from the Nov. sweeps lineup, last episode on 12/27, no word of a renewal
The Cleveland Show - picked up for full first and second seasons

Other
The Beautiful Life (CW) - cancelled after three episodes aired
Melrose Place (CW) - Colin Egglesfield & Ashley Simpson-Wentz axed in a "creative overhaul"
The Vampire Diaries (CW) - picked up for a full first season
Stargate Universe (Syfy)
White Collar (USA)
Bored to Death (HBO)

News on Returning Shows:
Southland (NBC) - cancelled by NBC, but TNT will air the 7 episodes from last season, plus 6 news ones already produced by NBC starting Jan. 12. After that, we'll see if they decide to make more.
The Bill Engvall Show (TBS) - cancelled
Castle (ABC) - picked up for a full second season
Parks & Recreation (NBC) - picked up for a full second season
In Treatment (HBO) - renewed for a third season
Lie to Me (FOX) - network ordered 3 more scripts, but ratings are struggling
Dollhouse (FOX) - cancelled, finale tentatively scheduled for jan. 22
Numb3rs (CBS) - cut back from 22 to 16 episodes for this season

2010 winter olympics countdown: 99 days

Have you heard that Stephen Colbert is sponsoring the US Olympic speedskating team? I love this. It's for real.

On Monday, Colbert (alongside gold medalist Dan Jansen) signed a contract to fund the team, who just lost their main sponsor (a bank that went under). Racing suits for both long and short track racers will feature Colbert Nation logos on both the leg and the hood during the World Cup competitions before the Olympics. Colbert isn't exactly forking over all the cash. It looks like they provided the initial funding for the suits, and in the coming weeks, the show will plug the sport regularly and feature speedskating in a few bits. The team is counting on the generosity of Colbert's audience to provide additional support.

Colbert: "We must ensure that it is America's 38-inch thighs on that medal platform." Right on.

glimpse of a soapy franco

I wrote a few weeks back about James Franco's upcoming stint on General Hospital. Here's a first look at his character. How perfectly does he fit in a soap opera villain? Hands in pockets, suspicious sideways glance. He's got it. The guest stint starts on Friday, November 20th. Let's face it, I already set the DVR.



Great column from the Fug Girls in New York Magazine about Franco's genius move.

bradley is back

According to The Hollywood Reporter, we'll be seeing a lot more of Bradley Whitford pretty soon. Let's take a moment to soak that in.

Bradley will be staring in an hourlong series by Matt Nix for FOX called Jack and Dan along with Colin Hanks. It's a straight-to-series project, meaning there won't be a traditional pilot or pilot presentation. FOX has just ordered 13 episodes straight away (because Bradley Whitford is the man), which will most likely premiere in fall 2010.

The show is described as an "action comedy in the tone of Nix's USA Network series Burn Notice." Jack (played by Hanks) is an ambitious, by-the-book detective with a habit of undermining himself in a dead end position at the LAPD. His new partner Dan (played by Whitford) is a drunken, loose cannon veteran cop who only keeps his job because of a heroic act years before.

I'm really glad Colin Hanks was cast for this part. I've always liked his work, most recently as a priest on Mad Men, but it seems like he's never really broken out as a major actor in his age group (leaving the family connection aside). Hopefully, this means he was holding out for the good roles. I'm glad he has this chance for a major network series.

And I like the "action comedy" style that we've been seeing more and more with shows like Chuck and Psyche. That said, I'm a little disappointed this is yet another law enforcement show. I really didn't want to the plot description to bore me, and it did.

Bradley has a history of major ensemble casts with relatively risky or nontraditional plots. There will never be another West Wing. And it clearly didn't work out for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (which I loved, but oh well). And maybe it will be good to see Bradley flex his muscles in a much simpler context. But the cop/investigator/catch-the-bad-guy plot is everywhere. It's become the go-to premise because it almost always works (with the right ingredients). I just wanted something more for one of my favorite actors, but I'll put my jaded ramblings aside and hope for the best.

Bradley is back!