Tagged: NBC

Michael Crichton Dies

Michael Crichton Dies

  • News
  • November 5, 2008

Michael Crichton, the million-selling author of such historic and prehistoric science thrillers as Jurassic Park, Timeline and The Andromeda Strain has died of cancer, his family said. He died Tuesday in Los Angeles at age 66 after a long battle with the illness.

Michael started his career writing under the pseudonyms "John Lange" and "Jeffrey Hudson" but was soon published under his own name and developed a loyal following of readers. He is also credited as creator of NBC’s long-runing hit series ER.

Although many felt he was a crusader for "anti-technology" this was more of a commentary on scientists who would make breakthroughs without considering their impact on society around them.

At his family’s request, the details of his funeral are being kept private.

Kring Promises to Simplify ‘Heroes’

Kring Promises to Simplify ‘Heroes’

  • News
  • November 4, 2008

Tim Kring, creator and executive producer for NBC’s Heroes, watched the dust begin to settle after the network insisted on changes which resulted in the dismissal of Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb on Sunday.  According to a story in Variety, the peacock network was concerned that Kring had delegated too much of the show’s storyline to others which has resulted in an uneven second season and a third season that is not bringing back audiences as everyone had hoped.

As he committed to the personnel changes, he also promised his bosses at NBC and Universal, which produces the series, that he will take the criticism – from the media, network and their rabid fan base – and tweak the series to reflect the issues.  Simplification may become the new watchword on the set.  The trade said the goal was to “get back to the show’s comicbookish good vs. evil themes and to emphasize character development more than plot twists.”

Kristin dos Santos at E! reports that Entertainment Weekly’s recent cover story on their perceived problems with the show was a public embarrassment and final straw.

The trade went on to note that Kring took his eye off the story because the series requires so much of his attention in terms of wrangling the expansive cast and the large amount f/x and post-production requirements which pushes the budget for each hour to $4 million. Even so, budget overruns have been an issue for Universal which deficit finances the series and will only make their money back from eventual off-air syndication, home video sales and merchandise.

The current volume, “Villains”, will wrap up December 15 with an episode Loeb wrote called “War”. Then the series will take an already scheduled break before returning in January with Volume Four, “Fugitives”. Kring told dos Santos, “There are a couple of more deaths planned. Someone you have come to know will not make it to the end of the season."

The ratings have been weaker than the first breakout season, with the show averaging just 10. 4 million viewers, a 21% drop from its weaker second season.
 

TV Networks Show Support for Their Shows

TV Networks Show Support for Their Shows

  • News
  • November 4, 2008

The networks are showing remarkable patience as we enter the November sweeps period.  As audiences continue to sample new shows, the ratings from DVR usage continue buoy shows once seen as vulnerable.

NBC’s reviled Kath & Kim was given an order for the back nine episodes, giving the freshman sitcom a full season order. Hammocked between hit shows, this is being given a big chance to prove itself.

Samantha Who?, though, received a “back seven” pickup meaning only 20 episodes of the Monday night sitcom are required.  The network says it has enough episodes from the yet-to-debut Scrubs and According to Jim that they don’t need as many installments from Christina Applegate and company.

On cable, USA Network, has given the go ahead for the second season of Mary McCormack’s In Plain Sight. The series about the Federal Witness Protection Program will shoot sixteen more episodes in and near Albuquerque, NM.

Michael Green Re-Ups with Universal for 2 Years

Michael Green Re-Ups with Universal for 2 Years

  • News
  • November 4, 2008

Writer/Producer Michael Green has signed a two-year deal Universal Media Studios where he is showrunning the NBC midseason series Kings.

"There is no more important new show to the network and the studio than that," UMS president Katherine Pope told The Hollywood Reporter. The series, inspired by the Biblical story of King Saul and King David, depicts a fictional monarchy and stars Christopher Egan and Ian McShane. The show is currently anticipated to take over the Thursday at 10 spot which ER has held for the last 14 years.

Pope and NBC’s drama president Katie O’Connell reportedly challenged Green to come up with his most audacious idea.  He came back with Kings which excited everyone who read the premise. Everyone, that is, except entertainment president Kevin Reilly.  When he left and was replaced by executive vice-president Teri Weinberg, she gave the series the go ahead.

"He is like the Rosetta Stone of writers," Pope said. "He’s one of those guys who is incredibly versatile and shines at whatever genre he does."

"I wanted to tell a story about a world where people are hopeful and believe in their governors even though they are flawed," Green told the trade.

Green, known to readers for his work on Superman/Batman, also was a co-writer on the Green Lantern feature film.  He began his television writing career by working for the first season of HBO’s Sex and the City. His other credits include Everwood, Smallville, and more recently Heroes.

He wrote the lead role of Silas for Deadwood’s McShane and was delighted when the actor accepted.  The first four hours of the series are being directed by Francis Lawrence (Constantine, I Am Legend), giving the series a consistent look at feel from the outset. The series will also feature Brian Cox and Macaulay Culkin in recurring roles.

‘Villains’ Target Theaters

‘Villains’ Target Theaters

  • News
  • October 29, 2008

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Universal has picked up the movie rights to the upcoming Viper Comics graphic novel Villains. Universal reportedly paid a mid-six-figure sum for the rights, which could prove profitable if the lesser-known property enjoys the same super-hero buzz that other films in the genre have yielded. Sean Bailey produces via his Idealogy banner, and Matt Jennison and Brent Strickland are set to write the screenplay. Jennison and Strickland are also working on the stalled Wonder Woman for Warner Brothers and Joel Silver.

Villains, not to be confused with the current Heroes volume on NBC, is a four issue mini-series by Adam Cogan and Ryan Cody. Villains focuses on Nick Corrigan, "an aimless 20-something who discovers that his aging neighbor used to be the notorious supervillain known as ‘Hardliner,’ now retired and living in hiding for the past few decades. Rather than turn him in to the authorities, Nick decides to blackmail him in exchange for lessons in the fine art of career super-crime. But the old pro is about to teach his student some lessons he’ll never forget."

The original series was originally published by Viper Comics in 2006. A second mini-series is set for this fall, which should provide solid source material if Villains does well enough at the box office to warrant a sequel.

How do you guys feel about Villains heading to film? Psyched? Meh? Think there’s other super-villains that should get their big screen licks in first? Personally, I’d love to see The Hood first.

NBC Erects ‘Crusoe’ Treehouse

NBC Erects ‘Crusoe’ Treehouse

  • News
  • October 13, 2008

In a David Blaine inspired effort to promote their newest series Crusoe, NBC will build a giant treehouse in Midtown Manhattan in anticipation of the show’s October 17 debut. The treehouse will be located on Broadway and 51st Street.

Variety reports that NBC is funding a 24-hour webcam stream capturing the goings-on in the treehouse. The feed will be available at www.savecrusoe.com. During the event, polls and contest giveaways will take place, and series stars Philip Winchester (Crusoe) and Tongayi Chirisa (Friday) will make appearances.

Crusoe is the latest adaptation of Daniel Defoe’s classic novel about a British man shipwrecked on a deserted island. Crusoe is accompanied by native friend Friday, and the two team together against cannibals, wild beasts, militias and the forces of nature. On the island, Crusoe builds a breathtaking treehouse in the forest to evade his enemies.

In addition to the island events, the weekly series will feature flashbacks to Crusoe’s life with wife Susannah (Anna Walton, Hellboy II: The Golden Army) and his mentor Jeremiah Blackthorn (Sam Neill, Jurassic Park).

Crusoe is executive produced by Justin Bodle, Jeff Hayes, Michael Prupas, Genevieve Hofmeyr, Phillip Key, Stephen Greenberg and Jean Bureau. The two-hour series premiere airs on NBC this Friday at 8:00 p.m. EST.

‘V’ is for Vicious Alien Lizards

‘V’ is for Vicious Alien Lizards

  • News
  • October 10, 2008

The lizards are coming, and we’re not talking about Dr. Curt Connors’ family reunion.

A remake of the 1980s miniseries V is being developed by ABC. The series is written by The 4400 co-creator/executive producer Scott Peters, who will also executive produce V.

"Whenever I mention V to anybody, they still have a lot of good memories about the original movie and series," Peters told Variety. "It’s a science fiction icon and too good to pass up."

The revamped series focuses on "Erica Evans, a Homeland Security agent with an aimless son who’s got problems. When the aliens arrive, her son gloms on to them — causing tension within the family."

Though taking significant departures from its predecessor, the new V will pay homage to the original series. One example includes the ’80s series’ opening with an army of spaceships hovering over Earth’s major cities, which will carry over to the updated series.

V struggled as a weekly series in the hands of people who thought science fiction gave them license to do whatever they please.  It was canceled despite a cliffhanger ending and ever since, Johnson has talked of reviving the property.

So has Warner Bros. and NBC and at one point a revamp courtesy of  J. Michael Straczynski got as far as the script stage.  Then, in 2004, Johnson pitched a remake but NBC asked for a new sequel, set 20 years later, and was given a green light to develop the concept. He finished the four-hour miniseries script for V the Second Generation in 2006 and NBC stalled approving it.

Johnson, to push his case, turned the screenplay into his first prose novel which Tor published in February 2008. All along, he kept hoping NBC would give him the go signal but it never came. Instead, rumblings were that the peacock network was getting cold feet while ABC was expressing interest.

In April, Johnson said, "… since I own the motion picture rights to V, we’re in the process to do a remake of the original mini-series first as a theatrical feature, which I’m so jazzed about because it will give me an opportunity to really realize it and execute it in a way that was impossible to do back then. Then that will lead to the obvious sequel, because it is a franchise, and then we’ll get into The Second Generation and I’m hoping we’ll be able to do two movies, because there’s certainly enough material in the novel to warrant two separate sequels. That’s my goal at this point and that’s what we’re in the process of doing. I just literally came from a meeting, 15-20 minutes ago with a fellow in Beverly Hills who really says that we’re gonna do it."

As recently as Thursday, his website was discounting word the property was headed for ABC and out of his creative control entirely.

Warner Bros. TV is producing the project. Former Warner Bros.’ video game division leader and current HDFilms employee Jace Hall will translate V to other platforms aside from television, including gaming. Previously, the series had been adapted into a series of original novels and an 18-issue comic book from DC Comics. The miniseries and single season of the original were released on DVD in 2004.

Fox says ‘Terminator’ not Dead Yet

Fox says ‘Terminator’ not Dead Yet

  • News
  • October 6, 2008

We were among the many sites to report that low ratings may kill Sarah Connor long before a T-1000 gets to complete the mission. To be fair, we should also be reporting that Fox is scoffing at the reports.

"The rumors are all speculative and never fact checked with the network or studio," a rep told i09.

The Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has received okay reviews but the ratings are down to under 6 million viewers which usually bring about a pink slip.  The production continues to chug along, fulfilling their order for 13 episodes.

The competition, Mondays at 8 p.m. is quite fierce as they oppose popular sitcoms The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother on CBS, Chuck on NBC, Dancing with the Stars on ABC and Monday Night Football on ESPN.

Review: ‘Chuck’ Season 2 Premiere

Review: ‘Chuck’ Season 2 Premiere

chuckWith NBC going into the fall season with a fairly light deck, [[[Chuck]]] is the one fan favorite that makes sure to deliver on it’s promises (unlike another show involving superpowers). This season of Chuck is said to be bigger and more adventurous than it’s first, while bringing in some great cameos along the way.

We left off last season where Chuck was finally coming into his own as a spy-computer, assuming the Bond-style alias Charles Carmichael. The romance between Chuck and Sarah also spiced up, but could never be due to their job. Also, Adam Baldwin’s Casey was given instructions that a replacement intercept (the computer that is in Chuck’s brain) is being built, and when it is, he has to take Chuck out.

This season picks right up in the action as Chuck’s life is in danger by a new baddie, played by Michael Clarke Duncan. He explains basically the entire premise of the show, which is great for newcomers. Chuck, of course, escapes and the spy trio is now in possession of the piece they need to create the newest intercept. Chuck is told that once the machine is up and running, his duty as a spy supercomputer is over and he’s free to live his life. Meanwhile, they shadowy government figures have already told Casey that he is to assassinate Chuck when the machine is built. The episode on a whole held through from start to finish, setting up some great storylines down the road and coming together at the end of the episode like any spy serial really should.

A big step for season two is character expansion. Now that everyone is established, it’s time to take them all to new places. Casey goes through a conflict which shows a more softer side, while Sarah and Chuck grow closer together as a couple. Chuck also realizes that it may be time to move on from the Buy More and get a new job, which could mean “goodbye” to Morgan and the Nerds. This season could mean a lot more “whining and screaming” from Chuck and some action that we would expect from a Spy Comedy Series. Some great things to expect this season are cameos from both Michael Clarke Duncan and John Larroquette, A new job (with new skimpy outfit) for Sarah, and even a death (or two) from a major character.

Anyone who isn’t caught up on the show should do so by picking up the DVD (available now). The series isn’t heavy and overall fun to watch. Between the skimpy outfits, endearing lead, and a badass Adam Baldwin, there’s something in it for the whole family. Season 2 premieres tonight on NBC right before [[[Heroes]]] at 8pm ET. RATING 8/10

Review: Knight Rider Premiere

knight rider nbcIn an attempt to make up for NBC’s flop of a reboot last year with [[[Bionic Woman]]] comes the new and improved [[[Knight Rider]]] which is like the original series, but with a revamped KITT, a younger cast, a brand new back-story, and fantastic special effects, this show has the potential be a win for NBC’s fall lineup. Many will be going into this “pilot” with some hesitation after February’s TV movie (which was technically the pilot), due to the fact that the show lacked in story structure, was full of WB-level acting, and gave work to David Hasselhoff. Happily, this episode fixed many of those issues and made the hour mildly entertaining.

The story from the original movie is that terrorists go after and “kill” scientist Charles Graiman (Bruce Davison) who helped work on the supercar Knight Industries Three-Thousand, or K.I.T.T. (see what they did there?), which drives away to find Graiman’s next of kin; his daughter Sarah (Deanna Russo). They meet up and Sarah decides to go to her old flame for help, a renegade army ranger named Michael Traceur (Jason Bruening) who is in his own heap of trouble with a whole “the-government-erased-my-brain-not-unlike-in-[[[The Bourne Identity]]]” plot of his own going on. By the end of the movie, Michael decides to become an agent for the newly reformed Foundation (an updated version of the original show’s F.L.A.G.) and drive KITT permanently.

This first episode takes off right in the middle of the action, as main characters Michael and Sarah are on a James Bond-style mission when Sarah gets kidnapped and Michael and KITT go after her, when they learn that these mystery men were actually after Michael and what he “knows”. This triggers the running theme of the episode, as everybody is trying to obtain clearance levels that they don’t have. Lots of shtupping going on for one episode, as there is presumed sexual tension between Sarah and Michael, and also between some other nondescript characters back in what can only be described as the KITTcave.

The KITT effects are easily the coolest part of the show so far. With essentially a Transformer voiced by Val Kilmer, it’s a pretty good answer to the “futuristic” car we got in 1982. There are some great uses of modern special effects where the car can turn into a pick-up truck—and back again—without crushing the passengers inside! Granted, this makes the show basically a weekly 40-minute commercial for Ford, but it is still pretty cool for any fan of the original series who wanted more than a bunch of cool [[[Dukes of Hazzard]]] jumps and William Daniels.

The bad points: there are some very cheeky moments back at the “base” with the wacky super nerds (a stereotype NBC seems to love) throughout the show, which comes across as incongruous for the show’s dynamic. Three-quarters of the show consisted of shadowy government types, as the overall story of the first episode was the death of Michael Traceur and the birth of Michael Knight, which was originally helmed by Michael’s father, Hasselhoff.

The biggest weakness for the show by a stretch is certainly the amount of different elements that the show tries to cram into 40 minutes. With that said, there is still plenty of action to keep you entertained, but add that in with the government mystery storyline, Michael finding out who erased his memory and why, the “Sam & Diane” storyline between Sarah and Michael, the plucky sidekicks, a unnecessarily dominant Sydney Poiter (the daughter, not Mr. Tibbs) and the dry wit of Val Kilmer as KITT, it becomes too much to keep track of. Each element on it’s own would make for great B-story to go along with the weekly spy thriller of the show, but cramming all of this in at once only proves to be confusing and hard to keep straight. The show certainly has potential to make it farther than last year’s Bionic Woman, but may have trouble keeping it up for more than a season unless they can find some solid structure, drop a few secondary storylines, or at least bring Will Arnett back as K.I.T.T. RATING: 7/10

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