For those of you seeking to vacation in New York City, in the event that you hail a cab while in town you may get a chance to win a couple of thousand dollars and have Ben Bailey at your driver. 'Cash Cab' has been renewed for a sixth season.
Admittedly I'm a bit biased about this news as I was once a contestant on the show before coming to TV Squad. In the event that you do get on the show next season, please leave Ben Bailey a nice tip when the ride is done as I forgot to.
Hopefully the producers will give a little variety to the show, such as when they did 'Cash Cab at Night.' One recommendation would be to use other cities as locations for the show rather than New York City, and I say this as someone who loves New York. Other cities have clubs and restaurants that would love to sponsor the concept.
Discovery Orders More 'Cash Cab'
Oswalt Out of 'Beach Lane' Pilot Already
That was fast. Apparently Patton Oswalt has already been dismissed from the 'Beach Lane' pilot he was just scheduled for a few days ago. Talk about a sudden change of heart.No reason was given for the dismissal. Perhaps the producers decided they didn't need his role? Perhaps they were afraid he would overshadow co-star Matthew Broderick? He was offered another role in the same show, but no word on whether he accepted (it seems unlikely).
I'm reminded of when I saw 'The Producers' on Broadway. Broderick was okay in his role as Leo Bloom but Nathan Lane easily stole the show as Max Bialystock. Oswalt strikes me as a "Lane" type that could easily become the center of the program (if not for the strong character of Kevin James, he could easily have done the same in 'The King of Queens').
Of course, if this means he's now available to perform again as Baxter Sarno on 'Caprica,' then 'Beach Lane's' loss is SyFy's gain.
Sam Waterston Will Cross Over to 'Law and Order: SVU'
In an earlier item on S. Epatha Merkerson leaving 'Law & Order' I mentioned how it takes the departure of a long term cast member to draw the attention of fans and viewers. Well, the other thing that snaps those same folks to attention is the crossover of a character from one 'Law & Order' show to another. That's because these people have rarely made appearances in other members of the franchise in the 250 years its been on television.In this instance, Sam Waterston's Jack McCoy will be appearing on an episode of 'Law & Order: SVU.' Now, while Waterston has appeared on the show twice before in his office, this will be the very first time that District Attorney McCoy will show up in the SVU squad room. It will also be the first time that Waterston works with actor Christopher Meloni. It'll be interesting to see how these two characters react to each other.
This "very special episode" of 'Law & Order: SVU' premieres on April 28th with special guest star Sharon Stone.
NBC sitcom pairs Patton Oswalt, Matthew Broderick
What would a sitcom starring Patton Oswalt look like? We may be about to find out. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Oswalt has been cast in a new pilot, co-starring Matthew Broderick, called 'Beach Lane.' The Reporter says Oswalt will be playing a newly-rich newspaper editor who hires Broderick's character, a "renowned journalist,' to try to revive his paper. Kristen Johnston has also been cast as Oswalt's real estate agent step-sister.
Oswalt is one of the most brutally funny stand-up comedians working today. That's not something you would have gotten from watching him on the popular series 'The King of Queens,' on which he played Spence, a meek supporting character. He was a good character actor on that show, but it wasn't a role that would showcase Oswalt's talent.
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Gethard in for Heder on Comedy Central's 'Big Lake'
Two weeks ago, Jon Heder ('Napoleon Dynamite') dropped out of a sitcom for Comedy Central produced by Gary Sanchez Productions. As it turns out, the company, led by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy, had their replacement already on hand. Sanchez has tapped Chris Gethard, who has a small role in their summer action comedy 'The Other Guys,' to replace Heder in the sitcom, which is now tentatively called 'Big Lake.'
Gethard is far from Heder's level of fame (his other project this summer is 'It's Not You' with Shannon Elizabeth and Steve Guttenberg), but Gethard comes with an impressive pedigree outside of television. He's a staple at the Upright Citizen's Brigade in New York (the New York Times recently featured one of his more inventive shows).
Continue reading Gethard in for Heder on Comedy Central's 'Big Lake'
Soap Comebacks: Shaughnessy on 'Days of Our Lives,' Nouri on 'All My Children'
Can you name two tall, dark and handsome television stars who will soon be delving into daytime? No, it's not a trick question, it's news. Yesterday, 'All My Children' will be welcoming Michael Nouri to the ABC soap as a new romantic adversary for Erica Kane. As for the other man, it's none other than Charles Shaughnessy, who will be returning to 'Days of Our Lives' to reprise the role he originated in 1984. You may recall Shaughnessy from his recent stint on 'Mad Men' -- as St. John Powell, director of the British ad agency that acquired Sterling Cooper -- as well as his best-known role, as Mr. Sheffield on 'The Nanny.' But he was wonderful on 'Days' in the '80s and early '90s.
Shane Donovan was the quintessential James Bond of daytime (aside from Tristan Rogers on 'General Hospital'). He was a secret agent with the ISA (International Security Agency), and brought a lot of class and elegance to the show. The fact that he's coming back now is a real plus for the NBC soap, and a shout out to longtime fans who remember Shane.
Continue reading Soap Comebacks: Shaughnessy on 'Days of Our Lives,' Nouri on 'All My Children'
Showtime Picks Up a New William H. Macy Drama
William H. Macy is one of those unique actors who can adapt to any role he's given. Whether it be as Chief of Emergency Medicine on 'ER' or a salesman with cerebral palsy in the TV movie 'Door to Door'. Now, Macy will take on the role of father in a new Showtime drama series.The subscriber movie channel (known more these days for its original programming) has picked up the series 'Shameless' from 'ER' and 'The West Wing' producer John Wells. A remake of an award-winning British drama, 'Shameless' will star Macy as an alcoholic, blue-collar father of a large Chicago family. The twist...after his wife leaves him, he ends up handing the parenting of the clan over to his eldest daughter, who will be played by actress Emmy Rosum.
For Wells, the production of 'Shameless' will be a reunion of sorts. Not only will he be reunited with Macy, whom he worked with when the actor played Dr. David Morgenstern on 'ER,' but he'll also work with former 'The West Wing' colleague Allison Janey, who will have a recurring role as Macy's wife.
Diane Lane to Star in HBO's 'Cinema Verite'
Diane Lane has been cast as the lead role in HBO's new film 'Cinema Verite.' She'll be playing Pat Loud, the mother and main character of the ground-breaking 1973 PBS documentary 'An American Family.' When the documentary was first released, it stunned viewers with its frank discussion on issues such as divorce and sexual identity. Pat even historically asked her husband for a divorce on camera.In short, this is to be a scripted movie about a documentary behind the filming of a documentary. With such convolution, it's sure to cause some sort of rupture in the space-time continuum. Doc Brown is probably having a conniption as this is being written.
It does sounds like a pretty good movie, though. In 30 years or so, we'll be seeing television movies about the backstage antics in shows like 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' or 'The Simple Life.' It's likely that whomever they cast as Paris Hilton will be more convincing in the role than Paris Hilton.
'Glee' Co-Creators Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan Meet the Press and Spill the Beans
In anticipation of the Tuesday, April 13th premiere of Fox's musical hit 'Glee,' two of the co-creators, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan, met with the press via a conference call the other day. TV Squad was in on the call and you'll be thrilled with some of the big news coming up in the last nine episodes of this award-winning first season. There were some insights revealed when the cast and the other co-creator and executive producer Ryan Murphy were on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' yesterday, but Gleeks want more, and that's what this is all about.
Among the highlights – for all you who need encouragement -- Jane Lynch does "Vogue" in the Madonna musical episode. Kristin Chenoweth was not paired up with Idina Menzel, but Kristin's episode (the third one back) is supposed to be wonderful. And if you liked Puck's performance of "Sweet Caroline," wait till you see him do a song like a member of the Rat Pack. For all the details, read on.
Continue reading 'Glee' Co-Creators Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan Meet the Press and Spill the Beans
'The Young and the Restless' Brings Andrea Evans Back to Soaps
Andrea Evans has grown up on daytime television, but for most of us she'll forever be the vexing, adorable Tina Lord on 'One Life to Live.' Despite the shake up at 'One Life to Live,' Andrea's not returning to daytime on that ABC show, but she is coming back to the genre. Watch for Andrea Evans on 'The Young and the Restless.' That's right, she's returning to a show in which she starred from 1983-84, marking a return after 26 years.According to TV Guide, Evans' visit to 'The Young and the Restless' is a one-day only affair, and that date is May 12, but wouldn't it be great if it could be more than that? There is a connection there. She's going to be playing Tawny Moore, Amber's mom. It's a role that she actually played on 'The Bold and the Beautiful,' 'The Young and the Restless'' sister show. Frankly, Amber could use her mom around. Amber needs supporting characters, even an mother with whom she squabbles.
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HBO Says Yes to Laura Dern TV Show
HBO has another new comedy to add to its unstoppable onslaught of original programming. Laura Dern is set to star in 'Enlightened,' which is about a "self-destructive woman who has a revelatory experience at a treatment center." The pilot was co-written by Dern and Mike White, who is best known for his work on 'Freaks and Geeks' and the movie 'School of Rock.' The two have previously worked together on the movie 'Year of the Dog.'While the premise sounds good, it's also fairly vague. This is a good thing because it allows for the creators to take the concept in whatever direction they prefer. Still, it sounds suspiciously a lot like an HBO series called 'My Name is Earl,' but with a female lead. Of course that depends on one's definition of "self-destructive."
Production of the series is set to begin this summer. The pilot has already been filmed but HBO has ordered nine additional episodes. They'll probably be broadcast either late 2010 or early 2011.
AMC has its Lead Zombie-Killer for 'The Walking Dead'
Andrew Lincoln has been cast as the lead in the upcoming AMC series 'The Walking Dead' based on the comic book of the same name. The series will be executive-produced by Frank Darabont, who is also writing and directing the pilot.
I've never seen any of Lincoln's previous work but I have read the comic. Lincoln seems a good casting choice although truthfully the part is somewhat generic and there are probably many lead actors who might have done the role just as well. Upon reading the comic, one actor that came to mind for the main character of Rick Grimes was Scott Bakula, but he's probably a little too old for that character now.
Jon Bernthal has been cast as Rick's partner in the police force, but he's likely only going to be seen in flashback as he's never really seen over the course of the comic. In fact, he's likely zombie food by the middle of the first issue. This is assuming the television series follows the same general story as the comic, which is no guarantee. See 'True Blood' for an example of this.
Seven Possible Recasts for Charlie Sheen on 'Two and a Half Men'
While nobody wants to see him go, of course, in practical terms we must consider the possibility of a 'Two and a Half Men' without Charlie Harper. While the show has been renewed through the next two seasons, Charlie Sheen has expressed interest in leaving; his contract is up this season. Even if it's just a negotiating ploy, CBS is probably considering how the show could continue without him.Tiger Woods was immediately interested in doing the show after he'd heard how many different women Charlie has slept with, but he backed out when he found out it was all acting on the show. Luckily, the PGA welcomed him back with open arms mere moments before the entire sport collapsed.
Conan O'Brien was briefly considered, but NBC said no before they even heard what it was. When advised that he probably wouldn't be needed until next September, when the network's hold over O'Brien expires anyway, they relented. "At least," no one from NBC actually said, "...it would keep him the hell away from 11:30."
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John Goodman Back on TV with HBO's 'Treme'
There's already a lot of excitement over HBO's new series 'Treme,' and for good reason. The series, which debuts Sunday, is the brainchild of David Simon and Eric Overmyer, who gave us five wonderful seasons of 'The Wire' on HBO. And this series, which tells the story of post-Katrina New Orleans through the lens of a struggling musician and the community around him, looks full of potential with the same kind of quality we came to expect from 'The Wire' and Simon and Overmyer's 'Homicide' series.Perhaps a smaller storyline is John Goodman's return to a regular TV series. Goodman has been in a couple of short-lived sitcoms ('Normal, Ohio' and 'Center of the Universe'), has appeared often on 'Saturday Night Live,' and done some voice-over work and cameos (he had a particularly good stretch on 'The West Wing'). So he has kept a somewhat steady television presence.
Continue reading John Goodman Back on TV with HBO's 'Treme'
Demi Lovato Gets Serious on 'Grey's Anatomy'
Or maybe the title should be 'Another Disney Star Sees the Writing on the Wall.' Lately, a number of Disney Channel mainstays like Miley Cyrus and Ashley Teasdale are seeing their lucrative teeny bop days ending and they're moving towards different roles. Makes sense, of course. It just seems every time this happens, these actors go in the totally opposite direction (I'm looking at you, Ms. Elizabeth 'Showgirls' Berkley). Hopefully, Demi Lovato doesn't head down that road. It doesn't seem likely, since she's been acting for years (she was in the cast of 'Barney & Friends' with Selina Gomez). Plus, she already had a taste of dramatic acting with a role in FOX's 'Prison Break' back in 2006.
With that accumulated experience, her guest stint as a schizophrenic patient on an upcoming May episode of 'Grey's Anatomy' should work out. Look for ratings to skyrocket as tweens ask their parents to stay up late on a school night to watch (and ask why everyone is having sex with everyone else at Seattle Grace).
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