Posted Feb 12th 2010 11:00AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Daytime, Celebrities, NCIS, Casting, Emmys, Reality-Free
There's more details coming out about
Gena Rowlands' upcoming guest turn on 'NCIS,' thanks to a report from TV Guide soap expert Michael Logan. When Rowlands appears on
'NCIS' March 2 as Gibbs' former mother-in-law, Joann, the show will flashback to a time when Joann and Jethro were much younger.
The younger Gibbs will be played by Sean Harmon, Mark's own son, and the younger version of
Joann will be portrayed by 'Days of Our Lives'' Emmy-winner Leann Hunley.
Hunley (pictured), who plays Anna DiMera on
'Days of Our Lives,' told Logan that she was thrilled to play Joann in flashback, especially because of her admiration for Rowlands. "When I first saw her back in the '70s in 'A Woman Under the Influence,' I thought, 'That woman looks like me! She has my eyes!'" Hunley told Logan.
Continue reading More on Gena Rowlands' 'NCIS' Episode
Posted Feb 10th 2010 12:06AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, NCIS, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S07E15) Interesting episode of
'NCIS,' one that was somewhat fun, somewhat lighthearted, and even a little playful. Of course, there was still a dead body, and a chance for Gibbs to interact with an old adversary. We're a few weeks out from the Paris trip, but Tony and Ziva remain as cagey as ever about what happened... if anything happened at all in that hotel room. More on that and the 1971 Plymouth Barricuda hemi after the jump.
Continue reading 'NCIS' - 'Jack Knife' Recap
Posted Feb 3rd 2010 2:00AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, NCIS, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S07E14) As the title suggests, what we witnessed going on for much of this episode was not reality, but a 'Masquerade.' If you pay attention to titles, you can have an edge figuring out what's what. Meanwhile, beyond the action, there was more character interaction as
'NCIS' continues to weave a few mystery threads, including M. Allison Hart's fascination with Mr. Gibbs.
Continue reading Review: 'NCIS' - 'Masquerade'
Posted Jan 27th 2010 12:45AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, NCIS, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S07E13) So there they were in Paris -- Tony and Ziva. The situation was ripe for romance, right? Was
NCIS finally going to "go there" and let fans have a
Moonlighting moment for their favorite characters?
Not so fast. Before you could say Champs Elysees, the two were boarding a jet at Charles de Gaulle airport to complete an assignment that turned into murder in the air. Fortunately, the mystery on the airliner trumped the one on the ground and made for a good episode.
Continue reading Review: NCIS - Jet Lag
Posted Jan 16th 2010 4:06PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, NCIS, Casting, Reality-Free
What do
Ralph Waite, Robert Wagner and Michael Nouri have in common? They've all turned up on
NCIS for guest roles. And not just a quick pop in scene or two. No, they've been integrated into the show and two of them have already recurred. (I'm counting on
Robert Wagner to recur in the future, as well).
So, the news today that
Gena Rowlands will be on NCIS in March has me feeling very enthusiastic. And it's a multi-episode role.
Michael Ausiello reports in
Entertainment Weekly that Gena has been cast as Jethro's former mother-in-law, Joann, an elegant, upscale type.
NCIS executive producer Shane Brennan said that her showing up in Jethro's life again will bring with it lots of turmoil and emotional "heartache, anger and blame in the process."
Continue reading NCIS casts Gena Rowlands for integral guest role
Posted Jan 15th 2010 10:00AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Pickups and Renewals, NCIS, Reality-Free
This should come as no surprise to anybody who's been following the current television season.
CBS has renewed The Good Wife and NCIS: LA for second seasons. Both shows are part of a solid Tuesday night lineup for CBS, amassing strong Nielsen ratings and even better numbers in total viewers, holding much of the audience from the
NCIS lead in. All that adds up to a winning formula, and thus, CBS wasn't going to break up a good thing.
As for the quality of the two shows, they both deserved renewal. They've improved as the season has progressed, especially
The Good Wife. What started out as a good premise has morphed into a very compelling legal drama with a lingering subplot – exactly what did Alicia's husband do to warrant the wrath of the enemies that have put him in prison? It's also a terrific set of actors and a star-turn by Julianna Margulies.
Continue reading CBS renews NCIS: Los Angeles and The Good Wife
Posted Jan 13th 2010 1:42AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, NCIS, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S07E12) I had been really looking forward to this episode of
NCIS ever since it was announced that Tony's dad -- the original Tony DiNozzo, Sr. -- would be on and played by veteran TV star
Robert Wagner (
Hart to Hart). Well, it was not a disappointment. Other than the fact that the mystery involving a couple of Saudi princes wasn't very complicated, it was a really good show. For more on the father and son reunion, follow me after the jump.
Continue reading Review: NCIS - Flesh and Blood
Posted Jan 6th 2010 12:42AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, NCIS, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S07E11) The new year and a new story arc for Gibbs... Well, not exactly new because it turns out the hot lawyer who kept getting in his grill was connected to someone from the past. The hour was also a chance for McGee to go full McGeek, as well as Mr. Palmer to get some airtime dissecting a squirrel. And have I mentioned that the show also included allusions to
Thunderball,
The Jetsons and the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles? More on the latest
NCIS after the jump.
Continue reading Review: NCIS - Ignition
Posted Dec 30th 2009 11:06AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: OpEd, Law and Order, Lost, Rescue Me, Doctor Who, NCIS, Breaking Bad, Reality-Free, Mad Men
More of our best of the decade coverage, which started on Tuesday. You can read the other posts at the link above. Here, we talk about the best dramatic actors of the decade. And, boy, was it a tough choice.
From a meth-making chemistry teacher to a damaged 1960s ad exec, the guys populating the dramatic actor category in our best of the decade are nothing short of brilliant.
It's hard to choose favorites when you're dealing with the likes of Jon Hamm, Bryan Cranston, Mark Harmon, James Gandolfini, and many others, but the
TV Squad team has spoken.
Did your favorites make our list? If not, feel free to add them in the comments below.
Continue reading Best TV of the '00s: Dramatic Actor
Posted Dec 20th 2009 9:24AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Food/Home/DIY, Industry, Programming, OpEd, Lost, Celebrities, 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, Ratings, NCIS, TV Squad Lists, Emmys, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Burn Notice, The Big Bang Theory, Parks and Recreation, Nurse Jackie, Glee, Community, Cougar Town, Modern Family
What a year! Once we got over the WGA strike, the networks kicked it into high gear and got busy making TV. Except for NBC. Even
Jeff Zucker has admitted that NBCU has failed to respond to the need for new programming.
Fortunately, the other channels have been busy and there's been a lot of great television... and some that's just plain awful. But I'm a half-glass full kind of person and I have good feelings about 2009. However,
since I don't want to repeat my list from last year, I'll just mention that I could put these 2008 best choices --
Breaking Bad, Friday Night Lights, NCIS, The Big Bang Theory and
Mad Men -- on my list again. But I'm going to go for an all new list and, thankfully, I had plenty of 'bests' to choose from.
Best
1. Glee. If there was ever a show that was made just for my personal taste, this is probably it. I love the singing and dancing. I get the characters. It even tickles me that I had just as much angst with bullies in high school as these kids. Every episode hasn't been perfect, but it's perfectly fine that they keep striving.
Continue reading Best and Worst TV of 2009: Allison's list
Posted Dec 17th 2009 11:03AM by Kona Gallagher
Filed under: Supernatural, Watercooler Talk, Festivus, Dexter, NCIS, TV Squad Lists, Reality-Free, Mad Men, The Big Bang Theory, Community, Modern Family
On the seventh day of Festivus, TV gave to me... Seven shows a-thrivin'.
The 2009-2010 season is a great one to be on TV-- especially for returning dramas and new comedies. If we had 20 days of Christmas, I probably could have filled the list with shows that were either thriving right out of the gate or making a resurgence after being on the air for several years. As it is, we just have seven slots, so here are some noteworthy series that are thriving this year.
Dexter
I've always liked
Dexter, but it's never been appointment TV for me. I've generally been content to wait until the season came out on DVD and knock all of the episodes out in a weekend. However, after a creative dip in season 3, I've found myself positively glued to my television every Sunday night that season 4 has aired.
John Lithgow absolutely made the season as the creepy Arthur Mitchell. Plus the finale? I know some of you saw
the big twist coming at the end, but I certainly did not. Who doesn't like to end a season with their jaw on the floor?
Continue reading The Twelve Days of Festivus: Seven shows a-thrivin'
Posted Dec 16th 2009 1:50AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, NCIS, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S07E10) NCIS Christmas. Is that an oxymoron? No, not really, although the death of a Muslim Marine is a bit of a downer. Presumably they had to have some case for the crew to work on, but all things considered, it wasn't much of a mystery and the show could have been just as good without it.
The real crux of the episode was the surprise visit by Gibbs' father. Ralph Waite was back as Mark Harmon's dad, and you have to like the casting. He's not only a good actor, he actually looks like Harmon and has a similar taciturn quality.
Continue reading Review: NCIS - Faith
Posted Nov 25th 2009 10:25AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, NCIS, Reality-Free
I have to admit that when I initially heard that
Abby's character would be crossing over from NCIS to NCIS: Los Angeles, my reaction was meh. What could they possibly do that would make the transfer of the ultimate forensics goth geek from the cozy confines of her lab in D.C. to the high-tech, touch screen caravan in L.A. compelling?
Well, I tip my cap to Speed Weed (that has to be an alias!) for writing the episode, "Random On Purpose," which struck me as one of the best examples that
NCIS: Los Angeles is coming together pretty nicely. I could definitely see now how this show is evolving. More on that and the rest of the episode (including spoilers -- be warned -- after the jump).
Continue reading Abby's crossover to NCIS: Los Angeles was excellent
Posted Nov 25th 2009 1:48AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, NCIS, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S07E09) If you want to show the soft side of Jethro Gibbs, involve a kid. That would seem to be the logic behind this episode which was a bit of a reach, what with cornfields, a think tank for gifted children, government secrets, a tenuous link to gang activity, a dead Marine, and pink cupcakes ... but still interesting.
There was also the whole connection to Thanksgiving at Ducky's. Would our favorite NCIS team make it to dinner together or would they be setting out on separate paths? Would Abby master the cranberry sauce? Read more after the jump.
Continue reading Review: NCIS - Child's Play
Posted Nov 18th 2009 2:00AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, NCIS, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free
(S07E08) NCIS did something so great on tonight's episode that I'm surprised I haven't seen it done on another procedural until now. If you haven't seen the show yet, I won't spoil it, but I will say that it was a complication that really made the show.
There were moments for DiNozzo to reference all kinds of TV shows from the past, a chance for Gibbs to prove that there's nothing he can't handle with aplomb, and even the opportunity for Abby to show that sans Cafe Pow, she's still the sharpest lab tech in NCIS. More on the case after the jump.
Continue reading Review: NCIS - Power Down
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