Category: tv

Dennis Miller Returns to Television

Ashley Bischoff1 Comment

Dennis Miller is returning to tv… on CNBC. I was a bit baffled that a financial-news channel such as CNBC would pick him up, but it appears that they’re doing this for the halo-effect — to boost ratings for that timeslot with the idea of bringing viewers to their other shows as well:

CNBC won’t care what Miller does as long as his eponymous 9 p.m. show brings the network a modicum of visibility in primetime, where its audience has fallen off the radar screen. The cable network's long-term plan is to follow Miller with John McEnroe — probably in about three months — after an 8 p.m. newscast. […]

Since I don’t have HBO, I’ve never seen his regular show there. But, I’ve seen clips from his SNL days and he seems like an amusing guy. So, I’m not really sure what to expect of the show, but I’ll give it a try. “Dennis Miller” airs weeknights at 9/8c and midnight/11c.

Airline on A&E

Ashley Bischoff7 Comments

I first heard about A&E’s new reality show Airline from, of all places, NPR’s Marketplace (RealAudio article). Airline is a reality show based around Southwest Airlines:

A camera crew has spent the last six months at Los Angeles International Airport filming the work of Southwest Airlines employees. Is this an employee training video? No, it’s the latest in reality TV. The weekly half-hour show called “Airline” is devoted to the drama that goes on behind the scenes at a big-time carrier. […]

Interestingly enough, even though Southwest granted A&E permission for the initial filming, the producers still had the final say on which segments made it into the show. And, Southwest wasn’t paid for this, though they hope that the show will act as positive advertising for the brand.

They seem to be airing two 1/2 hour episodes back-to-back each week and I recorded last week’s episodes on TiVo just to see what it was like. And I rather enjoy the show — there were no spiteful fights or gossip (unlike some reality shows) but it was surprisingly interesting. And, the Southwest employees generally acted like real people rather than zombie marketdroids.

Airline airs Mondays on A&E at 10/9c and 10:30/9:30c.

Malkovich’s Mail on AMC

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On the AMC Project this evening (10/9c), John Malkovich reads pitches sent to him and acts them out:

Watch this humorous hour long peek at the pitch letters and pleas John Malkovich receives from aspiring filmmakers and screenwriters trying to interest him in their projects. Both quirky and revealing these letters speak volumes about the Hollywood dream and cult of celebrity surrounding this iconic actor. And how does Malkovich feel about their ideas? Witness the actor screen-test treatments, bringing their characters to life personally. […]

Or, as RemotePatrol puts it, you get to see “the actor read (and act out) some of the pitch letters before they hit the shredder.” Ah, I think I’ll have to check this out.

Black Adder on PBS/KERA

Ashley Bischoff1 Comment

I’ve heard good things about Black Adder (a British sitcom) but my local PBS station wasn’t airing it. So, for about a year now, I’ve had a TiVo Wishlist for “Black Adder” (TiVo Wishlists record shows based on characteristics such as keywords in a show’s title).

My TiVo also has a To-Do section where it lists upcoming programs that will be recorded. I check that from time to time and a couple days ago I noticed some Black Adder episodes in there! It looks like they’ll be airing on Sundays at 12:30am. This Sunday (11/9) is Series I — Episode 1 (“The Foretelling”) followed by Series I — Episode 2 (“Born to Be King”) the following week.

I’m especially pleased that the series is starting from the beginning so that I won’t be at the disadvantage of missing out on reoccuring jokes from episodes past. Of course, I’m not even sure if I’ll like the show, but I’m willing to give it a try. And, with Rowan Atkinson, how bad could it be? :)

Arrested Development on Fox

Ashley Bischoff3 Comments

I first heard about Arrested Development through a promotional trailer sent to my TiVo. Arrested Development is a half-hour dark comedy on Fox which premiers this evening at 9:30/8:30c. Laurel Krahn, who writes for TVPicks.net, says this about the show:

Jason Bateman stars in this strange dark comedy. It’s received a lot of rave reviews and no wonder: it’s different than any other half-hour show on the air right now. Bateman and his son are the sanest members of a rich family. Quirky show with lots of voiceovers and I suspect it’s either so different that it’ll be cancelled real quick. Or else some of the schtick (like the voiceovers) and characters may just wear too thin too quickly. Jason Bateman and Portia de Rossi are very good in this. Well worth a look.

Fox doesn’t hesitate to emphasize that Jason Bateman plays the lead. And, though I’ve heard his name before, I don’t think I’ve seen any of his previous movies or shows that he’s been in. However, I think it’s a good sign that David Cross is in the show — he’s a 30-something comedian with a certain cynical view of the world. I wouldn’t say that he’s just another jaded comic, but he definitely looks at daily life with a grain of salt.

Ron Howard is one of the executive producers, if that means something to you — sure enough, Howard introduced the trailer. But, I’m still not sure about what role an executive producer has in a television show or a movie. In any case, perhaps this is a good sign for some people or a not-so-good sign for others — he was also the executive producer of Sports Night, Felicity, and The PJs (none of which were shows that I particularly liked).

But, Arrested Development looks interesting and I’ll give it a chance. It's on this evening (Sunday) at 9:30/8:30c.