The Watcher

'Sons of Anarchy' star Charlie Hunnam on Jax's rough ride

Maureen Ryan — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 20:49:30 -0500

On my May visit to the "Sons of Anarchy" set in Los Angeles, I spoke with creator Kurt Sutter and four cast members.

For Sutter's thoughts on where the Sons are heading in Season 3, look here and here. My interview with Ron Perlman, who plays the motorcycle club's president, Clay Morrow, is here.

Below is an interview with Charlie Hunnam, who plays Jax Teller, and after that Q&A, there are short chats with Mark Boone Jr., who plays Bobby Munson, and Tommy Flanagan, who plays Chibs Telford.

Be aware that all of these stories assume that you have seen the first two seasons of the FX show, which returns Sept. 7. If you have not, Season 2 comes out on DVD Aug. 31. I highly recommend getting caught up with the biker drama; Season 2 ended up on my Top 10 TV list for 2009.

OK, here's my chat with Charlie Hunnam.

Mo Ryan: Where does Jax stand at the beginning of the season?

Charlie Hunnam: I think my initial way of handling it is to get very drunk and try to suppress a little bit of the pain. And the boys quickly remind me, that's not how we do it and we start to get a little more proactive.

MR: Do you think he puts being a father ahead of being part of the club?

CH: Yeah, I do. One of the things that [the Abel kidnapping] pulls into focus for me is that I think in my heart, Abel was always put first, but in practice, I think I was really neglecting him [in favor of] my responsibilities to the club. If Jax was asked where his primary responsibility is, he'd say Abel, but I don't think that was ever really in practice, and I think this is going to motivate him to make a big change.

MR: How much of Jax's path is influenced by reading John Teller's manuscript? And how much is just him being a restless soul?

CH: I think it informed the path that I'm trying to take. I think that was really always there, though, and it was reassuring me that I wasn't crazy for desiring these things. It pulled into focus exactly what I was [thinking about]. But I also think about the fact that, these were his wishes -- they were unrealized. Jax realizes how idealistic that was. I think I'm trying to figure out what I can actually change and be realistic and be happy with that. Obviously there are giant problems between Jax and Clay but I think all of that stuff, though it rears its head here and there, needs to be put on the back burner until we get Abel back and figure out what we're doing. There's also this big thing hanging over us [the gun charges the Sons face].

MR: I guess we learn more about John Teller this season. A lot of his life has been somewhat unclear up to this point.

CH: Unclear to Jax, I think unclear to all of us. I think we're going to learn more about him. There's a philosophy here, which I don't always agree with as an actor, that it's better for actors to know as little as possible. I actually don't agree with that because most of my experiences in acting are in film, where you know all of the answers going in, and you make your choices accordingly. Keeping actors in the dark is not always the right move, because without knowing the direction that something's going, one can make slight mistakes -- there has to be a big, psychological leap to get to where you're being taken.

But anyway, from what I understand, some of the things learn about John Teller are going to knock him off his pedestal a little bit, the pedestal and ideal vision I have in my mind.

MR: It seems as though Jax relies on Clay's rock-solid nature as he goes through these explorations.

CH: Yeah. The one real saving grace in our relationship is his devotion to [Gemma]. I see how serious he is about protecting his family and I see that he has, for the most part, done right by me.

MR: And how do things go with Tara through all this? It seems like she spent a lot of last season figuring out where she fit in this world.

CH: Obviously she factors heavily into the Abel story line. I really like the way it's been handled so far. I really like it, in that I find it easy to play because I relate to the way he's dealing with it, which is to go inside himself. He's kind of overwhelmed and one of the big struggles is how to deal with Tara through this whole thing. [It's about] where she fits in or if Jax needs to be by himself to get through these problems and whether he can justify putting her in jeopardy, which she's in when she walked into this world.

It's something I innately relate to and it's familiar to me. That same dynamic played out between my mum and my dad, which is why they split up. My dad was a tough guy and he was in the scrap-metal industry and it's a legal industry, but for many, many reasons, it's very tough. Violence is a currency in that industry. My dad was a super tough guy and ended up getting in some problems that were a little bit scary and my mom and he decided it wasn't an environment they felt safe raising kids in. So that's a dynamic I've always been familiar with, this question of where your loved one would fit into that type of lifestyle. It's very hard.

MR: Jax strikes me as having these parallels to Tony Soprano -- he was born into this life that he wishes he could get away from, but then again, it also forms the only community he's ever known. I mean, is it part of Jax's fantasy to just get away from the Sons entirely?

CH: He's a real thinker. Four the last four or five years there's been a pretty healthy or unhealthy existential crisis that he's been going through. I think are times when he just wonders what life could have been like or would be out there, away from this. But by the same token, I think he loves it and it's always ever known. It's really a hard thing to walk away from. It's such a strong sense of identity.

These guys that live this, they've got 40 people to rely on. Most of us in our lives, we have one or two people we can call if the going gets really rough. Maybe you call on your family or a couple of dear friends. My friends that live this life, they have 40, 50, 60 guys that they can count on for anything at any time. It's kind of a beautiful thing. It's kind of a nice, dysfunctional community these guys have set up for themselves.

MR: I think that's what's redeeming about this world -- that they are loyal and the core of the club is about loyalty and friendship.

CH: Yeah. Even if some of the behavior is questionable, the founding values that these clubs are set up on are really admirable. And also, it's just sticking a finger up to the man. You have to have freedom. I just think the whole world is getting gentrified and generic. Everyone's living the same kind of existence. I really admire these guys for saying, "[Expletive] it. I'm going to live the way life makes sense to me." Within that world, it does get a little nasty and people get hurt. But for the most part, you can do whatever the hell you want.

MR: What's it like having to do the American accent?

CH: I just have to go home and do a couple of extra hours work every night, that's what it amounts to. We spend 14 or 15 hours here, then an hour of travel then go home and I work for two hours preparing for the next day. But it's a little price to pay for getting to do my dream job.

I also spoke with Mark Boone Jr., who plays club consigliere Bobby "Elvis" Munson.

On why there haven't been more Bobby Elvis performances: "If you want to do an Elvis song, it costs you a lot of money. I don't know for sure, but I suspect [that's the reason]. [He added that he wished he didn't have to shave for the Bobby Elvis scenes]. I see Bobby as the Outlaw Elvis that Elvis always wished he was."

On the appeal of the show: "I think it's the fantasy of it, more than anything. It's like the pirate fantasy of men. And as far as the women, this is a show where women do just about whatever they want to do at any moment. And women really like that!"

On where Bobby stands with Clay and the club: "Bobby's all about the club, more than anyone. Because of what happened in the latter part of the last season, [the conflicts are put aside] but I don't expect it to be over. You've got to take care of business first. Bobby had a very small reaction to the fact that Tig had killed Donna, we didn't see that [reaction] much at all. Hopefully there will be a time for him to voice the problem he had with Clay and the way business was being conducted there."

On Bobby's relationship with Jax: "For Bobby, Jax is not a son, but I feel that Bobby has been at least an uncle-type figure for his entire life. He's been really instrumental in shaping some of his attitudes and behavior."

Here's Tommy Flanagan on Chibs' Season 3 story line:

"The backstory is that Chibs was born in Ireland, but moved to Scotland, that's why he has the Scottish accent. Then I go back to Belfast in my teens, and join the IRA. And once you're in there, it's for life. But I have a falling out with Jimmy O, who runs off with my wife and kid and I get excommunicated from the IRA and I have to leave town, and the Sons of Anarchy take me in.

"Then Jimmy O rears his head again, he's been with my kid all this time. He did me a lot of damage when I was in the IRA. So you'll get to know more about my daughter and family this year. James Cosmo is on the show this year. I worked with him on "Braveheart." He's a phenomenal actor and a good friend of mine. He plays the parish priest where I grew up in Belfast. [Cosmo's character] has known my daughter, he probably baptized her and all that. He knows my whole life story. But there's a bit of antagonism with him as well."

Laura Linney brings grit and warmth to uneven 'cancer comedy'

Maureen Ryan — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:27:20 -0500

"The Big C" (9:30 p.m. Central Monday, Showtime: two and a half stars) might as well be called "The Big L."

Laura Linney is the star of this "cancer comedy," and she provides most of the reason to watch it and to put up with the excesses of the first few episodes. (The entire first episode of "The Big C" is below.)

Linney's characters, in film or TV, tend to have a number of the same traits: They're a bit tightly wound and neurotic but also grounded and kind and thus innately winning. Linney glows with an inner light yet also her characters also seem completely normal; her brand of approachable charisma is perfectly suited to the mundane (and profound) crises of everyday life.

Cathy Jamison, Linney's character on "The Big C," is all those things -- neurotic, winning, afraid, etc. -- and Linney is a master of the kind of subtle work the role requires. Cathy hasn't told anyone about her diagnosis, so the character is often contending with several shifting emotions within the course of a scene. Linney never overplays the emotional extremes but always gives you a crystal-clear picture of the turmoil, fear and liberation that frequently course through this uptight Minneapolis schoolteacher.

Other aspects of the show, however, are more extreme than they need to be. Cathy's husband, Paul (Oliver Platt), is such a man-child that you can't quite see why she ever married him. Thankfully Platt tones down his hammier tendencies, but at times you wish the needy Paul would just stop bothering the nice lady with cancer.

Though it's sometimes quite enjoyable seeing Cathy make radical changes to her life as the result of her diagnosis, her treatment of her husband and son is sometimes just a little too aberrant. If the show wants us to think she's smart, she can't be quite that tin-eared about how her actions appear to others.

To highlight Cathy's repressed nature, the show gives us her homeless brother, Sean (John Benjamin Hickey). Linney and Hickey have a promising rapport, but so far the gratingly free-spirited Sean feels more like a checklist of anti-Cathy traits than a real person. Likewise her sudden -- if nagging -- friendship with a teenager, Andrea (Gabourey Sidibe), seems somewhat forced.

The most interesting relationship on the show is the one between Cathy and her young-ish physician, Dr. Todd (Reid Scott of "My Boys"). She's new to cancer, he's new to having patients with cancer, and as they navigate that strange emotional territory, there's a spark of attraction between them, one that the show wisely doesn't oversell in the early going. You can practically see Cathy thinking, "What the hell? It's not like contemplating or even having an affair is going to kill me."

Though Linney can't be anything but amazing, "The Big C" feels like a more or less competent assemblage of elements we've seen before on various Showtime "comedies" (i.e., half-hour dramas flavored with knowing wit). All the parts are there: A woman in an extreme situation, trying to hold on to her "normal" life while contending with odd or scary developments and quirky friends and relatives. The first three episodes of "The Big C" do offer some interesting and poignant moments, but quite a few of them feel like variations of things that have occurred on "Weeds," "United States of Tara" and "Nurse Jackie."

If the show is content to merely give Linney chances to show Cathy alternating between perky denial and exhilerating anger, it may run out of steam well before Cathy's ill-defined date with the Grim Reaper arrives. But if it can tone down the quirk, give Linney and the cast more meaty material and stay away from easy targets (i.e., support group members who announce that "cancer is a gift"), we may end up hoping that Cathy gets one of those miracle cures that only seem to exist on TV.

Texas forever: 'Friday Night Lights' to end after Season 5

Maureen Ryan — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 12:30:17 -0500

Full hearts, teary eyes: DirecTV announced Thursday that the fifth season of "Friday Night Lights" will be the acclaimed show's last.

The fifth and final season will air starting Oct. 27 on DirecTV; that season will then air at some point in 2011 on NBC. It had been widely expected that Season 5, which wrapped a couple of weeks ago in Austin, Texas, would be the show's last, but now the news is official.

"Going into Season 5, knowing it would likely be the final season, everyone involved with the show turned our focus to trying to make the best possible thirteen episodes we could,” executive producer Jason Katims said in a statement. “It was moving to watch the writers, cast, producers, directors and everyone on the team pull together like that. We wanted a great ending. We wanted to leave it all on the field."

According to DirecTV, series regulars Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Aimee Teegarden, Michael B. Jordan, Matt Lauria, Jurnee Smollett and Madison Burge will be back. Grey Damon ("True Blood") is joining the cast, and former cast members Jesse Plemons, Taylor Kitsch, Scott Porter, Adrianne Palicki and Zach Gilford will stop by for farewell arcs.

I'm a little nervous about the story arc for Coach and Tami Taylor for Season 5 (see below for details on storylines for the new season), but I'm hoping "FNL" handles that with the utmost subtlety and originality. Given how many indelible moments the show has given us over the past four seasons, I'm inclined to give the show the benefit of the doubt.

DirecTV's Thursday press release on the final season of "FNL" is below.

THE LIGHTS SHINE ON THE FIFTH SEASON OF FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS ON DIRECTV’S THE 101 NETWORK

The Final Season of the Critically Acclaimed, Emmy-Winning Drama Will Air Commercial-free Every Wednesday at 9 p.m.

El Segundo, CA, August 12, 2010 – Friday Night Lights will return to DIRECTV’s The 101 Network for its the fifth and final season on Wednesday, October 27 at 9 p.m. Lead by recent Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress Emmy nominees Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, the season five cast will feature series regulars Aimee Teegarden, Michael B. Jordan, Matt Lauria, Jurnee Smollett, Madison Burge and newcomer Grey Damon (90210, True Blood). Former cast members Jesse Plemmons, Taylor Kitsch, Scott Porter, Adrianne Palicki and Zach Gilford will return throughout the course of the final season.

"Going into season five, knowing it would likely be the final season, everyone involved with the show turned our focus to trying to make the best possible thirteen episodes we could,” said executive producer Jason Katims. “It was moving to watch the writers, cast, producers, directors and everyone on the team pull together like that. We wanted a great ending. We wanted to leave it all on the field."

“Friday Night Lights has been integral to The 101 Network’s programming strategy and it has been an honor to be able to provide our viewers with a show of its caliber these past two seasons,” said Derek Chang, EVP Content, Strategy and Development DIRECTV. “As sad as it is to say good-bye to our friends in Dillon, we look forward to this upcoming season and the incredible stories that remain to be told.”

Expanding on the hit feature film and best-selling book “Friday Night Lights,” the award-winning show centers on life in Dillon, Texas, where high school football brings the community together -- and the drama of small town life threatens to tear it apart. After a redistricting plan left the town divided, season four introduced viewers to East Dillon and its inhabitants, creating a new playing field for the series.

Season five opens at the start of a new school year and finds Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) an outsider in the world of Texas high school football. As he attempts to reclaim his rightful position within the establishment, Taylor finds himself faced with the challenge of tempering the expectations of the East Dillon Lions’ supporters, while proving to their detractors that they are a force to be reckoned with. Struggling to maintain control of the team he built and the players he’s molded, Coach endeavors to accomplish the impossible. After refusing to compromise her principles to appease the Dillon School Board, Tami joins her husband at East Dillon High doing what she does best, guiding students. Frustrated by what she finds at the school, she sets about to challenge the status quo, despite the resistance she encounters from both the faculty and students. Her efforts to repair a broken system, however, do not go unnoticed and will force her to make a decision that places a strain on the Taylor’s usually steadfast marriage.

Meanwhile, Julie (Aimee Teegarden) finds herself adrift at college and enters into an ill-advised relationship that will have serious consequences. Vince (Michael B. Jordan) continues his reign as the Lions’ quarterback, learning that his newfound stardom comes with advantages as well as hardships both on the field and off, as he faces the return of a father (guest star Cress Williams) he barely knows. Luke (Matt Lauria) is forced to face a startling reality about his future and the role that football will play in it. Jess (Jurnee Smollett) struggles to find a place for herself on the Lions as something other than a Rally Girl or member of the Spirit Squad. Becky (Madison Burge), unhappy at home, turns to someone else’s family for support. Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) continues to serve time in jail as a result of the illegal activity at Riggins Rigs, an experience that has left an indelible mark on him and threatens his relationship with Billy (Derek Phillips), the only family he has.

Additionally, season five will also feature the return of several characters from past seasons. Fan favorites Jason Street (Scott Porter), Tyra Collette (Adrianne Palicki), Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford), Landry Clarke (Jesse Plemons) and Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) will return to Dillon throughout the course of the season.

In April of 2008, NBC, Universal Media Studios and DIRECTV formed a bold, multi-platform partnership to launch the third season of the critically acclaimed drama series. The season was broadcast initially on DIRECTV’s The 101 Network and subsequently telecast on NBC later in the 2008-09 season. In March of 2009, Universal Media Studios and DIRECTV extended this innovative partnership to produce 26 episodes that would launch the fourth and fifth seasons of "Friday Night Lights," with the series again airing first on DIRECTV’s The 101 Network and then subsequently on NBC.

The series is executive produced by Peter Berg, Jason Katims, Brian Grazer, David Nevins, David Hudgins and Sarah Aubrey. Friday Night Lights is a production of Imagine Entertainment, Universal Media Studios and Film 44.

Sponsored Link: Amazon's Friday Night Lights Store

'Pushing Daisies' scribe pens otherworldly script

Maureen Ryan — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:05:33 -0500

It always makes me happy to hear that super-fancy creative types are dipping their toes into the science-fiction and fantasy TV realm. And few are fancier than Bryan Fuller, the creator of "Pushing Daisies" and "Dead Like Me."

Syfy announced Thursday that Fuller is writing a pilot for the network based on the book "The Lotus Caves."

The novel is about "colonists who rebel against the rigidity of their lunar colony by exploring beyond its proscribed boundaries and discovering a series of caves ruled by a super-intelligent, alien species," according to the network.

I know what you're thinking -- this sound like the most awesome Syfy Saturday night movie ever! (Well, not as awesome as "Mansquito" or "Stonehenge Apocalypse," but, really, what could be?) In all seriousness, though, I hope things work out with "Caves." Though I wasn't a huge fan of "Pushing Daisies" -- I respected its ambition more than I loved its highly stylized execution -- Fuller is clearly very talented and Syfy could use something a bit more meaty and ambitious in its lineup.

Sure, it has "Caprica," which returns in January (and when it does, I hope it has a more unified narrative and more old-fashioned, edge-of-your-seat suspense). But in the scripted arena, it's dominated by lighter fare such as "Eureka" and "Warehouse 13." Those shows are entertaining, but a bit more meat on the bone wouldn't be a bad thing for the network that used to broadcast the extremely meaty "Battlestar Galactica."

By the way, speaking of Syfy's scripted fare, the network is now shooting the American adaptation of the BBC's "Being Human." Given that that project comes from Jeremy Carver -- a much-missed and talented "Supernatural" writer -- and Anna Fricke, formerly of "Gilmore Girls," my expectations are high. However I'll have to keep a damper on those expectations for now; the American "Being Human" is some ways away from its Syfy debut (though of course the second season of the original is airing now on BBC America).

Syfy's press release on "The Lotus Caves" is below.

SYFY ORDERS PILOT FROM DEAD LIKE ME AND PUSHING DAISIES CREATOR BRYAN FULLER

BASED ON THE BOOK THE LOTUS CAVES

New York, New York – August 12, 2010 – Syfy today announced it has commissioned a scripted pilot from Bryan Fuller, creator of Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies.

The show will be based upon the popular book The Lotus Caves by John Christopher, about colonists who rebel against the rigidity of their lunar colony by exploring beyond its proscribed boundaries and discovering a series of caves ruled by a super-intelligent, alien species.

Jim Grey (In Plain Sight, Pushing Daisies) will co-write the script with Fuller.

Syfy recently announced a rich development slate of seven scripted projects featuring television icons Lee Majors and Kevin Sorbo; the Sanctuary creative team of Damian Kindler, Martin Wood and Amanda Tapping; a swashbuckling space opera and alien version of “The Office” from Universal Cable Productions, and a single camera ½ hour about fighting Zombies and a dramedy fighting supernatural villains.

Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in more than 96 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. (Syfy. Imagine greater.)

AMC snaps up Scandinavian murder mystery drama

Maureen Ryan — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:42:49 -0500

AMC, home of "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad," is ramping up its drama slate quite a bit. Its newest drama series, the moody "Rubicon," debuted Aug. 1 and Frank Darabont's upcoming adaptation of "The Walking Dead" arrives in October.

Now the network has announced that it is picking up a fifth series, an untitled project based on a Danish TV miniseries about a young girl's murder. Mireille Enos from "Big Love" stars as the detective investigating the case, but for my money, the best news about this announcement is that it also stars Michelle Forbes, one of the best actresses working today.

Here's the full cast list from AMC's Wednesday press release: The project stars Enos, "Billy Campbell ('Once and Again,' 'Enough') as Darren Richmond, Seattle’s City Council President, running for Mayor; Forbes ('True Blood') as Mitch Larsen, the victim’s mother; Joel Kinnaman ('Snabba Cash') as Stephen Holder, an ex-narc cop who joins the homicide division in the investigation to find Rosie Larsen’s killer; and Brent Sexton ('W.,' 'In the Valley of Elah') as Stan Larsen, the victim’s father."

The AMC release on the series, which is being headed up by former "Cold Case" writer Veena Sud, is below.

AMC PICKS UP NEXT ORIGINAL SERIES

Untitled Project from Veena Sud,

Formerly Known As The Killing

Mireille Enos (Big Love) to Star

New York, NY – August 11, 2010 - AMC announced today a full series order for the pilot that was formerly known as The Killing, from writer and executive producer Veena Sud (Cold Case). Sud has signed on to also serve as the showrunner for the series, which is currently untitled. Set in Seattle, the series is based on the wildly successful Danish television series “Forbrydelsen” and tells the story of the murder of a young girl and the subsequent police investigation. Produced by Fox Television Studios, it is executive produced by Mikkel Bondesen (Burn Notice) for Fuse Entertainment. Fuse’s Kristen Campo co-produces. AMC first announced the pilot order in January 2010 with Patty Jenkins (Monster) directing the pilot. Production on the series begins this fall in Vancouver and season one consists of 13, one-hour episodes. The series is slated to premiere in 2011 on AMC.

Today’s announcement marks the fifth original series greenlight for AMC. The first four were Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Rubicon and The Walking Dead.

“We are thrilled to be moving forward with this stunning piece of television. It is a crime drama, but it is also a gripping character based story that pulls you in and doesn't let go. The storytelling is completely compelling, and the show is visually breathtaking. Veena, Patty, Fuse, FTVS and the cast did a phenomenal job of bringing it to life.” said Joel Stillerman, AMC’s senior vice president of original programming, production and digital content.

"Ever since Mikkel Bondesen brought us this remarkable Danish mini-series, we were determined to bring it to American television,” said David Madden, Executive Vice President, Fox Television Studios. "We are so proud to be working with AMC and our extraordinary cast on this very special series."

As “Sarah,” Mireille Enos (Big Love) portrays the lead homicide detective that investigates the death of Rosie Larsen. Other previously announced castings include: Billy Campbell (Once and Again, Enough) as Darren Richmond, Seattle’s City Council President, running for Mayor; Michelle Forbes (True Blood) as Mitch Larsen, the victim’s mother; Joel Kinnaman (Snabba Cash) as Stephen Holder, an ex-narc cop who joins the homicide division in the investigation to find Rosie Larsen’s killer; and Brent Sexton (W., In the Valley of Elah) as Stan Larsen, the victim’s father.

The series ties together three distinct stories around a single murder including the detectives assigned to the case, the victim’s grieving family and the suspects. The story also explores local politics as it follows politicians connected to the case. As it unfolds, it becomes clear that there are no accidents; everyone has a secret, and while the characters think they’ve moved on, their past isn’t done with them.

AMC’s Joel Stillerman, senior vice president of original programming, production and digital content and Susie Fitzgerald, senior vice president of scripted development and current programming, oversee development and production for the network.

AMC, which recently received 26 Emmy nominations, is the only network in television history to win three consecutive Golden Globe awards for best dramatic series for Mad Men (2008, 2009, 2010). Now in its fourth season, the series is garnering its highest ratings to date. The first two seasons of Breaking Bad awarded the outstanding lead actor Emmy award to Bryan Cranston for his portrayal of lead character Walt White. Rubicon, a conspiracy thriller starring James Badge Dale (HBO’s The Pacific), premiered August 1st. The Walking Dead premieres in October.

Ron Perlman talks Jax, Clay and Season 3 of 'Sons of Anarchy'

Maureen Ryan — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:46:16 -0500

One of the high points of the fall season will be the return of "Sons of Anarchy" on Sept. 7 on FX. Based on a screening of the Season 3 premiere, the third year of the biker drama promises to be one hell of a ride.

On a visit to the "Sons of Anarchy" set in May, I got to sit down with Ron Perlman, who plays Sons leader Clay Morrow.

As viewers of the show will recall, Jax Teller, the son of Sons co-founder John Teller, and Clay have been locked in a battle of wills for some time, but that conflict was put on the back burner in Season 2 when they joined forced to literally ride their white supremacist rivals out of the Sons hometown of Charming, California.

When Season 3 begins, the motorcycle club will be dealing with the fallout of the abduction of Jax's son, Abel, by a vengeance-seeking member of the "True IRA." (Look here and here for comments from "Sons" creator Kurt Sutter about the Belfast story line and what else is to come in Season 3. For all my "Sons" coverage, look here.)

The challenges to the club come thick and fast in the new season, but as Perlman said in the interview, "there are never too many obstacles for Clay. He almost thrives on busting his way through whatever is in his way. That's where he derives his strength from."

When I spoke to Perlman, he and I began by talking about where things stand for the club and between Clay and Jax when Season 3 begins. From here on out, Perlman's comments are in plain text and questions are in bold text. There are no spoilers below.

Ron Perlman: None of us really know where we go from week to week. And there's something really exciting about that. I feel if Kurt needed for us to know where we needed to go from week to week, he would tell us if it was going to affect something in our playing of it. The hallmark of his writing is -- he writes in a way that's very vivid and the only thing you ever need to worry about is the moment that you're in.

The kidnapping of the child is the event that drives at least the first few episodes. Of course, it's all hands on deck. Whatever is going on in [the characters'] personal relationships is shelved for the moment while we address ourselves to the matter at hand. But beyond that I really can't say.

But my guess is -- and I'm like an audience member, in terms of [not knowing] where the show is going to be later in the season -- Kurt is too smart to introduce something without it, at some point, resolving itself. He doesn't feel like he's in any hurry to put all the cards out. That's my guess.

Mo Ryan: Clay's vision for the club, to me, seems to be really based on pragmatism and survival.

RP: Yeah, in the early going, when I had to make decisions about leadership style, I came to the conclusion that Clay is much more of a pragmatist than John Teller ever was. [John Teller] is somebody who lived in his imagination, he had a strong moral compass and then events in his life led him to become more and more unbalanced in regards to what he had to do in a leadership capacity. The loss of his son and other things [led to that]. And Clay was there, ready to take the club into the 21st Century and look at the world the way it was and adapt, and find ways to win at any cost, in a world where there were so many obstacles.

There are never too many obstacles for Clay. He almost thrives on busting his way through whatever is in his way. That's where he derives his strength from. That's a clear distinction in leadership style. Every four years we see new leaders emerge in this country. Everybody has a different style and personality when it comes to having to implement [long-term and short-term plans].

What's interesting to me about the show is that I think [the Sons] are our own sovereign nation sometimes. I almost regard it as a country, with all the representations that a nation needs to flourish, in terms of leadership styles, monetary policies, ways to remain independent and strong and happy, where the enthusiasm of the perpetuation of the family is there.

MR: But heavy hangs the head that wears the crown, right? Clay has all these lives and people depending on him. Whereas Jax hasn't quite felt that part of it yet.

RP: Right. My impression is that Jax has never addressed himself as a leader. He's only addressed who he is in the world. It's way too early for him to imagine the Sons of Anarchy as being led by himself. He's grappling with so many personal issues, you know, who am I, what are my values?

Thank God there's Clay, for the moment, anyway. Because Clay relishes his leadership position. He loves the fact that he's constantly being asked to make decisions for the greater good. So in that sense, he's a born leader. He may not be a great leader, I can't put a value judgment on whether he's good bad or in between.

Clay derives his strength from obstacles that are put in his way. He'd be a guy who'd be horrible in retirement. He wouldn't handle having nothing to do well at all.

MR: Is his attitude, "Shut the gate, we don't need the world?"

RP: I think he definitely knows that, just in terms of commerce, there's no going it alone. The club has to interact with other forces. He is world-weary and wise enough to know that nothing is what it seems to be. Everybody's essentially corrupt, especially in the outlaw world. In interacting with outside forces, he's going to have to find ways to make things work and know who his friends might be and who his enemies definitely are. It's just, win at all costs, to keep his extended family as safe as humanly possible.

MR: Do you think he trusts anyone?

RP: He trusts Gemma unconditionally. He trusts his boys. I think he trusts all of his boys. He even trusts Jax but he recognizes that Jax is going through these (issues) and he doesn't quite know how that's going to fall. It's not mistrust, it's an immense admiration and love, but it's guarded, because there's always the possibility that he's going to be more his father's son (than Clay might want him to be).

MR: What's compelling about the show is that, you might think, not having seen the show, how could you have sympathy for these people? But loyalty of the characters is admirable. You feel for them because they have this moral code, they have something to protect, something to lose.

RP: All of these people are damaged. All of these people started out wanting something, but all of these people were turned away by society at some point. Yet they all possess an amazing energy force and their own moral compass, [which says] "It's just [expletive] out there, we're going create something for ourselves, where we're loved and protected, because no one is going to protect us."

In the case of MC guys, so many of them are veterans. So many of them started out patriotic and went to war. Clay was in Vietnam. He came home to something less than a warrior's welcome. That's a springboard to some other kind of resolve, and the resolve ends up being the MC. "OK, if my nation, which I thought I was fighting for, is basically an illusion, there's got to be something I can have complete allegiance to. I'll create it for myself if I have to." That's what the MCs were born out of.

In Gemma's case, you're going to learn a great deal this season about her background and the damage that occurs from carelessness as you're raising children, and how that affects what you choose for yourself when you have the power to choose for yourself.

MR: They're going to create this world themselves, but because of that, there's a ferocity to their commitment.

RP: If you go back to the analogy of the sovereign nation, you look at sovereign nations, they're fraught with violence and "do unto others before they do unto you" for the preservation of the greater good. Nobody likes a war, but it's part of the human condition. Why do wars still happen? Because sometimes it's justified to fight for your turf or to save lives. I think that's the mindset.

MR: I think Clay recognizes that sometimes, in war, there has to be a ferocity and a willingness to do what it takes. It's like, sometimes there has to be no mercy for the greater good.

RP: We had a great discussion, Kurt and I, at the beginning of Season 2. I'm 60 years old. I've lived longer than I ever thought I would, considering the stupid things I did. I'm having mortality moments now -- I'm thinking about how I'm on other side of hill, I have less to look forward to than I have looking back. You start thinking about what you leave behind and how I might lighten someone's load by having been here.

Clay's devotion to the Sons is so great that [the issue of succession] is an important and imposing question. He would really, really like for it to be Jax, but there's this distance that Jax is going to have to travel to understand how to lead almost selflessly, for the good of the group. Hopefully before we're done, we'll see that explored. Fortunately, given how the show's been received, there's a possibility that we might be around for a goodly amount of time to explore some of these things. It's gratifying, because the writing is so gratifying, so epic and so smart.

MR: What's the fan response been like, in terms of people giving you their feedback when you're out and about? I mean, I'm sure you get a lot of response for all the famous roles you've done, but is it different with this project?

RP: I've never seen such enthusiasm. I did two movies in the hiatus this year, they took me to Detroit, Chicago and New York, and basically -- I've never been accosted in the street. I mean, occasionally I'd get, "Hey Hellboy, how you doin'?" But this is massive. I live in Greenwich Village, which is very kind of white collar, very kind of blase environment. Walking down the street in the West Village, poeple are like, "Yo, Clay!" Not occasionally. It's everywhere I go. I did a movie in Bulgaria -- I don't know how they're seeing the show -- but the enthusiasm was incredible. You could see it's real passion and it's really gratifying.

Kiernan Shipka on Sally Draper's difficult 'Mad Men' journey

Maureen Ryan — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:02:39 -0500

"Mad Men" is deliciously complex, but you could almost sum up the AMC drama by calling it a prelude to Sally Draper's inevitable years of therapy.

Sally has witnessed the painful dissolution of her parents' marriage and the exposure of Don and Betty Draper's "perfect" suburban life as a carefully manufactured lie. Her parents' self-absorption and frequent emotional neglect has left Sally a lost and lonely child, who, in the fourth season of the AMC drama, has turned to a creepy young neighbor, Glen, for advice.

You may yearn for Sally to get a break, but the actress who plays her says that Sally's life isn't going to improve any time soon.

"She has a very rocky ride this season," says Kiernan Shipka, the 10-year old Chicagoan who plays ad executive Don Draper's oldest child.

Shipka, the daughter of real estate developer John Shipka and Erin Brennan Shipka, is friendly, composed and articulate, and she lights up when she talks about her profession.

"Any day acting is an amazing day," she said as she sat in the lobby of a Beverly Hills hotel on a recent Saturday.

After doing extensive print and commercial work in Chicago, at age 6, Shipka, who returns to her family's River North home whenever she can, started traveling to Los Angeles for auditions and acting roles.

"I had never been out here before not even on vacation. It was totally new and it was really exciting. I loved it from the beginning," she said.

Yet the path of a child actor isn't always easy, given that their growth spurts and the development of their acting abilities are hard to predict. Over the course of "Mad Men's" four-year history, for example, Bobby Draper, Sally's younger brother, has been played by three different young actors (Bobby is currently played by Jared Gilmore).

But Shipka's job on the award-winning show seems very secure -- she was a recurring guest star in past seasons, but in Season 4, she was made a series regular.

"Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner said via e-mail that he "always hoped" to give Sally's story increasing prominence on the show, but he added that he "just didn't know if it was possible, because of the limitations of actors that young."

"Obviously like any good actress she's learned a lot by working more and working with great actors, but she has a core talent that is very impressive and has remarkably not changed despite the process of growing up," Weiner said.

And Shipka's done it all without reading "Mad Men" scripts in their entirety. Her mother, who accompanied her to the interview, reads scripts and screens completed episodes for her, and the 10-year old is only allowed to read and watch scenes that are deemed appropriate.

"When we watch, she fast-forwards a lot," said Shipka, who added that she didn't start going to table reads, or read-throughs with the entire cast, until last year.

Shipka said she used to identify more with the more "free-spirited, happy, adventurous" Sally of the first two seasons of the show. But when her parents' marriage fell apart and her beloved grandfather, Gene (Ryan Cutrona), passed away in Season 3, Sally's journey got much darker.

Gene may not have been perfect, but he happily spent hours of quality time with Sally, who basked in the attention. In a Season 3 scene that perfectly combined "Mad Men's" atmosphere of potential danger with its sly sense of humor, he even let her drive a car.

Shipka's most indelible scene came after Gene died and the grownups around Sally tried to ignore her understandable emotional turmoil. As she confronted them about their attitudes, the callousness of Betty (January Jones) and Don Draper (Jon Hamm) was put into sharp relief, and it was hard not to admire the courage and honesty of the little girl who expertly put the adults in their places.

"When we're actually filming, I try to feel those emotions as much as possible," she added. Given that Cutrona -- by then a good friend -- would no longer be appearing on the show, the sense of loss was easier to summon when scene was shot, she said.

"It was hard to say goodbye to him," Shipka said. "I was almost crying that day too."

Sally's problems have only increased this season, as her brittle, remote mother tries to make a go of it with her second husband, leaving Sally to navigate the tricky waters of her new life without much guidance.

"In Season 3 and Season 4, I feel Sally is very beaten down and she has to cope with the separation (and divorce), but she has to do it on her own with a lot of trial and error, " Shipka said. "I think she has so many feelings bottled up inside. ...At the beginning of Season 3, her dad said he would never leave her. Now they're separated. it's hard for her to know her to trust because I feel the only person she can trust right now is herself."

Shipka ably portrays Sally's uncertainty and pain, but she's always given the character a measure of steely resolve, which she'll no doubt need as she deals with the turmoil of her own family and the cultural changes of the '60s. As "Mad Men" has shown, especially this season, the young are demanding more honesty, sincerity and emotional engagement from their elders and from life itself, and Sally is actually at the forefront of that generational rejection of polite hypocrisy and repression.

Sally "is very strong and she's very brave," said Shipka, who clearly relishes the challenges she's been given.

"Every script is so surprising," she said. "It's absolutely great to get such great material. The best feeling is that Matthew Weiner believes in me."

NOTE: If you're looking for my review of the Aug. 8 episode of "Mad Men," I'm sorry to say I won't be posting a review of that episode this week. I'll resume my weekly reviews next week -- I'll try to post thoughts on both the Aug 8 and Aug. 15 episodes the morning of Monday, Aug. 16. Thanks for your patience and sorry for the delay.

'Torchwood' attracts 'Buffy,' 'Breaking Bad,' 'House' writers

Maureen Ryan — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 10:34:23 -0500

Russell T Davies has firmed up the writing staff for the fourth season of "Torchwood," which debuts in the summer of 2011 on Starz.

Davies, who created the "Doctor Who" spinoff, will of course write several episodes of the 10-part series, but other writers for Season 4 include John Shiban ("Breaking Bad," "Supernatural," "The X-Files"), Doris Egan ("House," "Tru Calling," "Dark Angel'), Jane Espenson ("Game of Thrones," "Battlestar Galactica," "Buffy") and John Fay (a U.K. "Torchwood" writer).

The writers are currently hard at work on the new season of the show, which tells an international story and feature the kind of serialized, overarching story line featured in "Torchwood: Children of Earth," the miniseries that put the cult sci-fi series on the map when BBC America aired it in 2009.

UPDATE: At the show's recent TCA panel, it was announced that Season 4 will be called "Torchwood: The New World."

In this 2009 interview, Davies talked about his newfound love for the miniseries format, which allows him to tell one large, taut story rather than a dozen or so separate tales over the course of a season. "I absolutely love it," Davies said. "I've been writing for 20 years and it's very rare to be given a new format."

"The new series will allow Davies and his writing team to tell a more explosive and global story, one that takes advantage of the unlimited narrative opportunities of a premium television service like Starz," the network said in a June press release announcing the new season.

For Season 4 of "Torchwood," John Barrowman will return as Captain Jack Harkness, Eve Myles will be back as Gwen Cooper and casting is underway for several new characters. Filming on the Starz-BBC co-production will begin in January, and though some of it will be shot in the U.K., a substantial part of the new "Torchwood" season will likely be filmed in North America.

For more on the new season of "Torchwood," see this story. For all of my "Torchwood" stories, look here.

Former 'American Idol' producer returns to the fold

Maureen Ryan — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 06:57:30 -0500

To the surprise of no one following the soap opera known as "As 'American Idol' Turns," former executive producer Nigel Lythgoe is returning to the Fox talent contest.

The news had been widely expected for some time (though the deal apparently wasn't done in time for the Monday Fox executive session at the Television Critics Association summer press tour). It's mildly interesting (and also not that surprising) to note that Lythgoe's role will be as an executive producer, not a judge (he is a judge on "So You Think You Can Dance.")

Other "Idol" announcements are likely to come in the next few weeks, as Fox firms up an all or partly new judging panel (the good news is that Lythgoe is a fan of the three-judge system, so I'd say we're unlikely to see the four-judge format in the tenth season of the show.

Fox's press release is below.

NIGEL LYTHGOE RETURNS TO “AMERICAN IDOL”
AS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Nigel Lythgoe will return as an executive producer of AMERICAN IDOL, television’s No. 1 series. Lythgoe joins executive producers Simon Fuller, Cecile Frot-Coutaz and Ken Warwick for the milestone 10th anniversary season of AMERICAN IDOL, premiering January 2011 on FOX.

“Since we launched the original ‘Pop Idol’ in England, I’ve remained close with Simon Fuller. Working as executive producer on AMERICAN IDOL for its first seven years not only was an inspirational journey into the heart of American pop culture, it opened my eyes to the untapped potential of the incredibly dynamic young people in this world. I have been able to continue discovering raw talent on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, which I co-created with Simon,” said Lythgoe. “AMERICAN IDOL became a juggernaut of epic proportions, but to me it was always like home. I am elated and honored to be rejoining childhood friend and fellow executive producer Ken Warwick, and look forward to creating more magic.”

“I am so happy to be welcoming Nigel back to the IDOL family. He is, without a doubt, the most accomplished executive producer I have ever worked with. Nigel helped to define the show I created almost 10 years ago, mentoring our judging panel and nurturing our talent. His unbridled passion has been missed,” said AMERICAN IDOL creator and executive producer Simon Fuller. “This year, with IDOL celebrating our 10th season as the world’s biggest and most powerful TV show, I felt it was an important time to collaborate with Nigel once again to help redefine AMERICAN IDOL and take us through to the next incarnation of the show.”

Nigel Lythgoe is co-founder of Big Red 2 Entertainment, a company he set up with IDOL creator Simon Fuller and CKX. Lythgoe is also co-creator and executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning series SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. His other executive producer credits include seven seasons of AMERICAN IDOL. While serving as the show’s executive producer, AMERICAN IDOL was nominated for 47 Emmy Awards, and in 2007, received the prestigious Governors’ Award, the Television Academy’s highest honor, for IDOL GIVES BACK, which he executive produced.

AMERICAN IDOL is created and executive produced by Simon Fuller, Founder, 19 Entertainment; and executive-produced by Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.; Ken Warwick, Executive Producer, FremantleMedia North America, Inc.; and Nigel Lythgoe, President, Big Red 2 Entertainment.

'Mike & Molly' just regular people

Maureen Ryan — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:53:22 -0500

Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy in "Mike & Molly."

When Melissa McCarthy heard about "Mike & Molly," she wanted no part of it.

"Before I read it, just the thought of it upset me," said the 39-year-old actress and Plainfield native said in a recent interview.

"Mike & Molly" is a new CBS comedy for fall, and it follows the relationship of the title characters, who get to know each other at Overeaters Anonymous meetings.

McCarthy, who played chef Sookie St. James for seven seasons on "Gilmore Girls" and has appeared in films such as "The Nines" and "The Back-up Plan," had to be talked into even reading the script, which she feared might contain "potshots and cheap writing."

After she was told that the comedy would be shot near her house, would have the easier hours of a multicamera sitcom and was co-created by comedy guru Chuck Lorre ("The Big Bang Theory," "Two and a Half Men"), she finally relented and read it.

"I didn't take it as making fun at all, and I think I'm really sensitive to that stuff," McCarthy said.
And though it isn't perfect, "Mike & Molly," which premieres Sept. 20 on CBS, is more sensitive to its lead characters than you might expect. McCarthy and co-star Billy Gardell play a fourth-grade teacher at the fictional Wrigley Elementary and a Chicago cop, respectively, and though the show depicts them dealing with their weight issues, it also shows them struggling with their shyness and self-confidence.

At a recent panel on the show at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, executive producer Lorre and creator Mark Roberts insisted that the show will be more about the couple's blossoming romance than it is about their weight.

"I didn't set out to write a show about Overeaters Anonymous. I wanted to write a show about two people at the beginning of a relationship, and that was the part of it that intrigued me the most," Roberts said.

And part of the impetus to make the show came from his desire to depict real people and their regular lives. "So most of the stuff on TV seems pretty unrealistic to me," Roberts said. "People ... dress really nice, and their apartments are really nice. And I don't buy any of their problems."

McCarthy said she liked the idea that "Mike & Molly" depicts middle class and working-class people, a la the classic sitcom "All in the Family." And she's well aware that many people in Hollywood can be astonishingly clueless when it comes to the lives of regular people. On a recent project she worked on — not "Mike & Molly" — she was given an outfit for her Midwestern character, one that she and the wardrobe people "really loved."

"All the people from the studio were like, ‘What is she wearing?' They said, ‘She looks crazy,'" recalled McCarthy, who attended Joliet Catholic Academy and still has family in the Chicago area. "And I said, ‘This is a brand-new outfit from Kmart, and probably half the people watching this show have these pants. It's not crazy, it's real.' ... The week before, I had been in Plainfield, Illinois, and I said, ‘This is exactly right.'"

Three years ago, the pilot for another Lorre show, "The Big Bang Theory" took an often mean-spirited tone toward the collection of nerds in the cast, but that show righted itself quickly and soon evolved into a much more nuanced and enjoyable experience.

Despite the fact that some of the jokes and some the show's supporting characters haven't gelled, "Mike & Molly" starts from a more sincere place: Roberts and Lorre appear to be interested as the characters as people, not just as vehicles for jokes about cops and doughnuts. Perhaps as it veers away from that meet-cute conceit, "Mike & Molly" will evolve into an enjoyable "Big Bang"-style ensemble comedy. There's certainly no denying that McCarthy and Gardell are quite winning in their roles.

"This may sound ridiculous to some of you, but this isn't a show about weight," Lorre said at the "Mike & Molly" panel. "It's a show about people trying to make their lives better and find someone that they can have a committed relationship with. … If we're (still) talking about this issue come Episode 6, we've got a serious problem, because it would get tired really quickly. It's not enough to hang a series on, not by any stretch of the imagination."

Gardell said at the panel that he's very happy to be playing a romantic/comedic lead, rather than the cliched supporting roles that bigger men are usually restricted to.

"When you're a fat guy in Hollywood, you're the bad guy, the cop or the neighbor," Gardell said.

But the role of Molly, who's assertive with her fourth-graders but less assured in other areas of her life, has presented her with a real acting challenge, one that she looks forward to taking on, McCarthy said.

"Molly is so interesting to me because it's going to be a lot of firsts for her," McCarthy said. "It's the first time she's thinking about herself, it's the first time that I think that she's going to be in love, in an adult relationship. It's the first time she's going to start to say no to some people. It's such a great time in (her) life."

Two podcasts: Talking 'Mad Men,' 'The Office,' 'Rubicon' and more

Maureen Ryan — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:49:46 -0500

Via the poll on this "Mad Men" post, the people have spoken, and they've said they want two podcasts per week. I can't promise that Ryan McGee and I will do two every week (next week I might take a day or two off, so they might be late), but generally speaking, we'll try to do one "Mad Men" podcast and one general TV podcast every week. Don't forget that you can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

So, without any further ado, here is this week's "Mad Men" podcast, in which Ryan and I discuss "Christmas Comes But Once A Year" (which Ryan wrote about here and I wrote about here).

Mad Men, Christmas Comes But Once a Year

And here's the non-TV podcast, in which we discuss, among other things, "Rubicon," the post-Carell succession plans for "The Office," and the Television Critics Association press tour, which I'm currently attending in Los Angeles.

Rubicon, The Office and more

Shades of gray in the 'noir' new season of 'Supernatural'

Maureen Ryan — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:59:46 -0500

In a recent interview with "Supernatural" executive producer and showrunner Sera Gamble, two words stood out: "family" and "noir."

"There are a lot of shades of gray that we're playing with this season," Gamble said.

I spoke to Gamble Wednesday at the CBS/CW/Showtime party at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, and toward the end of our brief chat, she referenced film noir fare such as "L.A. Confidential."

"It lends a different kind of gritty darkness because the heroes in those stories are not pure white hats," she noted.

Sam and Dean Winchester defeated Lucifer last season, but now that "chapter" of the story told in Seasons 1 through 5 is done, the brothers will face a new set of challenges -- some internal, some external. And as they grapple with their complicated relationship, they'll also learn more about their mother's side of the family when Season 6 gets underway on the CW Sept. 24.

As Gamble, the cast and creator Eric Kripke discussed at Comic-Con a week ago, in Season 6, Sam and Dean will be back to hunting monsters of the week, but there will be a season-long story arc as well. (Look here and here for more on "Supernatural" at Comic-Con.)

On Wednesday, Gamble talked a bit about the returning guest stars we'll see in Season 6, and also about the key roles played in Season 6 by Corin Nemec and Jessica Heafey. Don't read on unless you want to see some teasers/spoilers for the new season.

Can you talk a bit about about where things stand at the start of the season?

"We have some mythology to set up in the first few episodes. We wrapped up this five-year arc, so we have some setting up do, some resetting to do. And we did this one-year jump so we have to catch up with the boys."

So for a year, Dean thought Sam was dead, or locked in a cage in Hell?

"Yeah, [he thought] that was it. There's no way to get your brother out of the cage at the bottom of the lowest depths of the ninth circle of the worst bit of Hell."

When Eric Kripke did interviews at Comic-Con, he said there was still going to be conflict between the brothers. That got the fans talking a bit, sort of like, "Really? More conflict?"

"There's never not been conflict between the brothers. [It's been there] from Day 1."

But what's the nature of the conflict? Is it brother against brother or are they fractious while they fight a common enemy?

"It's about the fact that they have grown and changed, and these characters, who when we met when they were very young, have matured a tremendous amount and changed a tremendous amount. It's about them figuring out how they can be together the way that they are now and how they can work together."

Eric was talking at the Comic-Con panel about the the fact that they really began to accept each other and that's what sort of saved the world at the end of Season 5. So is there more work to be done there?

"I wouldn't say there's more work to be done, I would say there's a different set of circumstances for each of them. We very consciously skipped ahead, because they had been sort of nose to nose for a long time, since Season 4. What we needed to do was get some distance between them, get some personal history for each of them -- some new stuff, some new things to play for each of them. So they have new conflict, new circumstances, new stuff."

You've got some new and returning characters in Season 6, right? Can you talk a little bit about that?

"Mitch [Pileggi returning] is the big news, we love him.

"Corin Nemec is a hunter [from the Campbell side of the family], he's a recurring character. The Campbells [Mary Winchester's family] have been hunters for a long time. Some hunters are comparatively well-adjusted -- they didn't become hunters because they watched their sister get her face ripped off in front of them when they were 10. They were born into it, sort of like Mary Campbell [Winchester] was. That's not quite so psychotic so close to the surface. We're interested in that side of the family."

And there's a female Campbell who'll be in the new season as well, right?

"She's played by a Canadian actress, Jessica Heafey, and she's been fantastic so far. [Heafey plays Gwen, a character we meet in the first episode of Season 6]. And we've been bringing back monsters that are familiar, and Crowley [Mark Sheppard] is back.

"Misha is a series regular of course. Castiel is a full-powered angel and Heaven is in bad shape. Misha had this dry way of describing it as [Yeltsin in the post-Soviet Union era], but I think it's more like early days Obama, trying to rally people toward a new way of thinking, which is the Sam and Dean way of thinking. He's got his hands full and still has a deep personal bond with Sam and Dean and wants to help them. And there are specific things that come up about Sam and Dean that he is very interested in, so you'll see him early in the season."

What's interesting about this new part of the journey? Eric has talked about the Winchesters' path as sort of a Hero's Journey, what's new or different about where they are on that journey?

"There's a lot of different kinds of Heroes' Journeys. We talked a lot about Joseph Campbell for a lot of years, we talked about Steven Spielberg movies, we talked a lot about 'The Lord of the Rings' in the [writers] room.

We [also] watch a lot of noir movies. I'm a huge noir fan, Bob Singer are huge noir fans. Eric loves this stuff too. It lends a different kind of gritty darkness because the heroes in those stories are not pure white hats.

"If you think of 'L.A. Confidential,' if you think about Sam and Dean together being like a Bud White or being like a Bud White…. Bud White beats people up. He has anger management problems. He drinks too much. But he's a hero. The fact that he is moral is a problem. The other sort of hero in that story has a sort of moral relativism.

"There are a lot of shades of gray that we're playing with this season, in terms of the kind of heroes we're interested in."

NOTE FROM MO: Comments will be polite, civil and on-topic or they will be shut down. No Samgirl-Deangirl nonsense.

Sponsored Link: Amazon's Supernatural Store

Bits and pieces from the TCA summer press tour

Maureen Ryan — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:36:56 -0500

For the print Tribune, my editors asked me to provide a roundup of interesting or notable things that happened this year at the annual TCA summer press tour. That list is below, and be aware that you may have seen some of these observations if you've been following my Twitter feed.

Dozens of things -- some ephemeral, some newsworthy -- happen every day at the annual Television Critics Association summer press tour in Los Angeles, which is where the networks start publicizing their fall shows in earnest. Here are just a few notable moments from the annual TV confab, which began July 27.

He may have been in the business forever and he's presumably richer than God, but Chuck Lorre appears to be as insecure as any other struggling TV writer. He came to press tour with two shows, "Big Bang Theory" and the new comedy "Mike and Molly," and he repeatedly in sessions devoted to both shows said that he feels that the TV audience's relationship with his shows is "fragile." "We're one show away from losing the audience every week," he said. (Also, Lorre confirmed at that July 28 show's panel that Mayim Bialik will return to the hit CBS comedy, which moves to Thursdays this fall. Sheldon (Jim Parsons) "will have a very specific, unique relationship" with Bialik's similarly nerdy Amy Farrah Fowler in the coming season, and we'll see the return of Wolowitz's girlfriend as well.)
I'm not convinced critics have softened toward "Mike & Molly," a new CBS comedy about two people who meet at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting. There was certainly a lot of wariness about the concept at the panel for the sitcom. But you'd be hard pressed to find someone who didn't find Billy Gardell, who plays Mike, disarming and very winning. The creators "are incredibly gracious to put someone who’s not normal-looking in the middle of the show, and I know [co-star] Melissa [McCarthy] feels the same way too. I mean, I don’t know how [Melissa's] experience has been, but when you’re a fat guy in Hollywood, you’re the bad guy, the cop, or the neighbor. That’s what you’re doing. [Reeling off typical lines he's had to say:] 'Bring them to me.' 'You kids get out of here.' 'She’s going to kill us both.'” And Gardell wasn't surprised at the number of questions at the panel about weight. "Everybody else on TV is 82 lbs. so they're gonna notice a couple big people."
The producers and cast of NBC's "The Event" -- a show with a mysterious, yes, event at the center of the plot -- spent a lot of time trying to convince people that the show is not going to be too confusing. "We don't want to end up on a show that drives people crazy," cast member Laura Innes said. I got the impression they were trying to avoid the failings of "FlashForward" rather than "Lost." But in response to the actor's statement, "Lost" co-creator Damon Lindelof tweeted "Yes you do, Laura Innes."
At the TCA Awards ceremony on July 31, Chicago native Steve Levitan, one of the creators of "Modern Family," picked up a Best Comedy award as the cast of the show looked on. He mentioned that it was the twelfth birthday of Rico Rodriguez, who plays Manny, and the entire room spontaneously sang "Happy Birthday" to the young actor. In accepting the Best Drama award for "Lost" (which tied in the category with "Breaking Bad"), co-creator Damon Lindelof thanked critics after reading five of the tweets he received from angry viewers after the show's May finale ("Please don't ruin Star Trek by ending it in Klingon purgatory.")
Showtime hasn't sent out episodes of "Episodes" yet, but the July 28 session for new comedy made many critics eager to see it. It stars Matt LeBlanc from "Friends" playing a version of himself -- the show's "Matt LeBlanc" plays the star of a cheesy sitcom being adapted for American television from a hit British comedy. It's all about how network decisions are ruled by "fear and panic," according to co-creator David Crane ("Friends").
In an interview with the Tribune, "The Good Wife's" creators, Robert and Michelle King, talked about adding new characters to the Chicago-set show. In Season 2, Michael Ealy will play a new, politically connected partner, and Scott Porter from "Friday Night Lights" will play a private investigator who has a "very different style from Kalinda, and they're almost in competition," Robert said. Why add new characters to a show that's already a hit? It was a chance to shake things up, the Kings said. "It feels like some of the characters -- not the actors but the characters -- got content," Robert said.
Watching "Law & Order" honcho Dick Wolf gruffly work a room is always one of the high points of press tour. His new drama, "Law & Order: Los Angeles" would still rip stories from the headlines, he said. "I would not sit up here and tell you we are not going to do stories that are in headlines all over the world. That’s what we do. ... but again, many of you have heard me say this in this room: We steal the headlines, not the body copy." Perhaps the high point of the session was when one reporter asked him to spell that "chonk-chonk" sound that punctuates each "Law & Order" episode. "I say 'ching ching' and people go 'dum-dum' or 'donk donk'…. I don't think it's spellable."
Before the panels on ABC's new shows began on Sunday, one of the network's publicity executives, Kevin Brockman, brought a stuffed elephant on to the stage -- a reference to the "elephant in the room," i.e., the very recent ouster of ABC president Stephen McPherson. His successor, former ABC Family head Paul Lee, adeptly avoided talking about McPherson or anything else of note (but you can hardly blame him, given that Lee had gotten the job less than two days earlier).
At NBC's executive session, CEO Jeff Gaspin summed up the Peacock's most recent series of disasters: "I think we made too many changes too quickly from a position of weakness." You think?
For a press tour interview with the creators of "How I Met Your Mother," look here. For a more detailed report from NBC's sessions, which touched on "The Office" and more, look here. A Fox/ "American Idol" report is here.

Who'll judge 'American Idol'? Fox won't say

Maureen Ryan — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 15:24:49 -0500

Welcome to Fox's new show, "So You Think You Can Tapdance."

At Fox's executive session at the Television Critics Association press tour on Monday, chairman Peter Rice and entertainment chief Kevin Reilly soft-shoed and sidestepped around the only topic that the media horde cared about: the future of "American Idol."

Reilly and Rice offered a whole lot of nothing, no comment and "we're not going to get into that." As for the rumors that have run rampant in recent days about celebrities and musicians who may be joining the show, "I can tell you that much of the information that has been written is accurate and some of the information is wildly inaccurate," Rice said.

During the panel and after, they would not address whether Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi are returning, what new judges might be joining the panel and if former executive producer Nigel Lythgoe is coming back to the show.

All they would confirm is that "there are no signed deals with anyone," according to Rice. All the assembled journalists could do was report to their editors that there was no news and wish that they could have a shiny dime for every time we heard a variation of "We're not going to speculate on that."

Sheesh, they wouldn't even say whether the judges table will have three or four people behind it in Season 10 of the show.

Rice did say that they want the judges to be assessing contestants by September. And in a post-panel group interview with Reilly, he allowed that Fox would like all the announcements about Season 10's lineup to go out at once.

"It's going to be a lot more constructive for everybody to do it in one shot," Reilly said.

So, in the words of Simon Cowell, "It's a no." A giant "No, you may not have any news, news media." (If you want to read an account that was much more entertaining than the panel itself, NPR's Linda Holmes has put the panel into verse form.)

There were a few factoids about various new and returning Fox shows that emerged during the panel and after. Some come from the panel, some come from the post-panel "scrum" in which people cluster around the executives and ask additional questions. In the bullet list below, I've tried to indicate whether the information came from the panel or from the scrum with Reilly:

Reilly on Season 9 of "Idol" (scrum): "Maybe we had a number of people who were of a similar ilk. I don't think anybody debated whether there was talent or not, but ideally you've got some contrast built in or two different types to cheer for. Whether we had it or not, I don't know, it's water under the bridge."
Reilly on whether he expects "Idol" to stay the No. 1 show on television? (scrum): "I would expect so. We've done the statistics ad nauseum with you guys, about how the gap between the No. 1 show and the No. 2 show has never been bigger before. We slice and dice that every which way. I don't see that there's an awful lot of wiggle room there."
Panel: Jon Cassar, one of "24's" main directors and producers, has signed on to direct episodes of "Terra Nova," which has been pushed back to a fall 2011 debut. The network's press release on the family adventure drama, which stars Jason O'Mara, is below.
Reilly on Steven Spielberg's involvement in "Terra Nova" (scrum): "He is a huge TV fan, very well versed. He's a huge '24' fan so he's very excited and has followed the careers of the people that are now running our show. He's been around [in the creative process]. He has not started his next movie, he's in town. He has been engaged on every element of it, from the conceiving of the world to the initial script and characterizations."
Reilly also called "Terra Nova" not just a dinosaur show but a "family adventure" (scrum): "That is a genre that's never really worked. It's been a thing of huge tentpole movies, it's been his stock in trade in some of his most successful movies. It feels like a natural for television and yet, think about it -- has there really been a show that has …. [had] a family dynamic set against something extraordinary, or in a more figurative sense, a family adventure? You can sit down and watch this with your own kids."
Reilly on why networks are suddenly putting scripted shows on Friday (scrum): "I think we've been pretty neglectful of Friday night for a long time. ...We don't want to look at any second-tier real estate. I really want to reclaim Friday night. The summer is the same thing. We took a step forward this year in the summer, it's not everything we wanted. 'Lie to Me' is going to end up being the top-rated scripted show of the summer. We're sticking with 'Good Guys' and that's going to be Step 1 and we're going to go further. ….We stuck with 'Good Guys' because it was a start. … We've put up some pretty cockamamie Friday lineups over the years. This one ['Good Guys' and 'Human Target'] at least feels cohesive… I think we've got a shot."
How does he reconcile the desire for higher ratings for "Fringe" with the fact that the show got really good as it got more serialized? (scrum): "It's tricky. The show is highly serialized. That's going to be a challenge because if the show doesn't grow early on it's unlikely that a lot of people are going to catch up. But there are more avenues to catch up than ever before. We're going to do everything we can online to give people the access. The mythology's a little tough to stay with, or you've got to stay with it. But the characters are vibrant and that's probably more accessible than ever."
The "Terra Nova" press release from Fox on Monday:

NEW EPIC FAMILY ADVENTURE “TERRA NOVA” TO PREVIEW IN MAY PRIOR TO PREMIERING ON FOX IN FALL 2011

Series Executive-Produced by Steven Spielberg, Peter Chernin, Brannon Braga, David Fury, Jon Cassar, Aaron Kaplan, Katherine Pope, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Craig Silverstein and Kelly Marcel

Alex Graves To Direct Pilot Episode With Series Set to Film On Location in Australia

Jason O’Mara Confirmed in Lead Role

TERRA NOVA, the new family adventure drama series executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, Peter Chernin, Brannon Braga and David Fury, will preview in May 2011 on FOX prior to its series premiere in the fall.

Jason O’Mara (“Life on Mars”) has been cast in the lead role of JIM SHANNON, the patriarch of the show’s central family. As previously announced, Emmy Award winner Alex Graves (FRINGE) will direct the pilot, and Emmy Award-winning executive producer and director Jon Cassar (“24”) has joined the series as an executive producer and series director.

“TERRA NOVA will be one of the most visually stimulating and dramatically grand series to air on network television,” said Kevin Reilly, President of Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “It deserves to have an equally unique launch to distinguish that the show is unlike any other, and the spring promotional platform will give us the perfect opportunity to introduce this bold show to audiences.”

TERRA NOVA, an epic family adventure 85 million years in the making, follows an ordinary family embarking on an incredible journey back in time to prehistoric Earth as a small part of a massive experiment to save the human race. In the year 2149 the world is dying. The planet is overdeveloped, overcrowded and overpolluted. Knowing there is no way to reverse the damage to the planet, a coalition of scientists has managed to open up a fracture in the space-time continuum, creating a portal to prehistoric Earth. This doorway leads to an amazing world, one that allows for a last-ditch effort to save the human race…possibly changing the future by correcting the mistakes of the past.

The series centers on the Shannon family as they join the tenth pilgrimage of settlers to TERRA NOVA, the first colony of humans in this second chance for civilization. JIM SHANNON (O’Mara), a devoted father with a checkered past, guides his family – wife ELISABETH and children JOSH and MADDY – through this new land of limitless beauty, mystery and terror. In addition to blue skies, rolling rivers and lush vegetation, TERRA NOVA offers new opportunities and fresh beginnings to its recent arrivals, but the Shannons have brought with them a familial secret that may threaten their citizenship in this utopia. These adventurers soon discover that this healthy, vibrant world is not as idyllic as it initially appears. The areas surrounding TERRA NOVA are filled with dangerous dinosaurs and other prehistoric threats, as well as external forces that may be intent on destroying this new world before it begins.

TERRA NOVA is produced by 20th Century Fox Television, DreamWorks Television, Kapital Entertainment and Chernin Entertainment. Steven Spielberg, Peter Chernin, Brannon Braga, David Fury, Jon Cassar, Aaron Kaplan, Katherine Pope, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Craig Silverstein and Kelly Marcel serve as executive producers. Alex Graves will direct the pilot episode.

Let's talk 'Mad Men': Yule be sorry

Maureen Ryan — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 23:14:05 -0500

Let's talk below about "Christmas Comes But Once a Year," Sunday's episode of "Mad Men."

"You're old fashioned, you know that?"
--Peggy Olson

We've seen Don Draper do terrible things. He scornfully fired our beloved Sal. He's ripped into Peggy on a regular basis. He called the mother of his children a whore. He cut his brother out of his life, which led to the man's suicide.

But I have to say, watching him wound his secretary, Allison, in Sunday's episode was painful to watch. It was a truly epic train wreck.

The encounter was almost more awful than those other things he's done because I don't think Don meant to hurt Allison. We expect him to be selfish or caddish or even brutal when he feels he needs to be. But as Omar said on "The Wire," "A man got to have a code."

Don has a code -- he tries not to hurt those who have less power and status than he does, and if he does hurt those people, he is man enough to apologize (at least some of the time).

What was awful about that scene between Don and Allison is that he didn't even know how terrible his behavior was. He had no clue that all he needed to say was, "Hey, things got pretty crazy last night. You're amazing, really, but I don't think we should let that happen again." Just a couple of sincere sentences and Allison, who appeared ready to move on from the unexpected hookup, would have been fine. Everything would have gone pretty much back to normal.

But Don just couldn't do it. That kind of emotional availability and directness is beyond him. And that may well be his undoing -- as a man and as an ad man.

The theme of this season of "Mad Men" -- and certainly this episode -- reinforced an idea introduced last week: That quite a few of the people at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce are seriously out of touch. At least Freddie Rumson has Peggy to tell him that his ideas are out of date (though Peggy later had to apologize for her spot-on assessment -- Freddie's ego couldn't take quite that much honesty).

But no one is telling Don that he's in danger of becoming a dinosaur.

Sure, he caught hell for not handling that Ad Age interview more adeptly, but nobody's looking at the bigger picture and realizing that the consumers that Don thinks he knows so well are changing. It's not a buttoned-down world anymore; the younger generation is more free and more forthright. They expect more honesty and sincerity mixed in with their irreverence. They don't want to be condescended to, ignored or bought off; they don't want to live in a world where people intentionally ignore, in their daily lives, "the real feelings below the surface." Don just can't or won't get that.

"He's pathetic," Joey says of Don. How shocking those words would have been to our ears a few seasons ago. Remember how much Ken Cosgrove, Harry Crane and Paul Kinsey worshipped Don in earlier seasons? They idolized him. To them, he was the epitome of cool. They reverently compared him to Batman. Don's taciturn, secretive nature was something to emulate, not ridicule.

But why wouldn't Joey think Don has feet of clay? Joey probably sees Don as a lonely, divorced guy who drinks too much, works too hard and takes it out on his subordinates when things go wrong, which isn't a rare occurrence at SCDP. More than that, though, someone like Joey would never want to emulate Don. The very idea would make Joey laugh.

Sure, Don may not be quite as out of touch as Freddie, but neither of them -- and certainly not Bert Cooper -- are ready for the tidal wave of change that the Sixties will bring.

If nothing else, Don is certainly off his game with women. As was the case with Jane's friend last week, Don's nurse neighbor has no time for his moves, which worked so well in the past. (Then again, his moves were suaver back when he looked sharp all the time and wasn't sloshed when hitting on the ladies. Don Draper, Sloppy Drunk, is still pretty handsome, but come on).

In all three encounters with women in this episode, he struck out in some crucial way. The nurse laughed off Don's drunken pass, just as she dismissed his carefully cultivated blase attitude ("Don't pretend that you never noticed me"). The consumer researcher wanted Don to take her ideas seriously, not buy her dinner (which, she guessed, would probably lead to a room at the Pierre Hotel).

And Allison, who clearly has a serious flirtation going on Joey, was willing to hook up with Don but expected some kind of acknowledgment of what had happened between them. She's knows there's no hope of a relationship -- which she didn't even really want. But she just wanted Don to show a little tenderness and vulnerability to her the morning after, just for a minute.
To be so stiffly rebuffed and then handed money? That is simply insulting to a modern young woman like Allison. Don's behavior is simply jaw-droppingly clueless. She wasn't asking for an emotional striptease, just a moment of honesty. Don couldn't do it. It may not be in his DNA.

Don and Joan are just one generation ahead of Peggy and Allison and Joey, but they observe a different code: Nothing is said about these things. No expectations. You put your pain away where no one can see it and carry on.

Well, that won't fly. A different generation with different ideas is coming up, and even some of the old guard can feel it. Observe Joan's face in the meeting with the consumer research people -- her silent assessment of the woman who came up with the "carefree gal" ads for feminine product said it all. "Oh please!" was the look on her face. Joan and Peggy may not always agree, but they know far more about how women really think than anyone else in that room.

The inter-generational shift was even more pronounced between Freddie and Peggy. It was lovely to see Freddie again, and even better to learn that he's off the sauce (which was no easy feat in those days, when liquor flowed very freely indeed, even at the workplace). But Freddie hasn't fundamentally changed. He still thinks the young women of 1964 will care what kind of face cream Tallulah Bankhead uses. He is completely out of step with the times.

The power dynamics are shifting; who would have thought four years ago that Peggy would end up as Freddie's workplace equal? But that's just one sign of where the things are heading.

The ground under Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is about to shift in radical ways. The agency and the people in it are standing on the edge of a precipice, which makes me extra-excited about the possibilities of this season.

Think about it: SCDP is counting on its reputation as a creative, forward-thinking agency to get new business. Yet those in power are the least likely to understand or embrace the changes that are already in the air.

The man most responsible for the ad shop's creative direction doesn't understand the shifts in the culture he's selling to. After a couple of cocktails, Bert Cooper's consumer research friend reveals his true beliefs: That consumers are just so many predictable sheep who need to be led away from their Communist inclinations. Freddie thinks young women want beauty tips from actresses 10 or 15 years beyond their prime. And Roger's office may look like a Fellini film set but he's no more forward-thinking than dear old Freddie -- and Roger's too busy catering to a nightmare client to do much more than quip and put out fires.

The question is, how is SCDP going to get ahead -- or just tread water -- if its work reflects old ways of thinking?

Don may understand the cultural shifts in a facile way -- he gets why, on an intellectual level, people liked the Volkswagen Beetle ads and he's still capable of sharp, eye-catching work, as we saw with the Glo-Coat ad. But his encounter with Allison shows how far he is from truly understanding the emotional and psychological desires of the younger generation.

The question is, can he change enough to keep up? Can he change at all?

Talking of change: You can't deny that "Mad Men" has come a long way from Season 1. Remember the unforced frivolity of those days? The epic parties in the office? But the alcoholic afternoons and silly high-jinks are in the past. Those carefree days are replaced by a grim, forced jolliness at the office Christmas party -- it was all about mollifying a big client, not goofing off. People may have had a few drinks, but this party was work.

The agency is in a fight for its life, and just as Don can't quite close the deal with his nurse or Jane's friend, SCDP may find itself crushed between the demands of two very different forces -- old-school clients and employees, and the cultural revolt that is beginning to percolate.

Don's generation wanted things, but they tried to find ways to surreptitiously get them. They would do "what was expected of them," but get what they wanted on the sly.

That kind of discretion and indirectness will be a thing of the past soon. The entire culture is shifting to a "I want what I want when I want it, which is now" ethos. Don and his colleagues will be hard-pressed to channel those kind of open, direct desires. Will Don's reliance on cleverness, wit and nostalgia work in this new, more forthright environment? It remains to be seen.

If any character is caught between the old and new, the direct and the indirect, it's Peggy. She's Freddie's boss, but not really (maybe he's her boss, when it comes to this client?) Her opinion matters, unless she's too blunt when she expresses it. And why is she with that nonentity of a boyfriend? It must be the Queens Brooklyn side of her, the part of her that still wants to please her traditional family by landing a traditional guy.

But she's well aware of her own desires and needs -- which she has to pretend she's never experienced in order to seem more virginal for her man. There's still a lot of Don in Peggy: She's sharing herself with someone to whom she's fundamentally lying. She and Don may always shield themselves in those kinds of ways; they may not be capable of any but subterfuge and careful self-protection.

But still. Two fifty-dollar bills inside a store-bought card? Sigh.

Don Draper, you're going to have to do a lot better than that.

Hail of bullets:

Roger still really loves Joan. It's so obvious. And that's the tragedy of those two: They are really great together and they both married the wrong people, and they will probably go to their graves loving each other yet living apart. Sigh. Their feelings are "just below the surface" but I bet they never act on them. (I hope I'm wrong about that.)
Who is Peggy's roommate? A.k.a. "Rasputin"? I'm dying to find out.
I loved Lane Pryce's little smile when they were all asked to fill out the consumer research form. He's not close to Don (who is?), but he certainly knows that Don's more likely to strip naked and run around the office than is to fill in a form like that.
I confess that during my second viewing of the episode, I fast-forwarded through the scenes of Creepy Glen trashing the house and the discovery of said trashing. I don't really have much more to say about Creepy Glen other than the fact that he's probably the first of many highly inappropriate men that Sally will no doubt become enamored of in her life.
There was an interesting callback to "The Wheel," the Season 1 finale of the show, when Lee Garner Jr. was presented with his gift. In that finale, Don's pitch for the Carousel slide projector was a masterpiece of nostalgia and beautifully evoked sentiment. In this episode, Lee is given a new photographic invention -- an instant camera that reflects the faster times.
The best line of the episode belonged to Peggy: "You're never going to get me to do anything Swedish people do."
Huge props to Alexa Alemanni for nailing every single one of Allison's scenes. She hasn't had a ton of big scenes on "Mad Men," but in Allison's time on screen, the show has established that she's a crisp, efficient, tactful secretary and certainly a lifesaver for Don. And at the end, Alemanni did a wonderful job of conveying Allison's wounded reaction. Nicely played indeed.
A couple of housekeeping notes: I had some lovely pictures I was going to use for this post, but the hotel where I am staying (I'm at TCA summer press tour in LA) has a very frustrating Internet connection, so they may never go up.
Also, next week's "Mad Men" review may not go up until Monday morning.

Who should replace Carell on 'The Office'? And other NBC press tour notes

Maureen Ryan — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:28:26 -0500

This week, much of the TV industry is speculating on who will judge the next season of "American Idol." That's certainly a story, but I prefer to ignore the speculation about alleged judge candidates until Monday, when Fox will make its presentation to the media at the Television Critics Association summer press tour in Los Angeles. Until Fox itself names names, it's hard to believe any of the rumors flying around.

Today was NBC's day in front of the critics, and not surprisingly, Peacock executives seemed relieved that there weren't any recent train wrecks to defend. Still, the network has its share of issues. For one thing, NBC's still very much in rebuilding mode after the management disasters of the past few years.

And when it comes to on-air talent, NBC is facing a succession that's every bit -- if not more -- important than the one occurring at Fox.

Through all the sturm und drang of the past few years, "The Office" has remained one of the network's centerpieces, and even if it wasn't at its height creatively this past season, Steve Carell is every bit as integral to the NBC comedy as Simon Cowell was to "American Idol."

Now that it's official that Carell is leaving "The Office" in 2011, a network that is trying to claw itself out of the ditch that it drove itself into several years ago will have to face replacing a franchise player. It won't be easy.

NBC CEO Jeff Gaspin and president Angela Bromstad addressed the "Office" situation early on in NBC's executive session.

The show's executive producers, Greg Daniels and Paul Lieberstein, "have a plan in terms of who’s going to replace Michael, and so there will be a lot of storylines leading up to that, and there will be some mystery as to who that will be," Bromstad said.

After the session with the executives, I asked Bromstad if Season 7 of "The Office" would resemble Season 4 of "House," when the selection of the grumpy doc's new team was turned into a large arc for the season.

"I don't think you're going to have a year of 'Who's going to be the new boss?' but there is going to be a little bit of a search, whether it's an internal search or an external search," Bromstad said. That story line will play out in the second half of the season, she added.

The fourth-season doctor derby on "House" was a lot of fun, but looking back, it's clear that the aftermath of that season signaled the beginning of the end of my love for the show. Soapier shenanigans and broadly written storylines began to creep in to "House" around that time, and the show brought Olivia Wilde's character, who I never thought was all that interesting, to the fore. For me, the graft never took, if you will.

Of course, "House" is primarily a star vehicle for Hugh Laurie, and all of the other actors rotate around him. Still, the rejiggering of the supporting characters in Season 4 reverberated into subsequent seasons, and though I can see in theory why a show in its fourth or fifth season would want to shake things up, to me the new roster never had the appeal of the old lineup.

If anything, the ecosystem is even more delicate on "The Office." Michael Scott is certainly in the foreground of that show, but it's more of an ensemble piece, and if a major new Dunder Mifflin character isn't integrated gracefully into all those relationships and situations, it could be a disaster.

And thus the question turns to whether the show will choose to elevate an existing character or bring in someone new.

"That'll be part of the question, do they promote from within or do they bring someone from the outside?" Bromstad said after the panel. She added that she thinks the process will give the show a chance to bring in some guest stars during the tryout process: "We think there will be a lot of fun in that."

Asked if she preferred "The Office" promoting from within, Bromstad didn't come down on one side or the other, but said, "I think there are some good internal [candidates] but there could be some exciting names externally as well."

Both strategies have their dangers. Truth be told, I don't think Rainn Wilson or John Krasinski should be the new lead of "The Office"; we've already seen them in so many boss-like scenarios that it wouldn't seem fresh.

Ryan (B.J. Novak) is too sleazy and icky to have as the show's central character, and the show's most dependably normal person, Pam (Jenna Fischer), doesn't seem like a good fit either. And though I like Craig Robinson's work, I'm not sure Darryl has enough history with the rest of the characters to carry the show. I suppose Ed Helms (Andy) is a possibility, but I think he's best used as a second banana whose bumpy office relationships provide occasional high points.

Perhaps the show will promote from within, and maybe one of those actors would kill in the lead role. In that case, I'll be happy to be proven wrong.

All in all, however, it seems like a good time to bring in a new actor. And I'd just like to say for the record that it would be a disaster if Ricky Gervais took over Dunder Mifflin.

Bromstad said there were "discussions" about bringing Gervais on board as a guest star in Season 7, and it might be interesting for an episode to see David Brent in Scranton (if Gervais did play Brent, his British "Office" character, and frankly it'd be odd if he didn't).

But Gervais is too well-known at this point to be the show's new lead. In everything that he appears in, I think, "Look, there's Ricky Gervais." He's not the kind of guy who can disappear into a role, and he would be a hammy distraction on "The Office," as he has been in many of the TV shows and movies he's appeared in since the original "Office" premiered in England.

Certainly there are many great comic actors out there who would work well on "The Office" and if we're in luck, the show will pick someone who gets the vibe of the show and brings enough new energy to keep things interesting.
Here few casting ideas off the top of my head:

Just as "Parks and Recreation" hired "Party Down" alumni Adam Scott, Lizzy Caplan would be an excellent addition to the Dunder Mifflin staff. She has great comic timing and she proved on "Party Down" that she can do romance and even dramatic moments amazingly well.
Or how about Rob Heubel, who, like "Parks and Recreation's" Aziz Ansari, is an alumni of the MTV comedy show "Human Giant." Heubel had a small role on "The Office" in the past, and he's also been a great utility player on many other comedies, including "30 Rock" and "Children's Hospital." There's no doubt that he'd fit into the ensemble seamlessly.
A terrific idea suggested by @TennAve on Twitter was Rhys Darby, the officious but lovable Murray on HBO's "Flight of the Conchords." I love that idea because not only is Darby funny, he would bring the kind of low-key, oblivious sweetness that Michael Scott had at his most winning.

A few other NBC notes from press tour:

Terrence Howard and Alfred Molina will alternate as the district attorneys on the new NBC procedural "Law & Order: Los Angeles," which stars Skeet Ulrich.
"30 Rock" will stage a live episode on Oct. 14.
Kathy Bates will return to "The Office" and Drew Carey will guest on "Community."
Henry Ian Cusick of "Lost" and Joan Cusack will guest star in the two-hour "Law & Order: SVU" season premiere Sept. 22.
Rob Lowe has been promoted series regular on "Parks and Recreation," which is supposed to return at mid-season. I say "supposed to" because I'd bet serious money on "Parks and Rec" returning sooner than that. The comedy that NBC is trying out in "Parks and Rec's" slot, "Outsourced," is quite unfunny and deplorably offensive. NBC is reshooting some of it and has recast one role, but the conception and execution of the pilot I saw was so bad that I'm not sure how it could be fixed.

'Rubicon' provides a brooding spy tale for conspiracy fans

Maureen Ryan — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 03:43:43 -0500

--Posted by Maureen Ryan

There's something almost romantic about the retro feel of "Rubicon" (7 p.m. Central Sunday, AMC; two and a half stars).

This brooding, meandering thriller about an analyst who stumbles upon dangerous secrets recalls an earlier, freer time, when nobody was yoked to a Blackberry or iPhone and storytellers could spin yarns without the audience wondering why the characters didn't just text or email each other, rather than actually converse in person.

Maybe this drama is offering an indictment on technology, which hasn't made many of us feel appreciably safer, no matter how many times we saw Chloe do amazing things with her databases on "24." Or maybe the creators of "Rubicon" are just nostalgic for the films of the post-Watergate era, when handsome heroes in slouchy sweaters poked and prodded the conspiracies of the high and mighty -- and sometimes won small victories.

"Rubicon" posits that there are dozens of disheveled former grad students holed up in semi-dingy offices in New York, looking through all kinds of records and secret documents to find patterns and clues about looming threats. They have computers and presumably they Google and so forth, but, for the most part, the electronics stay offscreen. These analysts lug thick files around and have offices stacked high with reference books, reports and legal pads.

"Rubicon," in other words, is an ode to paper. And pencils. And codes broken over a mug of Earl Grey tea or cardboard cup of takeout coffee.

As someone who works for a company that buys paper in bulk, that version of bookish analysis has a distinct appeal. Yet "Rubicon's" premise, it must be said, stretches credibility a little as well.

Would powerful people with dangerous secrets really embed codes in the crossword puzzles of newspapers? If they did, would anyone notice? I'd like to think someone would, but maybe that idea is as fantastical the existence of computers that never get error messages (a staple of slicker espionage thrillers).

Still, the lack of blinking cursors isn't really "Rubicon's" main problem. This pleasantly low-key drama has little trouble creating an atmosphere, but the pace is sometimes slack in the first four episodes. There's a lot of lurking and brooding and there are tense conversations between wary people, but the pattern that Will Travers (James Badge Dale) is uncovering takes a long time to emerge, and Miranda Richardson is stranded in a separate story line in which she gets to do little but grieve.

Still, if you require pensive manliness and "Mad Men's" Jon Hamm is not available, James Badge Dale is up to the job, as he proved in his quietly excellent performance in HBO's "The Pacific." In that miniseries, as is the case here, Dale's task is mainly to react and to engage the world with an air of guarded suspicion, and if he didn't make that interesting, "Rubicon's" scruffy paranoia would collapse in on itself. Travers himself isn't written with much depth, but Dale supplies shading with his watchful eyes and subtle, expressive body language.

"Rubicon" is a world -- and several color palettes -- away from the airier spy fare of the USA Network, and its earnest desire to explore the moral quandaries of espionage is certainly well-intentioned (the fourth episodes, which has the strongest standalone plot, is excellent in that regard). And Travers' co-workers at the innocuously named American Policy Institute are quirky and interesting in disarming ways (an ongoing inter-office debate about the worst presidents in American history is diverting).

The thing about conspiracy thrillers, however, is that the second word in that phrase needs to get its due every now and again. Everyone in "Rubicon" drinks a lot of coffee, but the show itself needs a dose of caffeine. If it gets that kind of energy boost, "Rubicon" may be worth sticking with.

Ellen DeGeneres exits 'American Idol'

Maureen Ryan — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:25:39 -0500

As far as tryouts go, Ellen DeGeneres' audition wasn't a rousing success.

And now the talk-show host has told the producers of "American Idol" that she is leaving the show after one season as a judge. UPDATE: Deadline is reporting that Jennifer Lopez will be joining the judges' panel.

"It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for," DeGeneres said in a statement from Fox." I also realized this season that while I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings."

I doubt anyone will miss DeGeneres next season. Her comments were bland, innocuous and not particularly helpful to the contestants, given that she rarely offered perceptive critiques. Her specialty was making the contestants feel good about themselves and offering the occasional joke, and in that capacity, she was harmless and ultimately unnecessary.

I can't imagine what's going to transpire next season on "Idol." Simon Cowell, one of the main reasons for watching the show, will be gone; he exited this past season. Paula Abdul, she of the crazy but occasionally entertaining train wrecks, is long gone. Randy Jackson is an amiable but unexceptional judge, and though she softened her approach this past season, Kara DioGuardi has always felt like the odd woman out on the panel.

Could there be further judge shakeups? Will the producers finally realize that four judges is probably one judge too many? Will Nigel Lythgoe, a former producer who is rumored to be returning, install an all-new panel? And who will replace Simon? The speculation regarding the last question has been rampant, with dozens of names being thrown out every week.

In any case, this whole judges' panel drama may just be be far more interesting than anything that occurs on the show next year, when the loss of the acerbic Cowell will surely be felt.

In any case, "DeGeneres out!"

Fox's press release on her departure is below.

Ellen DeGeneres has decided to bow out from her role as a judge on AMERICAN IDOL next season. DeGeneres served as a judge during the ninth season of IDOL, the No. 1 hit series on television.

“A couple months ago, I let FOX and the AMERICAN IDOL producers know that this didn’t feel like the right fit for me,” said DeGeneres. “I told them I wouldn’t leave them in a bind and that I would hold off on doing anything until they were able to figure out where they wanted to take the panel next. It was a difficult decision to make, but my work schedule became more than I bargained for. I also realized this season that while I love discovering, supporting and nurturing young talent, it was hard for me to judge people and sometimes hurt their feelings. I loved the experience working on IDOL and I am very grateful for the year I had. I am a huge fan of the show and will continue to be.”

“We love Ellen and understand and support her decision to bow out of IDOL,” said Peter Rice, Chairman of Entertainment, Fox Networks Group. “We were fortunate to receive the humor, energy and love for talent that she brought to the show.”

“It was a joy to work with Ellen,” added Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. “She brought an incredible spirit to IDOL and was a great new addition to the team. While we’re saddened by her decision, we are very appreciative that she gave us ample notice so that we could work through it together.”

“I loved Ellen’s passion for the artists and her nurturing skills,” said IDOL creator and executive producer Simon Fuller. “She brought honesty and optimism to our judging panel and I will miss her greatly.”

“We will miss Ellen, she has been the consummate professional throughout her time on the show, and she’ll always be part of the AMERICAN IDOL family,” added Cecile Frot-Coutaz, IDOL executive producer.

Exclusive: 'Game of Thrones' lord is Dance

Maureen Ryan — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:35:10 -0500

Charles Dance has been cast as nobleman Tywin Lannister in HBO's upcoming epic "Game of Thrones."

A wealthy lord and head of one of the most powerful clans in the realm, Tywin is one of the most memorable characters in the series of George R.R. Martin novels that begins with "Game of Thrones." Tywin is father of the despised Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and the calculating twins Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Cersei (Lena Headey).

"Thrones," which arrives in 2011, is one of the most hotly anticipated shows on HBO's roster; its cast includes Headey, Sean Bean, Coster-Waldau, Michelle Fairley, Dinklage, Jason Momoa, Emilia Clarke, Aiden Gillen and Mark Addy. The drama recently began production in Northern Ireland.

In his long career, Dance has starred in everything from "Plenty" to "Labyrinth" and in lavish miniseries such as "Bleak House" and "Jewel in the Crown." I can't speak for the rest of the fans of Martin's novels, but when his name surfaced as one of the casting rumors for the role of Tywin, he seemed perfect for the part, which requires charisma, a steely resolve and a commanding presence.

For the full cast list for "Game of Thrones," look here. The rest of my stories on the HBO project and on Martin's books are here.

By the way, Martin has been discussing the "Thrones" actors (and one recent recasting) on his Not a Blog, and the "GoT" sites Westeros, Winter is Coming and Tower of the Hand have lots of news and fan discussions as well.

What's to come on 'How I Met Your Mother' and what went awry in Season 5

Maureen Ryan — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:34:10 -0500

--Posted by Maureen Ryan

"I hope no one will throw the word 'sitcommy' at us after Season 6."

Those are the words of Craig Thomas, executive producer and co-creator of "How I Met Your Mother."

He and Carter Bays, his fellow executive producer and co-creator, gave a group interview to several TV writers and critics Wednesday evening at the Television Critics Association press tour. They talked about beginning the show's overall endgame and what's to come in Season 6 (and much of that information is at the end of this post).

And for almost an hour, Thomas and Bays talked about Season 5, which many critics, including myself, found uneven at best and, yes, broad and sitcommy at worst. In their view, their decision to experiment and not give the season an overall arc produced some of what they consider "HIMYM's" best episodes, such as "Girls Versus Suits" and "Doppelgangers," but they said they ultimately realized the season felt "rudderless."

In Season 5, "We set out to say, 'What if every episode, you hit the reset button at the end of the episode?'" Bays said. "...We had fun doing that, but I feel like that's not the show we wanted to do."

"A certain kind of fan of the show felt like last season was less emotionally interesting, less interesting in the larger arc of 'Who's the mother?' but also less interesting in the sense of moving forward in these characters' lives," Thomas added. "I feel like we earned fans by exploring a lot of different rites of passage in people's lives, and last year I feel like we did a lot less of it."

Season 6 certainly sounds good on paper. For one thing, Bays and Thomas promise to fundamentally shake up the question of Ted's future wife -- the mother of the show's title -- in the show's Sept. 20 season premiere, which will see the return of guest star Rachel Bilson, who plays the unseen mother's roommate.

"That trick that we've done for five years -- 'Is this one the mother?' -- we're going to put that trick to bed," Thomas said. "You're going to learn some stuff in Episode 1 that sort of ends that particular gimmick."

There will also be significant arcs for each character, and "by the end of the season, everyone's lives will change dramatically," Thomas said.

Thomas also made this vow: "Ted will be absolutely un-douchey this year."

Ted's douchiness wasn't the show's biggest problem in Season 5, however. Though the season had its moments, elements that had driven it in the past -- emotionally compelling relationships, intricate or inventive stories, a sense of romantic possibility and a relatable sense of progress in the characters' lives -- weren't consistently well executed.

And once Barney and Robin abruptly broke up a third of the way through the season, I kept watching for a while, thinking that a reason for the sudden breakup or a further emotional development would be coming on that front. When nothing more happened in that arena, despite my residual affection for the comedy, I drifted away.

Thomas and Bays said if they had to do it all over again, they'd have kept Barney and Robin together longer. Part of the problem was that the writers had penned a lot of episodes in advance. By the time they saw the chemistry that Cobie Smulders and Neil Patrick Harris had as Barney and Robin, they'd already put the couple on the path to a breakup.

But the bigger problem was the interchangeable, standalone nature of most episodes.

"There wasn't accumulation of meaning from episode to episode last year, as much as we've done in the past," Thomas said. "And I think we write better when we're accumulating meaning and momentum and building a larger season."

"I think we were wrong" to play what he called "an improv game" with the season, Bays said. "We sort of ignored that part of us that are planners by nature, and it suffered structurally, I think."

Thomas noted that "our canary in the emotional coalmine is ... Pam Fryman," who has directed almost every episode of the CBS comedy. After Thomas and Bays presented her with their outline for the 24-episode sixth season, she read it and declared that the show was "back."

"Just writing that [document] up got us kind of wistful and emotional," Bays said.

"This year there's going to be a lot more writing from real life" -- from the writers' own lives, he added.

He and Thomas have also sketched out the ending of "HIMYM." They're not doing a "Lost" -- they haven't set an end date for the show (and in case you're wondering, the cast is under contract through Season 8). But they said that the show is now entering its third and final act, and that when the last season comes, they will have a plan for it.

""We have a set ending but we don't have a set end time," Bays said.

Before then, in Season 6 they are going to "create a series of different questions that expand the [central] mystery a little bit," Thomas said.

[From here on out there will be more concrete information about what's to come in Season 6.]

"We're going to get some glimpses into the future that will actually alter the way we tell the story in a fundamental way," Bays said. "In Episode 1, we kind of begin a new framework for the show."

"The future is going to become even more a part of the present in the show," he added, a bit cryptically.

When it came to other elements of Season 6, Bays and Thomas were more forthcoming. Here are a few of the developments they have planned:

Barney will accept that his father is not Bob Barker and he will look for his real father. "If we do it right, Neil [Patrick Harris] will have a hard time picking his Emmy episode," Thomas said. Added Bays, "I think we can say that Barney's going to grow up this year in an entertaining way."
Marshall and Lily are going to try to have a baby. Bays and Thomas wouldn't say whether the married couple do get pregnant, but the show's creators noted that they had debated introducing a baby on the show for a long time. It's "Sitcom 101" not to introduce a baby into a comedy, as Bays noted, but they also don't want the show to have fake, small, sitcommy stakes.
Ted will not have a date every week in Season 6 ("Ted's tally is getting a little high," Thomas said). He will be commissioned to design Goliath National Bank building and thus he'll work with Barney and Marshall. "To make this new building he's designing, this really old, beautiful building has to be destroyed," Thomas said. Given how nostalgic Ted himself is, this isn't easy for him, especially when he meets a preservationist, who plays a significant role in the season; she is his "nemesis."
There will be a third installment in the Robin Sparkles saga; they're trying to get Alan Thicke back for it. It will relive the glory days of the tween-oriented, educational show that Robin Sparkles hosted in Canada -- with her showbiz partner, Glitter. Thomas and Bays are writing a song for Sparkles and Glitter. "We talked about it being a safety warning about thin ice," Thomas said.
There don't appear to be specific plans to get Robin and Barney back together, but Thomas said he thinks Barney does love her and Thomas doesn't feel as though the show is completely "done" with that relationship.
There will be more Web sites, possibly a Twitter feed and other social-media goodies this year.

In any event, they say the goal this year is to get the laughs, at least some of the time, from fraught emotional places.

The show "should be able to make you cry," Thomas said. "The laughs are deeper when it's from that place."

By the way, Alan Sepinwall has an abridged transcript of the conversation here.

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