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THE GOOD, THE BAD and THE GEEKY!

Cougar Town: The Complete Second Season

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As I mentioned earlier (a chat with the stars of “Grimm”) “Grimm” debuted alongside ABC’s “Once Upon a Time,” another fairy tale based show new to TV. Doesn’t it seem weird how similar shows seem to pop up at the same time? And what the heck is with the over-abundance of supernatural shows? Greenwalt answers, “Public domain.” Translation: Easy money. Quickly backing himself up, Greenwalt adds, “There’s a reason they’ve been handed down, both in a written and in oral form for all these, you know, hundreds and hundreds of years and they still have an appeal.” With “Grimm,” they’re not only retelling the stories with a modern twist, they’re fracturing them, as Greenwalt says. In an upcoming episode, they take the story of Hansel and Gretel and splice it with both a Japanese fairy tale and “Androcles and the Lion” (from Aesop’s Fables). The Grimm brothers amassed a collection of over 200 different stories, but not all of which can easily be adapted to modern TV storytelling. So, it’s not all copy and paste in the writer’s room.

One of the biggest questions Grimmers (Can I call them Grimmers? I feel like the show’s fans need a name, so I’m going with it.) have every time “Grimm” comes up is about the relationship between Nick and Monroe. By all accounts these guys are supposed to be enemies, but instead their secret partners in crime. Er, in crime stopping, I mean. And some people are not too pleased with Monroe’s decision to help a Grimm. Greenwalt assures us, though, “There will be some issues with that coming up, for sure.” He and Kouf say that this is going to be one of the story arcs that will play out the rest of this season and well into the second season.

I am pretty excited about that scenario. Silas Weir Mitchell is a god among men in Portland (where “Grimm” is filmed and takes place). I love the work he’s done with Monroe so far, and I hope he gets some really meaty exposition soon. Greenwalt says he’s not surprised Mitchell has resonated so well with the viewers. “When we first wrote it and we realized we were on to something tremendous, and when we got Silas Weir Mitchell to play him, he’s just such an interesting character with a different slant. And in a way, he’s more human than the human characters, you know, because he’s fighting his inner demons so forcefully.” Touche, David!

To this point, viewers can expect a marked turn in the format of storytelling in “Grimm.” Up to this point, the show has been pretty focused on the monster-a-week format. (Well, to be more precise, that’s Wesen-a-week, pronounced ‘vessen’). Now, as more backstory is developed and the relationships between the three leads and other supernatural characters change, we can expect more longer story arcs and deeper mythology, very much in the vein of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel,” which Greenwalt and Kouf are veterans of. Says Greenwalt, “It was kind of the plan all along to bring in more mythology as we get deeper in the series, but we don’t want to bring in so much that your average everyday viewer can’t just watch a show.” Kouf summarizes more succinctly, “We’re going to start revealing stuff.”

To help push those new stories forward, “Grimm” will be bringing some quality X chromosomes into the fold. This month, we can expect some new guest and recurring faces such as Bree Turner (recently seen in “The Mentalist” and “Raising Hope”), Amy Acker (best known for her work on “Angel”), and Valerie Cruz (“Off the Map,” “Alphas”) who stars in this week’s episode, “Organ Grinder.” (Below)

With news that Amy Acker is coming on board (she’ll be playing a Black Widow type character in “Tarantella” in next week’s episode), Buffyverse fans want to know if we can expect more of that talent to make their way to “Grimm.” Greenwalt says he’d “love to work with any of the old gang.” One Buffy vet is already scheduled for an upcoming episode. Azura Skye has a guest spot, as a supernatural being, in an episode set to air sometime around April. As for others … **Brace yourselves, kids.** … Greenwalt says they would love to have Giles Anthony Stewart Head (“Buffy,” “Merlin”). “We’ve actually been thinking of how we could get Tony into the show, if he’d want to do it. We’ve actually thought quite a bit about that one.”

Well, let’s hope “Grimm” gets the pickup for season two, and they succeed at convincing Head to stop on by. That alone would be enough to keep me tuning in, in anticipation. As for that season two renewal, Greenwalt says they expect to hear anytime between now and May. But he’s optimistic and so am I.

Grimm appears on NBC, Fridays at 9 p.m. ET.
Official “Grimm” site at NBC: http://www.nbc.com/grimm/