As promised, it's time to discuss some of the upcoming new and returning programming premiering this spring. And boy, are there some potential winners and many more possibly very big losers on the horizon!
First, the bad news:
HBO's Rome returns. Blah blah toga blah. Luckily, it returns only for 10 episodes, so the ridiculousness is short-lived.
FX's The Shield is still going strong, inexplicably as far as I can see. In all fairness, however, I do have to admit that my distaste for this show stems largely from my dislike at seeing star Michael Chiklis play anyone other than The Commish. Now THAT was quality (not to mention family) programming!
The guy who wrote Dawson's Creek has a new teen drama. Simply, blech.
This one is my personal favorite on the list of potential swan dives. FX's The Riches chronicles the lives of a family who accidentally kills another family...and then assumes their identities...and the mom is a meth addict parolee...and the dad is Eddie Izzard. And I am not kidding. I look forward to this show's March premiere with equal parts dread and glee!
The Pussycat dolls have a reality show about the The Search for the Next Doll. There are no words.
And NBC, in its ever pointless quest for "good" reality programming, is offering Grease: You're the One that I Want, a vote-off show that is one part So You Think You Can Dance, one part American Idol, and 12 parts silly. And most likely very, very bad.
And now for the good news:
Drive: They had me with this sentence, which I will quote from the January 12th issue of Entertainment Weekly: "After stints on The X-Files and Angel, [writer-producer Tim] Minear helped launch Firefly and Wonderfalls...." I'm in!! With credits like these, I am itching to get a look at this show and grant it all kinds of leeway for being a high-concept look at what is essentially cross-country drag racing. And the Firefly lead is the lead in Drive! I am on tinter hooks! (which no one says enough these days, frankly.)
The Apprentice: I know, I know, what in the world is this doing on my list under good news? But I have to say the move to LA seems to be working for the show so far, as does the concept that the losers live outside the winners' mansion in tents. And anyone who thinks the Donald doesn't already have his mind set on the 3-time medalist from the women's Olympic ice-hockey team is smoking crack. He loves her, in all her ill-fitting suit, incredibly broad-shouldered glory.
Heroes: Yay! Just yay!
The L Word: Okay, you know how I feel about pay cable shows. And I am not intending on watching this one, just so you know. However, I feel it my duty to note that this season will feature the addition of not only Cybil Shepherd but also Marlee Matlin...! The show cannot help but be fabulous with the two them around. So if this is your cup of tea (and you know who you are), you've gotten the inside scoop, so don't tell me I didn't get you the right info.
Top Design: Let me say at the outset that I have my misgivings about this show. I don't like copycat concepts, but Top Chef has turned out to be delicious foody fun, and Project Runway is hypnotically compelling and this is another Bravo offering, so I am looking forward to seeing if they can do it three times. Of course, the concept is at once highly topical and yet strangely dated, so I wonder where audience opinion will fall. And Todd Oldham worries me. Or, more precisely, some of his designs worry me, so we'll see where the show itself ends up.
Ready, set, go, the mid-season(ish) is upon us!
2 comments:
Hi there - I'm a huge fan of Eddie's, but the show won't premier until April, 2007. I'm half dreading it too.... Minnie Driver as his wife? Dunno how that will hang. :)
I want to see him tour again so I can see and meet him in person!
The husband introduced me to Eddie, and I love him, too (I'm covered in bees! I like my women like I like my coffee: in a plastic cup."), so I will have to tune in in April, but the nuclear bomb-like bust potential is clearly here!
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