Gerald McRaney by Lester Cohen/WireImage.com and Angie Harmon by Andrew Southam/ABC
Fallen Jericho patriarch Gerald McRaney has been cast as the estranged pop of Angie Harmon's Lindsay on Women's Murder Club, sources confirm to me exclusively. Dad is described as a dirty ex-cop who has few friends on the force — and that includes his daughter. The two have been estranged for seven years, and his mere presence gives her the creeps. She even refuses to call him "Dad," which is never a good thing (unless you're a Simpson). McRaney's onboard for one of this season's three post-strike episodes, although he could reappear next season — if there is a next season. Fleshing out Lindsay's personal life appears to be a top priority for new Club boss Robert Nathan. In addition to a dad, Harmon's bloodhound will be getting a new love interest in the form of The 4400's Joel Gretsch (Ausiello Report 3/17).
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Question: Do you think that Jericho can be saved? I hear there is a large outcry of disbelief and a growing campaign to save the show. If CBS doesn't bring it back, could it go to another network?
Answer: As I noted earlier, Jericho is not the sort of show to be picked up by another network. It was produced by Paramount, which is part of the same corporation as CBS, so they're both buyer and producer, and there's really nowhere else for it to go. (The CW? Hardly.) Can it be saved? Despite the impressive outcry, doubtful. As Michael Ausiello has reported, CBS has made some noise about providing closure for fans, so let's see where that goes. If it were up to me, I'd commission a TV-movie finale, something like Jericho: Aftermath, built around a memorial tribute to fallen town hero Johnston Green (Gerald McRaney) at which point we'd learn what happened to the rest of the characters the fans cared about.
A final note on Jericho for now, to demonstrate the range of mail I've gotten on the
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See?! Nothing good can come of killing off Gerald McRaney! Can we all take a moment of silence here? I am completely disappointed in today's announcement that Jericho will not return for another season. I know this show was a gamble. I know Mama Green was getting on some of our nerves. I know a small Kansas town may not appeal to the masses. But… come on! I accepted the decision to end Gilmore Girls (although, not thrilled with Logan's exit). I welcomed the idea of a future finish line for Lost. I gladly shook off The O.C. when it left us last year. But I can't let this go — at least not this week. In fact, I'm taking out all my frustration on Angel's candy bin. (Is CBS going to pay my gym bill?) If you're a Jericho fan, you've been watching Skeet Ulrich and Co. cope post-mushroom cloud. And after a rocky start, hopefully you'll agree with me when I say the writing and acting only got better as the season went on. We got answers slowly but surely, we had characters with re...
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If finales are supposed to bring all the emotion from the season and combine it with a few answers, a tragedy and a reason to know more, Jericho rose to the occasion — at least for me. There was no teenager story line, there was no Mary Bailey hanging off Eric's arm, there were no bad decisions from Gray. This was for the leaders. "You can go straight to hell."I'm still in shock as I mourn Johnston's death and so upset that he was the one to go. I knew a big death was coming, someone major, someone whose death would upset most viewers, but what are we going to do without Gerald McRaney? When that tank rolled in, I felt victorious from my couch… until I saw Papa Green barely moving. I guess this is Jake's time to step up and make a stand. Defend his home. Again, this episode was shot really well. I really liked how they mixed in the scenes from Eric's wedding with the present day. Two of those interconnected scenes stood out for me: Jake's best-man speech combined with his ...
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Jericho
Someone on Jericho will die this week so that the show may live on. It sounds heartless. But the producers of the CBS drama about life in a small Kansas town after a nuclear catastrophe are sacrificing one of the series' regulars in the battle-fueled finale as part of a long-term plan to take the story in a new direction. Executive producer Carol Barbee will only describe the victim as "somebody who had a deal to be here for the next five years." Is it bad boy turned local hero Jake Green (Skeet Ulrich)
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Or are we? Jericho's small-town ways were completely turned upside down when they saw nothing like they ever had before.... And frankly, I probably wouldn't have stood so calmly on that rooftop if I were witnessing possible mass destruction, but the fear on that child's face was enough to convince me that the cast of this drama is just as intense as the story line. Nuclear explosions lit up the distant sky like a scene from Independence Day (well, not quite, but similar). A busload of children was stranded on a lone highway after hitting a deer. Parents panicked and the writers added the power outage in there for extra drama. And while Jake Green (Skeet Ulrich) thought he could make a quick return to his hometown to collect on some inheritance after being away for five years, he's stuck in town now that he rescued the busload of kids and used his mysterious life-saving knowledge to become the quiet hero. But just as any good pilot will, this one left me sitting here with many questi...
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Question: This season of Deadwood has been incredible. I'm not even sure if that adjective can do it justice. Do you foresee an Emmy or Golden Globe nomination for Gerald McRaney's performance as George Hearst? Is there any chance that critical praise, awards or ratings could bring Deadwood back for a fourth season?
Answer: Really, can you ever trust the Emmys to do the right thing? Maybe for HBO shows, yes. McRaney has been such a dominant (and demonic) figure on the series this season that I would think the chances are excellent he'll be recognized, if not too much time has passed between this summer and next year's nomination process. As for the show's future, David Milch is getting two movie-length specials with which to wrap up the story, so leaving us wanting more is not always such a bad thing. And a tighter focus to the storytelling in its final chapters may not be the worst thing that ever happened to Deadwood ...
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Let's not dwell on this being probably the last season of Deadwood (9 pm/ET), the tragicomic Western anchoring HBO's new Sunday lineup. Let's be grateful it's still so pungently riveting — bristling with deadly conflict, sordid secrets and treacherous alliances.
In 1870s Deadwood, violent actions may speak louder than words, but it's the words (courtesy of creator David Milch) you remember: a dazzling, baffling barrage of flamboyant language, elegant in its wit yet profane in its bile.
As the season opens, signs of civilization — a school, a bank, a theater (in a former brothel), elections for sheriff and mayor — are taking tentative root amid the squalor and savagery.
"Change calls the tune we dance to," says dastardly saloon owner Al Swearengen (th
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Jesse Bradford (Happy Endings) will star in the ABC drama Twenty Questions, about a State Department newbie who uncovers a major conspiracy.... Should Crumbs crumble, Eddie McClintock will join Bruno Campos in NBC's comedy about brothers on opposite sides of the law.... Colm Meaney and Sarah Jones will appear in ABC's David James Elliott-fronted Sixty Minute Man.... Gerald McRaney will star in CBS' postapocalyptic drama Jericho.... Eddie Kaye Thomas has newcomer Kat Foster for a wife in Fox's 'Til Death.... Justina Machado and Scott Holroyd will helm the NBC comedy Alpha Mom.... and Michael Cassidy and Amber Heard will copilot CW's Kevin Williamson-penned drama Palm
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He ain't heavy — he's my brother: Simon & Simon's Parker and McRaney
Question: My friend and I disagree over who starred in Simon & Simon. She says Perry King and Gerald McRaney, but I say Parker Stevenson and Gerald. Who is right? I have been looking for info on the information superhighway, but haven't found anything yet. We would greatly appreciate your help. Thanks bunches.
Answer: Oh, Florell. Have you any idea what this dispute of yours could do to poor Jameson Parker's feelings? You see, when the actor was riding high and starring with McRaney in the hit series — which was originally supposed to be called Pirate's Key before its November 1981 to December 1988 run on CBS — the prospect of such mistakes was already keeping him up at night.
"When you look at the names of actors in TV Guide from 10 years ago, there aren't many names you remember," he said in 1985, motivated by the fact that though the show was popular, even its f
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