Josh Holloway (Lost), Lisa Edelstein (House) and Shenae Grimes (90210)
Every week, senior editors Matt Webb Mitovich, Mickey O'Connor and Tim Molloy satisfy your need for TV scoop. Please send all questions to mega_scoop@tvguide.com.
I like Sawyer and I love Juliet, but I really need this Sawyer/Juliet thing to be over soon on Lost. — Claudia
MATT: I on the other hand have taken a shine to "Suliet," so it is with some glee that I tell you that there will be a bit more idyllic "playing of the house" — as well as a little smooching! — before the action-packed ramp-up to the May 13 season finale. It kind of makes you wonder to whom Kate might turn since Jack, I am hearing, is going to only become more unlikable.
Please bring Heroes' Daphne back. She was a super hero, and her complex personality and fantastic look made her one of my favorites. — Cordialea
TIM: Brea Grant's speedster may return in some capacity, but you'll have to accept that she is, in the words of imaginary flying partner Greg Grunberg ...
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Law & Order: Criminal Intent
New episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent won't air until summer 2009, according to a USA Network spokesperson, the second such delay in four months. The eighth season was initially scheduled to debut in November 2008, just three months after Season 7 aired. Then, in October, the netlet announced the season would shift to early 2009, presumably January, so they could air all 16 episodes in a row — the same reason they cite for this latest push-back.
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Jeff Goldblum is on the case... trying to uncover information about his Law & Order: Criminal Intent character, who will fill the void being left when Chris Noth exits the show. Plus: The actor talks about jamming with Aerosmith and Kevin Spacey.
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Jeff Goldblum by Dave Hogan/Getty Images, Chris Noth by Rob Loud/Getty Images
It goes without saying, the Jurassic Park guy has Big shoes to fill. Jeff Goldblum, whose last foray into prime-time was NBC's short-lived Raines, is joining USA Network's Law & Order: Criminal Intent. There, he will share lead crime-solving duties with Vincent D'Onofrio."Jeff's presence will add a new dimension to an already successful show," franchise overL&Ord Dick Wolf says in a statement.When asked about his exit, Noth told TVGuide.com in a statement, "When others couldn't get television shows produced in New York, Dick Wolf found a way to do it, and as a New Yorker I truly appreciate all that he has done for the city. The last few years have been fantastic, and both sides are happy with the result. 'All's well that ends well.'"Previously, Noth had called his decision to part ways with the show "totally mutual," telling the New York Post, "I've been in the Law & Order franchise a long time.... I've pretty much squeezed all the juice out of that role." Says Dick Wolf...
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Mad Men courtesy AMC
I can't remember the last time the most buzzed-about show at a summer critics' press tour had nothing to do with the broadcast network's fall offerings. But this week, the show we can't stop talking and thinking about, and wishing we had more episodes to watch, is AMC's Mad Men, a period drama about advertising men and their professional and sexual exploits at the dawn of the '60s. (It premieres Thursday at 10 pm/ET.) Here's how I logged my first impression of the show in the pages of TV Guide recently, where I gave it a score of 9 out of 10: "Wow. The period look is dazzling: the women's tight skirts, the men's slicked hair. If iconic director Douglas Sirk (Written on the Wind) had made TV, it would have looked like this. But this sleek, sexy, smartly cynical drama about selling everything from cigarettes to Nixon also nails the era's attitudes of casual prejudice and sexual manipulation."In this show, men are wolves and women are pawns, Jews are invisible or patronized, and gays a...
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Question: Any thoughts on NBC's run of Raines? I actually found myself enjoying it far more than I thought I would. As a procedural, it's solid and unique in its approach. Jeff Goldblum plays exactly the character you'd expect him to, but it works. As a fan of Graham Yost's Boomtown, I'm glad to see he got Raines on the air. Does it have any shot at all at a second season?
Answer: I don't see how. I liked the show's quirkiness, but could tell from the start it was a tough sell, and NBC didn't seem to be going out of its way to sell it. With a limited episode order and a terrible time slot, Raines was about as transparent and ephemeral to most viewers as the "ghosts" (or whatever they were) who haunted Raines' investigations. I almost wonder, production budget aside, if this wouldn't have been better suited for USA Network (part of the same NBC Universal family) and its lineup of offbeat mysteries (Monk, Psych). On NBC, it got lost. And I'd be flabbergasted if it was brought back ...
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Question: I'm really enjoying Raines. Jeff Goldblum is fabulous, and the writing is fairly solid. The ratings haven't been awful, but the move to Friday night, I fear, will be the death of this show. What do you think of NBC's treatment of it? I read that the network cut down its order to six episodes early on, and now that it's getting moved to TV's deadest night, I think maybe NBC has let one slip here. Or, will the move to Fridays help Raines? Ratings aren't expected to be as high on Fridays, so maybe if the show doesn't drop too much, would it have a chance? What are the chances we'll see even the six produced episodes, or another season? I hate getting my hopes up for shows, especially mid-season shows, since many of them fail, but I just can't help it here.
Answer: It's a long shot, to be sure, but you really never know, and the one upside for a show consigned to Fridays is that if it does any business at all, it could look like a triumph. I wouldn't read too much into Raines'
...
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Question: Am I the only person on the planet who enjoys Raines? I think it's interesting and funny, and I have always liked Jeff Goldblum. The previews for this week's show, where the victim doesn't speak English and does the macarena, looks hysterical. I saw in your review that you gave it a 6. Have you seen more episodes? Do you still think it's worth watching?
Answer: So far, not unlike my ambivalent 6 rating, the reaction in my mail has been mostly mixed. Some were charmed by it. Some thought it was just strange, off-putting, slow or obvious. All of which seems fair. Most are curious to see if it can survive the move to Fridays. (Doubtful.) I watched the first two episodes, all that was sent in advance, before weighing in. I stick to my description that the show is "aggressively quirky," offbeat enough to merit a look but maybe not compelling enough to keep the masses coming back. I'd like to be pleasantly surprised and see it become a Medium-size hit, but that's probably a lon ...
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After being harassed for years by allegedly loony wannabe screenwriter Linda Ransom, Jeff Goldblum has won a permanent restraining order against her, the Associated Press reports. The erstwhile Brundlefly testified that she had shown up at his home more than 50 times lately. For her part, Ransom insisted that she was only trying to "complete my research and screenplay as accurate as possible." Seriously, somebody needs to tell her that Fatal Attraction was written years ago.
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Per Variety, NBC has scaled back its order for the mid-season Jeff Goldblum drama Raines, from 13 episodes to a mere six, plus the pilot. Still, the series is slated to (finally, finally) make its premiere on Fridays starting in March.
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