Question: Are the producers of 24 completely clueless? In a season with no surprises and very little originality, why do they continue to blow any suspense by listing "unexpected" characters in the guest credits before the program begins? In the past two weeks, the appearances of William Devane and James Cromwell, respectively, might have caused us to sit up (or even wake up) if we had not known they were coming. Who didn't figure out Jack's father was the one calling the shots in that ludicrous invasion on CTU (the most porous place on earth) once Cromwell's name appeared in the credits? 24 can't afford to miss even one opportunity to surprise its audience, yet it continues to sabotage itself. Why?
Answer: At this point in the game, why ask why? Let's just tough it out like grown-ups and wait for the show to reinvent itself next season. The William Devane moment (a restraining order against Jack? Really?) was so absurd that I didn't care that they blew the reveal, but it's true that
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After an extra week to digest the news of Angelo's death, What About Brian returns in a somber state. We open at Angelo's service and with Dave trying to remember the lighter moments of his friendship, mixed in with a little lesson for everybody: Life's too short. But sadness quickly turns into the quirky tone that usually resonates in this show, as Karen creates a schedule for the friends to rotate looking after Nic. Despite Brian breaking up with her after the service, I have an unsettling feeling that she's not completely gone. But how long is she going to stick around? Because I'm really missing sweet, levelheaded Julie from Felicity while I'm watching Amy Jo Johnson play this irritating part.William Devane is stirring the pot as Nic and Brian's father. Their family history is slowly unfolding — the mental health of their mom, the blame placed on their dad. Brian clearly still holds a grudge, and I'm quickly reminded of the sometimes-rebellious Matt we used to see on 7th He...
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So Dave is crashing at Brian's since Deena found out about the extent of his time with Suzanne. "Daddy’s on a time-out," she says to her kids during a whirlwind of a morning without Dave's help.And in a dark bar across town, Ivy's telling the boys to have some no-strings-attached fun with all those "fish in the sea." And they better get to it, or else Jimmy won't be having any "fun," either.Back in therapy, the stubborn marriage may be doomed for good. "It may be time to consider that your marriage is over," advises Doctor Bill. Ouch. When you hear it from a third party, it must wake you up a little bit... looked like both Dave and Deena were shocked at the thought.I thought Brian and Adam working out the rules of their bet was pretty funny. It brought back the little back-and-forth I used to like about this show. Calling the same girl... this has got to get even funnier.Meanwhile, in a more strings-attached kind of zone, Nic is worried about what kind of surprise is expected a...
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Kim Raver, 24
In this TV Guide Q&A, Kim Raver of Fox's powerhouse 24 (Mondays at 9 pm/ET) shares exclusive intel on stolen kisses, sad goodbyes and Audrey Raines' future with Jack.
TV Guide: Let's get this straight: Jack was just roughing you up [in the April 3 episode]. Now you're working with him again? Kim Raver: There have been so many crazy switches for Audrey, but it works perfectly for her character. Her father was in the military and was secretary of state, so this ability to flip sides for the good of the country — it's almost inbred. If it's about saving lives, you get over whatever grudges you have and you move forward.
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Ray Wise
Tonight's two-hour 24 "event" (beginning at 8 pm/ET on Fox) will host a parade of faces new and familiar, including Elisha Cuthbert's return as Jack's beleaguered daughter and the debut of C. Thomas Howell as Kim's (overdue, if you ask me) therapist. The evening also introduces us to Vice President Hal Gardner, who has been choicely cast with Ray Wise, a star of the Oscar-nominated Good Night, and Good Luck and who is familiar to TV fans as Twin Peaks' very bad dad, Leland Palmer. TVGuide.com welcomed the chance to ask Wise about his 24 VP, working with George Clooney
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Ray Wise
Monday's two-hour 24 "event" (beginning at 8 pm/ET on Fox) will host a parade of faces new and familiar, including Elisha Cuthbert's return as Jack's beleaguered daughter and the debut of C. Thomas Howell as Kim's (overdue, if you ask me) therapist. The evening also introduces us to Vice President Hal Gardner, who has been choicely cast with Ray Wise, a star of the Oscar-nominated Good Night, and Good Luck and who is familiar to TV fans as Twin Peaks' very bad dad, Leland Palmer. TVGuide.com welcomed the chance to ask Wise about his 24 VP, working with George Clooney
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Elisha Cuthbert, 24
See what happens when you talk about her too much? In addition to announcing that 24 will air a "special two-hour event" on March 6, Fox is confirming that Elisha Cuthbert will resurface as superagent Jack Bauer's daughter, Kim, "sometime in the next month," says a show rep, and with a therapist friend, played by C. Thomas Howell, in tow. (Is someone still haunted by mountain-lion flashbacks? Besides me, that is?) Also slated to pop up this season are Twin Peaks bad dad Ray Wise as Logan's vice president, Hal Gardner (but you knew that, because we told you a month ago), and William Devane, reprising his role as Secretary of Defense James Heller.
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Reports of the death of the TV sitcom were, thankfully, premature. New critical hits like My Name Is Earl, Everybody Hates Chris and the steadily improving The Office have set a high bar for the new and returning comedies that entered the fray this month. Just getting Scrubs back on the air after an inexcusable fall hiatus is reason enough to celebrate, while some of the newbies hope to fill the romantic-comedy void left by Sex and the City and Friends. Here’s my quick take on the mid-season comedy crop. (I dismissed NBC’s generic buddy romp Four Kings in an earlier column.)
ScrubsTuesdays, 9 pm/ET, NBCHeard it before? Thankfully, yes. The antics are as fresh as ever now that this endearingly irreverent medical comedy has returned — finally — with back-to-back episodes of bawdy slapstick and barbed verbal w
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Constance McCashin, Knots Landing
As promised, I've been snoopin' for the poop on Constance McCashin's MIA status from CBS' Knots Landing Reunion: Together Again special. Word is, McCashin — who played Laura Avery Sumner in eight out of Knots Landing's 14 seasons — has retired from showbiz to do volunteer work with mentally challenged people. (Among other activities, she sits on the advisory board of the National Down Syndrome Society.) Allegedly, McCashin doesn't want the folks she works with to become confused by seeing her on TV. She just might also still harbor resentment toward Knots, since it's well known that both she and Julie Harris were casualties of budget cuts.
Since she declined to participate in this Knots reunion or in 1997's Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac movie, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that TVGuide.com'
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Knots Landing Reunion: Together AgainI'll say it right away: Knots Landing is my all-time favorite show. So you know I was totally looking forward to this two-hour reunion of the cast of the third-longest-running hourlong drama, which ran from '79 to '93. For the most part, I was not disappointed.
What I loved: - The quick recap of all 14 seasons using several of the actors narrating was hilarious and well written. - Speaking of hilarious — shut up that Joan Van Ark and Ted Shackelford did a Wonder Woman episode right before Knots began. Joan calling Ted's costume a big "silver co
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