I know Brothers Sisters is trying to squeeze in a lot of story because of the writers strike-induced short season but there was so much happening in tonights show that I feel like I have to type really really fast to get it all in On top of that theres a 48-hour time limit on these stories starting with Kitty and Roberts fertility window and ending with Ojais near-miss with bankruptcyThe thing about close families is that they can be as cruel as they can be supportive In the wake of Ojais disastrous business deal Sarah took all the blame for Sauls reckless fraudulent decision regarding the companys expansion into China With that came some scathing remarks from Nora on down regarding Sarahs skill as a decision-maker and leader of the company She bore it well even suffering the humiliation of asking Tommy and Holly to help out Their help came in the form of a merger with Walker Landing courtesy Hollys devio
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Rebecca suspects something?s up but can she prove it?/ Emily VanCamp by Justin Stephens/ABC
Episode Recap States of the UnionLet me preface this recap with a reiteration of how much I enjoy this show which is why it pains me to have to comment on how clumsy this episode was I have to ask what is going on with my beloved Brothers Sisters The season started off so well with those first two episodes and thenthisBy this I mean the current gracelessness of the story points on a show that once had it all together The girls and Nora go away to a spa for the weekend We suffer through their endless annoying interactions in the spas Quiet Room only to come to the understanding that as much as Noras children would like her to shut up and butt out they really do need listen to and crave her advice Thats nice but did we have to be subjected to the near nail-on-chalkboard aggravation of their bickering It used to be cute endearing even but now I watch these scenes where the Walkers get loud in a public place and wonder how they ca
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Calista Flockhart by Justin Stephens/ABC
Justin finally agreed to use painkillers despite his very large reservations Tommys marriage took a hit when Julia suffering from depression took the baby and ran to her parents home Kitty met Roberts ex-wife and bullied her into keeping the dirty details their marriage to herself Kevin and Scotty spent some time together Everybodys up to something but it all seems pretty risky Chat about the possible outcomes of the Walkers actions here Ill be back after the show to discuss
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Yeah, yeah, Angel Cohn, among others, beat me to blogging about our favorite new fall shows. But out of fairness to ABC, I was waiting on the screeners for Brothers & Sisters and Men in Trees, among others. Which new series most impresses me? Is it Friday Night Lights, Six Degrees or Men in Trees? Here's how my assorted expectations met reality:SundayBrothers & Sisters, ABC: Expectations were modest, as a stellar cast (Calista Flockhart, Sally Field, Rachel Griffiths, Ron Rifkin, to name but a few) was balanced out by foreboding backstage buzz and shuffles. The pilot starts off slow (the first 20 minutes felt like an eternity), but by the end I was pulled in. The show is just a wee heavy-handed with the constant references to Calista's character being this Ann Coulter-type talking head. We. Get. It.The Game, CW: This one (as well as ABC's Knights of Prosperity) I have yet to watch, sorry. I never watched UPN's Girlfriends, so perhaps I'm afraid I'd be helplessly adrift with ...
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Question: Dude, what the heck is up with Brothers & Sisters? Everything I hear about it seems to go from bad to worse. Why is the network so confident in it that it's getting the lucrative post-Housewives slot, when it clearly has a lot of problems? I would put Men in Trees there instead.
Answer: Although I haven't seen the B&S pilot yet — I think ABC is (finally) sending it out later this week — I suspect the show will deliver in spite of all its troubles. And Greg Berlanti's stamp of approval doesn't hurt. "I promise you guys, and I can only go on my own emotional gut and my own experience, but it lives up to anything I've ever worked on or been a part of in terms of how emotional it is," he tells me. "And
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Question: Did you speak to Greg Berlanti regarding Brothers & Sisters?
Answer: As a matter of fact I did. For the six of you who didn't hear, Greg has replaced Marti Noxon as Brothers & Sisters' show runner — and I was the first reporter he called about it. (All that good Everwood karma paid off!) He was mostly looking to quell the bad buzz that's been dogging the show these past few months. Despite the multiple cast changes and backstage tumult, he insists B&S is not on track to become the next Commander in Chief. "The rumors are greatly exaggerated," he assures me. "It is in incredible, inc
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Question: I write this fully aware that you have not seen the retooled 30 Rock pilot, but what are your thoughts on the network's drastic overhaul of Rachel Dratch's character (now characters)? I've heard nothing but glowing advance notices, and until recently there was no show I anticipated more. The fact that the network heads are retooling it already suggests that they might just trash it before it even airs. God knows, NBC has heard the phrase "tried and true" (just look at most of their programming), but haven't they heard the infinitely more useful "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"?
Answer: Having seen the original pilot, and being a big fan of Rachel Dratch (her first "Debbie Downer" skit may be the highlight of the last five years or so of Saturday Night Live), I can assure you that, aside from one very funny scene involving Alec Baldwin, an NBC page and a bottle of diarrhea medicine, there wasn't much for her to do. I actually like the idea that she'll be popping up in various
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Question:
I am so glad to hear that Everwood creator Greg Berlanti is now collaborating with the writing team for Brothers & Sisters. This show has been a big question mark for me (along with Six Degrees), but I have been looking forward to trying it out. It has a great cast, appealing promos and now a fantastic writer! Do you think Berlanti's involvement has the potential to make this my Everwood semireplacement?
Answer: The news that Berlanti is giving Brothers a creative hand is one of the few positive headlines I've heard lately. I'm still not sure a show like this can fill the Everwood void, though. Also on the Brothers & Sisters front, Ryan wonders: "I heard a rumor they are reshooting the pilot of Brothers & Sisters without Dan Futterman! Say it ain't so! He had great chemistry with Calista Flockhart in The Birdcage, and in the scene available on the Web from the original pilot. I was ecstatic when he returned to Judging Amy in 2004 and saddened that it was the show's final
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Question: What in the world is happening on the set of Brothers & Sisters? It seems they can't get anything done. At least Commander in Chief got a few episodes done before all the changes. Brothers & Sisters can't even complete their own pilot. Is this show done before it even begins?
Answer: Fair question, but isn't it better for a show to retool on the front end instead of midstream? I wasn't that concerned by the early recastings, especially when one resulted in bringing Sally Field into the cast (as much as I'm a fan of Betty Buckley, who originally played the mother). Still, it is troublesome to read that former Buffy exec Marti Noxon has already left as show-runner, reportedly after clashing with the untested creator, playwright Jon Robin Baitz. There's no question the show will premiere under a cloud of turmoil and skepticism, but all that really matters is how it looks on screen. And I won't be able to comment on that until ABC actually delivers a finished episode. (Hint, hint ...
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Question: Why does it seem that so many established shows are being moved around this fall? Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Without a Trace are being moved from their established time slots. Have the networks given up on them to concentrate on establishing their new fall shows?
Answer: The circumstances are different for each show, but this isn't a case of the networks "giving up" on a show. It's more that the networks are realizing the value of these shows by moving them into strategic new time periods. Criminal Intent was going to be bumped by NBC's new Sunday-night football franchise anyway, so it was moved to Tuesdays, where NBC traditionally struggles, to act as a lead-in to the more popular Special Victims Unit. CBS made a riskier decision by moving Trace from Thursdays to Sundays because the net is killing its movie night and wanted to put two strong crime procedurals back-to-back. Cold Case and Trace are going to be very compatible, and CBS has already been successfully testing
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