Question: So if the strike continues too long, which shows will be screwed the most? Will they cancel 30 Rock, saying it never built an audience? What about some of the new shows this season? Will networks use the strike as an excuse to cancel "bubble" shows like Cane and Life? Basically what I'm asking is: If the strike goes on too long, will the networks just call this season a wash and start over in the fall?
Answer: I only wish I had a crystal ball to address these larger questions (fearing the actual answers, maybe it's just as well that I don't), but again, I don't think it's likely that NBC will use the strike as an excuse to cancel 30 Rock, which the network has stood behind despite its lousy ratings on Thursday. The situation seems more dire for new-season shows that were on the brink of cancellation even before the strike kicked in. It's entirely too early to know if the back half of the season is doomed. I certainly hope not, but there's not a great deal of optimism comin ...
read more
Get your scorecards handy, because this is only the beginning of the strike-related fallout you'll wanna keep track of: • Although a location manager for CBS' Cane hired two security guards to help out while the show shot scenes from a long-completed script at a Hollywood cafe, 20 angry writers who were yelling and using a bullhorn brought the production to a halt anyway. • ABC has postponed the debut of its Sex and the City rip-off, Cashmere Mafia to sometime after Jan. 1. The Nov. 27 Dancing with the Stars finale is being expanded to two full hours to fill the void. • Sometime-writer Steve Carell didn't report to The Office yesterday, Rainn Wilson called in sick, and B.J. Novak and Mindy Kaling, who are members of the show's writing staff, were on strike. As a result, only two scenes managed to get shot. • Ellen DeGeneres bailed on her show yesterday "in support of her writers," her publicist said. —Ben Katner
read more
Question: I've been hearing nothing but great things about Dirty Sexy Money, from critics and TV enthusiasts alike. People are in love with the Darling family. But I've watched several episodes and think this show is getting too much credit. These characters are drab and completely one-dimensional, and are given tired and simply uninteresting storylines. I do not understand what the hype is all about. The Darlings are boring, unauthentic and divisively colored. Then there's this show I've heard almost no buzz about: Cane, which features one of the most interesting and compelling families on TV this season. It's been completely overlooked. I've been keeping up with this gem of a show and I must say I'm surprised that no one is talking about it. Is anyone watching it? Am I the only one on the planet who has fallen in love with the Duque family? Do you also think Dirty Sexy Money is completely overrated while Cane is underappreciated?
Answer: Anyone trumpeting Dirty Sexy Money as the best
...
read more
Question: Before I begin what will seem like a tirade, I want to let you know that I have respected and enjoyed your column for many years. Unlike what I've heard from a lot of critics (including you), I have been extremely pleased with the new fall season. Chuck, Bionic Woman, Dirty Sexy Money, Moonlight and Gossip Girl I loved right off the bat. Cane, Private Practice and Reaper have improved and I now love them as well. Life had a mind-blowingly good pilot but wasn't as sharp in its second outing. And Journeyman had a clever and touching premiere, though it also struggled to keep up the momentum in subsequent episodes. But what I was really excited about was Pushing Daisies. It sounded smart and original and was, of course, a critics' darling. Wow. Um, original? I'm sorry to disagree. Maybe for television, but not for the entertainment business in general. It feels like a melding of Tim Burton's far-superior movies and Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. The characters act ...
read more
Former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger and Laguna Beach's Kristin Cavallari both put in appearances on CBS' Cane tonight.... Attention, fellow Charisma Carpenter fans: the goddess' Big Shots debut has been pushed back to Episode 8, aka sometime during late November. Until then, you can catch her Nov. 7 on Back to You.... Disney Channel's Twitches Too conjured up nearly seven million viewers in its Friday premiere, making it basic cable's most-watched program for the night.... CNN is moving Lou Dobbs Tonight back an hour, to 7 pm/ET. Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room will air from 4 to 7.... ESPN premieres the newsmagazine E:60 tonight at 7 pm. See the TV Guide Sports Report for more.
read more
