Question: I love how much you appreciate TV from a variety of cultures. Thanks to the Internet, viewers are finally figuring out just how often the U.K. and the U.S. "borrow" show ideas from each other. But outside of reality and sketch shows, how often does this actually work? There is usually a great deal of buzz surrounding Americanized British shows, especially from the fans of the original. Yet when the show finally debuts, there is a sigh of disappointment from critics and fans alike. The Office is the only show I am aware of that has avoided this curse. Should the networks take a chance and try showing the original British versions? Financially, this would be a goldmine for them and for the original British companies as well. The U.K. broadcasts American shows like Heroes, Dexter, House, CSI, Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives, so why don't we return the favor? Most Americans don't seem to know that BBC America exists (unless they read your column) and have no other way to ...
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Angela Kinsey, Ben Silverman and Jenna Fischer by Kevin Parry/WireImage.com
NBC Universal president and CEO Jeff Zucker said he doesn’t envision any changes to the NBC's 2007-08 fall schedule even though he's changed top entertainment executives at the network. NBC made it official late Tuesday that Ben Silverman, who brought The Office and Ugly Betty to American television, will become co-chairman of the network’s entertainment division and production studio. Marc Graboff, president of NBC Universal Television, West Coast, has also been elevated to co-chairman."The timing of the announcement has nothing to do with the fall schedule," said Zucker. "The reaction [to the lineup] has been incredibly strong.” He said he’d been trying to bring Silverman into the network for some time, and only recently learned that he was ready to make a move. Silverman will be in charge of creative decisions at the network and studio, while Graboff will handle the business side. The announcement means goodbye to Kevin Reilly, the NBC entertainment president ...
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Colin Ferguson, Eureka
Starting tonight at 9 pm/ET, Sci Fi Channel's Eureka ventures into the same Pacific Northwest that played home to Twin Peaks as it tells the tale of a tiny town harboring a big secret: namely, a population of geniuses, many of whom toil for a top-secret government think tank. Playing U.S. Marshal Jack Carter, through whom viewers experience this strange (and soon about to become stranger) world, is Colin Ferguson, whose alter ego has little idea that this quick pass through town, with a temperamental teenage daughter in tow, will turn into a very "extended" stay.
TVGuide.com: How are you doing there, Colin?
Colin Ferguson: I'm han
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Question: Hi, Matt. Love this section of TVGuide.com. There's an awful lot of great British stuff out there: MI-5, Hustle and, most recently, Doctor Who. U.S. drama gets pretty well recognized in the U.K. — while the ratings are pretty measly, they get praised nonetheless. A lot of British stuff goes unrecognized in the U.S., like Dancing with the Stars being a deal made by the BBC and ABC following the BBC's hit of Strictly Come Dancing. Now the rumor mill is churning again, saying that David E. Kelley is penning a pilot for ABC based on the BBC's latest big hit Life on Mars. Do we care about any of this? What do you think of the latest U.K. shows to be sprinkled over the U.S.?
Answer: Most of them are fine, but I think they get plenty of respect, when deserved, in the U.S. critical press. (BBC America in particular gets glowing notices for many of its imports, from class acts like Viva Blackpool to guilty pleasures like Footballers' Wives.) AMC's Hustle and A&E's MI-5 (which the
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Dennis Miller, Joe Mantegna and Lauren Tom have joined Bonnie Hunt's untitled ABC comedy about a divorcée detective.... CBS has picked up You've Reached the Elliotts, Chris Elliott's semiautobiographical comedy about a man juggling a so-so showbiz career and his home life.... John Terry (Jack's dad on Lost) is the latest addition to ABC's Secrets of a Small Town.... Ashley Scott (who was so nasty to Jessica Alba in Into the Blue) has come aboard CBS' Jericho.... Richard Coyle (BBC's Coupling) will play Cryptic Man on CBS' superhero drama, Ultra.
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When it premiered last March, the best I could say about NBC’s remake of BBC’s instant-classic workplace satire The Office was that (unlike the Coupling fiasco) they didn’t fatally screw it up.
The clone captured the tone of 9-to-5 ennui spiced with absurd humor; plus, as flirtatious coworkers Jim and Pam, John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer were perfection. My problem was with the comic focal points: recent Golden Globe winner Steve Carell as clueless boss Michael Scott and Rainn Wilson as h
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24"Relax, he's really good at this." You said it, Chloe. Jack's back, and all is wrong with the world once again — which means my prime time's finally got the jaw-dropping, plot-twisting, rock-'em-sock-'em roller-coaster ride it's been missing since May. (Sorry, Idol. I've missed you, too, but deep down you've always known you're just my midweek diversion until that next hour starts ticking away.) Let's sum up, shall we? Former president Palmer? Dead. (I know!) Michelle Dessler? Dead. Tony Almeida? Critical condition. Chloe O'Brian? Still the coolest cranky-pants techie around. Palmer's brother Wayne? Grieving, willing to help Jack, and hot-hot-hot as ever. (Helloooo, D.B. Woodside!) First Lady Martha Logan? Nuttier than a fruitcake. President Logan? Complet
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24"Relax, he's really good at this." You said it, Chloe. Jack's back, and all is wrong with the world once again — which means my prime time's finally got the jaw-dropping, plot-twisting, rock-'em-sock-'em roller-coaster ride it's been missing since May. (Sorry, Idol. I've missed you, too, but deep down you've always known you're just my midweek diversion until that next hour starts ticking away.) Let's sum up, shall we? Former president Palmer? Dead. (I know!) Michelle Dessler? Dead. Tony Almeida? Critical condition. Chloe O'Brian? Still the coolest cranky-pants techie around. Palmer's brother Wayne? Grieving, willing to help Jack, and hot-hot-hot as ever. (Helloooo, D.B. Woodside!) First Lady Martha Logan? Nuttier than a fruitcake. President Logan? Complet
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Desperate HousewivesBest plot tonight was the Tom and Lynette story where she wanted him to get a vasectomy after he told her he'd want to possibly have a new family if she died unexpectedly. I was so glad he decided against it. The whole episode was just another opportunity for Doug Savant to shine. That part at the end when he admitted to being unhappy — wow. Chills. Worst plot was the whole Gabrielle-having-posed-for-nude-photos-when-she-was-younger story. Like any husband would remain calm and not care whether the photos were destroyed. Like any wife would disrobe in front of the gardeners. Like any photographer would give back the photos and negatives without asking for money. But worst of all, Carlos pushing the photographer through the glass door after he said Gabi wasn't "Internet pretty"? Yeah, right. At least the other story lines kicked butt. I loved that i
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My Name Is Earl
Question: With My Name Is Earl, do you think NBC finally has a show it can pair naturally with Scrubs, if and whenever they bring it back? I think the shows would play off one another quite well, as they both seem to have the same level of energy and snark. And what about the inevitable stunt crossover, when Jason Lee's and Ethan Suplee's characters end up in the hospital as a result of Earl's quest to do good? I hope this happens.
Answer: Join the club. The minute I saw the pleasant surprise of the strong ratings for Earl's premiere, the first thought I had was: "Bring Scrubs back right this minute!" They'd be a perfect fit, much better than the bleak The Office, which I know has some critical support but still seems to me to be a failed experiment (though not nearly as unwatchable as NBC's Coupling). A number of e-mails came in suggesting a similar solution. Heck, I'd even move this Earl-Scrubs combo to Thursdays, kicking The Apprentice to some other night. Counterprogramming CSI with
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