Question: In the name of Papa Smurf, please confirm reports that Nathan Fillion has been cast on Lost!
Answer: It's true, which surprises me since it was first reported by my frienemy over at E! (I kid, I kid.) As I understand it, Nathan will appear in Kate's flashback episode, airing on Nov. 8, and will have a "strong" connection to our favorite female felon. BTW, next week we get to see Desmond naked! Yikes!
read more
Following a heated bidding war with NBC, ABC emerged with a pilot commitment for All Fall Down, a drama series from Everwood show-runner Rina Mimoun about a family of seven lawyers. Mimoun will write and exec-produce the pilot while continuing on as a Gilmore Girls consulting producer. The Peacock, however, claimed dibs on the newest project from The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz, a high-concept action drama revolving around a normal guy who somehow downloads the entire CIA database into his head. Talk about a spyware problem!
read more
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
read more
Question: I read somewhere that only one of the Gilmore Girls producers stuck around for the seventh season (aside from David Rosenthal). Do you know which one? I hope it's Rebecca Rand Kirshner. I like her work on the show.
Answer: It is! In fact, she penned this season's second episode, which I hear is better than the first. Any guesses as to who wrote the third episode? I'll give you a clue. She previously worked on Everwood and her name rhymes with Gina Bimoun. I'll give you a sec to think about it. [Exactly one second passes.] If you guessed Rina Mimoun, you're right!
read more
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
...
read more
Finally, I've got some good news for all you heartsick Everwood fans. The O.C. had the Bright idea (c'mon, I had to!) to cast Chris Pratt — aka Everwood's lovable blockhead Bright — for a multi-episode arc this season. He'll play Che, an environmentalist that Summer (Rachel Bilson) befriends while away at college. Unfortunately, we have to wait a few months before we see Pratt in action. His first air date coincides with the show's fourth-season premiere on Nov. 2. You don't, however, have to wait that long to read my exclusive Q&A with him, since Mr. Pratt just called me while driving around in New Mexico to discuss The O.C., adjusting to life after Everwood and the perils of dating your TV sibling. Ausiello: How's everything?Chris Pratt: Everything is very well, thank you. I'm out in New Mexico of all places.Ausiello: What are you doing in New Mexico?Pratt: Visiting my lady. She's out here working on a movie, so I just came out to give my moral support and play some...
read more
South of Nowhere's Ashley and Spencer
Michael Davis and Mark Nollinger, two dads who write and edit the family page for TV Guide, got to talking recently about the state of teen TV, the importation of Canadian angst, bikini shows and snow parkas.
Michael Davis: What do you think is the best show for teens on TV? My favorite, Everwood, got killed when WB merged with UPN to form CW. So CW is dead to me, even though it hasn't signed on yet.
Mark Nollinger: Yeah, it's too bad about Everwood. I think Smallville and Veronica Mars are pretty cool, too. But speaking as a parent, my favorite show — for older teens, anyway — isn't aimed at teens at all:
read more
Question: You still haven't said anything about the Everwood Ferris-wheel event! I know you were there! How was it?
Answer: So sorry! I posted a mini-recap of the big event on michaelausiello.com and totally forgot to fill in my AA peeps! Put simply, it was amazing. I showed up very early to ensure that I'd get the full rock-star treatment, and I was not disappointed. I was signing autographs, posing for pictures, doing interviews and, yes, riding the Ferris wheel. Click here to view some highlights. (There's also shocking stalkerazzi footage available on YouTube.) But let's face it, the event wasn't all about me. Some of it was about t
read more
Question: I must say that I was shocked to read the TCA Awards results. It seems incredibly unjust that critically acclaimed series on UPN and WB such as Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, Everybody Hates Chris and Everwood get left out while shows like Lost, Grey's Anatomy, My Name Is Earl and The Office get all the prizes. I mean, critics often complain about how the Emmys always go for the same-old-same-old, but didn't they do the same?
Answer: Oh, climb down off your high horse. At least Lauren Graham was nominated, and for a subpar season. (And in the past, Gilmore Girls was honored by the TCA, something the Emmys has never done.) I was personally disappointed that Battlestar Galactica didn't make the drama cut (though I would never have expected it to win), and that Kristen Bell was not among the drama-performer nominees. But these are not the cult-TV awards, much as I love some of those shows (and honestly, Veronica Mars' sophomore year wasn't as solid as its first, though I'm hopeful
...
read more
Question: I know you are really busy at the press tour (thanks for all the detailed Dispatches), but I was just wondering if you might want to comment on the TV Week Critics Poll. Do you agree or disagree with any specific shows in the top 25? Actually, I was really wondering if you might want to comment on the fact that CBS did not have a single show in the top 25. What does that say about the American public, and CBS for that matter, that America's No. 1 network (a title they often shove down our throats) does not have a single "top tier" show? Oh, and how great is Psych? I know it killed in the ratings, so is renewal just around the corner? My guess is yes.
Answer: I'm very fond of Psych, and I look forward to returning home in a week so I can catch up on the episodes beyond the pilot. Its renewal is a lock, I'm sure. As for the TV Week poll: I'm not in the least surprised that CBS isn't represented on that list. When we make a list like this (I'm just speaking for myself), we tend
...
read more
