The sophomore-season premiere of ABC's Desperate Housewives drew 28.2 million viewers, falling just shy of the series' May finale numbers. The adventures of Bree, Gaby, Susan, Lynette and Betty's strange cellar dweller, coupled with a two-part Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (16.3 million) and Grey's Anatomy's own premiere (19.5 million), led ABC to an easy Sunday-night win. Elsewhere, CBS' Martha Behind Bars TV-movie, handicapped by the football-delayed Cold Case debut, turned out not to be a good thing, with fewer than 10 million samplers, while the fifth-season opener of NBC's Law & Order: Criminal Intent posted its lowest mar
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I'm ordinarily pretty cynical, and unlikely to be touched by a show that is designed to tug on emotional heartstrings — OK, I make exceptions for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Everwood — but I just knew there was no way I would be moved by a show in which Jennifer Love Hewitt helps the deceased reunite with their loved ones. Boy, was I wrong. And I learned it the hard way when I watched a screener copy at work and found myself sniffling at the sweet old couple at the VFW and the stubborn son who never met his father and finally got to right before he had a child of his own. I'm weepy just thinking about it again. What's wrong with me? I did have some quibbles with the "scary" ghost appearances. I mean, honestly, a sickly Wentworth Miller randomly showing up on my doorstep in the middle of the night would be far from terrifying. OK, maybe that's just my opinion, but the whole poltergeist-y aspect seems like a silly ploy to g
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Question: So how did you do on your predictions? Who should win vs who will win vs who did win? I could do the math myself, but perhaps everyone would like to see the results!
Answer: Like many another so-called "expert," I did even worse than usual this year. But honestly, given the results, I'm accepting that as a badge of honor. Of the 17 categories I went on the record to predict, I pegged only eight right: for drama (Lost), lead actor in drama (James Spader), supporting actress in comedy (Doris Roberts), movie (Warm Springs), lead actor in movie (Geoffrey Rush), music/variety/comedy series (The Daily Show), reality program (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which was announced a week earlier) and reality-competition program (The Amazing Race). If you count my "should wins," you can add two more: for miniseries (The Lost Prince) and lead actress in movie (S. Epatha Merkerson). Of all the categories I flubbed altogether, the one I'm most at peace with is Felicity Huffman winning as
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A Texan whose sister committed suicide after her Extreme Makeover appearance was nixed is suing the show for contributing to her death. The scandal comes on the heels of another lawsuit, filed against Extreme Makeover: Home Edition by five orphans claiming they were driven out of their spankin' new mansion by the folks who took them in following their parents' deaths.
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Question: I know I'm beginning to seem like a stalker with my constant questions about next season's The West Wing, but could you answer just one question: If Alan Alda wins the race, do you predict another season with him as president? (My prediction is yes to both.)
Answer: I'm still trying to get my brain around the concept of a West Wing stalker. (What, would you talk me to death?) Anyway, all will be answered once we see how well The West Wing does in its tough new Sunday time period. If it comes in, as I expect, way behind Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and even Cold Case, then I think the writing will be on the wall and no matter who succeeds Bartlet, the show will end when the season does. If the ratings polls are more favorable, then NBC will almost certainly stick with it, because what else does the network have going for it these days? My druthers: End the show when Bartlet and Co. vacate the premises ...
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It was as inevitable a crossover as Joan Rivers appearing on Nip/Tuck: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is jumping into the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. "We're talking to our vendors and builders, along with FEMA and some of the local parishes, about where and how we can help," executive producer Tom Forman tells TVGuide.com. "When the time is right for what we do, we'll be there." That noise you hear is Ty Pennington upgrading his bullhorn.
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HBO was the big winner at Saturday's Creative Arts Emmys, the precursor to this Sunday's main event. The pay cabler picked up 20 awards, including six for The Life and Death of Peter Sellers and five for Deadwood. Amanda Plummer and Ray Liotta won best guest actress and actor in a drama for their respective turns on Law & Order: SVU and ER, while guest-star comedy kudos went to Will & Grace's Bobby Cannavale and Desperate Housewives' Kathryn Joosten. South Park, meanwhile, nabbed best animated program and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was named best reality series. Speaking of EM: HE...
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Question: Am I wrong for thinking something as corny as Ghost Whisperer will be roundly mocked by the critics and still do well? From Touched by an Angel, Dr. Quinn and Diagnosis Murder to, more recently, Judging Amy and The Guardian, it seems like CBS has always realized that there is an audience for a certain type of schmaltzy drama and GW seems to fit the bill. The only alteration seems to be sticking a bunch of really pretty young people in the cast to try to draw some kids in, too. I would like to see it do well for its cast and for Threshold's and Numbers' sake. Any thoughts?
Answer: Good points, and you're no doubt right. I also hope Ghost Whisperer can help, not hurt, Threshold, which will need whatever boost it can get to attract viewers on Fridays. There is a long tradition of criticproof shows that pander to the viewers' heart-strings in a way that some of us find unbearably sappy, and Ghost Whisperer at its worst falls right into that pit. But it does have attractive actors
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Question: I have a question. Why are reality shows termed "reality shows" when they are, in actuality, a competition? People are competing for a prize. That's a game show, so why aren't they called game shows? I can understand shows like MTV's The Real World being called a reality show because at the end of their stay, the kids pack up their stuff and leave. But a show like Survivor is a competition.
Answer: True, which is why when it comes to finding a designation for them at the Emmys, there's a separation between "Reality-Competition Program" (which will likely be won by The Amazing Race again) and "Reality Program" (an all-encompassing umbrella for shows as diverse as Antiques Roadshow, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy). While you're absolutely right that many of these shows are glorified game shows, they also tend to include new elements of unscripted drama and enhanced production elements that have formed the basis for a basically new genre of
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Grey's Anatomy
Question: I was going over ABC's fall schedule when I realized how ridiculous it is. Their two powerhouses, Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy, are back to back. If ABC wants another hit, they should place a pilot after Desperate Housewives, where they'd be guaranteed a success. Grey's Anatomy can be used at another time slot to lead in its big numbers to a less successful show or possibly lead in to a pilot.
Answer: Interesting backseat driving here, but consider the fact that ABC now has a colossal 1-2-3 punch on Sundays, one of the most critical and most-watched nights of the week, with the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition-Housewives-Anatomy juggernaut. Why mess with success just yet? This lineup, with Anatomy something of a surprise smash, is just a few months old at this point. And while I'm sure ABC is tempted to spread the wealth to other nights, it makes sense to me to keep Sundays stable for the time being and grow Anatomy in particular into the sort of monster hit with a
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