New releases announced today, June 19:MXC: Most Extreme Elimination Challenge - Volumes 4 and 5 will be coming out November 11 Freaks and Geeks - Yearbook Edition will be coming out October 28 Space Angel - Collection 1 will be coming out July 29 Visit TVShowsOnDVD.com for the complete stories on these and other news items.
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• Following a fierce bidding war, Starting Under — a comedy from Drew Carey Show creator Bruce Helford and starring Bernie Mac as an opinionated divorcé who lives with (and works for!) his introverted twentysomething son — became the last major pilot to get rubber-stamped, by Fox, before the strike struck, Variety reports. But... what about "Ocean's Eighteen"?!• A&E has shot a pilot for Celebrity called Garage Sale (yes, it's come to this), in which indie actress Illeana Douglas helps her celeb pals unload unwanted junk.• Freaks and Geeks cocreator Paul Feig will direct the pilot for NBC's Kath & Kim, starring Molly Shannon.
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Question: I still have chills from last week's Friday Night Lights. When Coach Taylor stood before his team again, I got choked up, and I swear my tough-guy husband had tears in his eyes! However, I am getting concerned with the show's portrayal of Lyla as a born-again Christian. Most shows don't even attempt to show Christians in a positive light, but I figured if any show could portray Christians with dignity, it would be FNL. But as soon as Lyla drove her car into the men's prison, I knew the show was treading on dangerous ground. I have been involved in evangelistic work, and Lyla should have been going to a women's prison to share Jesus, not a men's prison, where she would be seen as a beautiful young woman and potential target! As far as I know, no reputable Christian organization would send a young woman (especially such a lovely young lady) into a men's prison to evangelize, and vice versa. This storyline cannot end well — and as funny as it was to see Buddy try to win Lyla's ...
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Question: I've been amazed when people have said in previous Ask Matt questions that they don't want to start watching a show because of the chance it might be canceled. I've lived through the agony of having shows I've cared for canceled. I was crushed when Dark Angel ended mid-story. I was in agony when Firefly ended prematurely and stunned when Farscape was canceled after a gut-wrenching cliff-hanger. And there are many others: Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me, Veronica Mars, Drive. Doubtless there will be others. But I don't regret having watched any of these shows. Would my life have been less rich if I had never watched Firefly? Would I be better off if I had never seen Dead Like Me? I understand wanting a beloved show to go on for seven or eight seasons, but I'm grateful even for the brief glimpses into alternate realities that these shows provided. I would have loved to see where Wonderfalls would have gone, but I'm delighted that I got to experience the show at all. So yes, some of ...
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Question: In your column this week you said, "And speaking of self-fulfilling prophecies, I'll state my contention again that if you choose not to get behind shows out of a fear they'll get canceled, you may only be contributing to the problem." In recent history, I have tried out The Nine, Invasion, Day Break, Vanished, Studio 60 and now Traveler. With the exception of Vanished (which was wretched), I enjoyed all of them on many levels, with Invasion being my favorite and Day Break being my least. (Vanished doesn't count.) Before those there was Firefly, Freaks and Geeks, Sports Night, My So-Called Life.... I could go on. I'm just curious how many times I'll have to get torn away from a show without any fulfillment before I can stop trying to feel like it's my fault? I think back on a show like Homicide, which was amazing and so critically acclaimed despite the fact that it was never a ratings gem, and I wonder if today's market would have even given it a chance; I think we know the ...
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