Jimmy Smits
Jimmy Smits' run on Dexter was both short and sweet, presenting as it did a choice opportunity for the Emmy-winning actor. "It was one of the great rewards to be able to do that show," Smits shares in this TVGuide.com video Q&A.
As Season 3's ill-fated ADA Miguel Prado, Smits welcomed the chance to offer a fresh spin on what could have been just another officious and entitled politician-type — especially as he grew closer (and darkly so) with Michael C. Hall's titular killer. "They asked if I'm ready to be challenged," Smits recalls ...
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Jon Hamm and January Jones in Mad Men by Carin Baer/AMC
Advertisers do not like controversy. Advertisers have thin skin. Just a few of the valuable observations to be taken from Sunday’s rich episode of Mad Men, written by Matthew Weiner and Rick Cleveland, which provided a fascinating window into how the TV and ad business worked circa 1962 (and in some ways it hasn’t changed that much since then).One major subplot, with surprising personal and professional repercussions, hinged on a controversial episode of CBS’s groundbreaking legal drama The Defenders, with a shockingly blunt abortion storyline that was causing sponsors to flee. Schlubby Harry Crane, disgruntled after inadvertently learning how much less he was being paid than colleague Ken Cosgrove ($200 a week to Ken’s $300), brought the episode to his bosses’ attention at Sterling Cooper—prompting a screening for lipstick client Belle Jolie, the idea being that women would likely seek this episode out, despite the controversy. (Peggy was on hand to he...
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ABC on Thursday ponied up $1,237,500 in fines assessed by the FCC for the 2003 broadcast of an NYPD Blue episode in which for a fleeting instant, Charlotte Ross made us all forget about Eve Donovan's icky romance with Nick Corelli. (Watch video here. Warning: Nudity.) But this nude's story isn't over yet, folks. ABC merely paid its tab so that it can have its day in court. "While strongly opposed to the fines, ABC paid them in their entirety in order to make the FCC decision appealable," the network says in a statement cited by Broadcasting & Cable. "ABC contends that the FCC order is arbitrary and capricious, contrary to the commission’s own standards and past decisions and in violation of the indecency statute and the First Amendment."Related:• ABC and Affiliates "Rebutt" FCC's NYPD Blue Fine • FCC: NYPD Was Too Blue; ABC to Fight $1.4 Mil Fine
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ABC and the ABC Affiliates Association on Monday formally appealed the FCC's proposed $1.4 million fine for a 2003 episode of NYPD Blue in which Charlotte Ross bared her backside as well as a bit of breast. At issue is the fact that said shower scene was broadcast by 52 ABC affiliates in the Central and Mountain zones before 10 pm. "When the brief scene in question was telecast almost five years ago, this critically acclaimed drama had been on the air for a decade and the realistic nature of its storylines was well known to the viewing public," ABC argues in a statement. "The FCC's action was inconsistent with the commission's own indecency standards, procedural requirements and prior decisions; with the indecency statute; and with the First Amendment."A chairman for the ABC Affiliates Association adds, "[We] believe that the process and procedures employed by the [FCC] in the handling of this matter were deeply flawed and violate well-settled legal standards."The scene in question ...
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NYPD Blue's Charlotte Ross by Bob D'Amico/ABC
The Federal Communications Commission on Friday levied a $1.4 million fine against 52 ABC stations, stemming from a 2003 broadcast of NYPD Blue. The episode in question showed Charlotte Ross' Det. Connie McDowell startled by a young boy as she was about to take a shower, and in doing so showed "multiple, close-up views" of Ross' "nude buttocks," the FCC says. (A clip of the scene (warning: nudity) can be found here; megaprops to reader obriensg1 for finding it.) The ABC affiliates targeted by the fine broadcast in the Central and Mountain time zones, and thus aired the episode before the 10 o'clock hour.ABC — which unsuccessfully argued against the FCC's contention that buttocks are a "sexual organ" — has responded to the ruling by noting that NYPD Blue came with parental warnings, was V-chip-enabled, and because it had been on the air for a decade at the time, "the realistic nature of its storylines was well-known to the viewing public." "ABC feels strongly that the FCC's...
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Question: I wrote you a few years ago about Monk's second season, which was fairly awful, but the show has been incredible ever since. (I'm thinking my complaint made the difference). Now I'm writing because I'm a huge TV fan, and I know a good show when I see it — and Life is it. I DVR everything, and when I have the time, I start with the best shows and go from there. Life has become my first watch. For the other TV fans out there, some of my old faves are NYPD Blue, Boomtown, Third Watch and The Wire. I've been blown away by Damian Lewis and the quality of Life. I cannot handle this show being canceled, so I hope that everyone gives it a chance. We're talking about a lovable hero who was wronged and is trying to set things right while being a Monk-ishly brilliant detective and solving very interesting crimes. And the 12 years he spent in prison gave him a hard yet Zen-like attitude. Add Adam Arkin and Brooke Langton, and we're talking a must-see show.
Answer: As I noted in my Dispatch
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Question: I've now given HBO's Tell Me You Love Me two chances, and I have to say I'm left with the feeling of "Tell me when it's over." I'm referring to the graphic sex scenes. You know how men sometimes say they only get Playboy for the articles? Well, that's how I feel about this show. Just when they are delving into something true and valid about relationships (particularly couples trying to get pregnant/couples drifting apart after they have children), I am assaulted with the look-what-we-can-do-because-we-are-on-cable sex scenes that are reminiscent of how NYPD Blue, a great dramatic show, injected shock value by showing someone's bum. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you have to or should. Do you agree that some really wonderful storylines are being overshadowed by the sex? To me, the actors are engaging in soft-core porn, and it is a nuisance. What's more, maybe some men really were telling the truth about reading Playboy for substance!
Answer: If I thought the sex
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Question: I'm baffled. Why would a seasoned actor like Sam Waterston essentially accept a demotion to be the DA on Law & Order? It makes no sense for a veteran actor like Waterston to be reduced to a minimal role. The DA, even when the excellent Steven Hill was on the show, usually has only a few scenes, if that, discussing the case and advising on strategy or when to cut a deal. As DA, Waterston won't have his usual scenes bickering with defense lawyers, grilling hostile witnesses and suspects, and making courtroom appearances to argue arcane points of law, much less trial scenes with juicy cross-examinations. It strikes me as absurd for Waterston to agree to be relegated to a walk-on role. It would be like making Dennis Franz lieutenant prior to the end of NYPD Blue. Franz would never have agreed to such a move. So why did Waterston?
Answer: You're assuming he had a choice. The show is going through what Dick Wolf calls "one of its major renovations of the past 10 years." Earlier this
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Well I'll start by saying that even though I still don't fully comprehend what's happening in this series, I am even more intrigued after watching the second episode, and I’m excited to see where this show goes. I never really got into NYPD Blue or Deadwood, so I can't pretend to be all that familiar with David Milch's previous work, but I am completely aware of the respect he deserves for his contributions to television by creating shows that challenge viewers to think. Milch is not known to spoon feed his viewers predictable drivel, and I, for one, wouldn't bite if he did. As far as the episode goes, here are my thoughts on round two…Maybe John's gifts aren't limited to what comes out of his pockets. Doesn't it figure that as soon as Mitch relented and allowed Shaun to compete in the surfing competition, Shaun fell off his "stick" and broke his neck? I was very interested by the fact that this happened almost immediately after Freddy slapped John in the face and John ask...
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Scrubs - The Complete Fifth Season courtesy Buena Vista Home Entertainment/Touchstone
Wow, May 22nd is a great day for TV-on-DVD, with plenty to choose for everyone. We have animated shows suitable for kids (Avatar Season 2, Volume 3; Legend of the Dragon Season 1; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Season 1, Volume 1; Stuart Little; Hero High), and an animated show NOT for kids (Afro Samurai). There are comedies (Kitchen Confidential: The Complete Series; Scrubs Season 5), dramas (The OC: Season 4; The Magnificent Seven Season 2; Roots), and even a sci-fi series (Kyle XY Season 1). Yup, May 22nd is a good day for TV-on-DVD (view the complete release schedule at TVShowsOnDVD.com).My pick for this week is a show I've loved since I first saw it, Scrubs. This 3-disc set includes all 24 episodes from season 5 along with 3 commentary tracks - "My Big Bird" (Neil Flynn and Randall Winston), "My Way Home" (Zach Braff) and "My Lunch" (John C. McGinley and John Michel), "My Way Home" extended 100th episode, My 117 episodes: 5 seasons of Scrubs, Deleted Scenes and Alternate Lines. ...
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