Question: I agree with Ryan's recent take on October Road in that I can't understand why it's so universally hated. Sure, it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I think this show could actually be a lot of fun if you look at it from my perspective: I like October Road for the same reasons that some people find joy in the campiness of shows like the old '60s Batman series or movies like Plan 9 from Outer Space. In other words, I totally enjoy October Road's "cheese factor." This show is so bad, it's good. And although I'm not sure of this, I suspect that the producers are in on the joke. I don't mean to take a jab at the creative team, but I can't imagine how they could possibly make each episode with a straight face, and if they are serious, then this is unintentional comedy gold. I mean, really... those air band scenes are priceless!
Answer: Sorry, but this is not the place to go for endorsement of train-wreck TV. The "so bad it's good" argument almost never flies with me. Maybe
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Question: I know all of you critics absolutely hate October Road, but honestly, I don't know why. I just got around to watching last week's episode, and I have no idea why it is so widely hated by critics. Could you explain?
Answer: I can't speak for other critics, but I will quote from one of my best buddies in the business: USA Today's Robert Bianco, who, when recently asked this very same question, replied: "For my money, October Road is one of the worst-written, worst-acted shows on network TV — a silly, patently phony rip-off of a hundred other can't-go-home-again shows, movies and books." I can't improve on that, and I don't want to be accused of plagiarism if I try. I will say, though, that the show's phoniness is what really made it painful for me to watch. I don't believe a single word, I don't care about a single character, and the cloying nature of everything from the cinematography and music to the dialogue cause me actual physical agony as I try to sit through episodes. Now
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Laura Prepon, October Road
Upon returning this fall, ABC's October Road (Mondays, 10 pm/ET) has stepped it up a notch by throwing an engagement into the mix. But will Hannah really marry Big Cat? TVGuide.com caught up with Laura Prepon, who plays the bride-to-be, so we could get the details on her pending nuptials, one very big secret and the rest of the season.
TVGuide.com: How are you? Excited that the show's back on?Laura Prepon: I'm f--ckin' awesome. Yeah, it's really cool.
TVGuide.com: So with the strike going on, how many episodes have you shot?Prepon: We're on Episode 12 right now. We're gonna shoot 13 because the writers actually finished the 13-episode order, which is pretty crazy. They literally locked themselves in the writers' room and wrote for days and the network approved the scripts and they're really good. I
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ABC.com has launched "Meet Me on October Road," a microsite where fans can share their own stories of "lost loves and friendships" and wan ratings.... Nicole Kidman: The E! True Hollywood Story premieres Saturday at 6 pm/ET.... The Bronx Is Burning: World-Championship Limited-edition DVD streets Dec. 18. Reggie! bar not included.... Reese, Natalie, Cameron, Beyoncé and many other celebs have created personalized lunchbox art for an online auction benefiting Food Bank for New York City and The Lunchbox Fund of South Africa. Go to CharityFolks.com for details.
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Christina Applegate in Samantha Who? by Karen Neal/ABC
8 pmWith ABC's Charlie Brown Christmas encore topping the hour (at 9.3 million total viewers), Chuck placed second with 8.36 mil, a 120K increase from last week's impressive outing. Everything else was repeats, with House (8.3 mil) nipping at Chuck's heels and delivering the best demos.9 pmWithout the Dancing stars to give her a lift, Samantha Who? is missing her certain something, this week dropping 40 percent to 7.52 mil. Similarly, Notes from the Underbelly (5.5 mil) shed 33 percent. Heroes' ersatz "season finale" fell just shy of 11 mil, dipping 860 thou week-to-week.10 pmA CSI: Miami repeat was No. 1 with 10.1 mil, followed by Life (6.6 mil, 420K better than Journeyman's most-recent journey) and October Road (5.25 mil, down 750K).
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Question: It's that time of year: October Road's back! Please give me some scoop!
Answer: OK, but just so you know, I'm doing this out of a sense of pity, not obligation. I mean, did you see the ratings for those first two episodes? Ouch. Anyway, next week's episode is fairly action-packed, so let's get to it: Hannah chooses Ray, which leads Nick to finally realize that it's time to move the frak on. It also leads Road to go the flashback route, showing us Nick and Hannah's first encounter as kids and then when they dated as teens. Meanwhile, Owen learns the details of Allison and Ikey's affair by going on Nick's "infidelity tour," and Eddie and Hannah are hiding a big secret from Nick that Eddie is chom
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Dancing with the Stars by Carol Kaelson/ ABC
This Monday's ratings:8 pm/ETDancing with the Stars drew 24.74 million total viewers, a week-to-week increase of 1.65 mil and a 25 percent improvement over last season's final performance night. Chuck placed second with 8.36 mil, its largest audience since Oct. 1 and its best demos since the series premiere. How I Met Your Mother (8.07 mil) dipped 480K. The CW's Chris (2.28 mil, +130K) and Aliens (1.89 mil, +520K) each saw gains.9 pmCBS' Men (15.3 mil) was up 840 thou, while lead-out Rules (11.6 mil) dropped 570K. Samantha Who? (12.63 mil) was down 18 percent, and new lead-out Notes from the Underbelly only held onto 8.25 mil. Delivering 11.86 mil, Heroes soared 11 percent to an eight-week high. Girlfriends (2.28 mil, +480K) and The Game (2.8 mil, +430K) both were up.10 pmCSI: Miami was on top with 15.45 mil, a 770K drop. Journeyman (6.18 mil) edged out October Road (six mil), which shed 360 thou from last Thursday's season premiere.
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Mary-Kate Olsen by Alexandra Wyman/WireImage.com
Weeds lollipop Mary-Kate Olsen has been hospitalized with a kidney infection, People reports. What's shocking to me about this is that there's room in that little twig body for her to even have a kidney.... Former Veep Al Gore won the Founders Award yesterday at the International Emmy Awards, which also honored Death of a President, a British lightning rod about the assassination of Dubya.... Titan Publishing this month launches official magazines for CSI (out now), Heroes (streeting today) and Supernatural (next Tuesday).... Aw, now that's cool. Nicole Richie and father-to-be Joel Madden are said to be donating the gifts from their recent baby shower to 100 expectant families in need through their new free clinic. The couple will, however, keep the baby books that guests brought for Nicole's the baby's library.... Apparently not caring a bit how badly it scars Ausiello's psyche, SOAPnet will air an October Road marathon Saturday from noon to 7 pm/ET. — Ben Katner
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Paula Newsome, Angie Harmon, Aubrey Dollar and Laura Harris by Vivian Zink/ABC
Big Shots just doesn't get any respect. On Nov. 15, ABC will yank it so that Women's Murder Club (or, as I call it, Angie Harmon's Matlock) can get a post-Grey's Anatomy sampling. The following week, BS is getting preempted for the return of October Road. Whether Michael Vartan and Co. will finally pop back up in time for the end of sweeps remains to be seen.... The Bachelor: After the Final Rose is bumping Boston Legal on Nov. 20.... Kathy Griffin's Straight to Hell comedy special will air on Bravo on Nov. 29.... Ellen's Really Big Show, a three-ring variety special featuring emcee DeGeneres and everyone from Barry Manilow to Mary J. Blige, will premiere on TBS on Nov. 19. —Ben Katner
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Question: Thanks for giving us the news about October Road's return. I know it couldn't have been easy for you. But since you seem to be on a selfless streak, can you give us some more Road scoop?
Answer: OK, but this is my last trip down this particular Road for a while — that's how rumors get started. Sources confirm that Kevin Weisman has booked a multi-episode arc playing a rival professor at the school where Nick (Bryan Greenberg) teaches.
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