Question: Now that The Black Donnellys has gone to black, any chance that Studio 60 will at least finish its run of unaired episodes anytime soon?
Answer: Not that I can tell. Donnellys will be replaced (presumably for the rest of the regular season) by the reality-stunt show The Real Wedding Crashers, not by a scripted series at all. (Hold your applause, right?) If the unaired Studio 60 episodes are shown on NBC, it's looking more and more like it will happen in the off-season. But really, who knows ...
read more
Though as recently as Monday the plan was to allow The Black Donnellys two more airings, NBC has since opted to snuff the mob drama effective immediately, Variety reports, likely as a result of its most recent ratings plunge. Donnellys' remaining six episodes will stream on NBC.com.Meanwhile at ABC, fans of Men in Trees should take heart: Sources tell TVGuide.com that the long-on-hiatus series — which has, we must remember, been picked up for a second season — might very well return with unaired episodes this season, rather than save them for the fall (as has been speculated elsewhere).
read more
You could get whiplash trying to keep track of shows’ comings and goings during a network mid-season as chaotic and badly managed as this one is turning out to be. Some thoughts about the latest news, much of which surfaced in the trades and some of which has yet to be confirmed by the networks:First, the no-brainer: 7th Heaven is officially being laid to rest. Again. The family-friendly drama, which was brought back from cancellation a year ago when the new CW decided it needed to launch with as many familiar franchises as possible, is now gearing up to say goodbye to the Camdens once more, when the 11th season wraps May 13. This was hardly unexpected. The show went decidedly under the radar when the CW moved it from Mondays to Sundays, where it was stranded amid a sea of repeats and second-runs of shows like America’s Next Top Model. It was time to go a year ago. This is just sad.Now on to this spring’s roster of mid-season losers. Hope you didn’t get too attac...
read more
The Black Donnellys is getting no more brotherly love from NBC, which is pulling the dark, moody drama after its April 16 airing, meaning only eight out of its 13 episodes will have been seen. As Variety reports, the fantastically plum position of Heroes' lead-out will be inherited by... The Real Wedding Crashers, the Ashton Kutcher-produced reality series that, based on the promos, looks not at all "super."
read more
It doesn’t surprise me that no one here ever has any money: There are never customers in the diner or the bar. Sean thinks a jukebox will help Jimmy’s business. Maybe the Donnellys should have more wakes at their bar. Enough people die every week to keep them in business.Every time Jimmy (Thomas Guiry)comes on the screen I want to shout, “You’re killin’ me, Smalls!” The guy looks for trouble. He’s always lying, cheating and stealing. And he always gets away with it. Even if he has to throw a man out of a window to do it. I was surprised at how fatherly Jimmy was with Sean. He really doesn’t want Sean to get caught up in the new family business of bookkeeping and killing sprees. Perhaps Jimmy is actually being a responsible older brother or he just feels guilty that Sean already got a nasty taste of the other end of the fist. Either way, I hope Sean stays out of trouble. He obviously doesn’t want to go back to school, but that may be the...
read more
Question: I've been watching TV for the better part of 40 years, so I have a pretty good idea of just how the TV season goes. The new season starts in September and runs through May, with all new episodes and some repeats during the holiday season. Or at least that's how it used to be. I say that because now, in February and again in March, I can't help but notice all the repeat shows that are on. I don't recall this happening before. Take Saturday Night Live as an example. They did two repeat shows, followed by two new shows, and next Saturday they are going back to another repeat. What is going on here? On a side note, NBC's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was very entertaining, and then suddenly it's gone and replaced by The Black Donnellys. No word on what happened to Studio 60. Even the show's website didn't provide any answers. Any light you can shine on these matters would be appreciated.
Answer: SNL has always staggered originals with repeats throughout the season, or at least has
...
read more
I’m glad I didn’t grow up with the Donnellys. It’s hard enough trying to find a decent man in general, but in their neighborhood? I would have been single for the rest of my life! Seriously, was Tommy the only “good” guy for women to choose from? Of course, that was before he committed murder, stole from widows and beat up old friends to collect gambling debts. And even after all of that, he still looks to be the pick of the Irish-cream crop.Maybe it’s not the women’s fault that they picked deadbeats to marry. Jenny will soon take over the family diner (as suspected, her father is suffering from Alzheimer’s) and has always seemed smart. Marianne owns her own printing business. She has to have some brain cells. And yet, both ladies married losers. At least Marianne’s husband, Eddie, is still alive. The neighborhood didn’t need another widow this week. I’m also shocked at who my favorite leading ladies are. Of course, Kate Mulgrew...
read more
"Is it really a lie if you’re trying to spare someone’s feelings?"The women got a lot of backlash tonight. First, we find Jenny in church. “You’ve been on your knees for 45 minutes. I know a sin when I see one.” I didn’t know when she left with Samson last week that she was going to hop into bed with him, but fine. We all make mistakes. I was also shocked that her estranged (also known as dead) husband has been gone for over a year. I’d say those are good grounds for an annulment. Even after all the mistakes made, Jenny is still in love with Tommy. Why did the two of them never get together before? The priest mentioned that she should have never gotten involved with her husband.... So maybe Jenny has really bad taste in men, or she’s just unlucky.I felt so bad for Kim. The poor girl must have really fallen fast for Sean. Never mind that they knew each other for less than 24 hours — she took a hit to the face for him. Do you remember tha...
read more
Quick tip: There is an exclusive episode online that bridges the gap between this episode and last week’s episode. If you haven’t seen it, I strongly suggest you watch it!This was a very quiet episode. And by "quiet" I mean no one died. In the exclusive episode, someone does die. After watching that episode and this one, my choice for favorite brother has changed. From the beginning, I was a Tommy fan. But poor Kevin (Billy Lush) tries so hard. You’ve got to give the guy some credit — he really does mean well. When we look back to the first episode, the brother who caused all of the drama was Kevin. He never meant for any of this to happen, but his gambling problem did get the Donnellys in way over their heads. However, the guy isn’t unlucky. He’s just not a good card player.Kevin promised Tommy he’d take care of the liquor and he asked Joey Ice Cream to come along with him. They were hilarious. I wonder if any of the show’s writers have ever...
read more
Question: I don't mean to beat a dead horse here, but a while ago there was a lot of talk about whether or not Friday Night Lights should be considered a "family" show. After the recent stories on racial tension and the Julie-Matt sex story line, is there still any question that this is a show aimed directly at families? FNL is like the best Afterschool Special ever — and I say that in the most respectful way. It's such a wonderful show, and I sincerely hope it comes back next season. On the topic of next season: Since The Black Donnellys seems doomed, is there any chance we may see Studio 60 come back next season, maybe in a different time slot? Or is that pretty much dead in the water as well?
Answer: The way I like to put it is that Friday Night Lights is the epitome of the thinking family's drama. It's not always going to be comfortable for parents and kids to watch together, because it doesn't pander. There are no saints here. But there are very strong values (and I say that in the
...
read more