Josh Henderson, Desperate Housewives
ABC's Desperate Housewives doesn’t return for another month yet (Sept. 24), but already there is buzz surrounding the new bad boy who will give Season 3 some extra sizzle. Josh Henderson, best known for his tour of duty on FX's Over There, is joining the sudser as Austin, Edie's naughty nephew. TVGuide.com grabbed a few minutes with the Wisteria Lane newcomer — and the rockin' ex-beau of Ashlee Simpson, at that — to preview the hijinks ahead.
TVGuide.com: You're playing
read more
Normally I'm a sucker for a good bloodsucker, but I've seen paper cuts go deeper than Blade (Wednesdays at 10 pm/ET on Spike TV), the toothless new TV version of the comic-book-turned-film franchise about a hip-hop, Harley-riding, half-breed vampire who's bad news for his more evil brethren.
Where Buffy the Vampire Slayer took a mediocre film and elevated it to TV art, Blade doesn't even try to improve on the loud, flashily hollow movies. It's just more of the same martial artlessness. I kept expecting to see Batman-style OOF! BAM! graphics on screen.
"Sun's down. Time to make some friends," mutters Blade (Over There's Kirk
read more
Question: I read your review of The Unit, in which you stated it was "lacking the messy, gritty ambiguities that doomed FX's Over There...." This is not the first time I have seen that phrase used about the best show on television in a long time. Exactly what ambiguities were you talking about? I thought perhaps it was that none of the characters called Dubya an idiot or Rumsfeld a rear end. While I'm on the subject of Over There, did you know it has attracted an almost cult following? Fox still has the message board up and running more than four months after cancellation! Most of us who visit have signed petitions, and we have mailed and e-mailed FX and its president. What else can we do to, at a minimum, get a "closer movie"? My husband was a soldier for almost 30 years and I know we had these young soldiers in our home several times throughout the years. General Hal Moore of my generation said it best: Hate war, love the American warrior. I think FX didn't realize just how much some ...
read more
When a new comedy shows up as fresh, original and painfully hilarious as Sons & Daughters (Tuesdays at 9 pm/ET on ABC) at first I want to cheer. And then I start to worry if it can survive. Call it Arrested Development syndrome.
ABC is calling this partially improvised, very offbeat series about a messily extended multigenerational family a “unique hybrid.” Not exactly the next According to Jim, if you get my drift. But unlike Arrested, which turned off so many by constantly going over the top, Sons & Daughters is defiantly low-concept, mining laughs of recognition from the cringe-inducing small embarrassments, annoyances and resentments that define long-term, inescapable family relationships.
As humane and wise as it is amusing a
read more
Question: I noticed that Over There is not coming back for another season. What a darn shame. That show was my No. 1 favorite. My husband just left for Iraq a month ago for a year. We used to stay up late so we could watch Over There. We both really liked it. We both know that most of that stuff really doesn't happen, but it was a good way to see how the soldiers are living and the type of missions they may be going on. Well, maybe someone will think of another show like Over There. I sure can't wait!
Answer: First off, I wish your husband well and hope he makes a safe and speedy return. But I wouldn't expect to see another weekly series of this type anytime soon. I recently had lunch with a pretty-well-plugged-in writer-producer, and he told me that Over There's failure has scuttled a number of plans to do war-related dramas on the networks. No one seems to feel it's worth the risk, and believe me, doing a show on this topic during this time is risky. All in all, a shame ...
read more
Question: What were your Top 10 favorite shows of 2005, and why?
Answer: I thought you'd never ask, Jackie!
1. Battlestar Galactica: I haven't been this excited about a TV show since... ever. And if that makes me a sci-fi geek, so be it. (But please, no wedgies.)
2. Deadwood: Can't understand what they're sayin' half the time, but I sure like how they're sayin' it.
3. Lost: Season 2 not only exceeded my expectations, it upended them.
4. Grey's Anatomy: Makes me want to be a doctor, if only to hang out with these people. And have lots of sex.
5. Veronica Mars: If this is what happens when UPN meddles with a show, I say keep those notes c
read more
Question: Matt, sorry to hear Over There has been cut. I guess the families of deployed soldiers might have had something to do with its ratings. I, for one, enjoyed the show, having been deployed to Iraq in the early '90s. When my son asks how it was for me, I have him watch the show. During this past run, I found myself armchair-editing the special effects, i.e., shooting the enemy with an "M2 .50 cal" is not likely. Shooting a guy with a M203 25 feet away and blowing him in half — not likely. I could go on and on, and the interaction between the chain of command and the squad members sure brought back some fond memories. I'll be the first to buy this once it's out on DVD.
Answer: I'm still getting quite a bit of mail about FX's hardly unexpected decision not to renew Over There. Frustrated e-mails like this from Jan K., who wrote: "It's a shame that more folks haven't tuned in to this incredible show. The acting is some of the best work I've ever seen, and the scripts show the
...
read more
Question: I'm surprised at the lack of critical acclaim for Over There. I think it's a raw, honest and brutal look at Iraq, with a surprisingly apolitical approach. It's well acted and directed, but you never hear anyone talk about it. Is the show done?
Answer: Over There got plenty of critical support, including from this corner, and for the most part lived up to the praise throughout its run. The lack of watercooler or Internet buzz may have something to do with the fact that many people simply felt disinclined to watch a show that was this grim and uncomfortably topical. Because the show took a more humanistic than political stand on the current war, those on the extremes of either side no doubt were unhappy with some aspects of it as well. Over There was a laudable and risky venture, and while it was confirmed earlier this week that it will not be renewed, FX deserves kudos for having made the effort ...
read more
Question: Can you please get some official poop on whether or not Over There will be back? Me and my crew are buggin'. We love the show.
Answer: I've got bad news. FX officially pulled the plug yesterday. Here's the statement from the network's president, John Landgraf:
"I'm deeply proud of Over There, which was beautifully produced, acted, written and directed. The series was arguably the most critically acclaimed new television show of the year, a fact that made the decision not to renew it all the more difficult. That decision was motivated entirely by Over There's ratings performance and our belief that the numbers were reflective of what the show is about, rather than its quality or entertainment value. While we are passionately committed to fostering great television, we are an advertiser-supported network and the size of our audience is vital to our bottom line."
read more
Question: I have heard rumblings that the FX drama Over There is going to be canceled. Please tell me this is not true.
Answer: I'm afraid it's probably true. Tonight's season finale will most likely be a series finale.
read more
