Geena Davis and Leverage Boss Dean Devlin Team Up for TNT's Bounty Hunter Pilot
Commander in Chief
- Metascore56
- 2005-2006
- 1 season
- ABC
- Drama
- TV-PG
MacKenzie Allen becomes the first woman American president after she ascends to the job following the death of president Teddy Bridges.
- Metascore56
- 2005-2006
- 1 season
- ABC
- Drama
- TV-PG
MacKenzie Allen becomes the first woman American president after she ascends to the job following the death of president Teddy Bridges.
Getting to Know Persons Unknown's Jason Wiles
As one of the seven strangers trapped in a teched-out ghost town, Jason Wiles is as clueless as we are about his Persons Unknown (Monday, 8/7c, NBC) character, Joe Tucker. "He's an enigma...we're starting to learn a little about him, but this guy is a mess...
Can Steven Bochco Raise the Bar for Legal Dramas?
The man who gave TV such memorable dramas as Hill Street Blues and LA Law has a new story to tell It involves a group of stalwart public defenders led by Mark-Paul Gosselaar Saved By the Bell and Gloria Rueben ER and the other legal types including Malcolm mom Jane Kaczmarek as a judge to be reckoned with who inhabit their world Does TNTs Raising the Bar premiering tonight at 10 pmET fill a need that TV viewers may not realize they have TVGuidecom invited Steven Bochco to preview his new drama Matt MitovichTVGuidecom Whenever the idea for a new legal drama pops into your head and I have to imagine that happens every now and again do you ever think Does TV really need another one Is there anything new we can do here stillSteven Bochco Absolutely First of all I dont think that there are a lot of legal dramas on television A lot of what passes these days for legal drama and historically what has passed for le
At the Emmys: All the Backstage Buzz!
Where do the winners go after accepting their Emmys? Backstage to the (overly air-conditioned, brrrr) press room! Here is your minute-by-minute guide to who said what about their most memorable night. 8:06: Show's just starting, and we're watching it back here like the rest of ya. Host Conan O'Brien's pretaped opening says it all: NBC (and The Office) gets second billing in a funny bit that leads off instead with rival ABC's Lost. 8:18: Alan Alda wins, giving The West Wing its 26th Emmy ev
Did you speak to Greg ...
Question: Did you speak to Greg Berlanti regarding Brothers & Sisters? Answer: As a matter of fact I did. For the six of you who didn't hear, Greg has replaced Marti Noxon as Brothers & Sisters' show runner — and I was the first reporter he called about it. (All that good Everwood karma paid off!) He was mostly looking to quell the bad buzz that's been dogging the show these past few months. Despite the multiple cast changes and backstage tumult, he insists B&S is not on track to become the next Commander in Chief. "The rumors are greatly exaggerated," he assures me. "It is in incredible, inc
Press Tour Diary: ABC Day 1
Today's big news: I woke up to find a zit the size of a Vespa parked on my face. Good times....EXECUTIVE SESSION9:04 am: ABC Entertainment president Stephen McPherson is wearing blue jeans that scream "rock-star network executive!"9:06 am: McPherson announces that he's going to pressure the TV Academy to let us, the nation's top TV critics, decide next year's Emmy nominees. Hey, that was my idea! (And not to split hairs, but it's only supposed to be Matt Roush and me.)9:08 am: McPherson admits if he had to do Commander in Chief over again, he wouldn't have impeached Rod Lurie and replaced him with Steven Bochco. "We would probably bring it on later in the season and let Rod prep for it a lot longer than he had a chance to. He was the voice of that show." 9:08 am: I ask McPherson what he's doing behind the scenes at Desperate Housewives to address last season's "creative collapse." Although he disagrees with the "creative collapse" part — I was going to say implosion — he c...
Ugh! This year's Emmy ...
Question: Ugh! This year's Emmy nominations are complete crap. Damn it, Michael, you should have slept with the judges to get Lauren Graham in there. Answer: Believe me, had that option been presented to me, I would have whored myself out in a heartbeat. Speaking of the egregious Graham snub, I was chatting with a network exec the day after the noms and he remarked that, with LG's film career heating up, she'll probably be nominated for an Academy Award before she lands her first Emmy bid. How unbelievably ironic (and fitting) would that be? Oh, and in case you're wondering what Rob Thomas thought of Kristen Bell's second consecutive Emmy diss, wonder no more. "Hey, I loved Geena Davis in The Accidental Tourist, too — that doesn't mean she's better in Commander in Chief than Kristen is
Seriously, who does Stockard ...
Question: Seriously, who does Stockard Channing have embarrassing photos of? She gets nominated for the Emmys every year — even if she wasn't actually on television. Answer: Amen, sister. This is probably a good time for me to point out that the majority of my beef is not with the Academy. I applaud them for revamping the voting system in an effort to try to spread the Emmy wealth. I think the changes made perfect sense, and I had every reason to believe it would fix what continually ailed the whole process. No, my problem is with this special blue-ribbon panel. The folks who sat in that screening room on June 24 and 25 and watched Hugh Laurie work his magic on House and still deemed him unworthy of a nomination. Geena Davis is a fabulous actress, but even her best episode of Commander in Chief does
Invasion Sheriff Fires Parting Shots
Immediately upon ABC's official unveiling of its fall schedule — minus the freshman sci-fier Invasion — TVGuide.com tracked down series star (and recent Insider interviewee) William Fichtner to get his qualified reaction to the news that sent fans reeling. Previously excerpted in a news story, here is our complete conversation, as promised. TVGuide.com: I wanted to get a hold of you because when last we spoke, you were obviously very into the sh
Power-Shifts Rock Commander in Chief
Sure, all the headlines have been about the backstage power-shifts going on at ABC's Commander in Chief (Thursdays at 10 pm/ET), but there's a whopper of an on-screen power grab on the horizon. (Three words: Templeton in charge!) On the way to work yesterday, Natasha Henstridge, who plays the silver fox's chief of staff, Jayne Murray, spoke with TVGuide.com about Chief's never-boring term. TVGuide.com: The fact that you're on your way to the set kind of answers my first question about whether new show-runner Dee Johnson is working you.Natasha Henstr
Commander in Chief scoop?
Question: Commander in Chief scoop? Answer: If the show returns for a second season — a prospect that looks iffier with each passing day — don't count on Mark-Paul Gosselaar being back. And you'll see why in the season (or series) finale.
Is it true that Commander in ...
Question: Is it true that Commander in Chief is finally coming off the shelf and onto ABC's Thursday lineup? If so, do you know what surprises are in store for fans? Answer: Yeah, it'll air Thursdays at 10 pm/ET beginning April 13. And I'm hearing there will be a medical crisis in Mac's future that will pave the way for a temporary takeover by Donald Sutherland's Templeton. Good times....
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
But do yourself a favor and use a pencil, not a pen. Ready? ABC is returning Commander in Chief to its schedule on Thursdays beginning April 13 (at 10:01 pm/ET), bumping Primetime to Fridays (at 9) until May 25, when it reclaims its regular Thursdays-at-10 (or occasionally 10:01) time slot. Finally, Less Than Perfect comes back on April 18 (at 9:30), if only to remind me that, despite what I thought, no, Sara Rue's cute sitcom did not get canceled two years ago.
FALL 2006: CASTING ABOUT
Rena Sofer will play the wife of Mr. Nice Guy (Dietrich Bader) in a sitcom pilot for ABC.... Bruce Davison has been added to the cast of ABC's Southern Comfort.... Catherine Bell and Gary Cole have joined the CBS drama Company Town.... Mercedes Ruehl, if only because of her first name, is in talks to costar on CBS' Paul Reiser-penned comedy set at a car dealership.... Cheryl White and D.W. Moffett are the latest additions to Kevin Williamson's untitled CW sudser.... Kevin Hart (Barbershop) is ready for The Weekend, a CBS comedy about three male friends.... John Sloan (Commander in Chief) has scored the second male lead (opposite Lex Medlin) in Fox's odd-couple comedy Happy Hour.
Love your column and read it ...
Question: Love your column and read it every week. Any word on when Commander in Chief — my partner's favorite show — is coming back, and do you foresee a second season? Answer: As of now, it's scheduled to return on April 18, but with Stephen Bochco out as show-runner, who knows if that'll change. I'm surprised ABC just hasn't put this show out of its misery.
Rene Auberjonois: From Benson to Boston
Before "snark" was even a word, Rene Auberjonois was wonderfully full of it as Clayton Runnymede Endicott III, the fancy-speaking foil to Robert Guillaume's titular manservant-turned-civil servant on the '80s comedy Benson. These days — and a sci-fi-fabulous run as Deep Space Nine's Odo later — the veteran actor is sharing a set with fellow Star Trek universe alum William Shatner on ABC's Boston Legal (Tuesdays at 10 pm/ET). In fact, Auberjonois' prickly Paul Lewiston recently embarked on a juicy new story arc, one of the many topics covered in this Q&A with TVGuide.com. TVGuide.com: Long before there was The West Wing, befo
PREZ DISPENSER
You know that Tuesday-night schedule I just described for you in laborious detail? Don't get attached to it. Although new episodes of Commander in Chief were supposed to air through February, late Friday the network pulled the Geena Davis drama, saying that it would be back on April 18 in Boston Legal's time slot. "The show will return with a healthy run of seven straight [new] episodes," brags the net, reminding me of bygone days when seven new episodes in a row was the norm rather than the exception.
Chief's Daughter Isn't Such a Brat
If you're like me, you may wonder just what is Rebecca Calloway's problem on ABC's Commander in Chief (Tuesdays at 9 pm/ET). I mean, wouldn't it be the bee's knees to be the president's daughter? (Or did my usage of "the bee's knees" prove how out of touch I am with today's teens?) Even though she left us hanging for a full day, TVGuide.com was more than happy to talk with the first daughter, aka Caitlin Wachs (pronounced "wax"), about life in the White House, a pregnancy shocker to come, and that older costar she's going around calling "sexy." TVGuide.com: So, you blew off the hot-shot TV Guide reporter....Caitlin Wachs: Oh, no! [Laughs] Maybe I'll win you back.
ABC SHAKES SKED SOME MORE
This is truly a bizarre TV season, ain't it? ABC announced on Wednesday a flurry of changes going into effect post-February sweeps. Most notably, Invasion will be shelved for six weeks starting March 22 to make room for the new drama The Evidence. Other arrivals and departures: Supernanny returns March 6 at 9 pm/ET, followed by the premiere of Miracle Workers; Commander in Chief (as previously reported) last airs March 7, then returns April 18 to finish its shortened 19-episode run; Idol snarkmeister Simon Cowell's American Inventor reality show debuts March 16 at 8 pm; and What About Brian, a new drama exec-produced by Lost cocreator J.J. Abrams, gets a sneak peek April 2 after Desperate Housewives, the night before it claims its Mondays-at-10 time slot. (Miracle Workers, we hardly knew ya).
Commander in Chief Is No Lame Duck
The big news last October: ABC pulled a shocking switcheroo, replacing Rod Lurie with Steven Bochco as show runner for Commander in Chief (Tuesdays at 9 pm/ET), which had debuted to impressive approval ratings, aka Nielsens. The big news today: ABC has announced that Chief will temporarily step down on March 7 to make room for the new comedy Sons & Daughters. Can the acclaimed Geena Davis-as-president drama survive another hiatus and retain the popular vote? Bochco, for one, believes that "hiatus" need not be a four-letter word, given the right circumstances. But first, a bit of background on Chief's cha
IDOL HOLDS HIGH NOTE
This Tuesday's installment of Fox's American Idol nearly matched the contest's record-setting Jan. 17 season premiere, drawing 34.96 million viewers — an audience more than double that of the closest competitor, CBS' NCIS. Also of note from the night: ABC's Commander in Chief sank to a new series low of 10.38 million viewers, and CBS' Love Monkey made semibeautiful music with 7.58 mil, an 11 percent dip from its debut the previous week.
Commander in Chief Apparently...
Commander in ChiefApparently there's only room for one grown-up on this show, and she just so happens to be the president. The first teens put a fresh spin on the time-honored our-parents-are-out-of-town-so-let's-have-a-party rite of passage, with some fairly sanitized underage drinking and a little Oval Office heavy petting. (It's seen worse, right?) Naturally, little sis Amy exacts her revenge for not being invited to the big-kid shindig by hiding the Gettysburg Address. And here I figured Nicolas Cage had commandeered it to make use of that handy-dandy treasure map addendum on the back. Meanwhile, on the opposite coast, our favorite media analyst wunderkind joins the not-so-mile-high club on a grounded Air Force One for cryin' out loud (We get it, all rig
Commander in Chief Well, well,...
Commander in ChiefWell, well, well, Geena Davis, it's quite a week you're having. Winning the Golden Globe for best actress in a drama, almost single-handedly saving a submarine full of American sailors from certain death, bringing the world back from the brink of nuclear war with Korea... you must think you're pretty hot stuff, huh? To quote the first daughter, "Don't let it go to your head." I must confess, though, that after two nights of watching 24's insufferable President Logan in action, I appreciate the level head Saint Mac brings to any international crisis. She gets to clench her teeth and utter pithy directives like, "The men in that sub have 27 hours of air left. We're not gonna let them die." Meanwhile, President Logan's about three petul
Commander in Chief Maybe I'm just...
Commander in ChiefMaybe I'm just getting antsy for the big fat two-night, four-hour premiere of 24 next week, but every last bit of presidential drama's got me thinking of CTU — Jim Gardner finding that delicate balance between President Palmer poise and Tony Almeida ferocity; guest star Tzi Ma as the not-so-fast-there Chinese ambassador; and, naturally, the giant ticking clock counting down the seconds until international disaster. Seriously, Mac, you shoulda just called our boy Jack Bauer as soon as you took office — nipping this sort of thing in the bud's kinda his specialty. So we've got a spy submarine down in North Korean waters, we're making shady deals with the Chinese government to help us mount a rescue effort, and our own military's giving us 'tude bec
I-POTUS
ABC's Commander in Chief is the latest television series to make episodes available for day-after downloads via the iTunes Music Store, at a cost of $1.99 each — a portion of which goes to the President MacKenzie Allen reelection fund.
SEVEN HEAVEN
All signs are pointing to a seventh (and likely final) season of Gilmore Girls. As reported in this week's Ask Ausiello, Scott Patterson, aka Luke, has extended his contract for another season. Leading Girls Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel are already onboard for Year 7, so that leaves husband-and-wife show runners Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino as the only key holdouts. For more on GG, as well as Lost, Smallville, Nip/Tuck, Scrubs, Commander in Chief, The O.C., The West Wing, CSI: Miami and AA's new Ringer Tee — now available in small, medium, large, XL and XXL — click here.
Commander in Chief Was it really...
Commander in Chief Was it really just a couple of months ago that Mackenzie Allen was still a tentative vice president, thrust into the Oval Office by way of her own indignation at a barrage of insensitive comments from Kiefer's dad? I can't help but get a little nostalgic watching the pilot episode again — remembering Thelma finding her presidential feet, while Jake Kane navigates the tea-and-cake duties of the first lady gentleman. Hey, I couldn't really be expected to know names back then, could I? But aside from all the exposition and the admittedly foregone conclusion that, sure enough, she's gonna take that there oath and become the next commander in chief, what really stands out to me this time around is that, so far, Mac hasn't so much been written as a woman
I'm loving Commander in ...
Question: I'm loving Commander in Chief. Any good spoilers? Answer: Expect some fun with Dickie and Jayne in early '06 when Mark-Paul Gosselaar introduces himself to Natasha Henstridge and promptly asks her out on a date.
UP! UP WITH PEOPLE!
The nominees for the 32nd annual People's Choice Awards were announced yesterday, and sadly, they did not include a face-off between Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston in the Favorite Female Movie Star category. But at least we get to see Angelina and Brad Pitt (Mr. and Mrs. Smith) square off against Owen Wilson and J.An's alleged new beau, Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers), for Favorite On-Screen Matchup. On the TV side, Everybody Hates Chris, How I Met Your Mother and My Name Is Earl will vie for fave new comedy series, while Commander in Chief, Criminal Minds and Prison Break will do battle for best new drama. And despite its sophomore creative slump, Desperate Housewives managed to snag a best TV-drama nod. (Wait, I thought Emmy said it was a comedy?) Teri Hatcher, meanwhile,
Invasion Man, if that first 10...
InvasionMan, if that first 10 minutes was any less exciting, I'd have to dedicate this review to something like the evils of daylight saving time. I still denounce it, but in a way that says "it's cool if it's for people who don't wake up at 5 am." Seems like nobody's talking about it this year. Anyway, will anybody be talking about Invasion next year? I'm worried. After only one week off, creator Shaun Cassidy didn't really "reel" me back in, even with that tease showing something tentacle-y in a cooler. OK, that actually got me kind of interested. But then they stalled for a long time. Seems like I've fallen for that before. Giant squid, huh? Great, where's the polar bear? Sorry, but ABC had me at Lost. Invasion does seem to be successfully following in the G
I learned on the Ellen DeGeneres...
I learned on the Ellen DeGeneres show earlier that How I Met Your Mother's Neil Patrick Harris was an avid juggler. That doesn't have much to do with anything in tonight's episode of Mother, but I thought it was a neat fact to keep in mind while I was watching the Doogster's perfectly timed delivery. Loved when he was talking about why he and Ted should go to the matchmaking service. "These chicks are desperate and hot. That's a perfect cocktail. Shake well and then sleep with." Then when dopey Ted didn't take that bait, Barney lied that his boat was sinking and then told him that this was a chance for them to meet their "soul mates, nail them and never call them again." Which was all followed up by a smarmy "Is there any way that I can let it be known that I love cuddling?" when he was talking to Camryn Manheim's matchmaking maven. Oh, and watch out for the dangerous rare cockamouse if you live in an urban environment. I hear
You might think it's a little...
You might think it's a little too soon for a hurricane aftermath episode, but apparently you'd be wrong. Mac and Templeton bury the hatchet for a full 30 seconds as they head to Florida on a post-natural-disaster moral-support and photo-op expedition. And since one environmental crisis is never enough, this one's compounded by the threat of a catastrophic oil spill off the Atlantic coast. Let the party politics begin! The formula's becoming crystal clear: Mac makes a presidential decision; Templeton sabotages her before a captive world audience; Mac comes out ahead in the end because, by golly, she's got principles. So, uh, when does Mark-Paul Gosselaar show up? I think I'm in desperate need of a Zack Attack. As if she hasn't got enough worries, like ruling the free world and stuff, Mac's picture-perfect family life begins to crack a bit at the edges, too. It looks like First Hubby's gonna take the baseball co
Do you have any Spoilers for ...
Question: Do you have any Spoilers for Commander in Chief? Answer: Someone very close to the prez will come out as gay and HIV-positive.
CHIEF GETS ABC'S VOTE
ABC has picked up the ratings (and recently, headlines) magnet show Commander in Chief for a full season. The drama, starring Geena Davis as the first female U.S. president, is the most-watched new series of the fall season, averaging 16.5 million total viewers in its Tuesdays at 9 pm slot.
"Big day tomorrow, let's all try...
"Big day tomorrow, let's all try to get some rest." I'm glad to see President Allen is taking the soccer mom approach to running the free world. And don't forget to floss! Healthy gums are happy gums! The big day to which she's referring is her administration's first official summit. The Russians are coming, the Russians are coming — you get the idea. President Kharkov blows into town with a caviar-and-world-trade-heavy agenda, not to mention a nice dig to the press about Mac's golf game. Dude, don't make her mad — she'll sic Annika on you. And as if all this world-leader stuff weren't exhausting enough, that nasty speaker of the House is orchestrating a mutiny in the cabinet, the first daughter's blowing off the all-important state dinner to "study" with a boy, and the first son is clearly making his dance floor moves on the press secretary. All of a sudden it's like West Wing, 90210 in here. Glad to see that Jim "Chief of Staff"
This week on "Mackenzie Allen,...
This week on "Mackenzie Allen, Warrior Princess": "This is not Mac the President talking, this is Mac the Mother. Don't mess with my kids." And then she pulled out a semiautomatic weapon and filled the entire White House Press Corps full of lead. With her eyes. While Mom's dealing with an international crisis, the two older kids head back to school for the first time since they became the first family. Hey, I feel your pain — my first day at school was always like that, too. With the secret service motorcade, the paparazzi and the News 5 chopper circling overhead… just wait till you get to calculus. Then your day's really gonna start to suck. I'm glad to see we're still getting flashbacks with the former president — peel back the layers ever so slowly. So maybe Templeton's not all insidious weasel, and maybe the late President Bridges was actually kind of a tool. And speaking of Bridges, what chance does your kid have not to be president if you name him
Geena Davis Sets a "President" as Chief
While we all remember Geena Davis' big-screen outings — including The Accidental Tourist (for which she won an Oscar), Thelma & Louise, A League of Their Own — her TV series have been as forgettable as her lips are memorable. Well, not anymore: Davis is commanding on ABC's new hit Commander in Chief (Tuesdays at 9 pm/ET). As the United States' first female president, Mackenzie Allen, she has to handle foreign and domestic enemies, not to mention her domestic duties as a wife to husband Rod (Kyle Secor) and mother to three
POLITICAL COUP D'ETAT
There's been a major power shift at Commander in Chief. ABC has brought in veteran producer Steven Bochco to take over show-running duties from series creator Rod Lurie. (How huge is this? Imagine if NBC had fired Aaron Sorkin two episodes into The West Wing's first season. That huge.) Although Lurie will retain an executive-producer title, ABC says he'll focus his energies on developing new projects for the network. And then abandoning them when they get on the air.
Press Tour Day 8 (ABC): Aliens, a Stalker and Pres. Geena
Invasion10:07 am Prior to the start of the session, ABC publicity V.P. Sharon Williams announces some big Lost news: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje has joined the cast as a new mystery man who pops up on the island. I've got two questions: "Who?" and "Can I just call him Bob?"10:07:30 Oh, he's the dude with the knit skullcap on Oz. Sure, I remember him. Um, can I still call him Bob?10:08 ABC plays a trailer for Invasion, and I'm reminded just how much I enjoyed the pilot for this alien-infestation thriller. Best of this season's glut of paranormal series. In fact, I can't wait for the second episode.10:09 The huge ensemble is introduced. The full impact of Third Watch alum Eddie Cibrian's dimples nearly knocks me off my chair. 10:09:30 It only took 34 seconds for the first Lost reference of the day. A new record!
Attack of the TV Show Clones
This fall you'll find shows full of mysterious monsters, quaint suburban neighborhoods brimming with deadly secrets and, yep, even a famous CEO looking for an apprentice. Sound familiar? Here's a roundup of new series "inspired" by recent hits.Singer Amy Grant travels across the country making people's dreams come true in NBC's Three Wishes, while on ABC's The Miracle Workers, a top-notch team of doctors uses cutting-edge medical technology to help seriously ill patients. Somewhere in America, Extreme Makeover's Ty Pennington is already weeping. Martha Stewart looks to young entrepreneurs — with home-decorating experience, of course — to boost her business in NBC's The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. With all due respect to Donald Trump, this offering from the domestic diva could feature the best boardroom ever. On CBS' Ghost Whisperer, Jennifer Love Hewitt stars as a perky antiques-shop own
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