I Hate Hiatuses

If you’re read my blog before you know that there’s one thing I really, truly hate: hiatuses.

Obviously, I completely support the fact that people in the television industry deserve holidays too, and I can even be persuaded that it makes sense for TV shows to not be on the air for a bit. After all, it would be pretty tricky for me to watch a show live if I was in an airplane flying to visit family. I’m assuming the same is true for all of us!

That being said, now that I’ve been back at work since the end of last week, it would be nice to have a favorite show to look forward to at the end of the long day. I wish that TV shows didn’t disappear from our screens for such an extended period of time (sometimes as long as three weeks!). Most people working average, run-of-the-mill jobs would never get that long off work.

Lucky for me (and you!), there are a few shows returning, and new shows starting, tonight:

CBS has new shows starting at 8/7C, so ‘NCIS’ and ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ are both new.

NBC is also new starting at 8/7C, with a brand-new season of ‘The Biggest Loser’ starting off the night (for two hours!), followed by a new ‘Parenthood’.

ABC starts with ‘Last Man Standing’ at 8/7C, followed by the premieres of ‘Work It’ and ‘Celebrity Wife Swap’ (Gary Busey, anyone?).

FOX is only airing re-runs.

In a weird sort of twist, just because four networks are airing new shows tonight, do not expect all of your shows to be back on this week. I’m not sure what in the world most of the networks are thinking, but for the next two weeks some days they’ll have all new shows, some days they’ll have all re-runs, and some days they’ll do (what seems to me to be) a random mix.

Tomorrow (Jan 4^th) and Thursday (Jan 5^th) NBC and CBS are both once again airing reruns, and ABC will be the only channel airing all new shows.

Friday (Jan 6^th) NBC, CBS, and ABC will all air new shows again, but FOX will still be showing re-runs.

Monday, NBC and ABC will be new, but don’t expect anything from CBS or FOX.

Finally, starting next Tuesday (Jan 10^th), almost all of the networks (NBC, CBS, and ABC) except for FOX (why do you keep holding out on us?) will have new episodes.

After which, on those channels at least, your shows are most back. Oh, except for Wednesday (Jan 11^th), when CBS shows the ‘People’s Choice Awards’ instead of their normally scheduled programming.

Thursday, January 12^th is really the day to look forward to: FOX finally has shows on the air again, and ’30 Rock’ returns to NBC from its extended hiatus.

Happy New Year!

Seriously, you should watch this.

Fox always cancels the good shows. Here's a clip from 'Greg the Bunny', a super short-lived show on Fox (what else is new, right 'Arrested Development', 'Better Off Ted', etc.?). Sasha Alexander guest stars.

Sasha Alexander is "Coming & Going" in her new TNT movie

read my review of this movie, or read on for a description and trailer.

TNT is reallllly loving Sasha Alexander.

Though I have to say, what's not to love? She was hot and smart on 'NCIS' and she's sexy and intelligent (note: a step up from her 'NCIS' days!) on 'Rizzoli & Isles'.

I guess when you're the star of the highest rated premiere for a commercial supported cable t.v. show your networks gotta love you.

So why not exploit that? Why not, TNT?

They couldn't think of a reason. Hence "Coming & Going", (woah TNT you love your ampersands) the new Sasha Alexander movie that is premiering on TNT this Friday (July 15th) at 10 pm.

It's a movie about an OB-GYN (Rhys Darby from "Flight of the Conchords") who is awkward around women, and has always had a crush on Alexander's character. But then he ends up in a wheelchair (don't worry! It's temporary! please note sarcasm).

And she finally pays attention to him. This is not sounding like a brilliant plot, and may be a tad too Dawsonesque (remember Alexander's days on the Creek?) but come on, it's Sasha Alexander. Plus it's directed by Alexander's real life husband (Edoardo Ponti--whose real claim to fame is that he's the son of Sophia Loren), actually this may or may not be a good thing. I'm not entirely sure since his only real credit is as the director of "Between Strangers" where he directed...Sophia Loren. I think he may have managed to get that job through nepotism. Just maybe. But it did get decent reviews, so who knows.

Regardless I am hoping to catch watched "Coming & Going" on Friday at 10 pm on TNT (or Saturday at midnight) because I do love my trashy romantic movies. Read my review HERE.

Rizzoli & Isles Season 2 Premiere "We Need Another Hero"

'Rizzoli & Isles' finally premiered tonight at 10 pm on TNT.

I don't want to ruin too much for you, so please stop reading now to avoid spoilers.

'Rizzoli & Isles' opened with Rizzoli still recovering from her injury that happened at the end of last season (where she saved her brother by shooting herself. It's complicated. Watch Season 1 and maybe it will be clarified). And by recovering we really mean whining. Of course Isles is there trying to help her recover. And pointing out, in what can only be compared to typical Brennan ('Bones') fashion, that her pain isn't real anymore because it's not medically possible.

Now, lets talk about the men. Once again the show managed to introduce romantic possiblities for our main characters. Rizzoli was approached by Charles (her ex-boyfriend from high school) about 15 minutes into the episode, and two seconds later we learned that Isles was dating Rizzoli's surgeon. But don't worry, the writers aren't going to ruin the possibility for future romance (I'm talking heteronormative romance here, even though I love the insinuations of less heteronormative assignations). Charles was gone (I'm guessing temporarily) by the end of the episode because his leave time was over. And Isles realized that her surgeon boyfriend was as pompous as Rizzoli had said he was.

The thriller/mystery plots are all right, but nowhere near as detailed or intelligent as many of the other criminal justice shows out there ('NCIS', 'Law and Order: SVU, etc.). Still, Alexander and Harmon's ability to act so seamlessly together, and to have what appears to be a realistic friendship on-screen, is the true reason that the show is successful. Their chemistry makes the show's writing seem stronger than it is...in this episode the buddy cop conversations continued (see my prior post with quotes) and that really helped the episode move along.

I'm not going to tell you what the solution to the mystery was, but if you haven't figured it out before the detectives do you've missed some major hints. Or you've just been distracted by Rizzoli & Isles brilliant quips.

If you missed the episode tonight you can catch it tomorrow (July 12) at 12 am on TNT.

The Ally McBeal Family Tree

I never watched "Ally McBeal" when it was on air, and instead stumbled across it in a semi-depressed state after the cancellation of "Better Off Ted".

After getting through the first couple of seasons, I realized that it was a melting pot of guest actors who later went on to success as supporting characters and leads on hit shows.

The Ally McBeal Family Tree:

Michael Weatherly~

Okay, to be honest, he was a series regular on "Significant Others" (1998), but considering that the show was canceled after the first season, I've decided that it doesn't count as a true success. Weatherly guest starred on "Ally McBeal" for one episode ('Sex, Lies, and Second Thoughts', 2000). What's he doing now? He's a lead on the hit series "NCIS".








Tate Donovan~

Again, he did have a role as a series regular before guest starring on "Ally McBeal"...he was on "Partners", also canceled after one season (1996). After his role on "Ally McBeal" (3 episodes as Ronald Cheanie, 1997), he went on to be a guest star on "Friends", and main characters in both "The O.C." and "Damages".







Michael Vartan~


He really wasn't a series regular until after he played Jonathan Bassett on "Ally McBeal". He then went on to star in "Alias" (with Donovan's "Partners" cast member Jennifer Garner) and "Hawthorne".








John Ritter~

This was almost a freebie for me because, lets be honest, John Ritter was a guest actor in almost every successful show from 1972 until his death in 2003. And he was a series regular/leading man long before his guest role as George Madison in "Ally McBeal". Still the show certainly did nothing to hurt his reputation, so I think his inclusion in the family tree is warranted.





Roma Maffia~
Finally, a woman! Roma Maffia was a guest actor on "Ally McBeal" ('Fear of Flirting', 2001). She later became one of the lead characters on the successful "Nip/Tuck". I really left the best for last, because Maffia makes the circle complete. She guest starred on "Ally McBeal" during the show's fifth season when one of its leads was Portia de Rossi. De Rossi then guest starred during the fifth season of "Nip/Tuck". How's that for symmetry?




Can you think of any other guest actors on "Ally McBeal" who later made it big?


Images courtesy of: movieeyes.com, TopNews.in, trailershut.com, Hollywood Reporter, & BuddyTV.