Question: Thanks to a Fox marketing push, I was able to see the premiere episodes of many Fox shows. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Justice. I was initially interested in it only because of Victor Garber, but I ended up liking the show overall. But here's my concern: Is there really room for yet another crime/law drama like this? I know people have been asking about CSI and Law & Order oversaturation for years. But can a new show that isn't part of a franchise, and that doesn't air on CBS, make it?
Answer: I would be more worried about Justice's chances if shows like House and Bones hadn't caught on earlier. There is clearly an audience on Fox, no doubt primed by the breakthrough success of 24, for more grown-up shows in the legal/crime (or in House's case, medical) arenas. The fact that Hugh Laurie is a Fox superstar is also a sign that a more mature actor (say, Victor Garber) can find a happy home on this network. There's no question there are too many crime and courtroom shows
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Question: Without a Trace is about the only show I look forward to watching on a regular basis. But I'm wondering, why CBS would mess with something that works and move it from Thursday to Sunday?
Answer: Simplest answer: It's not about the show, it's about the network's larger needs. That includes strengthening Sunday by dumping the two-hour movie block and replacing it with two strong crime-drama franchises. Cold Case and Without a Trace will be a good fit, no doubt. And though CSI and Trace were a perfect one-two punch on Thursdays, CBS would likely be criticized in some circles if it didn't eventually try to create a new hit show using CSI as a lead-in, which is what the network is attempting with Shark this season. In this business, you get knocked for complacency, and you get knocked when you shake things up a bit. CBS' scheduling is the most solid of any of the networks, and this sort of move was probably overdue ...
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Question: In your review of Vanished (which I agreed with except possibly for the "continue watching" part), you left off one serious flaw in this (to me) totally flawed show. The acting was completely lame. It felt like a daytime soap. Only Ming-Na, whom I liked on ER, seemed "natural." The misdirection "clues" hit you over the head (haven't the writers heard of subtlety?). The FBI is competent on the surface, yet I'm sure they will be proven completely inept. Is there any hope for this show?
Answer: Couldn't agree more that the biggest handicap Vanished faces at this early point is the lack of a galvanizing star presence. (Translation: Gale Harold is no Kiefer Sutherland, or Wentworth Miller for that matter.) The roles are generically written and formulaically played. It's really going to be up to the storytelling to carry this one, and subtlety is likely to have little to do with it. If there's hope for Vanished, it will be as a guilty pleasure. And for those with a little patience,
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Question: I just finished watching the conclusion of Spike Lee's Katrina documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts. I know that it's really too soon to be thinking about next year's Emmys, but after seeing this documentary, I just wanted to say that it has "Emmy winner" written all over it. I totally agree with your review of this doc. It was poignant and eloquent, and Spike Lee gave it the right tone of voice. It made me wish that Lee had shown this in the theaters, in which case I think it would give the Al Gore global-warming doc a run for its money come Oscar time. What do you think its chances are for an Emmy? There is no way that a TV documentary can win an Oscar, right? Anyway, as a native New Orleanian, I just wanted to say that Spike Lee truly did a great job.
Answer: HBO has won a number of Oscars for its nonfiction programming, but I think the rules are that in order to qualify, it would have to air theatrically before going to TV. And while Levees did get ...
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Question: Do you know why Stargate SG-1 isn't being renewed for a new season? I was an original fan of the movie, but didn't get into the series until Ben Browder made the leap from the still-missed Farscape. The occasional episodes I saw before that were usually not that great, but lately, with Claudia Black as Vala and with the new story lines, they seem pretty entertaining. I know that its ratings are supposedly down, but I was under the impression SG-1 was still a solid performer. This move seems even more incredible given the fact that Stargate Atlantis has been renewed. Why couldn't Sci Fi just say, "No more bugs-chasing-the-team episodes" (always the worst) instead of canning the series? Also, I know the studio that produces Stargate SG-1 is shopping for a new home. Do you think there's a chance someone else could pick it up? Maybe G4 or Spike?
Answer: You may be relatively new to Stargate, but that makes you the exception. From what I gather, the main contributor to Stargate's
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