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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Anthony LaPaglia, Without a Trace
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: 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: 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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Richard Dean Anderson, Stargate SG-1
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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Question: I write this fully aware that you have not seen the retooled 30 Rock pilot, but what are your thoughts on the network's drastic overhaul of Rachel Dratch's character (now characters)? I've heard nothing but glowing advance notices, and until recently there was no show I anticipated more. The fact that the network heads are retooling it already suggests that they might just trash it before it even airs. God knows, NBC has heard the phrase "tried and true" (just look at most of their programming), but haven't they heard the infinitely more useful "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"?
Answer: Having seen the original pilot, and being a big fan of Rachel Dratch (her first "Debbie Downer" skit may be the highlight of the last five years or so of Saturday Night Live), I can assure you that, aside from one very funny scene involving Alec Baldwin, an NBC page and a bottle of diarrhea medicine, there wasn't much for her to do. I actually like the idea that she'll be popping up in various
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Question: I've tried to find some information on the Internet about when MI-5 will be back on, and I am getting nowhere fast! Back in the spring, you said that as far as you knew, it should come on sometime in the third quarter (July-Sept.). Is that still valid? I have been hearing some rumblings that it won't be coming back. I hope that's not true!
Answer: This question came in before Tuesday's announcement by A&E, which I blogged about, that the third season has finally been confirmed. The show returns with 10 new episodes, starting Sept. 15 at 11 pm/ET. Took them long enough ...
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Question: My question has to do with CBS' decision to move The Amazing Race to Sundays after 60 Minutes. Did you notice that CBS' promos never say what time the show will air, only that it will be on after 60 Minutes? That's because when football starts again in the fall, the Sunday-night lineup will be delayed when football games run long. So The Amazing Race will have a different start time every Sunday, and worst of all, a portion of the show may have to compete against Desperate Housewives! That's not good at all.
Answer: Well, at least we won't have to worry about overlapping in the fall with a new HBO drama (see last Friday's column for more on that subject). This fate befalls any CBS show that follows football for the first half of the season, and Race fans are just going to have to deal with it. If you set your VCR or DVR to tape it, you'll have to be flexible on the time. (I don't know why CBS just doesn't acknowledge the overruns and start prime time officially at 7:30 pm/ET,
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Vanessa Williams and Michael Urie, Ugly Betty
Question: I'm very happy (and surprised) about Ugly Betty's move from Friday to Thursday nights. I'm a huge fan of America Ferrera and the original Spanish series, so I'm throwing my full support into this show. Who knows, maybe I'll even stick around and catch Grey's Anatomy afterwards. Thanks for the great column, Matt!
Answer: You're welcome, but if you really want to thank me for something, stay tuned for Grey's. You won't regret it. And if enough people follow your lead, ABC will feel justified in making this move, which I praised in the Dispatch I filed after learning of the time switch from the dead zone of Fridays at 8 pm/ET to the competitive hotbed of Thursdays at 8. On paper (or, I guess, on computer screen), Ugly Betty looks like a hard sell, but maybe there's something about this premise that will strike a chord in the U.S. audience the way it has in other cultures. We can only hope. If it holds its own and delivers at least some audience to Grey's (which will probably be a
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Question: I agree 101 percent with your Dispatch that The Closer is fantastic. I would go further and say it is better than many of the top dramas on the regular networks. The writing is super, and the cast is perfect. I cannot imagine how they could have gotten it any better. I really am happy for Kyra Sedgwick. She is a great actress who, in the past, has not received the attention she deserves, because of her famous hubby.
Answer: And now Kevin Bacon is going to direct an episode (officially the second-season "finale," airing in December, outside of the regular season). Sedgwick is my pick to win the Emmy this season, though I'll be surprised if she actually scores (given the maddening weirdness of the Emmy voters, who I'm expecting will find a way to give one more trophy to Allison Janney). You're right about the cast. The bench on The Closer is almost embarrassingly full of strong actors, all of whom give Brenda Leigh Johnson terrific support each week ...
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