Question: I have a laundry list of questions about summer viewing: Is Life on Mars going to have a second season, or was it a one-off? (I'm scared to death of the American remake — I'm expecting Starsky & Hutch.) I was disappointed to hear about the bad ratings of Brotherhood — it's too good to be ignored. If there is no second season, will we be left hanging, or does the first series come to some sort of resolution? I know it's early, but what is the likelihood of Vanished making it through the season? Is Fox willing to take a chance based on the success of 24 and Prison Break, or will this be another Firefly/Wonderfalls/Reunion? Finally, what is your reaction to Denis Leary getting an Emmy nomination for acting but not one for writing? As good as he is as Tommy Gavin, his and Peter Tolan's scripts are the heart of that series. How could the writing be ignored?
Answer: There is a second series of Life on Mars, but no word on when BBC America will present
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Question: I'm delighted to see that BBC America will be showing Life on Mars later this month, but I heard that ABC wanted a U.S. remake. I know most U.S. versions of scripted U.K. shows haven't been too successful recently (The Office is the only nonreality show I can think of that has), but given the differences in policing in the U.K. and the U.S. in the '70s, I think this one could stand a chance of being different but good in its own right, rather than a pale imitation. What do you think? Have you heard anything more about the U.S. version?
Answer: All I know is what the trades originally reported, that David E. Kelley was interested in developing this provocative premise for American TV. Backing up for those unfamiliar with the show, which premieres on BBC America July 24: Despite the title, Mars isn't a sci-fi show, though it does have a heavy fantasy element. It's about a detective who is hit by a car and wakes up back in 1973, where he's still a cop, but now operating in a
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Brande Roderick on Gameshow Marathon
We asked 100 men, "Would you drown yourself if it meant Brande Roderick giving you mouth-to-mouth?" How many said yes?
That Card Sharksian moment is brought to you by CBS' Gameshow Marathon, airing tonight at 8 pm/ET (click here for additional dates) and pitting such familiar faces as Leslie Nielsen, Kathy Najimy and, yes, Baywatch alum Brande Roderick against each other in conte
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Brande Roderick on Gameshow Marathon
We asked 100 men, "Would you drown yourself if it meant Brande Roderick giving you mouth-to-mouth?" How many said yes?
That Card Sharksian moment is brought to you by CBS' Gameshow Marathon, premiering tonight at 8 pm/ET and pitting such familiar faces as Leslie Nielsen, Kathy Najimy and, yes, Baywatch alum Brande Roderick against each other in contests from your favorite quiz contests. Avoiding the Whammy and bidding on fabulous showcases is but the first of many things on Roderick's plat
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Warner Bros. Pictures, having already delivered Starsky & Hutch and The Dukes of Hazzard to the big screen, will next bring moviegoers a feature version of that '70s show CHiPs — appropriately tapping That '70s Show's Wilmer Valderrama to fill Erik Estrada's distinctively snug motorcycle cop pants. Somewhere, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Mario Lopez are sobbing.
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Get ready for the new, uptight, buttoned-down Juliette Lewis. The 30-year-old actress — known for her wild youth and her freaky, hell-raising characters — takes a major career departure with Chasing Freedom, an original movie for Court TV airing Jan. 19 (9 pm/ET). Lewis plays Libby Brock, a staid, career-obsessed corporate lawyer forced by her boss to represent — pro bono — a young, Afghani woman seeking asylum in America. Set just before and immediately after Sept. 11, the film explores the horrors of life under the Taliban, as well as our own issues of homeland security and ethnic paranoia. It's heady, mature stuff for Lewis, who first gained fame (and an Oscar nod) as the Lolita-esque teen who sucked Robert DeNiro's thumb in 1991's Cape Fear. She went on to play a slew of
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