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Today is probably the least exciting day in upfronts week (which still means, like, one of the MOST exciting days in the whole year overall, obviously, it’s just that the other days have raised the bar so high that we couldn’t possibly expect it to continue at that pace) (like the least exciting birthday present is STILL a birthday present) because today we talk about the CBS upfronts. “BOOOOOO!” “YAAAAAAAAY!” Just two of the myriad opinions you could have about the CBS upfronts. Also there’s news from TBS! Haha. Hollywood — so uniformly bright and dazzling that I’ve nearly been blinded. So call in your grandmas (because old people watch CBS) and let’s get this upfronts party going already.
CBS
Elementary is another Sherlock Holmes adaptation, with Lucy Liu and Jonny Lee Miller starring as Watson and Sherlock. Perfect. If only all television could be blocks of Sherlock Homes adaptations and re-imaginings, life would be perfect, and we’d all finally have a reason to buy TVs. I MEAN, this look fine. I’m sure whoever watches CBS will enjoy it enough, or at least leave it on to keep their pets company when they go to the grocery store.
Partners is from the creators of Will and Grace, and seems very similar to Will and Grace — about two lifelong dude architect friends, one straight and one gay, trying to make it through their lives in their beautiful NYC apartment. The most notable thing about Partners to me right now is that one of the guys is Bernard, the elf from The Santa Clause! Remember that guy? He was also in 10 Things I Hate About You! This show looks like it will probably be successful, but then again, who knows. UPFRONTS!
Vegas is a mob show, written by Goodfellas co-writer Nicholas Pileggi, taking place in the ’60s, starring Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis, and Jason O’Mara. Does that sound good to you? I’ll tell you what, it doesn’t sound good to me. But does it sound good to YOU?
Made in Jersey is such an upsetting name that I barely even want to talk about what this show is about, but ugh, it’s about a girl who was born in New Jersey making her way as a lawyer in THE BIG CITY, if you can believe it. Who would’ve ever thought, someone from NEW JERSEY would ever come to New York. What a thrill for everyone! I hope it never gets canceled.
There’s also another drama called Golden Boy that’s told in flashback about an old cop or something, you can read more about it here, but neither a trailer nor a clip have been released. And there’s ALSO another comedy called Friend Me, starring Christopher Mintz-Plasse, that’s about working at Groupon? WARNING: THAT IS NOT A JOKE. Again, neither a trailer nor clip have been released, so read this guy talking about how much he hates the idea.
TBS, Etc.
TBS and TNT have also announced a bunch of new shows, which you can read about here. Most notably from TBS: They’ve announced Norm MacDonald Is Trending, which seems like a The Soup or Tosh.0 type of show, except the focus is on social media. I can’t even imagine what that could ever be like, but. Norm MacDonald!
Most notably from TNT: TNT still exists and is putting out new shows.
Soooooo, what does everyone think? Is CBS going to be your favorite network now? Move over MTV?
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Vegas sounds slightly appealing, but couldn’t they come up with a more creative name than that? Those knobs at the roundtable who come up with these titles need to go back to the drawing board.
I do watch The Good Wife on CBS, which I only started watching because it was always on at Sunday dinner at my in-laws house. My very Catholic mother-in-law refuses to watch it now that Julianna Margulies character had a relationship with someone other than her husband and constantly says her joke, “I guess she’s not the good wife anymore!”. Also CBS always messes up my DVR with football and golf on Sundays.
My husband’s favorite show is 60 Minutes (go on, pity me) and he is always PISSED because the playoffs on CBS inevitably cut into 60 Minutes.
“Hey, have you guys seen this whole brouhaha about this ‘modern’ Sherlock stuff the BBC is doing? It’s a big deal I guess? It’s got that Bendybandy Bunderscrunch guy? So here’s my idea, why don’t WE do a modern Sherlock Holmes? Set IN AMERICA! How exciting is that? You’re all so excited right? And instead of some dumb dude, Watson is a sexy lady?” – some CBS guy
“Give this man a million dollars and let’s start production TODAY.” – some other CBS guy
Also, “This is definitely a gender change for what’s historically been done for Dr. John Watson.” Very nice deducting there Lucy Liu.
I heard that the guy who developed Sherlock for British television was initially in talks with CBS to develop this series, but he dropped out of negotiations and CBS decided to go ahead with it without him. So, yeah, I’m sure this version will be REAL good. (I am not sure that this will be good.)
I really hope that it wasn’t Moffat, it would lower my respect for him if he worked with CBS. Hopefully he knows better after the disaster that was Coupling US.
Umm, a Sherlock Holmes show starring Zero Cool and my girlfriend? YES PLEASE.
I do actually really like JLM and think he could probably be an interesting Holmes under the right circumstances (i.e.: not on a CBS show trying to ape the BBC.) I think it’s pretty funny that he and Benedict Cumberbatch were both in that production of Frankenstein where they alternated playing Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s monster and now they’re both playing “modern Sherlocks.”
Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that they go for a reunion, and Matthew Lilliard shows up as Moriarty.
I am going to give it a fair shake, because I think that even if it is a modern Sherlock, it can be different enough from the BBC version to stand on its own merits. And I enjoy Lucy Liu and JLM very much, and Watson is the best so I am excited to see where it goes. So here’s hoping it doesn’t suck!
I like JLM, too! but I still want this to crash and burn so he can do something better.
Watson: “Holmes, where’d this water come from?”
Holmes: “Pool on the roof must have a leak.”
Like Eli Stone? I loved that show.
Somebody pitched all these ideas in one three minute cocaine tirade. “Steal Sherlock from the BBC instead of licensing it here, make Watson an asian lady. Next, Gay Guy/Straight Guy. Next, Sopranos meets Mad Men. Next, My Cousin Vinnie the show, but only with the Marisa Tomei character. Somebody call the hospital, I think my heart stopped”
Well they were in a hurry to get on that last idea, at least. Her biological clock is ticking, you know!
I am going to be that totally insufferable ass who insists that the Elementary is a better adaptation, I just know it.
(Stephen Moffat and I are on the thinnest of ice right now. Irene Adler subjugation bullshit.)
Can you elaborate on that, Messica? I really enjoyed the episode, although it did deviate from the books in that Adler didn’t outsmart Sherlock Holmes for long. Was it because she was an S&M dominatrix? Because Sherlock wound up saving her? Because she loves Holmes even though she’s a lesbian (was that a lie she told?)? All of the above???
Well mostly the deviation from the story, plus the Chasing Amy Sherlock turns a lesbian aspect. I thought a dominatrix was a smart update actually. But honestly, as a evil feminist/misandrist Moffet and I have been in a fight he doesn’t know about for dumbing down his stronger female characters and just being too sappy and loose with timey-wimeyness since the half-point of Doctor Who series six. And that Christmas special? Blergh.
Mostly, I think I’m just disappointed because when I heard Irene Adler would be showing up, I thought she would be this series’ arc-long criminal and she was just used as a Moriarty pawn, which is a waste in my opinion. I didn’t necessarily mind him saving her, but her not getting away with it is my exact problem with his writing: the main characters have flaws but they never really have problems where things don’t go their way. 11 hops in a robot of himself and is able to just reset time, or he tells some mom to just wish real hard and everyone will get home safely and they do, and his Sherlock may be alone and insufferable but not even Irene Adler can outsmart him, and that’s just so boring.
I hear you, Messica. Those are all really valid and well-said observations about both Sherlock and Doctor Who. I do enjoy the shows (Doctor Who for the zaniness and Matt Smith’s pluckiness, and Sherlock for his deducing skills and Martin Freeman MARTIN FREEMAN), but they are not without their fair share of occasional weak sauce that could impede one’s enjoyment of them.
I actually am not too familiar with Doyle’s series, and it took me googling Adler halfway through the episode to realize they were basing episodes on the books (next episode I would’ve figured it out, Baskervilles and all). So once I read what Adler’s deal was, I was let down as the rest of the episode unfolded and Sherlock became her knight in shining armor with Moriarty looming somewhere in the recesses, as opposed to the more interesting original ending of earning her rep as the woman who tricked the hell out of Sherlock Holmes (a WOMAN!). Oh well.
Yes! Matt Smith is doing a wonderful Doctor, which is part of what makes me so upset about the weak sauce; he can do hurt so well! Tennant was obv. a very different Doctor, but part of what made people love him was the beauty in going from fun 10 to angsty 10 without feeling fake, and Matt Smith when he has a chance just knocks angsty out of the park. Write that man a BAFTA! (In fact, the best work of the season for him was finding out about the death of the Corsair/saying goodbye to the TARDIS in Gaiman’s episode in my opinion.)
And oh yes, Martin Freeman is so good, so good.
BUT: Hounds of Baskerville episode was amazing though.
“So now, ‘Elementary’ is no longer just a description for our viewers’ reading level.” – CBS
There is hopefully an alternate universe where David Krumholtz aka the elf in Santa Clause is so successful that he doesn’t have to pick shitty-looking projects like The Playboy Club and Partners to get that paper. He was so great guesting in Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared.
he’s great in general, and the greatest in ‘slums of beverly hills’
I think CBS may still own him even after Numb3rs was canceled.
Wait, so it’s not Maid in Jersey – like a TV version of Maid in Manhattan?
I was hoping for a tv remake of Maid to Order:
(I still have a VHS copy of this movie)
TNT renewed Southland!!!
YES! More people should be watching Southland!
I thought this show got cancelled a long time ago. I started watching it when it first came out, and then it disappeared. Wasn’t it originally on a different channel or something?
The first season was on NBC, but it was cancelled after only 7 episodes. I believe that a second season (only 6 episodes) was filmed, but never aired. Then, TNT came to the rescue, aired it from the beginning, and now it is going into its 5th season.
Seasons 3 and 4 are only 10 episodes each, so if you were interested, it wouldn’t take long to catch up.
I saw an episode or two on NBC, but wasn’t really that into it. TNT had some really great marketing for it’s return, and now I consider it one of my favorite shows.
Awesome! I was bummed when it disappeared. I was really into the characters.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks “hey, it’s Bernard from the Santa Claus” every time that actor is in something.
Kelly buried the lead guys:
TNT is developing a series that will be produced and directed by Michael Bay. He’s finally going to bring his brand of misogyny to the small screen!
Hopefully Groupon goes out of business before this show happens. (Today’s groupon is two birds for one stone!)
Yay Norm MacDonald! Hope it works better than Sports Show.
I know we’re not on the NBC upfronts anymore, but since I make the case for Grimm every day on these…
I think I just found a veiled audition notice to do a super small bit part a step above being an extra for the show! So I’m going to audition because why not? (Other than the fact that I haven’t acted in 20 years and was terrible then.) So I’ll have a funny story for you soon… or it’ll be Leverage and I’ll walk out. Gotta have your standards.
Good luck! Report back! Maybe I also sort of kind of love Grimm far too much.