Tag Archives: NBC

Comedy

Will & Grace Call it Quits After Three Seasons

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The cast of reboot comedy Will & Grace put up a united front over the weekend as they announced the unanimous decision to say a final goodbye to the show and characters we’ve all come to love over the past two decades.

The Will & Grace reboot has been one of the more successful reboots of late with the show returning for seasons nine through eleven after an eleven year hiatus. Over the weekend, the announcement to end the show was made through official statements and social media channels.

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The final season is currently shooting and will have eighteen episodes in total, matching the extended tenth season of the show.

Will & Grace is currently streaming on STAN in Australia.

Comedy, FRONT

Will & Grace Extended a Third New Season and More Episodes!

will-and-grace

The dream run of Will & Grace’s reboot continues with the announcement by NBC at PaleyFest that it has committed to a third season of the revived sitcom or its 11th season overall.

Along with this news, it’s been announced the comedy’s second season (or tenth season) has been extended a further five episodes bringing the run up-to eighteen episodes in total and this is before production has even begun on the next season.  The newly announced extra season will also have an eighteen episode run.

NBC’s faith has not been misplaced. Season-to-date, the new Will & Grace ranks as the networks No. 1 comedy and the No. 2 comedy, overall, on TV.

Will & Grace currently streams new episodes on STAN Australia.

 

Comedy, FRONT

Your Essential Viewing Guide to the History of Will & Grace.

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During its original airing, fan favorite comedy Will & Grace ran for a whopping 194 episodes over an eight season stint and with the show about to make its much anticipated comeback, it’s time to look at those ‘essential’ episodes that you need to binge before the show returns to brush up on your Will & Grace history.

These chosen episodes provide pivotal moments in the Will & Grace timeline from major relationships, back stories and family members that bring us to the characters we will meet again in season 9.

1: The Pilot

Obviously, this episodes sets up Will & Grace and their highly dysfunctional long standing relationship.  How much each play in the others lives makes a big impact especially on Grace who finds herself walking away from her boyfriend Danny.

2: The Unsinkable Mommy Adler / Season One – Episode Thirteen

This episode introduces us to Grace’s flamboyant mother Bobbi Adler (Debbie Reynolds) who causes a ruckus when she suggests that Will & Grace should get married.  The comment forces Grace to take a closer look at who she is and just how like her star dazed mom she really is.

3: Big Brother is Coming Parts 1 + 2 / Season One Episode Fourteen and Fifteen

Jack’s surprise party provides more of a surprise to Will when his estranged older brother Sam (John Slattery) arrives at the request of Grace.  A truce between the two is put on hold after Will discovers that Grace and Sam had hooked up at Jack’s party.

4: Guess Who’s Not Coming to Dinner / Season Two – Episode One

Will is finding that Grace is not coping well with their new living situation and to prove Will wrong that she can survive in her own apartment, attempts to throw a housewarming dinner party with Karen and friends Rob and Ellen.  Meanwhile to keep the INS at bay, Jack moves into Karen’s mansion to maintain his fake wedding to Karen’s maid Rosario.

5: Homo For the Holidays / Season Two – Episode Seven

In this Thanksgiving themed episode, it’s revealed that Jack has never actually come out to his mom Judith (Veronica Cartwright) even though Jack was responsible for pushing Will to do the same to his mom.  It’s also revealed that Jack used Grace as his fake girlfriend causing Karen to go into a jealous rage and that Judith lied about who Jack’s real father is.

6: Oh Dad, Poor Dad, He’s Kept me in the Closet and I’m so Sad / Season Two – Episode Thirteen

This episode takes a closer look at Will’s relationship with his father George (Sydney Pollack) and shows that things between the two aren’t as rosy as Will thought.  It turns out George has told all his co-workers that Will is actually married to Grace meanwhile Karen hires a private detective to track down Jack’s real father.

7: An Affair to Forget / Season Two – Episode Nineteen

Leading up to Rob (Tom Gallop) and Ellen’s (Leigh-Allyn Baker) wedding, it’s revealed that when the pair had separated, Rob and Grace had hooked up causing a rift between Grace and Ellen.

8: Lows in the Mid-Eighties Parts One and Two / Season Three – Episodes Eight and Nine

This flashback double episode delves back into Will & Grace’s college years when the two were dating.  Grace brings Will to her parents home for Thanksgiving but he is struggling with issues of his own and seeks help with the out and proud Jack meanwhile Karen meets Rosario for the very first time.

9: Sons and Lovers Part Two / Season Three – Episode Twenty Five

Jack has finally tracked down his birth father but is devastated to learn that he had passed away years earlier.  Struggling with the news that he never got to meet him, Jack is surprised to find out he has a teenage son named Elliot (Michael Angarano)

10: Rules of Engagement / Season Four – Episode Six

Grace is disappointed when boyfriend Nathan (Woody Harrelson) proposes to her, not for proposing but how it was done.  When deciding she wants to make it right, her big surprise gesture goes wrong and Grace finds herself single again.

11: Dyeing is Easy, Comedy is Hard / Season Four – Episode Fifteen

Grace and Will attend Grace’s ex – Danny’s (Tom Verica) wedding where the two try and reinvent themselves from the people they really are while Jack comes head to head with Elliot’s mother Bonnie (Rosie O’Donnell) who isn’t happy with how Jack is raising Elliot.

12: Something Borrowed, Someone’s Due / Season Four – Episode Eighteen

Jack, having finally tracked down Karen’s estranged mother Lois (Suzanne Pleshette) attempts to get the two to reunite but Karen still can’t get past how Lois would use a young Karen as a ploy in her scams.

12: Cheatin’ Trouble Blues / Season Four – Episode Nineteen

Under the assumption that his father’s affair was done with, Will gives his parents tickets for a cruise as a gift for their wedding anniversary but is shocked to learn this George’s affair with Tina (Leslie Ann Warren) is anything but over and that his mother Marilyn (Blythe Danner) is also having an affair.  The episode ends with Will’s parents making the decision to separate.

13: A.I: Artificial Insemination Parts One and Two / Season Four – Episodes Twenty Six and Twenty Seven

Off the back of a ‘bucket list’ Will and Grace begin to talk heavily about having a baby together and consider the options on how to make it happen.  After two failed attempts at IVF and sex being off the table they decide to try IVF once more but a mysterious man on a white horse could change everything.

14: The Kids Stays Out of the Picture / Season Five – Episode Three

With Grace’s relationship with Leo (Harry Connick Jr) moving more quickly than expected, Grace asks Will if they can take a step back from the IVF treatment so she can evaluate her options.  The episode ends with a particularly brutal fight between Will & Grace.

15: Marry Me a Little, Marry Me a Little More / Season Five – Episodes Nine and Ten

Grace and Leo make a spur of the moment decision to get married as part of a TV stunt for the Today Show but the move isn’t well received by Will and Grace’s friends and family.  At the following wedding reception, Grace becomes uneasy as she realizes just how little she knows about her new husband.  After learning their marriage wasn’t actually legal, the two decide to have an official wedding where Will ends up walking Grace down the isle.

16: 23 / Season Five – Episode Twenty Three

Karen is concerned how she’ll come out after her divorce with Stan is finalized but is shocked to learn he has died while in bed with his mistress Lorraine (Minnie Driver). Leo is offered a job in Guatemala with Doctors without Borders and Grace agrees to join him.

17: Last Ex to Brooklyn – Season Six – Episode Two 

Leo and Grace decide to throw a dinner party for Will, Jack, Karen and Leo’s ex girlfriend Dianne (Mira Sorvino) but it turns out, Dianne is the girl Will slept with right after breaking up with Grace (season 3 episodes 8 and 9) and Grace isn’t taking this revelation so well.

18: The Accidental Tsuris: Season Six – Episode Eleven

Karen finds herself with the unwanted attention of Lorraine’s father Lyle (John Cleese) but changes her tune when Lorraine makes it clear that Karen is to stay away from him meanwhile Grace’s older sister Janet (Geena Davis) arrives to launch her jewelry enterprise/folding table subway stand but Grace can’t handle her free-loading sister anymore.

19: I Do. Oh, No, You Di-in’t: Season Six – Episode Twenty Three

Karen and Lyle make the spur of the moment decision to fly to Vegas and elope but shortly after the wedding, it becomes clear that Karen isn’t too keen on Lyle’s strict demands.  Leo also arrives in Vegas and reveals that he cheated on Grace while in Cambodia working for Doctors without Boarders.

20: Alive and Schticking: Season Eight – Episode One 

Will informs Karen that Stan is actually alive and that he was forced to fake his death.  It turns out Rosario also knew this, much to the disgust of Karen, and is fired.

21: Grace Expectations – Season Eight – Episode Sixteen

Grace finds herself struggling with the idea of telling Leo she is pregnant with his child but decides it’s in their both best interests if she tells him.

22: Blanket Apology: Season Eight – Episode Nineteen

Jack goes for an audition for a bit part in a new cop drama but ends up scoring the lead role and a simple dinner at Will’s parents place turns into an all-out brawl as Will’s father gives Grace Will’s cherished baby blanket under the belief that Will will never have children of his own.  The two leave things unresolved before Will learns his father passed away shortly after.

23: The Mourning Son: Season Eight – Episode Twenty

Will struggles with the fact he left things so harshly between him and his father and with the help of his mother, comes to terms with how everything ended.

24: Partners ‘n’ Crime: Season Eight – Episode Twenty One

Will begins to rekindle his relationship with Vince (Bobby Cannavale) forcing Grace to take a look at whether or not Will will have enough room in his life for Vince and Grace and her unborn child.

25: The Finale: Season Eight – Episode Twenty Three

The culmination of eight seasons ends tonight with a one-hour series finale — will Will and Grace raise a child together and find ultimate happiness? Will Jack find anyone that loves him as much as he loves himself? Will Karen find true happiness with the absence of Stan?

Will & Grace returns Thursday night, September 28th on NBC and begins streaming on Friday the 29th on STAN Australia.

 

 

Hannibal, NBC, TV

After Three Seasons NBC is Full of Hannibal

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“Seriously, we could not even attempt another mouthful” is the word coming from NBC regarding it’s decision to end the not-for-the-squeamish thriller series Hannibal.  The Silence of the Lambs prequel series created by Bryan Fuller will see out it’s 13 episode third season on NBC, Thursday nights at 10pm.

“NBC has allowed us to craft a television series that no other broadcast network would have dared, and kept us on the air for three seasons despite Cancellation Bear Chow ratings and images that would have shredded the eyeballs of lesser Standards & Practices enforcers,” Fuller said in a statement. “[NBC Entertainment exec] Jen Salke and her team have been fantastic partners and creatively supportive beyond measure.Hannibal is finishing his last course at NBC’s table this summer, but a hungry cannibal can always dine again. And personally, I look forward to my next meal with NBC.” 

Talk of so-so ratings and a possibility of a licencing clash over the character of Clarice Sterling (portrayed by Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs) that Fuller wanted to bring into season 4 are currently being thrown around for the cancellation.

It’s a possibility however that not everyone has had their fill.  The De Laurentiis Company, which produces Hannibal, tweeted that the company is “exploring other options for future seasons,” adding “others have expressed interest in partnering with us.”

Here’s hoping Hannibal can open up shop somewhere else!

Drama, Gillian Anderson, Hannibal, TV

Meet the Bride of Hannibal in the New Season 3 Trailer

Gillian Anderson as Bedelia Du Maurier
Gillian Anderson as Bedelia Du Maurier

They say marriage is a sacred institution.  One that is not to be entered into lightly and as the traditional vows go “Till death do us part” and judging by the new Hannibal season three trailer, death may be more imminent in a surprise new union.

In the closing moments of the season two finale, Hannibal (Mads Mikkelsen) was seen leaving on a jet plane with his former therapist Bedelia Du Maurier (Gillian Anderson) and it seems by the trailer above, this new relationship will be the focus of season three.

Showrunner Bryan Fuller recently told Digital Spy that Anderson has “quite a big role in the first half of the season”, and has one “hilarious” episode in particular.  It’s such a treat because you don’t see a lot of comedy from Gillian Anderson in her roles, but she’s very funny as a human being and incredibly funny as an actress when she turns it on,” he said.

Hannibal returns

USA: Thursday, June 4 on NBC
Australia: TBA on FOX8

ABC, Channel 10, Channel 7, Channel 9, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Fantasy, FOX, FRONT, NBC, PayTV, Sci-Fi, Soap Opera, TV

Show Watch: What to Keep an Eye Out For

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Tea’ Leoni in the new CBS drama Madam Secretary

Now that all of the main networks (CBS, NBC, FOX and ABC) and some cable networks (TBS) have given us their new pick-ups for the 2014 Fall season, I’ve trawled through all the trailers (that were available…come on CBS, pull your socks up!) and complied a list of what I think could be ratings hits (like last years The Blacklist) and what could be cult sleepers (Orphan Black anyone?)

Drama:

The Mysteries of Laura (NBC)

The question begs…is this a comedy or is it a drama?  I don’t think NBC really know either hence the somewhat confusing trailer offered up but that said, this Debra Messing led dramedy could have something going for it if you look at it like it could be ‘had Miss Congeniality had a husband and children’ type of way.

Secrets and Lies (ABC)

If you recently watched an Aussie show with the same title, then you’ll have an idea of what to expect.  This Secrets and Lies is based right off our very own production with Ryan Phillippe stepping into Martin Henderson’s shoes playing Ben, a man who finds the body of a little boy and suddenly becomes suspect number one.  Added bonus – a very toned down Juliette Lewis playing cop.

How To Get Away With Murder (ABC)

This will be the fourth major program by Shonda Rhimes to make it’s way to ABC – Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and Private Practice plus How to get Away With Murder and the trailer already looks a whole lot more interesting than the 6 seasons of Private Practice that was given to us.  There’s sex, blackmail, murder and Viola Davis..it’s an easy win.

CSI: Cyber (CBS)

Pilot

There’s no trailer yet but for those who caught Patricia Arquette’s recent guest gig on CSI will have already gotten a taste of what to expect. Yes, it’s another CSI spin-off but this time, it’s all about cyber crime which is very current and ‘hip’ and we all like Patricia Arquette right?

Stalker (CBS)

Granted, I’ve never really been exposed to much of Maggie Q’s work and the premise of her character as being a sort of freelance anti-stalker specialist who knows some hand-to-hand combat skills is a little off but the trailer offered up by CBS actually adds suspense and intrigue of what’s to come.  Ignore Dylan McDermott here, he’s always annoying to begin with and usually takes some warming up to.

Madam Secretary (CBS)

Why CBS chose to give us a trailer that looks like it gives us the entire first episode in the space of five minutes I’ll never understand.  I was excited by this right from Tea’ Leoni’s addition to the cast and while it’s different to see her in such a serious light, the political theme is working well for shows like Scandal and The Good Wife.

State of Affairs (NBC)

I’m wondering if we’ve had enough time to actually like Katherine Heigl again?  I’m still in that mid-swing where i’m starting to come around again and if there are others like me, then hopefully this show will bring us competently back.  Apparently this will have a Blacklist-cum-Homeland-cum-Zero Dark Thirty feel to it (there’s the depiction of Middle Eastern descendants as terrorists – of course) and Alfre Woodward plays the President of the USA.

American Crime (ABC)

Desperate Housewives Alum Felicity Huffman makes her return to series television along with Timothy Hutton in this dark and racially charged legal drama that follows those involved and affected by a murder and ensuing murder trial.

Empire (FOX)

The last time FOX attempted a series based off a mogul and his ’empire’ they gave us SKIN (2003) which only lasted 3 episodes before being cancelled.  Here, instead of porn, Empire gives us music and what i could only assume to be a nod to Lil’ Kim and starring Terrence Howard.  Could Chris Lilley’s S’Mouse fit in here? Probably, but at least it looks better than Skin ever did.

Comedy:

Fresh off the Boat (ABC)

Yes, the title is a bit…..Cougar Town/Trophy Wife (and possibly racist though it depends who you ask) but Fresh Off the Boat looks like the funniest of the new stuff coming our way and while the show is a focus on a Taiwanese family making the adjustment to living the American Dream, clearly Constance Wu (as mum Jessica) is the one to watch for.

The Odd Couple (CBS)

PILOT

It’s been a tough run for Matthew Perry the last few years.  His last handful of projects (Studio 60, Mr. Sunshine and Go On) all tanked and the only thing people really watched him in recently was his guest gig on Courteney Cox’s Cougar Town but now, his fourth attempt at a show could be his lucky gig.  It’s a TV remake of the classic movies (Jack Lemon and Walter Matthou or Tony Randall and Jack Klugman) and see’s Perry teaming up with Thomas Lennon who we last saw in the terribly horrible Sean Saves the World.  I can only assume this will be better than Sean failing to save the world.

Mulaney (FOX)

It’s a little bit Seinfeld, it’s a little bit Friends, it’s a little bit of a 90’s comedy throwback.  Mulaney is an ensemble comedy about a stand-up comedian and the “friends and mentors who lift him up, hold him back and push him around” including Martin Short.  Here’s hoping Short contains his zany like Robin Williams did in The Crazy Ones – but then again, that didn’t turn out so good for him.

Paranormal/Supernatural/Superhero:

The Whispers (ABC)

I was so enamored by Lily Rabe as the Stevie Nicks loving swamp witch Misty Day in AHS Coven that seeing her all professional and business suits is a little shocking but here is in this creepy new paranormal-esque show with creepy kids that clearly see something the adults can’t.

Constantine

Based off the DC Comics Hellblazer series, Constantine follows a supernatural detective who finds himself defending the world from dark and eerie forces.  It’s a little bit Supernatural meets True Blood meets Penny Dreadful.

The Flash (CW)

Spin-off from the cult-ish Arrow and another DC comics star, The Flash get’s his own show and judging by the trailer, die hard comic fans will be pleased with the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance of legendary bad guy ‘Reverse Flash’ plus there’s the addition of The Flash’s alter-ego Barry Allen’s love interest Iris West.

Extant (CBS)

I’ve already talked about Halle’s new sci-fi drama but now Extant has officially been picked up to series by CBS, they’ve given us an extended trailer which also fills us in more on her creepy prophetic child.  A woman on a 13 month solo space mission returns to earth and finds she’s pregnant – impossible right?  Not in space!

So what takes your fancy?  Is there something you’ve seen which I’ve not added to the list – and if you mention the new shyte by TBS…I will shoot you.

Comedy, FRONT, TV

Courteney Cox Says Friends Reunion Will Not Happen

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Former Friends star Courteney Cox spoke to David Letterman on Monday’s show in which he brought up a question that has been asked millions of times – Is there going to be a Friends reunion movie based off their hit show?

“You’re sick of the question, aren’t you?” Letterman asked Cox, who played Monica Geller in the popular sitcom.

“Only because once you say, ‘Well, I’d like it,’ then they have to contact every other cast member and be like, ‘Courteney’s into it!’ And then I get in trouble.”

“It’s not gonna happen,” she finished.

It doesn’t help that Courteney can’t even arrange a cast dinner that’s also been ten years in the works.

Cox also added that as the series was set between Monica’s apartment and local coffee shop Central Perk, she wonders just how exciting a movie based off the series could be.

“We did the whole show on a soundstage in Monica’s apartment,” she said.  “So what are you gonna do?”

In the most recent issue of EW magazine, Friends creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane look back at the Friends finale and how they felt about the Joey Spin-off and those pesky reunion rumors!

Do you think a Friends reunion should take place?

Drama, Fantasy, FRONT, Made For Tv, NBC, Sci-Fi, TV

NBC Set to Revive Heroes as Mini Series

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Four years after its original cancellation, superhero drama Heroes is set to make a comeback in 2015.

Heroes Reborn will be a 13 part mini series set to air in 2015 with show creator Tim Kring on board (Kring currently has another high profile series Dig currently in production for USA Network).

NBC teased viewers with a brief spot during it’s winter Olympics coverage on Saturday night (US time) with plans to bring in a digital tie-in series ahead of the 2015 premiere date that introduce new characters and a new storyline.

Details remain slim at the moment as no plot details for Heroes Reborn have been revealed and no word on any original cast members coming back though Heroes Reborn is being described as a stand alone story arc for the show.

The original series ran from 2006 – 2010 and helped launch the careers of Zachary Quinto (Star Trek movies) and Hayden Panettiere (Nashville) among others and followed the lives of everyday people living with extra ordinary powers.  While ratings held strong for Heroes onset, the show began to dwindle in viewers towards the end of the shows run before being cancelled in 2010.

Tapping into the popular superhero genre, Heroes Reborn will join ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD and a new series adaption on the DC comic Constantine series.

“The enormous impact Heroes had on the television landscape when it first launched in 2006 was eye-opening,” said NBC Entertainment  president Jennifer Salke. “Shows with that kind of resonance don’t come around often and we thought it was time for another installment. We’re thrilled that visionary creator Tim Kring was as excited about jumping back into this show as we were and we look forward to all the new textures and layers Tim plans to add to his original concept. Until we get closer to air in 2015, the show will be appropriately shrouded in secrecy, but we won’t rule out the possibility of some of the show’s original cast members popping back in.”

Check out the promo spot below:

Heroes Reborn is due for a 2015 premiere in the USA on NBC.

Crime, Drama, FRONT, NBC, TV

New Details on Debra Messing’s New Show for NBC

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Debra Messing moves to NBC for new show

Debra Messing is set to headline a new drama for NBC titled “The Mysteries of Laura” playing a homicide detective juggling a demanding work life and twin boys in her home life.

The Mysteries of Laura will see Messing playing a female homicide detective named Laura Diamond who can handle murderous criminals — but not her hell-raising twin children.  The show written by Jeff Rake and directed by McG (Charlies Angels) is based on the popular Spanish series Los Misterios De Laura which explores the life and relationships of Laura Diamond.

Messing, who rose to fame in NBC’s comedy Will & Grace and more recently the NBC musical series Smash was last season, attached to a comedy project for CBS that never came to light.

Berlanti Prods. and Kapital Entertainment are producing “Mysteries of Laura” in association with Warner Bros. TV. The original Spanish series was created by Carlos Vila and Javier Holgado for Boomerang TV and TVE1 Spain.

Via Deadline.com

Update – read my review of The Mysteries of Laura

Crime, Drama, Fantasy, FRONT, Hannibal, NBC, TV

A Reckoning is Coming: New Hannibal Season 2 Trailer Out

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It does need to be said that for the most part, on paper, a small screen show about one of cinema’s most infamous serial killers should not have worked – especially when working with the constraints of censors and network television yet NBC’s Hannibal turned out to be one of the most thrilling and chilling new shows to premiere in 2013.

The ‘different killer each episode’ is tired but works (look at The Blacklist) but it’s the underlying main storyline of Hannibal and his connections to each murder that pulled us in.  Superb performances from Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal), Hugh Dancy (WIll Graham) and even Gillian Anderson as Hannibal’s therapist Bedelia Du Maurier was exciting to watch.

Needless to say, i’m excited to see what’s coming.

Now NBC have dropped a preview for the show’s upcoming second season and it looks like things pick up right where we left off with Will Graham behind bars, accused of the crimes actually committed by Hannibal now trying to prove his innocence by throwing shade on the real killer – Hannibal Lecter.

Check out the preview below.

Hannibal returns to American screens on Feb 28th.  No date set for Australian screens.