Tag Archives: The Crazy Ones

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CBS Upfronts: FWBL and The Crazy Ones Cancelled

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Cancelled: Friends with better lives

Having not been attracted to watching Two and Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, Mom, How I Met Your Mother or any other filmed-in-front-of-a-live-audience comedy (nothing since Friends and Will & Grace has taken my fancy), I was somewhat cautious about checking out Friends With Better Lives (or FWBL).

Funnily enough, the show, starring James Van Der Beek (fresh of a stellar turn in Don’t Trust The Bitch in Apartment 23) was funny, entertaining and highly engaging.  Sure the humor was somewhat crude – but not to the level of 2 Broke Girls, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the first three episodes I watched and naturally assumed if people are watching the horribly unfunny Mom (sadly starring the talented Anna Faris) then people were watching FWBL.

Guess I was wrong, so needless to say, when CBS threw out their list of cancellations, I was shocked to see FWBL sitting on that list.

Another notable entry on their cancelled shows list was the Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Geller comedy The Crazy Ones.  Now, this show was the highest rated comedy debut of the 2012/2013 season in the US (15+ million viewers) but upon airing it’s season finale, only 5 million viewers were tuning in.

Also cancelled: Toni Collette drama Hostages, Kristin Davis comedy Bad Teacher (only after 4 episodes!) and the awful Intelligence starring LOST expat Josh Holloway and CSI Maven Marg Helgenberger.

The much hyped How I Met Your Mother spin-off How I Met Your Dad was also a no show on the list of pick-ups.

So what did CBS pick-up to series order?  Battle Creek by Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad) and starring Josh Duhamel, The Tea’ Leoni led drama Madam Secretary plus another new CSI spin-off, CSI: New Orleans starring Scott Bakula.

In the way of comedy, Matthew Perry will be given another shot at a new series with The Odd Couple with Lindsay Sloane while New Kids on the Block singer Joe McIntyre plus ex Roseanne star Laurie Metcalf are headlining The McCarthys.

And finally, The Mentalist fans will be happy to hear the drama was given a last minute series renewal, though i’d expect this one to be it’s last.

What are your thoughts on the axings, cancellations and pick-ups?

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Review: The Crazy Ones

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Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar – Photo Credit: Robin Williams Twitter

You know how Robin Williams can sometimes be a little too Robin Williams?  It’s annoying isn’t it?  What starts out funny turns into a 10 minute gag with multiple characters and accents and lots of uncomfortable laughter from those on the receiving end. Thankfully, Robin Williams is only slightly Robin Williams in The Crazy Ones.

This show seems like the perfect fit for Williams’ return to series television.  As legendary advertising agency exec Simon Roberts, he still gets to flex his funny bone but there are some serious undertones in Roberts’ back history (divorce and possibly depression) that keep Williams grounded enough to ensure he doesn’t fly too much into the crazy Robin Williams category.

Playing the perfect polar opposite is Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) as Simon’s straight-laced and all professional daughter and co-partner Sydney Roberts.  Gellar easily holds her own with grim professional determination playing opposite Williams and the two bring a believable father/daughter relationship on screen.

There’s also some great casting in the co roles with Hamish Linklater (The New Adventures of Old Christine), James Wolk (Mad Men) and Amanda Setton (The Mindy Project) who all get their fair share of laughs.

This first episode brings us straight into the action with a wayward Simon and a worrisome Sydney desperately trying not to loose their biggest client in McDonald’s.

The Crazy Ones premier’s on Sunday October 20th on FOX8 via Foxtel.

BTW  – keep and eye out for singer Kelly Clarkson playing herself in this episode.  She’s piss funny and should be brought back for more!

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FOX8 Picks up The Crazy Ones

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Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar star in the new comedy The Crazy Ones

I had been waiting to hear which free-to-air channel would pick up new comedy The Crazy Ones due to premiere in the USA shortly and in a surprise move, Fox8 have picked up the rights to air the comedy starring Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar.  The comedy set inside an advertising agency sees Williams playing father to Gellar and is William’s return to series television since Mork and Mindy.

Oscar-winner Robin Williams returns to his television roots with his signature brand of humor in the inspired workplace comedy from 20th Century Fox TV, The Crazy Ones. As a renowned advertising genius whose unorthodox methods would get him fired – if he weren’t the boss – he heads a powerful agency with the biggest clients and brands in the world. The office is staffed with an eclectic group intent on keeping his antics in check, including his daughter Sydney (Sarah Michelle Gellar), who often questions her father’s sanity while trying to make a name for herself in the advertising world.

The Crazy Ones is set to premiere Sunday October 20th on Fox8