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TV Squad
TV Squad
- CBS Gives 'Undercover Boss' a Second Season
 'Undercover Boss,' the new CBS reality show where CEOs flip burgers and haul trash and spy on their employees to see how it's really like to work for their companies, is doing well in the ratings so the network has given it a second season.
Of course, now we are all wondering how they are going to pull this off. The longer the show stays on the air, isn't it logical to think that employees will wonder who this new employee is and why there are cameras following them around?
I wonder the same thing about 'Throwdown with Bobby Flay.' If someone from Food Network says they want to film me and do a special about the great things I can do with pasta ('Playing with Pasta!'), I would immediately think "oh, this must be one of those deals where Bobby Flay is going to show up and challenge me." Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Programming, Pickups and Renewals Permalink | Email this | | Comments
- Tom Cavanagh Gets Lead in New ABC Drama
 I'm rooting for Tom Cavanagh. 'Ed' not only entertained me, it changed my life (but that's a whole other post). He hasn't had much luck since leaving that show, TV series-wise anyway. 'Love Monkey' was a good show but short-lived, and 'Trust Me' was a huge disappointment and vanished after one season (he has fared better in key minor roles on shows like 'Eli Stone'). But now Cavanagh has been cast in another role, and it's completely different than his other lead roles.
According to Michael Ausiello, Cavanagh had landed the lead role in the pilot for the new ABC drama 'Edgar Floats.' He'll play a police psychologist who is also a bounty hunter, so I'm thinking it's will be sorta kinda a mix of things like 'CSI' and 'Castle' and 'House.' No, he last name won't be floats. The title actually refers to him being adrift in his personal life.
This makes me want to get out my 'Ed' videotapes, and pray once again that the show will be released on DVD at some point. Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free Permalink | Email this | | Comments
- Andy Richter Tells All To Kelly Ripa (Reege is on Vacation)
 No one closely involved in the Conan O'Brien/NBC chaos has spoken out on the matter, at least anyone close to Conan's side. Jeff Zucker did give an interview to Charlie Rose and Jay Leno sat down with Oprah, but Conan hasn't given an interview (he's busy on Twitter though!) so we don't know his side of things, aside from his statement that was released before everything was decided. But sidekick Andy Richter is talking, and he actually said a lot while sitting in for Regis this morning on 'Live with Regis & Kelly.'
Richter says that Conan isn't allowed on TV for a while but he's not under the same restriction (in fact, he's still under contract with NBC) so that's why he co-hosted today. You can tell Richter isn't happy with the way things went down (in fact he says he does have bad feelings towards the network and/or Leno), and a lot of the feelings we assumed he and Conan had about this seem to be pretty accurate.
I was especially happy that Richter mentioned that, yeah, the ratings for Conan's 'Tonight Show' weren't great, but that's because they had Leno as a lead-in. "It's not like the local news suddenly got worse," Richter said.Continue reading Andy Richter Tells All To Kelly Ripa (Reege is on Vacation) Filed under: Late Night, Daytime, Celebrities, Talk Show, Reality-Free Permalink | Email this | | Comments
- 'Burn Notice' Gets a New Regular Cast Member
 'Burn Notice' just ended its third season and now comes word that they're adding a new regular character to mix with Michael, Fiona, Sam, and Madeline.
Coby Bell, who had regular roles on such shows as 'Third Watch,' 'The Game,' and 'L.A. Doctors' (no, I don't remember that 1999 show, though it sounds like something that should have been a hint, doesn't it?) will join the cast as Jesse Garcia.
The Hollywood Reporter describes the character as "a cocky and sarcastic counterintelligence expert with a chameleon-like ability to assume different cover identities and an intense desire to see bad guys punished.' Wait, that sounds a lot like Michael! He finds himself in Miami, too, and hooks up with the gang for what I'm assuming will be lots of action. Filed under: Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free, Burn Notice Permalink | Email this | | Comments
- Jean Smart Joins 'Hawaii Five-O'
 The other day when it was announced that Scott Caan would be Danno on 'Hawaii Five-O,' it struck me that this new revamped version of the CBS crime drama was going to be fast-tracked for the fall. It just seems like 'Hawaii Five-O' is this pilot season's 'NCIS: Los Angeles' -- a veritable sure thing.
It's even more of a mortal lock today with this addition to the cast: Jean Smart will be joining 'Hawaii Five-O' as Hawaii Governor Pat Jameson. She will be the one person to whom Steve McGarrett has to answer. This is a direct link back to the original series, in which Jack Lord as McGarrett reported to the Governor, then played by Richard Denning.Continue reading Jean Smart Joins 'Hawaii Five-O' Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Awards, Casting, Emmys, Reality-Free Permalink | Email this | | Comments
- What's On Tonight: 'Lost,' '90210,' 'White Collar,' 'Food Wars'
 Here's tonight's TV lineup (all times Eastern).
- At 8, CBS has a new 'NCIS,' then new episodes of 'NCIS: LA' and 'The Good Wife.'
- NBC has a new, two-hour 'Biggest Loser' at 8, followed by a new 'Parenthood.'
- FOX has a new 'American Idol' at 8.
- The CW has new episodes of '90210' and 'Melrose Place.'
- At 9, ABC has a new 'Lost,' followed by a new 'The Forgotten.'
- At 10, USA has the season finale of 'White Collar.'
- TNT has a new 'Southland' at 10.
- Food Network has a new 'Chopped' at 10.
- Travel Channel has the series premiere of 'Food Wars' at 10 (two episodes).
- Spike has a new 'Blue Mountain State' at 10.
- Also at 10: Syfy has a new 'WWE NXT.'
Check your local TV listings for more.
After the jump, the late night talk shows.Continue reading What's On Tonight: 'Lost,' '90210,' 'White Collar,' 'Food Wars' Filed under: Late Night, Programming, Celebrities, Talk Show, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free Permalink | Email this | | Comments
- Nick Nolte May Return to TV with 'Luck'
 Nick Nolte will be joining stars like Dustin Hoffman in the upcoming HBO pilot 'Luck.' It says a lot about a premium cable series when they can get movie-level stars to be in them. It says that either the programming is top-notch or the economy is in the crapper. Maybe it says a little of both.
Michael Mann is one of the people behind 'Luck,' and that probably helps in terms of casting. The show is about a disparate group of people at a horse track.
Keep in mind this is only for the pilot. If this gets turned into a series, there is no guarantee about who will stay and who will go.
Nolte's last television appearance was in 'Rich Man, Poor Man' in 1976 (according to his IMDB profile). He's done a couple of movies since then (a personal favorite remains '48 Hours'), but you have to admit 34 years is a long time between television roles. 'Luck' is something to look forward to. Filed under: Industry, OpEd, Celebrities, Ratings, Casting, Reality-Free Permalink | Email this | | Comments
- Giveaway Tuesday: 'Boston Legal' Joins TV Land and Someone's Winning an HDTV
 Are you ready for some fun stuff, like maybe winning a free HDTV? Well, get ready. 'Boston Legal' is going into syndication on TV Land, which means if you have yet to enjoy the antics of Alan Shore, Denny Crane and company, this is the chance of a lifetime to enjoy one of the best legal dramas in recent TV history. Oh heck, ever!
'Boston Legal,' starring William Shatner and James Spader, runs weeknights at 11 PM ET on TV Land. And to celebrate, you may be able to tune into 'Boston Legal' five nights a week with a brand, spanking new TV! Yes, sir. There will be one (1) Grand Prize winner receiving a 26" LCD HDTV (MSRP $349.99). The contest begins today, March 9, 2009.Continue reading Giveaway Tuesday: 'Boston Legal' Joins TV Land and Someone's Winning an HDTV Filed under: OpEd, Contests and Giveaways, Celebrities, Awards, Emmys, Reality-Free Permalink | Email this | | Comments
- 'Two and a Half Men' - 'I Found Your Moustache' Recap
(S07E17) Oh my my... have we seen the future of 'Two and a Half Men' and it's Alan and Charlie sitting on a couch vegetating, bickering and grateful to have each other to clean up their dribble? Maybe. And if you think Charlie's gotten over Chelsea, think again. Evelyn might want to hang on to the banquet hall at the Beverly Hills Hotel. More on that and the dancing Japanese Kabuki transsexuals after the jump.Continue reading 'Two and a Half Men' - 'I Found Your Moustache' Recap Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, OpEd, Celebrities, Episode Reviews, Reality-Free Permalink | Email this | | Comments
- 'Castle' - 'The Mistress Always Spanks Twice' Recap
(S02E16) Nathan Fillion really dug deep into his repertoire of cheesy faces for this episode, didn't he? His reactions to some of the naughtier things were so over-the-top that they went from funny, to lame, and then circled back around to hilarious.
There was a lot to like about this episode, whether or not you enjoyed the many faces of Fillion. There was a large suspect pool, plenty of twists, and best of all, two stars from beloved teen dramas. Hudson University has the best PhD program ever (if you overlook the fact that you're likely to be murdered there). Where else could you go for your degree with both Brian Krakow from 'My So-Called Life' and Lane Kim from 'Gilmore Girls?' Granted, this didn't work out so well for Jessica, as Brian Krakow's (or "Matt's," as it were) jealousy led to the exposure of her double-life and eventual murder, but still. How fun!Continue reading 'Castle' - 'The Mistress Always Spanks Twice' Recap Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Castle Permalink | Email this | | Comments
- 'The Big Bang Theory' - 'The Precious Fragmentation' Recap
(S03E17) This was one of the best episodes of 'The Big Bang Theory' in a while, not because of all of the 'Lord of the Rings' references (I never got into those movies), but because the writers finally figured out a way to get all of the characters together in one plot. Even though Wolowitz and Raj furthered their weird relationship by snuggling during a nap (which was actually only in Sheldon's dream, which raises even more questions), they weren't shoved off to the side in a b-plot.
We got back to the season one dynamic of the four guys having a story, while Penny interacts with them on the periphery. Since Penny has become such a big part of the show, this won't work for every episode, but it's nice to see what made us love the show in the first place. Especially since we needed all the happy thoughts in the world to replace the image of Sheldon as Smeagol. Congrats to the makeup crew, but dear God, I never want to see that again.Continue reading 'The Big Bang Theory' - 'The Precious Fragmentation' Recap Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, The Big Bang Theory Permalink | Email this | | Comments
- Google Gets Into Bed With TV
 Google is quite the active gal. She's hooked up with email, telephones, document processing, web browsers and even computer operating systems. Now she's about to hook up with your TV.
The company is testing a new TV searching service with Dish Network that allows TV viewers to not only search for their favorite shows, but also for info on the web and videos on YouTube.
Between this, TiVo, Netflix and Playstation, is there any reason anyone should ever have to leave the comfort of their couch? Not until Google develops a service with AdultFriendFinder, and trust me, they are working on it. Filed under: Cable/Satellite, Web, Software, Reality-Free Permalink | Email this | | Comments
- 'Gossip Girl' - 'The Hurt Locket' Recap
 (S03E13) "Time changes everything." - Gossip Girl
It seems like a season ago when we last saw our favorite Upper Eastsiders, no? The last new episode aired on December 7, which was three months ago! That's as long as we have to wait between a season finale and a season premiere!!! Our patience will be rewarded with ten consecutive weeks of fresh episodes!
'The Debarted' may have aired a lifetime ago, and if you missed the recap at the beginning of the episode, you may not remember much of what happened. Well, maybe except that jaw-dropping moment near the end where Chuck finds an unidentified woman at Bart's grave. Is she his mother?Continue reading 'Gossip Girl' - 'The Hurt Locket' Recap Filed under: Episode Reviews, Reality-Free, Gossip Girl Permalink | Email this | | Comments
- 'Brothers and Sisters' Renewed for Season Five
The powers that be at ABC have good reasons to be feeling good about the network's success. They've had a really good year developing some new shows, like 'Modern Family,' 'The Middle' and 'Cougar Town' -- all of which have been given a renewal for next season. And today an established drama, 'Brothers and Sisters,' was given a fifth season pickup. You know what that means, don't you? Pop the cork! Let the merlot and pinot grigio flow, the Walkers and Ojai Foods are going to continue on for another year of whining and wining.Continue reading 'Brothers and Sisters' Renewed for Season Five Filed under: Other Drama Shows, OpEd, Reality-Free Permalink | Email this | | Comments
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