My silence may be eerie, but I’m sneakily still very much liking TV. In fact, I just got in from the Fox upfront party. It’s been an exhausting and kind of uneventful week, but what better excuse to touch base than the TV equivalent of prom?
So this year marked my first in-person upfront experience, and I have to say, they’re kind of gross. A bunch of sloppy ad folks boozing to the point of public embarrassment and blatant starfucking does not a good time make. It was an education though. My deep love of So You Think You Can Dance (returning in one week!) was slightly challenged by the throng of contestants from seasons two and three that could literally not stop dancing at any point during the night. Brazilian BBQ buffet? Dance! Line at the porta-potty? Dance! Creepy ‘80s cover band? Um… dance!
They have their charms though. And about a month from now I’ll be so thoroughly into their successors, this transgression will be long forgotten. What won’t be forgotten is the fact those two beautiful creatures pictured above and Eliza Dushku all bolted before I got there. Perhaps it’s best that they stay on their respective pedestals, but I sure would have love to see TV actors not on Gossip Girl every once in a while.
Enough of that. Let’s get down to business. This time last year I was an unhappy camper. Veronica Mars was done, I was mostly unimpressed with the pick-ups, and Eliza Dushku’s pilot was passed over by FOX. Things could not be more different in 2008. Friday Night Lights and How I Met Your Mother, the two bubble shows that I desperately needed to see renewed, will both be back with a vengeance. I’m genuinely excited by some of the new offerings. And this year’s Dushku pilot, a little show called Dollhouse by some writer/auteur/genius named Joss Whedon, is a sure bet for midseason. If you can catch the trailer (they keep pulling them), you will see how very drool inducing it is. Full fall schedules for all the networks, if you haven’t already seen them, can be found right here: ABC, CBS, FOX, the CW. (NBC’s is oooooold news.)
There weren’t any surprises this week. News of renewals and pickups, save a few exceptions, all came weeks ago. The only real shock was that after all the hullabaloo over the upfronts being “soooo different” this year, they were more or less the same. No complaints on my part, as I can think of far worse things than tradition. Attention-starved dance competition veterans for one.
Brenda Strong – Narrating Desperate Housewives can’t be that time consuming – those scripts practically read themselves! Besides, I’m sick of the ridiculously awesome Strong being stuck as the invisible, omniscient housewife. It’s about time she stepped back in front of the camera and Psych is a perfect venue. And since Shawn’s mom definitely has a dose of nasty for being a big, fat baby-abandoner, Strong could play the character like she did Elaine’s evil, bra-less nemesis on Seinfeld.
Kristine Sutherland - If I was a TV orphan, I know who I’d want to adopt me, and it’s not Angelina. Before she met her heartbreaking end on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sutherland played the slayer’s mother, Joyce, to the point of parental perfection. It wasn’t that she was sweet (she was a straight up badass when circumstances demanded it) – Joyce was just real. In the parallel universe where she starts acting again and nabs this role, I’d love to see her play it as a middle-aged tart – a la “
Kate Jackson – Nothing beats a vintage hottie, and my favorite of Charlie’s Angels was always the understated and brainy Sabrina. Shawn’s dad may have taught him how to be crazy observant, but where did he learn the rest of his detectivin’ skills? I can just picture a flashback of Jackson teaching little Shawn how to jimmy car doors. Either way, this gal doesn’t make enough appearances! If she doesn’t join the Psych crew, can’t we at least find her a spot on Dancing With The Stars?
Phylicia Rashad – Who’s to say that woman at the door really is Shawn’s mother? She could be there to tell him that his real mother is actually… Mrs Burton! No, Shawn isn’t black, and sure, something like this would have probably come up, but come on! Rashad is the undisputed queen of TV moms, and her recent appearance as Gus’s on the Psych Christmas special was far too brief. Bringing her back would be really fun for the Shawn/Gus dynamic.
On November 13th, this blog and the blogs listed below will be on strike for the day in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America. As fellow writers and as TV fans, we are coming together to express our strong support for the writers and their goals. We believe that when a writer’s work makes money for a company, that writer deserves to be paid.