A New Family Drama: The McCarthys

Tonight is the premiere of CBS' new show The McCarthy's.  And don't worry, this is not about zombies, superheroes or any other of the current themes filling the airwaves. This is simply a family drama. 

Here is the story:

Based on writer Brian Gallivan's real life, a family comedy about a loud, sports-crazed Boston clan. The series centers on the youngest and somewhat sports-challenged gay son, Ronny, who decides to take a job in Rhode Island in an attempt to extract himself from his overly-involved family. His mother, Marjorie, is devastated that her "favorite son" might move away, until Ronny's father, Arthur, stuns everyone and asks Ronny, the least qualified sibling, to be his assistant High School basketball coach.

Sounds pretty straightforward. With Modern Family and The Middle doing well, not to mention Shameless, there is a demand for good family shows.  And one more is always welcome.

Update:  The series kicked off with a strong pilot episode.  I found the who family likeable, including the dopey dad (aren't they all nowadays on these series?), the manipulative mom, and the hair-brained siblings, one of whom is Boston-native Joey McIntyre from New Kids on the Block.  Tyler Ritter, son of the late actor John Ritter, demonstrated he has the right stuff to carry this show along as the gay brother.  And while the show deals with his sexuality to a degree, it is clearly going to be only one of multiple story lines in this new series.  Speaking of his gay character in a recent interview, Ritter stated:

The show starts out with him already having come out a few years before, and the family is totally OK and accepting of him. Aside from the fact that he's in the dating world and meeting new guys, it really isn't that big of a plot, because these guys could easily be girls.

Between Two Ferns: Brad Pitt

There is nothing like a Zach Galifianakis interview. Just ask President Obama who underwent his schizophrenic questioning earlier this year. 

Well, he is back with Brad Pitt on the most recent episode of Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis. I expected Brad to take a swing at him, but Brad was a perfect gentleman (mostly, that is). 

And how Louis CK fits into this is anyone's guess. It all seems like a bad dream after a good taco.

Should Toys Come with a Meth Bag?

I do not generally agree with parent groups when they take on television stations or companies to keep ideas and images away from kids since they tend to go overboard.  However, I can understand the recent campaign by a woman in Florida to drop an action figure from Toys R Us.  In her petition on change.org, Ms. Myers wrote:

Toys R Us is well known around the world for their vast selection of toys for children of all ages. However their decision to sell a Breaking Bad doll, complete with a detachable sack of cash and a bag of meth, alongside children’s toys is a dangerous deviation from their family friendly values. That’s why I’m calling on Toys R Us to immediately stop selling the Breaking Bad doll collection in their stores and on their website. 

I don't think your average little kid needs to have his very own meth bag.  And while these types of figure should not be banned, maybe more careful placement is appropriate.  I can picture someone getting this as a gag at Urban Outfitters, for example. 
 
All that said, removing this one action figure from one website is like taking a glass of water away from Niagara Falls.  No one will really notice with all the other venues for selling the action figure and similar products.  For instance, what about the bloodied, weapon carrying action figures from The Walking Dead, including one fighter with a stump where the hand should be and a corpse next to a gasoline can?  

We have come a long way from GI Joe and Star Wars action figures.

Constantine: Yes, Another Superhero

You cannot be surprised that another superhero television series is appearing.  At a time when Russia invades its neighbor with impunity, genocide is underway in the Middle East, and Ebola is jumping borders, what we really need is a show proving that one man can make it all go away.  Okay, maybe this is tough on all of the entertainment business, but I would not mind a drama series based on a medical teams traveling the world to fight disease or something similar.  But here we are.

So tonight NBC is introducing the "superhero" Constantine.  From what I remember of the movie, I was not impressed, though short memories might help this show.  You can see the trailer here and get what you need to know from NBC:

Based on the wildly popular comic book series "Hellblazer" from DC Comics, seasoned demon hunter and master of the occult John Constantine (Matt Ryan, "Criminal Minds") is armed with a ferocious knowledge of the dark arts and a wickedly naughty wit. He fights the good fight - or at least he did. With his soul already damned to hell, he's decided to abandon his campaign against evil until a series of events thrusts him back into the fray, and he'll do whatever it takes to protect the innocent. With the balance of good and evil on the line, Constantine will use his skills to travel the country, find the supernatural terrors that threaten our world and send them back where they belong. After that, who knows... maybe there's hope for him and his soul after all.

The good part is that Constantine does not need a cape to do his magic. The scenes remind me more of Supernatural and Dominion than The Flash.  And maybe if it had a bit of Sleepy Hollow's dry humor it could work.  However, The Washington Post isn't buying any of it, stating: 

"Constantine” thrusts us into an all-too-familiar milieu of meaningless symbols, old leather-bound books, sudden power outages, gathering storm clouds, garbled Latin and the Beast within. All that nonsense makes it hard to see any hope for redemption.

I think my DVR is full.

Amazon Television: Alpha House and More

Of the first Amazon proposed season of homemade shows for adults, only Alpha House made it to a second season.  It returns to Amazon tomorrow (October 24), and it has been missed.  And from the second season of approved shows, only Transparent has made it to the television screen so far (but three more shows are to follow), and it has already been granted a second season.

So what about the third season of shows? I saw promise in only one show, Red Oaks about a teenager in the 1980s finding his way as a summer hire among "successful" people at a ritzy country club, whereas the remaining group were either depressing (Hand of God, Hysteria, and Really) or did not really work as a television series (The Cosmopolitans). And it was a nice change seeing Paul Reiser play a wealthy racket-swinging monster in Red Oaks.  It is strange that I liked four out of five last year and only one out of five this year.  Either the Amazon pilots have changed or I have.  Maybe all the great new shows over the last year make me less likely to settle for an okay show.

Fortunately, Amazon picked up Red Oaks, while it also found merit in Hand of God and picked it up as well. Here is Amazon's full story on both shows if you are interested:

Red Oaks
 
Directed by Sundance award-winner David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express, Eastbound and Down) and executive produced by Academy Award winner Steven Soderbergh (Behind the Candelabra, Traffic, Ocean’s Eleven), Red Oaks stars Craig Roberts (Submarine) as David Myers, an assistant tennis pro at the Red Oaks Country Club in suburban New Jersey in 1985. David is both reeling from his father’s heart attack and conflicted about what college major to declare in the fall; his father Sam Myers is played by Richard Kind (Luck). While there, David meets a colorful cast of misfit co-workers and wealthy club members including an alluring art student named Skye, played by Alexandra Socha, and her corporate raider father Getty played by Paul Reiser (Mad About You) and Ennis Esmer as Nash. A coming-of-age comedy set in the “go-go” 80s that is equal parts hijinks and heartfelt, Red Oaks is about enjoying a last hurrah before summer comes to an end—and the future begins. Red Oaks also stars Jennifer Grey (It’s Like, You Know) as Judy Myers, Oliver Cooper (Californication) as Wheeler and Gage Golightly as Karen. Red Oaks is written by Gregory Jacobs (The Knick) and Joe Gangemi (Eliza Graves). Soderbergh, Green, Jacobs, and Gangemi are Executive Producers. 

Hand of God
 
Created and written by Ben Watkins, and marking the television debut of renowned filmmaker Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball, Finding Neverland, World War Z), Hand of God stars Golden Globe winner Ron Perlman in his first lead television role since Sons of Anarchy as the honorable justice Pernell Harris. The show centers on Judge Harris, a hard-living, law-bending married man with a high-end call girl on the side, who suffers a mental breakdown and goes on a vigilante quest to find the rapist who tore his family apart. With no real evidence to go on, Pernell begins to rely on “visions” and “messages” he believes are being sent by God through Pernell’s ventilator-bound son. Hand of God also stars Dana Delany as the Judge’s protective wife Crystal Harris, Garret Dillahunt as KD, the born-again sociopath whose violent tendencies are exploited by Pernell, Andre Royo as the slick, smart, gregarious, and greedy mayor Robert ‘Bobo’ Boston, Alona Tal as Pernell’s grieving daughter-in-law Jocelyn Harris, Julian Morris as the questionable preacher Paul Curtis, Elizabeth McLaughlin as the preacher’s sultry girlfriend Alicia, and Emayatzy Corinealdi as Pernell’s call girl and confidante Tessie. Forster, Watkins, Perlman, Brian Wilkins and Jeff King are Executive Producers, and Jillian Kugler is co-Executive Producer.

Season Two of The 100

Tomorrow (October 22) is the premiere of the second season of The CW's The 100.  The story of the return of mankind to an abandoned Earth after a apocalyptic war sounded pretty straight-forward until you learned the new settlers had to contend with those who never left.  With a story set in two locations in the first season - kids on the surface and adults in orbit - you had plenty of political intrigue for all ages.  

I look forward to learning more about Mount Weather this season (without giving anything away).  The show has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing about what lies over the next hill, or mountain.   It is half Battlestar Galactica, half Hunger Games.

And if you want to read ahead, you can always pick up The 100 book series by Kass Morgan.  Here is one reader's review of the book (TeamBellamy, who gave it 5 stars):

WOW! I was skeptical of reading this because I have started watching the tv version of the 100( a must see, but you have to go into it with an open mind because the two versions are COMPLETELY different), but I am sooo glad that I did. The author chose to show the thoughts and feelings of the characters from each point of view,which I thought was very unique and indepth. The whole story is about a group of teenage convicts who are chosed to go down to Earth to test and see if it is habitable( they are the test trials in a desperate attempt to save the human race). Once they land they have to fave their fears of the unknown, and they have to struggle to survive. The whole story is a tornado of emotions with a certain love triangle that will leave you wanting more. . .

HBO by Subscription: It's About Time

HBO has announced that it plans to provide customers with a stand-alone product similar to HBO GO no longer linked to cable access.  That is great news for people who have cut the cord with cable yet cannot get access to great shows such as Game of Thrones and True Detective while they are still being broadcast.  HBO already offers such access to overseas customers, but it was reluctant to rock the boat with cable companies in the US.  It seems the rocking is no longer a concern.

So how much should we expect to pay for this new service?  Business Insider reported the cost will be about $15 per month, or twice that of Netflix and Hulu.  And other networks are going the same route as HBO, with CBS and Starz also planning to provide a cable-free streaming service for a fee to interested customers (though Starz is only doing this for non-US customers as this point).  

So is this good news, or does it mean we will now need to go to 25 different locations to find our favorite shows if we are not will to pay $200 per month for our cable fix?  It is unclear, but the recent drop in Netflix's stock may indicate that the heyday of TV show aggregators such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu may be coming to an end.  Content may want to be free, but companies want to be paid.  And the bills may start to pile up again. 

Shia Meltdown and Recovery?

The recent comments by Shia LeBeouf on Jimmy Kimmel may be humorous for some, but I see little to laugh about when I see a man out of control when he drunkenly disrupts a New York show, is arrested, and then pisses on a police officer. Would you want this guy living in your city? I have already noted Shia's fall from grace on an earlier piece, and I am hoping for a rebound. Maybe the arrest will help, but not if he considers it to be a joke.

I think the appearance in the talk-show circuit is one way for the makers of the WWII film Fury to put this behind them before the release of the movie later today. But I still think Shia needs a better publicist, and a shave. 

In a recent interview, fellow Fury star Brad Pitt said

Oh, I love this boy...He's one of the best actors I've ever seen. He's full-on commitment, man. He's living it like no one else, let me tell you. I've been fortunate to work with a lot of great actors. He's one of the best I've seen.

This is great to hear, but that does not excuse his behavior.  And I am not sure how much of this is sweet talk to sell an expensive film.  I would keep the police on alert for the time being.

Need Your GOT Fix?

If you are eager for the return of season five of HBO's Game of Thrones, maybe this animated film showing some highlights of the first three seasons will keep you satisfied for a short while. With the animation of other blockbusters, such as Star Wars, maybe we will see a GOT animation spin-off in the future. 

You can find many more fun animations on YouTube, such as the animation below highlighting the first two seasons.  And even if we only get fan films for now, it keeps the interest flowing and demonstrates the creativity of the show's followers.

Marriage Proposals and Babies (Not Necessarily in That Order)

If you have not yet suffered a sweetness overdose from all the new romantic comedies this season, then save room for NBC's Marry Me premiering tonight.  You already know you have a unique pairing with Casey Wilson and Ken Marino, both of whom we have seen many times on TV with let us say relationship issues.  Here is the basic story from NBC:

Six years ago, Annie (Casey Wilson, "Happy Endings") and Jake (Ken Marino, "Eastbound & Down") bonded over their mutual love of nachos and they have been inseparable ever since.

Now, after returning from a romantic two-week island vacation, Jake's all set to pop the question. Before he can ask, though, Annie lets loose on Jake for his inability to commit. She was expecting him to "put a ring on it" in paradise and now Jake's perfect proposal is ruined. Not wanting to spend the next 60 years talking about that mess of a proposal, Jake and Annie decide to hold off on the engagement until they can do it right. Yet if history tells us anything, it's when we really want things to go right that they all tend to go wrong.

The only thing we know for sure is these two are destined to be together - whether they can get it together or not.

And if that plot sounds a little too staid, how about a "miraculous" birth in the CW's Jane the Virgin? The story involves an accidental insemination and the fall-out that follows with Jane and her family.  It premieres tonight, though you can also watch the pilot on The CW's website.  The Los Angeles Times notes:

Like "Ugly Betty," it is based on a Latin American telenovela (the Venezuelan "Juana la Virgen"), and like that show it has kept its transplanted Latin roots with a quietly remarkable title-role performance from Gina Rodriguez. Jane is almost engaged to police detective Michael (Brett Dier) but remains ever mindful of what her grandmother (Ivonne Coll) told her at 10, in Spanish — that once gone, virginity is gone for good. The flower her grandmother crushed for metaphorical illustration is kept framed above 23-year-old Jane's bed.

This is a different kind of show for The CW.   And as with Ugly Betty , I think this show will grow on you.  Let's hope we see more shows like this from the network.

An Affair to Remember

If you have yet to see Showtime's The Affair, first broadcast last Sunday night (October 12), then you are missing a great drama.  Fortunately, you can still see the first episode for free at the Showtime website or on YouTube. 

The story is about a father of four who meets a waitress on Long Island and seems to be ready to risk it all on a whim.  And yet we are learning about this affair first from his view, and then from her view, as both appear to be responding to a police detective's questions.  Hence, in episode one we don't know who to trust and what happened to necessitate this investigation.  When you add to this superb acting, a layered plot, and top-notch filming, you feel you have stumbled onto a quality film that just happens to last a season. 

As with Starz' Outlander, we are witnessing a period of excellence in television that takes away the need to go to the theaters.  I recommend you add this one to your fall season list of shows to watch.  

Update:  I have thoroughly enjoyed the early episodes of The Affair and I am happy to report it will get a second season.  It's great to see that others recognize the quality of this new show.  

Wyle Returns with The Librarian in December

TNT will be broadcasting The Librarian on December 7th.  The show, starring Noah Wyle, will be a continuation of the movies series with the same name.  Wyle is still busy with his sci-fi series Falling Skies, which has its final season next year.  The latest trailer shows that Noah's character Flynn Carsen will have a larger team helping him this time around.  I look forward to this nerd version of the Indiana Jones franchise.  And three cheers to librarians everywhere!

Regular and Super Heroes

This week we will see more comic book super heroes on the television screen.  If Gotham was not enough this fall, you now have The CW's The Flash starting tonight.  I have not followed all the comic capers since my youth, but I expect this will be much more of the same. As with zombies and vampires, how many friendly capes do we need on television? Yes, this is supposed to be one of the better ones, yet I do not expect the bad ones to go away. The demand may soon be sated (as is happening on the silver screen as well if you need more evidence that new ideas have dried up).  

Luckily, The CW's Supernatural is also returning the same night for its 10th season with mortal heroes who are periodically angels and demons while battling angels and demons. It is still a unique show except for the copycat Grimm.  I know demon killing was also a comic book genre years ago, as was the adventures of two brothers fighting evil, yet this new set of "hearty" boys takes on the task with new gusto.  Fewer capes and more heavenly battles showing the complexities of now and the hereafter is what we need. 

Update:  I thought The Flash had a better premiere than Gotham, which had a clunky start with some stale and predictable dialogue. And luckily we did not need to know the backstory from The Arrow.  The Flash reminded me of the Spider-Man story with a clear explanation of what happened to the main character for him to gain new powers.  And even better, we have some idea what he will be facing since many more people are dealing with similar new powers. By the way, the Flash doesn't have a cape since his speed would tear it to shreds. 

Speaking of Duds, Last Week Was Pretty Bad

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While Mulaney is being beaten up before it is even out of the gate, other shows that already premiered last week are legitimate targets.  First, let me say that comedies are alive and well if Fox's Brooklyn Nine-Nine, starting its second season last week, is any guide.  However, ABC had two stinkers last week -  Selfie and Manhattan Love Story.  The first was a bad recreation of Pygmalion, which might be interesting if you cared even a little bit for the main characters (and I would rather see more of John Cho on Sleepy Hollow than this hollowed-out story).  The latter was a pretty poor excuse for a love story where you continue to hear what is in everyone's head whereas all I could hear in my head was "turn it off!"

And if that was not enough, NBC's Bad Judge last week was simply a bad show.  Does anyone really want to see a character playing a female judge that exhibits all of the bad traits of sex-addled, dopey male judges over the years?  Why can't equal-opportunity lead to a better product than the past? 

Luckily, last week also brought us NBC's A to Z, which I covered earlier. This again only shows the major networks are capable of making worthwhile shows if they only try. 

Update: ABC canceled Manhattan Love Story after only a few episodes. A good start to cleaning up the airwaves.

Second Update: NBC has decided to cancel Bad Judge after a single 13-episode season. A fair sentence for an awful show.

Third Update:  ABC has canceled Selfie after its 13-episode run.  No surprises there.    Unfortunately, NBC's A to Z will also end after one season. 

Mulaney Already Starts With Bad Press

Fox's new comedy Mulaney starts tonight (October 5th), yet the press has already attacked this little show to such an extent that you would wonder why Fox even bothers at this point.  The show stars John Mulaney, a comic and SNL writer, and he has pulled in some strong talent, including Martin Short and Elliot Gould.  Here is the basic storyline from Fox: 

JOHN MULANEY is a 29-year-old comedian working the stand-up circuit and looking for his big break. But life drastically changes when self-centered comedy legend and game show host LOU CANNON (Emmy Award winner Martin Short) hires Mulaney as a writer. Lou may be John's entrée into the world of big-money show business, but he's also a total nightmare. Still, the job represents everything Mulaney thinks he wants. But does he really? And, at what cost? And what does it say about him if he quits? And what does it say about him if he stays? And has Lou had work done?...If Mulaney has one refuge from the chaos that surrounds him, then it's his neighbor, OSCAR (Elliott Gould), a 71-year-old gay veteran of New York who has seen it all. Oscar is opinionated, refined, gentle, wise and sometimes extremely cantankerous, but most of all, he's an oracle of sound advice when Mulaney feels like life has gone off the rails.

USA Today calls it a "misfire," noting:

...former Saturday Night Live writer and comedian John Mulaney comes across as a very nice young man. He may even be a funny one, though there's no evidence of that in this almost shockingly inept sitcom. What he's obviously not, however, is someone who has any idea of what he's doing as the star, creator and producer of a network television series. And what that apparent cluelessness produces is the worst new sitcom of the season.

Not a great start. And other are calling it a dismal rip-off of Seinfeld, with Cinema Blend stating:

 

The main problem for any throwback is to avoid feeling dated and Mulaney suffers by not adding a new spin on the old formula. It is Seinfeld all the way down to the stand-up sequences and jaunty noise between transitions. I originally challenged myself to not mention the NBC cultural juggernaut during this review, but that's nearly impossible.

With all the comedies coming out this fall, we should expect quite a few duds.  This may be one of them, but it is best to give it a chance to see if it gets better.