"Do No Harm" Did Some Harm to NBC

While the new shows Americans and House of Cards did well with their premieres last week, the initial reviews for Do No Harm indicate the show is in trouble.  According to the press reports, it now has the distinction of the lowest-rated, in-season premiere of any scripted series ever on the major networks. Let me just cite a few reviewers' comments:

...a poorly-written show, with dialogue so cheesy you could use it for fondue. The actors do their best with what they're given, but that's not saying much.

-- Zap2it

Do not watch. Do not resuscitate.

-- The Hollywood Reporter

Unfortunately, "Do No Harm" suffers from a split personality of its own. Far more sentimental than thrilling — there are no real monsters under this hospital bed — it plays more like a mash-up of "A Gifted Man" and "The B— in Apartment 23."

-- LA Times

I do not plan to watch anything past the pilot, and I should have known better than to even start the pilot.  The show does not know what it wants to be - a decent doctor/patient show, though we have enough of those, or a monster-of-the-night show, which would need someone with much more of a dark side (and body count) to keep today's viewers interested.  NBC will need to go back to the drawing board with this one.

P.S.  That image above shows Stephen Pasquale throwing the remote control at the TV after viewing the pilot.  I know the feeling. 

Update: Do No Harm has been canceled by NBC after only two episodes.  No surprises here.

Screen Actors Guild Awards for 2013

The Screen Actors Guild had its 19th awards ceremony last week and sung praise to the following television programs (you can see the nominees here):

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A DRAMA SERIES 

-- Downton Abbey

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY AN ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES

-- Modern Family

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

-- Bryan Cranston, Walter White in Breaking Bad

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

-- Claire Danes, Carrie Mathison in Homeland

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

-- Alec Baldwin, Jack Donaghy in 30 Rock

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

 -- Tina Fey, Liz Lemon in 30 Rock

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR MINISERIES

-- Kevin Costner, "Devil Anse" Hatfield in Hatfields & McCoys

OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A TELEVISION MOVIE OR MINISERIES

-- Julianne Moore, as Sarah Palin in Game Change

I am most happy to see Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey recognized for their terrific work on 30 Rock, this year being the end of the series.  I am also pleased to see Kevin Costner on the awardee list for his excellent performance in Hatfields & McCoys.  The remaining awards were not too surprising.

Nashville for Guys: The Wedding Band

If you have not had a chance to view TBS's show The Wedding Band then it may be time to check it out.  I see it as the guy's version to ABC's Nashville, less drama and more comedy.  And while I am a fan of Connie Brittan and do not want to take anything away from her singing, I think you will also be surprised to see that Brian Austin Green (90201, Terminator:  The Sara Connor Chronicles) can carry a tune. 

The basic plot of The Wedding Band is four guys in Seattle joining up on weekends to become a wedding band, and the trials of making money while also having fun (and choosing among the female groupies after the show).  Green plays Tommy, he band leader and playboy, joined by Eddie (Peter Cambor from NCIS: Los Angeles) the dad, Barry (Derek Miller from Secret Girlfriend) who is Eddie's brother an a music store clerk by day, and Stevie (Harold Perrineau from Lost) who is the most recent and more accomplished member of the group.  The four band members are reigned in by event promoter Roxie Rutherford (Melora Hardin from The Office), and her assistant Rachel (Jenny Wade from The Good Guys).

Overall, each episode is a mini-movie with set-ups you would see in any goofy wedding-related movie, which is what makes it fun since you get to see the back story rather than the main story.  And the music is fun as well, with the songs available on iTunes (similar to the Nashville).  Check out their songs, such as Making Love Out of Nothing at All, Party Rock Anthem, and We Are Family.  I only recently learned that Green's father was a country-music singer and he plays the piano, drums and guitar.  In addition, Perrineau studied music and theater at the Shenandoah Conservatory.

Green spoke about the music in an interview with TheTVAddict.com: 

For the most part I knew the melodies, but most of the songs, I’ve got to be honest, when I got the lyric sheets my first thoughts were, “Oh, those are the words.  That’s not what we’ve been singing.” Like when you hear REM’s “End of the World as We Know It” and you go, “What is he talking about?!” I think the only thing anybody ever knew was “it’s the end of the world as we know it” and the rest of the words were completely unknown. So I’ve always had a bad habit of that. Just as I’m a huge music lover, I grew up listening to it.  But I’m one of those just because when I play — I play piano and drums — I connect way more with melodies usually than the lyrics. So the lyrics are usually the last thing that I learn, whereas a lot of other people I know really sit and study the lyrics first and the melody is kind of the last thing. So I didn’t know any of them. I knew pretty much none of the songs.

Sadly, the show was cancelled after only one season and 10 episodes (the last episode aired on January 19), so it will only live on iTunes and in reruns.  With all of the new fall programs, it was hard to get traction. Nonetheless, it is a small gem in the TV universe that deserves your attention.    

Whatever Happened to "The Farm"?

Do you remember all the talk about The Farm, an NBC spin-off from The Office where Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) would show us travails of running the family beet farm?  I thought about it recently now that The Office is winding down.

It appears NBC passed on the new show late last year, even though the pilot was filmed and ready to go.  According to Entertainment Weekly, Wilson tweeted:

NBC has passed on moving forward with The Farm TV show. Had a blast making the pilot — onwards & upwards!

We may still get to see the pilot as part of The Office sometime later this year.  Seeing Dwight and his family together will be fun however it happens.

You can watch Wilson talking about the new show on The Tonight Show last year.  He also talks about his time in Haiti on the clip.  And to learn more about what you will miss now that The Farm series is no more, here is a summary of the plot from We Got This Covered (much of which I hope we can see in the pilot episode on The Office):

 ...the potential new series will revolve around Dwight and his siblings reuniting after they inherit their family’s beet farm, which also doubles as a bed and breakfast.

...the characters joining Dwight on his new business venture include the following.
 
First, is Dwight’s younger sister Fannie. Despite trying to make it on her own in Boston, Fannie is forced to give up her urban ways and has to move back to the Schrute farm after her divorce.

Fannie, who has been described as having an ironic sense of humor, will be bringing her nine-year-old son Cameron with her. Dwight’s nephew, who is known to be slightly weird, feels linked to his family, especially his uncles.

Dwight and Fannie’s brother, Jeb, is seeking redemption on the family farm too as his previous career endeavors haven’t been successful.

Despite the Schrute siblings’ good intentions, their manipulative great uncle Heinrich Manheim joins them on the farm as well. He’s said to make an impression on the family after vowing to kill Dwight by the end of the first episode.

And if you want to see more of Rainn Wilson, check out the reshowing on SoulPancake tomorrow (February 3) at 1pm ET on the OWN cable channel (click here for a clip).  Wilson and Oprah discuss love:

What is love, anyway? Whatever it is, this four-letter word is one of the most fundamental human experiences. In a special hour-long presentation this Sunday, SoulPancake is exploring love through many lenses—meet some precocious kids, see mind-blowing art and hear three very different types of love stories.

You can also learn more about Wilson and see all of his videos at SoulPancake.com.

TV This Week: Spies, Mad Doctors, Shuttles, and Politics

Get ready for another week of good television as we move to shows about imbedded spies, a monster doctor, the anniversary of the Columbia Shuttle disaster, and a conniving congressman.

-- The Americans (FX, premiering January 30): Remember the story a few years back about Americans who turned out to be Russian spies living normal lives within our society.  Back in June 2010, ABC News shared the story:

The allegations are shocking: four couples living in the U.S. under assumed false identities while secretly working as covert Russian spies on long-term, "deep-cover" assignments to obtain information on nuclear weapons. 

They are part of a clandestine network that used a series of cold war tactics such as encrypted Morse code messages, brush passes and invisible writing to send intelligence back to the Russian government, the FBI said today as it announced the results of a multi-year investigation into the alleged spy ring. 

Charged are Richard and Cynthia Murphy of New Jersey, Donald Howard Heathfield and Tracey Lee Ann Foley of Boston, Massachusetts, Michael Zottoli and Patricia Mills of Arlington, Virginia, and Juan Lazaro and Vicky Pelaez of Yonkers, New York. 

Well, FX is bringing to television a similar story about a family living under assumed identities in the 1980s.  Here is the description of the new program:

The Americans is a period drama about the complex marriage of two KGB spies posing as Americans in suburban Washington D.C. shortly after Ronald Reagan is elected President. The arranged marriage of Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell), who have two children – 13-year-old Paige (Holly Taylor) and 10-year-old Henry (Keidrich Sellati), who know nothing about their parents’ true identity – grows more passionate and genuine by the day, but is constantly tested by the escalation of the Cold War and the intimate, dangerous and darkly funny relationships they must maintain with a network of spies and informants under their control. Complicating their relationship further is Philip’s growing sense of affinity for America’s values and way of life. Tensions also heighten upon the arrival of a new neighbor, Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich), an FBI agent. Stan and his partner, Agent Chris Amador (Maximiliano Hernández), are members of a new division of Counterintelligence tasked with fighting against foreign agents on U.S. soil, including KGB Directorate S illegals, Russian spies posing as Americans.

From what I have seen and read, it sounds like a winner.  Here are some clips of the new show.  You can also find more information on the program's Facebook site.  

-- Do No Harm (NBC, premiering January 31):  Now that we have Beauty and the Beast and Grimm, why not throw in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for good measure?  This new show takes the old tale to the hospital (of course, otherwise he would need to be a detective), where Dr. Cole plays the good doctor by day and the mad man by night.

Dr. Jason Cole (Steven Pasquale, "Rescue Me") is a highly respected neurosurgeon who has it all - a lucrative career, confident charm and the gift of compassion. But he also has a deep, dark secret. One morning, after waking up disoriented in a wrecked hotel room amidst near-naked women he's never seen before, he knows one thing: it happened again. Every night at the same hour, something inside Jason changes, leaving him almost unrecognizable - seductive, devious, borderline sociopathic. This new man is his dangerous alternate personality, who goes by the name Ian Price. For years Jason has battled Ian, keeping him in check with a powerful experimental sedative. But now his - their - body has developed a resistance to the serum, setting Ian free once again. And to make matters worse, after being suppressed for so long, Ian is hell-bent on taking revenge on his oppressor. With everyone Jason cares about at risk - patients, friends, coworkers and even the woman he loves - he must stop Ian once and for all. Will they find some common ground, or will they bring each other down? Hell hath no fury like an alter ego scorned. 

-- Space Shuttle Columbia: Mission of Hope (PBS, premieres on January 31):  The program is broadcast one day before the 10th anniversary of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster and focuses on Col. Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli to go into space.  According to PBS: 

Space Shuttle Columbia: Mission of Hope goes behind the scenes to explore the “mission within the mission” for Ramon, who carried into space a miniature Torah scroll that had survived the horrors of the Holocaust, given to a boy in a secret bar mitzvah observed in the pre-dawn hours in the notorious Nazi concentration camp of Bergen-Belsen. The bar mitzvah boy grew up to become Israel’s lead scientist for the mission, Joachim “Yoya” Joseph.

The film follows the scroll’s path into Ramon’s hands, and the dramatic moment when he tells its story live to the world from the flight deck of Columbia. From the depths of hell to the heights of space, his simple gesture would serve to honor the hope of a nation and to fulfill a promise made to generations past and future.  

And here is a quick preview.

-- House of Cards (Netflix, premiering February 1): Netflix continues with its own programming following Lilyhammer, which was actually produced by others but financed by Netflix.  In this Netflix produced series (and remake of a BBC series of the same name), Kevin Spacey plays Congressman Francis Underwood who holds sway over his peers in the House and uses this power to hopefully obtain a position as Secretary of State.  You can watch all 13 episodes, if you so choose, in one sitting since they will all be available at the same time.  Given the reviews to date, you may want to treat this one like a fine wine rather than cheap beer - savor it.  Time Out London gave the show 5 stars and noted:

For all the hoo-hah about Netflix shifting the viewing paradigm from traditional television to streaming via computer or set-top box, it wouldn’t mean a thing if its content fell short. So far, Netflix has relied on buying in films and TV shows, but ‘House of Cards’ is its first self-made series. And, on the basis of the opening two episodes, it’s outstanding. Ian Richardson was always going to be a tough act to follow as the scheming politician at the heart of the original British series from the 1990s. Thankfully, Kevin Spacey is little short of impeccable in his place, bringing all his years of complex villainy to bear on Congressman Frank Underwood.

This is high praise from the Brits.  Of course, they also have a soft spot for Mr. Spacey, who has spent some time on the London stage.

SyFy Continuum: Good, Yet Awfully Familiar

If you have yet to watch last week's premiere episode of SyFy's new show Continuum, I recommend you take a look if you enjoy sci fi political intrigue, fast-paced action, and an updated version of The Bionic Woman (okay, a second updated version since NBC already tried it in 2007).  Here is the SyFy version of the new show:

When a group of fanatical terrorists escape their planned execution in 2077 by traveling back in time to 2012, they inadvertently take City Protective Services officer Kiera Cameron with them. Trapped in a more “primitive” past, Kiera infiltrates the local police department to try to track down the terrorists before they change the course of history. 

And here is what I saw in the first episode:   

• An interesting premise where the government failed to pay its bills and the corporations stepped in to save, and take over, said government.  Sound familiar?
• The new "country" is called Vancouver District within the North American Union.  This is due to the show being produced in Canada (and funded in part by the Canadian government, which I hope they can do without going into debt and needing a corporate bailout).
• A female lead who is eerily similar to a young Jodie Foster, married to a man who is eerily similar to a young Christian Bale.
• A futuristic world (2076) that is eerily similar to Caprica in that this peaceful future is being threatened by terrorists bombs.  Moreover, the terrorist bombing is eerily similar to the destruction of the World Trade Center.
• The return of Brian Markinson, who played detective Durham from Caprica investigating terrorist attacks, as detective Dillon of Continuum investigating terrorist attacks.
• A police station attack that is eerily similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger's shooting spree in the first Terminator film.   

Even with all of these similarities, or maybe because of them since it is creative repackaging, I will continue to watch the new series.  That said, the future version of the show struck me as the more interesting part of the series so far.  I hope flashbacks and other devices may allow us to learn more about the North American Union.  

While the show was originally created for the U.S. market, it was picked up by the Canadians after little interest in the States (you can read an interview with creator Simon Barry for more).  The show has already been approved for a second season in Canada, so SyFy will most likely continue with the new series if it finds a U.S. audience. 

TV This Week: Murder, Mayhem, and Other Wild Things

January continues to be a busy month of new shows as well as the return of old favorites.  Below I provide a small sampling:

-- Ripper Street (BBC America, premiering January 19, 2013):  This new 8-part series takes up a bloody old story set in the 1880s London.

-- The Following (Fox, premiering January 21, 2013):  Kevin Bacon stars in this new series that modernizes the mayhem of London, though the "theme" is Edgar Allan Poe.  Bacon is a a former FBI agent hunting down an escaped killer of 14 female students.  The new show it created by Kevin Williamson of The Vampire Diaries fame.  Williamson has moved from pretend monsters to modern day monsters.  I think I prefer the former.

-- Spartacus: War of the Damned (Starz, third season premiering January 25):  The third and final season of the Roman battles returns.  Starz provides a quick update:

Gaius Claudius Glaber is dead. Many months have passed since his defeat, and the rebel army, led by Spartacus and his generals Crixus, Gannicus and Agron, continue to amass victories over Rome. With the rebel numbers swelling to thousands of freed slaves, it has become a force that has started to challenge even the mighty armies of Rome. Spartacus is more determined than ever to bring down the entire Roman Republic. Following the death of Ashur, Naevia and Crixus fight as one with newfound strength and determination. And Gannicus, always seeking to embrace life to the fullest, shares his bed with the beautiful and dangerous Saxa. Together, the rebels engage in one bloody skirmish after another and prepare for the inevitable: a full out war with Rome. The Roman Senate turns to its wealthiest citizen, Marcus Crassus, for aid. A powerful, strategic politician, he respects his opponent and refuses to make the same mistakes Glaber and his predecessors have. With a young and fiercely competitive Julius Caesar as an ally, Crassus is determined to crush Spartacus and his rebellion. 

And if you are looking for a little less red meat, here are some science and travel shows that should keep you busy:

-- Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan (BBC America, premieres January 22, 2013):  Rested now from Lord of the Rings, Lost, and FlashForward, Dominic decides to take a break with this 8-episode program where he tours the world looking for exotic creatures.  BBC America provides a little bit of history on Dominic, including his private forest in India: 

Dominic’s passion for wild things developed long before his acting career began. As a child, he worked alongside his father – a teacher and biologist – and learned the proper way to handle, care for and appreciate the creatures of the wild. Never losing his love for insects and reptiles, Dominic owns a small forest in India, and has worked with the animal rights group PETA. He’d often be found bug hunting while on location in Hawaii while filming “Lost,” and his California home is purposely “infested” with a growing menagerie of rare beasts including two giant spiders, a darkling beetle, a Scolopendra, a gecko, and dozens of mammoth hawk moths. Dominic hopes to dispel the myths we have about these creepy crawly creatures, and shed new light on their importance to earth’s ecosystem. 

-- Edge of America (Travel Channel, premieres January 22, 2013):  If you are looking for something more local, you can always check out calf testicles.  Yes, that is the selling point of this new show (matched up with "fun") as highlighted by the Travel Channel: 

Calf testicle festivals in Oklahoma … lobster boat races in Maine … tall bike jousting in Oregon … Americans will do just about anything to entertain themselves, and arts and entertainment reporter Geoff Edgers wants to know why we do the things we do in the name of fun. 

It sounds like a remake of the BBC's Stephen Fry in America, which had an episode on a Maine fisher man who could hypnotise lobsters.  I think I may stick with the original.