TV Guide: Part 3

And so, the final part of our network round-up is here. After this we'll look at some of our favourite shows in a lot more detail, but here are the last few networks that we're looking at.

Showtime
Sex, violence, swearing?: Oh yes. Showtime is a cable network.
Past programmes: An interesting mix. Stargate started here, and they co-financed The Outer Limits. Bryan Fuller's Dead Like Me had two troubled seasons, as did Masters of Horror. More conventional dramas include Huff, The L Word, Brotherhood, and Sleeper Cell.
On the air: Showtime boast three of the most popular cable shows. There's Jenji Kohan's Weeds, starring Mary-Louise Parker as a suburban single mom who starts dealing drugs, which is about to start it's sixth, increasingly dark, season. There's David Duchovny-starring Californication, about the sexual misadventures of a writer, which is going into its fourth season. The biggest hitter is Dexter, starring Michael C. Hall as the mild-mannered blood-spatter analyst who moonlights as a serial killer. Darkly funny and gripping, Dexter will soon be starting its fifth season. Other shows include Nurse Jackie, starring Edie Falco as a pill-popping nurse, Diablo Cody's The United States of Tara, starring Toni Collette as a the mother with multiple personalities, and The Tudors.
Upcoming: Laura Linney stars as a suburban mom with cancer in The Big C, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg will produce an as-yet untitled comedy about friends who run a porno store, Neil Jordan will produce Tudors-alike drama The Borgias, and there's a sci-fi series about synthetic people called Syns.
Must-see TV?: Yes, absolutely. Dexter is superb, recovering from a couple of wobbles during season three for an excellent fourth season. Diablo Cody has promised a better season two for United States of Tara, and Weeds and Californication are generally pretty solid.

Syfy
Sex, violence, swearing?: Frak no!
Past programmes: The network that used to be called Sci-Fi is, of course, best known for it's science fictions shows. Andromeda, Stargate and it's various spin-offs, Sliders, Farscape, and the best of the bunch, Battlestar Galactica. They also were responsible for the awful revamps of Flash Gordon and The Bionic Woman, Mystery Science Theatre 3000, Tremors, and The Invisible Man. Mini-series include the excellent The Lost Room, starring Peter Krause and Julianna Marguiles, the bizarre Tin Man, and the Battlestar Galactica mini-series that kick-started the full reboot.
On the air: Battlestar spin-off Caprica is getting great reviews, while Eureka is more of a niche-appeal show. Sanctuary, starring Stargate's Amanda Tapping, gets good viewing figures, as does Buffy writer Jane Espenson's Warehouse 13. There's also Stargate: Universe, which stars Robert Carlyle. The network also owns the rights to several shows that originally aired on other networks, such as Firefly, Dead Like Me, Lost, and many, many others. Syfy is making the unpleasant move into more reality programming, but the quality of their original programming is impressive.
Upcoming: The only upcoming show on their schedule is a live-action Star Wars series, with minor characters from the movies. George Lucas' lust for money continues unabated. Mostly, however, Syfy is just renewing their shows for more seasons.
Must-see?: Depends on your tastes. While Battlestar Galactica remains one of the best things to have happened to TV in the last decade at least, the rest of their shows are entertaining but not essential. Only Caprica seems to be on the verge of becoming something special.


TNT
Sex, violence, swearing?: No.
Past programmes: TNT has only started making their own programmes very recently, previously focusing on sports. Series to have only lasted one season include Heartland, starring Treat Williams, and Saved, starring Tom Everett Scott. Their high-point was the recently cancelled Saving Grace, starring Holly Hunter. They did have some success with miniseries, such as Spielberg-produced Into the West, and Stephen King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes
On the air: A bit better here. Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton, Christian Kane and Beth Riesgraf, is a fun series about master criminals robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. The Closer features Kyra Sedgwick yelling at criminals, while Dark Blue features Dylan McDermott as an undercover cop. TNT picked up cancelled NBC drama Southland for its second season, but its future is unclear. Comedy-wise, Men of a Certain Age, starring Scott Bakula, Andre Braugher, and Ray Romano, has been getting solid reviews
Upcoming: Another cop show called Bunker Hill, starring Bridget Moynahan and Donnie Wahlberg, and Alien Invasion, produced by Steven Spielberg, which we assume will do exactly what it says on the tin.
Must-see TV?: Not particularly. Leverage is good fun but aside from that there's nothing here that you'd miss.


USA
Sex, violence, swearing?: No.
Past programmes: Like TNT, USA has only started making shows fairly recently, but they've all been really quite popular. The Dead Zone ran for five years, and The 4400 got solid viewing figures. Their biggest hit was Monk, starring Tony Shalhoub as the obsessive compulsive detective.
On the air: Psych, starring The West Wing's Dulé Hill, plows the same ground as Monk with entertaining quirkiness. There's medical drama Royal Pains, In Plain Sight, which stars Mary McCormack as a US Marshal, and White Collar, about a con man who helps the FBI. Their flagship show is the very entertaining Burn Notice, which stars Jeffrey Donovan as a fired spy living in Miami trying to figure out who screwed him over. It has the not insignificant added bonus of featuring Bruce Campbell as one of the main cast.
Upcoming: Nothing very inspiring. Medical drama Operating Instructions, CIA drama Covert Affairs, and lawyer drama Facing Kate. Seriously, were these the best titles they could come up with? More interesting is Stiffs, which will be about a single dad juggling his commitment to his daughter with his job in a mortuary.
Must-see TV?: Not particularly. Like TNT, there's one good show (Burn Notice), then a lot of filler.


The CW
Sex, violence, swearing?: No. Although, after the watershed, they're not afraid of a bit of blood.
Past programmes: The CW has swallowed up The WB and UPN, taking it's programmes with it. This means that they broadcast Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, Reba, Everybody Hates Chris, and Reaper.
On the air: Somehow young Superman show Smallville is still going on. Gossip Girl, 90210, The Vampire Diaries, and One Tree Hill all focus heavily on the teen market, and are not within our realm of interest. Supernatural can be a lot of fun, or it can be terrible. It's a 50/50 shot, but it's popular enough to have been renewed for a sixth season.
Upcoming: There's an "Untitled Robert De Niro" drama in development, and something called Bitches in Britches, which we doubt will be as witty as its title.
Must-see TV?: Veronica Mars was great, but was cancelled after three seasons. Basically, Supernatural is the only thing worth watching here.


Well, the last three networks weren't great, were they? But anyway, that concludes our overview of TV networks. Soon we'll look at our favourite shows in more detail.

TV Guide: Part 2

The continuing TV guide!

CBS
Sex, violence, swearing: No. Although, with heavy involvement from Jerry Bruckheimer, many of the primetime drama have slow-motion, scantily-clad gun-fights and punch-ups.
Past programmes: Some of the biggest old shows: Dallas, The Incredible Hulk, Magnum P.I., T.J. Hooker, Hawaii Five-O, Mission Impossible, Walker Texas Ranger, Rod Sirling's classic The Twilight Zone, Lost in Space, The Jeffersons, M*A*S*H*, and lunch-time favourite Diagnosis Murder. More recently they had success with James Woods' legal drama Shark, and surprisingly watchable crime drama Numbers.
On the air: CBS is the network that spawned CSI and all it's spinoffs. It also has CSI-alikes Cold Case and NCIS, Criminal Minds, and supernatural dramas Ghost Whisperer and Medium (which it imported from NBC). There's acclaimed drama The Good Wife, for which Julianna Marguiles won a Golden Globe. Comedy-wise there's the geeky The Big Bang Theory, the inexplicably popular Charlie Sheen vehicle Two and a Half Men, although there's better fun to be had with both How I Met Your Mother (with Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan, and Jason Segel) and The New Adventures of Old Christine (starring Julia Louis Dreyfus)
Upcoming: Another Bruckheimer-produced drama, which is imaginatively titled Miami Medical. Bizarrely it stars Jeremy Northam. Early word is not good.
Must see TV?: Well, CSI used to be groundbreaking television. Now, it's actually amazing that they have three of them going and that they're all so average. Well, apart from CSI Miami, which is hilariously awful. Medium is occasionally excellent, and How I Met Your Mother is a lot of fun. You could do worse.


HBO
Sex, violence, swearing?: What, on HBO?
Past programmes: HBO got its start with shows like Tales From the Crypt and Mr Show, as well as airing stand up comedy specials. The network made a big impact with prison drama Oz and The Wire's precursor The Corner, but really found its feet with The Sopranos and Sex in the City. The Wire and Six Feet Under soon followed, bringing a huge amount of acclaim. They stretched their wings a little with period shows like Daniel Knaufe's Carnivàle and David Milch's Deadwood, which lasted two and three seasons respectively. Rome was briefly entertaining but lost its way, and Milch's John From Cincinatti sadly disappeared up its own arse after a few impressive episodes, and was cancelled after one series. They've had big successes with combat drama mini-series, with Band of Brothers and Generation Kill. They also aired Extras, and took our favourite New Zealand folk parody duo Flight of the Conchords into the mainstream.
On air: A lot of shows. Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm and Entourage are still going, as are dramas like Mormon drama Big Love and Gabriel Byrne-starring In Treatment. Everyone's favourite guilty pleasure True Blood is returning for a third series, and Thomas Jane's gigolo dramedy Hung secured a second season. We're very excited about second seasons for Danny McBride and Jody Hill's Eastbound and Down, and Jason Schwartzman/Ted Danson/Zach Galifianakis noir-comedy Bored to Death. They're also currently showing Band of Brothers follow-up The Pacific.
Upcoming: Two very big, star-studded series in the shape of Martin Scorsese-produced period gangster drama Boardwalk Empire, and David Simon's post-Katrina look at music in New Orleans Treme. Also on the way is Game of Thrones, a fantasy drama with Sean Bean and Lena Headey, and Stitch and Bitch, a comedy created by Juno herself: Ellen Page.
Must see TV?: Yes! HBO box-sets have been occupying our Christmas and birthday wish-lists for years. Their stunning programming at the start of the last decade is perhaps the biggest reason why TV has evolved.




NBC
Sex, violence, swearing?: No, no.
Past programmes: NBC is another one of the big broadcasting companies. They gave us Bonanza, Columbo, The A-Team, The Bionic Woman, Dragnet, Wings, Miami Vice, , ER, Homicide: Life on the Street, Knight Rider, LA Law, Quantum Leap, Quincy M.E., St. Elsewhere, the original V, The West Wing, 3rd Rock From the Sun, Cheers, The Cosby Show, Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Friends, Frasier, My Name is Earl, NewsRadio, Sanford and Son, Scrubs, Seinfeld, Taxi, and Star Trek. On the down-side, they cancelled shows like Southland, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Freaks and Geeks, Kings, Kidnapped, Journeyman, The Book of Daniel, Life, and My Own Worst Enemy (justifiable).
On air: A lot of good stuff. Somehow, Law and Order and its spinoffs are still going, as is Heroes (although that surely must be ending soon). Football drama Friday Night Lights and nerdy action sci-fi Chuck get rave reviews, if not necessarily massive viewing figures, but are definitely worth watching. New series include the star-studded Parenthood remake (Peter Krause, Craig T. Nelson, Lauren Graham), and medical drama Mercy. But NBC's best shows are its comedies. Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey's 30 Rock, The Office (which I actually think is funnier than the British version), Office-spinoff Parks and Recreation, and the hysterically funny Community.
Upcoming: Sci-fi Day One, Persons Unknown (about which little is known), and a new sitcom called 100 Questions. 30 Rock and Community have been confirmed for another season.
Must see TV?: Yes. While SNL is hit-and-miss, 30 Rock is still worth watching despite a slip in quality, and Community is just wonderful. Chuck and Friday Night Lights are up there with the best network dramas.

Well, this concludes part 2! Look out for part 3, which will include Showtime and TNT.

TV Review: Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour

So, we've finally seen the first episode of the new series of Doctor Who. A new show-runner in Steven Moffat, a new Doctor in Matt Smith, a new companion in Karen Gillan's Amy Pond, and new title music, title sequence and a new Tardis. And it's a pleasure to report that episode one of this new series is a success.
While it's certainly not on the same level as Moffat's contributions to previous series, it was never going to be. The Eleventh Hour is a chapter one; setting up a new story-line and introducing these new faces to viewers who were either sceptical about Matt Smith's ability to step into David Tennant's converses, and viewers like me, whose expectations were really rather high.

We start from where the last series left the Doctor, getting used to his new body while the Tardis crashes. It comes to earth in the garden of young Amelia Pond, a little girl who's home alone and scared of the crack in her wall. As the Doctor points out, "You're not scared of anything! Box falls out of the sky, man falls out of the box, man eats fish custard, and look at you! Just sitting there! So you know what I think? Must be a hell of a scary crack in your wall." They discover that the crack is dimensional, and "Prisoner Zero" has escaped through it. The Doctor realises that the Tardis is about to explode and runs out, promising to return in five minutes. When he gets back, he realises that more time has passed than he thought, and that Prisoner Zero is still very much a problem.

First of all, Matt Smith gives a very good performance. He's quirky and full of energy, but isn't just a collection of tics and mannerisms. He is "A mad man with a box", but he brings enough weight and seriousness to remind us that the Doctor isn't just a comic character. That said, this episode is fun. There's no mention of the last of the Time Lords, and while he is called lonely, it seems more of a friendly jibe than the maudlin refrain that it became towards the end of Tennant's run. Also impressive is Karen Gillan as the grown-up Amy Pond. She spends much of this episode angry at the Doctor for abandoning her as a child, and confusion over how exactly what she grew to believe was an imaginary friend has returned, but the chemistry between them is excellent, and she gives Smith a run for his money.

The monster plot, admittedly, isn't exactly classic stuff. It's set up to give us information about Amy Pond and the people in her life, including her boyfriend Rory, a friend called Jeff who needs to delete his internet history, and Annette Crosbie. It's fun enough, though, despite a dodgy CGI snake thing. The script has a good balance of gags to spookiness, and Patient Zero works well when using the form of real people, including Peep Show's Olivia Colman who does a good job handling the bulk of the evil exposition. There are a couple of sour notes, including a clumsy last minute revelation about Amy, but overall it's an excellent set-up that leaves us very excited for episode two.

The episode also ended with an extended preview of what we can look forward to in upcoming episodes, which includes Daleks and Cybermen, which I'm not thrilled about, and the return of Alex Kingston's River Song, the Weeping Angels, which I'm very excited about, and a guest appearance by Bill Nighy, which everyone should be excited about. Now that the introductions are out of the way, here's hoping that the ensuing series will be as good as the first chapter promises.

TV Guide: Part One

It's about ten years since we started to realise that it was fine to admit that we watched TV. Shows like The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, and 24 changed our expectations of what a television series could accomplish. Since then, several television networks have been striving to create their own must-see programmes and conquer the monopoly that HBO had, and still has to some extent. It used to be that only HBO had shows filled with sex, violence and foul language (Seemingly the holy trinity of the "It's not TV. It's HBO" ethos.). Now, networks like Showtime and FX are pushing boundaries. It's not just the quality of the shows themselves either. Advertising for televisions series has become more and more eye-catching, putting lackluster movie posters to shame.
We're going to be looking at several television series in detail, and talk about what they represent for the medium and how they compare to similar films. But to start with, we're going to look at each network and what they have to offer, and how they compare to each other

ABC
Sex, Violence, Swearing?: No. ABC is family friendly. Even the more adult-themed shows feature no cussing. Of course, after the watershed there will be a bit of violence but nothing HBO-worthy
Past programmes: ABC is one of the big networks, airing comedy, drama and sci-fi since the 1960s. Their impressive roster includes Twin Peaks, Alias, Ellen, Happy Days, Sports Night, Spin City, Pushing Daisies, Boston Legal, Kingdom Hospital, The Middleman, and the original Battlestar Galactica. This barely touches on the golden oldies like Charlie's Angels and The Addams Family. But how are they doing now?
On the air: Definitely skewed towards the mainstream. On the decent end of the scale we have Nathan Fillion-starring crime drama Castle, and family dramedy Brothers and Sisters. They're also responsible for some of the biggest shows on TV. JJ Abrams' Lost, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, the V remake, Ugly Betty, and Flashforward. But Lost, Grey's, Housewives, and Ugly Betty are all coming to an end. Flashforward and V were huge investments but have been critically scorned. Comedy-wise, ABC have Scrubs' creator Bill Lawrence's Cougar Town, starring Courtney Cox, and Modern Family
Upcoming: There's some promising darkness with Happy Town, in which a small town has it's first crime for months after a series of kidnappings, starring Sam Neill, Stephen Weber, and Amy Acker. Also coming soon is Copper, a less-starry, more generic sounding drama.
Must see TV?: Hmmm...Castle is good, silly fun, but it relies heavily on the chemistry between Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic. Otherwise we're really just waiting for Happy Town.



AMC
Sex, violence, swearing?: Yes, indeed. While Mad Men is pretty restrained, owing to its period setting, Breaking Bad is very much an adult show.
Past programmes: Not much. AMC seems to have only started making their own shows fairly recently
On the air: Ah, here is where it gets interesting. In 2007 AMC aired Mad Men, the 1950s set drama about ad men in New York. Now gearing up for it's fourth series, Mad Men drew critical acclaim and has entered into pop culture thanks to it's style and superb cast. In particular, it has catapulted blog favourite Jon Hamm onto the A-List.
AMC followed Mad Men with Breaking Bad in 2008. Now on its third series, Breaking Bad quickly drew similar levels of adoration as Mad Men, albeit at a slower pace. Starring Bryan Cranston (The dad from Malcolm in the Middle and sleazy dentist Tim Whately on Seinfeld) as a high school chemistry teacher Walter White, who starts cooking crystal meth when he discovers he has cancer, it's edgy, violent, and utterly compelling. It's also given Mad Men a run for its money in the awards stakes.
The network also made the surprisingly decent mini-series reworking of The Prisoner, staring Jim Caviezel and Ian McKellen. There were rumours about expanding it to a full series, but at the moment it doesn't look likely
Upcoming: AMC have committed to a full series for Frank Darabont's adaptation of popular graphic novel series The Walking Dead. This shows an impressive level of confidence, and, if it works, could well lead the way for more TV versions of comic books.
Must see TV?: Yes. Mad Men and Breaking Bad are two of the best shows around.


Fox
Sex, violence and swearing: No, it's not a cable company. The big hitters go by network guidelines.
Past programmes: Cancelled cult favourite Arrested Development, Malcolm in the Middle, That 70s Show, cancelled cult favourite The Tick, The Tracey Ullman Show, Judd Apatow's cancelled cult favourite Undeclared, our favourite cancelled cult favourite cartoon Futurama, King of the Hill, Ally McBeal, cancelled Nathan Fillion-starrer Drive, The OC, Prison Break, cancelled cult favourite Wonderfalls, cancelled cult favourite Dollhouse, The X-Files, Millennium, prematurely cancelled Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and, perhaps most importantly, cancelled cult favourite Firefly. If you think you see a pattern here, well done. There's a reason that Fox have earned the hatred of nerds everywhere. They commission great series, then cancel them. They also own the rights to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, both of which were originally broadcast on The WB.
Currently airing: Keifer Sutherland-starring 24, which is finally coming to an end, solid hits such as House, Lie to Me, and Bones, JJ Abrams' erratically excellent sci-fi Fringe, and this year's monster success Glee. They're also still the big animation network, with The Simpsons, Family Guy, and American Dad.
Upcoming: Not much. Maybe people are finally starting to realise that Fox isn't the safest place to be. We don't understand why they would invest so much in shows that show so much promise, then shut them down before they have a chance to get going.
Must see TV?: It would be foolish to write off Fox, and chances are you're probably already watching Glee. They've shown they're very good at capturing zeitgest shows, such as The X-Files, 24, The OC, Prison Break (so good in season 1, so bad afterwards), and House. But the best shows they have are currently on FX


FX
Past programmes: Not much of interest. FX has been around for a while as a spin-off of Fox, but has only recently been producing adult-themed, acclaimed shows. The first big one was The Shield, followed by the just-finished Nip/Tuck. Also no longer running are Courtney Cox tabloid drama Dirt, Andre Braugher-starring Thief, and Eddie Izzard/Minnie Driver con-men show The Riches.
Currently airing: Denis Leary's controversial firefighter drama Rescue Me has proved consistently popular and is going into season 6, and acclaimed legal drama Damages, starring Glenn Close, is currently in its third season. The big new things are the excellent biker crime drama Sons of Anarchy, starring Ron Perlman, which has just finished its second season, and just-premiered Justified, based on an Elmore Leonard book and starring Timothy Olyphant as a US Marshal forced to return to his home town. There's also the fantasy football comedy The League, and offbeat animated comedy Archer.
Upcoming: Not much at the moment, with Justified only very recently having started. Sons of Anarchy, The League, and Archer have all been given another season.
Must see TV?: Yes. Sons of Anarchy is very good, uncompromising television. Justified has a lot of hype and pedigree. However, Rescue Me went off the boil a while ago, and Damages is starting to get some iffy reviews.


Well that's it for part one. See you soon for part 2, where we'll look at NBC, HBO, and Showtime!

Television Stars We Want to Have A Decent Film Career: Part 1

It's become a well-known fact that movie stars seem to no longer have any hang-ups about appearing on, or even starring in, television shows. Since William Petersen and Kiefer Sutherland gave their flagging careers the kiss of life with CSI and 24 respectively, veteran actors like Gary Sinise, Anthony LaPaglia, Laurence Fishburne, Bill Paxton, James Woods, and Timothy Hutton have been drawn to the steady work and fan adoration that come from TV.
But this article is about the actors that we're primarily familiar with for their work on the telly. Specifically, the ones we want to have a good career in film. We would also like to add that there's nothing wrong with TV. I'm leaning towards agreeing with the critics who feel that the noughties were a much better decade for television shows than cinema. Anyway, enough explanation. Let's get on with it.


1. Jon Hamm
Seen as: Don Draper on Mad Men.
The star of AMC's flagship show Mad Men didn't exactly have a glittering CV before his role as Don Draper, with bit-parts in films such as Space Cowboys and We Were Soldiers. On Mad Men, Hamm gets to exhibit the kind of smooth charisma that is rarely seen on the big screen, let alone the small one. Morally ambiguous, slyly witty, and ultimately sympathetic despite all his many faults, advertising genius Don Draper is the kind of character leading men kill for. Hamm also proved that he could do funny in a great arc on 30 Rock as Liz Lemon's "Bubble"-bound boyfriend Dr. Drew Baird, so handsome that no one's ever told him that he's stupid. He's also been excellent on his guest hosting spots on Saturday Night Live.
Upcoming roles: Evil villain duties in Zack Synder's sure-to-be-crazy Sucker Punch, playing Jake Erlich in Ginsberg biopic Howl, and Ben Affleck's sophomore directorial effort The Town. Also, Mad Men series 4


2. Tina Fey
Seen as: Liz Lemon on 30 Rock
Before she created her own sitcom, Tina Fey was the head writer on Saturday Night Live, as well as writing and co-starring in the hilarious Mean Girls. With 30 Rock, UK audiences were made aware of her talents. The writing has been consistently excellent, and the ensemble cast is fantastic, but Fey's Liz Lemon is the heart of the show. Hilariously neurotic and prone to disaster, Lemon is the head-writer of an SNL-esque sketch comedy show. She has to manage a bunch of moronic narcissitic actors and her lazy writing staff while trying to have some kind of decent life for herself. She's hilarious, and often at her best when Liz decides to ignore her moral compass. Witness her attempts to fire the girlfriend of a man she likes, or her decision to frame naive page Kenneth. Tina Fey's also won pretty much every award going for her writing and her acting on the show. Likeable and funny, Fey will inevitably have a great big-screen career. We'd just like it to be sooner rather than later.
Upcoming roles: Starring alongside Steve Carell in the star-studded comedy Date Night, and more 30 Rock.


3. Nathan Fillion
Seen as: Captain Malcolm Reynolds on Firefly, Richard Castle on Castle
Fillion first endeared himself to couch potatoes everywhere with his turn as Malcolm Reynolds on the short-lived, much-mourned Firefly. Of the cast, he seemed the most poised for big-screen success, with the possible exception of Summer Glau. Funny and very capable of handling the tougher emotional scenes, Fillion was the standout of a very talented group. After Serenity got good reviews but low box-office, he landed the lead role in James Gunn's fun but poorly received creature feature Slither, then the less impressive White Noise 2, but gained some indie kudos with his performance in Adrienne Shelley's Waitress. None of these parts particularly propelled Fillion to stardom, and he soon ended up back on TV. Fox cancelled Drive after only a few episodes, but he's currently getting good viewing figures as roguish crime author Richard Castle, who trails police around to get ideas for a new book. The show's better than it sounds, but it would be nice if Fillion could get a part in a film that people actually go and see.
Upcoming roles: More Castle and Dr. Horrible, and a supporting part in James Gunn's superhero comedy Super


4-5. Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader
Seen on: Saturday Night Live
SNL has just as often been the last good thing on a comedian's resume as it has been the springboard for success in movies. For every Will Ferrell there are about five castmembers who have essentially vanished into obscurity. While the current line-up on the show is certainly strong, the writing has been getting weaker. Pretty much the only two cast members guaranteed to make you laugh are Bill Hader and Kristin Wiig. The former made a name for himself with impressions of actors like Vincent Price and Al Pacino, but has also proved just as comfortable in more straight-ish skits. Wiig seems to be the show's go-to for almost every female character, after the departure of Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, and Amy Poehler left her the only regular who wasn't a guy. Some of the pressure has been taken off her this series, but her versatility continues to shine through. Both Hader and Wiig have yet to headline their own films (although production is about to start on "Untitled Kristin Wiig Comedy), but have been making impressions in minor roles for a few years now, and both pop up regularly in Judd Apatow movies. High points on their CVs include Hot Rod, Superbad, and Pineapple Express for Hader, and Knocked Up, Walk Hard, and Extract for Wiig.
Upcoming roles: Wiig has SNL spin-off film MacGruber, Date Night, and a dramatic role in All Good Things. Hader is rumoured to be writing a horror film, and both are appearing in Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's new comedy Paul.



Be back soon with part 2!

The Dollhouse Memorial List Part 2: Jonny's Top 5 Cancelled TV Shows

Following Ben's idea to write a top 5 cancelled TV shows list, I decided to strike out with blazing originality, and write my own. Yes, that's how we do things around here. So, here are my five unjustly terminated small-screen programmes.

1. Firefly (2002-2003)
This is the one that is still pretty much the benchmark of unfair cancellations. Nerds everywhere still get angry about Firefly being shut down, myself included. Joss Whedon's superb space western show lasted an all-too-brief 14 episodes, only 11 of which were aired. Those 11 were shown out of order. And Fox wondered why ratings were low. The show's merry band of smugglers, led by war veteran Malcolm Reynolds (Fillion), move from job to job, struggling to keep ends meet and keep flying. Oh and there's the evil alliance, who are hunting down River and Simon Tam who are being sheltered on board. Yes, it's kind of a niche show, but the DVD sales were enough to convince Universal to pay for feature film version Serenity, which was just as excellent. It's my favourite Whedon series, and it introduced us to the talents of Nathan Fillion and Summer Glau, and made cult heroes out of Adam Baldwin and Alan Tudyk. The dialogue was fantastically quotable, the characters wonderfully well-drawn, and it achieved the rare feat of making a show about smugglers on a spaceship feel both intimate and thrilling. From Fillion's Captain Mal and Baldwin's not-too-bright muscle Jayne, to Jewel Staite's shiny happy mechanic Kaylee and Glau's damaged-but-deadly runaway River, we cared about each of the great characters. Why can't we have more?
Best episode: Either "Jaynestown", in which Jayne (the ship's muscle) finds out that he's a Robin Hood-esque folk hero to an oppressed small town, or "Objects in Space", where a mercenary gets more than he bargained for while trying to abduct River.
Best quote: That's tough. Everyone gets great lines in Firefly. River: "I can kill you with my brain". Jayne: "I get ten percent! Let me do the math here, ten percent of nothin'...nothin' and a nothin' , carry the nothin'...
Why it was cancelled: Not enough people watched it. And Fox are the devil
Sum it up: "We're still flying" "That's not much." "It's enough."


2. Arrested Development (2003-2006)
This is one of those shows which got a huge amount of critical acclaim, but too few viewers. Star Jason Bateman described AD as "The Royal Tenenbaums meets Cops", which is an accurate distillation of the combination of witty family feud driven dialogue and the documentary-style hand-held camera work. Bateman played Michael Bluth, the only normal-ish member of the spoiled Bluth clan who lost all their money. It made stars out of Bateman, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, and David Cross and has created the kind of fanatical following that only a cancelled cult show can. Comparisons to Seinfeld are completely justified, as are comparisons to the still-running 30 Rock. It's wacky, and the third series was admittedly too wacky for its own good, but it was tempered with awkwardly believable situations, great characters and dialogue that is more quotable than Firefly. Now, what network was this on again?
Best episode: I'm going with "Pier Pressure", in which Michael and Gob suspect Michael's son George Michael (Cera) of smoking marijuana and decide to teach him a lesson.
Best character: It's a tie between Michael's magician (and ex-stripper) brother Gob (Arnett), and his hapless therapist turned aspiring actor brother-in-law Tobias (Cross). Michael's parents (Jeffrey Tambor and Jessica Walter) come a close second though.
Why it was cancelled: Not enough viewers. Oh and Fox are the devil
Sum it all up: "There's been a lot of lying in this family"
"And a lot of love"
"More lies"


3. Deadwood (2004-2006)
David Milch's foulmouthed Western couldn't have really been made at any other network than HBO. It was expensive, defiantly adult and even more defiantly literary. The dialogue was often deliberately oblique, and sometimes the cusses were almost the only comprehensible words. But it had one of the best casts on TV, led by Ian McShane, proving he was more than Lovejoy with his blistering performance as Gem Saloon owner, murderer, pimp, and civic minded Al Swearengen. He was backed up by Timothy Olyphant (ostensibly in the lead) as the Sheriff with a short fuse Seth Bullock, Brad Dourif as the town Doc, Powers Boothe as Al's rival, John Hawkes as Seth's partner Sol Starr, Molly Parker as the heroin-addicted widow Alma Garrett, Garret Dillahunt playing not one but two muderers, and Keith Carradine as the legendary Wild Bill Hicock. Milch showed the west as it was: dangerous, blood-soaked, disease-ridden. Like Unforgiven, the characters cling to what they know as the march of progress threatens to replace them with a greater evil. The show occasionally got too involved with the Machiavellian workings of the town as it struggled to give up its non-Union status and become part of a state, but when it gained momentum it was superb.
Best character: Al Swearengen. Without a doubt.
Best quote: "Now, here's my counter offer to your counter offer - go fuck yourself!"
Best episode: Either "Suffer the Little Children", in which two con-artists get a brutal lesson, or "A Lie Agreed Upon Part 1", if only for Al's bloodsoaked greeting to Bullock's wife: "Welcome to fuckin' Deadwood!"
Why it was cancelled: Ratings weren't high enough for the very expensive show.
Sum it all up: "Don't I yearn for the days when a draw across the throat made fucking resolution"



4. Angel (1999-2004)
Yup, it's another Joss Whedon show. Given that he created Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you'd have thought that Fox would cut him some slack. No such luck. That being said, Angel had the longest run of any of the series on this list with a full five series. Unlike Firefly, there's a lot of episodes to watch and immerse yourself in. Angel was one of those rare things: a very good spinoff. Taking the character of Angel (David Boreanaz), the-vampire-with-a-soul, from Buffy and moving him to LA where he founds what is essentially a PI service with Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), another second-string Buffy character, and an Irish half-demon sounds like a bad joke. But it worked. Admittedly, it wasn't until the second and third series that Angel really settled into a groove with the addition of Giles-esque Wesley (Alexis Denisof), significantly altered from his Buffy incarnation, ditsy nerd Fred (Amy Acker) and vampire hunter Gunn (J. August Richards). Things got very shaky with the addition of Angel's angst-ridden teen son Connor in series 4, but they got rid of him for series 5 and brought punk vampire Spike (James Marsters) in from Buffy in an inspired stroke. The show was cancelled halfway through series 5 and the last episodes do seem a little rushed, but they are among the show's best. Acker is especially good as Fred and warrior goddess Illyria, Denisof comes into his own in the last series, and Marsters gives the series the sense of humour it needed so desperately.
Best character: Up until series 5, I'd say Wesley or Fred. Series 5, it's a tie between Spike and Illyria. I do dearly love the scenes in which Spike has to test her abilities. "She can hit like a Mack truck, selectively alter the flow of time, and, er, possibly talk to plants." "I enjoy hitting Spike. He makes noise."
Best quote: Spike: "You're a wee little puppet man!"
or
Spike: "This next one's called "The wanton folly of me mum"!"
Best episode: Either Smile Time, in which Angel is turned into a puppet, or A Hole in the World, in which Whedon shows us that he's prepared to kill off the nicest character even if it makes us cry.
Why it was cancelled: Dropping viewing figures. And because Fox are the devil

5. Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000)
Before Judd Apatow was the Grand Lord General of Hollywood comedy, he was the producer of this much-loved but short-lived high-school comedy set in 1980. Deliberately and lovingly focussed on the kids who serve as the butt of jokes on most high-school shows, it deserved much more attention and a longer run than the one series gave it. Starring Linda Cardellini as Lindsay Weir and John Francis Daley as her younger brother Sam, it was about both of their groups. Lindsay is a maths geek who decides to become one of the stoner gang (the freaks), including Daniel Desario (James Franco), Nick Andropolis (Jason Segel) and Ken Miller (Seth Rogen), and Sam is a nerd who is trying to get the girl of his dreams with the help of his two friends Bill Haverchuck (Martin Starr) and Neal Schweiber (Samm Levine). Freaks dealt with traditional issues like the first beer and the first kiss in a way that wasn't old and tired, and also gave us heartbreaking situations like Neal finding out that his dad who he admires so much is having an affair. It was as funny as the best teen comedies and touching in a way that noughties youth indies couldn't match.
Best episode: Either "The Garage Door", with Neal's discovery, or "Chokin' and Tokin'", in which Lindsay smokes weed and allergic Bill is fed peanuts by a bully and falls into a coma.
Best character: Either the so-uncool-he's-cool Harris (Stephen Lea Sheppard) or hippie guidance counsellor Jeff Rosso (Dave "Gruber" Allen).
Best quote: Jeff Rosso: "What do you want me to do, to do for you, to see you through?" Guidance through Grateful Dead!
Why it was cancelled: No one was watching it.
Sum it all up: Nick: "Look, these teachers...these teachers want us to work, you know? And I say fine...I'll work. But you gotta let me do the kind of work that I wanna do. And for me, Lindsay, it's my- it's my drum kit, man. This my passion, you know? This is- this is the essence of who I am now. But before I had this, I was lost too. You see what I'm saying? You need to find...your reason for- for living, man. You've got to find, your big, just gigantic drum kit, you know?"

In memoriam: Dollhouse - 2009-2010

"I know you've heard colorful rumors about what an 'Active' is. Robots, zombie slaves — they are, of course, quite the opposite. The 'Active' is the truest soul among us."

It always seemed inevitable that Dollhouse would be cancelled. When it was announced that Joss Whedon would be making his latest series at Fox, Whedonites started a website campaigning to save the show before a single episode aired. Looking back now with some perspective, how will Dollhouse be remembered? In the larger context of Whedon's work, the series is probably the least successful, coming in a long way behind Buffy, Angel, and Firefly. But at its best, Dollhouse was miles ahead of genre shows currently on television.

The idea for Dollhouse apparently came about during a lunch Whedon had with Eliza Dushku, when they discussed possible ideas for a vehicle for her. The premise, at least in the week-to-week sense, is fairly simple. The dollhouse is a secret worldwide organisation which brainwashes beautiful young people into "Actives", and hires them out to wealthy clients, having programmed them to be whatever the clients want. When they return, they are wiped clean and spend their days in a child-like, memory-free state while they wait for their next assignment. The Los Angeles dollhouse is run by glamorous Brit Adelle DeWitt (Olivia Williams), with staff including amoral genius Topher Brink (twitchy and funny Fran Kranz), short-tempered security chief Laurence Dominic (Reed Diamond), scarred and sympathetic Dr. Claire Saunders (Amy Acker), and tough-but-gentle handler Boyd Langton (an excellent Harry Lennix. Apart from the fact that FBI agent Paul Ballard (over-earnest Tahmoh Penikett) persists in searching for them, everything is running smoothly. If one of the dolls malfunctions, they're sent to the attic. But one of the dolls, Echo (Dushku), starts to remember her assignments and retains the skills she is given.

This being a Joss Whedon show, there's a big bad company that will bring about the end of the world, the very different characters end up banding together to form a makeshift family, and the dialogue is often excellent. When Dollhouse picks up speed, it's snappy, gripping television. But when Dollhouse was bad, it was infuriating.
So what's wrong with it? Well, it got off to a bad start. We were told by the makers that Dollhouse episode 1 would not be the pilot, instead it would be a "mission of the week" installment which aired amid a howl of anguish from the wronged Whedonites. And while we got some nice insight into the workings of the Dollhouse (a theme that would continue to be very strong), the story, about Echo being programmed to be a hostage negotiator, was frankly dull. Echo's plotline was not interesting, and it was the A plot. Episode 2 introduced the big bad Alpha, but kept him offscreen while giving us a Most Dangerous Game storyline in which Dushku was chased around a national park by Matt Keeslar. Nothing we hadn't seen before. The next episode would prove to be the show's worst hour: Echo is programmed to be a backup singer/bodyguard for a pop diva whose stalker may turn deadly. It's one of the worst things Whedon has ever been associated with. The next two mediocre episodes were frankly a relief. But that's five sub-par episodes in a row. Not how you want a TV show to start, especially one that most people are convinced won't last long.

Then, suddenly, Dollhouse got good. Whedon issued a statement telling fans to wait for episode 6, which he said would finally get the plot going and introduce what he was actually trying to with the show. Sure enough, "Man on the Street" was what we were hoping Dollhouse would be. Clever, with adult themes, and moral ambiguity. This rise in quality continued with "Echoes" and "Needs", which pushed the arc forward. Dollhouse was now a must-see. The last two aired episode, "Briar Rose" and "Omega", finally introduced Alpha, a wonderfully psychotic Alan Tudyk, who showed us just how wrong the dolls can go. The slow build gave way to sudden, shocking violence. While the ending was a little rushed, we were left hoping for a second series.

But nobody thought that Fox would bring Dollhouse back for a second series. Yes, the reviews had gone from indifferent to enthusiastic, but the viewing figures were still low. It didn't help that Fox decided not to air "Epitaph One", the last episode of the series. The episode was set in the future and we were shown how technology created by Topher led to the apocalypse. Characters were changed, switched around. Topher was a hysterical wreck, and Adelle had become a motherly figure to him and the others who had barricaded themselves inside the dollhouse against the outside world. in an episode that was both scary and fun in a postapocalyptic way. It was geniunely exciting, it gave us clues as to the final end of the show, and we had to wait for the DVD to get it. But then Fox announced that Dollhouse would be coming back for another thirteen episodes, and we got all excited again.


We hoped that Dollhouse had got over the troughs in quality that the first series had suffered from, but we were wrong. The start of the second series was very much a mixed bag. Amy Acker, so good as the scarred Dr. Saunders in the first series, was no longer a regular. For every good episode (Belle Chose and Belonging were superb), there was an Instinct. Good guest stars (Keith Carradine, Ray Wise, Summer Glau) couldn't help make episodes like The Public Eye much more interesting. As Christmas approached, Fox announced that they would be airing two episodes back to back two weeks running. Then they announced that Dollhouse would not be coming back for a third series.

And just like that, Dollhouse kicked back into gear. The pace was, necessarily, tightened, as the overlong government conspiracy plotlines were condensed to make room for as much character and plot development as possible in the time available. Topher develops a moral compass! Whose side is Adelle on? And what's in the attic? The last six episodes were fantastic.

Perhaps most importantly, Whedon had time to wrap up the series. Unlike his other shows, he has said he has no intention of a comic book spinoff, or any attempts to revive it. Dollhouse is finished, and it finished well. But maybe the overwhelming feeling about Dollhouse is disappointment and a sense of a missed opportunity. It got two series, one more than Firefly. It was given time to tie up most of the loose ends. And, with Epitaph Two, it had two episodes set in the future, meaning that both present and future plot-lines were resolved, which is pretty cool.

So what was the best part of Dollhouse? No, not Echo. Frankly, I found Dushku, her missions of the week, and her relationship with Ballard pretty tedious. Strange that the apparent main plot-line of the series was the least interesting. No, the best part was the dollhouse itself. The really interesting arc was never Echo's, with her struggle to bring the dollhouse down with her accumulated memories. No, the best was the power struggle between the LA dollhouse staff and their employers, the evil Rossum corporation. The dollhouse itself had so many interesting areas that were underexplored. That said, at least we finally got to see the attic

The best characters were the ones within the system. Olivia Williams was superb as Adelle DeWitt, consistently keeping us guessing as to who exactly she was playing for and showing impressive comic timing to go with icy mercilessness. Fran Kranz was a revelation as Topher, who slowly begins to realise that his actions will cause the apocalypse and discovers that he does care. Also impressive finds were Dichen Lachman and Enver Gjokaj as dolls Sierra and Victor. Both manage to do more with their different personalities than Dushku in much less screentime, and get two of the best episodes dedicated to their burgeoning romance. Oh, and Gjokaj does an excellent impression of Fran Kranz. Amy Acker was also great, despite being only an occasional presence, but makes the most of her screentime. Another Angel alum, Alexis Denisof, fares worse in a tedious run of episodes as Senator Perrin who is trying to expose the Rossum corporation, although Summer Glau was a very welcome guest star as Topher's opposite number in Washington, Bennett Halverson.

This is somewhat rambling, but it's difficult to sum up how I feel about Dollhouse' cancellation. In a way it's good that it got wrapped up. It sounds cruel, but when they were under pressure the writing seemed to be so much better. But then again, the show had so much potential. I'm going to miss tuning in to watch Adelle's scheming, Topher's panicked ideas, Gjokaj's hilarious performances when being inhabited by Topher. When Dollhouse was good, it ranked with Whedon's best work. But it was too inconsistent. At least it went out with a bang. And how do you know that you care about a television show? When characters are hurt or killed, and it upsets you. Nobody does that like Whedon, and hey, I cared about these characters.

Best Whedon moment: Subliminal messaging. "There are three flowers in a vase...the third flower is green". That, and the invention of the word "thoughtpocalypse"

Best character: It's a tie between Adelle and Topher. Both Williams and Kranz got the biggest emotional arcs of the characters. For the most part Williams did icy menace while Kranz did comic relief, but check out "Echoes", in which their characters are reduced to a childlike state. Topher: "What's brown sauce made of? Science doesn't know!" Adelle: "It's made of brown!" Topher: "Brown...mined from the earth by the hard scrabble miners of North Brownderton!" Adelle: "My god...I find lentils completely incomprehensible!"

Best violent shock: Tough call, but right now I'm going with the flashback where we see Alpha flip out and first leave his signature on his victim's face. "Let Echo be number one"

Best episode: Damn tricky. I'm going with Needs. Or Spy in the House of Love. Or The Attic. Or Epitaph One. Or Getting Closer, and The Hollow Men...............

Worst episode: Stage Fright. No contest.

One line to sum it all up: "You don't know me! That's the contract. You don't know me, and I don't know you, not fully, not ever! I made you a question. I made you fight for your beliefs. I didn't make you hate me. You chose to."

The Dollhouse Memorial List - Top 5 Cancelled TV Shows

As Jonny has pointed out so well in his rather fabulous article, we said goodbye to yet another Joss Whedon show. Instead of grieving, we should celebrate! And how do we celebrate best? With lists! So here are my top five TV shows cancelled before their time.

5) Star Trek (1966-9)

What with the mass success in spin-off series, motion pictures, t-shirts, video games, action figures and fake languages, it's easy to forget that the originally series of Star Trek was axed after only three seasons. It had to pilot twice for Christ's sake! It has to be said however, I'm not a huge fan of TOS; it hasn't dated terribly well, the episodes are usually over-long and still underdeveloped, however, it does has a wonderful energy about it that some of its successors don't. Where as some later sci-fi shows took themselves a bit too seriously, I don't think that comment can ever be aim at the original Star Trek. Also, I don't think we'll a show do so well out of being cancelled. Even Friends couldn't get a spin-off to work, Star Trek has four (official ones at least - we'll never be able to count the fan made features).


4) Clerks: The Animated Series (2000)

My bizarre up-down relationship with Kevin Smith continues! Back in the days when Mr Smith could do no wrong in my eyes (1994-2004), ABC played two episodes of Clerks: TAS before cancelling it. This would make sense if the, for lack of a better word, colourful language of the feature film was brought to life in glorious cartoon form, but it wasn't. Instead, the show plays like a mash-up of Kim Possible and other later Disney TV series, combined with the, albeit tamed, familiar humour from the View Askew films. In fact, the extent to which this show is child-friend almost adds to the surrealness. There is no swearing, no adult situations, even New Jersey's favourite dope dealers, Jay & Silent Bob don't peddle drugs but rather illegal fireworks. Six episodes is really not enough, especially when considering that everyone seems on the top of their game here - the animation is top notch, Smith's writing has rarely been better or more satirical (although that may have something to do with the inclusion of ex-Seinfeld scribe David Mandel) and the voice cast hit all the right notes. The show makes me nostalgic for things that could have been. Had Jeff Anderson and Kevin Smith not had a huge falling out after Clerks, imagine what else they could have done together! Anderson's deft comic ability is just incredible, had they not fallen out, this man could have been Jason Lee. Think about it. Also, look out for Alec Baldwin's turn as the Clerks' nemesis, Leonardo Leonardo.


3) Arrested Development (2003-6)
Okay, I'm sure Jonny's going to put this down as well, but screw him! I'm my own man and I'll put it down if I want to! *ahem* The fact is that I don't believe there has ever been a more talented ensemble cast for a comedic television show. Even further than that, there have been few shows as sharply and consistently written then Arrested Development. Its ability to be simultaneously topical and irrelevant is something to be in awe of, but more impressive is the very subtle foreshadowing of major plot points, ultimately making each repeat viewing surprisingly fresh. It may have launched the one-role career of Michael Cera, but how could I not forgive it? In terms of quality, this should probably be further up my list but, to be honest, after three (well, two and a half) seasons, it feels incredibly well wrapped up. Sure, there are probably more laughs to be had with the Bluth family, but there are other shows out there that deserved more of a chance to shine.


2) My So-Called Life (1994-5)
Like this for instance. With all respect to John Hughes, his films never had the emotional resonance with me that they did for many other people. I didn't get through my teenage years with the Breakfast Club or Ferris Bueller. Instead, I had My So-Called Life. I'm not going to pretend that I went to a high school with a gun problem or had friends that were living on the streets, the plot of the episodes are almost a secondary feature. The main event, as it were, is the accurate portrayal of teenage emotions. Like Angela Chase, I grew up in a really stable household and also like her, I sometimes wanted to find faults with it - what teenager doesn't? But having revisited the show since those heady days, what really sticks out is how trivial really everything is. Listening to Angela, her biggest problems are on the whole silly in retrospect but, like many of my teenage problems, seemed so important at the time. After one season, I'd just fallen in love with all the characters (even Brian), but there was no conclusion to the story, no closure. Ironically, it may even be better that way, but one more visit to Chase's house should have happened.


1) Twin Peaks (1990-1)
What can I say that hasn't all ready been said, spun backwards, phonetically recited and then spun backwards again. All I'm going to say is that this show was heading to an explosive third season: How much damage will Bob do? Will the town folk stop him? Will Agent Cooper ever be free? What could have been a great good versus evil showdown never happened - even the feature film spin off looked backwards. Oh Diane, will we never see those wonderful trees again? Take it away, Man from Another Place.