Category: TV

50 Greatest TV Characters

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Recently CBSNews.com posted their choices for the 50 Greatest TV Characters.  Using just the characters from their list here is my top ten and 10 more who should have made the list:

  1. Lucy Ricardo: No matter what Lucy did, it always backfired, and just like Ricky, we were always ready to forgive her and come back for more.
  2. Vic Mackey: The greatest good bad guy in television history.  How could we find ourselves pulling for a guy who killed a good cop in cold blood in the very first episode?
  3. The cast of “Seinfeld”: The best tv comedy ensemble ever.
  4. Spock / Capt. James T. Kirk: Through in “Bones” McCoy and you have the best tv trifecta ever.
  5. Theodore “Beaver” Cleaver: The “Beav” when he was younger was a lot of fun… unfortunately he outgrew his cuteness before the series ended.
  6. Frasier Crane / Niles Crane: Totally believable as brothers and unbelievable funny [and I mean that in a good way].
  7. The Huxtables: The family that brought comedies back into vogue.
  8. Rico Tubbs and Sonny Crockett: The first year set the standard for tv, movies, and music videos.  Miami Vice’s influence was everywhere.
  9. Tony Soprano: The tough mob boss who couldn’t control his own family.
  10. Bob Hartley: Totally under-rated series lead.

Why weren’t these folks on the list?  James West, Cheyenne Bodie, Vinnie Terranova, Raylan Givens, Jack Bauer, Barnabus Collins, Rod Serling, Fred Sanford, Rob & Laura Petrie and Ralph Kramden & Ed Norton?

Stephen King May Join The Walking Dead

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Here’s a match made in, uh, heaven… Stephen King has confirmed to EW.com that he is in talks to script an episode of AMC’s hit series The Walking Dead.  Man, I would love to see that happen.  King and The Walking Dead’s executive producer, Frank Darabont, have a history of working together to create top notch entertainment [The Shawshank Redemption and The Mist] so odds are this will all work out.  I, for one, couldn’t be happier.

Powers Coming to FX

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Powers, the comic series [by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming] about cops in a world with super heroes and villains, has been given the green light.  The pilot is set to be directed by Michael Dinner [Justified, Sons of Anarchy]; with a script from Charles “Chic” Eglee, [The Walking Dead,The Shield ].   [Via CBR.com]

Sly Stallone Scores a Headshot

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  • Way back in October of 2008, I posted about a French crime comic called “Headshot” that had been optioned by Warner Bros.  “Headshot” was about a hitman and cop who, when their partners are killed, form an uneasy alliance to get revenge on the powers that set them up.  At that time, I said that I’d love to see an American edition of the comic and that I’d keep an eye out on the progress of the movie.
  • Today I’m happy to report that “Headshot” is moving forward with Sylvester Stallone playing one of the hitmen and Wayne “Running Scared” Kramer set to direct.
  • Here’s how /Film describes “Headshot”… In the film, Stallone’s character “teams with a young NYPD detective in a high-stakes investigation that leads from the dingy back alleys of New Orleans all the way to the power corridors of Washington, D.C. The unlikely duo, brought together by two vicious murders, take on all who stand in their way, and are willing to sacrifice everything to exact revenge.”
  • IM Global [the company making “Headshot”] CEO Stuart Ford said… “Headshot is exactly the type of fast-paced, universally themed project that suits our business model. Sylvester Stallone is an international icon and we’re really excited to be in business with him.”
  • “Headshot” is set to being filming in May and I couldn’t be happier.

TV Shows We Miss

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Recently Bits and Pieces ran a piece listing tv shows that have ceased production but would be welcomed if they returned.  Here is the list with my comments in [ ].

  • 24 [I totally agree.  I never missed an episode and would rather see it return to tv as a series or mini-series than go to the big screen as a movie.]
  • Hill Street Blues [Although I never missed Hill Street Blues back in the day, I think it’s time has passed.]
  • Cheers [Was a great show when it first started but ran it’s course.]
  • The Shield [I never missed an episode and would be a faithful viewer if The Shield returned.  It’d be interesting to see where life has taken Vic Mackey.]
  • Sopranos [Since I didn’t have HBO, I came to The Sopranos late.  I’m not even sure I’ve seen every episode, but I’d love to see it return.]
  • All in the Family [I used to watch it every week in the early years of it’s run.  Then when the cast started to leave, I lost interest.  Plus, what would the show have to do in this era to be controversial?]
  • Everybody Loves Raymond [This is another show I didn’t watch in it’s prime time run.  I do enjoy the reruns though.  If they could get the cast back together — Peter Boyle would be missed — it could work.]
  • Seinfeld [My all time favorite comedy.  I didn’t start right watching right away — who did? — but once I did, I never missed an episode.  If they could get the original cast back along with the show’s writers, could they catch lighting in a bottle again?  I don’t know, but I’d tune in to find out.]
  • Six Feet Under [Never watched it.]
  • NYPD Blue [Never watched it.]
  • The West Wing [Never missed an episode.  I’d tune in if it was brought back — even with a new cast, if the writing was as good.]
  • E.R. [I used to watch every episode until it became more of a soap opera than stories about the ER.]
  • 3rd rock From The Sun [It was fun and I’d tune in from time to time, but nah, for me, it ran it’s course.]
  • Police Squad! [If they could get Leslie Nielsen back, I’d tune in.  Zombies are in!]

Going way back

  • The Monkees [Loved the show as a kid, but unless you have the original Monkees, it’s not the same… and who wants to watch 4 zany 6o plus year old musicians?  Hey, maybe we’re on to something!]
  • Superman [Loved the show as a kid.  I’d tune in to check it out… especially if they did it in black and white and tried to recapture the feel of the original.]
  • Wild Bill Hickok [[Don’t remember ever seeing it.]
  • Sky King [Watched it as a kid and remember liking it.  Saw a clip as an adult and thought “time for a nap.”]
  • Dragnet [Times have changed and I thought it was slow back in the 60’s.]
  • Roy Rogers [Loved it as a kid.  Would tune in to check it out.]
  • Tonight Show with Johnny Carson [That show was fun… and as history has shown the magic could not be recreated]
  • Red Skelton Show [Another fun show.]
  • Carol Burnett Show [Part of the Saturday line-up that made CBS the network to watch!]
  • Dick Van Dyke Show [The supporting characters were the best… I loved that series!]
  • The Fugitive [It uh, ran it’s course.  A remake might be fun… as a mini-series.]
  • Get Smart [It was okay… could it be re-invented?  Ah, let’s do Police Squad instead!]
  • Hawaii Five-O [The new series was more fun than the original and I’ve already lost interest in it.]
  • Leave It To Beaver [ A classic when the Beaver was younger… not so much when he aged.]
  • Ozzie and Harriet [Never watched it.]
  • People Are Funny [Might have seen an episode or two…]
  • Laugh-In [A product of it’s times… and times have changed.]

What about The Wild, Wild West?  Cheyenne?  UC Undercover?

Justified / Walking Dead: Bring ‘Em Home

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If you’re a fan of Justified, then you may be interested in a the great bargain that Amazon is offering on Season One.  The complete first season on blu-ray is only 21.99 [56% off the retail price] and the regular dvd for the complete first season is just 19.99.

While we’re on the subject of excellent tv shows which are coming to dvd, let’s not forget that The Walking Dead: Season 1 dvd drops on March 8th.  Since season 2 won’t start until the fall, there’s a strong possibility that “Dead Heads” are going to want to pick up this one to ease their wait.

Before the Lights Go Out

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If you’re looking forward to the premiere of Lights Out, the new series on FX that premieres on January 11th, then you’ll probably want to check out the trailer below.  If you haven’t heard about Lights Out, give it a look and see if the show might be something you’d like.  Since you read this blog, there’s a good chance it will.

Falling Skies, Raising Expectations

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Have you seen this trailer for Falling Skies?  So, what’d you think?  Although I’m not sold from just seeing the preview, I do like the concept…

… FALLING SKIES opens in the chaotic aftermath of an alien attack that has left most of the world completely incapacitated. In the six months since the initial invasion, the few survivors have banded together outside major cities to begin the difficult task of fighting back. Each day is a test of survival as citizen soldiers work to protect the people in their care while also engaging in an insurgency campaign against the occupying alien force…

… and the people involved…

FALLING SKIES is executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, along with DreamWorks Television heads Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank, Graham Yost (Justified, The Pacific) and screenwriter Robert Rodat. Rodat, who earned an Oscar® nomination for his screenplay for Saving Private Ryan, wrote the pilot from an idea he co-conceived with Spielberg. Mark Verheiden (Heroes, Battlestar Galactica) and Greg Beeman (Heroes, Smallville) are co-executive producers. The pilot was directed by Carl Franklin (One False Move, Out of Time)…

The series stars: Noah Wyle, Moon Bloodgood, Drew Roy, and Colin Cunningham.