Cool Clip: Upstairs Downstairs Abbey
Aug 2nd
If you’ve been following the TCA conference out in LA these last few days you’ll probably have heard quite a few stories regarding British period dramas Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs.
At the PBS panel the network proudly discussed the upcoming second seasons of both shows and how they’ve both become bona fide hits for the channel. Season 2 of Downton arrives in January 2012, a few months after its UK premiere.
As regular Remote Patrolled readers know I’m a HUGE Downton Abbey fan – but I do think PBS is totally the wrong home for the show. Chances are most of you barely know the series exists – which is a real shame as Downton is as good as the likes of Mad Men and Game of Thrones in my opinion. But typical poor promotion and the fusty ‘Masterpiece’ slot on PBS don’t help spread the word…
Anyway, while reading about the new season I caught these terrific clips from this year’s Comic Relief which parodies both Downton and Upstairs Downstairs brilliantly. The clips are a few months old but somehow they slipped under my radar – but they have to be seen, especially if you’re a fan of either show!
This is what British comedy does best – the More >
Take The Poll: Which Summer Show Most Deserves A Second Season?
Aug 1st
Once again it’s been a tough summer for the broadcast networks!
Last year Fox, CBS and notably ABC pushed for scripted programming – resulting in a series of costly misfires like The Good Guys, Scoundrels and The Gates.
So this year the networks largely went all unscripted, all the time. But the results haven’t exactly been earth-shattering – with all of the new shows struggling in the ratings and facing an uncertain future.
But which show deserves a second shot next summer. Take a look at the options below and pick the show you’d MOST like to see come back for a second season.
Don’t forget to vote via the Poll Section in the left hand side bar.
Coming Soon: Take The Money And Run
Aug 1st
When Does It Start: Tuesday 2nd August at 9pm EST on ABC
In A Nutshell: Reality goes cops and robbers…
What’s It About: Could you hide $100,000 for 48 hours? Where would you put it? And could you hold up under questioning?
That’s the dilemma facing contestants on Take The Money And Run, the latest reality show from the creators of The Amazing Race. Each team of two is given a suitcase containing $100,000 that they have one hour to hide – and then must keep hidden for two days. But a crack team of real life detectives are in pursuit and if they find the cash the players get nothing!
First Look: Kelsey Grammer in Boss
Jul 31st
Hmm, looks like someone is going the Ted Danson route!
Yep, following in the footsteps of his Cheers co-star who re-energized his career with a serious and sensational turn on Damages, Kelsey Grammer is leaving the sitcoms behind for a much darker role in the upcoming Boss.
Kelsey plays the Mayor Of Chicago, who’s diagnosed with a degenerative mental condition that only he and his doctor knows about (sounds a bit like The Big C to me). Friday Night Lights vet Connie Nielsen plays Grammer’s wife and the pilot is directed by Gus Van Sant – pretty impressive!
The teaser trailer doesn’t exactly reveal much but however it turns out – it can’t fare worse than Back To You and Hank, Kelsey’s recent comedy misfires that lasted just 14 and 5 episodes respectively…
Boss starts on October 21st on Starz… so will you be watching?
Ratings Roundup: 30th July 2011
Jul 30th
Winners and Losers From The Last 7 Days
WINNERS
ABC FAMILY: While the broadcast networks seem to have thrown in the towel this summer (is the CW still breathing?), there’s lots of ratings action going on in the cable world. Case in point, ABC Family, who’ve steadily built themselves a fervent teen fanbase.
Switched At Birth, following a big cliffhanger last week, saw its ratings soar by 30% to an impressive 3.14 million viewers and a 1.3 18-49 share. Also holding on well – The Secret Life Of The American Teenager, with 2.89 million and a 1.2 share. And though it’s slipped a little recently, Pretty Little Liars is still doing well with 2.35 million and a 0.9 youth demo.
But it’s not ALL good news for ABC Family… check out our Losers column for more! (more…)
Before They Were Big: Ryan Gosling Is Young Hercules!
Jul 29th
It’s time for another movie star flashback – this time featuring Crazy, Stupid, Love star Ryan Gosling…
Most people know that Ryan’s first big break was on The Mickey Mouse Club – the series that also famously launched Britney, Christina and Justin…
But Mickey wasn’t Ryan’s only notable early role. 3 years after he left the Club in 1998, Ryan headed to New Zealand to star as the title character in Young Hercules, a sword and sandals series from Sam Raimi, who also oversaw the adult Hercules and Xena: The Warrior Princess (and the current Spartacus)
Though Young Hercules only made it to one season, it was a super-size series – comprising of 50 episodes in total – all filmed for an amazing $20 million TOTAL! That’s some crafty TV making. The effects came courtesy of Weta Workshop, the New Zealand based effects house that would go on to win Academy Awards for their work on the Lord of the Rings movies…
The show ran on the Fox Kids network and attracted a passionate and devoted young female audience (I wonder why). Even back then Gosling was turning heads – though as anyone who’s watched the likes of The Believer, Half Nelson and Blue Valentine knows, he’s More >
2011 Fall TV Preview: Terra Nova
Jul 28th
It’s that time of the year again – where we start looking ahead to the upcoming Fall Season. Yep, we’re starting extra early this year as there are a LOT of new shows to get through – partly because the last TV season didn’t produce a single stand out hit!
So how will this season’s new shows fare? To kick us off here’s one of the most hyped and eagerly awaited shows of the year, Fox’s Terra Nova…
Quick Take: America’s Got Talent – Hollywood Week Three
Jul 27th
Week three of the America’s Got Talent ‘live’ shows and…
Hold on, can we first of all stop calling them ‘live’ shows. ‘Live’ means live – and yet you can clearly see AGT is full of screen wipes and edits, indicating a show that’s been shot earlier in the day and then tweaked. It may be ‘almost live’ but that’s not the same thing. Okay – got that off my chest!
Back to the show and once again it was obvious who rose to the top – and who came up short – so here’s my pick of the four acts going through to the Semi Finals…
Mariah Carey Hits HSN: Come See The Crazy!
Jul 26th
Oh Mariah, what have you become?
Check out this compilation of moments of Mariah Carey as she paid a visit to HSN over the weekend to plug her latest fashion and jewelery lines. It’s four minutes of pure diva…
There’s Mariah giving instructions to the camera crews, constant complaining about her recent pregnancy and the general self obsession we’ve come to expect from the multi-octave diva!
Here’s my take! I was quite a fan of Mariah in the early Vision Of Love days, before her music became too hip-hop and over-produced. But the Mariah of then is worlds apart from the Mariah of now.
I like a bit of diva and some crazy is fun (a la Lady Gaga) – but I have a low tolerance for brattiness – and I know from several colleagues just how high maintenance Carey is in real life. When you hear tales of such disgusting behavior it’s hard to then like the performer themselves. There’s a fine line between diva and just plain rude….
But what do you think? Are you a Mariah fan – and why? And what do you make of this HSN appearance… will you buying any of Mariah’s collection? (more…)
More >
Remote Patrolled Predicts: When Will Glee End?
Jul 25th
Hey everyone!
It’s time for a new feature here on the site. This one’s called Remote Patrolled Predicts and is my chance to predict the future for some of today’s veteran shows – and just how many more seasons they have left in them!
To kick us off we’ve a show I’ve talked about a LOT here on the site. But if you ask me the end is nigh for everyone’s favorite high school musical… but do you agree?
