Deadwood Celebrity Duets ’til Death Happy Hour Vanished Prison Break Standoff Andy Barker P.I. The Winner Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? The Wedding Bells The Apprentice

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Hell hath no fury like the family

Richard Koscher

The wise guys are back for one last serving. Following six seasons full of adventure and mayhem, Tony Soprano and the Familia will take a final HBO curtain call on June 8th.

The Washington Post gave season six remarkable credit as “The television landmark that leaves other landmarks in the dust.”

This final season is certainly full of drama and violence. Tony nearly succumbs to a gunshot wound, fired by his Uncle Junior, who is growing increasingly more senile.

Johnny Sack’s imprisonment is straining the virulent relations between the New Jersey and New York families almost to the breaking point. He is forced to face up to a final enemy, cancer that proves to be too powerful an adversary.

Tony discovers that his captain, Vito, is gay, which raises even more tensions, since Vito’s wife’s cousin is head of the New York Mob. He’s so incensed by the dishonor that Vito has brought upon his family that he has Vito killed.

Season six continually confronts Tony with new stresses, including troubles on the job that cast suspicions upon almost all members of the staff. Plus he faces the necessity of dealing with increasing chaos in his home life and pressures from the law.

The final season will consist of nine episodes. In the first episode, which began airing on April 8th, confronted Tony with a brutal reality check from Bobby, his henpecked brother-in-law, who beats him up. Not to give too much away, Tony ends up bringing vengeance down upon Bobby “Tony style.”

The opening two episodes set the stage for the destiny that Tony Soprano is heading for, rather than being explosive and full of action like Season 5 for example, which was my personal favorite. There are scenes showing Tony fishing and looking for excuses about why Bobby had beaten him up. Bobby is given his first assignment to do a hit, and struggles to do so. He is struggling to deal with the reality that his kids are no longer children but not yet grown.

Christopher finally finishes production on his movie The Cleaver, which gets Tony into trouble with Camila because she picks up on the fact that the movie plot is based upon Tony’s life and reveals the sordid details of Tony’s affair with Christopher’s old girlfriend, Adriana, who later got whacked by Silvio, Tony’s number two.

Following Tony’s progress during this sixth season is like taking a Mob 101 course. I’m anxious to see how it all ends. I have to say that I really do hope they kill off Janice, who must be Sopranos most annoying character.

It will be poignant to see the Sopranos come to an end. The stories of violence, lawlessness, betrayal, and injustice were told with a panache and charm that somehow redeemed all the carnage.

The Sopranos has been an outstanding masterpiece and one of the best series that HBO ever produced.

Thanks HBO for great television!

One of the elements that always kept viewers off balance was the fact that any cast member could be killed off at any time. Steven R. Schirripa (who played Bobby, Tony’s brother-in-law) referred to this as the “Big Pussy Rule,” since if a major character such as Big Pussy could be killed off, as he was in season 2, then no character except for Tony himself was safe. The director, David Chase, always informed the actors far in advance of the death of a major character in order to prepare them for the event. The cast made it a tradition to take cast members who are scheduled for death to a restaurant in Little Italy, named Il Cortile, for a farewell dinner.

The Sopranos always had an emphasis upon violence. Here are the numbers:

• From season one through episode two of season six there were 75 deaths, including 52 murders.
• Season 5 had the most deaths, followed by Season 1.
• Season 4 had the fewest deaths, followed by Season 2.
• Season 5 had the most murders, followed by Seasons 1 and 6, which tied for second place.
• Christopher Moltisanti and Paulie Walnuts committed the most killings. They are tied at seven.
• Tony Soprano personally killed six people.
• Silvio Dante, Mikey Palmice, and Tony Blundetto are the only other characters who killed more than two people. Silvio killed four, the other two killed three. In every season, at least one major character has been killed off.
• Season 1: Brendan Filone, Mikey Palmice
• Season 2: Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero, Richie Aprile, Matthew Bevilaqua, Sean Gismonte
• Season 3: Gigi Cestone, Jackie Aprile, Jr., Livia Soprano
• Season 4: Ralph Cifaretto, Gloria Trillo
• Season 5: Carmine Lupertazzi, Joe Peeps, Adriana La Cerva, Tony Blundetto
• Season 6: Raymond Curto, Eugene Pontecorvo, Rusty Millio, Vito Spatafore The so-called “Aprile Curse” was a theme common to every season because at least one member of the Aprile crew or family dies. • Season 1: Jackie Aprile, Sr.
• Season 2: Richie Aprile
• Season 3: Gigi Cestone, Carlo Renzi, Dino Zerilli, Jackie Aprile, Jr.
• Season 4: Ralph Cifaretto
• Season 5: Adriana La Cerva
• Season 6: Eugene Pontecorvo, Vito Spatafore Another theme that occurred in every season is that Christopher almost gets killed at some point.
Season 1: The mock execution given on orders from Junior as punishment for his truck hijacking alongside Brendan Filone. Season 2: Getting shot by Sean Gismonte and Matt Bevilaqua.
Season 3: Getting shot at by Jackie Jr. at Eugene’scard game.
Season 4: Getting car jacked while searching for heroin. Tony later told Chris that his drug addiction could get him whacked.
Season 5: Almost getting shot by Tony over the rumor about Tony and Adriana.
Season 6: Getting shot at while fleeing after motorcycle-riding thieves.
For reviews of past and upcoming shows please visit our website at http://www.110mag.com/media/

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Winners, Losers & Wedding Bells NBC and FOX Network is offering some interesting shows, of varying quality, this new season.

Richard Koscher

Andy Barker P.I.

This is a fun show to watch. Andy Richter plays the eponymous Andy Barker, an earnest, hard-working CPA whose accounting business is failing, but when he's mistaken for the private eye who was the former tenant of his building, Andy discovers that he has natural talent for the job and comes to embrace the double life that a twist of fate has brought him to.

Andy's wife Jenny overcomes her initial misgivings and proves herself to be a helpful resource in solving the mysteries that are coming into her life.

Simon and Wally, Andy's new neighbors in the strip mall where his office is located, play the role of back-up and provide assistance for car chases and late night stakeouts.

The show underscores the extreme talent of Andy Richter who had less luck with previous series, such as Andy Richter Controls the Universe, than he deserved. He certainly warrants success with this one.

The Winner

This show is a loser in my opinion. The executive/producer is Seth MacFarlane who is responsible for two zany animated spoofs, Family Guy and American Dad, in his resume. Only Rob Corddry prevents The Winner from becoming a total disaster.

In the show Corddry plays the protagonist, Glen, whose sheltered life in his parents' home is interrupted by the return of the recently divorced Erinn, the only girl Glen had ever kissed. Erinn has her teenage son, Josh, in tow.

Erinn inspires Glen to become a "grown-up" and win her heart.

The show hints at hope for late-bloomers everywhere as Glen moves through his formative years two decades later than his peers. "Wonder Years" just happens a little later for some people than for others.

He receives unhelpful parental advice from Irene, his enabling mother, and from Ron, his quick-tempered dad. Fortunately, Glen finds a companion to go with him through this awkward transition, because 13-year-old Josh turns out to be a fellow hypochondriac and the only person Glenn can truly relate with.

The coming-of-age experience for the middle-aged Glenn illustrates the power of true love by transforming an unlikely underdog from his state as timid underachiever to richest man in Buffalo.

The plot is reminiscent of The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Steve Carell survived that underwhelming show to thrive in the TV-sitcom, The Office. I hope Rob Corddry will experience that kind of renaissance in a better venue once he is finished with this series.

Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?

I don't usually pay much attention to game shows, but Mark Burnett, who served up Survivor, The Apprentice, and On the Lot, might have a winner with this one.

The show is funny, and tests the viewer's knowledge. We all enjoy shows that hold people up to deserved ridicule. It's great fun to see a graduate of UCLA fail a question because he didn't realize that polar bears, that are located at the North Pole, of course don't feed on penguins who only live at the South Pole.

The most deliciously humiliating event occurs at the end when contestants must look at the camera and tell everybody that they aren't smarter than a 5th grader.

Anyone who shows themselves to be smarter than a 5th grader wins a million bucks. It's amazing how many people aren't that smart.

The Wedding Bells

People of both genders and all possible marital status have been waiting for this show, which is a romantic dramedy (drama/comedy) about a family-owned wedding planning business dedicated to helping its clients have a wonderful wedding thus ensuring their marital bliss, at least until they get to the parking lot.

Annie, Sammy, and Jane Bell inherited The Wedding Palace marriage chapel following the divorce of their parents. Jane's husband, Russell Hawkins, becomes the company Chief operating officer.

The change in their status has pushed them far from their comfort zone and has forced them to embrace the jumbled complexities of modern weddings, on one hand, while trying to untangle the knots and snarls of their own chaotic love lives.

The trio begins to discover the techniques and methods that are required for coping with high-maintenance princesses and their always-jittery sometimes dysfunctional families. They work with each other and with their staff to do their utmost in ensuring that every client's special day really does become a fairy-tale-come-true experience.

The three are very ambitious and share the goal of moving their busy little enterprise into big business.

Matters become even more complex as we learn that the photographer, an unfinished sort of individual named David Conlon, has strong feelings for Annie.

The wedding singer is an aspiring showman named Ralph Snow. He dreams of glory but is stuck in a reality that forces him to croon through a tiresome cycle of cover songs and overly familiar medleys for guests who never appreciate and often ignore his performances.

The Wedding Bells is definitely a show designed for ladies, but one that is guaranteed to get some laughs from husbands and boyfriends who watch along with them.

For reviews of past and upcoming shows please visit our website at http://www.110mag.com/media/

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SPRING, THE NEW FALL The TCA (Television Critic Association) Winter 2007 Press Tour featured a parade of TV shows, some that were hot and others that were not. Each day during the tour a different network presented their new and returning shows for us critics to love or to tear apart.

NBC

The Apprentice — One day after receiving his star on the walk of fame, Donald Trump took the stage and fielded questions by critics regarding the poor ratings that The Apprentice received in its sixth season.

Donald explained the low ratings by saying that he hadn’t even watched the last episode, himself, on Sunday since he was at one of the play-off games. In addition, he noted that the show was facing tough competition during the upcoming weeks, but predicted that the ratings would improve as the series progresses. (Yes, he did mention the Rosie O’Donnell uproar, but we should all try to get over that.)

Heroes — Another of NBC’s returning smash hits is Heroes, which is an epic drama chronicling the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities. Their ultimate destiny is nothing less than saving the world. Masi Oka who plays Hiro Nakamaura — a character who develops a way to stop time through the power of his mind — commented on the subtitles, which he thought effectively connected the series to the comic book. The biggest battle that these heroes must now wage is against Jack Bauer, whose 24 is in the same Monday time slot.

Andy Barker, P.I. — One of the new shows on NBC is a brainchild of Conan O’Brien. He is the creator and executive producer of Andy Barker, P.I. — a comedy in which Andy Richter portrays Andy Barker, an earnest, hard-working CPA who had succeeded in everything, until his new accounting business failed to take off. But when he was mistaken for Lew Staziak, the retired private detective who used to occupy his storefront office, Andy embraces the twist of fate and accepts his new double life as accountant and private investigator.

The first four episodes look promising. Although it seems a little slow at times, Andy Richter is funny and you will see the show improving per episode.

Other Shows — Also new for NBC this season is Raines, starring Jeff Goldblum, and The Black Donnellys created by Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco. Far less exciting is Grease – You’re the one that I want. (But for most of us, not really.)

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip will also return to finish its season. I think the fact that the season is hanging on is a favor to Aaron Sorkin. I don’t expect Studio 60 to answer the bell next season. It is beloved by critics, but viewers keep turning it off and ratings continue to plummet.

Scrubs, on the other hand, just got renewed for a seventh season. Season Six finished with a “musical” episode, which was supposed to be the show’s finale. However, the producer told us that the network will keep the show running as long as viewers keep tuning in.

CBS

Jericho — CBS is continuing its new hit show Jericho. I can’t shake the feeling that the town is suffering from a power outage rather than a nuclear catastrophe.

The producers promised to provide us some answers when the show returns. We’ll finally learn who the man of mystery, Robert Hawkins, really is — whether a friend or a foe. The show will also reveal what Jake Green’s past really was.

Jericho has been trying to follow the same idea as 24 by having a non-stop season. Jericho was completely off the air while producers created subsequent episodes that have now begun to air. They have thus preserved the continuity of the series by running episodes consecutively from the first to the most current one without breaking the flow of the story by reruns.

Viewers who want to see the first season must rent the DVD. And then they should watch the episodes from the first to the last.

This American Life — My favorite TV show by far on the CBS press day was Showtime’s new series This American Life. The show is hosted by Ira Glass, who for the past 15 years was the host for the radio version that ran on the Chicago Public Radio.

Showtime moved the concept from radio to television. Each episode reveals dramatic stories of people who have unusual experiences that change them in some way.

This American Life is funny, real, surprising, unscripted, and true. It is what Reality TV ought to be. All by itself it is worth the price of a subscription to Showtime. Viewers can do a free pod cast of the radio show over iTunes.

Rules of Engagement — Rules of Engagement is a much less-compelling new offering by CBS. David Spade stars in a rather boring and not-very-funny version of FOX’s ’Till Death plus adding one other character. You can take a miss on this show.

CW

The CW Network is easily overlooked by all the hype generated by the big networks. They’ve had to go through a re-branding of their name following the merger of UPN and WB.

Viewers really had to look for the shows that they came to love. And they did. Shows like The Gilmore Girls, Smallville, and Veronica Mars all found a strong fan base. My partner thinks that Veronica Mars is the best-written show on TV.

CW’s WWE’s Smackdown is constantly raising its ratings.

Everybody Hates Chris — This show has been overlooked by the critics, but CW renewed it for a third season. At the press conference Chris Rock, who is the executive producer for the show, as well as the show’s subject, was asked the indelicate question if he would hire Michael Richards after his outburst at a standup comedy club.

“Would I offer a job to Michael Richards? Wow, I don’t know. Probably. I don’t know. I mean, I’d have to make sure all the other non–“n***” screaming people didn’t need jobs first.” That got a laugh.

Hidden Palms — Hidden Palms is another new show on the CW network. Kevin Williamson, who produced such hits as Dawson’s Creek and the three Screams, is the executive producer for this O.C.-like mystery drama.

Pussycat Dolls - The search for the next Doll — And last but not least (well, maybe least), CW is producing their version of American Idol.

Producers of Pussycat Dolls – Search for the new Doll (like those behind NBC’s Grease – You’re the one that I want) insist that they are not copying FOX’s American Idol, but it is still difficult to shake the feeling that they did their homework by watching Idol and are now trying to cash in on Idols amazing success.

Lil’ Kim, one of Pussycat’s judges, showed up at the press conference. She and the producers who were present used buzzwords like “empowering,” and “celebrating women.” By doing so, they really set Lil’ Kim up for a barbed question from one critic:

Your unspoken tagline is ‘Don’t you wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?’ In what way does that ‘celebrate’ other women?

The producers made the obvious responses that there is a lid for every pot and the show is not for everybody. However, Pussycat’s is an acquired taste. It is certainly not in good taste.

FOX

The FOX executives were the people with the brightest smiles at the press tour. Even though they lack favorites like Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty, or CSI, they own television’s “Death Star,” which is one of the terms used by other networks when referring to American Idol.

American Idol — It’s tough to compete with a show that draws 82 million viewers and none of the other networks have dared to send in their “storm troopers” to fight against the “Idol beast,” as Variety Magazine has called it.

Simon, Randy, Paula, and Ryan were on the stage together to answer questions from the critics who were a little frustrated by the fact that the four of them had taken their places with absolutely no apology for showing up an hour late.

They were immediately asked if the show had gone overboard in being too rude to contestants.

Simon responded, “I take your point. This is a singing competition so why should I call someone a ‘bush baby.’” He further added;

There are times, trust me, when I watch it afterwards and just think, ‘God, I wish I hadn’t have said that!’ And I sometimes ask, ‘Why did they leave that in the show?’

American Idol is like a force of nature. As long as they can continue to attract 80 million viewers, it would be folly to mess with the format.

24 — Of course FOX has other shows that are doing remarkably well. Thirty-three million viewers watched the season premier of 24.

At the FOX All-Star party I met one of the stars, the very talented Carlo Rota who plays Morris O’Brian. Carlo was best known to American audiences for his five seasons as Mick Schtoppel on the USA Network's smash hit La Femme Nikita. I asked him how it felt to be Chloe’s ex-husband.

“Fantastic!” he said.

I also asked him how many times people try to get details from him about the upcoming episodes.

“Look,” he said “It’s like a magic trick! If I gave it away they wouldn’t tune in to find out for themselves.”

The mystery works for me, because I will keep tuning in for 24 every Monday — right after Prison Break, which is another hit that came out of nowhere and continues to captivate audiences.

Drive — A lot of new shows are premiering on FOX this spring. One of them, Drive, set the record for having the most cast members at one time on the TCA stage.

Drive is an action-fueled drama that follows a diverse group of Americans competing for their lives (or the lives of their loved ones) in an illegal, underground cross-country road race. Some of the entrants were coerced into joining the race, others sought it out for themselves after hearing rumors of a $32-million prize for the winner. Each competitor has his/her own reason to compete, and each for that reason simply must win.

The show harks back to The Amazing Race and also reminds me of the 1998 movie The Game with Michael Douglas and Sean Penn.

Drive launches its first season with a three-hour episode shown in two parts beginning on Sunday, April 15th, and concluding the next day.

The Wedding Bells — Another FOX newcomer, The Wedding Bells, is a romantic dramedy (drama+comedy) about a family-owned wedding planning business dedicated to helping its clients live happily ever after. Or at least until the couple gets to the parking lot.

The partners in the business are called upon to deal with everything from high-maintenance bridezillas and their families, to cases of extreme wedding-day jitters.

Review copies of the pilot are still not available, but the first previews look very funny and promising.

It reminded me of Four Weddings and a Funeral. The show will premier Friday March 9th.

The Winner — FOX’s other new show, The Winner, is a new comedy by Seth MacFarlane, creator of the animated hit Family Guy and American Dad. This is Seth’s first experience with live-action comedy.

The Winner portrays a 32-year-old man who is still living with his parents. The theme is obviously reminiscent of The 40-year-old Virgin. Rob Corddry’s hilarious acting is the only good thing that makes it at least a watchable show. Watch for its premier on March 4th.

The Simpsons — At the very end of FOX’s presentation we got a real treat. Matt Groening and James L. Brooks, producers of The Simpsons previewed their new Simpsons movie, plus they gave us insights into the TV show’s 400th episode.

This will be a double-episode. One of them is a satire of 24 in which Kiefer Sutherland and Mary Lynn Rajskub do the voices. And the second part of the double feature deals with TV censorship.

Not to give anything away: keep your eye out for Ken Brockman to be fined by the FCC.

Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer, showed us how he transformed the character between the first season and the current one.

“I needed more power behind the voice,” Dan said. “I needed to find a more comfortable area in my throat to create Homer’s guttural voice.”

He also shared that Homer’s famous “d’oh!” was inspired by Jim Finlayson in his Laurel and Hardy role.

It was great watching while the voice of Homer came alive in an instant before our eyes.

The experience was a strange one — like a parlor trick or like watching someone suddenly switch languages and ethnicity.

GOING WITH THE

“ZEITGEIST”

The technology that runs the world of media we are living in is always evolving and improving.

One of the evolutionary and revolutionary things that is currently going on is how easy it is becoming to watch TV shows online. All the networks are making efforts to provide free online versions of their shows. Now we can easily catch up on episodes or even whole seasons of shows that we missed.

I’ve described part of the great variety of the offerings that are planned for the spring season ahead.

I’m already looking forward to July’s Summer Press Tour. Five more months; I’m counting! Stay tuned!

For reviews of past and upcoming shows please visit our website at

http://www.110mag.com/media/

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The Fall of Rome

I waited for weeks to learn the fate of Vorenus, Titus Pullo’s commanding officer in HBO’s wonderful series, Rome. HBO’s announcement last week that they were canceling the epic drama series was like a bad dream – following on the heels of their canceling of Deadwood last season, which in my opinion was the best show HBO ever produced.

On January 14th Rome kicked off the second and final season of the star-crossed series. It deserves attention. If you are a newcomer to the series or missed some of last year’s episodes, ON DEMAND has the entire first season.

The show suffered from the fact that the first couple episodes of Season One were devoted to developing the characters and lacked sufficient scenes of such things as bloody conflicts and chariot races through Roman commercial districts to compel the attention of some jaded viewers.

The few action scenes in the early episodes seemed muted and were used to set the scene for some larger conflict that was looming on the horizon. At a few points some viewers may have expected more of the kind of energy that characterized Russell Crow’s Gladiator.

Rome does provide a richly layered look at history and at the processes involved in building a superpower and so provides a mirror to reflect our modern political realities, with our infighting, corruption, partisan political struggles, and the seemingly impossible demands of defining collective values.

“Human nature never changes,” says creator Bruno Heller. “We see the same problems today – crime, unemployment, disease, the struggle for social mobility, and the pressure to preserve your place in a precarious society.”

Season Two begins where Season One ended. Following the world’s third most famous assassination, Julius Caesar lies on the floor of the Roman forum in a pool of his own blood, having been brought down by assassins’ knives in the Roman forum.

The vacuum created by Caesar’s demise leads to a fierce power struggle as various factions begin to vie for control of the empire.

Further intrigue, as well as a romantic subplot is added by the arrival of the beautiful Cleopatra (played by Lyndsey Marshal) to win the favor and respect of Mark Antony, who has fallen into the role of interim emperor. Cleopatra’s arrival rankles Julius Caesar’s cousin, Atia (played by Polly Walker). The temperature of the boiling political pot increases when Atia openly insults the Egyptian Queen at a dinner party.

The series dramatizes the power of love, the harm of betrayal, the evil of slavery, and the dynamics of marriage. It is an engaging retelling of the fall of a Republic and the creation of an empire.

As it has done with so many previous series, the HBO staff managed to assemble the perfect cast.

I’m sad to see the series pass into oblivion. The fall of Rome has been a sad thing for the world this time, as well. Don’t miss it before it is gone forever. It’s worth your time! °

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24 — The Clock Keeps Ticking

The waiting finally came to an end. I had been left hanging high and dry after terrorists kidnapped Jack Bauer (played by Kiefer Sutherland) and transported him on a ship to China. He was one U.S. export item that we weren’t happy to ship to China.

When a series as excellent as 24 ends with such a dramatic cliffhanger, it’s torturous for passionate fans to wait for months until the tardy and highly anticipated pilot of the new season finally shows up.

For any uninitiated readers, the Fox Drama, 24, expands a single day in the life of the director of an anti-terrorist organization into 24 episodes, each episode covering a single dramatic and tension-filled hour. (To be precise, there are 20 episodes since two of them, including the season’s pilot, covers two hours each.)

My sense of keen anticipation was only intensified by the trailer, which was aired live on Times Square. I viewed it (a number of times, actually) at www.24trailer.com. The preview, by implication, answered a few of my questions, but the first four episodes of the new season were, if anything, even more exciting than I had anticipated.

Jack Bauer is back! And he has returned with a grand flourish! Even though, following several months in captivity, he looked more like Saddam Hussein’s cousin, he was able to get cleaned and groomed without any problem or large delay in returning to his dashing self.

Season six picks up 20 months following last season’s shocking finale. The season opens with the strong-minded U.S. President, Wayne Palmer (played by DB Woodside), and his lawyer sister, Sandra (Regina King), a powerful advocacy lawyer, responding to a series of terrorist attacks. Palmer and his team of advisors, as well as members of the CTU (Counter Terrorist Unit) team, Chloe O’Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub), Curtis Manning (Roger Cross), and Bill Buchanan (James Morrison) begin one of their 24 hours of terror, despair, and (for the spellbound viewer) sheer excitement and fun.

The show last year was nominated for more Emmys than any other television series and during the first five seasons combined have been nominated for 51 Emmys.

The creators of the series, Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran, invest the flow of events with edgy, seething, and even capricious qualities designed to keep viewers firmly perched on the edge of their seats.

For sure it kept me on the edge of my seat. °

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Fall Line Up III

If you’ve been reading the previous Media Critic columns you are getting a good idea by now what to watch and when to switch channels, at least according to my own tastes and opinions.

It’s difficult sometimes as a TV Critic because you get to see no more than the first two episodes before the series goes on the air, and in most cases, you only see the pilot episode. It’s difficult to predict success from such a small sample. It’s also difficult to guess how the show will perform in its assigned timeslot.

CBS’s Smith earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first show of this season to be canceled. There is a good chance that the two stars, Ray Liotta and Virginia Madsen, won’t be adding this show to their resumés. According to the Nielsen research a mere 8.4 million viewers watched the final episode.

Fox’s Happy Hour is another show that is trembling on the brink of cancellation. NBC moved their faltering show, Kidnapped, to the Saturday night abyss. The producers were told to wrap up the story-line by the end of the 13th episode.

Heroes
After two discouraging years NBC has moved up into second place behind ABC in the 18-to-49-year-old demographic that advertisers seek.

Heroes is one of the new shows on NBC. In its current Monday time slot the show will face big competition in January when the mega hit 24 returns with the first of its eagerly anticipated 20 new shows.

Heroes is the most recent brainchild of creator and writer Tim Kring, who brought us Crossing Jordan. Heroes is a drama recounting the actions and reactions of normal people who suddenly develop extraordinary abilities.

Heroes seems confusing at first because of multiple story lines and extensive character building, but with a little attention the viewer can easily follow the plot.

The first episodes of Heroes have been very promising. We are introduced to some great characters whose paranormal abilities extend even beyond those of the characters in the show X-Men, which shares a similar theme.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip Revisited
Heroes has proven itself worthy even after the 4th episode, which I can’t say for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. I was excited about this show at the beginning, but now I believe that it really needs to step it up a notch in order to remain in the game. The first two episodes were so promising! Episode 3 was disappointing, almost boring. Episode 4 brought back a bit more hope again. The jury’s out on this one.

The OC
Now to some more exciting news. New viewers and old friends of The OC show will love especially the first three episodes of the new season, which show how everybody is coping differently with their grief of losing Marissa.

Who will head for college in order to try to put the past behind them?

Who stays in town because they can’t let the past go?

Will Volchok (Cam Gigandet) go free after causing the tragic accident that killed Marissa?

Will Ryan (Ben McKenzie) decide that revenge is the door into healing? Stay tuned to learn the answers to these intriguing questions.

Ryan becomes engaged in a battle for his soul as the Cohens struggle to keep him focused on the future, and fighting against the forces that threaten to pull him back into his old dysfunctional life. He played his dark part so well that I think he should have gotten the part of Darth Vader rather than Hayden Christiansen.

Sandy (played by Peter Gallagher) returns to the Public Defender’s office, and he and Kirsten (Kelly Rowan) find themselves reaching out to another troubled teen, but this one is not a stranger. It’s Kaitlin Cooper (Willa Holland), the number-one troublemaker at The Harbor School, and too much to handle for her mother Julie (Melinda Clarke), who is off making some trouble of her own.

The person who had been most excited about leaving high school finds himself back there, this time as a teacher. Taylor Townsend (Autumn Reeser) who reminds me a lot of Reese Witherspoon’s character in Legally Blonde, finds herself with some unlikely new roommates and family members.

This season hits the ground running with The OC’s trademark mix of heart, humor, drama, action, and romance.

My Name is Earl
NBC has great comedy hits that return this year that I couldn’t wait to watch. One is My name Is Earl.

This was a very highly acclaimed show! In its first season the show was nominated for two Golden Globes, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, One Directors Guild of America Award, three Writers Guild of America Awards, and it won the coveted People’s Choice Favorite New Television Comedy award.

Earl, played by Jason Lee, who appeared in “Almost Famous,” and “Chasing Amy,” won a small lottery, and, after an epiphany, is determined to transform his good fortune into a life-changing event as he sets out to right all the wrongs from his past.

A few dim-witted friends join Earl in his quest to cleanse his karma. These include his clueless brother, Randy (Ethan Suplee, “Cold Mountain”), and the very sexy Catalina (Nadine Velazquez, “The Bold and the Beautiful”).

Even Darnell (Eddie Steeples, “Torque”), the owner of the Crab Shack where Earl drinks beer, offers support. But Earl’s ex-wife Joy (Jaime Pressly, “Not Another Teen Movie”) is a selfish person who won't lift a finger to help unless there's something in it for her.

Despite his seemingly limited intelligence, Earl is oddly effective in his goal to make things better. This has become the top-rated freshman comedy series.

The Office
The Office is by far my favorite comedy on TV right now. The show reproduces an idea from an English comedy series that is still running on BBC. However, unlike so many of these purloined ideas, the writers and producers have done a great job with The Office. The series is starting into its third year. The initial two years included a total of 16 episodes, which produced a total of three Writers Guild of America Award nominations including the coveted Outstanding Achievement in Writing for a New Series.

The Office is a laughable exposure of the loves, triumphs, tragedies, and petty office intrigues played out in the lives of employees in a regional sales office of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Supply Company. The show has a documentary quality in which the action patently takes place in front of a camera. The characters often speak to the camera directly and in other scenes look at the camera from time-to-time betraying awareness of the camera’s presence.

Steve Carell plays the role of Michael Scott as an annoying boss. In my opinion the real star of the show is Dwight Schrute, played by Rainn Wilson, the annoying assistant to the regional manager. He switches personalities from domineering tyrant to fawning toad at the drop of a hat. Other characters effectively round out the action and create a great chemistry.

The Office seems to gain momentum with each episode. The show makes me look forward to sitting down Thursday and enjoying TV at its best. °

Back to top The Fall Season, Part Two

The Simpsons
The Simpsons TV show turned 18 this year. Reagan was President of the United States when Bart pronounced his first “Eat my shorts!” Before I reviewed the season pilot, I had to ask myself if the show could get any better. It holds 22 Emmy awards and has three places in the Guinness Book of World Records:

• Longest running Primetime Animated Television Series.
• Most Guest Stars featured in a Television Series.
• An unprecedented 400 episodes. (The 400th show will air in May.)

I discovered from the pilot that after all the kudos and records, the show still retains its intelligence and humor. The opening show finds Homer and Bart taking over a mob business in order to help the son of a Mafia lord make it through the family crisis that was generated by the slaying of his evil father. The show involves such hilarious scenes as Bart shaking down Krusty the Clown’s greasy hamburger joint for payoff money to keep the McDonalds and Burger King franchises out of town.

As always, the show is rich with allusions to stars and movies — in this case especially to the Godfather movies. After 18 years the producers and writers continue to come up with fresh new ideas. Amazing!

Family Guy
I also previewed Family Guy, which has never been a favorite show of mine. It strikes me as an acquired taste, but I have to admit that it is a taste that has been acquired by a huge number of people. The language is enough to fit the show for a slot opposite South Park.

The show’s huge following came after it was moved from the Cartoon Network, where it never really belonged, to prime time on FOX.

Even though I don’t like the show myself, I have to acknowledge that the ideas are fresh and in some cases really made me laugh. The material is often offensive at the level of a junior high school boy’s locker room. These are usually much wittier than junior high students could come up with, but not always.

American Dad
In my opinion American Dad doesn’t have anything to recommend itself. Even the cartoons are boringly drawn. I also kept staring at the character Stan’s chin. I know that the chin is supposed to be a “dramatic” feature, but it comes across looking like a bad growth. The show is neither funny nor fresh. The idea of Camp Refoogee seemed like something writers might have come up with at a bar on the day before deadline. I’ve been watching this show on and off for a while; it is not getting any better.
It’s a must miss in my books.

Jericho
Every once in a while a show comes along that completely catches me off guard. Five years ago the show 24 had that effect on me. This year I was astounded by the new CBS dramatic series called Jericho. The show starts off with a blast in the first ten minutes when a mushroom cloud suddenly appears above the horizon of a small Kansas town plunging the tiny community into chaos.

All communication with the outside world is severed in that instant, leaving the townspeople to wonder if they are on the edge of a localized disaster or if they are the final Americans left alive.

Anarchy breaks out, and the residents of the little town are thrust into dramatic situations such as, a school bus full of children turning up missing and another bus carrying prisoners crashing, allowing desperate inmates to escape.

Jericho has many talented actors. My favorite one is Gerald McRaney, who played the character George Hurst on the critically acclaimed Deadwood. In Jericho he plays the town mayor, Johnston Green, who must leap into action when the town begins to riot. I almost got a heart attack myself when Green experienced one. I couldn’t stand the possibility that they might kill him off. I’m really glad that he’s going to stick around since his talent is unmatched by the other actors on the show.

Pamela Reed comes close to matching Green’s skill as she plays his wife, Gail. She is known to us from such movies as Kindergarten Cop and episodes of Judging Amy. Skeet Ulrich plays a somewhat less convincing role as Jake Green, the mayor’s prodigal son.

Jericho has some wonderful uses of subtle effects. The first introduction to the bomb was a small boy standing on the top of his house looking into the distance when he was supposed to be playing hide-and-seek.

The writers wrung more drama out of a cartridge from a phone message machine than some full-length movies are able to get out of a plane crash.

The characters in the show obviously have a lot of history stretching back before the attacks. I hope the producers don’t make the mistake they made in Lost, where after a good start; they absolutely drowned the narrative line beneath layers of flashbacks.

Jericho should provide great competition for Lost in the ratings wars. Personally, I hope they kick Lost’s behind. 

The Class
CBS’ comedy, The Class, provides another candidate for best new series. It is a comedy about a group of 20-somethings who share in common the fact of having attended the same third grade class. Now it is two decades later and their paths have crossed once again giving them a chance to look deep into each other’s experiences and to understand the changes that the events of the intervening two decades have made in their lives.

The idea of the show seems fresh and some characters really are humorous, but I did catch myself mostly just chuckling instead of laughing out loud. One of my favorite characters was Sam Harris who plays Perry. Another great role is Heather Goldenhersh playing Linda Warbler. Those two are more or less the heartbeat of the show. This one falls into my recommended category, but in my book, Fox’s Happy Hour still maintains the lead in humorous programming.

Studio 60
NBC hit a homerun this season with Studio 60, which is by far the most intelligent show we have watched on television for a long time. The name is a bit confusing, since the show has nothing to do with nightclubs. Executive Producer and Writer, Aaron Sorkin, and Executive Producer and Director, Thomas Schlamme, are both well known for their work on NBC’s The West Wing. They return to television with this crackling account of the humorous drama lying behind the production of a popular, late-night comedy sketch show called Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

The new drama series takes us behind the scenes for a look at the backstage politics, romances, and the delicate balance that exists between creative talent, on-air personalities, and network executives in a text-messaging world.

Jordan McDeere, played by Amanda Peet, who played Julie Woodman in Syriana, is a savvy new network entertainment chief who starts her first day of the season facing a massive public relations disaster.

Matt Albie, played by Matthew Perry from Friends and Danny Tripp, who played Bradley Whitford in The West Wing, comprise a brilliant creative team that the director wants to use in order to resurrect the failing program.

Also playing crucial roles are the sketch comedy series stars Harriet Hayes, who played Sarah Paulson in Down with Love, Simon Stiles, who appeared as D.L. Hughley in The Hughleys, and Tom Jeter, who was Nathan Corddry in The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Their normally cool-headed director is played by Cal Shanley, who was Timothy Busfield in Thirtysomething, as well as supreme network honcho Jack Rudolph, who played the role of Steven Weber in Wings.

The show is fast, dramatic, and funny. The cast provides superb acting. I bought every single role.

Matthew Perry especially showed off his acting talent by playing a completely opposite character than his Chandler Bing role on Friends. Studio 60 gives him a great opportunity to display his acting skills.

Studio 60 is a winner and I predict it will have many seasons to come. The quality of acting and writing reminds me of ER, which has now gone into its 13th season.°

Back to top Fall Line-up, Part One

September has finally arrived bringing with it the end of the summer TV doldrums. American TV seems to have no lack of mediocrity. The producers seem to have some sense of national inferiority because there appears an unspoken rule that all shows with a panel of judges must include one judge with a British accent.
We have some good news on the American TV scene to report, however, as we move into the fall season. I’ve reviewed some Fox shows that promise to bring adventure, drama, and laughs to our living rooms.

We have some good news on the American TV scene to report, however, as we move into the fall season. I’ve reviewed five of six Fox shows that promise to bring adventure, drama, and laughs to our TVs.

A House is in the Fox
I haven’t been a fan of the House sitcom. But apparently good things are going to happen in that show during this third season. The character of Dr. Gregory House is played by the very talented Hugh Laurie whose lengthy résumé includes the Hollywood remake Flight of the Phoenix. House displays the bedside manners of Ebenezer Scrooge on a down market day. He prefers to treat an infectious disease victim as a patient without acknowledging the need of also treating him as a human being.

Viewers of the series will remember that during the season two finale, House was shot by a former patient’s husband in retribution for what the man perceived as House’s mishandling of his wife’s case. Even fans will admit that House is not a person who is perfectly innocent of much, and to some extent he was reaping the seeds he had sowed by not being a nicer person. I was actually hoping on some level that he wouldn’t pull through but, in a shocking surprise to his co-workers (although no surprise to viewers, of course), House survived his ordeal and, in so doing, gained a new perspective on the proper treatment of patients. This guy is never going to be nice, however.

Much of the show»s attraction derives from the fact that beneath his crusty and cruel exterior House actually cares for his patients. His underlying concern does nothing to redeem his behavior, however. He is blunt, obnoxious, and possesses the social skills of a surly 15 year old. He has a teenager’s lack of humility and self-restraint. In the season premier House engages in inappropriate activities such as throwing grapes at the hospital janitor and riding a skateboard through the halls of the hospital. He insults coworkers by his bossy attitude.

House’s loutish attitude towards people is offset by his fearless championing of the truth, which at times slides down to emotionally abusive exercises of honesty. In the premier show of this third season, for example, House holds a cigarette lighter beneath a woman’s bare foot to prove that she is only pretending to be paralyzed.

The real reason why House is the number one drama on the Fox Network and ranked in top 10 of all primetime programs is that House’s churlish and antisocial behavior is offset by his brilliance. Like the detective, Sherlock Holmes, House can look at the details of a particular case and in a seemingly offhand manner draw conclusions that his less-brilliant associates completely missed. He can often diagnose a patient’s ills by simply looking at him and listening to what he says.

Who wouldn’t keep a person with that kind of skill around? Who wouldn’t keep a sitcom with the cheerful panache and gripping drama of House programmed into his/her Tivo?

Romancing the Standoff
Standoff is another new entrée in the Fox fall line up. The cast includes the talented Ron Livingston who plays Matt Flannery as a crisis negotiator. Livingston was one of my favorite characters in the earlier mini series Band of Brothers for which he earned a well-deserved Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor. His talents also shown in the cult hit Office Space where in the lead role of Peter Gibbons he played office-malcontent opposite Jennifer Aniston. Office Space became one of the best selling DVD rentals of all time.

Livingston plays his Standoff role opposite a character named Emily Lehman played by Rosemarie DeWitt who might be recognizable for roles in shows such as Sex and the City, Law and Order: SUV, and the critically acclaimed series Rescue Me.

The premise behind Standoff is that two crisis negotiators are working as a team in trying to defuse some tense weekly hostage situation so that a SWAT team doesn’t have to come in for some extreme and often messy dénouement.

The series adds a typically Hollywood-type romance when it is revealed during the first standoff that Matt and Emily are engaged in a romantic entanglement with each other.

The pilot got the series off to a good start in some ways, but I thought the relationship between Matt and Emily did not work on screen because it was not fully developed. These two fine actors ought to have been able to get enough sizzle into their relationship to make me believe that they actually had something going on. It seemed more like a relationship between Mike Scoot and Dwight Schrute from the office rather than a torrid romance.

Too much suspension of disbelief was called for when these two professionals began to air their personal feelings for each other while deciding who is going to negotiate with the terrorists. The producers were obviously trying to play the scene for humor but the attempt was jarring and out of place. After all, Standoff should aspire to be like a segment of 24 rather than like an episode of Seinfeld. The pilot also failed in instilling even less sizzle in the action scenes than in the relationship between the two lead characters.

This show does have great potential and maybe this could be a great show in the future.

It is curious to observe how Fox seems to be touchy on the subject of Islamic terrorism. The Islamic wannabe terrorist was a big blond guy who, it turned out, actually had issues with his mom rather than with the State of Israel. I think broadcast companies are shying away from depicting terrorists who look like 99.9 percent of the world’s Muslim extremists actually look.

A Praiseworthy Prison Break
Prison Break is a series that started off great last season and seems to gather momentum with each episode. Right from the beginning the show grabbed me with its fresh new style and superb acting. I couldn’t believe last year how it would be possible to spend an entire season planning to break out of a prison without the episodes becoming repetitive and boring, but I found it engaging every week.

If you haven’t been following the show, Prison Break follows the trials of a man named Lincoln Burrows who has been unjustly condemned to death for murder. Only Lincoln’s brother, Michael Scofield, believes his protestation of innocence. Brother Michael is an engineer who designed the Fox River Penitentiary where Lincoln is being held, so he manages to get himself arrested and sent to the same prison so the two of them can break out.

The plot gets thick with political intrigues both outside the prison and within the prison society. The complexity of the various interlocking environments within which the series takes place provides great fodder for high drama to occur each week.

One of my favorite Prison Break characters has turned out to be the worst felon in the prison. Theodore Bagwell, otherwise known as T-Bag, as played by Robert Knepper, is a wonderful and very believable bad guy. Rarely has an actor been so good at being bad. John Abruzzi, best known for his role in Fargo, is also brilliant as Peter Stormare, another felon who is currently on the loose.

The season opener starts with a bang. If you saw it you know that Veronica Donavan, who was Peter’s lawyer, was shot and with her passing took the only outside resource Peter had.

Prison Break is a must-see show, it’s so captivating that I don’t even check my emails during the hour that it is on.

Vanished into Thin Air
This season’s first great premier, Vanished, was produced by Paul Redford who has The Unit and The West Wing in his credits. The show features an original and fresh storyline that makes viewers want to catch the action from week-to-week.

The show centers around a woman, Sara Collins, who has become a missing person. Her disappearance is complicated by the fact that she is the wife of a prominent Georgia senator. The hunt for Sara uncovers information that could threaten the American Way of Life.

Nothing in Vanished is at it seems. Nobody is above suspicion; everybody is trying to protect dark secrets. Each episode reveals new clues in the ongoing search as the search wends its twisting course towards its eventual and final disclosures.

The Vanished pilot seemed fast, fresh and innovative. However, already in the second episode I noticed that I was checking mails and taking phone calls. The show got off to a great start but somehow lost me in the second week. I hope subsequent episodes can regain the momentum that the pilot had built up.

Happy Hour Strikes a Happy Note
It appears that our wait for the next big comedy show on Fox has come to an end with the advent of a new entrée with the cheerful name Happy Hour. In the tradition of Dean Martin’s 4 p.m. martini happy hour tradition, I put “Ain’t That A Kick In The Head” on the CD player at 4 p.m. while I observed Starbucks Hour, since I don’t do the martini thing. Then I put Happy Hour on and kicked back to watch the pilot.

For some reason the opening scene almost ruined the series for me. The pilot episode began with two of the weaker characters in the show, Heather (Brooke D’Orsay) and Henry (John Sloan). Once I got past that awful opening scene the show got better and better.

The Happy Hour premise is that Henry Beckman (played by John Sloan) has been talked into moving to Chicago by his girlfriend so that he can get a job working for her uncle. Henry’s life falls apart when his girlfriend dumps him in Chicago, he loses his job, and ends up sharing an apartment with Larry (played by Lex Medlin). It turns out that Larry has bizarre philosophies about life in general and about women in particular. Larry helps Henry find a new job in an office. One of the rules in his new place of employment is that the whole company breaks at four o’clock for Happy Hour.

Beth Lacke plays Amanda in a role that seems to be Deborah Messing meets Megan Mullally (of Will and Grace fame). Even though Beth looks like Audrey Tautou she really pulls the part off. Her facial expressions are great and I really buy into her humor.

Another character who made me laugh out loud was Larry who Medlin portrays as a vain, flashy, and yet loveable rogue, who agrees to allow Henry to stay with him and who, of course, introduces Larry to the 4 o’clock Martini Happy hour.

This amusing and witty show is one of Fox’s best shots for great comedy. If they keep up the pace then Happy Hour could become a big success for Fox!

’til Death
This is a show that I couldn’t wait to review. Who can forget the unforgettable performance by Brad Garett as the hapless brother in Everybody Loves Raymond. I was happy to see him back on the screen playing the lead in Fox’s second comedy attempt this Fall.

’Til Death is a comedy about middle-aged Eddie (Brad Garrett) & Joy Stark (Joely Fisher from Desperate Housewives). The couple has figured out that they have been married almost 9,000 days. Some of those days were pretty tumultuous. Their new next-door neighbors are young newlyweds Steph (Kat Foster from Law & Order) and Jeff Woodcock (Eddie Kaye Thomas, “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle”) have been married for less than two weeks and have yet to lose the passion and idealism that characterizes love when it is still young and fresh.

The show demonstrates the contrast between marriage during its honeymoon period and one that has survived more than two decades of disillusionment and battle. The point is made that a married couple should maintain their sense of romance or, if not, they should at least figure out how to remain together so that there is someone to drive you to the hospital for your operations.

The show has great moments. It addresses itself more naturally to a married audience than a show like Friends or Seinfeld. I kept an eye on my wife as we watched the first episode together. I wanted to see what she thought was funny. We both laughed when a reference was made to one of the character’s failure at trying to raise an herb garden. If my wife had been blessed with a green thumb, she would be growing these things.

The show is weakened, I think, by the fact that Brad Garrett carries the show by himself. Next to him Eddie Kaye seems green and inexperienced. I can’t understand how they made such a casting error. Happy Hours proves that you don’t have to have known actors and still have talent.

I’m not ready yet to give up the show for dead, but Eddie Kaye has to figure out how to step it up a notch to keep up with Brad.

Celebrity Duets
There has been only one unmitigated disaster on Fox so far this season. Celebrity Duets, which was put together by Simon Cowell, who produced the American Idol is not worth any comment beside, “Please Fox! Drop this fast!”

With the lineup on Fox this fall we could have a good season without ever changing the channel. I intend to enjoy this completely!

Deadwood Faust of the Wild West

In the 16th Century the brilliant German, Goethe, wrote the best-known version of the story of Dr. Faust. The tale involves dark themes such as demonic evil, lust, adultery, matricide, infanticide…. And that’s just the first act!

If Goethe were still around he might have been one of the writers for Deadwood, which is HBO’s very adult and extremely addicting drama series. Deadwood is currently in its third season and is created and produced by NYPD Blue’s brainchild, David Milch.

Deadwood is one of the most acclaimed television dramas. The show’s appeal derives from the quality that Milch imposes upon the production. Like a master surgeon performing some delicate medical procedure, Milch writes and rewrites every single line. At times he will spend hours on a small piece of dialog – refining and polishing until it fits perfectly into the show.

The show is definitely not for everyone. It deserves its R rating and should not be viewed until all children are safely tucked into bed. The characters use extremely course language and engage in explicit behaviors. If you can get past the vulgarities, however, the dialogue soars and swoops in cadences that at times approach poetry.

Deadwood takes place in the Dakota Territory during the 1870s and depicts life as it might have been during the full-blown Gold Rush that was going on at the time. The gritty realism of the sets gives the impression of what life during that unpolished era might have been like, but the series is no historical docudrama. It intends simply to provide first class entertainment. The cast mixes familiar names from history with characters created for the series.

An outstanding level of performance by a number of the leading actors characterizes each episode of Deadwood. Best of all, perhaps, are wonderful performances by Ian McShane who plays the role of the ruthless town boss, a villainous character named Al Swearengen. Robin Weigert, does a great job in her role as Calamity Jane. On one memorable episode she provided an ennui-laden observation that is probably as appropriate to our century as to hers when she blurted out at one point, “Every day it takes figuring out all over again, how to (explicative deleted) live!”

“If you build it they will come” could be more truly said about the show’s little Sierra foothill town than about any ball field. The citizens of Deadwood built saloons, houses of ill repute, a general store, a medical office, and a jail. As a result, the town was flooded by gamblers, hookers, merchants, doctors, liquor salesmen, saloon owners, and lawmen. One of the series’ lead actors, Timothy Olyphant, fits into that last category because he plays Seth Bullock, the town sheriff who is running for reelection. Sheriff Olyphant is a somewhat unwilling lawman who had come to town with a simple aspiration to open a hardware franchise together with his business partner and friend, a man named Sol Star.

During its first two seasons Deadwood was nominated for 22 Emmys, won seven of them, and earned a Golden Globe Award. Its fresh, relevant, innovative, well written, and superbly acted episodes have richly earned the series all the honors that are coming its way.

The bad news is that Deadwood is in its final season. It is going out in style with a season climax consisting of two full-length movies scheduled for release.

There is still sufficient time for you to catch the rest of the 2006 season. The show airs on HBO every Sunday at 9 p.m. You can also enjoy the first two seasons on DVD or through your cable’s On Demand service.

If your taste runs to this kind of Western Drama you will enjoy Deadwood. But don’t say I didn’t warn you! This is one show that could never be shown on broadcast TV without a lot of serious editing, deleting, and reshooting. Deadwood is a vulgar, profane, and nasty masterpiece. Goethe would have loved it!

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