Well, it’s only Tuesday, and what a week it’s been! The networks are hot on the job of toying with our emotions, breaking hearts, and reinforcing false hopes left and right.
Shows are back! Shows are gone! New shows are being hyped! What a time to be alive.
There isn’t much that comes as a surprise these days beyond the actual schedule; rumors abound for weeks and weeks before the upfronts about which shows will and which shows won’t, be on the coming fall’s schedule. While there may be one-off series that remain on the bubble until the final moment, the shock factor involved in show X being scheduled at time Y just doesn’t do it.
And then along came ABC. Bravo, brave soul! You managed to make the mundane exciting. You gave us a little pop, and sent confetti showering down upon us from the heavens.
Okay, I’m getting a bit too verbose. But, come one; in a lineup where Dancing with the Stars eats up three hours, and Private Practice still lives, a little risk goes a long way. And Wednesday nights on ABC are about to get crazy!
No, I’m not talking about the fact that ABC scheduled Wednesdays with only brand new shows. Instead, I’m talking about the hour and a half that stars some of our old favorites. That’s right; Wednesday night now brings us Hank, starring Kelsey Grammer, The Middle, with Patricia Heaton, and Cougar Town, starring Courtney Cox Arquette. It’s Grammer and Heaton back together again! Well, sort of.
I have to say, I’m really excited. For the 8 to 9 slot, that is. Cox Arquette grew into a shrill banshee on Friends, and exploded the personality miserably on Dirt (not to mention her bad turn on Scrubs.) I think Courtney’s more of an ensemble actress anyway, and while I will definitely check out her new show out of respect (as I did with Dirt), I don’t have high hopes for the series both based on her, as well as on the fact that “cougar” was old (double whammy!) as soon as the term entered the lexicon.
But I cannot wait to get Grammer and Heaton back! Kelsey may have never quite gotten the Frasier Crane of Frasier out of each succeeding role that he played, but, who cares? He’s not only perfected the role, the role is also perfect. And, no one does comedy quite like Grammer, who brings a very high level of wit and intellect to the low playing field that is most sitcoms today. His humor raises the quality of both his colleagues, and his shows, and I can’t wait for him to connect again. And, on Hank, Grammer gets to infuse yet another character with wealth and stature, while inflicting his personality on his family as husband and father, instead of as son and brother. I can’t wait!
Nor can I wait for Heaton to come back to us on The Middle, as the head of yet another family, this time from the Midwest. It’s Debra Barone with a flyover state accent! While Everybody Loves Raymond relied heavily on the comedy of Ray Romano, Heaton’s proved time and again that she has the strength and the talent to headline a series. Her being a lead anchor on Back to You wasn’t just FOX snuggling up to women’s libbers; it was a genuine portrayal of what this actress has the ability to do. She stood toe-to-toe with Ray Romano in comedy, and eye-to-eye with Kelsey Grammer in everything. At this point, actors need to strive to reach her level and be called her peer.
I’d also like to mention that, of the seven new dramas that ABC plans to unveil in the coming year, I’m psyched about five of them. I’m blown away by the fact that the network has the ability to not only stock its lineup with older goodies, but to also woo a large helping of truly intriguing new shows. I’m still upset with ABC over the fate of The Unusuals, but with Castle being given new life, I’m willing to keep an open mind about what they have to say next.
I am disappointed in the network for their choice of Shark Tank as a new reality series; turning entrepreneurs’ hopes and dreams into television fodder is in poor taste. But, then again, I’ve never understood America’s fascination with dancing competitions either, so, there you go.
Me? I’m getting set to take a big helping of Patricia Heaton, and a big helping of Kelsey Grammer, stir them together, and have a great Wednesday night. They’ll also be a useful segue into Lost come spring; we’ll all need to be in a good mood, free of our worries and fears, if we expect to follow how they plan on solving that crazy riddle.
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on May 19, 2009 @ 15:30 EST5EDT
I liked “Back to you” until they re-cast the daughter. I think “Hank” will fail simply because they are trying to re-create “Frasier” and without Jane Leeves, John Mahoney, Peri Gilpin and last not least David Hyde-Pierce it’s simply not going to work out. Grammar is funny, sure, but he needs to have a supporting cast that also works. It kinda sorta worked for me on “Back to You” but they left out the farce and that’s what made “Frasier” great. I really think you can easily pinpoint it to that.
Agree with you about “The Unusuals” but I’m looking at it as a one-shot that really worked and simply didn’t get renewed. Why not take it as something that goes out on a high note and for once not compare it to “Southland” for instance, which is already down to crappy episodes nobody cares for, while every single one of “The Unusuals” is great. Sometimes more doesn’t equal better. Some people say they could’ve easily lived with the first three Star Wars movies and without the next three. Like “Journeyman”, “The Unusuals” will always be great. Pick up the DVD box and proudly put it on a shelf where you can see it. I’ll put it right next to my FNL, Dollhouse and Firefly DVDs. It seems for every good show that is cancelled, another good show is renewed. We can’t win them all, there are too many people out there who after a hard day’s work don’t have the energy to think while watching TV and that’s why shows like “Biggest Loser” or “DWTS” win over stuff like “Lost”. You can’t watch it with your brain shut off.
*POST AUTHOR*
While I still lament the loss of The Unusuals, and Journeyman, I have to say that you have a great point! The show will forever be excellent, and no one can take that away from them. It’d be nice to have had 100 excellent episodes, but still, all is better than a mixed bag. Thanks!
You’re welcome :-)
Thanks for not pointing out that I made the “Grammar” mistake *blushes*
*POST AUTHOR*
I make plenty of mistakes. It happens. :)