admin @ Sat, 2006-09-23 08:00
How ironic is it that at the same time NBC is introducing two series - Studio 60 and 30 Rock - that are thinly based on Saturday Night Live, the network is breaking up the old mothership for kindling?
When Saturday Night Live returns for its 32d season next Saturday, it will have a skeleton of an ensemble, with only 11 regulars (down from 16 last year). And not one of the survivors is particularly adaptable in the way, say, Will Ferrell was in his long run on the show.
The new "Weekend Update" team will be Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler, which also doesn't sound too promising. I used to stay up until the fake-news segment was over. Now it looks as if I'll be tuning out after the opening sketch.
Ah, well, out with the old, in with the new. Studio 60 was absolutely my favorite of the shows that debuted this week. It's bloody brilliant, Watson. BTW, if you watch closely this week, you'll see Studio 60 pay tribute to The Inquirer's TV institution, Gail Shister.
My other favorite new series is Kidnapped on NBC. Critics are making a big deal of how many serialized dramas are now on the air, shows like Prison Break, Lost, Vanished and Jericho. They speculate that the proliferation of to-be-continued story lines may put too many demands on the viewer.
I understand the argument. There are only so many hours you can devote to TV in any given week. But Kidnapped, with Timothy Hutton, Dana Delany and Jeremy Sisto, is so sharp, I might be willing to give up 24 for it.
After watching the premiere, let me share a guess with you. How much do you want to bet that the freakish ability of Leopold's (Will Denton), the kidnapped billionaire's son, to hold his breath for minutes at a time (a trait laboriously introduced in the pilot) will turn out to be crucial in the eventual resolution of this case?
I'm sick of this recurring stunt that has Boston Legal's Denny Crane (Bill Shatner) laying long, lingering smooches on every female he gets near. The puffy kissing bandit struck again in the season opener, pasting one on Denise (Julie Bowen).
The thing is, there's nothing remotely sexy or ardent in Shatner's uninvited advances. He looks like an overweight lifeguard practicing mouth-to-mouth on a Red Cross dummy.
Speaking of Boston Legal, it was quite a week for guest star Jane Lynch (Best In Show). On Tuesday on Boston Legal, she played a sex surrogate whom James Spader tried to lure out of retirement. The following night, on CBS's Criminal Minds, she played FBI agent Reid's paranoid schizophrenic mother, who, from a mental institution, unleashed a serial killer on her son's profiling squad.
TV is enjoying a Wings renaissance. The lineup from that unassuming '90s sitcom about a puddle-jumping airline on Nantucket is turning up all over prime time. Timothy Daly (pilot Joe Hackett) stars in ABC's bank hostage drama, The Nine. Steven Weber (brother Brian) is outstanding as a cutthroat network executive in Studio 60. Tony Shalhoub (Antonio the cabbie) is ensconced as the title character in Monk. Thomas Haden Church (Lowell, the loopy mechanic) was Robert Duvall's saddle tramp partner in this summer's Western mini, Broken Trails.
Basically, that leaves only Crystal Bernard (Helen, the luncheonette dolly). Get out there, girl. When you have Wings on your resume, the sky's the limit.
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