TVLine

Did NBC's Save Me Make You a Convert?

Kimberly Roots — Fri, 24 May 2013 01:00:40 +0000

Did Save Me have you shouting hallelujah?

NBC’s newest comedy premiered Thursday (8/7c) with two back-to-back episodes. In them, we meet Beth Harper (played by Anne Heche, Men in Trees), a Midwestern wife and mother who has a near-death experience in her kitchen after choking on a hero sandwich.

When she’s revived, she claims to be able to receive messages from God. This mortifies her daughter Emily (Madison Davenport, Shameless) and stymies Beth’s husband Tom (Michael Landes, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman)… who’s got a different kind of religious moment happening on the regular with his mistress Carly (Alexandra Breckenridge, American Horror Story).

Thursday’s episodes find Beth dishing out some pretty on-point advice – courtesy of the Man Upstairs – and working overtime to make amends with friends she offended in the past, with mixed results.

Novelist John Scott Shepherd created the comedy and serves as executive producer alongside director Scott Winant (Breaking Bad), Alexa Junge (United States of Tara) and The Big C‘s Neal H. Moritz, Vivian Cannon and Darlene Hunt.

What did you think of Save Me? Grade the premiere via the poll below, then back up your choice in the comments!

Follow @kimroots

Sons of Anarchy Casts Shield Vet CCH Pounder

Megan Masters — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:30:31 +0000

Another Shield alum is ready to live a Charming life.

CCH Pounder has landed a multi-episode arc on the sixth season of FX’s Sons of Anarchy, EW.com reports.

The actress joins SOA as a San Joaquin County District Attorney who comes into contact with the biker bad boys of SAMCRO.

Pounder is the latest Shield star to visit Sons, with previous guests including (but not limited to) Walton Goggins, Kenny Johnson and Jay Karnes.

Follow @MegMasters

TV Season Champs: NCIS Outdraws Sunday Night Football, Top-Rated New Comedies All Got Axed

Matt Webb Mitovich — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:10:41 +0000

With May Sweeps over, the overall rankings for the broadcast networks’ 2012-13 TV season have been released, and CBS’ NCIS this time around seized the title of Most Watched Program, edging out NBC’s Sunday Night Football with an average of 21.3 million weekly viewers (including all available DVR playback data).

SNF, however, still is demo king, having averaged a weekly 7.9 rating.

In the coveted 18-49 demo, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy (averaging a 4.1 rating this season) edged out NCIS by a tenth for No. 1 Drama honors, while The Big Bang Theory dominated both comedy rankings.

In the reality-TV realm, this was the year that NBC’s The Voice bested Idol in the demo, though Fox’s long-running singing competition averaged a larger weekly crowd (with its Wednesday performance shows).

One “fun” fact on display below: The three highest-rated comedies to premiere this season… All. Got. Cancelled. Meanwhile, among freshman dramas, Live+7 DVR playback led Fox’s The Following to an eleventh-hour victory over NBC’s Revolution.

Lastly, look at CBS laying claim to the most watched cancelled show: Vegas and its 12 frickin’ million viewers. Rich people problems!

Here are assorted rankings for the broadcast networks’ offerings; hit Comments to share what surprises/delights you:

TOP 10 BY DEMO
NBC Sunday Night Football (7.9)
The Big Bang Theory (6.2)
The Voice (Monday) (5.1)
Modern Family
The OT
American Idol (Wednesday)
The Voice (Tuesday)
American Idol (Thursday)
The Following
Grey’s Anatomy

TOP 10 BY TOTAL VIEWERS
NCIS (21.3 mil)
NBC Sunday Night Football (21 mil)
The Big Bang Theory (18.7 mil)
NCIS: Los Angeles
Person of Interest
American Idol (Wednesday)
Dancing With the Stars (Monday)
American Idol (Thursday)
The Voice (Monday)
Two and a Half Men

DirecTV Comes Full Circle With David Boreanaz, Kate Walsh, Julian McMahon and More

Vlada Gelman — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:48:52 +0000

David Boreanaz‘s new role is less Seeley Booth, more Lenny Bruce.

The Bones actor will star in DirecTV’s upcoming series Full Circle alongside Kate Walsh (Private Practice), Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck), Billy Campbell (The Killing) and a slew of other familiar TV faces.

The 10-episode relationship drama from Neil LaBute (The Shape of Things, In the Company of Men), who’s making his television debut, follows 11 people whose lives are unknowingly intertwined. Each episode features a restaurant-set conversation between two characters, one of whose storylines will continue in the next outing during a discussion with a new character and so on.

McMahon will play a charismatic and intense entertainment attorney who represents Boreanaz’ outlandish comic. When the latter takes a joke too far, a young girl’s life (90210‘s Keke Palmer) is irrecoverably altered. Walsh and Campbell co-star as Trisha and Trent, the parents of a classmate (Lost‘s Devon Gearhart) who has a secret crush on Palmer’s character.

The cast also includes Cheyenne Jackson (30 Rock), whose aspiring singer intrudes on Trisha and Trent’s special night, Noah Silver (The Borgias) as Trisha’s student and Ally Sheedy (Psych) as his mother, Tom Felton (Harry Potter) as an exchange student from England and Minka Kelly (Friday Night Lights) as his love interest. The final episode of the season, which brings all the characters together, will introduce Robin Weigert (Sons of Anarchy).

Full Circle is slated to premiere on DirecTV’s Audience network this fall.

Follow @VladaGelman

Exclusive Body of Proof Series Finale Video: Megan Gets to the Bottom of Her Daddy Issues (With a Little Help From a Veronica Mars Grad)!

Michael Ausiello — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:41:33 +0000

It’s official: Body of Proof‘s current third season will be its last — but the show has a few final twists (and a killer cameo!) up its sleeve before it heads six feet under.

Despite what exec producer Matthew Gross deemed a “valiant effort” by ABC Studios to find the cancelled Dana Delany drama a new home, next Tuesday’s season finale will now serve as a series finale.

“We tried, tried and tried,” Gross told fans on Twitter. “No stone left unturned. No one wanted to keep this show on the air more than ABC Studios and me. We’re all bummed.”

The one silver lining: Tuesday’s episode will tie up a number of loose ends — not the least of which is the long-gestating mystery surrounding the death of Megan’s father — as well as feature a guest appearance by an actor who needs no introduction but he’s getting one anyway: Um, it’s me, people.

The guest star is meeeeeeeeeeee.

(And before you go questioning the authenticity of the headline on this story, yes, I was on Veronica Mars. Check it!)

Press PLAY below to watch me single-handedly turn Megan’s dangling daddy issue on its head, scroll down further to view some outtakes from my big day on the set, and then hit the comments with an answer to this question: Should I enter myself in the supporting or lead category at this year’s Emmys?

Follow @MichaelAusiello

Click here to view the embedded video.

Matt's Inside Line: Scoop on NCIS, Castle, Psych, NCIS: LA, Covert Affairs, Suits, Beast and More!

Matt Webb Mitovich — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:24:01 +0000

Did NCIS‘ Ziva (gasp) “Friend” Tony? Which Castle couple is due for more lovin’? Which NCIS: LA agent will get a blast from the past? Who’s conspicuously silent in Psych‘s musical episode? Read on for answers to those questions plus teases from other shows.

NCIS | To Inside Liners Nisha, Joyce and others, this is for you. With many “Tiva” fans fretting that the pair’s season-ending heart-to-heart essentially landed Tony in the dreaded Friend Zone, showrunner Gary Glasberg maintains that over the course of Season 10, “We made huge strides. Their relationship has evolved, has changed. They’re a little more open with each other and a little more emotionally connected, certainly more than where we were at the beginning of the season.” With that same passionate group of ‘shippers having been vested in “The Year of Tiva” (a mantra initiated by, I believe it was, Michael Weatherly), Glasberg admits the couple’s closeness “may not be the big leap that a lot of people would like it to be, but I also feel like we’re enjoying the pace at which this is happening. That’s not to say we’re not headed in the direction everyone would like to go, but I think we’re getting there.” As the EP explains, “It’s very complicated when two agents who are working together get into a relationship, and that’s something that [Tony and Ziva] would be very conscious of. So I think they would tread lightly, which is why, in theory, we’re treading lightly and being very careful about the steps that we take.” (As for Cote de Pablo’s contract status for Season 11, as of Wednesday night, Glasberg had no update to share: “I wish I had information for you, but I don’t.”)

Casting About | Before we dive into the reader mailbag, a few casting calls that have floated across my desk: MTV’s Awkward will close Season 3 with the introduction of Bailey, a “smart, very sarcastic and funny” freshman underdog – or, Jenna: The Next Generation? … On Necessary Roughness, the therapy-needing baseball prospect to be played by Entourage’s Jonathan Keltz is getting an increasingly concerned father…. And Californication Season 7 is casting a pair of TV stars: an African-American named “Hashtag Black,” and Amy, a pretty wit who’s heard a lot about Hank from her pal/Season 4 character Sasha Bingham.

And now…. Real questions, real answers!

I’m down on my knees here begging you for any and all info you might be in possession of on Psych! I’ll bake cookies, or send you a pineapple. Just please give me something! –Melinda
If you’ve longed to hear Arnie Becker let loose with a tune, the USA series’ musical episode — a two-parter set to unspool on one night in November or December – will not fill the bill. “I must tell you the truth, I don’t sing — and that’s probably why I only speak three words” in the much anticipated outing, Corbin Bernsen tells me. The pipes boasted by the rest of the cast, however, are “extraordinary,” Henry’s portrayer raves. “It sounds like Broadway stuff — the sort of stuff that I can’t do.”

Got any Castle or Suits scoop to help me through finals? –Christina
Suits up! At the USA Network upfront event, I asked Gabriel Macht what sets the stage for the new season’s flashback episode, which dives 10 years into the past. “The DA played by Gary Cole in the first season is brought back, so we’re going to see the origin episode of why Harvey left the DA’s office,” he shared. And what surprised him most about this latest bit of time travel? “It was interesting to find out where Harvey gets the value of not sleeping with the people he works with.” On a related note, Macht says the issue of where “Scottie” (played by Abigail Spencer) lands – New York or London – “is explained in the premiere, [airing July 16], so she’s back for that episode.”

I really hope to see more “Esplanie” on Castle next season. Anything you can tease so far? – Marine
Know who else hopes to see more Esposito/Lanie scenes? Andrew W. Marlowe, that’s who. Acknowledging that things are “complicated” between the detective and the M.E., (“I think that Lanie isn’t sure about wanting to commit “), the series’ creator says, “There is much more going on in that relationship than we have had time to show. There’s some great storytelling that we’ve talked about, but to give it the real breadth we want to, we need a bit more time. So we’re going to have some hallmarks next season on that front.” So I in turn ask fans: What hallmarks would you like to see?

What is new TV series/movie of the Jensen Ackles? –Emma
If there is a God: My Bloody Valentine 4D.

Can you tell us more about what’s coming in the second season of Beauty and the Beast? –Sakran
Presumably in addition to Catherine’s biological father, “We’ve got some new people joining us [for Season 2], which is going to amp things up,” Jay Ryan says. “Fresh blood!” As for the show’s sophomore run as a whole, Vincent’s portrayer has these expectations: “I think we’ve found our footing, as far as what the tone of the show is — and we can only grow bigger and better from there.”

Does Hart of Dixie’s Scott Porter think George and Zoe will finally be more explored in Season 3? And what would be his dream storyline for George Tucker? –Stephanie
What if I told you that his dream storyline does not involve Zoe…? Porter told me his No. 1 Season 3 wish is that “George is single, for most of the year. That we get to see him more fleshed out and go on some solo adventures as opposed to always being tethered to a relationship.” The actor noted that in Season 2, George “was single for one episode, and then had a revolving door of women coming through his life, and I want to see George outside of that.” As such, this storyline in which George shutters his law practice for a bit to indulge his musical leanings has a good ring to it. “There’s a part of George that is a little bit more wild — and he needs to start letting that side out.”

On NCIS: Los Angeles, will we ever meet Kensi’s ex-fiance Jack? –Lauren
No sooner did I utter your question to show boss Shane Brennan did he respond, “Yes.” But was that a yes as in sometime soon-ish…? “I answered you pretty quickly,” Brennan smiled, “so perhaps it’s something we are already thinking about.” As for what Jack might be like, Brennan isn’t locked into a type just yet, though he did venture: “Kensi likes Deeks, so maybe he’s a Deeks lookalike, another ‘shaggy dog’?”

Does Neal/Bae come back in Once Upon a Time Season 3, or is he really dead?? –Jessica
Judging by this bit of exclusive goodness (318 comments and counting!), he sure seems to be alive. (Unless he has another identity, that of Casper the Friendly Ghost.)

Covert Affairs is back filming and @ChrisGorham is tweeting cryptic teases. Any info on the upcoming season? –Janice
Gorham already dropped some juicy teases in Ask Ausiello, so I instead give you Kari Matchett sharing a taste of the tempestuous times ahead for the USA drama’s resident marrieds. In addition to the budding Annie/Auggie romance, she said, “There are some really interesting personal things going on [in Season 4] that inform the professional life in a bigger way for Joan and Arthur. I can say there is a very serious breaking point that comes up. I can’t tell you what the outcome is, but there is a very, very serious breaking point.” (Could Matchett’s real-life pregnancy play into this relationship drama? “Viewers will have to tune in and see,” I am told.)

If there’s a summer or fall show you’d like the Inside Line on, email InsideLine@tvline.com! (With reporting by Vlada Gelman)

TVLine Items: Intervention Cancelled, Idol Alum Gets Campy, FX Sets Date for Bridge and More!

Megan Masters — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:20:08 +0000

A&E is staging its final Intervention.

The Emmy-winning docu-series will end its 13-season run this summer, with five all-new installments set to debut Thursday, June 13 at 9/8c.

Ready for more of today’s TV dish? Well…

• FX’s new Diane Kruger drama The Bridge will debut Wednesday, July 10 at 10 pm.

• American Idol alum Matt Rogers has been tapped to host Summer Camp, USA Network’s new reality series that centers on 16 adults indulging in over-to-top competitions inspired by classic camp games. It launches July 11.

• Anna Nicole, Lifetime’s upcoming biopic based on the life of infamous model Anna Nicole Smith, premieres June 29.

• The CW has bumped up Breaking Pointe‘s Season 2 premiere by a week, with the docu-series now bowing July 22 at 9 pm.

• ABC Family has picked up a spelling bee reality show, titled Spell-Mageddon, per The Hollywood Reporter. The series is described as a word competition meets Wipe Out.

• Carrying on its tradition of wedding-based Real Housewives spin-offs, Bravo has reportedly given the green light to a nuptial-centric series starring Orange County housewife Tamra Barney.

Which TVLine Items have you talking today?

Fox Reality Chief Previews Does Someone Have to Go?: 'It's Relatable, Emotional, Voyeuristic'

Michael Slezak — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:19:36 +0000

It takes a certain amount of audacity to build a reality show around threatening a company’s weakest links with some very real pink slips — especially as the nation’s unemployment rate remains stuck in the stratosphere.

And yet as Fox reality chief Mike Darnell talks about tonight’s premiere of Does Someone Have to Go? (9/8c), he claims the process is actually quite “cathartic.”

“We’re not talking about an arbitrary firing,” Darnell explains. “If you watch the premiere, you realize there’s all this pent-up angst within a company. And [the format of the show provides] a cathartic way to get out the issues: Let’s see what everybody thinks of each other. Let’s find out what everybody makes. Let’s figure out what the problems are.”

The series premiere focuses on the family-run Velocity Merchant Services, where the company’s wife-and-husband management team turn over the power to their employees to determine who’s overpaid, who’s undervalued and who needs to get their walking papers. Workers’ “private” confessional videos get revealed to their colleagues, everyone’s salaries are posted on a screen in the conference room and ultimately, three employees end up nominated for termination. Next week’s conclusion finds the at-risk workers pleading for their jobs and final decisions being rendered.

“Part of what makes reality TV work is relatability. And this show is extraodrinarily relatable,” Darnell continues. “[People] always have that sense that the boss doesn’t know who the crappy worker is, [or] who’s doing nothing. And if you had your way, you could point it out and take care of it. That’s why it’s relatable — in addition to being emotional and voyeuristic and all those things that make reality shows work.”

Still, amidst lackluster ratings for recent high-profile entries like NBC’s Ready for Love and ABC’s Splash, does Darnell feel like the reality genre is becoming an increasibly difficult nut to crack? “There’s probably no more failure now than there has been in the last 10 years. Look at last spring-summer: You’ll see there were like 12 reality shows that failed in a row,” Darnell contends.

That said, with cable networks also heavily in the reality game, viewers have “hundreds” of options in front of them, Darnell admits. ”Because of that, it’s hard to [generate] too much excitement for something that’s a brand-new, edgy show — ’cause there are probably three new cable shows that sound just as edgy. It’s much tougher now to get noticed.”

And as for any potential pitfalls — legal or otherwise — of the Does Someone Have to Go? concept, Darnell promises that “the i’s have been dotted and the t’s have been crossed” by both Fox and Endemol’s legal teams.

“I didn’t make the legal Bible on it, but look, if you go back 10 years, it seemed like every progression of every reality show would have been impossible to do from a legal standpoint,” Darnell notes. And if any episodes end with an affirmative answer to the show’s titular question, “There is definitely a severance package that would be in line with what they’d normally get.”

Follow @MichaelSlezakTV

Finale Ratings: The Middle Holds Steady, Modern Family, SVU and Criminal Minds Down Vs. 2012

Matt Webb Mitovich — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:02:10 +0000

Season 4 of ABC’s Critics Choice Award-nominated The Middle graduated with honors on Wednesday, drawing 7.5 million total viewers — the sitcom’s most watched finale in three years — while matching last year’s demo rating of 2.0. Week-to-week, The Middle inched up a tenth.

Elsewhere on ABC, Modern Family‘s season ender did 9.9 mil and a 3.6, up a tenth from last week but down 12 percent from its previous finale. How to Live With Your Parents followed with 6.32 mil/2.2, up a few eyeballs and two tenths. Nashville’s everything-but-the-kitchen-sink freshman finale (6.1 mil/1.9) was up 9 percent and two tenths.

Over on CBS, Criminal Minds‘ double-episode finale night averaged 10.8 mil and a 2.7, up a tick week-to-week but down more than 20 percent from last year’s capper.

NBC’s SVU finale drew 6.7 mil/1.6, up a tenth but dropping 20 percent in the demo from its previous finale. Chicago Fire (6.2 mil/1.7) was down 11 and 15 percent with its finale. Next stop: Tuesday nights!

Modern Family, Criminal Minds and SVU all hit all-time finale lows in the demo.

The season premiere of Fox’s MasterChef delivered 5.24 mil and a 2.1, up in viewers from its June 2012 opener while down just two tenths in the demo.

Want scoop on any of the above shows? Email insideline@tvline.com and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line.

Exclusive Sneak Peek: Meet Sanjay and Craig (AKA a Boy and His Talking Nerdist Snake)

Matt Webb Mitovich — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:59:17 +0000

This Saturday at 10:30am ET, Nickelodeon premieres Sanjay and Craig, a new animated series that shares DNA with Bob’s Burgers, Pete & Pete and Freaks and Geeks — and TVLine has a sneak peek.

Presenting yet another take on the age-old story of a young boy and his talking snake — voiced by Maulik Pancholy (30 Rock) and Chris Hardwick (The Nerdist) — Sanjay and Craig was created by Jay Howell (Bob’s Burgers), Jim Dirschberger and Andreas Trolf, all of whom claim Nick’s popular Adventures of Pete & Pete among their influences. In fact, Pete & Pete producers/veteran animators Chris Viscardi and Will McRobb are among the new show’s EPs.

In this clip from one of the first episodes, Sanjay and Craig, in a quest to find the ultimate laugh, ask their friend Megan (voiced by onetime Freak turned Mad Men minx Linda Cardellini) to judge their respective giggles. Will you be tuning in?

Click here to view the embedded video.