The Dead, the Mostly Dead, and the Slightly Alive

For some reason I keep thinking it's June next week... Perhaps it's because Burn Notice returns on June 4th (booyah! my god, I love that show), but I just can't seem to acknowledge that May is still very much in existence and means I'll have to wait four more weeks for Michael Weston and company to start blowing things up once again.

Whatever the reason May has fallen of my head, fact is, it's here to stay, and television-wise, it's actually a very important month.

Aside from being a sweeps month and one of the best month's for season finales, it's also upfront season. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, the "upfronts" are the season schedules for each of the networks. It's during this time that viewers get to find out which shows got picked up for next season, which shows got the axe, and what new pilots are in the works.

For a professional television watcher such as myself, the upfronts are kind of like the draft (as I hesitantly dip my toe into a sports metaphor)... Shows get picked up, fired, and traded, the schedules get jumbled, and I have to completely reorient myself. As frightening as it can be at times (what with the vast majority of my shows currently teetering on the bubble), it's also one of the most fun (for someone as pathetic as I am, that is).

For some unknown reason, NBC's upfronts will be on November 5th, while the other networks won't be until the 18th through the 21st. Maybe they're hoping that announcing first will give them some sort of edge? Lord knows they could use the help, but I just don't think it'll do them a whole lot of good. Whatever. Most of my bubble shows are on NBC, so the less time I have to wait, the better.

Anyway, here are the latest details on pick-ups and cancellations (go here for shows that were picked up or axed earlier), and a few predictions about the bubble shows that currently on the endangered TV list.

OFFICIAL PICK-UPS:

• Grey's Anatomy (Every time I see anything about this show, I find myself ever so glad we broke up. Although I'm hearing Izzie is on her death bed these days, so I might just have to tune in for her untimely (in that it should have come three years ago) demise. Although imminent death would be about the only way she could possibly become whinier... Maybe I'll pass after all.)
  
• Private Practice (Oh lordy, I don't watch this show, but I came across this clip and about died. I tell ya what, wow/oy/ugh/seriously?)


• Ugly Betty (which I'm a little surprised at...)


• Lost


• Desperate Housewives
  
• Brothers & Sisters


• Dancing with the Stars (injuring "celebrities" for yet another season)


• The Big Bang Theory (picked up for 2 more seasons)


• How I Met Your Mother (also picked up for 2 more seasons--yay!)


• Heroes (Although the show has been sucking it up lately, it still does very well overseas and with Bryan Fuller back on the team, I've heard that creatively, it's in a much better place than when Heroes and I broke up earlier this year. It was picked up for next season, but only an 18 episode order, as opposed to this season's 24 or 25 (which felt more like 86 or 117)).


• Two and a Half Men (got picked up for the next 3 seasons--gag me)


• 24


• Friday Night Lights (I believe it's another weird, DirecTV something or other, but one way or another, it's alive and kicking (heh, no pun intended))


• Breaking Bad


• The Tudors


• Law & Order: SVU

OFFICIALLY DEAD AS A DEAD DEAD:

• Life on Mars


• Knight Rider


• Chopping Block (the title alone was just begging for cancellation)


• Lipstick Jungle (after about of dozen horror-movie style returns from the dead, I think this one is finally over with)
  
• Trust Me (wasn't a terrible show, but it was kind of painful to watch. You have to try pretty hard to make Erik MacCormack and Tom Cavanaugh unlikeable, but I'll be damned if they didn't succeed with flying colors)
  
• According to Jim

Those were the shows that I've heard official news about. Below are the shows that are still unofficially anything...

GOOD AS DEAD:

• Kings (Well made, ambitious, and had a lot of great elements to work with, but it never found an audience. Also, it was more than a bit of a downer... Seriously, a little levity would have gone a long way. It started on Sundays as NBC's grandiose new drama, then it was banished to the Saturday death slot, then, just when you thought it couldn't get worse, it's been pulled from the schedule entirely. I'm hearing the remaining episodes of its 13 episode order will air this summer. Ouch.)
  
• Better Off Ted (This is a real shame. It's a great show, but Americans have truly, truly, terrible taste (see Two and a Half Men's pick-up status above for reference). I'd like to think that this little gem had a chance of being picked up, but the ratings are pretty abysmal and the show is actually good, so between those two factors, it doesn't stand much of a chance. Bah!)


• Terminator: The Sarah Connors Chronicles (The official word hasn't come down from on high, but multiple sources confirm that the show is dead. I never watched this show, but I hear it was quite good and anything with a Whedon alum on board deserves better than Fox has to offer.)

ON LIFE SUPPORT:

• Dollhouse (She ain't dead yet, but things are looking pretty grim. Joss mentioned in an interview recently that a second season pick-up is entirely possible, but after looking at last Friday's numbers, I'm not holding my breath. Let's just say it was a tough call between putting this show in the category above or this one. I would be thrilled if it got picked-up, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up (read: get any hope at all). It has turned into a pretty kick-ass series and I'll be sad to see it go. Here's hoping for a miracle.)


• Chuck (Although Chuck has always struggled a bit in the ratings department, deep down I think it'll get picked up. The brass at NBC like the show and have shown quite a bit of support in the past. I like to think that the powers that be realize that Chuck is in quite possibly the worst timeslot ever conceived, and that that has a lot to do with its ratings woes. Seriously, it's up against House, Dancing with the Stars, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, and Gossip Girl. Monday at 7 is a very busy time for me... Plus, the grassroots efforts by fans and the show's cast have garnered quite a bit of media attention of late, so I think NBC will keep it, even if just to save face. They don't have a whole lot of successful shows these days, and certainly none with as devoted a following. In short, go to Subway this weekend and help the cause!)
  
• Life (another one of my darlings that has struggled in the ratings department. Honestly, the ratings aren't terrible and given the number of times it's been moved around on the schedule, it's performing better than I would have thought. The overhead on this kind of show usually isn't too insane, and we all know people love their procedurals, so I have a little hope that Life will survive. More than for Dollhouse, but not as much as for Chuck. It's prognosis is somewhere in between, I'd say. Even though season two kind of lost its way here and there, it ended strong and I'm keeping the faith.)
  
• The Unusuals (its ratings aren't terrible, but they've been slipping week-to-week. It's a solid show with a premise that should have mass appeal, but it just isn't finding a huge audience. I'd really like to see this show come back for a second season, but unless the ratings pick up, or at very least, stabilize, it doesn't look too likely).

LOOKING GOOD:

• Castle (I'm very pleased that a pick-up for Castle is looking fairly likely. The ratings aren't insanely spectacular or anything, but they're good and hold steady week-to-week. Also, ABC doesn't really have much else in terms of a procedural, so I think they'll keep Castle around for next year. I sure as hell hope so. What at first struck me as a piece of harmless fluff that could flesh out my second tier shows has quickly become one of my favorite shows on TV, first tier all the way. Finally! A show with Nathan Fillion that might survive! Yay!)


• Eleventh Hour (The ratings are actually quite good (in spite of CBS's ostensible lack of support for the show). I'm hearing Marley Shelton might not be back next year, which for a show with only two series regulars, she's half the show... I think this show could really benefit from an overhaul, so if it gets picked up, here's hoping that make a lot of changes. The show needs a home base and more than two regular characters.)


• Lie to Me (It's really not that good of a show, but I have to admit it's gotten a lot better since its first couple of episodes. It's a third tier show through and through, but it's toned down its "we're these incredible specialists who have the unique ability to spot obvious lying" overtones and that has made it a lot easier to watch. I still fast-forward through parts of every episode though... Anyway, the ratings are pretty good, but could certainly be better. I think Fox will keep this one around, especially with Prison Break ending and 24 getting on in years, it could use another consistent player.)


• Samantha Who? (I was honestly a little surprised that Ugly Betty got an early pick-up and Sam Who? didn't... I think it still has a good chance of being picked up, but the early pick up announcement made it a little uncertain. It's a decent show, but I only caught the first few episodes. The concept doesn't leave room for much longevity, so I can see where ABC might be on the fence with this one...)


• Scrubs (strange as it may sound, it's looking more and more like Scrubs might get picked-up for another season... The real contingency is which actors would be willing to come back to the show. If enough regulars agree to come back, it'll most likely get picked up, if not, it's much less likely.)
  
• Southland (It has only aired a couple of episodes so far (which is the only reason I didn't put it in the "Definite Pick-Ups" category), but the numbers are solid and NBC has been pushing hard for it. With ER over and buried (finally), they've been looking for a new drama to fill that slot and it appears they may have found it. The show doesn't really do it for me, but it's well made and I can see where it could find a sizable audience. Another good sign, now that Kings has been yanked and sent to the Summer Cemetery, reruns of Southland are airing in its place. Bad for Kings, good for Southland. It's nice to see Ryan Atwood getting work...)
  
• Privileged (shockingly enough, the little show that could might actually make it. The CW doesn't really have a whole of shows to hang on to, and with most of their returning shows getting older and more ridiculous, Privileged may very well be picked up. I've been hearing good things about its possible return lately, so although I don't really care one way or the other and have never seen a full episode, good for them...)

DEFINITE PICK-UPS:

• The Mentalist (although official word hasn't come down yet, this mediocre show was this year's breakaway hit for some unknown reason. Oh wait, Americans really love bad television. This show isn't a total disaster, but that's about the best I have to say. It's watchable, but it'll never break out of its third tier distinction unless it really starts bringing its A-game (assuming such a thing exists). Have no fear Mentalist fans, Simon Baker will be back next year, smarmily pompous as ever, along with Robin Tunney's dead eyes and hollow head. Yay...)
  
• Fringe (again, nothing official, but Fringe is pretty much a lock for next year. I didn't survive past the first 6 or 7 episodes, but I hear the show has really hit its stride these days. The ratings are solid, and Fox has shown considerable faith in the show. I'm confident of a pick-up and will be pretty surprised if it gets the axe (even though this is Fox we're talking about and nothing should shock me at this point)).

These lists are of course not comprehensive. Shows like House, the CSI trifecta, and the glut of reality crap like American Idol and The Bachelor will surely be back, so I didn't focus on them. Once the upfronts are officially announced, I'll post a comprehensive list for each network (including new pilots for next fall), but until then, it's the shows that have uncertain fates that get the attention.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted. Till then, I'll just be sitting here, on pins and needles, hoping to hell my shows come back next year... Sigh.

Heavy-Handed Metaphors, party of, like 17 at least...

For a show as grandiose and magisterial as NBC's new drama Kings, it was really begging for reviews titled "Epic Fail" in the event that it sucked, but fortunately for the show (and the viewers of the 2 hour 'movie-event' pilot), it has definite potential. While I'm not completely sold on the show yet, the pilot was encouraging and I'm compelled to give it a few more weeks to really find its feet.

The series centers around the royal family of the alternate reality country of Gilboa (it's basically New York City) and the war with neighboring country Gath (which if Gilboa is NYC, then Gath would be... New Jersey? (Oh, the humanity!)). It's basically a construct of the United States as ruled by a monarch (which, in case you didn't believe me about the rampant, and often overbearing metaphors, the family symbol is, wait for it, the monarch (butterfly)--yep, the monarch is represented by a monarch. It doesn't get much more straight forward than that (except that it totally does)...and we haven't even gotten to the transformation/rebirth aspect of that symbol yet).

The monarchy sets the scene, but it's the painfully overt David and Goliath theme that's most elemental to the narrative. And in just case you happen to be performing brain surgery, writing a concerto, and creating your own perpetual motion machine while watching the pilot, the writers have conveniently named the David-like character "David," and the huge, evil, Gath tanks "Goliaths," in case you somehow managed to have missed it. I was a little annoyed at the cheeseballishness of this move, but in actuality, the Goliath that David (whose last name is Shepherd, lest we go 2 minutes without a ham-fisted metaphor/aptonym) is opposing is King Silas himself (at least for now), so eye-rollingly obvious imagery and metaphor aside, I think ultimately the concept has merit. I get that they're modernizing Biblical themes here, but I would have appreciated a little more subtlety. I like it when parallels and references sneak up on you, rather than being thrown at you. Which isn't to say the show isn't good, it just didn't appeal to those particular sensibilities as I would have hoped... The writers have undertaken a huge task and have largely succeeded with it, snarky comments notwithstanding. Also, by putting the thematic influences out there so blatantly, it manages to largely prevent criticisms that the theme was borrowed because they flat out tell you it was borrowed. Anyway, if you're into biblical themes and epic presentation of said themes, well then hot damn! We have a winner!

As is predictably the case when using biblical themes, royalty, and war as your central elements, the tone and appearance of the show are very grand, magisterial, and even Shakespearean--all of which is clearly reflected in the production values of the show. I don't know what the overhead for this show is, but I can only imagine how high the viewership will need to be to keep it on the air. The two-hour pilot was, to say the least, impressive to watch. Like most other shows, the pilot has a lot more budget to work with than a regular episode and it was clearly apparent in Kings' premiere (and which I'm not sure will translate very well to week-to-week budgetary constrictions). The quality of the sets, costumes, effects, and everything else were pretty much beyond reproach. The writers recognized that presenting an alternate universe (albeit very much like our own) would be a hard sell and they went to expansive lengths to make the viewer believe it. And at least in my viewing experience, they succeeded. There were decisions I wouldn't made and things I would have changed, but overall, it was effective.

As compelling as the backdrop and underlying (well, overlying, really) themes were, the characters themselves were equally engaging, for the most part. I was a little irked at the lack of diversity in the cast, what with 90% of the cast being white men, but I'm going to assume the show is making a commentary on the underrepresentation of women and racial minorities in the political arena today... I kinda doubt that was their intent, but it makes it much less annoying to see the majority of women and faces of color acting as extras, sitting silently around the table while the white guys get to talk. There are notable exceptions, of course, the queen and princess filling the female quota, and Reverend Samuels (who is an excellent addition to the cast) serving as the only minority with a major role, but I would have liked to have seen a lot more diversity. Seriously, the writers had the option to create an alternate universe here and they chose all the same conventions of the actual world. I'm assuming that was their intent, and I'm hopeful something fruitful comes of it, but it's still irksome.

Anyway, alighting from my soapbox now, the cast, albeit largely white and male, is superb. The acting was convincing across the board, and given the gravity of the subject matter at hand, that's really saying something. I'm not kidding when I say the show should be in iambic pentameter. It felt like one of Shakespeare's histories pretty much from beginning to end, but the cast (much of which being a very young cast) was able to make it work. Although both King Silas and David, as the central conflict in the story, were well cast and effective, I found myself most intrigued by the prince and, quite surprisingly, the queen, who had very little screen time compared to the rest of the cast.

The fact that Prince Jack is played by Sebastian Stan (aka Carter Baizen on Gossip Girl, aka real life boyfriend of Leighton Meester (aka Blair Waldorf)) was not lost on me, but it colored my judgment of the his performance in a way I didn't expect. I was never particularly enthralled by his role on Gossip Girl, but in Kings, he has a much meatier role to work with and he really brings his A-game. I was expecting to see Carter Baizen (particularly given the ostensible similarities in the characters), but was rather pleasantly presented with a much more complex, well-rounded, and darker character than I had envisioned. The pilot crammed a whole lot of twists and turns into one episode (which is kind of a shame--I think it would have been better to roll them out over time), so even the mental and emotional progression of his character over just two hours was pretty impressive. The scene with King Silas completely crushing his son's perceptions on the steps of...whatever that place was supposed to be... was the most emotionally resonant scene of the pilot for me. And yes, I'm taking into account David's soliloquy on the battlefield. David's speech was all epic and sad and everything, but seeing the prince's face as his father calls him out on his secrets and undercuts his notions about everything was much subtler and more compelling. I thought Stan did a particularly impressive job conveying the course of the prince's emotions, even while not saying a word. Long story short, Stan's performance in Kings is kind of making me like Carter Baizen more... and that's a tall order to fill.

Perhaps subtlety just appeals to my sensibilities more than grandiose speechifying, but I think the queen is going to be one of the most pivotal and intriguing characters of the series. It seems silly to focus my review of the pilot of any set of characters other than King Silas and David, but here we are. King Silas and David are both interesting enough, and compelling in a very straight forward, "hey look! it's our central characters" kind of way (and David's naivete in the big bad world should play out nicely), but that's discernable from even the briefest trailer for the show. The whole David and Goliath conceit will be pervasive and front and center for a good long while to come, and I think that's where I'm a bit complacent about them...

Anyway, they're both fine and good and obvious, and therefore not as compelling as the queen. As long as I'm putting things in Shakespearean terms, I got the impression from the pilot that the queen will serve as the fool of the series. The queen actively pretended not to care about politics, even stating as such, but, like the fool, I got the impression that she's the slyest one of all. She puts on a facade of political apathy and of having only the simple tasks of a politician's wife to attend to, but it was clear to me that she plays the game as well as anyone, if not better. Unlike her rivals, she has a certain invisibility that comes with her innocuous facade which allows her much more power and influence than others. Her love for her son being a key factor in her political manipulations, I think she and the prince will be the most devious and quietly powerful players on the board. That she has such potential makes the lack of women in the cast a bit more palatable, but only if the writers exercise that potential to the fullest. The queen has a real opportunity for subterfuge and political domination and I'm hopeful she plays her cards right in this regard.

The pilot set a whole cavalcade of storylines, mysteries, character arcs, and plot twist into motion. I would have liked to have seen a lot of what was put in the pilot slowly rolled out over the course of the season, but I might have been bored by the pilot if they had. In spite of the length, I was genuinely interested for the entire pilot and am excited to see more, if for no other reason than this show is an English major's dream...slash nightmare. The heavy-handed imagery and metaphors are so patent that it makes it kind of un-fun to recognize them, but it's still interesting to see how the writers have translated such old themes into a more modern context. The tone was necessarily severe, but I would have liked to have seen some levity in the mix. The relationship between David and the princess (yeah, yeah, more themes, we get it) was fairly light-hearted, but still kind of grave. Given the intensity of the rest of the pilot, I think the pair acting like giddy school kids would have seemed disingenuous and out of place, so I think it was a good call on the writers' part to keep it subdued. The actress did a pretty good job with the role and the pair has decent chemistry, so it all worked pretty well.

All in all, Kings has a hell of a lot of potential, but I'm not sure it's going to find an audience. I think the two-hour premiere was a misstep, albeit a necessary one. Even as dedicated a television viewer as I am, two hours of intense drama was enough to wear me down. I think a little levity would have gone a long way, but I still don't think that would be enough to generate high enough viewership to justify the production budget. I would really like to see this show do well, and lord knows Sunday night needs something worth watching, but I suspect the show will struggle. I've hear that the next few episodes are excellent and that as a viewer, you'll be totally invested after 3 or 4, so I'll definitely be tuning in for at least that long.

If you missed the premiere, I'm sure it's available online, and honestly, I think it's worth your time. In spite of the gravity of it all, it's a very well-made show that kept me interested from start to finish. The pacing is excellent, so it doesn't get bogged down, and there are enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes.

Plus, in the event that you do get bored, you can play the heavy-handed metaphors drinking game. You'll be plastered after about 20 minutes. Trust me.