NBC felt they should have had a hit on their hands with Up All Night, starring Will Arnett and Christina Applegate, which caused them to continually attempt to retool the show until they drove off Applegate and were left with nothing. The show debuted in 2011 with Arnett as a stay at home dad and Applegate as a producer on a TV talk show. When the show did not set the ratings world on fire, the show was retooled, putting Arnett’s character back to work and having Applegate lose her job and stay home with the baby. When that didn’t work, the plan was to convert from the show from a single-camera show to a traditional multi-camera sitcom, shot in front of a live audience. This proved to be one retool too many, as Applegate and the show’s creator jumped ship, and the show was quietly put to sleep.
Tag / Up All Night
Midseason Review – Thursdays
Thursday night is traditionally the busiest night of the week. Here’s our look back at my pre-season thoughts on what’s on the slate for this season.
7:00
The Big Bang Theory – Entering its 6th season, the show is at its ratings high point. They pick up right where last season left off, with Howard married and in space.
Ratings-wise, the show continues to grow, which is somewhat amazing for an older show. It continues to be consistently funny, despite what the haters might say.
30 Rock – Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin return for the 7th and final season. I will certainly look forward to these last 13 episodes.
The end is near for 30 Rock, and they seem to be bringing back most, if not all, of their stable of guest stars for final appearances. Last week saw appearances from Chris Parnell’s Dr. Leo Spaceman, Will Arnett’s Devin Banks, Steve Buscemi’s Lenny Wosniak, and Chloë Grace Moretz as Kaylie Hooper.
Last Resort – Early reports are that this show had the best pilot of the season, but left some doubts as to how it could continue on on a week to week basis. I’m looking forward to seeing for myself.
An intriguing premise that just didn’t find any type of viewership. ABC gave them enough notice to have episode 13 provide some sort of an ending, which we will see next week.
7:30
Up All Night – Christina Applegate and Will Arnett return in the last minute renewal from last spring. The status quo gets shaken up a bit as Ava’s show was cancelled in last week’s season premiere, putting Applegate’s Reagan and Maya Rudolph’s Ava out of work.
NBC pulled the show off the air and is completely retooling the show, moving from a single camera show to a multi-camera show shot in front of a studio audience. Ratings have not been great, so this is a last ditch effort to keep the show on the air in some fashion.
8:00
Person Of Interest – The enigmatic hit returns for its second season. Michael Emerson was not given as much to do last season as one would have hoped following Lost, but his role did pick up somewhat towards the end of the year.
I do find myself more invested in this show as time goes on.
The Office – The producers had previously announced that this season would be the show’s last. With original EP Greg Daniels returning to bring the show to its conclusion. Last week’s season premiere introduced some new, younger employees that might cause Jim and Pam to re-evaluate their lot in life.
One of the behind the scenes deals that allowed the show to return for one final season was extra time off for John Krasinski and Ed Helms to accomodate their movie shooting schedules, which has led to some silly plots, especially for Helms’ Andy.
Grey’s Anatomy – The 9th season opens a few months after the plane crash that closed out last season. There will be some cast shakeups, as Chyler Leigh is gone and Eric Dane is leaving. While not as good as it once was (and what show is after 9 years), it is still an entertaining way to pass an hour.
A new team of interns included Tina Majorino, who I have enjoyed since her time on Veronica Mars.
2012 New Fall Season – Thursdays
Thursday night is traditionally the busiest night of the week. Here’s what’s on the slate for this season.
7:00
The Big Bang Theory – Entering its 6th season, the show is at its ratings high point. They pick up right where last season left off, with Howard married and in space.
30 Rock – Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin return for the 7th and final season. I will certainly look forward to these last 13 episodes.
Last Resort – Early reports are that this show had the best pilot of the season, but left some doubts as to how it could continue on on a week to week basis. I’m looking forward to seeing for myself.
7:30
Up All Night – Christina Applegate and Will Arnett return in the last minute renewal from last spring. The status quo gets shaken up a bit as Ava’s show was cancelled in last week’s season premiere, putting Applegate’s Reagan and Maya Rudolph’s Ava out of work.
8:00
Person Of Interest – The enigmatic hit returns for its second season. Michael Emerson was not given as much to do last season as one would have hoped following Lost, but his role did pick up somewhat towards the end of the year.
The Office – The producers had previously announced that this season would be the show’s last. With original EP Greg Daniels returning to bring the show to its conclusion. Last week’s season premiere introduced some new, younger employees that might cause Jim and Pam to re-evaluate their lot in life.
Grey’s Anatomy – The 9th season opens a few months after the plane crash that closed out last season. There will be some cast shakeups, as Chyler Leigh is gone and Eric Dane is leaving. While not as good as it once was (and what show is after 9 years), it is still an entertaining way to pass an hour.
Midseason Review – Thursdays
Nearing the end of our look back at the fall television season.
CBS
Big Bang Theory – The nerds return for more fun.
This show has wisely mixed things up, with the focus nearly equal between the guys and the girls. The additions of Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik to the cast have made a strong show even stronger. There was one occassion where the show fell victim to the main charge of its critics, where it laughed at nerds instead of with them. Hopefully that was a blip and not a tonal shift.
How To Be A Gentleman – This looks to be horrible. I doubt it lasts through November sweeps.
And it didn’t.
Person Of Interst – Michael Emerson’s first post-Lost series. That alone is enough of a reason to give this a chance.
This is not really a bad show, but it isn’t really a good one and it seems like a total waste of Michael Emerson’s talents. It looks like they may be mixing things up a bit by bringing Taraji P. Henson into the fold, so maybe that will help.
The Mentalist – Based on the premiere, it will be more of the same from The Mentalist. It’s a good enough show, but I can see it burning out quickly if they don’t shake things up sometime soon.
More of the same indeed. The addition of one of the kids from the new Melrose Place as the new boss is kind of weird, but beyond that, nothing really new.
NBC
Community – Back for a surprising third season. John Goodman has joined in a recurring role, and, so far, looks to have brought his A-game.
Well, John Goodman only appeared 2 or 3 times, but this season has been bizarrely brilliant. Of course, this means that NBC has pulled it from the schedule, claiming it will return at some undetermined point in the future. I know 3 seasons is more than most series see, but losing this show will hurt more than most. Continue reading →
Midseason Review – Wednesdays
Time to look back on our thoughts regarding Wednesday’s television slate from the fall.
CBS
Criminal Minds – Last season saw A.J. Cook and Paget Brewster written out of the show and replaced by Rachel Nichols. Someone must have realized it was a mistake, as this season Rachel Nichols has been replaced by A.J. Cook and Paget Brewster. As it enters its seventh season, it may not be the best move to return back to the old status quo.
Well, we certainly are back to the status quo. It is still entertaining, but I don’t know how long you can keep beating this horse before he dies.
NBC
Up All Night – Two espisodes in and it has been decent so far, with the appeal of Christina Applegate cancelling out the annoyances of Will Arnett. The scenes at home with the baby have far surpassed those at work to this point.
This has turned into a pretty decent show, and has been rewarded with a move to Thursdays. Christina Applegate has been her usually charming self and I have even come to enjoy Will Arentt’s performance in this. Continue reading →
2011 New Fall Season – Wednesdays
CBS
Criminal Minds – Last season saw A.J. Cook and Paget Brewster written out of the show and replaced by Rachel Nichols. Someone must have realized it was a mistake, as this season Rachel Nichols has been replaced by A.J. Cook and Paget Brewster. As it enters its seventh season, it may not be the best move to return back to the old status quo.
NBC
Up All Night – Two espisodes in and it has been decent so far, with the appeal of Christina Applegate cancelling out the annoyances of Will Arnett. The scenes at home with the baby have far surpassed those at work to this point.
Free Agents – This has not been very good so far, despite featuring the return of Anthony Stewart Head to American television sets. I give it until January, if that long.
Upfronts Day 0
NBC jumped the gun and released their schedule for the upcoming fall season a day early. Chuck returns for a 13 episode final season, moving to Friday nights. 30 Rock gets bumped to mid-season due to Tina Fey’s pregnancy. Harry’s Law gets a surprise renewal and moves to Wednesdays.
New dramas in the fall include Prime Suspect, starring Maria Bello as a homicide detective fighting her way through the boys club. The Playboy Club tries to follow in the footsteps of Mad Men and goes back to the 60s at the legendary Chicago club. Grimm tries to follow in the footsteps (notice a pattern here?) of Supernatural, following a group of hunters going after the creatures from the Grimm fairy tales. Awake (finally a somewhat new premise) is a drama about a man who wakes up from an accident to find out he is living in two parallel worlds, one where his wife died in the accident and one where his son died.
On the comedy front, Whitney is a starring vehicle for roast sensation Whitney Cummings. Up All Night is “a modern take on parenthood.” Free Agents is based on a cult UK comedy and returns Anthony Head, TVs Giles, to America’s shores. Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea is inspired by the book from late night host Chelsea Handler and stars Laura Prepon. Best Friends Forever looks at best friends who promise to support each other. Bent is about a couple who are attracted to each other despite not having much in common.