NBC Thursday: Season Premieres

My favorite line up of comedy starts tonight on the peacock network.

The final season of The Office commences, and despite my shouts of 'shut it down now!' I am sad that's it's nearing the end. Before the writers strike of 2007, this show was one of the most unique, funniest and emotionally sweet single cameras around. But something happened after the picket signs were put away and the ball got rolling again. Somewhere around the show's season four, it became a sitcom. Contrivances, continuity and lashes of deus ex machina with characters to which I'd grown ambivalent, The Office was not longer "must see" but just another DVR recording I'd delete.

Executive Producer Greg Daniels had mentioned during the hiatus, that The Office would return to form this last season. So, I'm hoping it's filled with heart warming Jim and Pam moments, less Andy and Erin and big name guest stars, with a nice Michael Scott cameo or two for good measure.

The video below made me sad. The ending is very much needed at this stage, but bittersweet nonetheless.



Also premiering is my new favorite show right on network television right now - Parks and Recreation. Leslie is now the new council-lady and Ben is off in Washington DC working on a new campaign. A little Jim-and-Pam-type long distance drama could be thrown in, but I think the powers that be have used up all their romantic-drama cards on the Halperts. Tom and Anne are moving in together, and Anne looks as annoyed as ever. Andy is moving toward a new career choice - policeman. Let's hope that Tom and Donna continue to include us in "Treat Yo-self Day"(misspelling noted) this season:



Up All Night has really grown on me. This cast is hilarious. Looks like Ava's show has been canceled, which could be a massive problem since Reagan has been the primary bread winner in the family.



SNL Election

NBC's 1985-86 Season Promo

I was an intern at NBC Creative Services back in the Fall of 1985, and our office sent these out to NBC affiliates. I must have seen this one hundred times. It looks really dated and dumb, but back then the network was on top.

'The Office' Season 9 Will Be Its Last

Executive Producer Greg Daniels has announced via conference call that his show The Office will be be wrapping up this coming season. As per Vulture.com, Daniels decided that since everyone will not be back for a season 10, the 9th season "... feels like the last chance to really go out together." Daniels said.

There was talk that The Office was going to reboot; however, as anyone who's loved the show can tell you, that's like restarting a very dead horse. This once wonderful show has been less than stellar in recent years, and to see it go out, with everyone still on staff, and hopefully a guest appearance from Steve Carell (with wife Holly and a baby in tow), would be satisfying.

Also mentioned is that we will FINALLY get to see the so-called documentary makers behind the scenes. My personal wish is that they deconstruct Jim and Pam's history. Every Office blog I've read has wanted to read what Halpert wrote to Pam for the Suprise Santa in season two's "Christmas Party" episode. Perhaps they've give us a peak into Jim's last day in Scranton before he moved to Stamford? There have been so many holes in that relationship viewers like myself are still pondering.

For more info on The Office and all follow ups regarding the final season, go to OfficeTally.com for all your Dunder Mifflin needs.  To read Daniel's announcement - go to Vulture.com.

UPDATE: Jenny Tan from Office Tally comes through will detailed info. For those interested - follow this link.  http://www.officetally.com/the-office-to-end-after-season-9

Whitney Cummings' Pilot Ordered to Series

Busy day in Hollywood, with NBC now picking up shows for the new Fall season. Comedian Whitney Cummings' pilot has just been ordered to series. The comedienne plays one half of a committed couple who deals with the everyday complications of life. Sounds groundbreaking.

Don't get me wrong. I adore Whitney. I always knew her ballsy wit and those gorgeous cheekbones would get her places, but this premise is a little staid. So, hopefully, thunderbolts of brilliant comedic scripture and eye boinking timing and chemistry can give this show a foundation.

Late minute update reveals that Christina Applegate's pilot has been picked up. It will be called Up All Night, and is about a single mom raising her kid.

Most likely this is the start of NBC's effort to build an all ladies block of comedy.

Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily

100 Questions: Here's One. Why?

It feels like NBC is trying to stifle the progression of the comedy sitcom by going back in time to the land of Friends. Fun and carefree pretty 20-somethings let their libidos loose in fun, sexy New York City where huge apartments are a plenty for little money and the life is so complicated and weepy. Goodbye creative television comedy. Hello canned laugh tracks, poorly executed performance and boring characters.

Perhaps co-star, creator and writer Christopher Moynihan's script read well. After all, the premise has charm on paper: A young single woman named Charlotte Payne can't find the right man, so she goes to a dating service (not online - a real dating agency with chairs and desks) where she is asked 100 questions about what she's looking for in a man. This invokes various stories about her dating and experience with relationships. Great! Could make up for some interesting stories about a modern girl (yawn) looking for love. This may have worked ok in the read through, but in last night's pilot, the premise fleshed out by humans didn't work.

Sophie Winklemen is serviceable as Charlotte, but a bit...annoying. This pains me to admit. I adore her in BBC's The Peep Show where she's funny and perfect in the role of Big Suze. However, her performance in Questions in the pilot was straining. She tried too hard to impress us with Charlotte, and that is a turn off for viewers who need to slowly cotton to her character by finding that vibe of empathy to which we can relate so we can like her and want to come back to cheer her on.

The storyline itself is formulaic. The supporting characters are foisted upon us like a bunch of sorority sisters who want to be bestest friends in the first five minutes of knowing you. There is no slow lead up to who these individuals are or what they are about. They are mouths that spew one verbal zinger after another - one joke every ten seconds, blinding us from getting a whiff of their true nature. Meanwhile, a very obvious chorus of canned laughter plugs in the quiet space left open by unfunny dialogue. Am I supposed to relate or like these friends of hers as they watch her turn down a marriage proposal at Yankee Stadium? I do know that one friend was disowned by his billionaire father. Ok. Why? He didn't seem like a douchebag. Time will tell, and it better tell us quickly because the 13 episodes ordered by the network was reduced to 6.

Sandwiched in between the summer re-runs of Community and 30 Rock with little fanfare, it slipped through like a mistake made by a newbie techie at NBC's Broadcast Operations Control, if that department still exists.

I don't mean to pick on a show that might not make it. What infuriates me as a comedy fan is that after the Conan fiasco and the dumbing down of The Office in recent years, this is what NBC give the audience?

100 Questions' only question should be...why? And if there is a why, a little exposition, funnier dialogue and less fake laughing last night would have given us a better answer.

Here's another version of the pilot seen last night. I guess they did some retooling because last night's episode aired with a slightly different cast than seen here:

NBC Fumbling Toward Oblivion: Leno and Conan Getting Re-Organized

When the news hit the internet in a tidal wave of TMZ reports and Twitters today, what was an ordinary day in comedy TV land became a mind boggling roller coaster ride of rumors and tales of breath taking network television stupidity. Imagine the gall of taking the career of Conan O'Brien, prepping him for the prime promotion of Tonight Show host for five years, have he and his staff uproot their families and lives from New York to Los Angeles, only to find the new gig to be an experiment that just doesn't work. Then, throw in Jay Leno, who would kindly take back his old job, stand in the midst of this sinking ship, sail through rumors of cancelation, clinging on with various scenarios of 11:35pm start time here, while Conan starts up at 12:05pm there. Meanwhile, the very hilarious Jimmy Fallon, whose show is becoming a blast for the young and farty like me, sort of bangs lightly against the hull of the Titanic known as NBC. Needless to say, despite the bumps, he may be the safest of all.

"I hear Fox is beautiful this time of year."

As a comedy fan and devotee to late night comedy talk shows (a devotion that does not include Mr. Leno's fare past and present), the confusion has made me woozy with confusion. I'm team Conan all the way. The surrealism of him being in Los Angeles has waned, and I've accepted him in the sunny studios of Universal. It's been disappointing to see him temper his act a bit to suit the earlier audiences, and it pains me to find that a portion of America who likes the safe, mediocre comedy of Leno at 11:30pm won't cotton to O'Brien. NBC's patchwork of placating Leno and preventing him from moving on to a competing network, resulted in the 10pm nightly timeslot that killed five hours of originally scripted shows and murdered local affiliates lead in. It diminished their ratings and revenue in the process. Well done, Jeff Zucker.

Bill Carter of NYTimes has posted the latest this evening. There is a possible solution at hand whereby Leno could start after the news at 11:35pm for a 30 minute monologue show, pushing Conan to 12:05pm and Fallon pushed later. Oh God, my head hurts. I just want Johnny Carson to come back to life and kick someone's ass big time.

I interned and ultimately worked at NBC when it was the number one network. Golden Girls, Cosby, Seinfeld, were highly desired shows by local affiliates and O&O's. Brandon Tartikoff, a talented executive who dealt with his own flops from time to time (Hello Larry!), was head of programming and knew how to turn brass into gold. Today, the network is a mess. Patching up the leaky holes in the late night line up is not going to save anyone.

I'm sure there will be more to come in days ahead.

Say Hello To Jimmy

Years after Conan got the nod from then executive of NBC programming Warren Littlefield on his Tonight Show take over in 2009, the time has come. Conan went dark a week ago, packed up and headed for the warmer climes of Los Angeles (that bastard, I so jealous, as I sit stuck in a snow storm). His replacement, Jimmy Fallon, takes over tonight on the peacock network at 12:35am EST. He has a solid line up of guests for his premiere week: Van Morrison, Robert DeNiro and Justin Timberlack are listed for tonight, with Tina Fey and a bevvy of other familiar faces coming on board to welcome the new talkster to the Late Night big time.

Here's some good luck for Fallon. After months of Late Night with Jimmy webisodes and test shows, giving us a personable peak into his world behind the set, it's not hard to think the guy is nervous and eager to find a new generation who will fall in love with his hosting duties the same way a fan base fell in love with the unknown Conan sixteen years ago. Jimmy - if you're roaming this small, unknown blog in between rehearsals and writers meetings, I'm holding an affirming flame for you.

Economic Crisis Hits Set of "Sarah Silverman Show"

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Sarah Silverman and co-producers Dan Sterling and Rob Schrab have threatened to walk off the set of The Sarah Silverman Show, currently in production on season three - which has been "proposed" to return to Comedy Central, yet not officially renewed by its parent company MTV Networks.

As per THR..."Comedy Central had proposed that the trio bring back the WGA Award-nominated show at about $850,000 an episode, sources said, down from the $1.1 million an episode for the show's second season."

All is not well with Viacom, MTV Network's parent company. As the economic crisis shakes media conglomerates to the core, many lays off have come to pass, and are on the horizon for many entertainment corporations. It's interesting to see how money issues are hitting production itself, a creative entity one would have thought financially untouchable in the past.

NBC Gives Leno 10pm Timeslot

The New York Times is reporting NBC will announce on Tuesday that Jay Leno will be given the 10pm timeslot for a new show. This was announced after comments by Jeff Zucker at a UBS conference indicated the network was considering cutting prime time programming by several hours a week.

This move will prevent Leno from leaving the peacock network for a competitor (ABC was a contender), and provide a standard pre-affiliate news lead in. This should make the O&O stations happy. Stripping a first run talk show in prime time's 10pm slot, usually occupied by drama or reality, with a host of Leno's stature, is a first. (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/09/business/media/09leno.html?_r=1&hp.)

Jimmy Fallon Gearing Up for "Late Night"

When Jimmy Fallon was announced as the "Late Night" successor to Conan O'Brien earlier this year, eyebrows furrowed and a chorus of "Huh?" spread out across the land like wild fire. His name had been bandied about as a possible replacement for O'Brien, but once it was confirmed, there were cries of despair. Was he up to the task? Would he be talkshow host material? Would viewers who found him annoying be won over?

It also confirmed what was now the inevitable to "Late Night" fans - especially those of us who dwell in New York: Conan is leaving us for Hollywood. The east coast boy is going out west, replacing Jay Leno, the top rated host of the top rated "Tonight Show". It was painful. Maybe I'm just jealous. I wish Executive Producer Jeff Ross would remember me from all those years ago at Broadway Video, hire me, and take me along. But either way, it's going to be hard to see Conan replaced by anyone, much less Fallon.

I'd like to see what Jimmy can do. Expectations on his debut are fraught with doubt, but that's nothing new. When Conan was announced as Letterman's replacement back in 1993, he was a total unknown entity. A comedy writer for the Simpsons and SNL, he would occasionally appear as a background character on the Saturday show. His first few years of hosting "Late Night" were a constant wait and see experiment. O'Brien's toe touched the line of failure many times, with one sharp move surely to send him over the edge into cancelation; yet, as cooler heads prevailed, allowing his style and humor to take root and build a following, he claimed his stake in the talk show landscape. A whole generation of college students and comedy fans grew up laughing with O'Brien despite his rough start. So, you never know what time and patience by the network and fans will bring to Fallon.

The dye is already cast: Fallon is behind the scenes ramping up for his new hosting duties, which will begin on NBC March 2nd. NBC .com will be getting him started with a video blog starting tonight at 12:30am, (www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com). It will provide a behind the scenes look into the new Late Night, providing Fallon with a virtual introduction process, giving viewers a taste of his style, and what to expect. He does have some big shoes to fill, but he has to start somewhere. I'm kind of rooting for Jimmy, but I'm really going to miss Conan. Badly. It won't be the same without him on "Late Night", and seeing him on "The Tonight Show" won't make that any better.

New York Television Festival

The fourth annual New York Television Festival (presented by MSN) took place on Friday, September 12th through Wednesday, September 17th at World Stages, welcoming the new fall season with an array of network screenings, independent comedy showcases, panelists and workshops. As viewings of indie television pilots and media student projects fortified a jam packed weekend, networks also dabbled their wares in the intimate festival atmosphere. ABC presented their fall lineup on Saturday night, while Monday night featured a discussion with Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, and Jim Wiatt, Chairman and CEO, Wiliam Morris Agency, both on hand to speak of the current state of affairs in television development. As the conference passed along in themed days, such as University Day (Student film screenings), Production Day (Workshops and chats about breaking into television), and Industry Day (the Ben Silverman discussion and business related panels), Tuesday’s Digital Day presented fascinating panels and workshops, proving a new vision in how television and entertainment is extended in various ways through the internet. The festival provide a somewhat intimate scene for the media industry to mingle with independent performers and producers providing an alternative to mainstream entertainment. It's worth keeping one's eye on this event in years to come.

TV Spoilers Don't Spoil Me...

...they drive me to the peak of despair.

We are about two weeks away from The Office season five premiere. Throughout the off-season, fans have been following morsels of spoiler information tossed out like tasty teasers from the cast and writers of the show. This has been a summer of Office anguish. The season finale, known as "Goodbye Toby", swam along in the sea of awesome until the final five minutes of contrived bull that would make Fonzie's shark laugh. We screamed at our TV's and burned our Office DVD's in effigy. Fans crowded the boards with "WTF's" and "OH HELL NO!" screaming from their keyboards. I was right there with them. Confused. Bewildered. Office season finales are masterpieces. This one soared like "the eagle's nest" and crashed the way Michael's Chrysler Sebring's front hood met Meredith's body.

When last we left them, fireworks (sponsored by Jim Halpert) exploded in the fine crisp air of a Dunder Mifflin night, capping off Michael's day long celebration of his hatred for Toby, and the happiness to see him ship off to Costa Rica. Jim and Pam, our pals, our favorite couple, the two people in this work of fiction who should be together, be married, have adorable babies, and live in that white picket fenced house of our dreams, get ring blocked by the dumbass Andy Bernard, who steals Jim's crackling romantic moment, making it his own by proposing to Angela. Angela. The Angela who allowed him to sail off in a sumo wrestling fat suit off the Scranton Sea in last year's "Beach Day" episode. The Angela who keyed Andy's car when he tried to oust Dwight from his job. The Angela who did this because in her own God Loving way, she will borrow a little from the devil to protect her man Dwight. The Angela who is part of Dwangela, the matching tight assed lid to the teapot of Dwight's geekness. Since she's taken up with the "Nard Dog" to punish Dwight for mercy killing her cat, this couple has never been taken seriously. Lets face it. No one gives a rat's ass about Andy and Angela.

To go back a few commercial breaks, we also discovered that Fancy NewBeasly is about to get even fancier. The Pratt School of Design has opened their doors to her, giving Pam the opportunity to shake the paper dust of Scranton off her sensible shoes and try some hipster wholesome in the big apple. I guess those schools in Pennsylvania don't really cut it. Shut up Carnegie Melon and the University of Scranton. You're not fancy enough for this new Beesly. Jim is her main cheerleader, and probably poured over New York schools on the web to help her make a selection. Since three months away is "no big deal", then I guess it's no big deal. But something caught in my throat when all this came down in the break room. How does a receptionist from Scranton financially swing three months in NYC without her job? I live there, am older, have more substantial work, and it's still hard to get by. When did Greg Daniels and company start taking Ex Deus Machina so seriously? Why throw an easy bone into the story just to get it moving along? I related to Pam (more to Jim, but still, as a woman, to Pam), and I know that I can't take time off from work to get that certificate or Masters in digital media I've always wanted. Grrr. There was much nashing of teeth. All my empathy for Beesly turned into jealousy and betrayal. However, as the summer drifted in a lovely haze, I got over it. It's just a TV show. Just like in baseball, there is always next year. I don't think the writers will break up Jim and Pam. We have next season to see what the writers are doing to the future Mr. and Mrs. Halpert.

The addition of Holly Flax, HR lady, the one person on this green earth who actually "gets" Michael, is a blessing. Not only is she replacing the pervy and wallpaper paste Toby, she's adorable, smart and normal. NORMAL. A normal lady with some sweet quirks and a good sense of playful humor. And she actually LIKES Michael! This is very much needed. When Michael is being spoken to on the same level, he actually calms down and speaks rationally. He doesn't crash his car into a lake. He doesn't tell high school boys that Pam would "do them". He actually acts human. That is why the sight of Jan, jobless and pregnant in Scranton is a let down. After the histronics and toxity of the Dinner Party, it would have been nice to say goodbye to that woman. Michael will now convince himself that he can be a dad to a lab baby, and keep Jan rolling in his paycheck. What a lovely thing to do while bringing a child into the world. Go. Away. Jan. Or, rather, come back as the professional Jan who hated her job but still had a brain. We liked you so.

We all huddle in the sanctuary of our bulletin boards at TV Without Pity, OfficeTally and More Than That. We worry about Pam leaving for three months of schooling in fancy New York City. The questions pound in our heads like jackhammers. Will she become a hipster and fall in love with a funkytown Frenchman and tell Jim she has second thoughts? How is able to afford classes at Pratt and live in New York without a job? What will happen to Holly and Michael, a couple we'd all like to see. Why do we have to care about Jan and her pregancy, when she got sperminated in a lab while living with Michael? And as for Toby coming back? I had a basset hound who had more personality then this guy. (Seriously my dog was a human in a dog suit). Please. Stay in Costa Rica.

Time ticks toward the premiere. We hear snippets of spoilery from Executive Producer and writer Paul Leiberstein indicating that Toby will be back (who cares?), there will be a baby shower (again...who cares, especially if it's Jan's) and there are engagements at hand, but not Jim and Pam's. There has been indication that Pam will remain in NYC longer than we all thought, leaving Jim Pam-less and alone in Scranton to face all the drones who long for pretzel day. Fine. If Pam gets to be all grown up and find herself, then I hope Jim will as well. May Halpert learn a few lessons as well, like, how to exist in life for something more than just Pam. Perhaps he needs to re-evaluate his professional needs by taking the lessons from his mistakes and applying them to growth, whether it be professional or spiritually.

I love The Office with all my heart. No other supply paper company has captivated me as much as Dunder Mifflin. However, the contrived and timely interruption of Jim's proposal to Pam indicates to me that NBC brass is making The Office "Power's that Be" switch to tired plot device to move a story along and keep the viewers talking online as well as keep them watching. NBC may have succeeded in the former, but the latter is a question that will be answered on September 25th at 9pm EST.

Even when The Office flounders, it's still beats out other comedies out there. With the exception of "30 Rock", which is the funniest, quirkiest, smartest comedy out there, The Office will always remain top notch. Yet, I fear that its quality may waver as the pressure to keep viewers interested and ratings high surmounts. I long for the sublime pace of storyline, realistic situations and humor of season two and parts of season one. It feels that the show is becoming too mainstream. Our little television show that could, went to the big city and came back all fancy.