Category Archives: Television

TV reminder: ‘South Park’ returns Sept. 24 at 10pm [Update: Preview clip inside]

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South Park returns for its 18th season on Wednesday, September 24 at 10PM on Comedy Central. Mysteriously Matt and Trey have no released any information pertaining to the season premiere, but in typical fashion I’m sure they’ll upload a bite-sized clip previewing the episode before the 24th. If they do, this post will be updated with it included inside. For now, eye the super-sized South Park “Back” poster above hyping next week’s premiere.

Update (9/21): Jump after the break to watch a quick preview (I promised!) of the season premiere. The episode will tackle the Washington Redskins trademark debacle. Continue reading TV reminder: ‘South Park’ returns Sept. 24 at 10pm [Update: Preview clip inside] →

‘AHS: Freak Show’: Say hello to the freaks (Plus a very special scoop inside!)

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Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages–no, let’s face it, American Horror Story is not for the faint of heart. Here’s your first official look at the ensemble cast of Ryan Murphy’s latest horror story, Freak Show. Watch them come alive in a new one-minute teaser embedded after the break. Look out for Sarah Paulson’s conjoined twins, Angela Bassett’s three-breasted beauty, Michael Chiklis’ strong man, and Kathy Bates is the bearded lady. AHS: Freak Show premieres October 8 on FX. Oh, and that hashtag is German and translates to “We are all freaks.”

In addition to the teaser, jump after the break to learn about a most exciting character addition. I’ll give you a hint: the scoop comes seasoned with a dash of salt and………… Continue reading ‘AHS: Freak Show’: Say hello to the freaks (Plus a very special scoop inside!) →

Gillian Anderson locked in as series regular for ‘Hannibal’ season 3

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Cast additions and statuses typically don’t make waves here at [e-i-a]. But this is one that cannot fly under the radar. Gillian Anderson, who plays Hannibal Lector’s shrink Bedelia du Maurier, has been upgraded from guest star to SERIES REGULAR for the upcoming third season of NBC’s serial killer thriller Hannibal. This is the most delectable kind of news for Fannibals because Anderson brings a remarkable sense of elegance and subtle jest to an already stellar cast led by Hugh Dancy and Mads Mikkelsen.

At the very, very end of season 2, a bonus post-credits scene revealed Anderson’s Bedelia flying away with the murderous Dr. Lector. Is she in cahoots with the mad man, or is something even sinister happening here? Whatever the case may be, viewers can rest assured that Hannibal creator Bryan Fuller has free reign to tell her story and explore her intentions at length now that Gillian is properly on board for the season.

It’s been spilled that Hannibal and Bedelia are off to Europe and that the season 3 premiere episode will essentially act like “a pilot for a new series starring Mads Mikkelsen and Gillian Anderson.” Does that amazing, or does that sound amazing.

TVLine broke the news and Fuller shared the following statement: “The cast and crew of Hannibal are positively giddy to be welcoming Gillian to Season 3 as a series regular. A striking presence on stage and screen, she brings wit, grace and intelligence to every role she embodies. Screenwriting is so much easier when you’re inspired by a great actor and Gillian has filled the Hannibal writers room with wonderful inspiration. I can’t wait for audiences to see her make a bigger meal out of the Cannibal than ever before.”

The X-Files actress has been enjoying quite the career resurgence as of late. Disregarding her failed NBC series Crisis, Anderson has been wowing audiences during her guest stint on Hannibal and she also currently stars in the fantastic BBC Two/Netflix crime drama The Fall. If you haven’t had the pleasure of getting sucked into that Irish/British series I highly recommend you watch binge it today.

Hannibal returns in midseason to NBC.

‘SNL’ adds comedian Michael Che to co-anchor Weekend Update [Update: New featured player added]

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The Weekend Update desk at Saturday Night Live is undergoing changes, again. For SNL‘s upcoming 40th season, Colin Jost will serve as co-anchor with former SNL writer and Daily Show correspondent Michael Che. This marks the first time two men will co-anchor the desk, and Che is the first African American to do so. Outgoing co-anchor Cecily Strong, who worked on the desk with Seth Meyers and then Jost, will remain as a full-time cast member.

“Michael is a strong writer, and he’s really funny,” SNL head honcho Lorne Michaels tells The New York Times. “It struggled to find an identity last season,” he admits. “Because what had come before had been pretty brilliant.”

Keeping Jost and replacing Strong with Che is a move Michaels was confident in making. “This is about a new era, what feels appropriate for now,” he says. “That’s why we did a lot of combinations and tests, and this is kind of where we came out.”

Strong started off a bit shaky but over time she acclimated to the desk. However, she ultimately expressed her desire to pop up in more sketches and this aligned perfectly with Michaels’ vision to add Che as new Weekend Update co-anchor.

And the changes don’t stop here. According to the NYT, Michaels will “probably be making one or two more additions to the cast this season.” So stayed tuned. Previously Michaels booted Brooks Wheelan, John Milhiser, and Nöel Wells; Nasim Pedrad departed the show to star in NBC sitcom Mulaney. Michael Patrick O’Brien has returned to the writer’s room.

SNL premieres September 27 with host Chris Pratt and musical guest Ariana Grande.

Update (9/15): Deadline reports SNL is adding one and only one new featured player to its cast roster for season 40. It’s 20-year-old New York comedian Pete Davidson who was handpicked by Lorne. Davidson performed standup this past April on Jimmy Kimmel Live; get aquainted with his style of humor in this clip.

[Via NYT]

Eye ‘The Walking Dead’ season 5 poster; plus AMC orders companion series pilot

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Here we have The Walking Dead‘s season 5 poster (or key art), and as is tradition, it features Rick Grimes alone: arriving, surviving, and thriving on his newfound confidence and brutality. I’m not sure which is more intimidating–his silver pistol or that ever-growing beard (didn’t Michonne find him a razor awhile back?). The season’s tagline: “Hunt or be hunted.” The Termites of Terminus are, in a word, screwed.

In other Walking Dead news, AMC has ordered a pilot episode of the Walking Dead “companion series” that was originally announced last September. Let’s not call it a spinoff because although the new series will take place in the same zombie apocalypse universe as the flagship series, it will not feature any characters from it. It will follow a completely different band of survivors in a different, still unknown location (read: not in Georgia where the current series takes place). The creatives behind the flagship, namely Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, and David Alpert, will also serve as executive producers of the companion series. Dave Erickson (Marco Polo, Sons of Anarchy), who co-created and co-wrote the companion series pilot with Kirkman, will serve as an executive producer and showrunner. The pilot is scheduled to shoot later this year, and if all goes according to plan the network will air a second Walking Dead show sometime in 2015. You want to know what I can’t wait for? Since the new series will take place in the same universe as The Walking Dead, you can bet there will be a crossover episode where Rick and co. intersect with the new survivors and that day will be epic. Jump after the break for press quotes from AMC head Charlie Collier, Kirkman, and Erickson.

The Walking Dead returns Sunday, October 12 at 9PM on AMC. Click here to watch the incredible season 5 trailer. Continue reading Eye ‘The Walking Dead’ season 5 poster; plus AMC orders companion series pilot →

Jemaine Clement of ‘Flight of the Conchords’ is working on a new project for HBO

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Big news, but not so fast. Initially, in an interview with The Guardian promoting his new film What We Do in the Shadows, one half of the New Zealand comedic folk duo Flight of the Conchords Jemaine Clement shared the following:

HBO have commissioned a new, four-episode comedy show from Clement and [director Taika] Waititi, he reveals. “It was supposed to be this year but then we decided to put What We Do in the Shadows out ourselves,” [said Clement].

The interview made the rounds, the Internet went into a frenzy (myself included), and shortly thereafter Clement jumped onto Twitter to clarify his statement. He posted Complex’s article covering the exciting news and attached the tweet: “Before this rumour gets out of hand – we are not working on a 4 ep Conchords show for hbo…” He concluded, “I am working on another idea with them though, hence the mix-up.”

In other words, the new project from Clement is not a continuation of the cult musical comedy Flight of the Conchords but instead an entirely new concept. Still, you must admit your level of excitement simply cannot drop at that. Any new material from this guy (whether or not it’s directly related to FOTC) is sure to be pure comedic gold with, of course, more than a hint of some beautiful, beautiful sounds.

Since FOTC ended its two season run on HBO in 2009, Clement went on to star as the baddie in Men in Black 3 while his Conchords partner Bret McKenzie continued to star in the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit films and contributing to the new Muppets movies providing the lyrics and music for the soundtracks. (In 2013 the two participated in the sequel Muppets Most Wanted with Clement acting and McKenzie producing the music.)

In sum, Clement and McKenzie are not resurrecting Flight of the Conchords for HBO. Clement is working on a new project with the premium cable network with director Taika Waititi, and we can only hope and pray McKenzie is involved.

Now, you might be asking yourself, what is the future of FOTC, then? Clement did touch upon that in his aforementioned interview. “We talk about a movie every so often,” he said. “Sometimes it feels like we lost a lot of impetus over the last couple of years. But Bret, James [Bobin, lead director] and me, we all want to do a musical. It would be good to do something all together … I miss playing Flight of the Conchords gigs.”

Future episodes? No. A movie, a musical? Maybe. Long live Flight of the Conchords!

Stick it here to learn more about Clement’s in-development HBO project as soon as details release.

ABC previews ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.,’ ‘Once,’ ‘Resurrection’ & ‘Revenge’ with new teasers

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ABC knows how to ramp up anticipation for their new series! Later this month Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Once Upon A Time, Revenge, and Resurrection make their long-awaited returns to the airwaves and each of them have tantalizing teasers that’ll make you wish it was late September, uh, now. Jump after the break to watch all four teasers. Continue reading ABC previews ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.,’ ‘Once,’ ‘Resurrection’ & ‘Revenge’ with new teasers →

TV reminders: ‘The Story of Frozen’ & ‘The League’ premiere this week [Update: ‘Frozen’ short film announced]

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We’re fast approaching the new fall TV season, but first there are a couple premieres you can’t skip. First up is The Story of Frozen: Making an Animated Classic. It is exactly what it sounds like: a brand new special that goes behind the scenes of the making of Disney’s hit animated film Frozen. In it you’ll hear from directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, producer Peter Del Vecho, songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Disney/Pixar head John Lasseter, and of course stars Kristen Bell and Adele Dazeem Idina Menzel as well as other creatives behind the movie. Viewers will get a rare look inside Walt Disney Animation Studios and journey to the Norwegian villages and landscapes that inspired the look of Arendelle. Additionally, the special will discuss “the future of the Frozen franchise” (perhaps an official sequel announcement?!) as well as tease the upcoming Frozen-inspired story-arc coming to Once Upon a Time this fall. The Story of Frozen premieres tonight (Tuesday, 9/2) at 8PM on ABC.

The fantasy football obsessed The League, with Pete, Kevin, Ruxin, Andre, Taco, and Jenny all vying for the Shiva once again, returns for its sixth season tomorrow, Wednesday, September 3 at 10PM on FXX.

Update: The Frozen special did not spill sequel news, however an exciting announcement about the future of Frozen was indeed made at the end of the hour. Walt Disney Animation Studios is currently working on Frozen Fever, a short film featuring all your favorite Frozen characters (including Olaf!), which will debut in spring 2015 in front of an unspecified Disney film.

It’s Anna’s birthday and Elsa and Kristoff are determined to give her the best celebration ever, but Elsa’s icy powers may put more than just the party at risk.

The short is directed by Frozen helmers Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck and it will include a brand new original song by “Let It Go” songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez.

‘The Newsroom’ season 3 teaser

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The third and final season of Aaron Sorkin’s HBO political drama The Newsroom premieres this November. To kick off the hype train the premium cable network released this “Copier Tease” starring a Xerox machine printing out actual (?) script pages from the new season. The big shocker: Jeff Daniels’ Will McAvoy utters “Well…I think it’s time for me to quit.” Is the face of ACN ready for retirement? Watch then discuss below.

2014 Emmys: ‘Breaking Bad’ & ‘Modern Family’ big winners, again

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For the second year in a row, Breaking Bad and Modern Family won Best Drama and Best Comedy, respectively, at the Emmys. The AMC drama claimed six trophies for its final season. In addition to winning the big one, Bryan Cranston was crowned Best Actor and his co-stars Aaron Paul and Anna Gunn were named Best Supporting Actors. Also, series creator Vince Gilligan won Best Directing for the finale “Felina” and Moira Walley-Beckett won Best Writing for the penultimate episode “Ozymandias.” Modern Family went on to win two more statues: one for Best Supporting Actor (Ty Burrell) and another for Best Directing (Gail Mancuso). Sherlock was also a big winner at Emmys scoring three statues that night for Best Lead Actor (Benedict Cumberbatch), Best Supporting Actor (Martin Freeman), and Best Writing (Steven Moffat). Elsewhere, Fargo won Best TV Miniseries and Best Directing and American Horror Story: Coven‘s Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates won Best Lead Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.

For the full list of winners, click here.

‘Parks & Rec’ season 6 gag reel

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The upcoming seventh season of NBC’s Parks And Recreation will be the series’ last, so you need to get all your laughs in now before the curtain closes. Enter the season 6 gag reel brimming with so much funny you might need to take an intermission or two. My favorite part? That’s when Jim O’Heir (aka Jerry/Larry/Terry Gergich) actually pulls a Jerry in real life and totally messes up a take. What’s yours?

Parks & Rec returns in 2015.

‘American Horror Story: Freak Show’ lands early October premiere, extends two teasers [Update: new teasers inside!]

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We have a date! The Freaks come to town in the next iteration of Ryan Murphy’s FX anthology series on October 8. The network also released a tantalizing description of the upcoming season:

American Horror Story: Freak Show begins its tale in the quiet, sleepy hamlet of Jupiter, Florida. The year is 1952. A troupe of curiosities has just arrived to town, coinciding with the strange emergence of a dark entity that savagely threatens the lives of townsfolk and freaks alike. This is the story of the performers and their desperate journey of survival amidst the dying world of the American carny experience.

And if that wasn’t enough, there are two brand new teasers hyping the big premiere. Above, a haunting creature extends an invitation to the Freak Show. After the break, a mustached man licks a lollipop; any more detail would ruin the surprise!

As we approach AHS: FS’s October premiere date there’s bound to be more where this came from. I wonder what other Freaks we’ll be introduced to next…

Update (8/28): And just like that, two new teasers involving a three-legged acrobat and a caged woman are chilling after the break awaiting your dissection.

Update 2 (8/30): A fifth teaser surfaced today featuring a contortionist; with three legs is she the acrobat we were acquainted with before?

Update 3 (9/4): Three more! A twisted mask, a scary clown, and a sword swallower star. And no, that is not Lorde in the “Twisted Smile” clip; it’s Amanda Jenssen.

Update 4 (9/12): A new teaser titled “Big and Small” includes a giant and a little person. Continue reading ‘American Horror Story: Freak Show’ lands early October premiere, extends two teasers [Update: new teasers inside!] →