Tag Archives: TV notes

‘Power Rangers Samurai’ premieres February 7 on Nick

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Back in May it was reported that original creator Haim Saban bought the Power Rangers franchise from Disney and that Nickelodeon would air the eighteenth season of the show this year.  Since then so much more detail has surfaced about the upcoming series.  The official name of the kids program is Power Rangers Samurai and we’ve got a synopsis:

Power Rangers Samurai follows a new generation of five Rangers who must master the ancient Samurai Symbols of Power which give them control over the elements of Fire, Water, Sky, Forest and Earth.  Under the guidance of their all-knowing Samurai mentor, Ji, and with the aid of their devoted animal Zords (Lion, Dragon, Ape, Turtle and Bear), they battle to save Earth from the dark forces of the Netherworld led by the evil Master Xandred.

Get to know the cast: The Samurai Power Rangers are: Jayden (Alex Heartman), the Red Ranger and the team’s leader; Mia (Erika Fong), the Pink Ranger who is the confident and caring “big sister” of the Rangers; Kevin (Najee De-Tiege), the Blue Ranger, is a great swordsman who lives by the code of the Rangers; Emily (Brittany Pirtle), the Yellow Ranger, is the youngest but most optimistic of the group; and Mike (Hector David), the Green Ranger, who is a bit of a rebel and would rather be destroying video monsters than real ones.

Oh and remember the slapstick duo from the original 1993 series run Bulk and Skull?  Actor Paul Schrier is returning to the Power Rangers universe and will reprise his role as Bulk in the Samurai premiere and will make guest appearances throughout the season.  Neat-o right?  Look after the break to watch the 2011 version of Bulk in action.  Nothing’s changed.

Nick’s Pete Danielsen promises, “This new season of Power Ranger Samurai will feature all new heroes, villains and special effects while keeping the core messages of friendship, teamwork and empowerment that the series has always exhibited.”

Says Saban Brands president Elie Dekel: “We wanted to get back to the original core DNA of the show that made it so powerful and resonant in the ’90s. We made sure that moving forward we drew on the best possible elements that we knew kids responded to, so we embedded a lot more humor in the show, a lot more charm and fun. Bringing back some of the silliness of the original series was a goal, and now it’s in high-def, which has never been done before, which gives it a really great new look.” Beyond that, Dekel continues, “We really wanted to pay homage to, if you will, the show’s Japanese origins with Samurai.”

The 20-episode 18th season premieres February 7 at 8PM on Nickelodeon.  Look after the break for some more sneak peek videos, and hit up EW to watch the brand new intro.

[Via PRNewswire; EW; IGN] Continue reading ‘Power Rangers Samurai’ premieres February 7 on Nick →

Starz picks Aussie Liam McIntyre to be the next Spartacus

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Tough break for the boys of Prison Break.  Starz overlooked Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell, among others, and selected Australian actor Liam McIntyre (The Pacific) to be the next Thracian warrior.  After star Andy Whitfield dropped out of the Spartacus star role due to health issues, the producers came up with an ultimatum: close up shop or recast.  Whitfield gave his blessing to the recast the role, and so the network began its search.

“Since no one can really replace Andy, we realized that we should instead find an actor who can truly lead Spartacus forward,” said Starz’s CEO Chris Albrecht. “It was important to us to have Andy endorse the idea of recasting this part, which he did in the same heroic manner that he’s dealt with his whole ordeal. And that, coupled with our fortune in finding a young actor with the gladiator credentials and the acting ability of Liam, makes it easier for us to keep this hit franchise going.”

And so Spartacus: Blood and Sand will carry on.  Production on season 2 is expected to resume this spring.  The six-part prequel series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena premieres Friday, January 21 on Starz.

[Via Deadline]

Michael Scott to check out of ‘The Office’ early

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After seven seasons of laughs, Steve Carell is ready to leave his position as Dunder Mifflin/Sabre’s Office boss.  But you knew that already.  What you didn’t know is that the producers have planned an exit strategy that involves Carell leaving the show earlier than you might have expected.  “Steve is leaving earlier than the [season finale],” reveals executive producer Greg Daniels.  “The big ‘Goodbye, Steve’ thing will be before [May] sweeps.”  He continues, “Our basic plan is to see the jockeying and interviewing [for Michael’s job], and not have that happen off-camera and suddenly present America with the choice. We’d rather play out the stories of the various characters who want that seat, and show them fight for it.”

Although Carell won’t hang on until the season finale, Daniels is excited about the episodes leading up to it.  “It’s kind of a fun situation, and the chaos is creatively exciting. Whenever something with big stakes happens, it leads to good episodes — and we will have a lot of significant things happening.”

Kathy Bates, who plays Sabre CEO Jo Bennett with mighty fine ‘tude, is coming back. “We’re going to play out the whole [replacement] process in a realistic way,” says Daniels. “And it’s always great to have Kathy here.”

The season finale, which will run an hour long and is expected to be written by Carell himself, will reveal Michael Scott’s successor and the immediate reaction from the employees.  “They’re all different people with strong personalities,” Daniels says, “so they each have a lot invested in who’s their new boss.”

It’s so sad to know these are the final episodes of The Office with Carell; it’s still hard for me to fathom how the show will go on without him.  It’s true, the ensemble cast is terrific, but he’s the backbone of it all.  At least we can expect some grade-A stories to come out of the build up leading to the big reveal at season’s end.  I’m really rooting for Amy Ryan’s Holly Flax to scoop Michael up and they live happily ever after.

Update: With Michael Scott leaving The Office, this opens up more story opportunities for the other main characters and you can expect the import of new characters.  “We’re trying to take Steve’s departure as an opportunity to shake things up and add some new characters,” says Daniels.  One of these new characters?  They are currently casting Stanley’s never-before-seen adult daughter to fill “a recurring (and potentially series regular)” role, according to TVLine.  She will be “one of several new characters” joining the show later this season.  Daniels continues, “They’ve been playing with this dynamic for so long… you kind of know how the stories are going to go. For Michael not to take up the A story in every episode means that a lot of them are getting the A stories now.”

[Via TVLine, here & here]

Dominic Purcell the next ‘Spartacus’?

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Season 2 of Spartacus: Blood and Sand is nearly ready to begin production.  But there is one gaping hole left to fill: finding a strong replacement for cancer-striken Andy Whitfield.  After being diagnosed with early stage Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Whitfield was forced to dropped out of the show shortly after the first season concluded.  Last week Starz president Chris Albrecht said that the network is “confident that we will find an actor who can ably step into Spartacus’ sandals.”  Though Australian actor Liam McIntyre is rumored to be the selection, the casting call is apparently still open.  Prison Break star Dominic Purcell put together a screen test tape and sent it to the show’s producers.  Want to know the spark of irony here?  It was fellow Prison Break actor Wentworth Miller who initially expressed interest in taking over the role.  If you take a look at appearances alone, Purcell fits the bill over Miller due to his more Gladiator-like physique.  Anyhow, I’ll keep my ear to the ground and follow up on this story once the producers make their final decision.  Blood and Sand is tentatively scheduled for September 2011.  And don’t forget about the prequel series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena which premieres Friday, January 21 on Starz.

[Via Deadline]

‘Terra Nova’ preview night lands a date, producers talk about its promise

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Mark your calendars, people.  The Steven Spielberg/Peter Chernin sci-fi drama Terra Nova will air its preview event across two nights: May 23 and May 24 at 9PM.  Just like FOX did with Glee, the network is going to preview the new show before its fall 2011 debut in attempt to generate buzz.

Refresher: Terra Nova follows Jim Shannon (played by Jason O’Mara), a man who is sent back in time to prehistoric Earth with his family in an attempt to save the human race.  At the Television Critics Association press event, the producers screened an action-packed trailer; unfortunately it did not reveal the dinosaur design since production on the pilot episode recently wrapped and the special FX have yet to be finalized.  However, many people connected to the show shared their thoughts on what to expect.  Executive producer Brannon Braga (24, FlashForward) explained, “Earth is essentially dying – most animal life is extinct. They’re hoping to re-start humanity through this time fracture they’ve discovered.”  The plan for the Shannons and over 1,000 time-travelling colonists is to re-colonize the planet in the past.  “What effect that will have on the future, they hope it’s a positive one,” said Braga.  “The characters are hoping for a second chance.”  The show will have “continuing elements of suspense…[but] at the core of this show is the Shannon family.”  Director Alex Graves (Fringe) says that Terra Nova is “not a scary show. It’s an adventure show. My kids have seen some of it and they love it.”  He continued, “You’re going to see dinosaurs you haven’t seen before.”  When asked to compare this show to groundbreaking series Lost Graves said, “It’s so made for a massively broad audience, I cannot tell you.”  Insinuating that Lost catered to a very specific audience he then noted, “Terra Nova, more than anything I’ve ever done in my life, is for everybody.”

Then Braga shared some concluding remarks about the promise of this show. “It’s just a great concept. Philosophically, it’s the closest thing to Star Trek I’ve worked on since I read that show years ago. I wanted to gravitate back to a science-fiction premise with big, humanistic ideas. ” He is compelled about the focus on “people from the distant future coming to the distant past.”

The show is being shot in Australia, so you can expect a beautiful backdrop.  After watching the teaser trailer, IGN described certain aspects of the show as having a Jurassic Park meets Aliens vibe.

Today FOX released some stills from the two-part pilot episode slated to air this May; check ’em out after the break along with some character profiles.  And if you’re interested in reading about the trailer shown at the TCAs today click the source link.

[Via IGN] Continue reading ‘Terra Nova’ preview night lands a date, producers talk about its promise →

‘Breakout Kings’ producers compare ‘Prison Break’ to their upcoming A&E series

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As you know, Matt Olmstead and Nick Santora collaborated on the 2005-2009 FOX series Prison Break and now their working together again on another fugitive-themed show called Breakout Kings.  At the Television Critics Association last week they talked about their “love [for] law-breaking.”  On teaming up with Santora for a second time, Olmstead said, “So we just wanted to kind of have fun on the show and keep on working together. So that was the main attraction for me.”  He continued, “What was attractive was not only the momentum of storytelling that you get when you have a fugitive on the run — as opposed to a dead body where there’s a little bit more time to find that person because that dead body is not going anywhere — it was also about the theme that helped kind of unlock the show for us when we’d start to first talk about it, which was everybody is running from something. And so it really kind of unlocked the characters in that we then went in and made sure that all of the characters had that thing that they were running from and towards.”

Refresher: Breakout Kings follows an unconventional partnership between the U.S. Marshals’ office and a group of convicts as they work to catch fugitives on the run.  Laz Alonzo (Avatar) and Domenick Lombardozzi (The Wire) are the veteran U.S. Marshals; their special task force is comprised of Jimmi Simpson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), Malcolm Goodwin (American Gangster) and Serinda Swan (Smallville); Brooke Nevin (The 4400) is a civilian who assists the group.

Expect the villains to be terribly awful criminals.  Santora says, “It’s integral. You have to have really bad, bad guys, or there’s just no stakes from the beginning of the episode. At the same time, each week it can’t be the Son of Sam who is breaking out of prison. It would get repetitive. So it’s a challenge, and we have been so fortunate this year. The actors were just telling Matt and I how great the guest actors are that we’ve had this season on the show.”  Just last week I reported on two of the show’s guest actors: Lost’s Mark Pellegrino and Prison Break vet Robert Knepper.  Knepper will be reprising Break‘s T-Bag for a four-episode arc.  The producers were asked if we can expect other Break alum to come on as surprise guests and Santora replied, “You never say never, but we don’t want it to become a reunion show where we are constantly bringing guys back from Prison Break. And I think we can say safely of all of the bad guys on Prison Break, how are you going to top T-Bag? T-Bag is T-Bag.”  Very true. Continue reading ‘Breakout Kings’ producers compare ‘Prison Break’ to their upcoming A&E series →

It’s official: Robert Knepper will reprise T-Bag in A&E’s ‘Breakout Kings’, bringing Lost’s Jacob with him

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Good news all around!  Back in early October Prison Break producers Matt Olmstead and Nick Santora shared their interest in reviving Prison‘s ultimate villain Theodore “T-Bag” Bagwell for their new fugitive-themed drama Breakout Kings.  And guess what?  Since 20th Century Fox approved the character crossover, actor Robert Knepper has agreed to bring him back.  Not only has he agreed, he’s overly excited to do so.  In an interview with Give Me My Remote, he shared his elation about working with Olmstead and Santora again.  It’s going to be a pretty wild ride. It’s a very trusting thing I have with these guys,” said Knepper. “We spent four years together. All the writers and I, we always wrote back and called each other and said really positive things to each other in those four years. I have tremendous faith in them and I’m not worried at all about what they’re going to do.”  He continued, “It may be career suicide, but I loved playing T-Bag. This is a very, very funny, deep, complex character who really scared the sh– out of people and yet people loved him.”  If you’re a Prison Break fan, you should read the entire interview; Knepper goes down memory lane reminiscing about how much he loved playing T-Bag, especially in season one which he describes as “sheer gold.”  He also says that he might land a part in J.J. Abrams’ upcoming series Alcatraz–now wouldn’t that be something!  He says that T-Bag is locked into at least one episode, but if all goes well I’m hoping that the guest role becomes something more substantial.

Lost fan are you now?  According to TV Line, the man who played Island protector Jacob–Mark Pellegrino–has been cast as a “trained assassin” and will appear in episode ten of the series.  Pellegrino is Virgil Downing, “a notorious international contract killer who always gets the job done…Although he’s suspected in at least-three dozen other killings, his only conviction was for murdering a police commissioner — six years prior to breaking out of his maximum-security cell.”

Breakout Kings is “a new action-packed ensemble drama following an unconventional partnership between the U.S. Marshals’ office and a group of convicts as they work to catch fugitives on the run.”  Originally pitched to FOX but later picked up by A&E, the series is set to premiere on Sunday, March 14 at 10PM.

[Via GiveMeMyRemote; TVLine]

Abrams’ ‘Alcatraz’ finds its leading lady [Update: more cast additions]

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So much for my Evangeline Lilly prediction.  After scooping up Lost‘s Jorge Garcia for his upcoming FOX pilot based on the infamous prison, J.J. Abrams has cast the lead female role for the show.  Sarah Jones has been featured in a number of TV series including House, Justified, and Sons of Anarchy.  This (hopefully) will be her breakout role and cement her as Abrams’ latest leading female powerhouse (she follows Felicity‘s Keri Russell, Alias‘ Jennifer Garner, Lost‘s Evangeline Lilly, Fringe‘s Anna Torv, and we must include Undercovers‘ Gugu Mbatha-Raw.  Jones will play Rebecca Madsen, “a smart, thoughtful and a little obsessive police officer.”  She’s gorgeous–but then again, Abrams’ knows how to pick his leading ladies.

Also joining the show are Jonny Coyne (Undercovers) and Jason Butler Harner (Fringe).  Coyne will play Alcatraz Warden Edwin James and Harner is Associate Warden E.B. Tiller “who enjoys and abuses his power.”

Alcatraz “centers on a group of missing Alcatraz prisoners and guards who reappear in the present day.  It chronicles the efforts of a team of FBI agents to track them down and unravel the mystery behind their disappearance thirty years prior.”  Abrams, Bryan Burk, and Elizabeth Sarnoff are attatched to the Warner Bros. TV/Bad Robot project.  Production begins next month.

Update: More cast additions have been made.  According to Deadline, Sam Neill (Happy Town) will play Emerson Hauser, “the head of a government agency who radiates authority and piercing intelligence”; Parminder Nagra (ER) is Hauser’s lab technician, Lucy; Robert Forster (Heroes) is Ray Archer, “a retired detective who is now owner/bartender of a cop hangout bar.”  Alcatraz characters are getting cast in rapid succession, so exciting!

[Via Deadline, here, here, here & here]

Carlton Cuse’s next project is ABC civil war drama ‘Point of Honor’

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With fellow Lost collaborators J.J. Abrams (Odd Jobs, Alcatraz, M:I3) and Damon Lindelof (Cowboys & Aliens) having found work post-Island duty, it was only a matter of time before Lost co-showrunner Carton Cuse spilled plans about his next exciting project.  In a simple tweet today Cuse pointed his followers to a Variety news article that details his upcoming ABC series Point of Honor.  According to Variety, ABC is “eyeing it as a major event series”, so this is definitely something to get pumped about.  Cuse has teamed up with Randall Wallace (Secretariat) to write and executive produce this Civil War-based drama.  “The two are keeping mum on details other than to say it will be a story focusing more on fictional characters than on historical figures,” says Variety.  Cuse confirms it will be a serialized show with a clear-cut “beginning, middle and end.”  Cuse describes it as “very different from anything on TV right now.”  Both Cuse and Wallace share a deep interest in Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War era; Cuse admits that he and Wallace “just clicked” during early meetings about conceptualizing the show.  Time will tell if this new partnership can live up to the Cuse/Lindelof success story that came out of Lost.  With Cuse’s knack for smart, engaging storytelling and Wallace’s past experience working on Braveheart (there he proved he could use “historical events and connect them to fictional characters”, Cuse points out), I have little doubt Point of Honor will impress when it airs at an undisclosed time on ABC.  Cuse and Wallace are currently writing the script.

While we’re here talking about Carlton Cuse, do yourself a nice favor and read this fantastic interview that takes you on a journey through his interesting and fascinating career thus far.  It’s a great read!

[Via @carltoncuse; Variety]

FOX’s ‘Locke & Key’ finds its star

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The upcoming FOX drama Locke & Key spearheaded by Josh Friedman (showrunner/executive producer/writer), Steven Spielberg (executive producer), and Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman (executive producers) has just cast its star player. Miranda Otto (War of the Worlds) will play Nina Locke the mother of three children “who survive an unspeakable horror and attempt to rebuild their lives at Keyhouse, their family home in Lovecraft, Massachusetts.”  Want a more extensive synopsis?  You got it!  “It is a mysterious New England mansion, with fantastic and transformative keys hidden inside its walls that are also being sought by a hate-filled and relentless creature with ties to the Locke family’s past who will stop at nothing to accomplish his sinister goals.”  Sounds like spooky fun doesn’t it?  Expect Locke & Key to air on FOX this summer.  Mark Romanek (One Hour Photo, Never Let Me Go) is currently in negotiations to direct the pilot.

[Via Deadline]

Jorge Garcia joins Abrams’ upcoming FOX pilot ‘Alcatraz’

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Jorge Garcia is island hopping from one J.J. Abrams show to another.  Lost’s Hurley will be joining Abrams’ show about the famous prison Alcatraz.  And Deadline’s got some insight into the mysterious plot.  It “centers on a group of missing Alcatraz prisoners and guards who reappear in the present day.  It chronicles the efforts of a team of FBI agents to track them down and unravel the mystery behind their disappearance thirty years prior.”  And who will Garcia play, you ask?  A “hippy geek” Dr. Diego Soto, “the world’s foremost expert on Alcatraz.”  If you’re a Lost fan you must be feeling ecstatic!  Michael Emerson (Ben Linus) and Terry O’Quinn (John Locke) are returning to television in Abrams’ Odd Jobs (working title) and Garcia is set to return in another Abrams series.  Life is good, huh?

The Alcatraz spec script was written by Elizabeth Sarnoff (Lost, Deadwood), and she will serve as executive producer along with Abrams and Bryan Burk (Alias, Lost) on the Warner Bros. TV/Bad Robot project.  FOX picked up a pilot commitment for the show back in September, and production will begin in January.

[Via Deadline]

Spielberg’s ‘Terra Nova’ selects series regulars, ready for production

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FOX is ready to push forward with the Steven Spielberg/Peter Chernin sci-fi drama Terra Nova.  The series regulars have been cast and they are: Jason O’Mara (Life on Mars; who will play lead Jim Shannon), Shelley Conn (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; Elizabeth Shannon), Allison Miller (Boston Legal; Skye), Mido Hamada (he was baddie Samir Mehran from the last season of 24), Landon Liboiron (Degrassi: The Next Generation), and Christine Adams (The Whole Truth, Pushing Daisies).  According to EW, Adams will play “a battle-hardened resident of Terra Nova who gets to know the Shannon family.”  And here’s a bit of disappointing news.  24 alum David Fury–who was signed on as executive producer with pal Jon Cessar–has left the show due to “creative differences.”

Terra Nova follows Jim Shannon, a man who is sent back in time to prehistoric Earth with family in an attempt to save the human race.  Production begins next week in Australia.  The show premieres next fall, but FOX plans to preview the pilot this May.

[Via EW; IGN]