The summer months are upon us and though many of your favorites series are taking a break until September there are quite a few new and returning ones that premiere in June. See what’s coming up and worth checking out after the break! Continue reading TV reminder: 6 premieres to look out for in June
The one show that I always felt could go on forever is coming to an end after four seasons. On Wednesday FX’s Wilfred starring Elijah Wood and Jason Gann was renewed for a fourth season and the network concurrently announced that it would be the series’ last. Was the philosophical comedy about a guy who interacts with a talking dog brutally cancelled? No, not necessarily. Though the show saw a ratings drop in its latest season, Variety reports that FX head John Landgraf sat down with the Wilfred producers “well ahead of time” so that they could map out the final season appropriately. Unlike all previous seasons, the final one will play out across 10 episodes instead of 13. Executive producer David Zuckerman, the man who developed the Australian show for US audiences, took off in season 3 and handed the reins to Reed Agnew and Eli Jorné who had also been with the show from the beginning. For the final 10, Zuckerman returns as showrunner with Agnew and Jorné at his side. Following the announcement he tweeted, “Very excited to be returning to Wilfred full time for S4! Time for some answers!”
I could watch Wilfred come up with ways to torment and teach life lessons to his neighbor for a long time, but alas there’s one more chapter left in the dark, crude, hilarious, smart, and thoughtful tale of Ryan Newman and his best friend Wilfred. What exactly is Wilfred? The time is nigh to find out.
Wilfred returns in 2014 when it will join It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Legit, and Totally Biased With W. Kamau Bell on FX’s spinoff network FXX.
Everyone’s favorite talking dog Wilfred (Jason Gann) returns for more adventures with his easily persuaded neighbor Ryan (Elijah Wood) on Thursday, June 20 at 10PM on FX. FYI, the 13-episode third season will air two episodes a week. Previously on Wilfred, Ryan made an intriguing discovery that he had actually drawn a family picture–Wilfred included–when he was just a boy. What does that mean? Who-slash-what is Wilfred? Will we finally find out this season?! If you’re not watching Wilfred, you’re missing out on what has to be the most hilarious, dark and deep existential dramedy on television. It makes you laugh, it makes you think, and most of all, it keeps you guessing at its true intent.
On a totally unrelated note… it’s summer time and most fall/midseason shows have come to their conclusions. A couple that were cancelled are getting their time in the sun to finish out their respective runs. ABC’s conspiracy thriller Zero Hour returns tonight at 8PM with two new back-to-back episodes. It will continue to air Saturdays at 8 until its two-hour series finale which lands on August 3. Supernatural series 666 Park Avenue has four episodes left in its run, and it will begin its final rollout next Saturday, June 22 at 9PM leading out of a new installment of Zero Hour. 666‘s one-hour finale falls on July 13. So there you have it.
High off his record-breaking seven Emmy nominations, Louis C.K. has more to be excited about. On Saturday FX renewed his comedy series Louie for a fourth season. The cable network also renewed Russell Brand’s new talk show BrandX and said it will undergo creative changes as the show continues through the fall. Wilfred and veteran Justified were not renewed, but FX entertainment president John Landgraf remains positive about their respective futures. On Wilfred, he expects the bizarre comedy to remain on the air for “many years.” On Justified, he sees the Timothy Olyphant-led show run for at least six seasons (season three concluded in April).
Charlie Sheen’s comeback vehicle Anger Management has performed well enough in the ratings for FX to grant it a (whopping) 90-episode order. Though Landgraf has yet to greenlight the order, he expects to do so in the near future. “We won’t make a decision on the 90 episodes until all 10 have aired but the series up until now has given us every indication [that it will return],” he said. In episode 10, Charlie’s father Martin Sheen will join the cast as a series regular. “What the entry of Martin Sheen’s character will do is it will give an extra dimension to the show and make it a multi-generational family show,” Landgraf explained. “The show will still deal with his relationship with his patients and the women in his life, but will also [expand to focus on his family].”
Currently Anger Management, Louie, and BrandX air Thursday nights at 9:30PM, 10:30PM, and 11PM, respectively, on FX.