Lie to Me

FOX November Highlights: ‘The Wanda Sykes Show’ Premiere; New Episodes of ‘House,’ ‘Fringe,’ More

BrianTT — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:52:25 -0600

CHICAGO – FOX recently sent over the details on their post-baseball coverage including the series premiere of “The Wanda Sykes Show,” the special “Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show,” a week-long “The Simpsons”-themed on-air scavenger hunt November 9th through the 15th, and synopsis information for the hit shows they have planned for the sweeps period including “House,” “Glee,” “Bones,” “Fringe,” and “Lie to Me”.

Important dates to mark in the FOX November 2009 Sweeps period include November 7th, when “The Wanda Sykes Show” debuts. The next night, on November 8th, which is an entire night devoted to the comedy of Seth MacFarlane, including the original variety show special “Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show,” and all-new episodes of “Family Guy,” “American Dad,” and “The Cleveland Show”. The rest of that week pays “homarge” to twenty years of “The Simpsons” with tributes and clues in all of FOX’s primetime programming.

The Wanda Sykes Show.
Photo credit: FOX

Want to know what’s going to happen on your favorite FOX shows in November? New episode synopsis information below with shows in alphabetical order. Enjoy.

American Dad
Photo credit: FOX

“American Dad”

November 8th - “Man in the Moonbounce”
Steve (Scott Grimes) must become the “man of the house” when Stan (Seth MacFarlane) relives his childhood.

November 15th - “Shallow Vows”
Upset that Francine (Wendy Schaal) has let herself go, Stan takes drastic measures when she asks him to renew their wedding vows.

November 22nd - “My Morning Straightjacket”
After attending a concert with Hayley (Rachael MacFarlane), Stan becomes obsessed with her music in an all-new episode that features guest voices by Zach Galifianakis and members of My Morning Jacket, including Carl Broemel, Two-Tone Tommy, Bo Koster, Patrick Hallahan and Jim James.

Bones
Photo credit: FOX

“Bones”

November 5th - “The Tough Man in the Tender Chicken”
Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Booth (David Boreanaz) investigate the remains of a victim who they believe was half-man/half-chicken.

November 12th - “The Dwarf in the Dirt”
Stephen Fry returns as Dr. Gordon Wyatt. Booth, still suffering some lingering effects from his brain surgery, has to get re-certified for FBI marksmanship, but is not the accurate shot he was before going under the knife. He and Brennan investigate the death of a little person who was a former wrestling star.

November 19th - “The Foot in the Foreclosure”
Booth’s grandfather (guest star Ralph Waite) comes to live with him and tags along as Brennan and Booth investigate human remains that were found by a real estate agent while showing a property to prospective buyers.

Brothers
Photo credit: FOX

“Brothers”

October 30th - “Mike’s Comeback”
Mike (Michael Strahan) is given a second chance to play for the NFL, and it seems like his strained financial situation may finally be coming to an end. But when making the team is contingent on passing a physical in only two weeks time, Mike must turn to Coach (Carl Weathers) and Chill (Daryl Chill Mitchell) to get him back into shape. Meanwhile, Adele (CCH Pounder) meddles with a student’s (guest star Dustin Ingram) decision to play professional baseball.

November 6th - “Week in Chair”
Chill wagers that his brother can’t spend one week in a wheelchair. Mike takes what he considers an easy bet and makes some surprising discoveries over the course of seven days.

November 13th - “Snoop Returns”
With the help of Cousin Kenny’s (guest star Snoop Dogg) legal aid, Coach’s brother Maurice (guest star Fred Williamson) is released from jail and arrives at the Trainors’ home to spend some time with the family. Despite Adele’s initial skepticism, the “new” Maurice turns out to be quite a stand-up guy. Meanwhile, Mike makes a play for Kathleen (guest star Ryan Michelle Bathe), a new waitress at Trainor’s, and Jimmy Johnson (guest-starring as himself) stops by the restaurant to talk football.

November 20th - TBA
Mike and Chill’s sibling rivalry and close living arrangements gets them involved in another awkward situation. Meanwhile, Adele and Coach continue to do whatever it takes to keep their family intact and Mike in Houston in an all-new episode.

The Cleveland Show
Photo credit: FOX

“The Cleveland Show”

November 8th - “Cleveland Jr. Cherry Bomb”
Cleveland (Mike Henry) has “the talk” with Roberta (Reagan Gomez-Preston), which scares Cleveland Jr. (Kevin Michael Richardson) into taking a vow of chastity. Meanwhile, Rallo (Henry) becomes a church greeter in an all-new episode that also features guest voices by Jason Sudeikis, Arianna Huffington and Jamie Kennedy.

November 15th - “Ladies’ Night”
Cleveland is upset when he finds out that Donna (Sanaa Lathan) is still attending a single mothers’ support group in an all-new episode that also features guest voices by Will Forte, Jason Sudeikis and Arianna Huffington.

November 22nd - “The One About Friends”
Cleveland is concerned that Cleveland Jr. has no friends, so he invites Ernie (guest voice Glenn Howerton), his neighbor Lester’s (Kevin Michael Richardson) son, over to their house. A neglected Ernie becomes too attached to the family, forcing Cleveland to call child services to have him taken back home. When the plan backfires, Cleveland helps Lester get his son back in an encore episode.

November 22nd (2nd episode) - “A Brown Thanksgiving”
In a Thanksgiving episode that features guest voices by Craig Robinson, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Cleveland celebrates his first Thanksgiving with his new family and discovers a surprising secret about Donna’s Auntie Momma (guest voice Kym Whitley).

Dollhouse
Photo credit: FOX

“Dollhouse

October 30th - “The Public Eye (Part 1 of 2)”
When Senator Perrin (guest star Alexis Denisof) makes his stand against the Rossum Corporation, Echo (Eliza Dushku) attempts to stop his exposé. Adelle (Olivia Williams) and Topher (Fran Kranz) travel to the Washington , DC , Dollhouse where they meet its genius programmer, Bennett Halverson (Summer Glau), a woman with a mysterious past connection to Echo.

November 6th - “The Left Hand (Part 2 of 2)”
Echo and Bennett have a shocking reunion as Adelle goes head-to-head with the ruthless leader of the Washington , DC , Dollhouse (guest star Ray Wise). Topher sees double when he must involve Victor (Enver Gjokaj) in his espionage. Perrin finds a surprising witness to testify against the Rossum Corporation, but find he may be living in a house of cards.

November 13th - “Meet Jane Doe”
After attempting to stop Perrin from exposing the Dollhouse, Echo finds herself in the world-at-large as she struggles to control her multiple memory downloads. Topher discovers the dangers of science that will have devastating effects on the future, while Adelle engages in a power struggle with Harding (guest star Keith Carradine).

November 20th - “A Love Supreme”
When Echo’s past romantic engagements are found murdered, the Dollhouse fears that Alpha (Alan Tudyk) has returned to seek his revenge. Adelle grows suspicious of Ballard (Tahmoh Penikett) who hopes to find allies in Boyd (Harry Lennix) and Topher, and the Actives turn against their handlers, leaving one member of the house permanently mind-wiped.

Family Guy
Photo credit: FOX

“Family Guy”

November 8th - “Brian’s Got a Brand New Bag”
When Brian (Seth MacFarlane) snags an older woman (guest voice Aimee Garcia), he becomes the laughingstock of the family, but things go from bad to worse when she breaks her hip and Brian has to be her errand-boy.

November 8th (2nd episode) - “Hannah Banana”
Stewie (Seth MacFarlane) attends a concert of a teen superstar and discovers a surprising secret about the singer. Meanwhile back at home, Chris (Seth Green) tries to prove to the family that the Evil Monkey is real.

November 15th - “Quagmire’s Baby”
Father doesn’t know best when Quagmire (Seth MacFarlane) assumes responsibility for a baby Peter (MacFarlane) finds who looks just like him. Meanwhile, Stewie clones himself in an all-new episode that also features a guest voice by Brittany Snow.

November 22nd - “Jerome is the New Black”
NBA Champion Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics guest-voices when Peter and the guys interview potential friends to fill the vacancy left by Cleveland . However, things don’t look so good for Garnett when it’s discovered that Quagmire hates him.

Fringe
Photo credit: FOX

“Fringe”

November 5th - “Earthling”
Emmy Award winner Jon Cassar (24) directs as the Fringe Division takes on a puzzling investigation of victims who inexplicably disintegrate into ash. The shadowy case casts light on Special Agent Phillip Broyles’ (Lance Reddick) past and leads the team to the possibility of foreign fringe science.

November 12th - “Of Human Action”
When a kidnapping rapidly escalates into a hostage situation in New York , local authorities close in on the suspects only to discover that an unknowable force has mind-blowing consequences. The investigation intensifies and the mystery and threat deepen to unimaginable proportions when the Fringe Division identifies a link between the kidnapping and Massive Dynamic.

November 19th - “August”
A peculiar abduction occurs in Boston , leading the Fringe team to uncover details of the mysterious man known as The Observer. While the bizarre case takes center stage, Walter (John Noble), Peter (Joshua Jackson) and Astrid (Jasika Nicole) hit the lab to analyze unusual evidence and deal with Walter’s insatiable appetite for milkshakes.

Glee
Photo credit: FOX

“Glee”

November 11th - “Wheels”
Will encourages the Glee Club to support Artie (Kevin McHale), and asks each of them to perform in a wheelchair. Meanwhile, Kurt (Chris Colfer) and Rachel (Lea Michele) compete for a big solo.

November 18th - “Ballad”
Mr. Schuester has the Glee Club split up into pairs to sing their favorite ballad, but when one kid gets sick, he’s forced to step in and winds up in a sticky situation. Meanwhile, Finn (Cory Monteith) has dinner with Quinn’s parents (guest stars Gregg Henry and Charlotte Ross).

November 25th - “Hairography”
Eve guest-stars as a rival glee club’s instructor in another all-new episode. The Glee Club checks out their hair-raising competition, and Kurt gives Rachel a makeover.

House
Photo credit: FOX

“House”

November 9th - “Known Unknowns”
After a wild night out, a teenage girl (guest star Anna Attanasio) is brought to Princeton Plainsboro with severely swollen appendages. The team must work to diagnose the young girl, who is less than honest about what happened the night she fell ill. As her condition worsens, she becomes unable to distinguish fact from fiction. Meanwhile, Cuddy, Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) and House spend a weekend away from the hospital to attend a medical conference, but things don’t go as planned when House’s private investigator, Lucas (guest star Michael Weston), returns.

November 16th - “Teamwork”
After House’s medical license is reinstated, he reclaims his role as Head of Diagnostics in time to treat Hank Hardwick (guest star Troy Garity), an adult film star admitted to Princeton Plainsboro for pulsating eye pain. Meanwhile, Cuddy is reminded that Princeton Plainsboro is not conducive to healthy personal relationships.

November 23rd - “Ignorance is Bliss”
On the eve of Thanksgiving, House and the team take on the case of James Sidas (guest star Esteban Powell), an exceptionally brilliant physicist and author who traded his successful career for a job as a courier. For the ailing patient, intelligence is a miserable burden that has prompted depression and addiction, and this, coupled with a myriad of strange symptoms, nearly stumps the team. Meanwhile the doctors at Princeton Plainboro wrestle with strained personal relationships.

Lie To Me
Photo credit: FOX

“Lie To Me”

November 9th - “Fold Equity”
Lightman, Foster (Kelli Williams) and Reynolds (Mekhi Phifer) go to Las Vegas to help locate a missing finalist in the World Series of Poker. Lightman uses his skills to reach beyond the other finalists’ poker faces to figure out which one knows about the disappearance. Meanwhile, Loker (Brendan Hines) and Torres (Monica Raymund) analyze Loker’s new relationship and as a result get closer to each other.

November 16th - “Lack of Candor”
Lightman and his team investigate the murder of a government-protected witness, which unearths dangerous secrets about Reynolds’ past. Ultimately, Lightman puts himself at risk trying to save Reynolds’ career – and life.

November 23rd - “Black Friday”
A troubled teenager (guest star Daniel Ross) believes he was abducted as a baby, and the Lightman Group helps him uncover the secrets of his past. Meanwhile, Loker investigates the origin of a deadly stampede that occurred at an electronics megastore on the day after Thanksgiving.

The Simpsons
Photo credit: FOX

“The Simpsons”

November 15th - “The Devil Wears Nada”
In an effort to raise money for charity, Marge and the “Philanthro-Chicks” decide to pose for a calendar. At the photo studio, Marge is a bit reluctant to reveal any skin, but the photographer (Hank Azaria) loosens her up with wine and before long, Marge and her pin-up poses are the talk of Springfield .

November 22nd - “Pranks and Greens”
Fed up with Bart’s constant pranks, Principal Skinner (Harry Shearer) tells him there is a former Springfield Elementary student who is hailed as the best prankster ever, even better than Bart. When Bart finally tracks down Andy Hamilton (guest voice Jonah Hill), a 19-year-old who hasn’t grown out of his pranking days, they become fast friends.

‘Til Death
Photo credit: FOX

“‘Til Death”

October 30th - “Joy’s Out of Work”
When Joy (Joely Fisher) loses her job at the travel agency, she must use her best assets to find work elsewhere. Meanwhile, Eddie (Brad Garrett) takes Doug (Timm Sharp) to his favorite restaurant.

November 6th - “Hi Def TV”
Even though he and Joy are having money trouble, Eddie goes out and buys a high-definition TV without Joy’s consent. At first, Joy is very upset but then realizes that it has benefits for her too. Meanwhile, Doug is beginning to suspect that he is living on a sitcom.

November 13th - “Independent Action”
When Eddie attends their annual baseball game date without Joy, they realize that they can have separate lives, but at what cost? Meanwhile, Ally (Lindsey Broad) and Doug try to save a tree but end up causing a tree disease epidemic in the neighborhood.

November 20th - “The Break-Up”
When their friends (guest stars Susan Yeagley and Kevin Nealon) have a fight and break up, Eddie and Joy step in to try and restore the peace, but it ends up backfiring on them. Meanwhile, Ally sends Doug to a shrink (guest star Mayim Bialik) to cure his mysterious illness.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

TV Review: Improved ‘Lie to Me’ Returns With Promising Season Premiere

BrianTT — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:20:24 -0600

CHICAGO – When “Lie to Me” premiered earlier this year, the show simply didn’t work. But a lot has happened since then.

The very talented Shawn Ryan (creator of “The Shield”) has come on board as executive producer and Tim Roth has expressed interest in developing his character as more than a cog in a mystery-of-the-week machine. Both the new emphasis on character and stronger writing makes for a season-two premiere that hints at a show with much more potential than when the series began.

Television Rating: 3.5/5.0

Back in January, I wrote, “Cluttered TV scripts reek of desperation and “Lie To Me” is just not well-written. Roth is good and Williams isn’t bad, but TV has always been and will always be about the writing and the pilot for “Lie To Me” is a mess. The cases, the dialogue, the supporting characters - none of it works.”

LIE TO ME: The Lightman Group returns to expose the truth behind the lies in the Season Two premiere of LIE TO ME airing Monday, Sept. 28 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Pictured L-R: Brendan Hines, Tim Roth, Monica Raymund, Mekhi Phifer and Kelli Williams.
Photo credit: Sam Jones/FOX

From just the first few minutes of the second season premiere of “Lie To Me,” that crucial element of television - the writing - has clearly improved with a script by “Shield” and “Angel” alums Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain. Immediately, Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) feels like more than just another variation on Dr. House - the quirky, eccentric man with all the answers. And both mysteries in week one are interesting and entertaining. There’s still a bit of work to do, but the new-and-improved version of “Lie to Me” is far more promising than when the show began.

LIE TO ME: Erika Christensen (L) guest-stars as a witness to a murder in the LIE TO ME Season Two premiere episode “The Core of It” airing Monday, Sept. 28 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Also pictured: Tim Roth (R) and Hayley McFarland (C)
Photo credit: Isabella Vosmikova/FOX

Based on the real scientific work of Dr. Paul Ekman, “Lie To Me” is about The Lightman Group, a small collection of truth experts who assist government agencies, police detectives, federal law enforcement, and more in the world of deception. Dr. Lightman’s right-hand woman is Dr. Gillian Foster (Kelli Williams). The clever chemistry between Roth and Williams is one of the few things that worked from minute one of “Lie To Me” and remains one of the strongest elements of the show.

Lightman and Foster are assisted by a lead researcher named Eli Loker (Brendan Hines) and a new-hire named Ria Torres (Monica Raymund). The former gets to play comic relief with his practice of “radical honesty” and the latter is the “natural,” the rare person who can pick up on all the physical tics and verbal cues without much training at all. Mekhi Phifer and Hayley McFarland co-star.

The lead guest star in the season opener is Erika Christensen, doing excellent work as a woman who comes to Dr. Lightman claiming to have seen a vision of a murder. No one believes her but Cal instantly knows that she’s telling the truth. That’s his gift. But it seems physically impossible for her to be truthful about what she’s seen. Is she honestly psychic? The intriguing case takes Lightman’s attention away from a Supreme Court nominee being vetted by the Group to make sure he has no skeletons in his closet.

Both cases crackle with wit and energy in a way that was missing from the series premiere eight months ago. And both cases play with the overall theme of the show in that Cal and his team can tell when someone is lying but they can’t tell why. It’s the secret behind the lie that fascinates Lightman and Roth seems reinvigorated in the season premiere, as if he’s finally figured out a way to distinguish this character from his TV brethren on shows like “House” and “The Mentalist”.

The press release that accompanied the season premiere of “Lie To Me” featured a letter from Ryan in which he himself admits, “Some shows find their feet right away. Others grow into their skin.” Much to my surprise, “Lie To Me” has evolved into something interesting. It’s not yet must-see TV, but it could be on the way. And that’s no lie.

‘Lie To Me,’ which airs on FOX, stars Tim Roth, Kelli Williams, Brendan Hines, Monica Raymund, Hayley McFarland, Mekhi Phifer, Jennifer Beals, and guest stars Erika Christensen. The show was created by Samuel Baum. The season two premiere airs on Monday, September 28th, 2009 at 8PM CST.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

TV on Blu-Ray Round Up: ‘Lie to Me,’ ‘Sons of Anarchy,’ ‘Life After People’

BrianTT — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 08:44:58 -0600

CHICAGO – There have been some very cool TV on Blu-Ray releases lately that we wanted to make sure you, our loyal readers, knew about, including “Life After People,” “Lie to Me,” and “Sons of Anarchy”.

One of the best home entertainment developments of 2009 has been the emergence of more television on Blu-Ray. Take for example this edition of the Blu-Ray Round-Up, which features a History Channel program, a FOX drama, and an action-driven FX series about to start its second season.

All three releases are part of a new wave of TV on Blu-Ray and whatever may be said about the quality of the actual programs, it’s encouraging to see more studios taking chances on HD releases. Let’s hope they all do soon.

Synopsis, cast information, technical details, and special features information follows. Pick up one. Support the movement.

“Sons of Anarchy: Season One” was released on August 18th, 2009.

“Lie to Me: Season One” was released on August 25th, 2009.

“Life After People” will be released on September 1st, 2009.

“Sons of Anarchy: Season One”

Photo credit: Fox

Synopsis: “From an executive producer of “The Shield” comes a gripping drama that takes you into the ruthless underworld of outlaw bikers. The Sons of Anarchy live, ride and die for brotherhood. But as the club’s leader (Ron Perlman) and his wife (Katey Sagal) steer them in an increasingly lawless direction, her son Jax (Charlie Hunnam) is torn between loyalty and the legacy in this adrenaline-charged first season.”

“Sons of Anarchy: Season One” stars Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman, Katey Sagal, Theo Rossi, Maggie Siff, Johnny Lewis, Tommy Flanagan, and Kim Coates. It was created by Kurt Sutter. It is presented in High Definition 1080p with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and includes an English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. The 13-episode season runs 594 minutes.

Special features include audio commentary on selected episodes, “The Making of Sons of Anarchy: Season 1,” “Casting Sons of Anarchy,” “The Ink,” “The Bikes,” deleted scenes, and “Anarchy on the Set”.

“Lie to Me: Season One”

Photo credit: Fox

Synopsis: “In this powerful and engaging new drama from Imagine Television, the producers of 24, Tim Roth stars as Dr. Cal Lightman, a deception expert whose uncanny ability to read facial expressions and body language makes him a virtual human polygraph. Joined by psychologist Dr. Gillian Foster, Lightman tackles compelling cases of sabotage, scandal and murder, always uncovering the one thing that matters most - the truth.”

“Lie to Me: Season One” stars Tim Roth, Kelli Williams, Brendan Hines, and Monica Raymund. It was created by Samuel Baum. It is presented in High Definition 1080p with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio and includes an English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. The 13-episode season runs 572 minutes.

Special features include deleted scenes and an exclusive featurette called “The Truth About Lies”.

“Life After People”

Photo credit: BBC/WB

Synopsis: “If humans were to suddenly disappear, what would happen to our planet - the structures we’ve built, the everyday items we take for granted, domesticated and wild animals, plants, trees? What would become of the things that define our species and leave our mark on this Earth?

Visit the ghostly villages surrounding Chernobyl (abandoned by humans after the 1986 nuclear disaster), travel to remote islands off the coast of Maine to search for abandoned towns that have vanished from view in only a few decades, then head beneath the streets of New York to see how subway tunnels may become watery canals.

HISTORY takes you on an amazing visual journey in Life After People, a thought-provoking adventure that combines movie-quality visual effects with insights from experts in the fields of engineering, botany, ecology, biology, geology, climatology, and archaeology to demonstrate how the very landscape of our plant will change in our absence.”

“Life After People” is presented in High Definition with its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio and includes only an English 2.0 Stereo track. It runs 94 minutes

Special features include additional scenes.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

FOX Announces Fall 2009 Premiere Dates Including ‘Dollhouse,’ ‘Fringe,’ ‘House’

BrianTT — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 07:58:14 -0600

CHICAGO – FOX announced their fall premiere dates this morning and the network should start off with a skip in its step with “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Glee” kicking off the season on Wednesday, September 9th. The network is debuting only two other new primetime shows - the comedy “Brothers” starts on Friday, September 25th and “The Cleveland Show” starts on Sunday, September 27th.

The Cleveland Show.
Photo credit: Fox

Three days later, the old standbys of the network, “COPS” and “America’s Most Wanted” return to anchor Saturday nights yet again on September 12th.

Arguably the best night of television on the network returns on Thursday, September 17th with the fifth season premiere of “Bones” followed by the second season premiere of “Fringe”.

The network’s most beloved Fall show, “House,” returns on Monday, September 21st with a two-hour premiere. Read our comprehensive review of the season-six 2009 “House” premiere here. The next week, September 28th, “House” will be its standard one-hour length and “Lie To Me” will premiere its second season.

The controversial “Dollhouse,” surprisingly renewed in favor of “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” will return on Friday, September 25th, following the one-hour premiere of “Brothers”. “Brothers” will shrink to its standard half-hour form the next week and “‘Til Death” will join the nightly lineup with its premiere on October 2nd.

The Sunday night lineup starts on September 27th with the series premiere of “The Cleveland Show” and season premieres of “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy,” and “American Dad”.

Finally, the late night effort of “The Wanda Sykes Show” will debut on Saturday, November 7th at 10pm CST.

Fox Fall 2009 Schedule
Wednesday, September 9th - “So You Think You Can Dance” & “Glee”
Saturday, September 12th - “COPS” & “America’s Most Wanted”
Thursday, September 17th - “Bones” & “Fringe”
Monday, September 21st - “House”
Friday, September 25th - “Brothers” & “Dollhouse”
Sunday, September 27th - “The Simpsons,” “The Cleveland Show,” “Family Guy,” & “American Dad”
Monday, September 28th - “Lie To Me”
Friday, October 2nd - “‘Til Death”
Saturday, November 7th - “The Wanda Sykes Show”

Read our full review of the season-two “Lie To Me” premiere!
Read our full review of the season-two “Dollhouse” premiere!
Read our full review of the season-six 2009 “House” premiere!
Read our full review of the season-two 2009 “Fringe” premiere!
Read our full review of the “Glee” premiere!
Read our full review of the season-five 2009 “Bones” premiere!

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Fox Renews ‘Dollhouse,’ Cancels ‘Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles’

BrianTT — Tue, 19 May 2009 12:19:45 -0600

CHICAGO – The networks announce their fall schedules this week and Eliza Dushku fans will be happy that her on-the-bubble show from TV genius Joss Whedon, “Dollhouse,” got a last minute reprieve from the TV gas chamber and will be on the FOX fall schedule. While “Dollhouse” made the cut, “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” was shown the door.

The rest of the FOX fall schedule was relatively predictable. We knew by now that “Prison Break” has been cancelled and that “24” wouldn’t come back until mid-season, but FOX did relocate a number of series, moving new shows “Lie To Me” and “Fringe” to new nights.

DOLLHOUSE: When a traitor is discovered inside the Dollhouse, Echo (Eliza Dushku) is programmed as a spy hunter to uncover the culprit in the DOLLHOUSE episode "A Spy in the House of Love" airing Friday, April 10 (9:01-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Photo credit: Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Isabella Vosmikova/FOX

Kevin Reilly, President Entertainment, FOX Broadcasting Company, said, courtesy of Mediaweek, "The strategic moves we made last year to build off of our biggest assets are paying off. We've created stability and a consistently strong performance across the week. Next season, we're bringing back two top-rated sophomore dramas (Fringe and Lie to Me) and using our hits to introduce a broad and compelling slate of new shows that will make our air even more vibrant and alive."

New shows on FOX this fall include "Glee” (which has a sneak preview tonight, May 19th, 2009), a sitcom starring Michael Strahan called “Brothers,” and the premiere of “The Cleveland Show,” a long-in-development spin-off of “Family Guy”.

BROTHERS: Retired NFL star Mike Trainor (Michael Strahan, C) returns to his hometown and rebuilds his relationship with his family in the new FOX comedy BROTHERS premiering this fall on FOX. Pictured L-R: Colton Dunn, Daryl "Chill" Mitchell, Michael Strahan, CCH Pounder and Carl Weathers.
Photo credit: Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Patrick Ecclesine/FOX

With all the shuffling and the three new shows, all but one night will be different this fall for FOX - the classic combo of “Cops” and “America’s Most Wanted” on Saturday nights.

The week kicks off on Mondays with “House” and “Lie To Me”. Tuesday and Wednesdays will be dominated by “So You Think You Can Dance” with a two-hour version on the first night and the hour-long results show on the next night, followed by the fantastic “Glee”.

Thursdays feature “Bones” and “Fringe”. Friday nights feature the only live-action sitcoms left on the network - the new “Brothers” and the apparently impossible-to-cancel “‘Til Death”. They will be followed by “Dollhouse”. Discuss amongst yourselves if two broad sitcoms are the best lead-in for “Dollhouse”. Probably not.

With the cancellation of “Sit Down, Shut Up,” Sunday nights feature “The Simpsons,” “The Cleveland Show,” “Family Guy,” and “American Dad”.

In January of 2010, “Lie to Me” will be replaced by “24” and “American Idol” will only be an hour on both Tuesday and Wednesday nights with two new shows - “Past Life” and “Human Target” - will get the best lead-in on TV with “Glee” returning in the spring.

Thursday-Saturday will stay the same but “The Cleveland Show” will leap-frog “Family Guy” and push “American Dad” off the schedule to make room for another new show, “Sons of Tucson”.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

‘Lie to Me’ With Tim Roth Mistakes Concept For Content

BrianTT — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:23:08 -0700

Television Rating: 1.5/5.0

CHICAGO – “The Mentalist” is the only significant new hit for the 2008-2009 season and the number one rule in TV is that if something works once, try and replicate it. Viewers can expect to see dozens of clones of the Simon Baker series in the next few years. It is into this atmosphere that Fox hopes their newest crime series, “Lie To Me,” can find a loyal audience.

Network TV ratings may be sliding across the board, but there is one genre that seems more resilient to the erosion than others - the crime drama. From network staples like “CSI” to cable shows like “The Closer,” every network head is looking for the next procedural with a twist, the show that they can keep on the air for years, preferably with a revolving door cast and very little effort on their part.

The Lightman Group is a private agency hired to expose the truth behind the lies in the new series Lie To Me premiering Wednesday, Jan. 21 (9:03-10:06 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Pictured L-R: Kelli Williams, Tim Roth, Brendan Hines and Monica Raymund.
Photo credit: ©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Frank Ockenfels/FOX

Fox’s “Lie To Me” is not a straight-up clone of “The Mentalist” (and, of course, it was in production before that show took off) but it certainly shares some character traits with CBS’ massively entertaining program in that it’s about a man who sees things in human behavior that the average crime fighter does not. Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) can not only tell if a suspect is lying, but can often take it a step further and tell you why someone is being deceptive. “Lie To Me” is based on the true discoveries of Dr. Paul Ekman, an expert in reading clues in the human face, body, and voice, often brought in to investigate criminal investigations.

As the foremost deception expert in the country, Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth, R) knows when someone is lying. He oversees The Lightman Group, a private agency hired to expose the truth behind the lies in the new series Lie To Me premiering Wednesday, Jan. 21 (9:03-10:06 PM ET/PT) on FOX.
Photo credit: ©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Mike Yarish/FOX

The Lightman Group, headed by Tim Roth’s character, assists government agencies, police detectives, and federal law enforcement with issues of deception. Dr. Lightman’s right-hand woman is Dr. Gillian Foster (Kelli Williams of “The Practice”), a psychologist more interested in the general picture than her partner’s detail-oriented approach. Their chemistry is the highlight of the premiere and what the writers will need to focus on if “Lie To Me” is going to improve.

Drs. Lightman and Foster are assisted by a lead researcher named Eli Loker (Brendan Hines) and a new-hire named Ria Torres (Monica Raymund). The former gets to play comic relief with his practice of “radical honesty” and the latter is the “natural,” the rare person who can pick up on all the physical tics and verbal cues without much training.

The team behind “Lie To Me,” including writer Samuel Baum (“The Evidence”) and the executive producers of “24” and “Arrested Development,” clutter their first episode with two cases, character introductions, and even jabs at real-life personalities to the point that the whole thing sinks under the weight of its concept. It feels forced.

Religiously overprotected kids, a dead teacher, a philandering politician, hookers, and references to every famous liar from Kato Kaelin to George Bush is too much for one episode of any program. Cluttered TV scripts reek of desperation and “Lie To Me” is just not well-written. Roth is good and Williams isn’t bad, but TV has always been and will always be about the writing and the pilot for “Lie To Me” is a mess. The cases, the dialogue, the supporting characters - none of it works

I could look Dr. Ekman and his fictional counterpart in the face and they would know I was not lying when I told them that their show is going to be a hit this year but it needs to get better quickly if it wants to survive after Simon, Paula, Randy, and the new girl leave the air. “Lie To Me” has the safest time slot on TV - post “American Idol”.

But I think even the people making the series would need to practice self-deception to convince themselves that the series is anything but mediocre at best and borders on downright bad. It’s very difficult to judge a procedural show after one episode. Next week’s case(s) might be more interesting. But it feels like the problems with “Lie To Me” are deeper than a couple of cases with stupid twists. And that’s no lie.

‘Lie To Me,’ which airs on FOX, stars Tim Roth, Kelli Williams, Brendan Hines, and Monica Raymund. The premiere airs on January 21st, 2009 at 8:03PM CST.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

The Best of What’s Out There: The TV You Should Be Watching in Early 2009

BrianTT — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 09:08:20 -0700

CHICAGO – We were considering looking back at the best programming of 2008 when something dawned on us - a lot of it isn’t on the air right now and not yet available on DVD. We at HollywoodChicago.com believe in being productive and helpful, so why tell you something is great when you can’t even see the show?

The final season of “The Shield,” the third season of “Dexter,” the fourth season of “Weeds,” the fourth season of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” the final season of “The Wire,” the second season of “Mad Men,” the entirety of “Pushing Daisies,” and the two best new shows of 2008 - “True Blood” and “In Treatment” - all rank among the best programming of 2008, but none of them are on the air right now and none are on DVD yet. What’s a TV fan to do?

Tina Fey, Jennifer Aniston, Alec Baldwin on “30 Rock”.
Photo credit: Nicole Rivelli

That’s why we’re here - to help. Instead of giving you another list of shows that you can’t even see on DVD yet, we’ve found some equivalent (or at least similar) shows currently on the air that we think you should give a chance. With dozens of new and returning shows hitting the airwaves every week, it can be hard to know what’s right for you. Let us guide the way.

First, there are a FEW of the best series of 2008 still on the air or returning soon. “Lost” comes back January 21st, 2009. Check out our review of the first two episodes for a sneak peek. The quick version? It’s real good.

The best comedy on television, “30 Rock,” is still kicking butt on Thursday nights even if we do slightly agree with the criticism that the show has gotten a bit too gimmicky for its own good recently. Hey Tina, cut out the revolving door of guest stars and get back to the characters we know and love.

“Battlestar Galactica” comes back on January 16th and, as for the best of reality TV, Jeff Probst and “Survivor” return on February 12th and Phil Keoghan and “The Amazing Race” start running again three days later, February 15th.

Finally, “Reaper” returns to The CW on March 17th. Yes, The CW can actually lay claim to one of the best shows of 2008. If you don’t believe me, catch up with the first season, now on DVD, and come back for more coverage in the coming months of one of the most sharply written and clever shows on television.

Bret Harrison and Ray Wise on “Reaper”.
Photo credit: Lionsgate

The rest of the “Best of 2008”? It’s all off the air, but we found relative equivalents for most of them. Of course, there will not be an equivalent for ABC’s great “Pushing Daisies” for a long time. Just watch season one again. It was brilliantly unique and left us way too soon.

One of the main reasons that HBO’s “True Blood” and Showtime’s “Dexter” were two of the best shows of 2008 was that there’s nothing on the air like them. What could we possibly compare to Alan Ball’s gothic vision of vampires or Michael C. Hall’s riveting performance as a serial killer with a moral code?

There are two shows coming up that seem to have that unique quality that separated “True Blood” and “Dexter” from the pack in 2008.

The first season of AMC’s “Breaking Bad” was hit-and-miss but the clarity of Bryan Cranston’s excellent performance on that show reminds us a bit of what Hall does as Dexter Morgan on the excellent Showtime drama. “Bad” returns to AMC in March.

As for “True Blood,” the show that has similar what-the-hell potential has to be Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse”. The long-delayed and controversial series starts on February 13th on Fox. Rumors of reshoots and behind-the-scenes trouble have made us nervous, but Whedon is the kind of risky TV voice that always brings the potential for greatness, kind of like “True Blood“‘s Alan Ball.

Toni Collette on “United States of Tara”.
Photo credit: Nigel Parry/Showtime

If neither “Breaking Bad” nor “Dollhouse” works for and you’re still looking for something left-of-center like “True Blood” or “Dexter,” put April 9th on your calendar. That’s when “Harper’s Island” premieres. We haven’t seen much, but the preview we did see from last Summer looked like “Gossip Girl” if one of the beautiful people from that show happened to be a serial killer offing his socialite friends on a remote island. Yeah, it looks like twisted fun.

But what should fans of the other great shows from 2008 do with their time in early 2009?

One of the best comedies of the last few years, Showtime’s “Weeds,” will be back this summer, but there’s another half-hour comedy that looks at suburbia from a different angle on the same network - “United States of Tara” - that’s currently on the air.

Featuring a stunning performance by Oscar nominee Toni Collette as a mother with DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder), the Diablo Cody creation fits perfectly in the Showtime milieu of characters who may look normal but live very different lives from you and me. With a dark, black streak of humor, “Weeds” has been consistently entertaining for four seasons now and, based on the promise of the first quartet of episodes, it’s not hard to see “United States of Tara” staying on the air just as long.

2009 Mid-Season TV Preview: ‘Lost,’ ‘Damages,’ ‘Nip/Tuck,’ ‘24,’ More

BrianTT — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:08:01 -0700

CHICAGO – Be honest, TV fans. Fall 2008 was lackluster at best. The TV season really starts now.

With the strike delaying production on established series and the development of new ones, many more programs are returning or premiering in Jan. 2009 than the average mid-season. It couldn’t have come at a more important time for the medium, too.

To be blunt, the first 31 days of 2009 could be one of the most important months in the history of television. It comes down to this - If established hits like “24,” “Damages,” “Nip/Tuck,” “Monk,” “American Idol,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Lost,” and “The Closer” don’t meet expectations and if a new show like “United States of Tara,” “The Beast,” “Lie To Me,” or “Trust Me” can’t take off and become an established hit, television is likely to change forever.

Sound like an exaggeration? Consider this - NBC gave up on an hour of original, scripted programming every single night. They’re so disappointed in their slate of 10 pm dramas, including failures like “My Own Worst Enemy,” that they’re handing over an hour of TV every night to talk show host Jay Leno. It’s one of the most amazing programming decisions of the last few years and proof that original television on the big networks is changing for good. Does anyone think we’re that far off from all reality and talk on the major networks with original programming relegated to pay cable, basic cable, and the internet? I don’t.

And the Leno story is only one of the biggest headlines of a season that has seen far more failures than successes. Shows that took off the post-strike period, including “Pushing Daisies” and “Dirty Sexy Money,” saw ratings decline every week before their cancellations. It feels like people left during the strike and simply never came back.

New hits? There aren’t any outside of CBS, the only network that has anything to be happy about this year with the massive success of “The Mentalist” and the continued growth of “The Big Bang Theory” and “How I Met Your Mother”. More than ever, the buzz in 2008 went from the big networks to the cable box with HBO launching new hits, Showtime developing their own, and even AMC developing a reputation for quality.

We’ll get into what worked and what didn’t in our TV year in review next week at HollywoodChicago.com, but let’s look ahead before we look back. Is it too late for the broadcast networks to save this sinking ship? Are NBC, Fox, and ABC done? Will there be another “Mad Men” in the bunch of shows premiering this month? Can a series actually improve on last year’s ratings for once? Let’s hope so.

Stay tuned to HollywoodChicago.com for reviews and coverage of all the upcoming series and mark your calendar with the highlights of the coming month on the following page, in chronological order.