The most recent winner of Vulture’s Sitcom Smackdown (Reader Bracket) is Arrested Development edging out The Simpsons to be named the greatest sitcom of the last 30 years…by popular vote. That’s still something right? Possibly fueled by it’s impending return, AD seems to be as popular as ever, and for hits that reason we thought it was about time we got caught up on some of the latest news surrounding the shows resurrection. After all, in less than two months, we’ll be again enjoying probably one of the best comedies to grace television of all time. That’s right. I went there.
In 1959 Robert Bloch wrote a novel titled Psycho. It was about an unbalanced man named Norman Bates and his mother Norma, with whom he ran a motel…and murdered people. A year later, Alfred Hitchcock cast Antony Perkins as Norman, and turned the novel into a masterpiece of film-making which to this day stands as his more recognized work.
In the long wait for season 3 of Game Of Thrones two things have become abundantly clear. The first is that HBO is full of a bunch of sadists, who will leak images, previews, clips and trailers in rampant abundance, all with the terrible prospect of “getting you excited” to watch a season of a show you’re probably definitely made up your mind to watch or not. I’m convinced there isn’t a person alive who hasn’t already made up their mind to watch the third season when it comes on, because you’ve either watched the show, and CANNOT WAIT ANY LONGER HOLY CRAP, or you haven’t and thusly aren’t bothered. Accordingly, the other thing that’s become abundantly clear is how badly my editor loves to get me to write about all of HBO’s sadistic trappings, as if somehow not writing about every single little Game Of Thrones related pop up and mish-mash that comes by will actually personally hurt him and his feelings. [ Or his dog’s feelings or something. It’s gotten to the point where I’m afraid he’ll start sending me pictures of doe-eyed animals like those Sarah Mclachlan PETA commercials, telling me that by not writing up every GoT trailer I’m personally letting more and more kittens die each day. [
So know that by writing this, I’m serving my role as a functioning member of society, and not letting lots of little kittens die for reasons I’ve made up entirely in my head. Mostly because waiting this long for Game Of Thrones is literally driving me insane. Firstly we have the bevy of trailers, starting with the newly released “Trailer #2” for the season, which by writing about here has saved a small black long-haired kitten named “Coco”. She loves to have her belly rubbed and only has one eye!
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Next we have a shorter preview, similar to an older trailer I’ve probably written about, the difference is this time by writing about it I’m saving a little tortoiseshell kitten named Gidget. She’s a little timid but once you get to know her she’s very loving!
After that we have the “Extended” season 3 trailer, which is relatively similar to the other trailers only it has more stuff in it because it’s extended! In turn the kittens that are being saved by writing about this are also extended, a pair of brother/sister kittens named Scratches and Patches. They’re Calico and Russian blue, and utterly inseparable. Watching them play together is the bees knees! OR THE CAT’S PAJAMAS! HAHAHA!
And lastly after those three trailers we’re left a final 14 minute primer for season 3 of GoT, which is essentially just one big recap for everyone online who has a short attention span, or no time to sit down and re-watch the first two seasons. Which I suppose some people don’t have the time to do, but when you’re saving kittens every day is a special day of wonder and excitement that can only benefit from watching Game Of Thrones in the background! I watched this 14 minute primer with Larfleeze, a little orange tabby kitten I’ve named after the leader of the Orange Lanterns from DC Comics! Larfleeze loves Tyrion!
Now that all the kittens have been saved, it’s time to move onto the puppies! Yes, this IS the internet where cats reign supreme, but let us not shun the path of adorable puppies in our wake, because they surely need saving too. Also, my editor (and apparently other weird, stupid people) think that little tidbits like the next few things are cute and wonderful instead of annoying, soul crushing and pointless. Well onward, because there’s a corgi puppy who’s waiting at the door, and only by watching this inane High School Style Parody of Game Of Thrones will he not freeze to death in the cold! Winter is coming, Corgi puppy! Get in here!
Coming near the home stretch here, some band I’ve never heard of called The Hold Steady will be confirmed to perform a drinking song from the Game Of Thrones universe. It’s called “The Bear And The Maiden Fair”, but for the life of me I cannot remember it from the books. Which is all good and well because I’m sure I’ll skip or not notice it in the main show anyway. The only song that I care about is “The Rains Of Castemere”, but I can’t tell any of you why without being the most evil bastard ever. Fortunately, by writing about this I’ve saved a whole bundle of adorable pug puppies! They’re so spunky and full of love! Now here, watch a totally unrelated song by The Hold Steady that will hopefully convince you that their version of a make-believe song from a make-believe universe will sufficiently be believable enough to be consistent with that world as a viable drinking song! What’s that Pugsly? You want your tummy rubbed! Sure!
One last thing! Now that you’ve seen every possible Game Of Thrones related video and even a few that are only tangentially related, there are PICTURES TO LOOK AT! WONDEROUS PICTURES! Pictures of the same characters you’ve seen before looking at things! In fact the only one even worth seeing is the comparison picture between Bran from season 1 and Season 3, because apparently time is linear and people age? Also puberty? Also I’m dying inside? Whatever, I’ve just saved a cuddly little bulldog named Francis! He’s named after the Pope and he snores when he sleeps! Just like the real Pope!
And finally here’s a picture of Isaac Hempstead Wright, who is apparently now forcing his life as Bran onto other people in the real world. Proving that Game Of Thrones induced insanity is a real thing. He can’t not make everyone Hodor to him now.
Well there you have it. That’s all of the little annoying Game Of Thrones tidbits, previews, songs, trailers, pictures, previews of pictures, trailer-views, tidpics, pre trailers, songtures, trailpics, picture previews and everything else in between for Game Of Thrones. Which if you didn’t know for some impossible reason, starts up again this month on March 31st. In 2013. Unfortunately all of this is a cycle, and will repeat yet again for Season 4 next year. Now don’t mind me while I start petting all of these kittens and puppies to stave off my lingering, throbbing insanity that looms in anticipation of the anticipation of waiting for Season 4. Now play puppies and kittens!
The moment Rob Thomas announced the Veronica Mars movie Kickstarter, everyone with half a brain knew that it was going to meet its goal. I don’t know that there were many out there that would predict how quickly it would do so. As a matter of fact, the project, which was already the largest in the film category, was the fastest to reach two million dollars across all categories. So yay Veronica Mars movie!!!
While there is no question NBC is in the shittier, ABC is a bit of a mystery. Their shows are good, and they have a loyal audience but somehow they have been trailing in network ratings. It becomes a little clearer when you take a look at their lineup. They have some very good dramas, Castle, Once Upon a Time, Scandal, Revenge, and even though Grey’s Anatomy should have ended years ago, people are still tuning in. Of course their reality shows are popular – Dancing with the Stars, and The Bachelor, but I ignore that those exist so there are neither here nor there. ABC’s problem area? Clearly their comedies. Don’t Trust the B sadly has been cancelled, Happy Endings is being moved, The Neighbors is in the basement, and if you can name any other ABC comedy besides Modern Family, congrats.
One has to imagine that ABC is wondering what they can do to get to the top. Luckily for them, some of their pilots looks to have great potential, one from a certain Joss Whedon most especially. Without further adieu, some of the best looking prospects for ABC this pilot season.
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Is there an upcoming show that has more geeks all atwitter than this one? I don’t think so. Of course the show itself is exciting but when they announced that Agent Coulson was actually not dead and Clark Gregg would be bringing his character to the ABC pilot? Well that just put a cherry on this fantastic sundae.
There’s been quite a few people added to the cast of this show since that announcement, including Ming-Na Wen from ER and Iain De Caestecker from the long running British soap, Coronation Street.
There is very little doubt that this will make it to series. ABC would be making a mistake of epic proportions if they let this one go.
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Another British import, Spy is about a somewhat unsuccessful man who in the hopes to impress his son, goes out to get a good job and somehow finds himself a secret agent. The British show was fantastic, thanks in part to the cast. I’d like to say the American version looks as promising but I can’t. Now I’m perfectly willing to admit this is just me, but I can not stand Rob Corddry and have a hard time seeing him as Tim.
The most interesting casting news on this show though, would be that of Ken Jeong. Granted he hasn’t been seen much on Community here lately so perhaps they are trying to write him out completely, or even sadder, he’s preparing for the end of Community all together.
If this version has one thing going for it, it would be that Simeon Goulden who created and wrote the British version of Spy is writing this as well. All that said, I’d probably watch this, well at the very least I’d give it a shot because I enjoyed the original that much.
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My love of the ‘Gone Too Soon’ Kings is no secret so you can only imagine how excited I was to see that Christopher Egan was in another pilot. Even better, it looks like a pilot that has potential.
[quote]Modern day show that weaves together a mythology that incorporates the legends of Dracula, Jekyll and Hyde, Frankenstein and Dorian Gray among others.[/quote]
Egan will play Dorian Gray and he has a fantastic cast around him including Tom Ellis (from the incredibly funny Miranda) as Victor Frankenstein, Janet Montgomery (this year’s short lived Made in Jersey) as Grace Van Helsing, and Fringe star, Seth Gabel. As if the actors weren’t enough, the writers just might be. After signing an overall deal with ABC, the creators of Reaper, Tara Butters and Michele Fazakas have been tapped to run Gothica. These two ladies also had a hand in Dollhouse which was another show canceled way before it’s time. Let’s just hope that Gothica turns the tide for them.
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Unlike NBC that has a penchant for hyping crappy sitcoms (whilst ignoring their good ones) and CBS that just makes all crappy sitcoms, ABC has done pretty well. Okay, they’ve done well from a critical standpoint, obviously they haven’t done well on the viewers front because these great shows are getting canceled or just ignored. It really is a crime. However if Super Fun Night makes it to series and is then canceled or ignored, I will be crushed. Crushed!
First off, this pilot is being directed by John Riggi of 30 Rock. That right there should be enough but no, it stars Rebel Wilson and if that wasn’t enough, Keegan Michael Key of Key and Peele has signed on! Seriously, this show has so much going for it. Even it’s premise, while simple, sounds entertaining – Three nerdy female friends decide to have super fun every Friday night. That’s it, that’s all we know about it so far. Is it going to be like Big Bang Theory but with chicks? Who knows. One could hope the writing is better and that the audience will be there but we’ll have to wait and see.
I’m losing a lot of shows this year and if this one is picked up, rest assured, I will be watching. I’d be lying if part of me doesn’t hope it get’s picked up for the sole reason that it would give better odds to seeing Rebel Wilson on SNL.
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If you don’t know, I’m a huge fan of sibling relationships on shows. Of course if you’ve had the pleasure of reading previous Grizzly Bomb contributions of mine you are probably saying “we know! You like siblings! Stop telling us!” but I just thought it bore repeating. Anyways – I like watching sibling relationships.
I also like Steve Zahn. I also like Christian Slater. I also liked Kyle Killen’s shows Awake and Lone Star.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that a show by Kyle Killen starring Steve Zahn and Christian Slater as brothers just might be a show I’d watch.
[quote]Centers on the complicated relationship between two brothers, Clark, a bipolar genius in human psychology, and Ross, a slick ex-con, who solve their clients’ problems using the real science of human motivation and manipulation.[/quote]
Just on the surface, it seems a bit like Lie to Me but switch out facial tics for psychology. Best part of this casting is who is who. Because I always associate Steve Zahn as the Neil Diamond restraining order recipient/raccoon wrestler from Saving Silverman, I was pretty certain he would be the “slick ex-con” but I would be wrong. Zahn is actually Clark the bipolar genius (yea I can see that) and Christian Slater will be playing Ross.
One can hope that this won’t be a predictable crime procedural, and that it will last longer than both Awake and Lone Star.
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I want everyone that has a screenplay sitting in a desk drawer (or documents folder) to go ahead and dust it off because apparently the world is in desperate need of new ideas. I’m just going to float this logline out there and see what grabs you.
[quote]A late 19th century New York doctor and his family relocate to a frontier mining town run by a powerful, but mysterious tycoon. Unfortunately, they quickly realize that not everything in the titular city is as it seems. (Inspired by the Disney Parks ride Thunder Mountain Railroad.)[/quote]
In case you missed it… Inspired by the Disney Parks ride Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Every single time I’ve seen this show mentioned, my head explodes. I know I mentioned back in the NBC Dramas discussion that I appreciate the idea of a Western coming back to network television but this is not at all what I had in mind. If the fact that it’s “inspired” by an amusement park ride isn’t baffling enough, get this – it’s a drama. A drama, based on a railroad ride at Disney World/Land/whatever.
My “cyborg looks for love in the most unlikely of places, a retirement facility for astronauts” pilot isn’t looking so crappy all of a sudden.
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So there you have it! There’s some that are sure hits (S.H.I.E.L.D.) and some that have real potential, but it very easily could turn out that I have no idea what I’m talking about and Big Thunder will end up being a huge success and having a ten year run. You’ll find me in the corner, rocking and muttering to myself if that happens.
There are a few other shows filming pilots right now like a “Romeo and Juliet-esque” drama called Westside starring Jennifer Beals and Dennis Duffy Dean Winters and a comedy starring MadTV’s Will Sasso but outside of those actors I don’t find much appeal in the shows at all. Hopefully one of the above pilots will find their way to a series order and we can all sit back and laugh at those days when ABC finished behind NBC back in the spring of 2013.
I imagine if I were to create a “bucket list” it would include items such as finding a way to convince Julie Andrews to adopt me (sorry Mom) and Gladys Knight to follow me around narrating my life in song. Also on that list would be to attend PaleyFest.
Named for William Paley, the man who took a small Columbia Broadcasting System and turned it into the CBS we know today (one would hope minus the dearth of crappy sitcoms), setting the standard for all modern television networks along the way, PaleyFest bills itself as “The Ultimate TV Fan Festival”. With two weeks filled with panels and autographs and things of that nature, it just might be. Luckily for those of us TV fans who do not live in Los Angeles, the folks over at the Paley Center for Media have teamed up with Hulu to bring the panels to the masses. The day after a panel, it’s been put up on Hulu in both clips and an entire session.
There have been some good shows like The Newsroom, Revolution and Once Upon a Time and even some shows we here at Grizzly Bomb watch and review such as The Walking Dead and Arrow. Panels like this are always fun because you get a chance to see the actors behind the characters and often get some behind the scenes/story info much like this clip for the Arrow panel.
Lest we ever doubt that writers and producers are listening to the fans’ reactions, we played a part in bringing Felicity Smoak up as a series regular! If you were looking for an example of social media having a direct impact on something, that would be it. Had Arrow aired even fifteen years ago, there’s a good chance Felicity would still have been this small character until enough people sent in letters and some email to the studio asking for more of “that blond IT girl”.
Another clip that I found to be interesting is to see Stephen Amell talk about how he approaches “island Oliver”.
These two clips are non-spoilers but there are a few in the rest of the panel session, which you can watch right here, so be warned. If you did not recognize the moderator for the panel, that would be none other than Geoff Johns himself, rocking the Aquaman hat.
The other show of note was The Walking Dead.
Now, I do not watch The Walking Dead (there is no need to tell me how awesome it is and how I’m missing out – I’m a big ol’ wuss and damn near pissed myself watching one episode and I’d rather not repeat that experience) so there is a chance these clips might have spoilers and if they do, I apologize.
However, I did watch the majority of this panel and if I’m honest, it’s because I’ve got a wee bit of a crush on Chris Hardwick. The man is just adorable, I can’t help it.
**Possible Spoilers**
I thought this was really interesting because in a show about the ‘zombie apocalypse’ and when pretty much everyone is on the chopping block at any moment (of course one would assume major characters would be safe, but stranger things have happened), I imagine the thought that they could be killed off is in the forefront of their minds.
Of course once this topic came up, there was no way I couldn’t include it. Living south of Atlanta, I can commiserate fully. Summer down here is awful. You step outside and you immediately start sweating and I can only imagine what kind of hell the makeup people deal with. It’s a good thing the characters are usually sweaty and gross because man alive, if they had to look fresh and clean? Those makeup people would be winning an Emmy each year and rightfully so.
Again, here is the whole panel, there may be spoilers so be warned.
So now that we all know what PaleyFest can include, who wants to go with me? I’m taking names for next year’s carpool, we can split the gas and all share a bag of beef jerky.
My love of the 
Grizzly Bomb 