New Amsterdam
Coster-Waldau lands lead in Virtuality
According to the interview with Ron Moore that Brad wrote about, Virtuality is scheduled to start shooting in July. That's like, soon. So a leading man would be a fantastic thing to have. Here comes Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to the rescue. The former star of New Amsterdam is staying with Fox to take the lead in the two-hour pilot. If any crazed fan groups were whittling away at some old-world furniture to send in to the network to save New Amsterdam, they can stop now.
Virtuality tells the tale of Earth's first starship, making its way on a ten year journey to a distant solar system, where no man has gone before... To pass the time during the trip they go into virtual reality machines, assuming different identities and having whatever adventures they choose. That's what we know so far, but I'm assuming that somewhere along the lines something goes drastically wrong so we have some real world conflicts that can't just be switched off. Moore wrote the script with his Galactica pal Michael Taylor and Peter Berg is slated to direct.
The Arrested Development Award: Winner - VIDEO
There were plenty of choices for The Arrested Development Award, a.k.a. The Show Least Deserving of Cancellation Award. Among them, Las Vegas, New Amsterdam, Miss Guided, Aliens in America, and Women's Murder Club. The Readers Choice Award goes to Moonlight, the vampire-themed crime-drama-romance that amassed an insane amount of fans during its short run. And it still might come back on another network, so we'll keep our collective fingers crossed on that.
The TV Squadders' pick is Journeyman. Here's why:
1. Time-traveling is cool. The idea of time-travel is always intriguing, as evidenced by other shows like Quantum Leap and Sliders. What's cool about Journeyman is that Dan Vasser, played by Kevin McKidd, is just a normal guy who could be any one of us. At first, he hates the time-traveling. It interrupts his life and causes undue stress, both at home and work. But later, when given the opportunity to make it stop, he chooses to keep time-traveling. He knows he's been chosen for a reason, and feels it's his calling to help people right the wrongs of history. Never mind that every episode made me wonder how much of history he changed by leaping into the past. I can only imagine that even the smallest of events might drastically alter the space-time continuum.
The Arrested Development Award Nominees
Did your favorite show get canceled? Yeah, mine too. It makes you think twice about investing time into a new show, because you never know how long it'll last. Sometimes even shows with fairly good ratings are sent to the chopping block. Here at TV Squad, we're doing our part to bring attention to cool shows that were axed in the recent upfront announcements. Last week, I put out a call for considerations for The Arrested Development Award, a.k.a. The Show Least Deserving of Cancellation Award.
You made your opinions known - thank you! - and now we're into Phase 2: The Nominees. The Squad will pick our own winner, but we're giving you the chance to pick a Reader's Choice winner. Here are the nominees, and be sure to vote in the poll at the bottom.
The Upfronts: FOX
FOX announced its plans for the 2008-2009 season today. Here are the highlights:Returning: The Moment of Truth, So You Think You Can Dance, The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, American Idol, America's Most Wanted, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Bones, Cops, Don't Forget the Lyrics!, Hell's Kitchen, House, King of the Hill, Kitchen Nightmares, MADtv, The Moment of Truth, Prison Break, Talkshow with Spike Feresten, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, 'Til Death
Out: Back To You, Canterbury's Law, K-Ville, Nashville, New Amsterdam, Next Great American Band, Return of Jezebel James, Unhitched
New: Sit Down, Shut Up; The Cleveland Show; Dollhouse (Midseason); Fringe; Do Not Disturb (formerly The Inn); Secret Millionaire (Midseason)
Schedule and detailed descriptions of the new shows after the jump.
Dollhouse to midseason... and other network news
Ok, it is after midnight here in the Jet City, and as I sit down to bang this post out on my beloved Model M it would appear that my tasty glass of juice is half empty. Maybe I'm just not in the right frame of mind to spin this news in a positive direction that will lead to a 2009 full of Dollhouse win.
Tucked away in a report on various network goings on over at Hollywood Reporter is a little line that says "Dollhouse is expected to launch mid-season." This is me shaking my fist in the general direction of Fox and screaming "Khaaaaan!" Just, because. Doesn't this seem like a road that has been traveled before? It's one that usually leads to a pretty disappointing destination. We haven't seen the finished fall schedule yet, but I would wager that most of us could easily find three or four hours where the network would be better served by inserting Dollhouse. Highlights of what the networks have planned are available after the jump.
New Amsterdam: Love Hurts (season finale) - VIDEO
(S01E08) As this is probably the final episode of New Amsterdam, I'm going to take an extra hard look at the show tonight. Consider yourself warned.
Tonight, we got to see an example of how John once used his powers for evil. It's about time!
So far, we've seen John as a lawyer, a soldier, a medic, and an artist, just to name a few, but aside from the time he spent as an alcoholic club emcee, he seems to have led a fairly honorable life. It seems to me that a guy who has the ability to live forever would spend a good deal of time exploiting that ability for profit, if nothing else. Sure, his conscience would catch up with him eventually, but when you live forever, you have to be expected to explore everything immortallity has to offer.
New Amsterdam: Reclassified - VIDEO
(S01E07) A show like New Amsterdam is bound to have a lot of unanswered questions. Luckily for us viewers, many of those questions get answered in each episode. For instance, in this episode we finally learned that Chris Bauer is the father of Buffy Summers.
Seriously though, it sure was nice to see familiar faces from two of my favorite shows of the past. I understand that Kristine Sutherland has taken a break from acting but I don't understand why we don't see more of Chris Bauer. I always thought his character on The Wire could easily have his own show.
New Amsterdam: Legacy - VIDEO
(S01E06) Nice to see a little more personal information about the other characters. I was curious when we would get to meet the famous Eddie Marquez. Nestor Serrano is one of my favorite character actors and he's a good choice for the role. My only worry is that Eva's "Papa Don't Preach" routine is already wearing thin.
Not that you can really blame her for being so pissed off all the time. In this episode alone, there were numerous occasions where John worked the case by himself. If I found out my partner was more willing to discuss the case with his dog than with me, I'd be pretty bent out of shape about it too.
New Amsterdam: Keep the Change - VIDEO
(S01E05) "You want the truth?" - John Amsterdam
There are a lot of jobs I can believe that John has had. Lawyer? Sure. Soldier? Of course. Coachman? Okay, but a comedian? No way in hell. I don't care how long this guy lives, he will never acquire the skills to deliver a joke.
I have to admit I was intrigued by John's alcoholism. I mean, usually when someone has a drinking problem it takes a doctor to convince them that if they don't stop they will die. However, since John can't die he must have experienced something even worse. It gives a whole new meaning to "one day at a time."
New Amsterdam: Honor
(S01E04) I was never a fan of the other shows like New Amsterdam. Highlander, Forever Knight and shows of that kind never really appealed to me. Which is why it's so puzzling that I enjoy this show. Case in point...since our dreams are a manifestation of the way our subconscious reacts to our life experiences, a dude who has been alive for over 400 years must have some pretty crazy-ass dreams. That's kind of cool to me.
When this show premiered, I wondered if there was ever going to be some real New York style crimes featured. I guess I have my answer.
New Amsterdam: Soldier's Heart
(S01E03i) I don't know about you but this week's episode almost lost me in the opening scenes. I like exposition as much as the next guy but when a cop show takes that long to get to the first crime, I start to lose interest.
I was glad to see the return of Robert Clohessy. When he wasn't in the second episode I feared that he might have gotten axed from the series. With all of John Amsterdam's philosophical ramblings, this show desperately needs a sarcastic character like Clohessy's.
New Amsterdam: Golden Boy
(S01E02) Whenever a character in a drama like New Amsterdam has a secret, there is always a character who knows about it. On Smallville, it was Pete and then Chloe, on The Greatest American Hero it was Bill and on this show it's Omar. The difference here is why Omar knows his secret...because he is John's son. That's different. It's really quite brilliant actually, because not only does it explain why Omar knows all about John and his entire history it also explains their relationship. Omar can be bitter and upset with John on a daily basis but they will always be there for each other since they are family. In the TV business, we call this the Simon and Simon principle.
New Amsterdam: Pilot (series premiere)
(S01E01) "Most cops would kill to get into homicide" - John Amsterdam
I like the way this show begins. A brief voice over, a few establishing scenes and some hints as to what makes this series special. In the first five minutes, we learn that John Amsterdam is a homicide detective living in New York who owns a dog, has an active sex life is a recovering alcoholic and was once fatally stabbed in the chest. Makes sense.
Once the show gets rolling, we meet his new partner and his seasoned co-worker. This is where it becomes evident that New Amsterdam is your basic cop show with an added twist.
NYTVF: New Amsterdam premiere
One of the fun side benefits of covering the New York Television Festival is that you get to see a few selected fall pilots projected up on a big screen. Oh, and you also get to talk to some of that show's actors and producers, as well. FOX's New Amsterdam was the first of three network pilots to premiere at the festival; shot in New York, it's a procedural whose main character, NYPD homicide detective John Amsterdam, has lived in the city for over 400 years, searching for his one true love. If it sounds familiar, you're right.More details and pictures after the jump.
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