THEY'RE ALL COMING BACK
'Red Widow' Gets The Axe
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the prisoner
6 Lamest Remakes of Great TV Shows
by Danny Gallagher, posted Oct 21st 2010 2:45PM
When networks get desperate for ratings, they look to one place -- the past. What worked before has to work again, right? So, it's no surprise that the networks, both broadcast and cable, keep digging up TV's graveyard to reanimate undead shows and turn them into unholy creations that will eventually turn on their masters. One or two might break through the pack and become a menial hit, but the rest are doomed to become worm food once again.
All you have to do is look back at TV's extremely checkered past of "re-imagined" classics to know that trying to cash in on kitschy nostalgia can stick you with a whole lotta nothing.
These six attempts to bring back the dead, however, are below the bottom of the barrel, the lower of the lowest of the low, the best of the worst. That means they will never have a chance of being remade EVER AGAIN. (We can only hope.)
New TV on DVD Releases This Week
by Bob Sassone, posted Mar 22nd 2010 6:04PM
Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.It's not many weeks where there is a DVD set released that I'll definitely buy (most weeks I'm lucky enough to avoid spending money on DVDs), but this is one of those weeks. 'Mad Men' is one of those shows that I'll buy the DVD for no question. In fact, when they release the inevitable 'Complete Series' in a few years (two years? five? seven?), I'm going to buy that, too, even if I'm already buying the individual season sets.
I can't say I'm too interested in season 10 of '7th Heaven' though.
- '7th Heaven' - Season 10
- 'Father Knows Best' - Season 4
- 'Flashpoint' - Season 2, Vol. 1 (Canada)
Jane After Dark: Pondering The Prisoner
by Jane Boursaw, posted Nov 29th 2009 10:02AM
I finished watching The Prisoner this week, and while I had to watch the final episodes a few times, I think I sort of get it. As I mentioned in my post a couple of weeks ago, I haven't seen the original 1960s series, so I'm just basing my thoughts on the current version that just aired on AMC. I'm guessing they'll air the series again sometime soon.
First of all, I was riveted to the series from start to finish. Not only are the characters and storyline intriguing and mysterious, but the musical score by Rupert Gregso-Williams is phenomenal. So hypnotic and evocative. More of my thoughts on The Prisoner -- including possible spoilers -- after the jump.
What Jane is thankful for
by Jane Boursaw, posted Nov 26th 2009 9:02AM
Happy Thanksgiving! It's that time of year when we reflect on all the good things in our lives, and of course, my thoughts turn to TV. Let's take a look at a few things on the tube that make me feel all warm and fuzzy. Sexy vampires. Oh my, we got lots of them this year. The Twilight Saga: New Moon's got nothin' on TV vampires. Eric Northman and Bill Compton from True Blood are definitely at the top of my list. Pictured is that hunk o' steamy vamp himself, Eric, a.k.a. Alexander Skarsgard in real life. But we also got those lovely Salvatore brothers on The Vampire Diaries. Elena certainly has some high-class problems, doesn't she? Steadfast Stefan or bad-vamp Damon? They both have their particular gifts.
8 Shows that Are Creepy in a Good Way
by Jane Boursaw, posted Nov 20th 2009 4:36PM
Some shows are creepy just because, well, they're icky to think about. Like 'The Girls Next Door' (twins sleeping with the same old guy!) or 'Hoarders' (the ultimate pack-rats!). Then there are shows that are frightening, but in a good way. Read on for eight such shows that make you look under the bed at night, avoid cemeteries, and ponder alternate universes.
The TV Squad Podcast: The Prisoner, '80s TV, soap news and more
by Joel Keller, posted Nov 19th 2009 6:16PM
If you haven't seen The Prisoner yet, you may want to skip the first fifteen or so minutes of this podcast, because we talk about the whole damn thing this week. Jason Hughes and Allison Waldman join me to talk about the AMC remake of the British cult classic, as well as these topics:- After the deaths of Edward Woodward and Ken Ober, why '80s TV suddenly seems so old,
- Soap news, mainly a discussion of James Franco's guest stint on General Hospital,
- Another dip into our Ask TV Squad mailbag, where we discuss the use of laugh tracks and why multi-camera shows are written differently than single-camera shows,
- Our picks for the week, and much more.
Run time is 1:02:55.
You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.
As usual, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick. Though I decided to add a small surprise at the beginning, a call-back to an interview I did a few years ago. Hope you enjoy it.
I'm digging The Prisoner
by Jane Boursaw, posted Nov 19th 2009 11:02AM
I'm a little behind on my viewing of The Prisoner, but I'm up to episode three, "Anvil," and really digging it so far. It's like The Twilight Zone, Road Warrior, and The Truman Show all rolled into one. And I don't have the slightest idea where it's headed. I haven't seen the original 1960s series, but will definitely have to check it out. If it's anything like this one -- and many say it's better -- I'm sure I'll love it. Not only is the series an intriguing mystery, but it also seems to be a social commentary on fear, guilt, conformity, and control.
Are we all prisoners of something, one way or another? Are we all striving to break free of the social norms that shackle us? Am I off my rocker and reading a whole lot more into this show than is necessary?
Are you liking The Prisoner so far? I'm sort of hoping they turn it into a regular TV series.
Check out Jason's great reviews of The Prisoner.
Review: The Prisoner - Part Six: Checkmate
by Jason Hughes, posted Nov 18th 2009 1:30AM
(E06) Well, that's that. All wrapped up nice and neat with a bow. Glad it's all cleared up and everything makes perfect sense... Did you read the sarcasm in that statement?
At this point, I can't tell if fans of the original The Prisoner will embrace this new iteration of the concept, or feel betrayed by it. Don't get me wrong, once all the secrets lie revealed, they've developed a pretty neat concept, and on that could quite possibly have sustained more than six episodes even. But was it The Prisoner?
I will give credit to all of the actors for their conviction in these roles. Ruth Wilson and Jamie Campbell Bower were particularly impressive as 313 and 1112. The layers of emotion that 313 displayed in her closing scenes with Two, and later with Six were just tragically beautiful. And 1112... well, tragedy appears to be the name of the game in the new Prisoner.
Review: The Prisoner - Part Five: Schizoid
by Jason Hughes, posted Nov 18th 2009 12:58AM
(E05) So I'm feeling a little more confident as the fifth installment wraps that The Village isn't as real a construct as perhaps the original was. At the same time, I have a hard time in a show like this just taking something that I'm told to be the truth and accepting it. Maybe I'm like Six in that way.
In this episode, both Two and Six experience time outside themselves, while 1112 learns more about himself than any of us realized. And if what he learns is anything close to the truth, it can do a lot to explain much of what has happened, and how the Village can be as comprehensive as it appears to be.
Review: The Prisoner - Part Four: Darling
by Jason Hughes, posted Nov 17th 2009 1:32AM
(E04) If you cannot break a man with family, or mistrust, then you must try love. For love is the greatest of things after all, is it not?
it seems we've fallen into a familiar pattern with The Prisoner. Two tries various schemes and techniques to break Six and Six resists them all, either through his own ingenuity or through the help of other Villagers who are sympathetic to his situation. But we still don't know why Two is trying to break Six. This week's tactic was love, but love was explored in many ways throughout the episode.
Six's love of the woman from New York is so strong that it cross boundaries from that world into the Village world. But in neither case is it clear if the love is real, or something manufactured.
Review: The Prisoner - Part Three: Anvil
by Jason Hughes, posted Nov 17th 2009 12:29AM
(E03) I'm no closer to figuring out everything that's going on, but I am more appreciative of the fact that the entire story will be done by tomorrow night. Things are so confusing at times, I'm not sure I can keep it all in my brain if I had to wait a full week between each of these episodes.
Tonight's installment focused on espionage and spying. The target of all this spying appears to be everyone, but the primary focus is on the "Dreamers," those people who have dreams and vision of a life outside the Village. You see, they're a dangerous element, particularly if they were to organize.
The leading suspicion is that they have already done so, but where and to what end? Two wants to find them so he can send them all down for "Treatment," while Six wants to find them so he can rally them to his own cause of finding a way out of the Village.
'The Prisoner' Miniseries on AMC: Six, Meet Two (VIDEO)
by Donald Deane, posted Nov 16th 2009 12:02PM
In AMC's remake of the late 1960s British show 'The Prisoner,' a man finds himself trapped in a desert village where its inhabitants have only numbers for names, deny the existence of an outside world, and have no memory of their lives prior to arriving in the isolated, and constantly surveilled, village.
In this clip from the premiere of the miniseries, the man, dubbed Number Six and portrayed by Jim Caviezel, is brought before the leader of the village, the always-fantastic Ian McKellen as Number Two, and given clues on who and where he is.
Watch the video after the jump.
Review: The Prisoner - Part Two: Harmony
by Jason Hughes, posted Nov 15th 2009 11:02PM
(E02) The whole strategy behind the Village has been turned on its head and it's certainly interesting to watch. Two is bound and determined to have everyone who lives there believe that the Village is all there is, there is no world outside of the Village and the Village is all they've ever known. He's even got tangible proof to back that up.
It's an interesting change from the original, and again makes you wonder just who would be willing to invest this kind of money into a bizarre prison like this. Is the citizenry drugged, or just brainwashed? Why is Six so adamant that he is not a number, he is a free man, if no one else in the village is so sure? Or are they just being more quiet about it?
We've even reached the point in the series where as a viewer I'm not sure if what I'm seeing is real, much less what Six is seeing and experiencing. But it was nice to meet his brother and see that he has a family in the Village. "Uncle Six" indeed.
Review: The Prisoner - Part One: Arrival
by Jason Hughes, posted Nov 15th 2009 10:00PM
(E01) I can't help but feel tempted to compare this to the Patrick McGoohan classic from the '60s, but that wouldn't be fair. Attitudes, technologies and even our expectations of TV programming have changed so much in the intervening time. And yet, as an homage to the original, there are many elements to this new AMC mini-series that nod back to the classic paranoia suspense saga.
While The Village has been updated to be a much larger and more vibrant desert oasis (think kitschy Las Vegas) than the original's sleepy seaside villas, it's still as much an enigma, even in this first hour. And while Jim Caviezel doesn't command the role of Number 6 as powerfully as McGoohan, really who could? So I give him a pass, and enjoy him for what he brings, and try not to hear McGoohan's booming defiance when Caviezel shouts: "I am not a number! I am a free man!"
What's On Tonight: The Prisoner, Next Iron Chef, Curb Your Enthusiasm
by Bob Sassone, posted Nov 15th 2009 12:07PM
At 7, ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos, followed by new episodes of Extreme Makeover, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.- CBS has a new 60 Minutes at 7, then new episodes of The Amazing Race, Three Rivers, and Cold Case.
- NBC has a new Football Night in America at 7, followed by the Patriots vs. the Colts.
- At 8, FOX has a new episode of The Simpsons, then new episodes The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, and American Dad.
- PBS has a new Nature at 8, followed by a new Masterpiece Contemporary.
- AMC has the premiere of The Prisoner at 8.
- Food Network has a new Challenge at 8, then a new Next Iron Chef.
- Also at 8: Lifetime Movie Network has Ann Rule's Everything She Ever Wanted.
- At 9, HBO has a new Curb Your Enthusiasm.
- There's a new Dexter on Showtime at 9, followed by a new Californication.
- History Channel has a new WWII in HD at 9.
- At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Titan Maximum.
- At midnight, Cartoon Network has a new episode of The Venture Brothers, then a new Metalocalypse.
Check your local TV listings for more.
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