Keep your eye on CBS
CBS is only premiering five new shows for the fall season. It’s
a good thing they still have the
”
CSI
”
franchise because I don’t think any of the shows are going to
last the entire season.
Keep your eye on CBS
CBS is only premiering five new shows for the fall season. It’s a good thing they still have the “CSI” franchise because I don’t think any of the shows are going to last the entire season.
Hugh Jackman, who plays Wolverine in the “X-Men” movies, tried his hand at producing his first TV show called “Viva Laughlin.” It’s a musical based on a British series called “Blackpool.” AOL.com has picked it as the worst new show of the season.
The storyline revolves around a small-time casino owner who decides to open a big casino on the Laughlin strip and gets involved in a murder investigation.
It has a good cast, including Jackman who guest stars in the first episode. Also starring are Melanie Griffith and Madchen Amick who I really like, but has never been in a good show. The lead is Lloyd Owen, an English actor who was in “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.”
Jackman can sing and dance. He’s been in the musical productions of “Oklahoma,” “Sunset Boulevard” and won a Tony award for “The Boy From Oz.” I don’t know if Melanie Griffith can sing. She did play Roxie Hart in a Broadway version of “Chicago” and she received good reviews.
The songs in the show aren’t original productions, but the cast will be singing classic rock songs. I wonder if anyone at CBS has ever seen “Cop Rock,” Steven Bocho’s failed 1990 show where characters burst out into song. TV audiences like to watch people sing just look at the success of the NBC show “The Singing Bee,” but they don’t seem to like it in a drama or comedy.
It could be a big hit though. A lot of shows feature episodes where the cast members sing, but it is usually just a one-time special. The “Scrubs” episode where the cast sang was great. I also like it when a network takes chances and doesn’t play it safe. I’ll give this one a shot.
“Viva Laughlin” will air on Sunday nights after “60 Minutes” and before “Cold Case” so it has a pretty good time slot.
Jimmy Smits returns to network TV with the drama “Cane,” about a family who operates a sugar cane business.
This show has got a great cast. Hector Elizondo and Rita Moreno costar along with Smits. Nestor Carbonell who was in “Suddenly Susan” is also in the cast. The previews for the show make it seem like it is a crime drama, but it is not. It sounds more like a nighttime soap opera.
I don’t particularly like Jimmy Smits, but he is good in everything he does. I probably won’t watch this one. I don’t like to get involved in serialized dramas. I’ve never watched “24” or “Lost.” I don’t want to make a year-long commitment to a show that I might not be able to see every time it’s on.
In 1989 Rick Springfield played a vampire who was also a police officer in “Forever Knight” and this season CBS has a show called “Moonlight” about a private detective who is a vampire.
The lead is Alex O’Loughlin, an Australian who was in the running to play James Bond before Daniel Craig got the part. I’ve seen him in one movie a thriller called “Feed” that he helped write. In that movie he played a man who force feeds women to death and broadcasts it on the Internet. He was creepy in that movie and looks like he would make a good vampire.
Sophia Myles, Jason Dohring and Shannyn Sossamon round out the cast. I really like Sossamon. I don’t know what part she plays, but she’s in six episodes. I hope she plays another vampire. I’ll watch it just for her.
CBS is only premiering one new comedy. It’s called “The Big Bang Theory.” It’s about two nerdy physicists who live together next-door to a hot neighbor played by Kaley Cuoco. Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons play the two nerds. Galecki was on “Roseanne” and Parsons was on “Judging Amy” for seven episodes. The previews look funny and it’s sandwiched in between “How I Met Your Mother” and “Two And A Half Men” so its chances are pretty good.
The new reality show, “Kid Nation,” is about 40 kids ages 8-15 who have to rebuild a ghost town. They have to cook their own meals, clean the outhouses and run the store, all without adults.
The show has come under criticism from child advocate groups who don’t want CBS to air the show. I would be happy if all networks never aired another reality show ever. I’m still mad at CBS for “Survivor.” It unleashed a whole flood of reality shows. “Kid Nation” will air Wednesday nights at 8.
I haven’t watched CBS in years. I did watch the first season of the original “CSI” series, but that was in 2000. I’ll definitely check out “Viva Laughlin” and “Moonlight” but I’m not too interested in the other shows. Maybe they will get an audience and become huge hits.
Or maybe they will end up like “Public Morals,” “South Of Sunset,” and “The Will.” These were all CBS shows that were cancelled after one airing.
