tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post8697186247428401239..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Richard Dreyfuss is in a sitcom? By Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-40318778714231585202015-06-05T04:37:51.512-07:002015-06-05T04:37:51.512-07:00Thank you Ken, i gave this show a chance and now i...Thank you Ken, i gave this show a chance and now is a DVR season pass. i like the forced feel to the show - this show is about time spent with your in-laws- and that is rarely comfortable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-66175499821871621902015-05-01T13:24:31.878-07:002015-05-01T13:24:31.878-07:00Thanks to you I found Fresh Off the Boat, the only...Thanks to you I found Fresh Off the Boat, the only funny new show on the air. And now I've looked up YOUR FAMILY OR MINE.<br />It's one of those shows where I like the actors involved but don't like the characters. It also feels "forced". I hate that in comedies. That was never felt in Cheers or Frasier, where the actors had to deliver the punch line in such a noticeable way. Is this the director's fault? Are they being told to act like this?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15492158155689359194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-53165246552753104322015-04-30T23:48:33.697-07:002015-04-30T23:48:33.697-07:00In Canada we don't get TBS, we get the "l...In Canada we don't get TBS, we get the "local" channel Peachtree TV (WTBS WPCH)Albert Giesbrechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17742338183833125104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87335894405508014122015-04-30T14:26:47.154-07:002015-04-30T14:26:47.154-07:00Tammy: yes, HOUSE OF CARDS was originally British,...Tammy: yes, HOUSE OF CARDS was originally British, and there's a phrase from it that still figures hugely in British politics, said ironically and referentially: "You may think that, but I couldn't possibly comment."<br /><br />wgWendy M. Grossmanhttp://www.pelicancrossing.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70686885833607579052015-04-30T13:58:36.747-07:002015-04-30T13:58:36.747-07:00I realize it was a lot easier to promote a new ser...I realize it was a lot easier to promote a new series in old 12 channel (or maybe 40 channels -- a/k/a cable in the 1990s) days, The network or producer gets the buzz started in TV GUIDE's "Teletype" column: We heard Oscar-winner Richard Dreyfuss will soon be back on TV in a prime time sitcom." Then, once its debut is set, they land him an interview with TV GUIDE... and if they're really lucky, lock in a cover story. To have Dreyfuss' face on the end of every supermarket checkout line in the US and Canada was the single most effective publicity tool imaginable. Now? Too many channels, too many websites, magazines (it's sad to see what's left of TV GUIDE) don't matter. The old publicity machine is broken. And you stumble into Dreyfuss' promising series by accident.<br /><br />Some things did work better decades ago.Mike McCannhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06369457898152250682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-28717512050140661162015-04-30T10:08:35.854-07:002015-04-30T10:08:35.854-07:00I never heard of the new Dreyfuss show, and I like...I never heard of the new Dreyfuss show, and I like to think I'm 'dialed in' to that kind of thing. Maybe he should have done a talk show appearance to promote it. As for new channels, yesterday I saw a print ad for a new show on the Smithsonian Channel. The what?!?Matt Tauberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00336379337777188738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37976758147863840922015-04-30T08:14:08.850-07:002015-04-30T08:14:08.850-07:00Wendy: Well, sitcoms are hard to adapt, humor is o...Wendy: Well, sitcoms are hard to adapt, humor is often so local. Dramas are easier - I actually thought the American version of Homeland was much better than the original, but maybe it's an unfair comparison, they're totally different shows (the Israeli version was more of a drama - dare I say melodrama - than a thriller). House of Cards is originally British, I think.Tammynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6585376222099589492015-04-30T07:50:49.684-07:002015-04-30T07:50:49.684-07:00Justified, The Americans, and Orphan Black have be...Justified, The Americans, and Orphan Black have been sublime over the past year. They just don't get the deserved attention when Emmy nods are handed out. Smaller shows available through streaming like Happy Valley (not so happy, like The Wire in the UK) and Halt and Catch Fire are also worth watching Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-6250696443594573022015-04-30T06:08:12.837-07:002015-04-30T06:08:12.837-07:00A few years ago, there was a thread on an Internet...A few years ago, there was a thread on an Internet film-nerd message board about Richard Dreyfuss behaving in a hostile and unstable manner toward fans at an autograph show.<br /><br />This behavior was attributed then to his suffering from bi-polar personality disorder and some problem with his medication.<br /><br />If that is the case, then I'm hoping he has since found a treatment that helps him. Perhaps his career slump and difficult behavior can be attributed to his disorder and that, as he gets it under control, he can re-build his reputation and again become the in-demand movie star he used to be.<br />Kosmo13noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13258128026752656772015-04-30T04:14:10.657-07:002015-04-30T04:14:10.657-07:00Tammy: I bet it worked a lot better as an Israeli ...Tammy: I bet it worked a lot better as an Israeli show (like HOMELAND, HOUSE OF CARDS...)<br /><br />I looked into this show after reading Ken's posting yesterday. It really isn't good - but Dreyfus at least can content himself with the thought that he's only on every other episode.<br /><br />The fact is that actors need to work - both because most of them need the money and because if you're not working you're not getting to do what you love. UK actors have always moved seamlessly among theater, radio, TV, and commercials (Maureen Lipman, who's starred in two West End shows in the last couple of years, was also one of the best-known (and I guess best-loved) commercial characters, a befuddled Jewish grandma trying to cope with her phone and a son who never called for BT), and *before* that she did acres of theater and farce, some film, and appeared on TV (in, for one thing, a filmed version of Alan Ayckbourn's ABSURD PERSON SINGULAR). Now that US TV is producing shows with shorter seasons, it wouldn't surprised me to see a lot more US actors doing the same. <br /><br />Joseph, VP81955: ISTM that the basis for MOM is both Lorre's own experiences as an alcoholic and with others who have the same issues (both Brett Butler in GRACE UNDER FIRE and Charlie Sheen, for example) and his interest (as evidenced in, for example, GRACE UNDER FIRE, which also had a single mom in the lead) in the struggle for survival. Sure, there are a lot of sex (and other bodily function) jokes in his work, but all his shows are about something real - even TWO AND A HALF MEN, in its first couple of seasons, was very sharp about loneliness; it actually mined something that was done years ago on a UK show called EVER DECREASING CIRCLES - the thing of the guy who never gets an easy break versus the guy to whom everything seems to flow efortlessly.<br /><br />wgWendy M. Grossmanhttp://www.pelicancrossing.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14572820156370937912015-04-30T03:43:38.176-07:002015-04-30T03:43:38.176-07:00And this is EXACTLY why the networks need to allow...And this is EXACTLY why the networks need to allow more time for people to discover new shows.<br /><br />Four episodes is no longer enough ("Manhattan Love Story"). One season may not even be enough ("Enlisted"). <br /><br />Hell, in the case of "The Middle", six seasons isn't enough. Terrence Mosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09365112876091271689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-17502208340533078332015-04-30T00:28:25.695-07:002015-04-30T00:28:25.695-07:00This is actually another good reason why services ...This is actually another good reason why services like NETFLIX are poised to eventually dominate. Their recommendations algorithms should hopefully get better and better until the point where you should at least be aware of shows that will interest you (even if you don't ever get around to actually watching them). <br /><br />In such a hugely fragmented and niche driven market, it's very needed, for both sides. Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20800184098333066942015-04-29T22:32:55.984-07:002015-04-29T22:32:55.984-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Blogger Templateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13812898653944302196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-8262009915606061532015-04-29T18:20:21.361-07:002015-04-29T18:20:21.361-07:00Ken, I was just about to ask you the same thing sc...Ken, I was just about to ask you the same thing scottmc just did.Mike Schryverhttp://otrcomedy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-66410869977800588452015-04-29T17:15:18.305-07:002015-04-29T17:15:18.305-07:00Which is considered more of a comedown, a sitcom o...Which is considered more of a comedown, a sitcom or a commercial? Matthew McConaghey was in a car ad before they finished engraving his Oscar, and I've also seen Kevin Spacey, Tommie Lee Jones, Jackie Chan, Julianne Moore and Samuel L. Jackson. Commercials used to be something you did early in your career and were ambushed with years later on The Tonight Show. I assume the money is spectacular for established stars. Buttermilk Skyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07430011403223875192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64550285078438509982015-04-29T16:51:16.238-07:002015-04-29T16:51:16.238-07:00Ken, watching the news from Baltimore and seeing t...Ken, watching the news from Baltimore and seeing that the Orioles played a game in an empty stadium I wondered how you would have approached the radio broadcast of the game were you still doing Orioles games.scottmcnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-73746144269877486482015-04-29T15:34:29.289-07:002015-04-29T15:34:29.289-07:00I looked up the show, and was surprised to see it&...I looked up the show, and was surprised to see it's a remake of an Israeli sitcom. The original premise is very Israeli in nature, I can't imagine how it could be adapted to American culture. Guess I'll have to check it out to find out.Tammynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-18732920043085241622015-04-29T15:09:19.124-07:002015-04-29T15:09:19.124-07:00He was a semi-regular on two 60s sitcoms - KAREN a...He was a semi-regular on two 60s sitcoms - KAREN and HEY, LANDLORD.Bobhttp://www.bobobrien.tvnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-48057982793449223092015-04-29T13:32:36.114-07:002015-04-29T13:32:36.114-07:00Ken: Tatiana Maslany of "ORPHAN BLACK" a...Ken: Tatiana Maslany of "ORPHAN BLACK" and Richard Dreyfuss made a movie, "CAS & DYLAN", together just before she started OB in 2013. It was a road comedy directed by Jason Priestly of all people. Overall a routine movie, but those two brought a spark to it.Randy 92109https://www.blogger.com/profile/04909743657296857576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-44113423456560309152015-04-29T12:54:28.322-07:002015-04-29T12:54:28.322-07:00Hey Ken,
This is a GOOD problem to have- there is...Hey Ken,<br /><br />This is a GOOD problem to have- there is simply too much good TV. As others have posted LOVE The Americans (currently best show on TV IMHO), big Justified fan too- the show ended well. I still like Mad Men a lot but it's not quite what it was in its first 2 seasons. <br /><br />Have you watched any of the Netflix stuff? Bloodline, Daredevil, House of Cards, Kimmy Schmitt, Marco Polo, etc? Have you watched The Wire yet Ken?!<br /><br />And who cares if Richard Dreyfuss is a bit surly. I would just turn to him and say: "We're gonna need a bigger boat." ---LL<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-57447877437319027952015-04-29T12:48:31.315-07:002015-04-29T12:48:31.315-07:00Joseph Scarbrough said...
I'm pretty sure Lor...<i>Joseph Scarbrough said...<br /><br />I'm pretty sure Lorre must have chosen [Anna Faris] for sex appeal, because that seems to be all that his shows are about; I honestly wonder sometimes if he himself is a sex maniac who likes to enact his sexual fantasies through the characters on his shows.</i><br /><br />Sexual fantasies with Melissa McCarthy ("Mike & Molly")? I'll leave my reply unsaid. <br /><br />Actually, I'm guessing one reason Faris chose "Mom," aside from the challenging premise and working alongside Allison Janney, is that it might help parlay her back into big-screen success <i>a la</i> McCarthy (18 months ago, who'd have figured it would be Anna's <i>husband</i>, Chris Pratt, who would rocket to film stardom?). Alas for Faris, McCarthy has Paul Feig in her corner, and she does not. Moreover, the types of comic film roles Anna could excel in (pert blondes) are usually grabbed by Reese Witherspoon (e.g., the forthcoming "Hot Pursuit" with Sofia Vergara).VP81955https://www.blogger.com/profile/11792390726196611188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-63080582083984080232015-04-29T12:47:54.496-07:002015-04-29T12:47:54.496-07:00Big fan of Justified, but thought Mad Men was bori...Big fan of Justified, but thought Mad Men was boring.Barry Traylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14134880916215990198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-60475496723936039442015-04-29T12:43:38.137-07:002015-04-29T12:43:38.137-07:00As kids, my sister and I used to scan the TV Week ...As kids, my sister and I used to scan the TV Week (couldn't afford TV Guide) in September and decide on which new shows to watch. A new network season used to be a BIG deal. Not so anymore. Much like the days when car dealerships used to cover their showroom windows so you couldn't see the new models until a certain date, the excitement for a new television season or new show just isn't there anymore.scottnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-2862818314336134362015-04-29T12:25:07.227-07:002015-04-29T12:25:07.227-07:00> as if the show was about a hot blonde who had...> as if the show was about a hot blonde who had socially awkward outcasts obsessive fawn over her all the time?<br /><br />That's not what the show is about?MikeNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42811749745289600072015-04-29T12:17:15.819-07:002015-04-29T12:17:15.819-07:00It's not just you - TBS didn't promote it ...It's not just you - TBS didn't promote it at all.<br /><br />Kevin Reilly recently took over TBS/TNT and seems to be doing a clearing-out of the veteran shows he didn't order. I imagine this show was a victim of that policy.Olivernoreply@blogger.com