Snap Judgment: The River

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Kate W.

Image From: Poptower

Horror movies of the found-footage variety have risen and fallen in popularity in the dozen years since The Blair Witch Project took the world by storm. In the wake of recent buzzy movies in this genre (including The Devil Inside and Chronicle) it should be no surprise that the trend is finally making the jump to television.

ABC’s The River (co-created by Oren Pelli, creator of the found-footage juggernaut Paranormal Activity franchise) follows a family as they search for their missing husband and father. He happens to be a famed Steve Irwin-esque explorer who traveled the world looking for amazing creatures. This enables the show’s conceit; they are funding the search through a documentary with an accompanying crew filming their search. Think The Office, but with missing people, and ghosts.

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Four Supporting Actresses Who Deserve Their Own Show and One Who Actually Got It

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Kris M.

Image: elcinema.com

You probably know who Judy Greer is, even if you don’t know her name. This funny gal has made a career for herself playing supporting roles such as Kitty from Arrested Development and “Fatty Magoo” from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. If you don’t recognize her face, you might recognize her voice as clueless secretary Cheryl on the animated comedy Archer.

Even if you don’t know Judy Greer by now, you will get to know her soon enough. Greer has her own sitcom in the works over at ABC called American Judy, in which she plays a city gal who moves to the suburbs with her new husband and his family. For those of us who have been following this talented comedic actress, it’s about time she got the recognition and starring role she deserves.

Image: Oprah.com

Judy Greer isn’t the only supporting TV actress to be recently promoted to a starring role. Mindy Kaling, who plays vapid customer service rep Kelly on The Office, is in talks to star in her own sitcom at Fox. We love both these funny ladies and wish them all the success in the world on their new shows.

We also can’t help but wonder which other supporting sitcom actresses deserve the chance to step into a starring role. These four actresses are poised to hit it big, if and when their chance to star in a sitcom ever comes along.

Kristen Schaal

Image: allstarpics.net

Kristen Schaal is best known for her portrayal of obsessed fan Mel on HBO’s Flight of the Conchords, but the actress has also provided commentary on The Daily Show and the voice of Louise on Bob’s Burgers. Her next gig will be playing a reoccurring NBC page character on 30 Rock. Schaal has a knack for playing oddball characters, which would translate well into a single-camera comedy.

Ellie Kemper

Image: divinecaroline.com

Even after eight seasons on the air, The Office is still pumping out comedy stars. Ellie Kemper joined the cast in 2005 as Erin, the happy-go-lucky but incredible naïve secretary. Since then, she’s gone to play a memorable supporting role in the hit movie Bridesmaids. Kemper plays innocent-yet-stupid with an effortlessness that almost makes you wonder how much she’s faking it.

Aubrey Plaza

Image: tumblr.com

Audiences know Aubrey Plaza as Ron Swanson’s sarcastic assistant April on Parks and Recreation. This stand-up comedian turned actress has also had memorable roles in movies like Funny People and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. We love her dry, deadpan sense of humor and would love to see this young actress rise to prominence over the next few years.

Jane Lynch

Image: shoppingblog.com

We all know who Jane Lynch is by now—her Sue Sylvester character on Glee is practically infamous at this point. She’s done it all—she played an actress turned waitress on Party Down, she made memorable cameos in a number of films including The 40-Year-Old Virgin, she even hosted the Emmy Awards. Lynch can only get bigger from here and it’s time prove that with a starring role.

Are You Ready for Not One, But Two Shows Based on Beauty and the Beast?

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Kris M.

Image: thefilmstage.com

It’s a tale as old as time—two different networks developing similar TV series based on the same source material. This fall viewers were treated to two different television shows based on fairy tales of old—Once Upon a Time on ABC and Grimm on NBC. History will soon repeat itself as ABC and The CW are both putting TV shows based on Beauty and the Beast into the pipeline.

The ABC version of the popular fairy tale will be a dark, gritty reboot of the story, set in a mythical world. The story features a tough princess who makes a romantic connection with a beastly creature, which is more in line with the original fairy tale. Although ABC is owned by Disney, there’s no word yet on whether or not this version will have any relation to the animated film of the same name.

Image: fanpop.com

Meanwhile, the competing Beauty and the Beast project on The CW is actually a reboot of the 80’s television series, with some added procedural drama to boot. Beauty and the Beast featured Ron Perlman wearing heavy prosthetic makeup to portray Vincent, the beastly leader of a community of sewer dwellers. Vincent falls in love with Catherine, a district attorney played by Linda Hamilton. With its focus on romance and angst, this version is much more in line with The CW’s programming.

Since neither network has announced their lineup for next season, it’s anybody’s guess as to whether or not these projects ever see the light of day. However, it doesn’t take a magic mirror to predict that two networks will once again develop the same fairy tale projects in the future. Here are just a few of the untapped fairy tale stories that may one day become TV shows on competing networks.

Image: fashionfoodfatale.com

The Story: Little Red Riding Hood

The Networks: The CW, Fox

The Pitches:

Red Riding Hood (The CW) – A teen girl finds battles werewolves in a sleepy California town, while juggling school and a boyfriend.

Hood (Fox) – Agent Hood of the FBI uncovers a secret conspiracy by the World Organization Liberation Front, or WOLF, to replace high-power members of government with clones.

Image: blogspot.com

The Story: Sleeping Beauty

The Networks: CBS, ABC

The Pitches:

Sleeping Beauty (CBS) – Phillip Prince’s fairy godmother appears to him and tells him he must do a number of good deeds to get his wife to wake up out of her coma.

Briar Rose (ABC) – Fashion designer Rose Briarwood suffers from a strange family curse—whenever she pricks her finger, she falls asleep and can only be woken up by a kiss.

Image: tqn.com

The Story: Pinocchio

The Networks: Syfy, ABC Family

The Pitches:

P1n0ch10 (Syfy) – Pinocchio is a fully-sentient android on the run from the gangsters who run the space station Pleasure Island, where Pinocchio was once a slave.

P and the Gang (ABC Family) – A sitcom about a puppet named Pinocchio who is adopted by a family of humans, featuring Jim Henson’s Muppets.

Why I’ll Keep Watching “Once”

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Mia R.

Image source: smallscreenscoop.com

Are you watching it too? Don’t be ashamed. As a TV junkie, I generally hold my shows to a pretty specific standard. I’m even known to opt for watching a daytime marathon of House over tuning into a new mediocre show. So why am I religiously keeping up with ABC’s “Once Upon a Time?” Here are the most common (and legitimate) complaints I hear about “Once,” and why it’s still worth the praise. Continue reading →

ABC’s Revenge: A Dangerous, Delicious Dish Served Ice Cold

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Kate W.

Image From: TV Guide

Even though I grew up in Florida, I don’t swim anywhere but swimming pools, because I’m too afraid of sharks. Emily Thorne, the anti-hero of ABC’s smash soap Revenge evidently shares no such fear as she plunges into the water outside her beachfront Hamptons home for her daily swim. Perhaps it’s because she knows she’s the most dangerous thing in the water.

Revenge was a highly buzzed about show at the beginning of the fall TV season, and it has actually managed to live up to its hype. The soap operatic twists and turns are worthy of Melrose Place in its wig-ripping heyday, but even in its over-the-top escalation of stakes each week, it manages to toe the line and avoid slipping into camp. This delicate highwire act has earned the show a loyal audience; it continues to grow in the ratings each week, and has landed on the cover of this week’s Entertainment Weekly .

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Is Your New Favorite Show on the Cancellation Chopping Block?

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Kris M.

It’s not easy being the new kid on the programming block. New TV shows have a harder time attracting and maintaining an audience, which causes many to become cancelled before they even have a chance to get off the ground. With the end of the fall season approaching, it’s make-it or break-it time for many fledgling programs—and some have already gotten the axe.

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