Blog Archives
Just Normal Things on Friday the 13th
Strange things happen on Friday the 13th. Stranger things happen on Friday the 13th when Netflix is involved.
Case in point:
10 new episodes of ’80s-inspired awesomeness formally known as season 2 of the hit Netflix original series Stranger Things arrive on Friday, October 27th.
PSA: Stock up on Eggo’s frozen waffles. You’ll probably get hungry during a 10-hour Stranger Things binge…
Bachman’s Exit is…Insanity?
Jian-Yang! T.J. Miller!
For any fan of the pitch-perfect comedy on HBO about Silicon Valley, which is aptly titled Silicon Valley, the adapted shout above is pitch-perfect.
What’s not perfect for any fan of Silicon Valley was the shocking news that one of its endlessly hilarious ensemble stars, T.J. Miller (Erlich Bachman, founder of Aviato), announced with HBO that he would not be returning for the forthcoming fifth season next year. The aforementioned hit show features brilliant writing, deft insight into the happenings and quirky (to put it lightly) characteristics of northern California’s tech culture and a cast of actors and actresses that make up one of the best casts on television.
So, that begs THE question: Why leave now?
For an actor who thrives on a life as an off-the-wall entertainer, the following excerpt from a recent interview was a sobering applause break for a rare glimpse into the man T.J. Miller.
Erlich Bachman T.J. Miller will be missed.
Not as much as the spoons designed perfectly for enjoying yogurt at snack time, but close.
Erlich Bachman knows what I’m talking about. Jian-Yang also knows, but he doesn’t care…plus, he’s is busy setting the garbage on fire.
Jian-Yang!
RIP Mary Tyler Moore
Actress Mary Tyler Moore has died at the age of 80.
Mary Tyler Moore was a television icon not only for her influence in the evolving sitcom format, but also as a leading actress. There are few words that can be expressed right now. However, the following video clip of the final curtain call for The Mary Tyler Moore Show that aired on March 19, 1977 seems like a fitting goodbye in this grim moment.
RIP Mary Tyler Moore.
Will’s Coming Back…with Grace
A must see revival is in the works.
“NBC has ordered a 10-episode limited revival that will reunite stars Debra Messing, Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes, and Megan Mullally during the 2017-2018 TV season, the network announced at the Television Critics Association’s press tour on Wednesday.
Original series creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan will act as showrunners and executive producers, while prolific director James Burrows, who directed every episode of the show during its initial eight-year run, is on board to direct and executive produce.”
–Natalie Abrams, Entertainment Weekly
This kind of return for Will & Grace may combine the best of both worlds:
Satisfying fans of the revered sitcom with a return of the original cast and crew, as well as making the updated walk down memory lane a limited comeback as to not overstay their welcome that’s powered almost entirely by nostalgia (you’ve seen those hilarious reruns on TV).
Recreating lightning in a bottle has proven to be a nearly impossible feat, even for beloved sitcoms of the same era as Will & Grace (ie – Girl Meets World, Fuller House, the Seinfeld non-reunion reunion). The one difference with Will & Grace is that the cast were full-fledged adults during the height of their success and impeccable comedic timing…and the cast of Will & Grace are still full-fledged adults who proved their timing is still gold with their recent reunion in a video posted online a few months back.
Amazingly, the structure of their triumphant return to network TV on NBC by way of a 10-episode stint is, ironically, modeled after the highly successful cable television model of 10-episode seasons for some of the most successful and groundbreaking TV shows in the modern era.
This experiment by NBC, a TV network clearly aware of the evolving realities, struggles and competition with the likes of HBO, Netflix, Amazon, original shows by Apple (really) and a laundry list of cable TV networks, could become a bellwether for the future of revivals regarding other popular shows from the past that people want to see years later.
Frasier? Cheers? Dare I say it…Friends?
For Ted Danson’s sake, a 10-episode revival would put him in an actual good place on NBC.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 