ABC

Oren Peli Talks THE RIVER; Premieres Tonight on ABC

by Christina Radish    Posted: February 7th, 2012 at 9:36 am

ABC’s intensely scary paranormal thriller The River follows the story of world famous wildlife expert and TV personality Dr. Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood), host of the beloved series “The Undiscovered Country.” After Cole goes missing deep in the Amazon, his wife, Tess (Leslie Hope), and estranged son, Lincoln (Joe Anderson), decide to lead a rescue mission deep into the unexplored reaches of the Amazon River, where nature is cruel, magic is real and nothing is what it seems.

While at the TCA Winter Press Tour, executive producer Oren Peli (creator of Paranormal Activity) talked about how he ended up developing an idea for a TV show, the extent of Steven Spielberg’s involvement, the challenges of telling a season’s worth of story in only eight episodes, doing the episodes with a scare-of-the-week while also advancing the overall mystery, trying to create moments where you don’t know what’s going to happen because it’s the unexpected that’s scary, and that even though no one is safe, characters won’t be killed off just for the sake of killing them off. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

COUGAR TOWN Season Three Premiere Finally Set for February; New Poster Released

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: January 17th, 2012 at 1:37 pm

For all those fans of the ABC comedy series Cougar Town who have been eagerly awaiting the delayed third season, here’s some good news. The network has just revealed that Courteney Cox and company will return to TV on Tuesday, February 14th at 8:30/7:30c. The series returns after Work It, the Bosom Buddies copycat was quickly shut down after burning everyone’s eyes out, vacated the time slot following Last Man Standing. And as a bonus, you can check out the third season poster after the jump.

Martin Campbell to Direct ABC Pilot THE LAST RESORT from Creator Shawn Ryan

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 4th, 2012 at 6:15 pm

Coming off the lackluster Green Lantern, director Martin Campbell is dipping his toe back into television. THR reports that Campbell has signed on to direct the pilot for the thriller The Last Resort. The series centers on “the crew of a U.S. nuclear submarine who, after ignoring an order to fire nuclear missiles, wind up being hunted and escape to a NATO outpost where they declare themselves to be the world’s smallest nuclear nation.” It’s a fantastic premise, and The Shield’s Shawn Ryan and Dead Like Me’s Karl Gajdusek are the key creative team behind the futuristic drama. In addition to directing the pilot, Campbell will serve as executive producer.

While he’s best known for films like GoldenEye, The Mask of Zorro, and Casino Royale, Campbell actually got his start in television. He worked mainly in British TV, on series like The Professionals and Edge of Darkness (which he later remade as a feature in 2010 starring Mel Gibson). Hopefully ABC picks up the Resort pilot to series as the premise and creative talent involved have my interest adequately piqued. Campbell’s follow-up to Green Lantern has yet to be decided, but we recently learned that he may direct a feature adaptation of the TV series The Fall Guy.

PAN AM Stopping Production After 14 Episodes But Might Not Be Canceled

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: November 29th, 2011 at 3:22 pm

So far the fate of Pan Am has been up in the air, but it sounds like a solid decision might have already been made. AOL TV reports series actress Karine Vanasse updated her Twitter to say, “Well, we received THE call, Pan Am is only coming back for one more episode after Christmas. But up to the end, we’ll give it our all!” That seems to solidify that the series won’t be back for another season, especially since the show wasn’t part of ABC’s midseason schedule, however, ABC has reached out to say, “Nothing has changed. We are not canceling Pan Am. We are still in production and will continue to be in production finishing the original 13 episodes plus one more additional one. We have one more original episode this coming week, Dec. 4 and then will return in January with new episodes, airing all of them. Pan Am is still in contention for next season. We won’t know about that until our upfront announcement in May.” However, unless the ratings pick-up, the lack of an order for a full season just doesn’t bode well for the period drama which I’ve grown mostly fond of thus far. We’ll see what happens next year, but I’m betting we’ll have to get our fill of Kelli Garner and Christina Ricci from somewhere else.

ABC Announces Midseason Premiere Schedule; No Return Date for COUGAR TOWN, GCB Replaces PAN AM

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 18th, 2011 at 3:15 pm

Another midseason schedule, another great TV series missing. Just a few days ago NBC announced their midseason schedule, and along with it came the news that Community will be benched for the foreseeable future. A similar scenario is now happening with ABC’s midseason premiere schedule. While their announcement today includes premiere dates for GCB (which will replace Pan Am in the post-Desperate Housewives slot starting in March), the Ashley Judd drama Missing, the horror-drama The River, the comedy Work It, and a new season of Dancing with the Stars, the fantastically quirky sitcom Cougar Town is nowhere to be found. Hit the jump for more, including a list of the premiere dates.

ABC Gives Full Season Orders to ONCE UPON A TIME, LAST MAN STANDING, HAPPY ENDINGS and Five More Scripts for PAN AM

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: November 3rd, 2011 at 4:12 pm

Finally, it’s time for ABC to chime in with their verdict on some series that have been waiting for good or bad news. Thankfully, it seems be mostly good all around with EW reporting that the network has given full season orders to their new freshman fairytale drama Once Upon a Time and Tim Allen‘s return to sitcoms with Last Man Standing. Personally I found the former pilot to be an absolute pain to get through while the latter sitcom is cheesy, but not without a few genuine laughs. Unfortunately, the exaggerated nature of that kind of sitcom coupled with the audience laughter just doesn’t work for me. However, a comedy that really has continued to shine and keep fans laughing is Happy Endings, which just got a full season order for its sophomore run.

However, one show still waiting in the wings is the fantastic but, lower rated Pan Am since the show only got an order for five more scripts, which doesn’t guarantee that more episodes will be ordered to air. It’s only slightly below the line of what ABC wants out of the drama, but the great cast, intrigue, romance and more have made it a surprisingly enjoyable addition to the set of series recordings on my DVR. So it sounds like all you Nielsen families and viewers need to tune in and give it a chance, because it’s really quite stellar and you can’t go wrong with lovely ladies like Christina Ricci, Margot Robbie and Kelli Garner. Here’s hoping Pan Am joins the ranks of these other ABC shows sooner that later.

TV Casting Call: Marlon Wayans Developing Buddy Cop Comedy Series at ABC, Donal Logue Joins TNT’s GATEWAY, Tom Felton Enters LABYRINTH

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: October 17th, 2011 at 11:09 am

After teaming up with his brother Shawn Wayans as an undercover cop duo in White Chicks, comedian Marlon Wayans is developing a new comedy series at ABC about two sibling police officers. Deadline says the potential new series is a hybrid single/multi-camera series will follow a down on his luck police officer who moves in with his brother and his family. Marlon will play the married brother, and while it’s not clear who will play the other sibling, you would think Shawn would be an obvious choice, especially since he’s also producing the series along with Keenan Ivory Wayans. The brothers have been working together along with their brother Damon since the days of In Living Color on Fox, and have teamed for the Scary Movie franchise and a couple terrible comedies. Maybe heading back to TV can get them back on their game.

Details on Donal Logue joining Gateway, and Harry Potter cast member Tom Felton joining Labyrinth can be found after the jump.

ABC Orders Full Seasons for REVENGE and SUBURGATORY and More Scripts for HAPPY ENDINGS

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: October 13th, 2011 at 2:54 pm

Chiming in with their first moves on the new TV season, THR reports that ABC has just decided to give full season orders to their freshman series Revenge and Suburgatory. The former centers on Emily Thorne (Van Camp), or Amanda Clarke, who returns to the Hamptons to take revenge on the people who destroyed her family, including her father’s (James Tupper) death while the latter is a comedy following a single father (Jeremy Sisto) and teenage daughter (Jane Levy) who move to the suburbs after living in New York City. Both series debuted strong and have continued to bring in audiences each week.

In addition, the second season of Happy Endings has been going strong enough to warrant an order for six more scripts which could result in a longer season for the series which originally had some problems with the weak lead-in of Cougar Town and several of its episodes hitting the air out of order. This week the viewership for the series was up 18%, so there’s a good chance the series will end up getting a real extension in the coming weeks.

Comedian Kevin Hart to Guest Star on MODERN FAMILY

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: October 3rd, 2011 at 2:57 pm

After taking home plenty of Emmys last month, the new season of Modern Family is proving that it deserved every one of them with yet another solid start to their third season. However, I have to say I’m not particularly excited about their newest guest star addition. EW has word that comedian Kevin Hart (Death at a Funeral, Little Fockers) has landed a role as Phil and Claire Dunphy’s new neighbor who is apparently a physician named Andre. Likely his job will be somewhat important to guest turn, but we’re not sure how. The reason this doesn’t thrill me all that much is that I’m not really a big fan of his stand-up routine, and his appearances in the aforementioned comedies have done little to impress me either. It’s interesting to note though that Hart did appear in Soul Plane with series star Sofia Vergara, and even more interesting to think about the fact that likely no one has talked about that film since its release in 2004.

THE BLIND SIDE Writer/Director John Lee Hancock Returns to Television with New Crime Drama at ABC

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: September 13th, 2011 at 9:09 pm

Though he’s been dabbling in feature films like The Rookie, The Alamo and most successfully, The Blind Side, writer/director John Lee Hancock previously worked on the small screen with series like Falcone and L.A. Doctors. Now Hancock is poised to return to TV as Deadline reports he will write, direct and executive produce a new untitled crime drama which follows an unorthodox protagonist described as the “Walter Mitty of the crime world.” Does that means he only imagines himself to be a successful criminal, but he’s really a bumbling, average guy? That remains to be seen as those are all the details we have on the new series at this time. ABC picked up the potential series, and we’ll likely hear more about it between now and the next television season in the fall of 2012.

David Cross Lands Recurring Role on MODERN FAMILY

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: September 2nd, 2011 at 12:48 pm

Though it will likely be a decent amount of time before we see David Cross revive his most well known TV alter ego Tobias Funke from Arrested Development, the comedian will be heading back to television soon. THR reports Cross will have a recurring role on the new season of Modern Family as a city councilman named Duane. There aren’t many recurring characters outside of Cameron and Mitchell’s friend Pepper (Nathan Lane) in the series, but Cross will apparently be going head-to-head with Claire (Julie Bowen) over some unknown issue in the upcoming season. Unless I’m mistaken, this could be the first time a character and a plot has an extended arc beyond just one episode. Either way, Cross is just a great addition to the practically perfect cast, and I can’t wait for the season premiere on Wednesday, September 21st.

Minka Kelly Interview CHARLIE’S ANGELS

by Christina Radish    Posted: August 25th, 2011 at 10:06 am

In ABC’s upcoming incarnation of Charlie’s Angels, a thief, a street racer and a cop, all of whom got in just a little too deep, are getting their second chance working for the elusive Charlie Townsend. Detectives who are equal parts fearless and beautiful, the angels – Park Avenue princess turned thief, Abby Sampson (Rachael Taylor), disgraced Miami cop Kate Prince (Annie Ilonzeh), and the mysterious Eve (Minka Kelly) – are helped by hot computer hacker Bosley (Ramon Rodriguez), who certainly doesn’t mind being surrounded by the powerful women.

During a recent interview to promote this glamorous, action-packed re-imagining of the 1970s smash hit series, actress Minka Kelly talked about being a fan of the female camaraderie that Charlie’s Angels is known for, the appeal of playing a bad-ass, that there is a lot of depth and emotion among all of the eye candy, how much she enjoys learning new skills for each episode’s adventure, and how hilarious it is that she’s considered a sex symbol. She also said that she doesn’t think she’ll be able to return for any more episodes of the NBC drama Parenthood, as it films in Los Angeles and her new series is in Miami. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

ABC Picks Up THE LAST RESORT from THE SHIELD Creator Shawn Ryan

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: August 22nd, 2011 at 4:01 pm

As disappointed as it was to learn of The Chicago Code getting canceled earlier this year, the fact that Shawn Ryan can still make quality television like his preceding series The Shield is somewhat comforting. That’s why it’s good to hear from THR that ABC has just picked up The Last Resort, a futuristic drama series from Ryan and Dead Like Me writer Karl Gajdusek. The series would follow the crew of a U.S. nuclear submarine who, after ignoring an order to fire nuclear missiles, wind up being hunted and escape to a NATO outpost where they declare themselves to be the world’s smallest nuclear nation. Sounds like an original premise at least, and with Ryan and Gajdusek teaming on the script, I have a good feeling about this one. Stay tuned as development on plenty more new series’ for next year continues.

ABC Developing THE LINCOLN LAWYER TV Series

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: August 8th, 2011 at 8:18 pm

The Lincoln Laywer was a solid hit for Lionsgate, grossing over $85 million worldwide and surprising critics to the tune of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes.  Factor in recent success on home video and a renewable premise, and The Lincoln Lawyer is ripe for franchising.  First stop: TV!  Variety reports ABC has ordered a pilot script for a proposed drama series from Lincoln Lawyer screenwriter John Romano and Michael Connelly, the author of the source novel.

Connelly has written five novels about charismatic defense attorney Mickey Haller, so the writers won’t lack for inspiration at the outset.  The series likely won’t stray too far from your typical procedural — one case per week, solved at the end of the show.  The twist, of course, is Haller’s peculiar choice in offices: a Lincoln Town Car.  I assume Matthew McConaughey will not reprise his feature role on a weekly TV series.  His brand of charm could be hard to replicate, but it’s a plum lead role  for the actor who gets it.  I speak as if the project is going straight to series, when really only one script has been ordered.  But this seems like a sure thing.  I imagine we’ll hear more about The Lincoln Lawyer: The TV Series in the near future.

Read a synopsis of Connelly’s novel after the break.

Updates on CHARLIE’S ANGELS, ONCE UPON A TIME, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, TV Shows for THE INCREDIBLE HULK and JESSICA JONES, More

by Christina Radish    Posted: August 7th, 2011 at 8:12 pm

C

As part of the TCA Press Tour presentation for ABC Entertainment Group, President Paul Lee took some time to talk about their new high-concept dramas, Pan Am and Once Upon A Time, their slick reboot of Charlie’s Angels, their upcoming comedy series, and the announcement of the final season of Desperate Housewives. Here are the most interesting points:

• ABC currently has the #1 comedy in America with Modern Family, and Grey’s Anatomy is still their #1 drama series.
• Pan Am is a passion project for creator/executive producer/writer Jack Orman (E.R.) and executive producer/director Tommy Schlamme (The West Wing) and promises to be romantic, sexy and adventurous.
• Charlie’s Angels will capitalize on their built-in audience, while still modernizing the story in unexpected ways.
• Although Once Upon A Time is a very ambitious piece of storytelling, the network has been reassured in the ability to sustain it for series, after seeing Episodes 2 and 3. And surprisingly, the pilot was made for essentially the same cost as a normal pilot.
• The upcoming Season 8 will be the last season of Desperate Housewives, which will have its final arc built through 22 episodes. They have also started to redevelop Hallelujah with Housewives creator Marc Cherry, for a possible series pick-up.
• ABC is developing the Marvel properties The Incredible Hulk and Jessica Jones for possible TV series.
• The network is very pleased with their mid-season comedy and drama series, which include Apartment 23, Work It, Scandal, The River, Missing and G.C.B.

Hit the jump for more of what he had to say:

Copyright ©2005 - 2012. All Rights Reserved. California web design