The Defenders

CBS Gives Full Season Orders to HAWAII FIVE-0, $#*! MY DAD SAYS and More

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: October 21st, 2010 at 5:18 pm

It’s that time where networks start deciding which new shows will be sticking around for an entire season (NBC has already kicked things off), and which will end up in the dumpster on the backlot. CBS is apparently feeling very generous this year as the network has just announced (via press release) that they have ordered full seasons for every single one of their new series this season. The police drama remake Hawaii Five-0, the half-hour, Twitter-inspired comedy $#*! My Dad Says, the plus-sized sitcom Mike & Molly, the Tom Selleck led drama Blue Bloods, and Jerry O’Connell and Jim Belushi’s turn as Las Vegas lawyers in The Defenders will be sticking around for the entire season run.

Since none of these shows really tickled my fancy, this move from CBS kind of makes it seem like Santa is giving everyone presents, but all he has is candy corn. I don’t like candy corn. Anyone out there happy to have any of these shows sticking around?

New Fall TV Series Preview and Premiere Schedule

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: September 18th, 2010 at 11:14 am

The time is finally upon us for the 2010 fall TV season to kick off next week with the return of all your favorite series and the premiere of some brand new ones for you to sink your teeth into (or forget about completely). We’ve been posting reviews here and there for several of the new shows, but right now we’re just going to give you the line-up of most of the new series hitting the different networks complete with plot description and premiere time. You can find the line-up after the jump (organized chronologically by premiere date), but stay tuned for more pilot reviews as the fall season starts next week as well as episode recaps for several prominent series both new and old.

Screenwriter Marti Noxon Talks FRIGHT NIGHT, I AM NUMBER FOUR, MAD MEN, DR. HORRIBLE, Comic-Con, Joss Whedon, DEFENDERS

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: July 20th, 2010 at 8:21 pm

One of the more interesting panels at this year’s Comic-Con is the “Girls Gone Genre” panel on Friday at 5-6pm in room 24ABC.  That’s because the panel features a few of the women that have made it in an industry statistically dominated by men.  Included on the panel are Felicia Day, Kathryn Immonen, Laeta Kalogridis, Melissa Rosenberg, Gail Simone, and Marti Noxon.  All of them are writers, and some are writer/producers.

Anyway, to help promote the panel, I got to speak with Marti Noxon yesterday.  As the screenwriter of the upcoming Fright Night remake and the currently shooting D.J. Caruso movie I Am Number Four, we covered how she got involved in both projects and what fans can expect with the remake of Fright Night.

Of course, we also talked about the other things she’s worked on like Dr. Horrible, Mad Men, the Comic-Con panel, and she also told me what it’s like to go around Comic-Con with Joss Whedon.  If you’re interested in any of the projects I mentioned or just want to hear some great stories, hit the jump:

Exclusive: Screenwriter Marti Noxon on THE DEFENDERS; Says John Hamburg is Now Involved and it’s a Sci-Fi Comedy

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: July 19th, 2010 at 12:37 pm

About a year ago we first covered a project called The Defenders.  The project was set up by Masi Oka (Heroes) at DreamWorks where he landed Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (Star Trek, Transformers) as producers with D.J. Caruso possibly directing.  The story (from our original article):

“Centers on a group of mostly teenagers from around the world who are involved in a multiplayer video game, each unaware of who they really are behind the cover of their consoles and avatars. They are forced to come together for a real adventure, becoming inadvertent heroes in the process.”

Since posting the story, we haven’t had any updates. Until today.  That’s because an hour ago I got to speak with screenwriter Marti Noxon (I Am Number Four, Fright Night) and towards the end of the interview she revealed she’s writing the script.  The interesting news is she mentioned John Hamburg (writer/director of I Love You, Man) is also involved and she called it a sci-fi comedy.  More after the jump:

CBS 2010-11 Clips: $#*! MY DAD SAYS, MIKE & MOLLY, HAWAII FIVE-0, THE DEFENDERS, BLUE BLOODS

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: May 20th, 2010 at 8:03 am

With the release of CBS’s 2010-11 schedule comes a whole bunch of preview clips to promote the network’s new shows.  Here we have short promos for freshman shows $#*! My Dad Says, Mike & Molly, Hawaii Five-0, The Defenders, and Blue Bloods.  You can see that CBS is working in their wheelhouse here (three-camera sitcoms and procedural dramas), resulting in a slate with a good chance of success in the fall.  Check out the clips for yourself, as well as full synopses for each show, after the jump.

Upfronts: CBS Unveils Their Fall 2010 Schedule; BIG BANG THEORY, SURVIVOR, and the CSI Spinoffs on the Move

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: May 19th, 2010 at 7:25 am

CBS officially released their fall schedule today, and they certainly didn’t play it safe.  New sitcom Mike & Molly earns a prime berth in the dominant Monday comedy block, with Hawaii Five-0 taking over for CSI: Miami at 10:00.  Tuesdays continue with the NCIS franchise and The Good Wife.  Perennial Thursday victor Survivor is headed for Wednesdays, followed by Criminal Minds and new legal drama The Defenders.  CBS throws down the gauntlet to NBC’s comedies on Thursday, counterprogramming with #1 sitcom The Big Bang Theory and high-profile new laffer S#*! My Dad Says. On Fridays, Medium moves to 8:00, followed by CSI: NY in a new timeslot and new hourlong Blue Bloods at 10:00.  Saturdays are the same crime extravaganza as always.  Sundays 7:00-10:00 maintain a three hour block of unscripted television, while a displaced CSI: Miami closes out the night.  Check out the full schedule after the jump.

Masi Oka Sets Up MMORPG Movie THE DEFENDERS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 8th, 2009 at 2:08 pm

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Heroes” star Masi Oka has just set up “The Defenders” over at DreamWorks with “Star Trek” writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci producing, Gary Whitta (“The Book of Eli”) writing the script, and D.J. Caruso (“Eagle Eye”) potentially directing.  I’m not sure what role this leaves Oka since the story doesn’t say he’s acting in it, co-producing, co-writing, or if he’s active in any capacity other than developing the idea.

The idea: “The story centers on a group of mostly teenagers from around the world who are involved in a multiplayer video game, each unaware of who they really are behind the cover of their consoles and avatars. They are forced to come together for a real adventure, becoming inadvertent heroes in the process.”  Also, the teenagers who say they’re hot women and have a busty elf as their avatar should actually be ugly dudes.  Naw, I’m just kidding.  This is totally gonna play into a geek fantasy and some gorgeous chick is going to be a hardcore gamer*.

Honestly, it seems like a fun idea since Orci and Kurtzman want to make a film in the vein of the old Amblin movies like “The Goonies” and Oka asks the cool question of “What if you had to live up to the person you created in the virtual world?”  Cynically, I’d say you’d fail completely and be revealed for the failure that you are.  The movie will probably come to a different conclusion.

*Yes, I know there are hardcore gamers that are gorgeous women.  It’s just that the aforementioned hideous dudes are far more common.

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