What is The Event, and Should We Care?

After the unfortunate implosion of NBC's Heroes, a program I always thought was several notches higher than many critics and viewers gave it credit for, the network needed a replacement.  They got a couple of seasons of "cool" out of Heroes, and they're hoping for a similar buzz this fall with The Event. But what is the event of The Event?  And will it capture our attention the way Heroes did (for a while) and ABC's FlashForward didn't?



I'll check it out for a couple of weeks. I like this sort of mystery/sci-fi story, and am a fan of Jason Ritter (the late John Ritter's son, and star of the brilliant-but-cancelled The Class). That should be enough to entice me, at least until I figure out if it's interesting enough to keep me watching.  And if it's good?  Well then, I'll shut up about it for a while, unless it becomes a runaway hit. I wouldn't want to invoke the Greenlee Curse on it. 

Swingtown Alums Make Good in Other Series

Image from source, Edge New York

I was a huge fan, and online supporter of CBS's late, lamented summer series, Swingtown. It was a show about the swingin' 70s, with all the fun and sexual liberation that (allegedly) happened in that decade. When I talk about a TV show on this blog, it is inevitably cancelled, so I probably should stop doing that.  But thankfully, many of the actors in Swingtown have found themselves in other shows this season, and I thought it might be fun to see where they all are. Let's see.

Grant Show

Show made his first splash in the original version of Melrose Place.  His role on Swingtown was as an airline pilot, with the whole plotline hinging upon him and his sexually adventurous wife.  This season, he's been seen on Accidentally on Purpose.  The show is from the producer of Two and a Half Men, and The Big Bang Theory.  Unfortunately, Accidentally has been on a lower rung of the popular sitcom ladder. Good luck with the renewal, Grant.

Michael Rady

Rady's character was a summer school teacher, having an inappropriate relationship with an underage (?) student.  He ended up as one of the main characters on a rebooted Melrose Place as half of a "perfect couple."  The couple broke up, and Rady ended up with a scheming, cold, bisexual publicist, putting his character at odds with his image as "Mr. Adorable."  But the pull of his original flame ended that. Whatever happens to the show, Rady pulled off a coup as the single most redeemable character in the show.

Jack Davenport

Jack played one half of the straight-laced couple whose eyes were opened to the swingin' 70s.  His character was basically nice, but kind of a douche, with a fixation on his secretary.  After Swingtown, he got the role of a pivotal character on FlashForward. There, he finds himself "the other man" in the marriage of a central married couple.  Nice shift.

Lana Parilla

Lana was the sultry, semi-bi stewardess wife of Show's pilot. She was sexually adventurous, but vulnerable, and by the end of the series, pregnant.  Now, she's a doctor on Miami Medical.

Josh Hopkins

Josh played the unhappy husband of an uptight, suburban prude.  By the end of Swingtown, he'd done the nasty with a neighbor. Now, he plays a neighbor again, but this time as the flirtatious foil of Courtney Cox on Cougar Town.

I'm sure some of the other actors of the series are also appearing in current or upcoming projects. But I'm happy to see so many of them appearing in current series. Sadly, not many of them look good for renewal. Still, given how quickly those actors found new jobs, I'm confident we'll be seeing more of them. And my Swingtown DVD set is due to arrive any day now. Yay!

Fall TV: FlashForward

Image from source, TV Squad

Well, I don't know about you all, but I loved it. It wasn't quite as awe-inspiring as the premiere of Lost, but it was close. If everyone on earth experienced a blackout for over two minutes, there would be a hell of a lot of mayhem, possibly more than they've shown so far. Every car, every plane would be careening out of control. People crossing the street, people climbing rocks or even going up the stairs would be in immediate peril.

They showed some of that, but unfortunately, things seemed to go back to "normal" a little too quickly. Still, I think they did an admirable job, and I'm hooked. I'll be back for as many weeks as ABC gives the show. Which, as we know, could be seven seasons, or seven episodes. Time will tell.

For the last several seasons, I've given a pass to several shows that I feared would die a quick death, like Day One, Invasion and Jericho. I was right, and those shows bit the dust before any resolution could take place. On other shows like Swingtown, Traveler and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, I watched despite those fears, only to be disappointed by (too soon) cancellations. But I'm biting the bullet with FlashForward and hoping for the best. By the way, if you missed it on Thursday, the show is re-running tonight at 8:00pm. Watch it! Please?

[Excerpt]

FlashForward: No More Good Days

Well, that was it. The most eagerly anticipated premiere of the season, if early buzz is any indicator. Is it the next Lost? Is it as good as everyone says it was? It can be. As much as I liked this pilot, though, I can't say that I know for sure how good the show is going to be based on it. . .

Read more at: TV Squad