Tag Archives: fall TV

Sophomore TV Shows: Which Will Surge and Which Will Slump?

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sophomore shows

With the new TV season about to kick off, I looked at 16 returning second-year series, and predicted which ones will surge in Season 2, and which will slump. As I wrote at The Daily Beast,

A show’s second season is often its make-or-break year. After a season’s worth of growing pains and tweaking under its belt, will the series make the leap and fully realize its potential, as Scandal and New Girl gloriously did last year, or will it hit the dreaded sophomore slump and watch that initial promise implode, as was the case with Revenge, Up All Night, and Smash?

Maybe I’ll check back at the end of the season and how my predictions held up.

Sophomore TV Shows: Which Will Surge and Which Will Slump?

Tom Mison Takes on the ‘Iconic’ Ichabod Crane in ‘Sleepy Hollow’

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At Parade, I spoke with Tom Mison about his new Fox supernatural drama, Sleepy Hollow. He talked about how often the Headless Horseman, who figures prominently in the pilot episode, will be making return appearances:

It’s like in Jurassic Park, where you’ve got the T-Rex—that’s the Headless Horseman—and the T-Rex can roar and do his thing and leave. You know he’s going to come back, and you’ll love it when he’s back, but [in the meantime] we can battle raptors and the things with the fans on their side. Sleepy Hollow: It’s like Jurassic Park! There you go!

Tom Mison Takes on the ‘Iconic’ Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow 

‘Once Upon a Time in Wonderland’s’ Sophie Lowe: ‘I Always Wanted to Be Alice’

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At Parade, I spoke with Sophie Lowe, the star of ABC’s Once Upon a Time spinoff, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. She told me about her approach to playing Alice:

She’s becoming a woman just like I am, so I’m trying to use my own experiences and make it really truthful. I feel like we’re growing up together. But I can’t really fight like she can!

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland‘s Sophie Lowe: ‘I Always Wanted to Be Alice’ 

How Michael J. Fox’s Real Family Life Has Been Worked Into His New Show

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At Parade, I spoke with Michael J. Fox about his new NBC sitcom, The Michael J. Fox Show. He talked with me about how different NBC is now than during his Family Ties days in the ’80s:

I mean, I have NBC beach towels from 1984. So that’s kind of au courant again, which is kind of amazing. I’ve been made to feel that that can actually mean something to NBC, and that means something to me. Certainly I’d like to have an opportunity to help turn the tide at the network. If that doesn’t happen, I’m not going to blame myself, but I’d like to be a part of it.

How Michael J. Fox’s Real Family Life Has Been Worked Into His New Show 

‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s’ Andy Samberg: ‘I Didn’t Think I’d Ever Play a Detective, Even in an ‘SNL’ Sketch’

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At Parade, I spoke with Andy Samberg about his new Fox sitcom, Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He told me that he never thought he’d play a detective on a series:

I didn’t even think I’d ever play a detective in a sketch! In my time on [SNL], if there was ever a detective in a sketch it was going to be Bill [Hader] or Jason [Sudeikis]. So it’s awesome.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s Andy Samberg: ‘I Didn’t Think I’d Ever Play a Detective, Even in an SNL Sketch’ 

James Spader on His ‘Blacklist’ Character: ‘He’s Going to Make You Feel Very Uncomfortable’

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At Parade, I spoke with James Spader about his new NBC drama, The Blacklist. He told me that his character, Raymond “Red” Reddington, might turn out to not be as bad as he first appears:

I think there’s no question that the audience is going to be wrong about things, [and that] a presumption is going to turn out to be just that. Hopefully just when you’re starting to feel comfortable, he’s going to make you feel very uncomfortable in a startling way. But the opposite is true as well, I think.

James Spader on His Blacklist Character: ‘He’s Going to Make You Feel Very Uncomfortable’ 

Clark Gregg: ‘Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ is the ‘World’s Greatest Midlife Crisis’

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clark gregg

At Parade, I talked to Clark Gregg about rising from the dead — well, at least his alter ego, Agent Phil Coulson, did — to star in Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD. He told me that he’s still amazed at his good fortune:

I look around at the first couple of episodes we’ve done, whether it’s the flying Corvette or the amazing plane… ABC and Marvel are giving me the world’s greatest midlife crisis, and I don’t even have to pay for it!

Clark Gregg: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Is the ‘World’s Greatest Midlife Crisis’  

Margo Martindale Goes for Laughs in ‘The Millers’: ‘It’s Fun to Be Wild Again’

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At Parade, I spoke to one of my favorite people, Margo Martindale, about her new CBS sitcom The Millers. While most people who know her from her dramatic roles in Justifed and The Americans are surprised to see her doing a multicam sitcom, she told me that it’s a lot harder than it looks:

The thing that’s interesting to me is that so many people applaud actresses who go from comedy to drama, but they weirdly look down on actresses who go from drama to comedy. Comedy’s hard. It takes a lot of muscles to make it look easy.

Margo Martindale Goes for Laughs in The Millers: ‘It’s Fun to Be Wild Again’ 

How ‘Masters of Sex’ Star Michael Sheen Got ‘Comfortable’ with Sex Scenes

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At Parade, I spoke with Michael Sheen about his terrific new Showtime series Masters of Sex. As he explained, unlike the gratuitous sex scenes on many cable shows, the ones in Masters are there to serve the story:

It’s not that [the story] stops and there’s a sex scene, then we go back to the story; the story is being told through the sex scene. Like the songs in the best musicals, they’re advancing the story. That’s what we’re aiming towards.

How Master of Sex Star Michael Sheen Got ‘Comfortable’ with Sex Scenes 

Fall’s Top 10 New Shows

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fall top 10 new shows

At TCA summer press tour in July/August, I spent a lot of time speaking to the stars of fall’s most anticipated series — including several of my favorite freshman shows, like The Blacklist, Masters of Sex and Brooklyn Nine-Nine — for this Parade roundup of Fall’s Top 10 New Shows. Look for more extended Q&As with each star in the weeks ahead.

Fall’s Top 10 New Shows