The scheduling of TV show premiers is quite different today than it was years ago. I remember waiting for the fall premier week. All of the new and returning shows would begin in the same week and continue with new episodes till May. Then we would get summer programming: either re-runs or some kind of alternate programming. (Does anyone remember the daily gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Republican and Democrat national conventions every four years? Now THAT was entertaining TV. {sarcasm abounds}) Today, we get new 'seasons' every few weeks all through the year. I'm not too sure whether I like this, or not--but I have learned to adjust. Two new shows will be starting soon and I am anticipating them to become hits.
The first show I'm waiting for will premier this Sunday on AMC. It is called The Prisoner and is a miniseries reworking of the 1960s British cult hit. Here is what the website has to say about it:
In November, AMC will present The Prisoner miniseries, a reinterpretation of the British 1960s cult hit series that starred and was co-created by Patrick McGoohan.
The Premise : A man, known as Six, finds himself inexplicably trapped in The Village with no memory of how he arrived. As he explores his environment, he discovers that his fellow inhabitants are identified by number instead of name, have no memory of any prior existence, and are under constant surveillance. Not knowing whom to trust, Six is driven by the need to discover the truth behind The Village, the reason for his being there, and most importantly -- how he can escape.
Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ , The Thin Red Line) will play the role of Six; and two-time Oscar nominee Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings, The Da Vinci Code) will co-star as Two.
I remember the original series and think that may have been one of the reasons I love sci-fi and fantasy so much. (Of course, the other reason is Star Trek, but we won't go there. ;))
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The second show I can't wait to see is called Men of a Certain Age. It will be on TNT and begins on 7 December. I think one of the reasons I want to see this so much is because Scott Bakula is one of the stars. I have had a crush on him since Quantum Leap--and he is one who seems to get better with age. And this is what the website says about the show:
John Lennon once wrote, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” For three men entering the second act of their lives, those words are starting to hit home in TNT’s newest original series, MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE. This wry drama stars Emmy® winner Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond), Golden Globe® winner Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap, Star Trek: Enterprise) and Emmy winner Andre Braugher (Homicide: Life on the Street, TNT’s Salem’s Lot). It marks a return to series television for Romano, who created MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE with Everybody Loves Raymond Emmy winner Mike Royce. The two serve as executive producers, along with Rory Rosegarten and Cary Hoffman.
MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE, from TNT Original Productions, is set to debut Monday, Dec. 7, at 10/9c, following an all-new episode of the network’s hit series THE CLOSER. The premiere episode is written by Romano and Royce and directed by two-time Emmy winner Scott Winant (thirtysomething).
MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE explores the unique bonds of male friendship among three men experiencing the changes and challenges of mid-life. They have been best friends since college but now, in their 40s, are navigating through the second act of their lives. Joe (Romano) is a friendly, slightly neurotic, recently separated father of two who had dreams of being a professional golfer. Now he owns and runs a party store. Terry (Bakula) is a laid-back, handsome actor who seems to breeze through life (and women). Lately, he’s spending more time working as a temp than as an actor. And Owen (Braugher) is an overstressed husband and father of three who endures constant criticism from his father, for whom he works as a car salesman.
These friends face very different challenges. Joe, who currently lives in a hotel, tries to connect with his kids and is dipping his toe in the dating pool, while also struggling with the gambling problem that may have ended his marriage. The unmarried Terry scoffs at domestic issues but sometimes wonders if his own single life is all it’s cracked up to be. Owen does everything he can to climb the sales board at his father’s car dealership and keep his cool over the seemingly endless renovation project in the home he can barely afford. Through it all, these men are there for each other when it counts.
I think this will be good--at least it has the potential to be good. Andre Braugher was one of the reasons Homicide: Life on the Street was such a good show.
