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Desperate Housewives actor for Outrageous Fortune remake
Former Desperate Housewives actor Neal McDonough will star in Scoundrels, the US version of Outrageous Fortune.
McDonough, who played Dave Williams, the psycho husband of Edie (Nicolette Sheridan), will play the patriarach of a family, who is sent to prison leaving the matriarch to try and steer her family back on the straight and narrow. The latter role is to be played by Virginia Madsen (Sideways, Candyman, Monk).
Scoundrels will be the second attempt by ABC to remake the NZ dramedy after Good Behavior, by Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars, Dawson’s Creek) did not …
Psych wins fifth season
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen it in Australia, but Psych has won a fifth season in the USA.
The offbeat crime series has won a 16-episode order from the USA Network.
The series starring James Roday as a fake psychic with great observational skills and Dule Hill as his best friend and partner in a police consulting business, was the highest-rated USA debut when it launched in 2006. It previously aired in Australian on TEN before moving to the now-ceased TEN HD.
“Psych just keeps getting better and better,” said USA …
Radha Mitchell lands US series
Australia’s Radha Mitchell has landed the lead role in a US crime series for the A&E Network.
In The Quickening, she will play Maggie Bird, an LAPD homicide detective assigned to a desk job after it is discovered that she suffers from a bipolar disorder. Her character faces the dilemma of having to choose between her medication and her profession. She’s a brilliant detective, so long as she doesn’t take the medicine that regulates her bipolar disorder (Tara meets Monk anyone?).
“Her illness makes her brilliant as a detective but makes her …
Cast changes tipped for Criminal Intent
Major cast changes are expected in the ninth season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
Vincent D’Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, and Eric Bogosian are all expected to be phased out at various points during the season.
(The very much alive) Jeff Goldblum, who joined the cast last season, will remain as lead detective in the series along with Saffron Burrows, who was recently cast to replace Julieanna Nicholson.
Details about D’Onofrio, Erbe and Bogosian’s exit are still unclear.
Goldblum’s appeal is said to be more in sync with that of the USA Network, on which the …
D-Day for Definition
The arrival of ONE HD tonight is a big, bold step by Network TEN in the switch to digital television.
A 24 hour sports channel will provide many armchair sports fans with oodles of events, some of them big, many that are obscure, for TEN viewers in 5 capital cities. Regional viewers now know, somewhat belatedly, they are struggling to be heard in an issue TEN has handballed to Southern Cross.
Yesterday TEN announced its sponsors for ONE including Harvey Norman, Hungry Jacks, Mars, Panasonic, Pokerstars.net and Sportsbet.
But the arrival also marks the …
Axed: The Starter Wife
The cable USA Network has announced that The Starter Wife is no more.
The Debra Messing vehicle first began life as a miniseries (pictured) filmed in Australia with a cast including Judy Davis, Miranda Otto and a number of other locals in supporting / cameo roles (Rodger Corser, Madeleine West, Aden Young, Leeanna Walsman, Mark Holden). It aired here on TEN to mixed success.
In the US the 2007 miniseries attracted more than 5 million viewers and went on to earn 10 Emmy nominations, including a win for Davis. But the spin-off averaged …
Lie to Me
America must really be afraid of putting American actors into lead roles lately. Especially when they’re required to be just a little bit left of centre. We’ve got Hugh Laurie, Damian Lewis, Simon Baker, Jason O’Mara and Toni Collette just to name a few who are prominent right now.
Enter Tim Roth, in Lie to Me which premieres today in the US. Roth plays Dr. Cal Lightman, an expert in reading body language, facial expressions and all manner of deception. He runs a private company housed in an ultra-sleek, contemporary building where …
Lie to Me lays low
One of TEN’s new hopes Lie To Me, starring Tim Roth and Kelli Williams, is about to premiere in the US.
So far the reviews are lukewarm.
Roth plays Dr. Cal Lightman, a scientist specializing in decoding facial expressions and body language who works with police. Yes, it’s hard not find reviews that don’t reference The Mentalist, Psych or Monk.
Variety said: Tim Roth is such an interesting actor that the prospect of him coming to TV should be cause for celebration — if, that is, Fox had seen fit to craft a …
American premieres in January
Ok, it’s a quiet news day. So you wanna know what’s returning to American screens in January? We won’t ask why…..
All dates are US dateline.
Jan. 6: After a nearly 11-month break, FX’s Nip / Tuck returns for the second installment of Season 5 (4 is on 9HD Mondays, while part 1 of S5 hasn’t started here yet).
Jan 6: ABC takes over Scrubs from NBC for what may – or may not – be its final season.
Jan. 7: Damages makes it long-awaited return with Glenn Close’s Patty Hewes keeping at least one …
What’s happened to HD?
Programming on HD channels has taken a holiday at some networks, with fleeting attention by networks to provide decent alternative viewing.
On some days next week on TEN HD there is only 3 hours of dedicated programming. On other days there is none.
Evening HD programming has dried up over summer on TEN, with no alternatives once provided by shows like Monk, Smallville, Battlestar Galactica, Torchwood, Eureka and The X Files. Those shows have now either concluded, without being replaced, or simply stopped.
When TEN HD was announced by TEN it promised “50 hours …
Final season for Monk
Monk is to have its eighth, and last, season on the USA Network.
Tony Shalhoub has bagged a number of awards for his performance as the unconventional Adrian Monk, will bow out with 16 more episodes in 2009.
The show’s high price tag likely made it hard for USA to justify going beyond an eighth season despite the fact it is still is going strong from a ratings standpoint. The show is averaging 5 million total viewers, including 2 million in adults 18-49 and 2.5 million in adults 25-54.
But those involved with the …
ONE HD bumps TEN HD into limbo
TEN’s “science fiction Thursday”, Neighbours catch-up, timeshifted News and documentaries on TEN HD could become a thing of the past with confirmation that there is no contingency plan announced alongside the launch of ONE HD.
TEN HD will continue on air until April when it is overtaken by TEN’s 24hr sports channel ONE HD. The current home of TEN HD, Channel 12, will broadcast the sports content in standard definition.
That leaves Smallville and other fan favourites in television limbo. Other shows including Torchwood, Battlestar Galactica, Eureka, One Tree Hill, Friday Night Lights …