Breaking Bad is the story of a respectable fifty year old high school chemistry teacher who finds out that he’s dying of cancer and turns to a life of crime to secure his family’s financial future. The show, which airs on AMC, has many cinematic elements, including a main character that has a drastic transformation over time, something most television shows don’t do.  In fact, most main characters have pretty much the same world view in the pilot episode as they do in the series finale, so presenting someone who changes so dramatically throughout the course of the series was considered very risky at the time. So how did such an unusual story get on the air?

Show creator Vince Gilligan said it all started with a gripe session with his friend, Tom Schnauz, about how hard it was to find good writing work. They had both been staff writers for The X-Files during the last seasons of that show, but hadn’t worked much since the series was cancelled. Tom happened to mention a New York Times article about a drug dealer who was arrested for cooking crystal meth in the back of an RV, and they started joking about giving up screenwriting and just traveling around the country in an RV cooking meth and making money.

As they were talking, the idea for a main character popped into his head—a middle aged man who transforms himself from a good man into a ruthless criminal. He then had to figure out why his character turns to a life of crime, and how he had the means to get himself into that world. So the idea for the story started with the main character and that characters transformation, which Gilligan describes as a transformation from ‘Mr. Chips to Scarface.’

“I had this full-fledged character, this good, law-abiding man who suddenly decides to become a criminal. I was so intrigued by the character that I didn’t really give much thought to how well it would sell, which is good because Breaking Bad is such an odd, dark story, it’s not easily sold.”

Fortunately, Gilligan had worked with a couple of people at Sony Pictures Television who had once bought a pilot script from him and nearly had it in the pre-production phase before CBS pulled out of the project. Despite this setback, the Sony executives said that they loved his work, and asked him to bring any new show ideas to them first. As it turned out, they loved the story for Breaking Bad, so they all began pitching the idea.

Despite their passionate efforts, Breaking Bad was turned down all over town. Executives at TNT loved it, but they couldn’t put a story about a meth dealer on their network. They asked if the main character—Walter White—could be a counterfeiter instead, but that didn’t fit Gilligan’s dark vision of Walt’s descent into the criminal world. HBO executives didn’t show any interest at all. FX liked it, and actually bought the pilot script, but later decided against doing the show. When AMC decided that they wanted to do the show, FX graciously let them buy the rights, and in February of 2007, AMC announced casting and production for a one hour pilot for Breaking Bad.

Now they had to cast an actor who could make Walter White remain a sympathetic character for as long as possible, even as he descended further and further into darkness. Though it was not immediately apparent to everyone involved in the selection process, Brian Cranston—who was best known for playing the father on Malcolm in the Middle—was clearly the perfect choice (he won three consecutive Best Actor Emmys for his role as Walter White). Cranston said he had no idea how intense and dark the story was going to get, but he did understand that Walt was a very unusual character for a television series:

“I did know when we first met that what he [Gilligan] was attempting to do had never been done in the history of television, is to start a character out one way—as you get to know them that way—and completely change that character into someone else.”

The story was originally to be set in Riverside, California, but setting the story and producing it in Albuquerque, New Mexico offered financial benefits, as well as some very visually interesting locations and beautiful skies. Five years after the pilot aired, critics continue to praise the show for its writing, directing, editing, and acting. A reporter for The New Yorker said, “Breaking Bad is an explicitly addictive series, full of cliffhangers, with a visual flair that is rare for television.”

The series fifth and final season was split into two 8 episode parts: the first half premiered in July 2012, and the second half will premiere August 2013.

Photo:
http://blog.sfgate.com/tgoodman/2010/03/12/breaking-bad-creator-vince-gilligan-celebrity-podcast-interview/

References:
Script Tease, by Dylan Callaghan
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/television/2012/08/27/120827crte_television_nussbaum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_Bad
http://www.emmys.com/shows/breaking-bad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=t9mtPhZEJoQ&feature=fvwp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIoRUtPo34Q

With the new Star Trek movie, Star Trek: Into Darkness soon to premier, ‘trekkies’ all over the planet will be lining up to see their favorite characters journey through space, fighting alien bad guys as they have so many times in the past. But did you realize that this will be the 12th motion picture of this franchise? And what about the four television series that spun-off from the original Star Trek series show which originally broadcasted in the 1960s; Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise? So that got us thinking; how did this story begin and how did it survive for almost fifty years? Let’s find out.

Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship USS Enterprise and its crew during the 2260s. Roddenberry actually was a jet pilot for Pan Am before moving to Hollywood to try his hand as a television writer. As a freelance writer, Roddenberry wrote scripts for Highway Patrol, Have Gun–Will Travel and other series before creating and producing his own short-lived television series, The Lieutenant in 1963.

Around 1964, Roddenberry got the idea for a new series set in futuristic space but was actually inspired by Westerns such as Wagon Train. He even pitched it as a “Wagon Train to the Stars”, and it was picked up by Desilu Studios. The first TV pilot “The Cage”, starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike and put a woman (Roddenberry’s wife Majel Barrett) as first officer. Unfortunately, the pilot was thought of as “too cerebral” by the network and was rejected by NBC. But in an unprecedented move, Lucille Ball, who owned Desilu Studios, persuaded NBC management to consider a second pilot, because she liked Roddenberry and believed in the project.

So Roddenberry shot a second pilot, called “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” Due to the production delay between pilots, they had to cast a new captain because Jeff Hunter had signed to do a movie, so they found a young actor named William Shatner to play the role, and they changed the character to James T. Kirk. They also moved the lone alien, Mr. Spock, from science officer to First Officer, and made Barrett the nurse (some say the networks forced this because they didn’t believe the audience would accept a woman as First Officer).

The first regular episode of Star Trek aired on Thursday, September 8, 1966 and initially received high ratings, which soon trailed off—so much so that NBC threatened to cancel the show during its second season. In another unprecedented first for television, the show’s fan base began a letter-writing campaign, petitioning the network to keep the show on the air. It worked, and NBC renewed the show, but cut its budget and moved it to the dreaded ‘Friday night death slot.’ In protest Roddenberry resigned from the show and NBC canceled the show after its third season.

After its cancellation, the franchise’s new owner, Paramount sold the syndication rights to the show in an effort to help recoup the original series’ production losses. Reruns began in the fall of 1969 and by the late 1970s the series aired in over 150 domestic and 60 international markets. This helped the show develop a cult following, and convinced Roddenberry to begin developing a new series, Star Trek: Phase II, in 1975. And as science fiction movies in the mid-1970s blossomed (Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind), Paramount adapted the planned pilot episode of Phase II into the feature film, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and the rest is history.

So after 47 years, five television series and 11 motion pictures, the 12th movie Star Trek: Into Darkness is about to premier. This will be the second picture of this new franchise, starring Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana and Zachary Quinto and directed by J.J. Abrams of LOST fame. The first movie in 2009 grossed $385 million and made Star Trek viable, vibrant and cool again. Early reviews say this one is even better, and we’re sure lines will be forming well before the first opening. We know because we’ll be there.

Photos:
http://a.abcnews.go.com/images/Entertainment/ld_star_trek_cast_ll_120820_wmain.jpg
http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/underwire/2009/05/spock_kirk_660.jpg

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_No_Man_Has_Gone_Before
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek
http://www.roddenberry.com/corporate-gene-biography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Roddenberry

Some of the biggest stars in film got their start on the small screen. Some of them became world famous while still on television, and other became big stars after making the transition to film. Many of these actors are listed among the highest paid actors in Hollywood. Let’s take a look at some of the big film stars whose road to stardom started on television.

Tom Hanks: With so many successful films—Sleepless in Seattle, Forest Gump, Philadelphia, Apollo 13, Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away, Toy Story, and The Di Vinci Code—it’s hard to believe that Tom Hanks got his first big break on television. He playing the role of Kip Wilson in the ABC comedy Bosom Buddies (1980-1982); and after the show went off the air, he continued in television doing guest appearances on show such as Taxi, Family Ties and Happy Days. It was while he was working on Happy Days that Hanks met Ron Howard, who decided to cast Hank’s as the lead in his movie Splash.

George Clooney: It is even harder to believe that George Clooney worked as a television actor for two decades before his film career really took off. Everyone knows he became famous while played Dr. Doug Ross on NBC’s hit medical drama ER (1994-1999); but did you know that in the fifteen years before that, he played many small reoccurring roles on television shows such as The Facts of Life and Roseanne. Clooney started making films—including Batman and Robin and Three Kings—while still working on ER. After leaving the show, his career really began to take off, with films such as The Perfect Storm and Ocean’s Eleven.

Jennifer Lawrence: With her Academy Award for Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook and the incredible success of The Hunger Games, it seems as if Jennifer Lawrence was an overnight success. But Lawrence too started her acting career in television. For three years, she played Lauren on the TBS sitcom The Bill Engvall Show (2007-2009). She also had guest appearances on shows such as Cold Case, Medium, and Monk. Lawrence started making film while still working in television; and in 2010, her film career got a big boost when she received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in the film Winter’s Bones.

Johnny Depp: Although Johnny Depp started his acting career with a few small roles in feature films, he became well known by playing Officer Tom Hanson on the television series 21 Jump Street (1987-1990). After that, when Depp went back to acting for the big screen, he was getting lead roles in films such as Cry Baby, Edward Scissorhands, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Ed Wood, Donnie Brasco, and Sleepy Hollow. Then in 2003, he hit incredible box office success with The Pirates of the Caribbean. But even with all that success, it’s apparent that Depp hasn’t forgotten his television roots: he returned to the role of Office Tom Hanson in a very funny un-credited appearance in the 2010 film version of 21 Jump Street

Leonardo DiCaprio: In his teen years, Leonardo DiCaprio did a few commercials and got quite a few roles on television. He had a reoccurring role on the soap opera Santa Barbara; and was a cast member on the short running series Parenthood and the sitcom Growing Pains. Then, in 1992, he got his big break in feature films. Robert De Niro chose him to play the lead role in This Boy’s Life. After that, he got the opportunity to work with Johnny Depp in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and also played the kid in The Quick and the Dead. Then in 1997, he played Jack Dawson in Titanic, and became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood.

Reality television has been around for almost as long as television itself, and some of the most popular early television shows were reality based. Many of today’s reality television shows are just new takes on concepts that started in the early years of television, or even on radio. So let’s take a brief look at how reality television started, and how it evolved into the popular shows we love today.

Though there is no agreement on what can be called the first reality show, “The Original Amateur Hour” hosted by Ted Mack gets a lot of votes. The show debuted in 1948, and was the continuation of a radio talent show that aired from 1934-1945. The show featured amateur singers, dancers, musicians, comics and novelty acts who competed for a chance to go on to finals held at Madison Square Garden. Viewers voted by telephone or postcard, and the winners had a chance for fame and fortune—sound familiar.

Another show often considered to be the first reality television show is Alan Funt’s “Candid Camera,” which Funt adapted from his radio show “Candid Microphone” in 1948. The show involved concealed cameras that filmed ordinary people in unusual situations, like trying to pull a $100 bill from under a car tire. When the joke was revealed, victims would be told the show’s catchphrase, “Smile, you’re on Candid Camera.” The popularity of both or these early reality shows made it clear to the networks that viewers enjoyed watching ordinary people that were just like them.

In 1973, a PBS documentary series called the “An American Family” brought a new concept to reality television: What would happen if television camera’s followed ordinary people through their daily lives. The show’s creators were inspired by Andy Warhol’s 1966 documentary style film “Chelsea Girls” which followed the daily lives of various artists living in and around the Chelsea Hotel. For the television show, they filmed the everyday lives of an American family over the course of seven months, and they ended up with more than enough true-life drama to create a captivating twelve episode series.

Other shows that focused on the lives of everyday people were also popular; including the series “Real People” that featured people with unusual skills or talents, and “TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes” which established that America loves seeing celebrities in more candid moments too. At this point, reality television was steadily gaining in popularity with the American audience.

Then, in 1988, a five month strike by the members of the Writers Guild of America changed television forever. Because the drama and comedy show writers weren’t around to create fresh content for their shows, the networks had to turn to reality television to get fresh content on the air. Shows created at that time, such as “COPS” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” became very popular, and they gave an ever increasing numbers of ordinary people their 15 minutes of fame. And, not only were the networks thrilled with how popular these shows were becoming, they were also interested in creating more reality shows because they were a lot cheaper to make than the scripted show that had large production costs and highly paid stars.

As the number of channels on television continued to grow, so did the number of reality shows. Shows were created to appeal to all the different interest groups that watched the various new channels. MTV created “The Real World” in 1992, by adding a new twist to the concepts created in “An American Family”—they filmed eight young strangers living together in one house. Other basic cable channels developed reality shows based on their viewer’s interest, such as cooking contests and home improvement challenges.

The big networks noticed that they were starting to lose market share to these channels so they started airing even more ambitions reality television shows such as CBS’s “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race.” And that definitely paid off as some of those shows—such as FOX’s “American Idol”—became the top shows on television. Today, half the shows listed in the latest Nielson weekly Top 10 shows for network primetime broadcast in the US are reality shows; which makes it clear that reality television is here to stay.

Photos:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Original_Amateur_Hour
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DXT-KPTRvWc/UULn2a4z5II/AAAAAAAAQH8/PtnFtRJy-uQ/s1600/american-idol-(gett_871ea2d.jpg

Resources:
Reality TV: An Insiders Guide to TV’s Hottest Market, by Troy DeVolld
http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/top10s.html
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/writers-guild-of-america-strike-begins
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Original_Amateur_Hour

When a screenwriter is creating a script for a movie or television show, they always have much more information than they can ever use to tell their story. It is up to them to decide which pieces of information are important and which are not, and then determine how they will present that information to the audience. Characters, events, settings, circumstances, and objects in the story may have a history or significant details that are important to the understanding of the story. Information that is essential to the audience’s understanding of the story may need to be revealed at a specific time and in a particular way in order to prevent audience confusion. The conveying of this essential information is called exposition. Screenwriters use exposition to reveal relevant information about the backstory or explain what is difficult to understand. Exposition presents the information that the audience needs to make sense of the story.

In most well written screenplays, this essential information is presented in the most natural way possible: through the story’s action, through images, and, when necessary, through realistic dialogue. The written word can also be used for exposition, and is usually used to establish time and place or a short history of events which are about to take place in the story (“London 1891” or “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”). Voice-over and flashbacks are often used for exposition and, though there are many examples in film and television where they are used very successfully, many critics believe that they are often used inappropriately, especially by novice screenwriters. Voice-overs can be used to simply explain the necessary information directly to the audience, but they can also result in less creative and visually dramatic story telling. Flashbacks, if not done extremely well, can actually add to audience confusion.

In discussing the proper use of exposition, Alfred Hitchcock said that “these scenes are a must,” especially when “accounting for a number of strange, bizarre events.” In his films, Hitchcock strove to use exposition only when necessary and to make it as natural and unnoticeable as possible:

“…like all exposition; it’s a pill that has to be sugar coated. In other words, you are telling the audience, giving them some information, that at the time you give it, it must appear to be something else.”

The opening sequence of a film or television show is often used to convey the information that the audience will need to understand the characters and the context of the story. This is often done through the use of visual images and action rather than through dialogue. In the first four minutes of the pilot for the series LOST, before any character speaks a full line of dialogue, we get an incredible amount of the information we will need to make sense of the story. We meet a character lying in a jungle but wearing a suit and tie; he is confused, afraid and hurt; there’s a mini liquor bottle in his pocket; he runs toward loud noises and ends up on a beach; a passenger jet has crashed on the beach; the engine is still running so it just happened; he runs toward the crash; people are crying out in pain and confusion; he runs to help; he is capable and brave. Presenting the exposition at the beginning of a story visually rather than through dialogue is usually much more effective.

Presenting exposition in a natural way can be very challenging, especially if it must be placed within dialogue. Even when written and acted extremely well, exposition in dialogue can seem awkward and unnatural because these types of explanations are rarely part of real life conversation. The following dialogue is an example of exposition from the scene in Skyfall where M (played by Judi Dench) has been summoned to Gareth Mallory’s (played by Ralph Fines) office:

M: “Forgive me, but why am I here?”

Gareth Mallory: “Three months ago, you lost the computer drive containing the identity of almost every NATO agent embedded in terrorist organizations across the globe. A list, which in the eyes of our allies, never existed. So, if you will forgive me, I think you know why you’re here.”

 Yes, M does know why she’s there, and she knows exactly when the computer drive was lost, and what was on the computer drive, and the international consequences of losing the list; but, the audience needs that information to make sense of the story, so it needed to be expressed in some way. This type of exposition—presenting information that the audience needs but all the characters already have—is the most difficult to do well.

The other type of exposition—presenting information that some of the characters don’t already know—is much less challenging to accomplish. But even with this type of exposition, the necessary information is usually presented as quickly and unobtrusively as possible. This can be done through simple techniques such as one character showing something to another, a conversation in which questions are answered, or when a character confesses a secret. When exposition is presented in a conversation, it can be more effective if one of the characters has to work at obtaining information from the other.

When a lot of detailed information needs to be given at one time, certain techniques are used to make the presentation of the information seem a natural part of the story. Some commonly used techniques include briefings (presidential briefings in The Day After Tomorrow and 24), a visual presentation of collected clues or evidence (the collage in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and the touch screen in Hawaii Five-0), short videos or films (the ‘dino’ DNA video in Jurassic Park and the Dharma training films in LOST), and questioning an expert (the shark expert in Jaws and CDC expert in The Walking Dead.) The list could go on and on, there’s the guided tour, the press briefing, the network news report, and of course, the detailed confession—no James Bond movie would be complete, or comprehensible, without the villain’s detailed confession of their sinister plan.

As Alfred Hitchcock said, like it or not, exposition is necessary to make sure that the audience doesn’t leave the theater completely confused. When done badly, exposition disrupts the story’s action and draws attention to itself; but when done well, the necessary information can actually be added in such a way that it moves the action forward, thereby creating a much more interesting and enjoyable story for the audience to follow.

Screenwriting for Dummies, by Laura Schellhardt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0Ckf3YMfZE

The Script Selling Game, by Kathie Fong Yoneda

Most of us over the age of 13 (HBO’s “The Sopranos” debuted in 1999) grew up in a television world where network programming reigned supreme. A lot of debate has been given to network-programming quality versus cable programming. And for the most part, during the first half of the aughts, the Emmys’ Drama Series category nominations were dominated by network shows, with the exception of the peppering of a “The Sopranos” here and a “Six Feet Under” there.

Last night’s Emmys showcased a Drama Series category completely devoid of any network nominations. And, here is how the rest of the cable vs. network saga breaks down.

9 total wins for the networks; 22 total wins for cable

NBC won zero(!) awards

Not one network show was even nominated for Best Drama this year

Out of the 9 network wins, “Modern Family” won 4 of the awards

4 out of the top 5 total award winners came from cable:
Cable
“Game of Thrones” 6
“Homeland” 6
“Game Change” 5
“Hatfields & McCoys” 5
Network
“Modern Family” 5

Wins for programs (as opposed to individuals starring in programs) were split: networks 2, cable 3
Cable
– “Homeland” (Drama Series)
– “Game Change” (Miniseries or Movie)
– “The Daily Show” (Variety Series)
Network
– “The Amazing Race” (Competition Program)
– “Modern Family” (Comedy Series)

Wins for individuals were split networks 7, cable 18

Network with the most cumulative awards is ABC, 5

Cable network with the most awards is HBO, 6

Granted, Emmy awards are not a definitive judgment on the quality of a television show. But, they are significant indications of the shift in what people are watching, and what viewers and pundits consider to be quality television.

* Wins are considered the awards awarded during the primetime telecast

The Wall Street Journal once reported on WebTV: “Zenith Electronics is planning a television set that will incorporate a microprocessor and modem, as well as technology developed by Diba Inc. that allows viewers to surf the Web via a remote control device.”  — May 10, 1996 Edition

WebTV never really caught on with consumers. The technology was ahead of its time. Without streaming video and television services prevalent at the time, WebTV was essentially an Internet browser for a TV, marketed to people who wanted the convenience of email without the inconvenience of buying a bulky desktop computer. My, how times have changed.

Forbes magazine reported in February that Internet-based TV is catching on with every viewing demographic and the trend shows no signs of slowing. “While people are still watching much more traditional TV than streaming video, our data shows we’re on a clear and irreversible course toward an IP-delivered future,” said Bismarck Lepe, co-founder and president of products for Ooyala.

The two frontrunners vying for the hearts and minds of today’s programming-hungry masses are Apple TV and Google TV.

At their cores, Apple TV and Google TV operate much like a smartphone – providing apps, so that customers can choose their viewing destiny. There are, however, subtle differences between the two services.

Both services require the customer to buy hardware that easily connects to a cable box (Google TV) or a television (Apple TV) through an HDMI cable. Apple TV hardware is made by Apple, while Google TV hardware (called the Buddy Box) is produced by a third-party (Sony and Vizio), and some newer TVs come with Google TV included.

Apple TV’s featured apps include Hulu Plus, Netflix and Vimeo apps, while also providing original programming from the Wall Street Journal and a limited amount of programming from the NBA, NHL and MLB networks (game recaps, not games). Google TV’s featured apps include HBO GO, Netflix, Amazon, Pandora and original programming from Crackle. While access to these apps is included, customers still must pay monthly for the actual services (Netflix, Hulu Plus, etc.). So while you have access to Netflix software, you still have to pay for the monthly service if you want the programming.

It’s a close race for which service is better. The technology is still too new with too few users for a clear victor to emerge. But as customers become more familiar with the benefits of these devices and more developers enter the market, it’s likely that Apple, Google or a player to be named later will dominate the Internet TV market.

Everyone thinks their boss is the worst in the world. Probably because we all wake up at a time we find to be too early, wear clothes we think are too uncomfortable and then answer to people who we think “make too much money.” TV has been capitalizing on the nuances of the American workplace politics for years and has produced some very memorable bosses.

David Brent (“The Office” U.K.) – British people have to work, too. A consummate professional at making employees feel awkward, David Brent (Ricky Gervais) of the original “The Office” is always looking to one-up employees, other executives or even a visiting consultant delivering a team-building exercise.

Best Quote: “What is the single most important thing for a company? Is it the building? Is it the stock? Is it the turnover? It’s the people, investment in people. My proudest moment here wasn’t when I increased profits by 17 percent or cut expenditure without losing a single member of staff. No. It was a young Greek guy, first job in the country, hardly spoke a word of English, but he came to me and he went ‘Mr. Brent, will you be the Godfather to my child?’ Didn’t happen in the end. We had to let him go, he was rubbish. He was rubbish.”

 _____________________________

Michael Scott (“The Office” U.S.) – Attention seeking, approval needing and self-proclaimed office funny man, Michael Scott is the American employee’s worst nightmare and we can’t mention David Brent without mentioning Mr. Brent’s kinda-sorta U.S version. Whether he is calling an unnecessary meeting, inadvertently sexually harassing or violating racial interaction standards, Scott finds a way to make “Office” fans simultaneously cringe and laugh, root for and root against.

Best Quote: “Toby is in HR, which technically means he works for corporate, so he’s really not a part of our family. Also, he’s divorced, so he’s really not a part of his family.”

_____________________________

Leon Carp (“Roseanne”) – Breaking TV ground as an out-of-the-closet gay man, Leon Carp (Martin Mull) was typically the brunt of employee Roseanne’s jokes for many reasons. Whether at Rodbell’s diner, where he managed Roseanne, or at the Lunch Box, which Roseanne and her sister Jackie owned, Leon was frequently the butt of many jokes.

Best Quote: “I don’t smell the co-mingled scents of sweat and Jean Naté. Can I assume that Roseanne’s not in today?”

_____________________________

Chris Traeger (“Parks and Recreation”) – As city manager, Rob Lowe plays an ultra fit, ultra sincere, ultra annoying boss. He frequently overemphasizes the word “literally,” using it incorrectly, while imparting his carefully crafted advice to employees.

Best Quote: “And then my herbalist took this weird bee pollen paste, rubbed it around my gums, and now my mouth feels like a spaceship.”

_____________________________

Mr. Peterman (“Seinfeld”) – A long-winded world traveler, who is never short on personal anecdotes or tedious stories about his high-end clothing line.

Best Quote: “I’m afraid it’s your urine, Elaine. You’ve tested positive for opium. That’s right. White Lotus. Yam-yam. Shanghai Sally.”

_____________________________

Mr. Pitt (“Seinfeld”) – We can’t mention one  great “Seinfeld” boss without mentioning 2 more hilarious guys.  None of the characters on the show, including Elaine, really knew what she did for her boss Mr. Pitt. Whether being his proxy at a board meeting, tending to him at his deathbed, or just buying him socks, the interaction between the two was always magical.

Best Quote: “Oh, forget about those!”

AND

Kruger (“Seinfeld”) – The CEO of Kruger Industrial smoothing cares about nothing. Not even his own company.

Best Quote: “K-ooger that sounds like one of those old-time car horns, doesn’t it? K-ooger, k-oooger!”

_____________________________

Bob Kelso (“Scrubs”) – Uncooperative, unforgiving and unlikeable, Bob Kelso (Ken Jenkins) torments the staff of his hospital, where he approaches life-and-death situations with calculated indifference.

Best Quote: “I’m tired of patients complaining about being called dummos, tubbos, smokers and jamokers. Whatever the heck jamokers means.”

_____________________________

Mr. Burns (“The Simpsons”) – Ruthless and maniacal, Montgomery Burns holds the town of Springfield in his bony-fingered grasp. The Batman to Smithers’ Robin, the tag team makes Homer Simpson’s life of underachieving far more difficult than it should be.

Best Quote: “Excellent.”

Fall. Don’t mourn the end of summer, set your sights on the endless parade of television premieres that the TV Guide article below dubs Fall TV-Must Watch New Shows.

Buck up, there are 23 new shows that earn this ‘must-see’ label.

Really, 23?

Among the 23 there has to be something for everyone who has ever grasped a remote control or paid a cable bill.

You’ll find all of the usual suspects on the list: Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi, Reality…

As well as plenty of faces – male and female – that you’ve seen before. With hospitals, suburbia, a firehouse, a courtroom, a police station, and a government agency, there are plenty of places that you’ve seen before as well.

Don’t misunderstand, shows don’t have to push the envelope and be completely, utterly different than anything that has come before to be ‘must-see!’ programming. I just happen to think that we, as a viewing audience, will be fortunate to have one of these shows end up on our own personal must-see list.

I’m hoping one of the comedy offerings does it for me. I love Matthew Perry (Friends) and adore Mindy Kaling (The Office), who I will get to see in Go On and The Mindy Project, respectively. And since I court controversy like it’s my job, I am looking forward to The New Normal, which has already been boycotted by a group of angry moms.

As a lover of comedy, I must admit I fail to give other genres their fair share in my viewing rotation. I count on all of you to sift through the sci-fi, drama, etc. to determine which shows are truly the winners among the list of 23.

Choose wisely!

Until Next Time…

http://www.tvguide.com/special/fall-preview/PhotoGallery/Fall-TV-Watch-1050580/1050596

“A Different World, “The Jeffersons” and “Caprica.”

What do they all have in common? Not much really – except that they’re all spinoffs from other shows.

A spinoff is a great way to capitalize on the popularity of an existing show, while creating an autonomous series for networks who are hungry to fill timeslots, but not  so hungry for the risk involved with developing a brand new concept.

“A Different World” ran on NBC from September 24, 1987 – July 9, 1993 and was spun off from “The Cosby Show.” “DW” focused on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) and the life of students at Hillman College, a fictional mixed but historically black college in the state of Virginia. After Bonet’s departure in the first season, the remainder of the series primarily focused more on all-black college and on Southern belle Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy) and mathematics whiz Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison).

Of course, there are successful spinoffs and not-so-successful spinoffs. “The Simpsons” spunoff from “The Tracey Ullman Show,” starting as a crudely drawn short used to fill time between Ullman’s sketch pieces. Now it’s the longest-running American sitcom, the longest-running American animated program, and in 2009 it surpassed “Gunsmoke” as the longest-running American primetime, scripted television series.

On the flipside of that coin, you have “Baywatch Nights,” which tried to fuse the success of slow-motion running with the appeal of private detective shows like “The Rockford Files.” “Nights” starred David Hasselhoff as Mitch and his buddy Garner Ellerbee (Gregory Alan Williams), along with a pre-”Law & Order” Angie Harmon as Ryan, a fellow gumshoe. This wipeout sunk in its second season and never resurfaced. Years later, we were treated to another spinoff: Hasselhoff eating a cheeseburger on a hotel’s bathroom floor.

Fascinating Factoids:

“All in the Family” spinoffs include “Maude,” (1972-1978) “The Jeffersons” (1975-1985) and not surprisingly “Archie Bunkers Place” (1979-1983).  “Maude” would later have a spinoff of its own with “Good Times.”

The most successful spinoff is “The Simpsons” – the longest-running sitcom of all time.

“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” spun off “Rhoda,” “Phyllis,” and “Lou Grant.”

“Angel” was spun off of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Private Practice” was spun off of “Grey’s Anatomy” (both while the original series was still running)

“Frasier” was spun off of “Cheers” after the lights in the bar were shut off (both series ran for 11 seasons each)

After “Friends” ended in 2004, Joey Tribbiani’s character moved to Hollywood and the series “Joey” began (it only ran for 2 seasons)

“Happy Days” had many successful spinoffs, including “Mork & Mindy” and “Laverne & Shirley”

MTV’s reality show “The City” is a spinoff of “The Hills,” which is a spinoff of “Laguna Beach.”

“The Brady Bunch” had many spinoffs, including “The Bradys,” “The Brady Brides,” and “The Brady Bunch Variety Hour.”

CBS’s “NCIS” (Spinoff of JAG) increased the size of its audience in all but one of its first seven seasons, a rare feat for any series. “NCIS” also has a successful spinoff – “NCIS: Los Angeles”

“The Archie Show” is credited with 14 spinoffs, according to Wikipedia.

“The Golden Palace” was a “The Golden Girls” spinoff (sans Bea Arthur) and ran for only one season on CBS.

There have been two versions of “Beverly Hills, 90210” (1990-2000, 2008-) and “Melrose Place,” (1992-1999, 2009-2010) which was spunoff from “90210.”

For better or worse, there will always be spinoffs, as network execs scramble for “surefire” hits. Here is a list of the best and worst spinoff since 1990, according to Zap2it.