Standing Taaaall … on the Wings of My Pajiba
The Daily Trade Round-Up / The TV Whore
Nov. 21, 2007
Trade News | November 21, 2007 | Comments (26)
Because the WGA strike marches forward, there’s not a ton of TV news outside of the strike ramifications. However, one piece of TV-related news has me so happy that we do the Dance of Joy. Yup — on February 5, the first and second seasons of “Perfect Strangers” is hitting the DVD shelves! That’s right, mother fuckers — 28 episodes for the low, low price of under-$30. Twenty-eight episodes of a show which, if you can believe it, actually garnered three Emmy nominations over it’s eight season run. (Am I the only one shocked to realize the show ran for eight seasons?) For the younger Pajiba readers who don’t have the warm memories of this show, it was about Balki Bartokomous, an immigrant from Mypos who moved in with his high-strung cousin Larry. And hijinks ensued. I don’t know much about the DVDs except that they’ll include a montage of Balki’s Dance of Joy, but I will say this — I have legitimately fond memories of a scene with Balki and Larry trying on skis in their living room. And hijinks ensued. If that’s from an episode in this set, I may actually buy this. “But TV Whore,” you ask, “will you buy it even if that episode isn’t included?”
Truthfully? …Of course I will. Don’t be re-di-coo-lus.
Blah blah blah, “Celebrity Apprentice” cast is officially revealed, blah blah blah, starts airing on January 7, blah blah blah … wait, Omarosa is one of the cast members? Can you really be on the celebrity edition of a show which is the only thing you’re known for in the first place? Fucking Donald Trump.
OK, let’s turn to strike-related news. The biggest news came down late last Friday, when it was announced that the writers and producers have actually agreed get back to talking. Next Monday, the bestest of friends will sit down at the negotiating table and try to work things out and, in the meantime, they’ve both agreed to a news blackout, so we won’t get any other details or official press statements. But there will be rumor and innuendo aplenty, naturally. And of course, getting these folks back to the table is only the first step, so who knows how long things will actually take. But maybe there’s hope that this will all resolve in a shorter time frame than many feared.
One thing that may help a relatively quick resolution is the impact this strike is now having on the actors. Universal Media Studios has started suspending actors, and it’s a move other studios will likely follow over time. The agreement between the studios and the Screen Actors Guild includes a “force majeure” provision, which says either side can basically bail on the contract if business is disrupted by an outside force out of their control, which is exactly what has happened. So actors from shows like “The Office.” “30 Rock” and “Bionic Woman” have been put on a five-week suspension, and they’ll only receive half-pay. At the end of that five weeks, both sides have the option to go back to full-pay or to end the contract. This means the studios are going to feel a big push to get things resolved in five weeks. Otherwise, it’s not hard to imagine folks like Alec Baldwin and Steve Carell opting out of their contracts. Then, when the WGA strike finally does resolve, the studios will have to deal with renegotiations with those pesky actors, which will continue to keep production offline and will surely result in a higher cost to the studios.
Meanwhile, more shows have closed shop as the lack of scripts takes its toll. Now it’s no huge loss that “Bionic Woman” has stopped filming and gone on hiatus/suspension, but it pains my heart that “Battlestar Galactica” has worked through its finished scripts as well. This surely means that fans are going to get horked, as it’s increasingly likely that the network will now have to split the last season in two as it so desperately wants to do. So this last season is going to be a long and slow burn. …Damn it! Who the frak is the last cylon? If I have to wait until 2009 to find out, I’m gonna murder someone.
Meanwhile, despite the strike, ABC announced a full-season order for “Dirty Sexy Money,” which does please me. It’s not a great show, and barely a good show, but I find it very entertaining in a gossipy, low-brow way. Of course, the back-nine order doesn’t mean much right now, since there obviously aren’t any scripts, but a sooner-rather-than-later resolution to the strike means we could get a full season of the Tripp family (but if they want to do away with the priest, you’d get no complaints from me — terrible storyline, and that guy is an awful actor). And over at NBC, the Peacock is turning to the net, picking up “Quarterlife” for a network run. The online show, consisting of 36 eight-minute episodes about some 20-somethings, will show up on air sometime next year in six one-hour episodes. And there’s actually a connection between these two stories, as word has it that Lolita Davidovich has signed on for a recurring role on “Dirty Sexy Money,” and she’s currently on “Quarterlife.” So there’s that.
Back to strike news, there’s a bit of a controversy brewing with Fox, which decided to give the big finger to Seth MacFarlane, the creator/producer/star of “Family Guy.” On Sunday, the network aired an episode of the show which MacFarlane had worked on and mostly finished, but which he hadn’t signed off as he’d stopped working to join the picket lines. MacFarlane said that he thought it would “be a colossal dick move” if Fox aired the show but, despite his protestations, Fox did just that. There are two more episodes of the show that are also close-but-not-quite done, and unless there’s a huge uproar/backlash, one imagines Fox will be airing them as well. The manatees who actually write “Family Guy” were initially unavailable for comment, but eventually said that this reminded them of the time they were hanging out with Vinnie Barbarino in Mr. Kot-ter’s classroom, and Horshack wheezed up a hairball.
Fucking manatees.
While reviews have been slightly-better-than-lukewarm, I don’t care — I miss my “Battlestar” and will take whatever I can get. So a friendly reminder that SciFi will be airing the TV flick “Battlestar Galactica: Razor” this Saturday, the 24th. The flick will also be coming to DVD on December 4, and die hard fans are going to want to see the DVD version, which will have about 17 minutes that were excised out of the TV version (mostly for time restraints, not because of hardcore nudity or the such).
Now this is the best thing I’ve seen all week, maybe all month. Fox has released some promo posters for the upcoming “The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” You can check out all four of them over at EW, but this one of Summer Glau is the real money. It’s just fantastic. Glau actually ranks third on my personal list of “Firefly” hotties, but she’s still a good looking gal and I can’t help it — I find her strangely more enticing with her robot business all hanging out. She can terminate me any time. Know what I’m saying?
And nothing need be said about the video clip I leave you with:
Aw hell, here’s one more for you. Happy Slapsgiving y’all….
Seth Freilich is Pajiba’s television editor. He thinks a show where Balki moves in with the Glau-minator would be the best. show. ever.
Comments
Posted by: Todd at November 21, 2007 10:03 AM
I've heard that some shows, due to the strike, have actually survived longer than they might have otherwise, with the networks basically saying, "What the hell else are we gonna show?" Any truth to that?