Episode 101: The Cooler Gang celebrates Halloween by obsessing over Netflix’s Black Mirror. And some other things too…
This week at the Water Cooler, in observance of All Hallows Eve, we take a look at three thrilling television shows new this Fall that range in scariness from titillating to terrifying. First up, we look at FOX’s remake of the cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, unnecessarily subtitled “Let’s Do the Time Warp Again.” Does the remake stand with previous versions of the musical? What does it offer that previous versions haven’t? Speaking of remakes, we take a SPOILERY look at FOX’s other big thriller remake, The Exorcist. Finally, we look into (and obsess over) Black Mirror, Netflix’s sci-fi/horror series that echoes the great The Twilight Zone.
As always, we’ll close with the Flash Forward to the television we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.
Thanks for listening and remember to rate us on iTunes!
06:02 – The Subject of Gore in The Walking Dead and American Horror Story: Roanoke
12:40 – The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again
25:50 – The Exorcist (***SPOILERS***)
40:32 – Black Mirror
01:01:20 – Flash Forward
HBO’s Tracey Ullman’s Show offers another strong platform for Ullman’s incredible talents
Tracey Ullman’s Show provides further evidence that Tracey Ullman is an international treasure. More than just an impressionist, Ullman often creates odd and ultimately sympathetic portraits of her characters. This new series, airing on HBO after premiering earlier on the BBC, follows the same formula as her previous efforts. It affords Ullman the opportunity to continue to mass produce endearing portraits of female (and sometimes male) oddities. Based on the pilot, the show falls into the mostly amusing category if not outright hilarious. I’m fine with that, honestly, as it is always a pleasure to welcome Tracey Ullman onto network television.
The Tracey Ullman’s Show strongest sections offer her take on famous personalities. Nothing in the episode compares to the brilliance of her dead-on Dame Judi Dench characterization, although her Angela Merkel comes very close. Both portraits illustrate these powerful women in everyday circumstances and playfully poke fun at their inherent quirks. This show and Ullman’s talents remain more than just impressions – they’re real characters. No one does this quite as well as Tracey Ullman.
The rest of the episode features newly created characters. While there’s nothing particularly wrong with them, they’re not nearly as exciting as her take on famous persons. The pilot spends a lot of time with Karen who returns to the UK after a 28-year prison sentence in Thailand for being a drug mule. I didn’t find Karen particularly funny as this character squarely fits into the extreme pathos category. The episode closes with a well intended but awfully dry tap dance number in a shuttered library.
Twenty years ago, Tracey Ullman’s Show would garner its star another Emmy nomination if not a win. However, it remains to be seen how much of an impact this series would make given the altered TV landscape. Still, you could do a lot worse than spend a half-hour with Tracey Ullman’s genius comic talents.
Tracey Ullman’s Show premieres tonight at 11pm ET on HBO.
This is the first post in an on-going Awards Tracker series focusing on what network TV shows have awards heat through the winter and into next year’s Emmy season.
Fall awards season can make or break a new TV show, especially on network TV. Just last year, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and critics shockingly awarded an unknown Rachel Bloom for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, giving the little-seen musical enough buzz to be saved from cancellation. The year before, Gina Rodriguez had her “a star is born moment” and was then almost immediately cast into the Star Wars universe. Ten years ago, SAG and the HFPA gave Desperate Housewives the top award long before it even competed at the Emmys.
However in 2016 network TV hasn’t brought us any huge successes besides continuing the trend of giving aging 90’s stars uninteresting material (Matt LeBlanc, Damon Wayans, Kevin James) instead of creating a new star. 2016 may not have given us the next Shondaland hit or a FOX camp classic, but there are some new shows worth mentioning even if it’s becoming increasingly unlikely for the guild awards or the Emmys to throw a bone network TV’s way. They haven’t honored a network show in its premiere year since Grey’s Anatomy and Lost for dramas and Glee and Modern Family for comedies. At least the HFPA and BTJA are much more likely to open their arms. These are the four broadcast shows to keep an eye on this awards season.
This Is Us
After years of near irrelevancy, NBC finally has the most buzzed about show of the TV season with their family dramedy This Is Us. Critics are embracing the show, it continues to grow in ratings, and Entertainment Weekly even gave it a cover story over shows with much more star power. Even with all that success, the show still has an upward battle in terms of awards momentum. Broadcast dramas are having an increasingly difficult time breaking through (only Empire and The Good Wife have been successful), and it took seasons for the voting groups to even acknowledge NBC’s other generational drama, Parenthood.
If critics, guild members, and the HFPA choose to ignore the excessive schmaltz of This Is Us and attempt to reward one of the only new shows curbing the decline of network TV, they’ll likely champion either Emmy-winner Sterling K. Brown or newcomer Chrissy Metz. HFPA voters could easily be swayed to honor Brown for his current work instead of honoring something for which he has already won an Emmy, especially since all of the supporting genres are combined at the Globes. Critics, on the other hand, are more likely to honor Chrissy Metz the breakout performance on any network show this fall.
Best Bet
Supporting Actress, Chrissy Metz: Critics Choice
Possible Contenders
Supporting Actor, Sterling K. Brown: Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice
Worth Mentioning
Drama Series: Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice
(Photo: ABC)
Speechless
Ten years ago, a Minnie Driver-led sitcom about a lower-middle-class family with a physically disabled son would emerge as the most embraced comedy on television. Driver without a doubt would be the front-runner for every major award. However, the network TV landscape changed, and, as groundbreaking as ABC’s inclusive lineup is, guild members and the foreign press aren’t as impressed anymore although the BTJA always makes an effort to honor a sitcom for every HBO or streaming hit.
Even if Speechless is bound to be pushed aside for a wave of auteur comedies, the show still has a chance of being honored through lead nominations for its star, Academy Award-nominee Minnie Driver. The HFPA loves Oscar nominees, and they love Brits so Driver should be an easy sell. The critics nominated just about every leading mother of an ABC comedy since the awards began six years ago. In a sea of Wendi McLendon-Coveys, Patricia Heatons, and Martha Plimptons, there stands a strong likelihood that Minnie Driver doesn’t factor in at the Critics’ Choice.
Strongest Contender
Lead Actress in a Comedy, Minnie Driver: Critics’ Choice, Golden Globes
(Photo: ABC)
Designated Survivor
The Hollywood Foreign Press loves to bring back old stars to the champagne table (James Spader in The Blacklist, Rob Lowe in The Grinder to name a few), and, other than Sarah Jessica Parker, there is no bigger returning icon on TV this year than Kiefer Sutherland. After winning just about every major award, his return to television was inevitable, and there’s no better way to entice awards groups to welcome him back than turning him into a politician and having him watch the rest of Washington literally explode.
Sutherland appears as the saving grace of network TV, but Designated Survivor doesn’t emerge as the type of drama that critics, journalists, and guild members get excited over. Kerry Washington reaped a lot of nominations for Scandal, but the show never received top recognition anywhere. The Good Wife started off strong, but everyone from the HFPA to SAG became distracted by flashier streaming and cable shows. Quantico can only boast a People’s Choice Award – and a minor one at that. If Designated Survivor was an unavoidable ratings juggernaut, the case exists for a series nomination. Yet, with ratings quickly diminishing to half of what the premiere produced, the show feels easy to write off.
Possible Contender
Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Kiefer Sutherland: Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice
(Photo: NBC)
Superstore
Superstore is a small show that, after a year of word of mouth from everyone from NPR to our own ADTV, the show is slowly becoming one of the most surprising sleeper hits of 2016. The workplace comedy doesn’t seem like an obvious awards contender, but it boasts a few interesting factors going for it even if the show won’t be anywhere near the guild awards.
America Ferrera has been a Golden Globes staple ever since the HFPA turned her into the television darling of the year. She received two more nominations and a hilarious presenting spot in last year’s ceremony. Bringing Ferrera back to the party would also be the easiest way for the foreign press to honor their host network.
Even if Superstore lacks contender status at the Golden Globes, the workplace comedy demonstrates the potential as the perfect type of comedy that the critics love to pretend they “discovered” at the Critics’ Choice awards. Critics love to honor breakout performances (like Eden Sher), and no other supporting actor fits that bill more than Lauren Ash, although the chances of the Second City alumna standing out against a sea of big names seems incredibly unlikely.
Possible Contenders
Supporting Actress in a Comedy, Lauren Ash: Critics Choice
Worth Mentioning
Lead Actress in a Comedy, America Ferrera: Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice
Other Possibilities
Of course there are other big names that might pop up this season, especially if the foreign press resorts back to their star gawking ways. Geena Davis is earning positive reviews for FOX’s remake of The Exorcist. With three wins and eleven total nominations, Ted Danson (The Good Place) merits consideration at the Golden Globes, especially if NBC Universal campaigns for him. Kylie Bunbury (Pitch) could become the ingénue of awards season just like Gina Rodriguez was two years ago, although the show is one that critics seem to adore even if it is sinking in ratings.
What new broadcast shows are you predicting to emerge as awards favorites at the end of the year? What new shows are you hoping break out throughout awards season?
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life has a full trailer but will Emmy care?
Full confession: I have never seen more than a single clip from Gilmore Girls. You can thank Megan and Thanksgiving for that. Lorelai. Rory. Luke. Sookie. These names reverberated throughout pop culture and Entertainment Weekly, but they never resonated with me. So, my reaction to the new Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life trailer isn’t quite as strong as many of yours may have been. And that’s totally fine. That’s the beauty of TV these days. There’s more than enough for everyone. Basically, if you can’t find something to watch, then you’re not trying very hard.
Anyway, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life arrives Thanksgiving weekend on Netflix after departing The CW in May 2007. Most of the main cast returns including Lauren Graham (Lorelai), Alexis Bledel (Rory), and Melissa McCarthy (Sookie). Edward Herrmann (Richard Gilmore) passed away on December 31, 2014. The new production chose not to recast his role, and his memory looms large (literally) in the trailer to some comic effect.
The new limited series reportedly gracefully continues from the Season 7 departure. It will consist of four, 90-minute episodes paired with seasons of the year – “Winter,” “Spring,” “Summer,” and “Fall.” Press notes call the return “a gift to the fans that have supported the series and made it clear they weren’t quite ready to say goodbye.” Just in time for the long Thanksgiving weekend, no doubt.
Trailer
Emmy Chances
The original Gilmore Girls run received a decent amount of awards attention from most major bodies – with one notable exception. Star Lauren Graham received nominations from the Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globe, Satellite, and Television Critics Association Awards. While Graham failed to win any of these awards, the series itself did win New Program of the Year from the TCAs. Emmy only recognized the critically acclaimed series once with a win in 2004 for Outstanding Makeup in a Series. That doesn’t bode well for A Year in the Life.
Category Placement
With the rebooted limited series, the first question is category placement. The X-Files, another sentimental cult favorite, recently rebooted itself with a series continuation earlier this year. Despite more favorable placement within the Limited Series categories, The X-Files 2017 run positioned itself as a 10th season, thereby meriting Emmy consideration for the overstuffed Drama categories. It received zero Emmy nominations.
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life likely has an easier time with category placement. Nothing in press materials specifically calls this a “Limited Series” or “TV Movie.” In fact, they’re very cagey about how exactly they’re going to brand the series. Right now, they’re calling it an “event,” which doesn’t really clarify anything at all. Since it doesn’t unfold over the traditional hour-long format (as The X-Files did) and since it doesn’t offer a follow-up series (yet, as The X-Files eventually did), it’s likely that Gilmore Girls best fits in the Limited Series categories. That feels right honestly. Outside of that category, it would have to petition the Television Academy for placement in the Comedy Series category given the 90-minute running time of each episode. It wouldn’t stand a chance in Drama Series.
However, the Limited Series categories are incredibly stuffed already. Some early high quality entries include The Night Of, and upcoming presumably high quality entries boast HBO’s Big Little Lies, Ryan Murphy’s Feud, Fargo Season 3, and HBO’s The Young Pope. Will Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life stand with those high-powered entries? Will Lauren Graham break into the Lead Actress in a Limited Series category that potentially contains some of Hollywood’s most legendary modern actresses (Jessica Lange, Susan Sarandon, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, or Michelle Pfeiffer)?
Final Verdict
Critics will have to come through for this one in a really big way. Presumably they will given the series’ history unless the production pulls an Arrested Development Season 4 and tries to shake up the formula. The trailer indicates none of this, though. Golden Globe nominations will help and are much more likely as the Hollywood Foreign Press once recognized Graham. That was only once out of seven seasons, though. SAG nominations feel more likely to recognize the return of Lauren Graham to the role.
Right now, I’d say this “event” is strictly one for the fans, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. It will be a different game completely if critics and awards bodies come through for the show.
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life premieres November 25 on Netflix.
Episode 100: The Cooler Gang welcomes a special guest to celebrate their 100th podcast.
This week at the Water Cooler, we’re celebrating our official 100th podcast by tripping and stumbling down memory lane. We revisit some of our very favorite podcast (or in some cases website) moments over the past two years. Yup, it’s a clip show! Then, we look forward to next year and make a bold prediction or three around Emmy 2017. What shows will make it big? What will be the next shocking omission? How will Joey cope with the Limited Series actress category that could possibly contain Jessica Lange, Susan Sarandon, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, and Michelle Pfeiffer?
Before that, we talk about two current events: the recent revelation of the American Horror Story: Roanoke Big Twist and a particular Saturday Night Live skit that we feel owes us a writing credit.
And as always, we’ll close with the Flash Forward to the television we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.
Thanks for listening on our 100 podcast episode journey! Join us in the celebration by rating us on iTunes!
04:56 – American Horror Story: Roanoke
18:47 – Saturday Night Live from 10/22
29:13 – Celebrating our 100th Podcast
01:11:26 – Flash Forward
ADTV talks to Divorce‘s Talia Balsam about her co-starring role on HBO’s new series.
I didn’t recognize Talia Balsam the first time I saw her on HBO’s Divorce. Many viewers will probably remember her from her stint as Mona Sterling on Mad Men (“I became really attached to those girdles,” she joked early in our conversation), but I was thrilled to see her take on a more comedic role in one of HBO’s high-profile shows of the Fall TV season, Divorce.
When I spoke with Balsam about her involvement on the freshman show, I could tell she was excited and grateful to be part of such an anticipated project. The half hour show is one of the more talked about comedies to come out in the last few weeks, and it’s positioned in a very strong Sunday night lineup (Divorce airs along with Insecure and phenomenon Westworld). Balsam was only on 11 episodes of the AMC ad drama, but it definitely always felt like Mona was around more. She always made an impression on her audience. The same can be said about her work as Dallas in Divorce. Balsam’s dry delivery and strong presence leave you wanting more. You can immediately recognize that she was eager to be involved.
“When I read the pilot, I thought it took a lot of twists and turns, and I thought it was just fantastic. You just know right away. It was just so well done, you know?” Balsam said. “It’s one of those projects where you think, ‘How can I be in it?’ Even when you’re shooting and things are changing, what came out was something really great.”
Within the first five minutes of Divorce, you can already tell that you’re going to like Dallas. The first long scene in the pilot is set at a birthday party, and Dallas refers to a widower (and potential suitor) as a “human loaf of bread” — an insult that I have personally used since watching the first 6 episodes of the season. I wondered if she was allowed to contribute to any of the comedic writing on set.
“Only by accident. They would come up with much better stuff than I ever would, and they are also very open. Sometimes the camera just goes and things get said, and they are open to keeping those things,” Balsam explained. “There’s nothing that I could add that is beyond what they are doing. I wouldn’t tamper with it too much. Some of it stays in.”
(Photo: HBO)
It’s been said that the topic of divorce doesn’t lend itself to laugh out loud moments, because it can deal with real emotions. The comedy does sneak in in a dark way, and Balsam’s performance can be dark in a truly funny way. Walking that line between comedy and drama is obviously something that any actor would love to tackle. No one’s life is strictly comic or exclusively dramatic.
“It walks the line. For some people, there will be things that ring very true and stuff that they will recognize. People might think they are in for this drawn out thing, but it’s also very, very funny. And very dark. It’s sort of where you meet these people in a very heightened point in their lives, and you get to see how it all plays out. Sometimes you’re not your best self, and sometimes you are your best self. That’s what makes it human,” Balsam said. “It is about marriage, and some of that is a peephole into a person’s marriage. Each of these characters are in very different points in their lives. That’s what I love about it. It’s in the hands of extremely witty, smart, and funny people but I think the heart of it is very true. I don’t think anything has to be one or the other. Our lives are like that too. I think they did a really great job with that. I’m not sure if it’s easy to explain it, but it reveals itself as you watch it.”
Balsam has real chemistry with Molly Shannon and Sarah Jessica Parker. Since all three actresses come from different performance backgrounds, I was curious if that palpable chemistry was evident on set.
“The characters were very defined. When you do this, you’re trying to figure out a lot of stuff too, but the three of us are very different anyway. We have a mutual sensibility in what makes us laugh. Sometimes when you see stuff written, you can think, ‘Well, any character can say that’ but it’s clear who is saying what and why. The humor is out of each specific character, and that’s good writing.”
With such a seasoned troupe of actors, I’m sure we can all expect that the storylines to expand from here. Dallas is in a very interesting place in her life, and her character’s position is something Balsam is eager to explore more of.
“At first everyone is trying to figure out who’s doing what. My favorite thing is that she’s at odds with herself. You think she’s going to be one thing, and then you realize she’s completely the opposite. I found things very surprising when they came up, and that’s what I like about it—without giving anything away. Maybe it has to do with where she is in her life, but I just like that I couldn’t perceive what was going to happen next.”
Divorce airs Sunday nights at 10pm ET on HBO. Episodes are also available via HBO GO and HBO NOW.
The CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend returns with compelling character-based humor.
Premiering last Fall, The CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend seemed an insane gambit. A musical comedy about a woman chasing an old summer fling, the show garnered bonus points for originality. Nothing else on television compared, and, like a flaming car wreck, you couldn’t look away. Funny thing, the show was anything but a flaming car wreck, and it eventually won the prestige-starved network two Emmys.
Now, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend returns with a second season set to answer one very important question. Can writer/star Rachel Bloom continue this insane high-wire act? Good news from the Magic 8 ball (and this reviewer). All signs point to yes.
We open 15 minutes after Season 1’s closer in which Rebecca Bunch (Rachel Bloom) foolishly confided in love Josh Chan (Vincent Rodriguez II) that she’d moved to West Covina, California, for him. Freaked out, Josh immediately starts pulling away. Rebecca relies on her shrew legal skills (and takes advantage of the amiably dim-witted Josh) to flip the script, and she convinces Josh he’s in the wrong. The bulk of the pilot explores the tenuous, awkward, and admittedly passionate relationship between Rebecca and Josh. Best friend Paula (the great Donna Lynne Champlin) watches from the sidelines with horror, addicted to the relationship drama. Meanwhile, ex-flame Greg (Santino Fontana) disappears after his drunken season finale escapade.
The biggest surprise
(Photo: Scott Everett White/The CW)
I love Crazy Ex-Girlfriend for exploring its characters’ neuroses. Not just exploring them, but pushing them into the limelight for all to see. These characters evolve and avoid the stagnation that often plagues sitcom stereotypes. Sure, Rebecca remains the catalyst for most of the action, and Rachel Bloom’s performance remains as sharp, funny, and poignant as ever before (damn you, Emmys). Yet, we also explore the frailties of Paula, Greg, and even the perma-sunny Josh Chan. Season 2 clearly wants to redefine its core characters in realistic ways, and that’s the hallmark of a great show.
The episode’s two musical numbers (the Beyonce-inspired “Love Kernels” and “We Should Definitely Not Have Sex Right Now”) are also pretty great – particularly “Love Kernels,” which balances the sexy and the ridiculous ridiculously well. It even offers an amusing meta commentary on the production budget.
To its dedicated fans, it will be no surprise that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend returns in Season 2 every bit the great comedy it was in Season 1. What does surprise, though, is the mature balance of comedy and emotional growth the show manages to sustain over its premiere hour. The hour was a welcome return to a show that continues to surprise and entertain. Bravo, guys. Bravo.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend‘s Donna Lynne Champlin talks about Season 2 of the cult favorite series
Early in Season 2 of The CW’s critically acclaimed Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, star Donna Lynne Champlin sings soprano as a Disney-esqe princess. Fans of the series have rabidly anticipated this moment since news leaked late last summer. But in reality, you’re much more likely to catch Champlin at Universal Studio Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights than in Arendelle.
“It’s one of my favorite things. I go to a lot of hayrides and haunted houses. It’s kind of my jam,” Champlin laughed. “It’s the fact that they pipe in the smells. I don’t really find that most haunted houses do that. Because they add that fifth sense, it totally freaks me out.”
A love of the macabre. A longing to sing soprano as a Disney-esqe heroine. These are two of the many wonderful things we love about the multi-talented Donna Lynne Champlin.
(Photo: Scott Everett White/The CW)
On returning to the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend set
Last season, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend emerged from the 2015 Fall TV season as a plucky upstart. Originally intended for Showtime, the series premiered on The CW as an hour-long musical comedy to widespread critical acclaim. Star/writer Rachel Bloom fashioned an affectionately wacky look into the fantasy world of main character Rebecca Bunch. Donna Lynne Champlin showed off her musical theater chops as Rebecca’s game sidekick Paula. Her Season 1 finale number “After Everything I’ve Done For You (That You Didn’t Ask For)” provided her finest show-stopping moment to date.
Stepping back onto the Girlfriend set for Season 2 opened a whole new set of aspirations for Champlin. With the creation of the musical-comedy television hybrid under its belt, the Season 2 production benefited from the positive experience and reaction to Season 1.
“The feeling onset is that there’s been an artistic validation of what we’re trying to do with the show, of what we’re trying to say with the show. I think we feel like we have a lot of people who get us,” Champlin said. “Because of that, stronger choices in the writing have been made, which is totally exciting.”
Season 2 sets out to explore and expand character identities, often resulting in unique pairings and experiences for all. Thank the show’s Season 1 acclaim for the creative license to evolve the characters we’ve come to love.
On those record-setting Emmy Awards for The CW
Back in July, the Television Academy bestowed four Emmy nominations on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. That nomination haul proved a record for any series on The CW. In September, the show won two of those Emmys: Choreography for Kathryn Burns and Outstanding Single-Picture Camera Editing for Kabir Akhtar, the first Indian American artist to win in the category.
These wins provided deserved visibility for the often ratings-challenged series.
“It’s just incredibly validating that we’re the Little Show That Could and that we’re even on the Emmy radar is terribly exciting,” Champlin said. “The fact that we actually won two Emmys was so exciting. It’s such a tight family atmosphere onset. The show on the whole was just so thrilled for the winners and for the show.”
Cynics need not apply. Champlin’s genuine enthusiasm for her fellow Emmy winners shows how tight-knit the Crazy Ex-Girlfriend family truly is. The chemistry represents well on the finished product.
On stepping into the shoes of a life-long wish
(Photo: Scott Everett White/The CW)
The highly collaborative Crazy Ex-Girlfriend team of writers often looks for inspiration from their cast members. Champlin submitted her wish list of musical numbers and included in that list was a longing to return to her soprano roots. While she expected the brassy Paula to adopt Valkyrie horns and “Wagner” someone with her powerhouse voice, Champlin felt pleasantly surprised at the unexpected outcome.
“One of my requests was that I be allowed to sing soprano. My whole career has been me belting my face off, which I’m more than happy to do,” Champlin said. “But I’m actually a classically trained soprano, and no one knows this. I never dreamed in a million years that they would give me a legit soprano ballad and let me be a princess!”
Paula’s turn as a Disney-esqe princess definitely flips the script over traditional musical theater tropes. The big ballad traditionally goes to Cinderella, not the stepsister. Champlin and the entire creative team relished the opportunity to plunge Paula into a Disney-inspired fantasy. After the writers changed original plans to accommodate the number, the production design team created a suitable environment to match the magical moment.
“Every department went to 11 on it. It’s fully orchestrated. We had a 32-piece orchestra that was beautifully conducted. The choreography is brilliant,” Champlin gushes. “The set… they turned Whitefeather into a forest, and all of that greenery was real. There was not one piece of plastic! That costume they made from scratch. Every department poured so much love into it, and, for me, it was such a special day shooting it.”
The creative team designed this magical experience for a princess, and Donna Lynne Champlin fits that glass slipper to perfection. Just make sure her pumpkin coach makes a stop at Halloween Horror Nights. This princess likes her thrills, too.
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 2 premieres tonight at 9 p.m. on The CW.
Let’s get this out of the way first: I’m not a Rocky Horror Picture Show fan.
I made the mistake of watching the film—alone—before experiencing the theatrical production or watching it in a crowded theater, which is a mistake (and frankly, no fun). So my expectations for FOX’s Rocky Horror 2016 reboot, Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again, were pretty low.
Maybe it was my bleak antici-. . . pation. Maybe it was the fact that I felt like the real horror show happened the night before with the final presidential debates. But for whatever reason, I found FOX’s update to be a fun update on a cult classic. Sure, there are some awkward PC issues to deal with (will Middle America now confuse transgender actress Laverne Cox for a “transvestite?”), but overall, the two-hour movie celebrates the spirit and fandom of the original.
You can tell everyone in the cast is having a ton of fun, especially Cox. It’s nice to see her in a less dramatic role, as opposed to her darker Emmy-nominated turn on Orange is the New Black. She completely nails the voice of Tim Curry, who popularized the Dr. Frank-N-Furter role and also makes an appearance as the Criminologist Narrator in this version. Victoria Justice takes on the role of Janet, and while she gives her best Susan Sarandon, Ryan McCartan outshines her as Brad. Adam Lambert is a welcome cameo, filling the motorcycle seat of the ill-fated Eddie, who was played by Meatloaf in the 1975 film.
For devotees of the original, this version is not as gritty looking, more splashy and stylized, with an ending a little too drawn out to fill up that two-hour mark. It feels like one long music video instead of a bizarre sci-fi flick, which isn’t a bad thing. And while Rocky Horror 2016 has faced some criticism for looking like a filmed stage musical, director Kenny Ortega uses a lot of slick, interesting camera moves, as opposed to some of NBC’s productions, which just look like they stuck a camera on an on-stage turtle during a Broadway show. With Grease and now Rocky Horror, I would say FOX is seriously giving the Peacock a serious run for its money when it comes to the theatrical musicals.
Naysayers, give it a try. It’s just a jump to the left.
American Horror Story shakes things up with ‘Roanoke’ Chapter 6… Spoilers ahead…
Proceed no further ye readers lest ye be spoiled of last eve’s American Horror Story: Roanoke revelations. Complain and ye blood be split to consecrate this land!
Ahem.
So, this season of American Horror Story differed significantly from previous seasons. It offered a toned-down, unplugged feeling. It offered a darker season that focused on real scares over scarily great costumes and set design. As a result to non-cynics, it’s felt like a complete breath of fresh air in a potentially stagnating series.
The one nagging question for many viewers was “What’s the point of the reality show structure?” At least one ADTV team member (Megan) felt the structure undercut the scares. If Lily Rabe and Andre Holland shared their story, then clearly they survived the events documented in “My Roanoke Nightmare,” the show within a show. But last night’s episode, “Chapter 6,” made clear the intent of the entire season, and now Roanoke becomes something completely different and potentially even more thrilling.
The action begins with reality producer Sidney James (Cheyenne Jackson in a role seemingly better suited to Veep‘s Reid Scott) proposing a sequel series to what was a huge hit in “My Roanoke Nightmare.” The new twist is that he proposes to ship the “real” players in the story plus their actor counterparts back to North Carolina to live in the same house during the blood moon. Cameras placed throughout the house would document their experience, jolted by a few purposefully placed fright triggers in case nothing happened. Seems that, when “My Roanoke Nightmare” filmed, nothing happened. Effectively, their guard is down.
This being American Horror Story, that is a foolish assumption. Carnage ensues. Think of it as a murderous Big Brother.
This twist, while somewhat predictable, does feel fresh and exciting. It gives the actors the opportunity to play their characters in a completely different light a la Vertigo or Lost Highway. The biggest beneficiary of this turn is undoubtedly Kathy Bates who layers a heavy degree of mental instability over her character who played the Butcher in “My Roanoke Nightmare.” But the entire cast feels jazzed by the shift, and it shows in their now more energetic performances. It does set up something of a high-wire act to balance scares with the logistics of having the entire house apparently wired and monitored by the unseen crew. Unless they’re all dead.
But best of all, it’s really pretty scary. After a while, the scares of the first five episodes started to trend toward the hokey, particularly when Lady Gaga started running around the forest in that wild “woman of the woods” getup. Looking back, though, it all makes sense. I’d forgotten they were filming a hokey reality show. Now that the series approaches a linear timeline, the scares feel darker and more aligned with the best of American Horror Story.
Time will tell, but is Roanoke shaping up to be the best season yet? Early signs point to yes.
