TV’s Alyssa Milano has led a rather CHARMED TV career. From the time she was a young girl, she’s been on long-running hit shows. The Tony Danza-Judith Light vehicle, Who’s the Boss?, led her through her childhood, and the Aaron Spelling-created CHARMED matured her into adulthood for eight seasons, with virtually no bad breaks or poor career moves.
Reinventing the Wheelers has changed that run of blessing and good fortune. The pilot has not even been ordered to series at this late date, and may never air. In the show, Milano plays a big-city lawyer who returns to a slower pace of life to help prop up her father’s firm. Like, by adding contemporary office furniture as well as her own legal services to dad’s practice.
And all her “wacky friends” live there.
It’s a dry, by-the-numbers schtick we’ve seen many times before, and better-done. While Milano still engenders good will, if Reinventing the Wheelers never airs, it may be the best post-CHARMED thing to happen to her career, period.
With four shows in the Top 10 this past week, it seems America’s catching up to my eclectic summer viewing tastes, if only a bit. More specifically, USA Network rocks!
The four shows USA had in the Top 10 have all been personal faves for a while now. The ol’ reliable standby, MONK, is still strong even though showing signs of age as a concept.
Completely fresh and addictive in its second season, PSYCH is the perfect companion piece to MONK, with a talented, appealing cast. Shows like this make me wish USA offered longer seasons to these hits.
BURN NOTICE has a slightly grittier edge but still dwells in the same space of action-comedy-mystery that MONK and PSYCH occupy.
And WWE RAW is great, mindless summer fare. It’s also the place where you might see the most creative use of a safety utility knife.
I’m a bit disappointed that viewers seem to be abandoning THE 4400, which is smart science fiction; however, I’m surprised THE DEAD ZONE is still hanging around, considering how terrible Anthony Michael Hall is in filling in for Christopher Walken, who breathed first cinematic life into the role for the Stephen King-inspired character.
Okay, so the announcements were printed up wrong. What I meant to say is, Veronica Mars star Kristen Bell is a real Hero!
As in, the former teen sleuth is about to star in a multiple-chapter arc of Heroes, NBC’s hit drama from last year. ‘Ronnie will play a character who commits a terrible crime, but may or may not be “one of the good guys,” according to Hereos creator Tim Kring.
We at Hollywood Idiocy begrudgingly love HEROES, but would promise to be less begrudging if Kring would find roles for his ex-Crossing Jordan stars like personal favorites Jill Hennessy, Miguel Ferrer and Kathryn Hahn.
We’re just saying…
Reality show host Ryan Seacrest will get his shot at hosting the Emmy Awards this year. His gig comes in the wake of Conan O’Brien’s hosting job, which was expected to be brilliant but fizzled miserably.
Known as the master of the timely commercial break, Seacrest emerged into national consciousness when he became the host of American Idol, the Simon Cowell-created music talent competition. Seacrest bloomed in the limelight created by the runaway reality TV hit largely because he was already an experience radio broadcaster familiar with the music business.
It’s impossible to say whether Seacrest can come across as well as Billy Crystal does at the Oscars, but if he does, it could open up yet another broadcasting gig for the effusive workaholic. Look for him in front of the crystal sets and tablecloth sea. He’ll be the one wearing the most genuine smile in the room.
