TV News Roundup – November 2009 – Week 4
George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones filming complete
Filming on the pilot for Game of Thrones, adapted from the fantasy novel by George R.R. Martin, has wrapped, according to Visual Effects producer Julia Frey. The three weeks of shooting took place in three different countries and involved a cast of two dozen and more than 100 extras. HBO is reportedly expected to give its decision on a green light around March.
Spielberg, King team on ‘Dome’
Duo join forces to bring series to screen
Steven Spielberg and Stephen King are joining forces to develop a limited series based on King’s just-released supernatural thriller “Under the Dome.” DreamWorks TV has optioned the book and is looking to set it up as an event series, likely for cable.
YouTube adds TV shows in U.K.
4,000 full-length episodes available for free
The U.K. version of YouTube bowed a section of its site Thursday that allows users for the first time to watch full-length TV shows. The Shows portal gives auds almost 5,000 videos (of which around 4,000 are full-length programs) from more than 60 of YouTube’s commercial partners, including BBC Worldwide and Turner. Overall, more than 3,000 hours of material is available.
Fringe producers: You won’t believe what’s next
“We wanted the Observer to have the quality of being invisible, and we put him in the first three episodes of the show and then finally revealed him in the fourth, and people looked back and went, ‘My God, he was right here, right under my nose, and I didn’t see it.’ Then the notion of some of his characteristics: the bald head, the no eyebrows, we imaged how it would be that somebody who wasn’t of our world would end up in our world, and what the process of getting here would entail.”
Virgin buys NBC U shows
British cabler picks up ‘Warehouse 13,’ ‘Trauma’
Virgin1, the flagship entertainment web of U.K. cabler Virgin Media, has acquired sci-fi hit “Warehouse 13″ and medical saga “Trauma” from NBC Universal. “Warehouse 13,” recently renewed for a second season, aired on Syfy in the U.S., and is one of the channel’s biggest shows so far this year. Virgin1 bought “Trauma” after seeing the show at May’s LA Screenings.
NBC sets ‘Chuck’ premiere date (video)
NBC’s “Chuck” will return Sunday, Jan. 10, before moving to Mondays at 8 p.m. starting the next night. Guest stars will include Angie Harmon, Brandon Routh, Kristin Kreuk, Armand Assante, Steve Austin, Robert Patrick and Vinnie Jones. Also, a two-hour “Heroes” will air Monday, Jan. 4 before the show shifts back to its former 9 p.m. time period.
Leonard Nimoy reveals his final Fringe role—for now
“We agreed that I would do three episodes,” he said. “I have filmed three. Two have been on the air. One will be airing sometime in the near future, and that’s the extent of my commitment so far. I think the work that I did served a very important purpose, which was to explain the alternate side and what the major problem could potentially be.”
West Wing Creator Aaron Sorkin to Return to TV
“I’m going to be starting on a new TV series” when filming is done on the upcoming movie “The Social Network,” the Sorkin-penned account of the founding of Facebook directed by David Fincher, he says. “It’s going to be what turns out to be the third in the trilogy of TV shows that take place behind the scenes of a TV show, but this will be a different kind of TV show. That’s all I can let out of the bag right now.”
Sam Raimi’s goofy brother will be back in Seeker
Ted Raimi (“Drag Me to Hell,” “Spider-Man 3,” “SeaQuest DSV”), actor and brother of “Legend of the Seeker” executive producer Sam Raimi, will guest star in an upcoming episode of the epic fantasy series “Legend of the Seeker,” it was announced today. Raimi, who begins filming in New Zealand this week, will reprise his role as Sebastian, the fast-talking, shady mapmaker and magic peddler who teams up with Zedd’s brother Thaddicus to sell a magical cure for Banelings — evil souls returned from the underworld.
Katee Sackhoff spills on 24—and talks Starbuck’s fate
Katee plays Chloe’s boss. Chloe has never let authority stop her from getting the job done, but she’s never dealt with anyone like Dana before. “Dana is permanently happy,” Sackhoff said. “I think that also pisses Chloe off, because Dana’s like, ‘Oh, no, it’s totally fine that you don’t get it. Let me help you. It’s great. I’ll do that. It’s fine. You don’t need to figure it out, because I’m good enough to do both our jobs.’ So that really pisses Chloe off.”
Lost’s final season will answer everything. Mostly.
“I think even a single scene from the show would basically tip what it is we’re doing this year, and what it is we’re doing this year is different than what we’ve done in other years,” show runner Damon Lindelof said. “That is the marketing strategy that we are trying to impose upon our masters. I can’t unequivocally say that we will be able to hold the embargo all the way up until the actual premiere, but it’s pretty cool that we’re not showing anything as late as November, so we’ll see. I think once the show actually starts, once we’re back on, then we’ll start showing people what we’re up to.”
Eliza Dushku Doesn’t Expect To Ever Play In ‘Dollhouse’ Again
“I don’t know. I mean, I’m going to say I don’t think so. I feel like we’re probably going to wrap it up for people at the end of this second season. We had time to sort of see where we wanted to close things off, but…I think this is going to be it. We’re really proud of it. And I feel like two seasons to live on is better than the one would have been. And we’re grateful for that, that we got to come back and play some more and bring some more to the fans.”
USA renews ‘Psych’
Fifth season will greet drama in 2010
USA has renewed “Psych” for a 16-episode fifth season in 2010-11, setting the stage for the skein to become the cabler’s longest-running original scripted series in production. The fifth season of “Psych” will launch in summer 2010. The fourth season is running in two installments, with the second portion launching in January.
ABC halts ‘FlashForward’
Production stopped to ‘boost writing’
ABC has temporarily halted production on sci-fi drama “FlashForward.” Stoppage came last week and continues through the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Shooting will start again on Monday with episode 13. An Alphabet spokesman says the move was built in to the schedule from the beginning of the season and was positioned early on to “boost the writing. … They want to maintain the high quality of the show, and this gives the writers the opportunity to do so.”
Oprah gets steamy with HBO
Harpo Films sets sensual pilot at network
Harpo Films has made a deal with HBO to team on a sexually charged hourlong series pilot about a woman who leaves her seemingly perfect marriage and children in Santa Monica for the underbelly of L.A., where she indulges her secret fantasies and desires. Pilot is being written by Erin Cressida Wilson, best known for writing 2002 indie pic “Secretary,” which starred James Spader and Maggie Gyllenhaal film in the story of a boss-secretary relationship that veers into S&M.
But Wait, There’s More…
- Sam Shepard Actor to play Nashville patriarch in ‘Tough Trade’
- Big Lost spoiler revealed on producer’s Twitter page
- ABC moves ‘Lost’ to Tuesdays
- NBC orders more ‘Trauma’
- Who kills FlashForward’s Demetri? Our favorite theories
- Comedy Central orders John Oliver show
- Canada’s CTV, Space pick up second season of ‘Listener’
- Oprah sets OWN launch date
- Medium’s homage to They Live
The Fine Print
This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.
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