Anne Archer taking over Privileged role
Anne Archer has joined the cast of the new CW series Privileged. She’ll be replacing Marsha Mason in the role of Laurel Limoges, a wealthy Palm Beach resident raising her orphaned granddaughters. Mason appeared in the drama’s pilot episode. Privileged is the series’ newest title. At different stages it was called How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls and, in the network’s recent upfront, Surviving the Filthy Rich.
The drama begins with twentysomething Megan Smith (played by Joanna Garcia) unexpectedly getting hired by Laurel Limoges to tutor the woman’s teen granddaughters. Laurel is a widow whose fortune comes from a successful cosmetics empire.
It’s unfortunate that Marsha Mason didn’t work out, but Anne Archer is a terrific fit for a show like this. She’s had more TV roles over the last few years. She played Melinda’s mother on Ghost Whisperer, and appeared in several episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia as Dennis and Dee’s mom. It will be fun to compare her performance with Jessica Walters’ grandmother role, since Privileged is airing after 90210 on Tuesdays this fall. Which wealthy matriarch will rule the CW?
Get a CW Sked Sneak Peek (Starring Gossip Girl & Reaper!)
Good morning, tuberinos! The official CW upfront presentation takes place tonight, but I thought you might want a sneak peek of the rumored schedule for next season, chock-full, as it is, of theme nights.
The main theme of those nights? Beautiful, moderately troubled, well-off teenagers at school and at play, and if the series should last a few years (Nielsen willing), perhaps, someday, at work in an aesthetically pleasing but not too terribly challenging occupation that requires no training whatsoever.
Did I mention they were all very beautiful? Click in to meet your fab new friends and some old faves as well!
Monday: Beautiful-People Theme Night
Gossip Girl: You know you love it. The 24-episode season two is set to premiere in September with the kids at play in New York's beautiful Hamptons. Right now Gossip Girl is the template upon which the CW is building itself, so look for tons of more promotion for Serena, Blair and Dan in the weeks and months to come.
One Tree Hill: Sophia Bush! James Lafferty! CMM! The craziest plotlines this side of Prison Break, only with much hotter actors! What's not to love?!
Tuesday: More-Beautiful-People Theme Night
90210: America, we have come full circle. The original 90210 is the creative ancestor of the entire CW network, so it only makes sense that a new rendition of the series would be readied for the See-Dub as it finally settles into a post-WB-UPN-merger brand identity. Jennie Garth is on board; Tori Spelling is rumored to be stopping by as well; and I'd bet my shoes that Jason Priestly will stop by to direct one or more episodes before the first season wraps. I think ol' Aaron would be proud to see his kids all grown up and still devoted to the family.
Surviving the Filthy Rich: Originally titled How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls, the series features a middle-class J-school grad who takes a job tutoring a pair of filthy rich twins to decent SAT scores and eventually a high-end college. The twins are part Olsen, part Hilton and all trouble. Think Devil Wears Prada meets The Nancy Diaries. (And think of all the fabulous handbags this series will showcase! Whee!)
Wednesday: Reality-Series-Beautiful-People Theme Night
ANTM: This is cycle 11, and I am so already on my couch waiting.
Stylista: The Jimmy Choo-heeled footprints of The Devil Wears Prada are all over the CW this season! Stylista, from Tyra Banks and Ken Mok, is basically Devil: The Reality Show meets Lauren's Teen Vogue internship, as 11 fashionable young things compete for a gig at Elle. (Mmm…did Stylista clash with Nina Garcia's Project Runway gig? Maybe that's why she's no longer with Elle?)
Thursday: Beautiful-People-Who-Fight-Paranormal-Crime Theme Night
Smallville/Reaper: Smallville should be back, myriad producer and cast defections notwithstanding. Reaper has been picked up for 13 episodes at midseason and is expected to slot into Smallville's place on the schedule when that series is done.
Supernatural: According to exec producer Eric Kripke, next season, "We're gonna spend a little less time talking about giant movements and war and more time talking about the brothers' relationship and how they react to that war. I think we sort of have a new species of supernatural being that we'll be introducing in season four that will take people by surprise. We have a few tricks up our sleeves."
Friday: Beautiful-People-Who-Are-Funny Theme Night
Everybody Hates Chris: Low ratings aside, the critical acclaim for Chris and company are keeping this series safe.
The Game: Old schedule buddy Girlfriends is gone, but The Game lives on, now on Fridays…
CW Buzz: 90210 and Reaper Look to be Keepers; Aliens, Not So Much
This just in from CW sources: The new 90210 is getting picked up!
OK, so that comes as a shock to no one, but another development left my jaw on the floor: According to sources, it's looking “likely” that Reaper will get a second season.
Say it with me now: halle-freaking-lujah! (Thank you, Beelzebub!)
Says one highly placed insider: “If you had asked me a week ago, I would have said no, but there have been a few changes, and now it’s looking like it’ll probably get the green light.”
Now, of course none of this is official and is subject to last-minute change before the CW announces its schedule this Tuesday in New York, but here’s what I’m hearing about where things stand in See-Dub Land:
- 90210 is a go.
- So is Reaper.
- Sadly, Aliens in America is definitely gone. (Don’t even get me started on how totally and completely sucktacular that is. That charming series never got a fair chance.)
- There will be one more pickup: either How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls (which is getting a title change) or Austin: Golden Hour. Which one it will be has not yet been decided.
Everything will be announced next week in New York City, and I’ll be there, so keep checking back for the breaking news!
Upfront Buzz: Live From NYC
Hey, all! Welcome to upfront week. Today, here in New York City, we start with the NBC “Experience,” which, to my understanding, is a carnival-like soiree with a few of our Peacock favorites. That goes down later this afternoon, followed by ABC and the CW tomorrow, CBS on Wednesday and Fox on Thursday.
So what’s expected to be picked up or canceled this week? We’ll have the news in this column as the official announcements break, but for now, here’s what I’m hearing:
NBC: Most of the major announcements were made at Ben Silverman’s early bird quasi upfront last month, but today we’ll also learn that:
- Jimmy Fallon is taking over for Conan O’Brien.
- Ryan Seacrest is launching a new reality dating series called Momma’s Boys, in which overprotective mothers find a bride-to-be for their son.
ABC (announcements to be made Tuesday):
- Boston Legal will return, but with a significantly scaled down cast. (Reminiscent of The Practice’s cleaning and firing of six castmembers in 2003, which led to spinoff Boston Legal.)
- Women’s Murder Club is gone, as we reported last week.
- Eli Stone will get picked up and may possibly move into Boston Legal’s spot on Tuesday.
- Miss/Guided is likely to be picked up.
CW (announcements to be made Tuesday):
- Jury’s still out on Reaper. It may return midseason. I may go insane waiting for the official word.
- Aliens in America is gone.
- 90210 has been picked up, with special guest appearances by Jennie Garth and likely Tori Spelling.
- How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls has become Surviving the Filthy Rich and has been picked up.
- Stylista, a new reality series from Tyra Banks and Ken Mok, has been picked up. Contestants compete for an editorial job at Elle magazine.
- Returning series: Gossip Girl, Smallville, Supernatural, One Tree Hill, Everybody Hates Chris, The Game, America’s Next Top Model.
- Pussycat Dolls and Beauty and the Geek have been canceled.
CBS (announcements to be made Wednesday):
- No official word yet on How I Met Your Mother, but sources connected to the series say they are expecting a fourth-season pickup, thanks in part to the recent ratings uptick and media attention over Britney’s guest spot.
- The Unit is very likely to receive a pickup.
- Moonlight is likely to receive a pickup.
- The Mentalist (Simon Baker), Eleventh Hour (Jerry Bruckheimer) and Game Show in My Head (reality competition from Ashton Kutcher) all picked up.
- Geena Davis’ drama pilot Exit 19 has not been picked up.
FOX (announcements to be made Thursday):
- J.J. Abrams’ pilot Fringe, starring Joshua Jackson and which reportedly cost $10 million to produce, has been picked up to series. In the vein of The X-Files, the series will feature weekly freaky-deaky investigations.
- Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse will premiere midseason, perhaps in a Monday time slot.
- Arrested Development reunion! This fall look for a new animated series, Sit Down, Shut Up, from AD creator Mitch Hurwitz. Based on a live-action Australian sitcom, the U.S. version is centered around the lives of seven high school teachers in the Northeast and will be voiced by the likes of Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Henry Winkler.
- Peter Berg—you know, the guy behind Friday Night Lights—has been asked to direct the two-hour backdoor pilot for Ronald D. Moore’s new space-exploration drama, Virtuality.
- According to Deadline Hollywood Daily, the network is said to be enthusiastic about the Bernie Mac drama Starting Under, but it needs a new show runner.
- Back to You has been canceled, but rumor has it that CBS, which produces the show, is looking at it for a pickup.
- New Amsterdam will also not be returning, as we previously reported.
- ‘Til Death will be back
That’s it for now! Check back later for more scoop from the network soirees in NYC…And if you have any questions for the stars, producers or network mucky-mucks, post them below and I’ll do my best to get you some answers.