NBC shows confidence in Kath & Kim
It looks like NBC thinks they have something worth giving a little more love to. Already airing in the cushy post-The Office slot when it premieres October 9th, now NBC has upped the order to thirteen on Molly Shannon and Selma Blair’s Kath & Kim. In an era where shows can be yanked after one airing and episode commitments can never grow beyond six, this is a good sign for a new series.
K&K just finished filming their first episode, which tells me that someone must have liked what they saw. Personally, I think Molly Shannon is incredibly funny, in the right situation. Some of her bits on Saturday Night Live were classically brilliant while others were not so much. But her turn on Pushing Daisies last season was nothing short of brilliant. Blair, however, has a more limited TV resume, though she’s done some awesome work in film. I’m guessing, based on her more dramatic background, that she’s being set up as the straight (wo)man to Shannon’s wackiness.
Still loving that the 36-year old Blair will be playing the daughter of 43-year old Shannon’s character. Maybe with enough hormone injections a seven-year old could give birth, but I guess it’s better than the Aussie version, wherein the actresses in both roles were actually the exact same age. The question is did it come down to Blair being told she looks so young or Shannon being told she’s looking old?
Agent: “Molly, they want you for this new role.”
Shannon: “Really, that’s great!”
Agent: “You’ll be playing this older lady who bickers with her daughter.”
Shannon: “Oh how fun. Who’s playing the girl. Hillary Duff? Lohan?
Agent: “Selma Blair.”
Shannon: “What? Isn’t she older than me?”
Agent: “Well yes, but she looks much youn–”
Shannon: “Don’t you finish that thought.”
Agent: “I’m just saying–”
Shannon: “Zip it or lose it … every bit of it!”
(phone rings)
Secretary: “I have Selma Blair on the phone for Ms. Shannon.”
Shannon: “Tell that old bitch I’m busy.”
Agent: “Look, I can just call back the studio and tell them you’re not–”
Shannon: “Don’t you dare. I’ll take the job. And I’ll show that old biddy that I can still kick! stretch! and kick! … and apparently play fifty.”
When are your favorite NBC shows returning?
NBC has issued a press release with the premiere dates for all their fall shows. This way, you know when to set your DVR.
The full press release includes descriptions for each of the shows. New shows are in all caps.
Heroes will be the first scripted show to return with a two-hour premiere on September 22nd. The first new scripted show will be Knight Rider on September 24th (although I don’t know if you could count it as new since they already broadcast the two-hour pilot).
Complete schedule after the jump.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
“AMERICA’S TOUGHEST JOBS”
Series premiere (8-10 p.m.)
Returns on September 19 (8-9 p.m.) for five weeks; then resumes from
9-10 p.m. on October 24
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
“Heroes” clip show (8-9 p.m.)
Season premiere (9-11 p.m.)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (10-11 p.m.)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
“KNIGHT RIDER” (8-9 p.m.)
“Lipstick Jungle (10-11 p.m.)
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
“My Name Is Earl” — one-hour premiere (8-9 p.m.)
“The Office” — one-hour premiere (9-10 p.m.)
“ER” (10-11 p.m.)
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
“Chuck” — (8-9 p.m.)
“MY OWN WORST ENEMY” — (10-11 p.m.)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3
“Life” — (10-11 p.m.)
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9
“KATH & KIM” (9:30-10 p.m.)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17
“CRUSOE” — two-hour premiere (8-10 p.m.)
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30
“30 Rock” — (8:30-9 p.m.)
[via Aint It Cool]
Bravo unveils its plans for the new season
You know they have to been ticked off at Bravo about losing Project Runway to Lifetime. Still, Bravo execs stood up at a breakfast in New York to announce their new schedule, all happy and smiling. The good news is that they still have some good stuff coming up, starting with more Kathy Griffin, another season of goofy Jeff Lewis, the house flipper, and — oh, yeah — one more edition of Project Runway. Should we call in the auld lang syne edition?
Here’s the rundown of what’s coming back for Bravo:
– Project Runway: The last Bravo season (unless something changes) will begin in July 2008, with the usual cast of judges.
– Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style: Mr. Gunn made it work, people. He earned a second season. Wonder if Tim will remain with Bravo after PR moves to Lifetime?
– Flipping Out: I love this guy, Jeff Lewis. He’s a real estate flipper, i.e. he buys properties, fixes them up, and then sells them for a profit. It would be dull as dishwater except for the fact that Jeff has OCD and he’s impossible to deal with. He’s surrounded by a team that put up with his idiosyncracies, and they’re pretty strange, too. If season two is as funny as season one, I’m all in. It returns this summer.
– Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List: After winning the Emmy last season, Kath is back and I can’t wait. She was never really funny on Suddenly Susan, but she’s a riot on Bravo. Season four begins on June 12.
– Millionaire Matchmaker: Okay, I admit, this show was a little grating. Patti Stanger’s voice can be like nails on a chalkboard, but her clients are so outre it makes the show watchable.
– Million Dollar Listing: Expensive Los Angeles real estate, ambitious agents. Yawn.
– The Real Housewives of Orange County: Hello, Vicki, Jeana and Lauri, how are you, girls? Back for a fourth season. More dish, more money thrown around, more botox.
– The Real Housewives of New York City: Have they even ended season one yet? I guess this did well enough to warrant another go-round. It’s kind of like watching a car wreck. Ramona is such a bitch!
– Shear Genius: I didn’t go for this one. Others did. Jaclyn Smith returns with more hairdressers competing for hair-supremacy. It’ll be premiering this summer.
– Top Chef: We’re not even done with Chicago, but there will be another season of aspiring chefs. This is the best cooking show in TV. Give me more.
– Top Design: A tougher sell than Top Chef, but I’ll watch the decorators compete.
Here’s the new shows in development:
– Bravo’s A-List Awards: Kathy Griffin is hosting this new award concept, “celebrating the creative process and showcasing some of the leading creative minds working today – beauty, design, fashion, food and pop culture.” Hmm… really? It’s on June 12 at 10 p.m. Tim Gunn hosts a red carpet pre-show airs at 8:30 p.m. Can you say contrived, unnecessary award show?
– The Rachel Zoe Project: A docu-drama about celebrity stylist (?) Rachel Zoe.
– Date My Ex: Ooh, a spin-off from The Real Housewives of Orange County with Jo and Slade. Based on that title I thought it was something else.
– Real Housewives of New Jersey: Can The Real Housewives of Idaho be far behind?
Molly Shannon and Selma Blair are Kath & Kim
With casting finally complete, NBC can begin to think about how nice it would be to start work on Kath & Kim if they had any writers. Based on an Australian hit by the same name, the series focuses on the relationship problems between a mother (Molly Shannon as “Kath”) and her daughter (Selma Blair as “Kim”). The series was originally picked up a year ago but languished due to casting concerns. It was deemed that the main characters had to be cast perfectly for this to work.
Meanwhile, Molly Shannon has stayed busy with a brilliant turn on Pushing Daisies while Selma Blair wowed geeks across the world as Liz Sherman in Hellboy, a role she will reprise in the sequel. Now they’ll be able to come together and try to be the most delightfully dysfunctional mother-daughter duo since Lorelai and Rory Gilmore. Hell, if it can get half the critical acclaim that Gilmore Girls did, Kath & Kim will be off to a great start.
I’ll give them kudos for casting the beautiful and talented Blair opposite Shannon. And just never you mind that Shannon is 43 and Blair 35. Eight year olds get pregnant all the time in this country. All the time! Who are you to judge. Shame on you! Maybe they were raised in the Spears family.