Archive for category Nostalgia
This Wheel’s On Fire:”Absolutely Fabulous” Returns!
Posted by Melanie McFarland in Commentary, If You Only Watch One Thing..., Nostalgia, Tune In Info, Uncategorized on January 3rd, 2012
“Absolutely Fabulous” is back. Again. This time we can call its return glorious, which is good news for diehard fans.
After being out of production for nearly seven years, high praise for the comedy’s latest episodes was not necessarily guaranteed. In fact, when the latest batch of all-new episodes were first announced months ago — there will be three in total, with a feature version of “Ab Fab” said to be the works — the news likely was met with a combination of excitement and trepidation among a number of fans.
Surely the most dedicated Eddy and Patsy loyalists may consider any less-than-glowing opinion of every “Ab Fab” incarnation to be sacrilege. That’s understandable; what’s not to love about champagne-swilling trend slave Edina (Jennifer Saunders) and her drunken style-addict of a best friend Patsy (Joanna Lumley)? The average superfan (guilty as charged) owns DVDs of every episode and indulges in marathon viewings whenever the mood strikes. But only seasons one through three get a regular workout in my home, because that’s when “Absolutely Fabulous” was at its best — between 1992 and 1996.
Subsequent resurrections of “Ab Fab” proved to be a demonstration of diminishing returns. Series four returned in 2001 after a long hiatus – and an attempt at fitting the same cast into a different comedy that paled in comparison – and while it was still quite sharp at times (and included one of the funniest strings of slaps ever to be seen on television), it wasn’t quite the same.
Another largely forgettable bunch of episodes were produced in 2003. There was another special, “White Box,” in 2004, and a Comic Relief episode in 2005. Then the doors of the Monsoon residence closed, not to be heard from again until the latest episode popped up online last week.
If series creator Jennifer Saunders has taught us anything, however, it is that the perennially opinionated Edina Monsoon can never be permanently silenced.
In the 20th anniversary special, Edina takes aim at reality television, harpooning the Kardashians along the way. Bubble re-enacts the Royal Wedding in a sequence one might liken to psychedelic kabuki theater. Saffy (Julia Sawalha) is still long-suffering, only this time we find out that years of wrangling her mother prepared her to endure one of the harshest environments on the planet. And Patsy is still Patsy — glamorous, unapologetic in her dependence on Eddy, and clinging desperately to “39″.
Nothing much has changed, aside from what’s “hip and happenin’” in the world. Luckily for us, most of the things considered to be edgy and fashionable these days also happen to be so utterly ridiculous that Saunders and Lumley don’t have to work very hard to be inspired, resulting in material that’s familiar and fresh all at once. Completely relaxed and in their groove, it’s as if the two divas never really left us. Of course, they never really have.
U.S. viewers can watch the first of the three new specials January 8 at 10pm ET/PT on BBC America and Logo. In the meantime, check out photos from the new episode.
O Come All Ye…Christmas TV Marathons
Posted by Melanie McFarland in Commentary, If You Only Watch One Thing..., Nostalgia, Tune In Info on December 23rd, 2011
You’ll dry your eyes out, kid.
Who can blame you? After the tree has been lit, the nog has been sipped, and the plunging into the cornucopia of gifts while quivering with desire and the ecstasy of unbridled avarice has ended… what is left but television? (If you answered “family togetherness time,” that is also correct…if you add “in front of the television.”) Thus, a number of channels are gifting viewers with marathons galore – some holidays themed, others… not so much. Here are a few to choose from:
- USA Network will be airing “NCIS” episodes from 10am on Saturday until 2am on Christmas morning. Great news for its fans. As for everyone else, consider yourself warned.
- Spike is striking back with a marathon of “Jaws ” films , starting at 9am Saturday with “Jaws: The Revenge” and running until midnight.
- BBC America is airing an entire weekend’s worth of favorite “Doctor Who” episodes, including past Christmas specials, starting at midnight on Christmas Eve, leading up to the premiere of “Doctor Who: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe“ at 9pm Sunday.
- Lastly, a favorite tradition: TBS’s annual airing of “24 Hours of a Christmas Story,” starting at 8pm Saturday and running through 8pm Sunday.
Happy Holidays!
From Slayer to “Ringer”: A Chat with Sarah Michelle Gellar
Posted by Melanie McFarland in Live Coverage, Nostalgia, Talking TV, TCA Summer Press Tour 2011, TV News on August 4th, 2011
There are two sides to being a TV icon. On the one hand, everyone recognizes you for a certain role that touched off a seismic shift in the television landscape. It’s an honor few working actors will ever achieve. Then again, such a role can become inescapable. No matter how many years go by, it remains as present in your life as your shadow.
Sarah Michelle Gellar, known to most viewers as Buffy Summers, seems to be bearing that mantle with a measure of grace. But The CW’s noir mystery “Ringer“ offers her the chance to separate herself a bit more from that lasting image of her as the stake wielding, butt-kicking Slayer.
Gellar plays two very different characters – twins - neither of whom appears to be chosen by fate for anything other than shouldering misery. The rich one, Siobhan, leaves a pile of emotional messes in her wake after she suddenly disappears. The other, Bridget, is the recovering addict who assumes Siobhan’s identity hoping to hide from a dangerous crime boss.
In doing so, Bridget also finds herself in the murky position of not only trying to stay alive, but redeeming both herself and her conniving sibling.
“It’s so complicated, but I love it,” Gellar said to a group of TV reporters at a network event on Wednesday night. “It brings me back to Cruel Intentions, and I think one of my favorite characters (Kathryn Merteuil) aside from Buffy that I’ve ever played, and making her sympathetic. Even though she did horrible things there was a reason behind them. That’s essentially the same thing I’m trying to bring to this.”
Read on to see what Gellar says about her work in “Ringer,” as well as how she thinks TV has changed since “Buffy” went off the air in 2003.
On whether she’s more like Bridget or Siobhan: “We all have good sides or bad sides. I’m not necessarily more like either one of the characters, because in their motivations they both feel incredibly justified. But Siobhan has the better wardrobe.”
On playing a pair of sisters who know nothing about each other: “I’m just fascinated by twins. It’s such an interesting thing. I’m an only child, so I don’t have a sibling. But you think about what siblings have, and it intensifies so much when you think about being in the womb together. These are two girls that shared everything, and were so close, and then something so tragic ripped them apart. It’s like losing a part of yourself, because twins are a part of each other. I just think that’s so interesting.”
On returning to television versus film: “I’m loving it more than I thought I would…The nomadic lifestyle does work for a lot of working parents. But for me, I’ve traveled. I’ve seen it. I want to be able to go home at night and see my daughter. I want to be there for her first day of school, and her school recital. And they’ve been amazing about working around (my) schedule…all the big milestones, I’m there for.”
On whether being the face of The CW this fall makes her feel pressured: “Yes and no. I’m so proud of the show, and I’m enjoying it so much. I hope it takes off with fans, and if for some unknown reason it doesn’t, I’ve had the best time and I don’t regret a minute of it.”
On what sets this show apart from other CW shows: “Have you seen the men on my show?…I tell any actress, the trick is, play all the female characters on your show, and then all the men are yours.”
“All joking aside…I’m a television watcher, and I get frustrated with shows sometimes when they set up puzzles and then they don’t give answers. And it’s just more questions, and more questions. One of the things that’s really important to all of us is that we will give answers to the questions. Yes, they may bring up some more questions and some more mysteries, but there will be answers and you will understand the motivations and the circumstances of why this happened.”
On whether she’ll have opportunities to do her own stunts: “I don’t know! I mean, I got chased yesterday in downtown L.A. And I got to hold a gun; Buffy never got a gun. So I’ve had a Skilsaw now, and I’ve had a Glock twice. So we shall see.”
On why we should empathize with Bridget or Siobhan: “Because their journeys, in both of their minds, are justified. In terms of Siobhan…something happened that was so tragic, and all of her motivations are based on what happened to her, and how that has changed the course of her life. And for Bridget, she’s made a lot of mistakes, but ultimately she’s trying to redeem herself. I think everybody can understand what it’s like when you want to make better the mistakes you’ve made in the past.”
On how often we’ll get answers: “You’ll find something out every act break!”
On whether TV has changed since “Buffy”: “Oh, it’s changed so much. I mean, from the fact that there are so many channels available now, to spoilers…there were blogs when I was on “Buffy.” There were no weekly magazines, there was just really People. I think now, to be able to keep your secrets for your show, it’s so hard. The beauty of our show is that we have to work extra hard to keep that stuff
Goodbye, Mr. Carmichael: “Chuck” Airs Its Finale
Posted by Melanie McFarland in Cancellations, Commentary, Nostalgia, Review, TV News on January 27th, 2012
Even the most beloved TV series must come to an end. But it’s nearly impossible for a series to end in a way that is universally satisfying. In fact, a number of shows widely considered to be among the best the medium had to offer ended quite badly.
Not “Chuck.”
So what if, quality-wise, “Chuck” isn’t in the same league as the “Losts” and “The Sopranos” of the world? It’s a show about a nerd who gets superpowers overnight, courtesy of a software program known as the Intersect. Only the silly would expect much in the way of profundity here.
But even when “Chuck” wasn’t great, it was usually a good time. By the end of its final two episodes, “Chuck Versus Sarah” and “Chuck Versus the Goodbye,” fans are just as likely to be smiling as crying – or smiling while they cry. It might not please everybody — nothing in life does — but it should come close.
As series creators and executive producers Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz reminded TV writers in a farewell letter, this is actually the fourth series finale that was written for “Chuck.” With that kind of practice, they had no excuse to do anything but end it well.
The sendoff for Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi), his beloved wife Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski), best friend Morgan Grimes (Joshua Gomez), and fellow agent John Casey (Adam Baldwin), ends their story with precisely the right balance of bittersweetness, heartbreak, giggles and optimism. And yes, there’s a lot jammed into that last episode. It’s essentially the show’s greatest hits parade, delivering a goodbye kiss (with a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor) to all of the elements that made “Chuck” perennially charming.
In the end, the beating heart of the show is still the love story between a beauty and a geek. “Chuck” was far from a perfect show, but Chuck and Sarah’s romance was never one of its questionable qualities. We rooted for Chuck to get the girl as much as we cheered him on when he got his fighting upgrades.
At the start of that penultimate episode, however, it’s no longer clear that he has either of these things. To say any more than that would ruin the experience of watching the finale, which airs across two back-to-back episodes tonight, starting at 8pm ET/PT on NBC.
Except for this — don’t be surprised if you are seized by the urge to review the series from the beginning as the final credits roll. The Intersect doesn’t actually exist, but this show’s uncanny ability to flip your nostalgia switch to the “on” position is very real.
Adam Baldwin, Chuck, Joshua Gomez, Lost, The Sopranos, Yvonne Strahovski, Zachary Levi
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