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Posts tagged as “Behind the Scenes”

Passing the buck

After being right for a day, it looks like I (and everyone else) is wrong.
Showtime has not picked up Tim Robbin’s pilot which he both wrote and directed (Possible Side Effects).

Rumors are flying around that the pass on Possible Side Effects is due to its subject matter (the pharmaceutical drug industry) and pharmaceutical corps are among the top advertisers over at another Viacom network: CBS.

So, ultimately, out of the 4 pilots ordered by Sho, none of them were picked up.
Cash thrown out the window?

Variety has a piece up discussing how the networks are trying to minimize the spendings by co-producing or buying international properties instead of investing in pilots that won’t ultimately be picked up.
Overall, a pretty interesting read which takes a look at why certain shows are currently on the bubble.

In other TV news, TNT meanwhile has canceled Trust Me.

As for the recent Dollhouse/13-episode matter, I’ll be talking about that in more detail very soon in my follow-up article to the Four Reasons why Dollhouse might be Renewed.

Quickie

Not much time today to post so I’ll do a quickie:

Looks like I was right calling Tim Robbins’ Possible Side Effects as Showtime’s next pickup.
Seeing as it is now the only pilot left standing, the pickup seems extremely likely now.
Sho has indeed passed on the other pilot that was still in the running, the Jewish comedy Ronna and Beverly from Weeds‘ Jenji Kohan, Reno 911!‘s Jamie Denbon, and Jessica Chaffin.

Also, something that will most likely make some waves: the Dutch program Devil’s Advocate has ruled that Osama Bin Laden is no guilty of the 9/11 attacks (not enough evidence against him) .
Wow.

Cast It

A bunch of casting news today for some pilots:

Battlestar Galactica‘s Tahmoh Penikett will star in SciFi/Syfy’s Riverworld.
That must mean either his character dies in Dollhouse, or, well, you know the alternative.

Also joining the cast is Smallville‘s own Laura Vandervoort who played Supergirl on the CW show.
Vandervoort and Penikett will play the main couple that is killed and brought into this world were everyone who has lived on Earth is.

The Caretaker should be played by Alan Cumming.

The Phantom has also been cast, and he will be played by Desperate Housewives‘ Ryan Carnes.
I am not too thrilled about this casting news. Let’s just say the “gravitas” I was expecting isn’t quite there.

On the other hand, the new villain, Lithia, will be played by Isabella Rossellini.

I wonder if they are going to do something closer to The Tick, or if it’s just going to end up like Smallville…

The Shield‘s CCH Pounder, who is going to appear in both Warehouse 13 and James Cameron’s Avatar, will also be joining the regular cast of a comedy, a FOX comedy to be more precise, named Brothers. Pounder is set to play the mother of the two brothers.

Interesting casting choices here and there, we’ll see how it all plays out on screen in the months to come.

Also, the Daytime Emmys are shifting over to The CW.
Seriously.