TCA Archives - Page 7 of 23 - StayTuned Magazine

TCA: Gettin’ Dirty With ABC’s “Blood & Oil”

August 5, 2015 Kellie Freeze

Billy and Cody Lefever dream of a new life beyond their working class roots and move to “The Bakken” in North Dakota, booming after the biggest oil discovery in American history. They’re soon pitted against a ruthless tycoon who forces them to bet big and put everything on the line, including their marriage. “This is more than a reboot of Dallas,” promises Don Johnson and the producers of Blood & Oil. So I wonder, is this is the oil industry, gone high octane? In the sizzle reel we watched this morning at the Television Critics Association (TCA) summer press tour, in […]

TCA: Kermit and Miss Piggy talk break-up, new ABC series “The Muppets.”

August 5, 2015 Lori Acken

ABC presented a panel on its anticipated new series The Muppets yesterday at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, letting the show’s EPs Bill Prady and Bob Kushell and stars Kermit the Frog and a tardy Miss Piggy entertain reporters for a lively half hour. Kushell noted that, while many Muppets favorites will appear in the ABC primetime comedy, the show is a sort of running mockumentary about the behind-the-scenes action at Miss Piggy’s (fictional) talk show and not a reboot of the beloved variety fest The Muppet Show of the ’70s and early ’80s. “Anybody who hasn’t seen […]

TCA: ABC’s Paul Lee talks American Crime, TGIT and new fall shows

August 4, 2015 Lori Acken

ABC Entertainment Group president Paul Lee touted the network’s string of successes and its upcoming fall and midseason shows today at the Television Critics Association summer press tour. But first he had a bit of pressing business. “I guess, if you take one thing from my comments this morning,” Lee said, “it’s that I think [How to Get Away with Murder star] Viola Davis should win that Emmy. I mean, she is fierce, and she’s fearless, and she’s sexy, and her performance is nuanced, and we are incredibly proud of that show.” Lee also honored the Emmy nom success of John […]

TCA: Amazon Studios presents new series and controversial new partnerships

August 3, 2015 Lori Acken

Amazon Studios presented their slate of new series and season-two returns — plus a pair of controversial new projects — today at the Television Critics Association summer press tour. Studio head Roy Price began the session announcing that the streaming service was moving its Emmy-nominated drama Bosch to a new night before delivering the punchline: “You can see it anytime! It’s your schedule that matters, not ours!” Then drama chief Morgan Wandell launched panels for a pair of ambitious new dramas, Hand of God, which premieres Sept. 4, and the long-awaited The Man in the High Castle, which streams Nov. 4. Hand Of […]

IFC’s “Documentary Now!” is history as it never was

August 1, 2015 Ryan Berenz

As Comedy Central’s Drunk History revolutionized the way we look at the past, IFC’s Documentary Now! (Thursdays beginning Aug. 20) hopes to alter how we remember some of history’s most important documentary films. Former Saturday Night Live castmates Fred Armisen, Bill Hader and Seth Meyers are the creators of this new six-part comedy series that spoofs famous documentaries like Grey Gardens, Nanook of the North and Reportero. Each installment has the appearance and tone of a serious documentary (they even got Helen Mirren to introduce each episode!). But the seriousness ends when Armisen and Hader appear onscreen as parodies of eccentric […]

#TCA15: Meet Emily Beecham, The Widow of AMC’s “Into the Badlands”

July 31, 2015 Ryan Berenz

AMC’s upcoming drama series Into the Badlands (premiering Nov. 15) is a genre-bending martial arts, sci-fi action odyssey about a distant future in which the only inhabitable lands are in the former American Midwest, and they’re governed by seven feudal Barons who control vital resources. In the series, Emily Beecham plays The Widow (it’s not just a scary name!), one of the Barons of the Badlands. She controls the oil, and her ambitions disrupt the tenuous peace among the Barons. The Widow has the look of a Steampunk Southern belle with a twist of The Matrix warrior/dominatrix and two deadly daggers as her weapons of choice. “My character […]

“Blunt Talk” releases the full comic force of Sir Patrick Stewart

July 31, 2015 Ryan Berenz

Whether he’s on the bridge of the USS Enterprise as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation, leading heroic mutants as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men films, or performing on the classical stage, Sir Patrick Stewart is an imposing presence, bringing gravitas and authority to his roles. Providing the voices of Stonecutter Number One on The Simpsons and CIA deputy director Avery Bullock on American Dad!, and guest-starring as a slightly off-kilter version of himself on Ricky Gervais’ Extras, Stewart proved he can take that gravitas and flip it on its head. Stewart makes his biggest flip […]

#TCA15: HBO’s “Westworld” looks crazy, good

July 30, 2015 Ryan Berenz

At the TCA Summer Press Tour, HBO previewed some of its upcoming new and returning programs. Here’s a rundown of the shows and premiere dates: HBO Back on Board: Greg Louganis (Aug. 4) Four-time Olympic gold medalist Greg Louganis may be the greatest diver ever, but his greatest impact may come from being one of the first openly gay athletes in America. This documentary looks at the successes and struggles Louganis faced then and still faces now. Show Me a Hero (Aug. 16, 23 & 30) This miniseries dramatizes the bureaucratic battle that took place in Yonkers, N.Y., over the […]

#TCA15: Who let the freaks out? Todrick!

July 29, 2015 Ryan Berenz

MTV unleashes the freaks! Todrick Hall @toddyrockstar lights it up at #TCA15. pic.twitter.com/1nvu7Hx4iB — Channel Guide (@ChannelGuide) July 29, 2015 On a Wednesday morning at the TCA Summer Press Tour, there’s nothing that will wake a person up faster than “Who Let the Freaks Out?” I grew up in the 1980s, and it was my understanding that the freaks came out at night, not at 9am on a Wednesday. So I had to pose the question to YouTube star Todrick Hall, who is getting his own MTV series premiering Aug. 31. ME: Hi, guys. Good morning. First question, who did let the freaks […]

#TCA15: Netflix is the Happiest Place on Earth

July 28, 2015 Ryan Berenz

A reporter today at the TCA Press Tour mentioned that Netflix seems like the “happiest place on Earth” for someone to work in the entertainment business. Ratings? Netflix don’t need no stinking ratings! They don’t care, and they’re certainly not giving any kind of ratings/audience numbers to the press. Netflix can defy the TV space/time continuum! You don’t have to edit shows to fit a certain length. You’re not beholden to timeslots or seasons, or commercial breaks or live sports events preempting your shows. If someone wants to watch every episode of a show in a single sitting, they can […]