Tag: Charlie Hunnam
2010 Year End TV Review: Jason Zingale
December 13, 2010 / Jason Zingale
It was an especially transformative year of television, at least for me, as my TV viewing diet underwent a bit of restructuring. Once-favorite shows began collecting dust on the DVR (sorry "Burn Notice," but you're losing your sizzle), and in the case of a few (like "Chuck"), were deleted altogether. Consequently, NBC's "Community," which spent most of its freshman season on the fringe of receiving similar treatment, is now the highlight of my Thursday nights. That's because while shows like "Burn Notice" and "Chuck" are pretty much running on dead fumes at this point, "Community" has just begun to hit its groove. "How I Met Your Mother" also bounced back from an off-year with some of its funniest episodes to date, "Glee" and "Castle" continue to be as guilty as they are pleasurable, and the new season of "Top Chef" might just be the best yet. But none were able to crack my Top 5, which goes to prove that while there might have been a few misses this year, the hits were a lot more memorable.
1. Terriers
Clever, funny, dark and provocative, "Terriers" may have wowed critics with its flawed characters and rich storytelling, but that didn't change John Landgraf's recent decision not to renew it for a second season. I don't blame the FX President for the low ratings (most networks would have given up after only a few weeks), but I do blame the rest of America for failing to tune in to the best new show of the season. Yes, you heard right. Although I enjoyed "The Walking Dead" and the overrated "Boardwalk Empire," the buddy detective drama delivered better acting and writing week in and week out. Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James had unparalleled chemistry as the scrappy private investigators (the titular terriers, if you will) caught in the middle of the case of a lifetime, so it's a shame that we won't get to tag along on any of their further adventures – especially since the season finale left things wide open. Another brilliant but cancelled television show that, ten years from now, will still be missed.
2. Modern Family
It hasn't even completed its second season, but "Modern Family" already seems destined to become a comedy classic. It's that good, and anyone who says otherwise should get an X-ray to see if their funny bone is broken. Of course, considering that it's one of the most-watched shows on TV, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn't agree. But for those who still haven't experienced the funniest half-hour of television, it's about time that you do, because there isn't a single show that even comes close to matching the number of laughs in an average episode. And although the writing staff certainly deserves some credit, it's cast members like Ty Burrell, Ed O'Neill and Sofia Vergara who make every joke that much funnier. Even the kids are funny, and that's saying a lot from someone who isn't particularly fond of child actors. It's almost unbelievable the way the show fires on all cylinders so consistently, but that's what separates a great show from a good one, and "Modern Family" is nothing if not that.
3. Sons of Anarchy
The third season of FX's outlaw biker drama may not have been its best, but after a sluggish start, the series redeemed itself by getting back to the kind of top-notch storytelling that fans have come to expect. Many of those fans were quick to criticize the ambitious Ireland subplot that dominated most of the season, but along with fleshing out some of the club's back story, it also set the stage for what turned out to be a killer finale. Many of the supporting players got lost in the background this year, but Charlie Hunnam gave the performance of his career, guest stars Paula Malcomson and James Cosmo proved themselves worthy additions to the cast, and Ally Walker put the finishing touches on what might just be the best TV villain in quite some time. The show may have stumbled a bit along the way, but no matter how you felt about the season as a whole, those who stuck around for the long haul were given plenty of incentive to come back next fall.
Actors, Actresses, External TV, Mad Men, Sons of Anarchy, The Walking Dead, TV, TV Comedies, TV Dramas, Year in Review
2010 Year End TV Jason ZingaleAgent June StahlAlly WalkerAMCAndrew Lincolnbest TV showsBoardwalk EmpireBritt PollackBullz-Eye Year in TV 2010Burn NoticeCastleCharlie HunnamChuckCommunityDon DraperDonal LogueEd O'NeillElisabeth MossFrank DarabontFXGale Anne HurdGleeGreg NicoteroHank DolworthHow I Met Your MotherJames CosmoJax TellerJay PrichettJeffrey DeMunnJon HammKiernan ShipkaLaurie HoldenMad MenMatthew WeinerMichael Raymond-JamesModern FamilyPaula MalcomsonPeggy OlsonPhil DunphyRick GrimesRobert KirkmanSally DraperSofia VergaraSons of AnarchySteven YuenTerriersThe Walking DeadTop ChefTy Burrell
TCA Press Tour, Summer 2010: Day 8
August 9, 2010 / Will Harris
Much as the CBS family of networks split their efforts into two days worth of panels – one for CBS, the other for Showtime and The CW – so did Fox give us some breathing room by placing their presentations for FX's slate of new programming on a separate day. (I wish to God NBC / Universal would take a cue from their peers. I'm so sick of being rushed through a mishmosh of NBC, USA, Bravo, and SyFy series in one long can't-stop-won't-stop day.)
Your personal mileage may vary, but for my money, John Landgraf is one of the nicest network heads currently in the game. He's very low-key, but he's always ready to give you a quote when you're looking for one. Today, he offered up the following bits and pieces about the future of FX.
* "Louie" has been renewed for a second season of 13 episodes.
* Ben Garant and Tom Lennon, late of "Reno 911!," are going to do a pilot for FX called "The USS Alabama." It's another partially-scripted, partially-improvised series, and, according to Landgraf, "It takes place in space on the USS Alabama with a crew of spacefarers who might not be too much brighter than the cops in 'Reno 911!'"
* There are two other pilots in the works as well, the first being "Outlaw Country," which will star Mary Steenburgen. "Some really talented young actors have joined that cast," said Landgraf. "That goes into production in, I think, six weeks. It's a fantastic script. Something we're really, really excited about." The other is "Wilfred," a comedy pilot based on an Australian comedy series, which completed principal photography last week.
* The "Damages" deal done with DirecTV is different from the one that was done with "Friday Night Lights" in that FX will not be offering up the episodes after they've run on DirecTV. "The season that has aired, which was the third season of 'Damages,' is the last season it will air on FX," said Landgraf. "For us, we're also producers on 'Damages.' We've been co-owners and co-producers through FX Productions, and DirectTV felt very strongly. They were willing to underwrite it, and to a very substantial amount financially, they enabled it to move forward. That was the deal that Sony worked on very aggressively, but they wanted it exclusively, so this was really the best and only way for 'Damages' to move forward. So we stepped aside as a network entity, and we're still involved as a production entity."
I don't know that there's any series currently on the air that I feel worse about not watching than "Sons of Anarchy." Everyone tells me it's fantastic, I have every reason to believe that those people are right, and yet I just haven't had the time to go back and revisit the show's first two seasons. But that won't stop me from bringing you the info that creator Kurt Sutter and his cast provided to us during the show's panel, of course.
As far as the "big bad" for Season 3, as it were, Sutter says, "We have a couple dual storylines going in Charming and as well as in Belfast, but I guess if you had to pin it down to one specific adversary, I would say that it's probably the Titus Welliver character, Jimmy O."
What of the theme of the new season? "I don't know if there's one specific overriding theme," said Sutter. "I think the theme is always about family and Jax sort of defining his role as a father and as a partner and as a son and as a member of this club, and the Abel storyline drives us through pretty much the entire season, and…I don't want to give anything away in terms of what that means and where that takes us, but, you know, the thing is our seasons, the actual span of time within our seasons is very short. It's potentially a couple, two or three weeks. So there isn't a lot of time that passes where you can have a lot of things unfold organically. So it is a very concentrated period of time which I think helps feed, I think, the sense of urgency for the tasks that they have at hand this season."
2010 Fall TV Preview, External Entertainment, External TV, Interviews, News, Pilots, Reviews, Sons of Anarchy, TCA Blog 2010, TCA Press Tour, TV, TV Action, TV Comedies, TV Dramas
Aisha TylerArcherBen GarantCharlie HunnamChase UtleyChris ParnellDamagesDayton CallieDonal LogueGlenn HowertonH. John BenjaminIt's Always Sunny in PhiladelphiaJackie Marcus SchafferJeff SchafferJohn LandgrafKaitlin OlsonKatey SagalKurt SutterLights OutMaggie SiffMark Boone JuniorMatt ThompsonMichael Raymond-JamesOutlaw CountryRob McElhenneyRon PerlmanRyan HowardShawn RyanSons of AnarchyTCA Blog Summer 2010Ted GriffinTerriersThe LeagueThe USS AlabamaThomas LennonTom SizemoreWilfred
Live from various parts of West L.A.!
December 10, 2009 / Bob Westal
I was at a screening at Sony (it'll always be the MGM lot to me) earlier tonight, so to avoid traffic and strike while the iron is hot, tonight's post comes to you directly from various branches of the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. (As one closed, I was forced to migrate…)
* A little detail everyone seemed to miss yesterday: the possibly upcoming "Vlad" that I discussed last night is technically a movie about Dracula but is not, in fact, a vampire movie. It's a tale that will to some degree hew to the historical reality of the not-quite-literally bloodthirsty Romanian ruler Vlad Dracul, it turns out. Via The Playlist, there's an informative Entertainment Weekly interview with the screenwriter.
Another detail I personally missed last night: writer Charlie Hunnam is one of the stars of FX's "Sons of Anarchy," which I've never seen but have been hearing great things about and which, of course, our own Jason Zingale has been blogging right here at PH. "Vlad" is being compared to both "300" and "Braveheart" — two movies I personally strongly disliked partly because they both offend my sense of morality, but I'm still curious to see if this one pans out.
* "Paranormal Activity" hit it in France and the UK, but not in Germany. I'm imagining a guy in a turtle neck with a look of disdain. "Your pretense at being haunted by demons grows tiresome!"
Action Movies, Actors, Documentaries, External Entertainment, External Movies, Horror Movies, Movie Dramas, Movies, New Media, News, Sci-Fi Movies
300Akira KurosawaAvatarBattle Beyond the StarsBraveheartCharlie HunnamDraculaFXHeadlinesJames CameronParanormal ActivityPark CityRoger CormanSlamdanceSons of AnarchySpaulding GraySteven SoderberghThe Seven SamuraiVariety pay wallVladVlad Dracul
Greetings to the New Series: "Sons of Anarchy"
September 4, 2008 / Will Harris
With "The Shield" entering its final season and "Nip/Tuck" heading to a conclusion in 2010, it's high time that FX found itself a new signature drama or two…and given that "Dirt" has been cancelled, "The Riches" hasn't gotten a third-season pick-up, and "Damages" is more popular among TV critics than actual viewers, they really to step up their game and hunt up a new series that can be embraced by a larger audience.
Enter "Sons of Anarchy," a show which is somewhat Shakespearean in spirit but ultimately comes off more like "The Sopranos" if members of the Mafia were replaced with motorcycle-straddling toughs. Not that that's a bad thing…especially not when Drea de Matteo's in the cast of this show, too.
I was able to check out the first episode of the series when I was out in L.A. at the TCA Press Tour, but it was late and I was exhausted, so although I walked away from it feeling that it was too dark for its own good, I also felt like I wasn't giving it my all as a critic, so I vowed to watch it again when it made its formal debut on FX. Now that I've done so, I admit that I found myself enjoying it a little more this time around…but it's still pretty damned dark.
Not that the darkness is all that surprising. After all, "Sons of Anarchy" is the creation of Kurt Sutter, who's done just about everything there is to do on "The Shield," having produced, directed, written, and story-edited on that series, not to mention the fact that he played the role of Margos Dezerian. So, basically, the guy knows dark.
Setting aside the darkness, however, the bigger concern is whether or not the saga of a biker gang can be made into a series that the average viewer can latch onto.
Actors, Actresses, External Entertainment, External TV, Fall TV Preview, Pilots, Reviews, The Shield, TV, TV Action, TV Dramas
Charlie HunnamDramaDrea de MatteoFall TV PreviewFXKatey Sagalmotorcycle gangNew FX seriesRon PerlmanSons of Anarchy