First Look at Graceland

USA Network released an extended look at new show Graceland yesterday, and WOW. I cannot wait. It's from Jeff Eastin, the creator/showrunner of White Collar, though it's supposed to be slightly darker and more adult than that show. It's about undercover agents from a bunch of different federal agencies living together in a house in California. And the stars include Aaron Tveit (Trip van der Bilt!) and Daniel Sunjata (Ranger!). SO EXCITED.

White Collar Summer Finale Tonight!

I've seen it, and it's awesome. Here's why. Really, you don't want to miss this one.

1. I don’t want to get into hyperbole here, but the final twist really will change Neal’s life forever. As Jeff Eastin told reporters last week (more from that conversation soon!), he prefers to end on still, quiet notes that nevertheless pack an emotional wallop, and he definitely achieves that here.

Morning Coffee (5/30/12)

There have been a lot of articles on why cable puts good stuff on in the summer and the networks don't, but June Thomas's take is particularly good and has some details I didn't know.

Awesome: Amazon is creating a Never Before on DVD store.

A must-read for aspiring authors: On Establishing a Good Line of Credit with Agents

This movie sounds potentially fascinating.

The Top 10 Scariest Mogul Heirs

Take a look at what famous authors had in their libraries.

Lasagna cupcakes??

Meet the Weiner Truthers

Morning Coffee (5/18/12)

A few of these links are a little older, but I somehow never posted them, so I'm including them in case you haven't already seen them elsewhere.

See the first trailer for USA's Political Animals!

The Epic Drama of Alan Rickman Making Tea in Super Slow-Mo

Listen to Castle writers Andrew Marlowe and Terri Edda on the Nerdist Writer's Panel podcast.

Five Top Showrunners Recount the Agony of Waiting for a Pilot Pickup

An Infographic Guide to This Summer’s Movies

Election Watch parses all the election coverage, so you don’t have to

Morning Coffee (5/17/12)

Last day of upfronts!

6 Ridiculous Lies You Believe About the Founding of America

USA Network is doing a bunch more "Social TV" integrations this summer.

Here's an interesting analysis of YA covers.

Joss Whedon picks favorites.

Todd VanDerWerff's schedule analyses are really fun to read. (No, really.) Here's CBS.

Barack Obama: The first everything president.

Morning Coffee (5/11/12)

Oh, hey, it's finally Friday!

Ryan McGee says good, important things about TV criticism.

Amazing: Prince Charles plays weatherman.

Ugh, the Game of Thrones comics covers do not bode well.

Burn Notice fans! Go vote on which opening they should use this season. I love the all new version REALLY A LOT and will be sad if it doesn't win.

And here's a nice article about USA Network's summer shows.

Michael Ealy on Common Law

USA Network's Common Law premieres on Friday, and over at TheTelevixen I have a feature with star Michael Ealy in which he talks a bit about his character and the show. I really enjoyed this pilot, so I definitely recommend you check it out!

About that In Plain Sight finale...

The In Plain Sight series finale aired Friday night, and I actually watched it the previous Friday, and honestly, I still don't know what to think. Or, really, my thoughts and feelings have changed dozens of times in the last week. It wasn't bad, and there were some moments I really loved. But at the same time, it didn't seem right. First, you should read Marisa Roffman's review, because I agree with literally everything she says in it, and won't bother to repeat it all. But I wanted to highlight this issue:

Maybe it was the feeling of a band-aid covering the bullet wound because Marshall asked Mary to stop leaning on him since he would come every single time she called. How does that make his relationship with Abigail the right thing to stick with? If this was the best thing for them (and if they weren’t going to inevitably fall back into this pattern six months, a year, or ten years from now), why would he not say something like, “I can’t be that for you.” Take some responsibility, man! Say what you need and take the steps to make sure it is followed through. Instead, it felt like, “I will always be there for you and come every single time you call, so if you want to take responsibility for my relationship falling apart, continue to call and act as you are.”

Exactly, exactly, exactly. You cannot say "My behavior makes my fiancee uncomfortable, so you need to change your behavior or everything is your fault." I mean, you can say that, but Marshall has never been written as the kind of thoughtless, self-absorbed person who would. So while Fred Weller's acting in that scene was really impressive, the scene as a whole did a disservice to the character.

I didn't even necessarily need Mary and Marshall to end up together, but I would have much preferred an ambiguous ending. One of the main themes of In Plain Sight has always been that life is messy and complicated and ambiguous, and that fairy tale happy endings aren't real. By wrapping everything up so neatly, the writers in a way betrayed their own show. So the fact that there was a false-feeling happy ending that was directly contradictory to the unrealistic happy ending that 99% of fans seem to have wanted just seems like adding insult to injury. If any show called for a conclusion that was ambiguous and left at least some things unresolved, it was this one. If for whatever reason it was decided that the ending couldn't be left that way, I honestly can't figure out why the writers thought that the ending they settled on would be satisfying to viewers.

And even all of that would be easier to let go if the network had marketed the finale differently. Promos are always misleading to some extent, but cutting these promos to show Marshall saying "I love you" was just a slap in the face to loyal fans. And the promos ran so constantly that even my mother, who doesn't watch the show, said "Oh, yeah, that's the show that's ending but they're going to finally get together, right?" Across several platforms, including Twitter, the network marketed this finale heavily and emphasized that fans would be happy and satisfied with the way things ended. It's possible that whoever runs the show's official Twitter account didn't actually know how things would end, but regardless, it was irresponsible. USA Network is usually my favorite channel, but the way they've handled this has left me with negative feelings about them right as they're starting their promotional run-up to their hit summer shows. And that's really not a good way for them to help themselves, never mind be fair to anyone else.

My biggest fear going into this finale was that it would color my perception of the show as a whole - I didn't want to be left with bad feelings about one of the shows I've loved most for the past few years. And it's too early to tell, really, but I'm not sure I'll ever be able to feel the same way about In Plain Sight again. I'm hoping that if I give it a little time, I'll be able to rewatch earlier episodes without dwelling on the way it all ended. I hope. I'm already sad about the show ending in the first place; it will be even sadder if a clumsy finale and misleading marketing permanently sour fans' memories of a great show.

The In Plain Sight finale is tomorrow...

...and I have SO MANY FEELINGS about this show. I can't say too much yet because I don't want to spoil anyone, but I celebrate/mourn a bit at TheTelevixen: Raise a Glass to In Plain Sight.

You MUST watch In Plain Sight tonight.

And over at TheTelevixen, I tell you why. Plus: Quotes from my interview with Stephen Lang and one of my very favorite Marshall lines EVER.

USA Network Summer Premiere Dates!

USA Network announced some more premiere dates yesterday, and since a few of you have asked, I figured it was time for a roundup:

May 11: Common Law
June 6: Royal Pains & Necessary Roughness
June 14: Burn Notice & Suits
July 10: White Collar & Covert Affairs

Political Animals will premiere in July as well, but does not have an official date yet.

The Problem of Fairly Legal

As you know, I'm a big fan of USA Network's original shows, but Fairly Legal has frustrated me and still, a few episodes into the second season, I haven't quite managed to buy into it. A few days ago I had a conversation along these lines with a critic friend:

Me: I'm still watching Fairly Legal, but it definitely has some issues.
Her: No, it's just bad.
Me: But . . . Michael Trucco!
Her: It's just really bad.
me: But . . . Michael Trucco shirtless.

Seriously, though, I wouldn't watch a show I hated just for shirtless hot guys. I keep watching Fairly Legal because I'm stubbornly convinced that beneath the obnoxious, studied quirkiness, the show is actually talking about some interesting ideas.

How do you rebuild when your father dies and your marriage ends, but you still have to see your father's widow and your ex-husband every day? When everyone you encounter, personally or professionally, knows all about it and won't stop talking about it? When your entire identity is based on your ability to solve everyone's problems, but you have no idea what to do about your own?

What happens when two women take over the business started by a beloved patriarch and no one wants to take them seriously? When the supposed trophy wife becomes the highly capable CEO, but the entire client base refuses to see it because it would make them question their worldview? When your wicked stepmother becomes your business partner and you have to acknowledge that she's actually a person?

Or when your boss makes you so righteously angry that you declare you're running for his job, but then have to keep working under him during the campaign? And when your ex-wife is right there, all the time, asking for favors and doing things that reflect on you and your campaign even though she shouldn't be involved? And when you know perfectly well that you're still in love with each other, but also that there were reasons why it didn't work the first time?

And none of that even gets into the supposed fundamental question of the show: Is the law ever fair? Does it matter? Is it more important to expose the truth or to find solutions that satisfy everyone? Is there some universal moral standard, and does that supersede what anyone - or everyone - involved in an issue actually wants? If everyone's happy, have you won, regardless of the actual outcome?

Fairly Legal could be examining these questions while keeping the atmosphere light enough for the network, the way slick, pretty hijinks are mixed with questions of honor and loyalty on Burn Notice or shades-of-gray morality on White Collar. But that's not the show that's actually on the air, and the question, I suppose, is whether it wants to be that show. If it could stop trying to make Sarah Shahi into Zooey Deschanel and stop over-writing everyone's lines long enough to let us hear what's actually being said, it would be off to a good start.

Morning Coffee (3/23/12)

Happy Friday! I had a dream about ordering a really exciting omelet, and then woke up and had no omelet, so I am sad.

Italian town outlaws death. Ha. Speaking of "adorable European laws," there's something going on in England with a pasty tax, and for all I know it could be a really serious issue, but the concept is cracking me up.

More adorable British people: Stephen Fry and Ian McKellan (who are both in the Hobbit movie) are paying the licensing fee so an old pub called The Hobbit can keep its name.

Is TV paying too much attention to fans?

Would you like to see Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean? Of course you would.

I really need to read The Secret History.

YA Rebecca retelling set at a boarding school? Yes, PLEASE.

Speaking of, Sarah Rees Brennan's got another hilarious Gothic retelling.

An adult Tom and Huck with a supernatural element? Um . . . wait, WHAT?

If I were casting a character based on Bill Clinton, Ciaran Hinds would not be my first thought, but I'm still really excited about this.

Morning Coffee (3/15/12)

Happy Thursday! Vampire Diaries and Community come back tonight. In Plain Sight and Fairly Legal return tomorrow. It's a good week.

Tumblr of the day: Least Helpful Reviews

If you need some outrage in your day, read this comment thread about whether women need to act like "ladies."

L.L. Bean ice cream? YES PLEASE.

Your creepy news story for the day.

Calvino's list of types of books found in bookstores is a classic.

10 Women Who Took Titles Normally Reserved for Men

"Judgment Day:" White Collar Finale Review (SPOILERS!)

Well. That was quite something, huh? I've had several days to think about it, and I'm still not sure what I thought. SO MANY FEELINGS! And a spoiler cut!

10 Reasons to Watch Tonight's White Collar Finale

Season three of White Collar is coming to an end tonight - all too soon - with "Judgment Day," and it's a heck of an episode. Here are ten reasons why you should watch:

10. El gives OT3 fans the most canonical justification they've ever had.
9. Sara is completely brilliant.
8. June made me tear up.
7. Mozzie has secrets. (Of course he does.)
6. We learn a bit more about Neal's past.
5. Diana makes a choice and saves the day. (At least temporarily.)
4. There are meaningful baked goods.
3. Someone has a secret agenda. And that someone isn't necessarily Neal.
2. Peter and Neal both have to be unusually honest about their feelings and how much they've changed each other. And then Peter, especially, makes choice after choice that reinforces it: He can't go back.
1. The ending is somehow both satisfying and shocking. It's not really a cliffhanger. The cliff's gone. People talk about game-changers all the time, but this really is one. And I cannot wait to talk about it.

White Collar is on USA Network tonight at 10/9 central. And don't worry: season four starts this summer.

What your Friday afternoon needs . . .

. . . is a little Neal Caffrey. Trust me.

Burn Notice: "It's unsettling when you're that sincere!"

(Mild spoilers ahead! But mostly just character analysis.)

Burn Notice had a solid midseason premiere last night with "Damned If You Do," and it seems we now know what obsession will replace Michael's quest to find out who burned him: protecting Fiona. For this episode, at least, this also became his priority over saving the world or helping random people, and . . . I think I'm okay with that. It makes the calculus of Michael's decision-making more complex, and therefore makes the character more interesting.

In this show's moral universe, the ends usually justify the means. Michael may hurt people, but he generally thinks he's serving the greater good, even if he's not entirely convinced he himself is good. His constant need to save the world is all the more powerful given that, at least some of the time, he thinks he's a bad person, or at least brings bad things down upon anyone he cares about. Michael has a touch of Josh Lyman syndrome ("He goes through every day worried that somebody he likes is going to die and its going to be his fault. What do you think makes him walk so fast?") but with him, this tends to play out on a larger but more impersonal scale. Sure, saving random strangers (or countries) is great, but it's also a symptom of what Michael says about not letting himself care about individual people.

Now, though, he cares, and everyone knows it. When you move your ex-girlfriend into your apartment, you lose all plausible deniability, both to your mother and to the bad guys out to get either or both of you. He's doing bad things, things that will hurt people, because that's what's necessary to protect Fiona. (And Fiona, as she herself points out, is no damsel in distress, which makes this all the more compelling.) If he were on Vampire Diaries, this is when someone would tell him to be careful - his humanity is showing. And it makes him a much more interesting character. Michael saving the world? Done that. Michael damning the world to save the girl? That's something different.

Tonight's TV Premiere Reminders: 11/3/11

Whenever there's a TV premiere, I'll try to let you know. Remember, you can see my regularly-updated TV spreadsheet here. (All times Eastern.)

9 p.m.:
Bones season 7 premiere, FOX
Wheee! Booth and Bones are finally together! They're going to have a baby! This could either be really fun or completely horrid! But I'm hoping for really fun! We'll see!

10 p.m.:
Burn Notice season 5 midseason premiere, USA
Another favorite! Back on the same night! Can you tell I'm pretty excited about tonight?

Tonight's TV Premiere Reminders: 11/1/11

Whenever there's a TV premiere, I'll try to let you know. Remember, you can see my regularly-updated TV spreadsheet here. (All times Eastern.)

10 p.m.:
Covert Affairs season 2.5 premiere, USA
This isn't my favorite USA show, but it's fun.