A sneak peek of the new drama The Mysteries of Laura will air on NBC on September 17 at 10 PM.
Debra Messing (Will & Grace and Smash) stars as Laura Diamond, a brilliant NYPD homicide detective who balances her day job with a crazy family life that includes two unruly twin boys and a soon-to-be ex-husband (Josh Lucas) – also a cop – who just can’t seem to sign the divorce papers. Between cleaning up after her boys and cleaning up the streets, she’d be the first to admit she has her “hot mess” moments.
The cast includes Janina Gavankar (Arrow and True Blood) and Laz Alonso (Breakout Kings).
On September 17, the new FOX drama Red Band Society will debut at 9 PM.
Based on the award-winning Spanish series Polseres Vermelles, this new series takes a provocative, unconventional and, at times, comic look at the lives of patients in the pediatric ward of Ocean Park Hospital in Los Angeles.
The cast includes Octavia Spencer (The Help), Dave Annable (Brothers & Sisters), Ciara Bravo (Big Time Rush), Zoe Levin (The Way, Way Back), Griffin Dunne (House of Cards), Charlie Rowe (Neverland), Nolan Sotillo (Prom), newcomer Rebecca Rittenhouse and Astro (Earth to Echo).
Trying to figure out what to watch tonight? Be it new episodes of the TV season, reairs of cable series or a movie, here are some suggestions:
8 PM: Reckless on CBS (NEW – Part of 2-hour finale) Cedar Cove on Hallmark Channel (NEW) Deliverance Creek movie on Lifetime (DEBUT) Doctor Who on BBC America (Reair) Outlander on Starz (Reair) Red movie on TNT
8:30 PM: Brave (animated) movie on ABC Family
9 PM: Reckless on CBS (NEW – Part of 2-hour finale) Doctor Who on BBC America (NEW) Outlander on Starz (NEW) Scandal on BET
Singer-turned-actress Mandy Moore will have a recurring role in the new FOX dramedy Red Band Society that is set to debut on September 17. She will play Dr. Erin Grace, Chief of Staff at Ocean Park Hospital, where the series takes place. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)
Actor Owain Yeoman (The Mentalist) has joined the cast of the AMC period piece drama Turn. He will be a series regular playing Benedict Arnold. The 10-episode second season of the series will air some time in 2015. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)
TNT has given a 10-episode second season order to Murder In The First. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
The Hallmark Hall of Fame movies used to be a 16-year tradition over at CBS then it spent three years at ABC. Now, it has shifted over to a new network – the Hallmark Channel. Seems apropos enough, right? The first Hallmark Hall of Fame movie on the Hallmark Channel will be “One Christmas Eve” starring Anne Heche. It will air on November 30. (Variety)
Actress Linda Hunt will take her NCIS: Los Angeles character Hetty Lang over to the new CBS drama Scorpion to help the Scorpion team to – of all things – infiltrate a Halloween party. Also, actress Shohreh Aghdashloo (Grimm and 24) will also guest star in the series, playing Dr. Cassandra Davis, a psychologist assigned to evaluate Walter O’Brien (series lead Elyes Gabel) and the team following a chaotic and costly conclusion to one of their cases. (Natalie Abrams at Entertainment Weekly)
DEVELOPMENT NEWS
It looks like TNT is getting in the superhero game, as they are developing a one-hour live-action drama called Titans, which is based on younger characters in the WB-owned DC Comics universe. The show would center on Dick Grayson, the former Robin who emerges from Batman’s shadow to become Nightwing and the leader of a fearless band of heroes who include Starfire and Raven. (Whitney Friedlander at Variety)
ABC is developing a pilot based on one of author Dan Brown’s novels. Thriller Digital Fortress will be an international thriller set in the world of the NSA during a global threat. It’s being described as a sexy cat-and-mouse game between a Snowden-esque character who is threatening to release all of the government’s secrets to the highest bidder and a female cryptographer and her elite team who are tasked to stop him. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
As if Shonda Rhimes is busy enough with Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and the new How to Get Away with Murder all on the air she is developing a cop drama called Protect & Survive with ABC. The ensemble drama would center on the last LAPD precinct fighting to hang on in Los Angeles after a massive disaster changed life as we know it. (Lesley Goldberg at The Hollywood Reporter)
BOX OFFICE NEWS
Actor Theo James (Divergent and Golden Boy) will return to Underworld to reprise his role of David in the fifth film in the franchise. He will star opposite two new female characters who are yet to be cast. (Clique Clack)
Actor Michael Ealy (Common Law and Think Like A Man) will star as civil rights activist Dr. Gilbert Mason in the upcoming biopic called A Civil Right that tells the story of the Biloxi physician who led non-violent “wade-ins” against segregation on Gulf Coast beaches between 1959 and 1963, protests that sparked violence from whites and resulted in the first successful anti-discrimination suit against the state of Mississippi. Mason’s activism landed him at #3 on the FBI’s civil rights agitators most-watched list, and he went on to successfully fight for school desegregation in the state and help form the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO). (Jen Yamato at Deadline)
Q&A SECTION (with Natalie Abrams at Entertainment Weekly)
Question: There’s been a severe lack of Melinda May scoop for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. — Monique
Natalie: Let me fix that for you: Melinda May will find herself with new duties as S.H.I.E.L.D. is being rebuilt, but her past may come back to haunt her this year. “She’s gone through something crazy in Bahrain that we’ve hinted at and we will explore in this season,” executive producer Jed Whedon teases.
Question: I need some Blacklist scoop that doesn’t have to do with Mary-Louise Parker. — Charlie
Natalie: While it sounds like Liz may show a little sibling rivalry-like jealousy towards the new agent (Mozhan Marnò) joining Red’s team, she’ll find out just how much Red cares about her when he enlists someone to shadow her and offer protection. Of course, this makes it much more difficult for her to go behind Red’s back. Yeah, it’ll be a two-way street when it comes to keeping secrets this season.
Question: Any scoop on Emma from Once Upon a Time? I’d like to know if we’ll get any flashbacks on her past? — Alex
Natalie: We will! In fact, we’re going to get a lot more information about her childhood. “In the first half of the season, we’re going to see more of Emma’s past than I think we’ve seen in all the other previous seasons combined,” executive producer Adam Horowitz tells me. Here’s hoping that means we may get to see Neal again.
Question: Any Graceland scoop on Jakes? — Etienne
Natalie: Jakes will actually go head-to-head with Briggs next season. “We’ve been discussing the idea that towards the end of this season, he was so broken, he was with a prostitute and he let Paige down, so it would push him to a point where he’d decide to shave off his dreads and really resurrect himself,” executive producer Jeff Eastin says. “That’s something we’re really looking to do next season, give him a storyline where Jakes has to step up and ultimately become the hero. That will ultimately pit him against Briggs.”
The fall TV season is nearly upon us and it is time to take a look at what the major networks have in store for us.
Over the course of this week, I will focus on each individual night of programming; specifically the new and returning dramas that will debut or air their season premieres when the fall TV season gets started.
The following is the Friday night schedule (courtesy of TV Line):
NOTE: You can double click on the image above to see a larger size of the Monday night chart.
On September 26, Hawaii Five-0 and Blue Bloods will both be back for their fifth seasons.
The fourth season of Hawaii Five-0 came to a close with Wo Fat (recurring guest star Mark Dacascos) breaking out of a super-max prison and the ramifications of that escape will play out in this season’s 100th episode. Any lingering questions, including whether McGarrett (series lead Alex O’Loughlin) and Wo Fat are related and what is Wo Fat’s relationship to Steve’s mother, will be answered in that episode. It was also announced that Michelle Borth, who played McGarrett’s girlfriend Catherine Rollins has left the show; and a new, yet-to-be-cast love interest for him is on the way. Meanwhile, Jorge Garcia (Lost and Once Upon a Time) has been promoted to series regular, Carol Burnett will be back along with Four Seasons frontman Frankie Valli and guest stars will include Amanda Setton (The Crazy Ones) and Alysia Reiner (Orange is the New Black).
Blue Bloods will return for its fifth season with much of the season’s drama being focused on the little black book of a murdered call girl; and their 100th episode will also air. In the premiere, Frank (series lead Tom Selleck) will get off on the wrong foot with Dutton, the new District Attorney. They will clash in an unfortunate sequence of events, causing the death of a mentally ill homeless man. Holt McCallany (Lights Out), Bill Irwin (CSI and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) and LaTanya Richardson Jackson (A Raisin in the Sun) will all recur. And, Rebecca Mader (Lost and Once Upon a Time) will guest star.
Meanwhile, Grimm will be back for its fourth season and Constantine will make its debut on October 24.
Grimm will enter season four right where it left off last season with Nick (series lead David Giuntoli) losing his Grimm powers and leaving Monroe and Rosalee’s (series leads Silas Weir Mitchell and Bree Turner) wedding in an utter melee. The question now will be does Nick even want to be “re-Grimmed” or not. And, Monroe and Rosalee will face a kind of Wesen Klu Klux Klan who does not like intermarriage. Also, Renard (series regular Sasha Roiz) is nearing death and there is nothing that medical science can do for him. Guest stars will include Louise Lombard (CSI) and Elizabeth Rodriguez (Orange Is the New Black).
NOTE: There currently is not a trailer for the fourth season of Grimm, which is most likely due to the later start for the new season.
Constantine is based on the DC Comic about John Constantine (series lead Matt Ryan from Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior), an enigmatic and irreverent con man-turned-reluctant supernatural detective who is thrust into the role of defending us against dark forces from beyond. Harold Perrineau (Lost) will play Manny, an authoritative angel assigned to watch over Constantine while Charles Halford (True Detective) will play Chas Chandler, Constantine’s oldest friend and staunch companion and Angélica Celaya (Dallas) as Zed Martin. Lucy Griffiths (True Blood) will appear as Liv Aberdeen in the pilot episode only. Among the guest stars will be Joelle Carter (Justified).
Actor Arjay Smith (Perception) has joined the cast of Sons of Anarchy for its seventh and final season. He will play Grant McQueen, a good, street smart kid who is trying to protect his mother. (The Deadline Team)
Actress Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) has been promoted to series regular status on the NBC thriller Hannibal, which will be back for its second season sometime during mid-season. (Michael Ausiello at TV Line)
DEVELOPMENT NEWS
Paramount TV and TNT is developing a TV adaptation of its 2007 box office film Shooter, which starred Mark Wahlberg. The film was based on the novel “Point of Impact” by Stephen Hunter. It centered on a marksman, former U.S. Marine Scout Sniper Bob Lee Swagger (Wahlberg), who is coaxed back into action only to be framed for murder and goes on the run. (Nellie Andreeva at Deadline)
Actresses Carly Chaikin (Suburgatory) and Portia Douleday (the box office films Her and Carrie) have joined the cast of the USA Network drama pilot Mr. Robot that will star actor Rami Malek (24) as Elliot, a brilliant young programmer who suffers from a debilitating anti-social disorder and decides that he can only connect to people by hacking them. Chaikin will play Marlene, a chain-smoking, striking hipster who also happens to be an expert at writing malicious malware specifically, dangerous computer worms that take down entire networks while Doubleday will play the pragmatic old childhood friend of Elliot and an account executive at the AllSafe Cyber Security firm who happens to be the only person to whom our protagonist will share his vulnerabilities. (Michael Slezak at TV Line)
BOX OFFICE NEWS
Actress Elizabeth Olsen has joined the cast of the upcoming film I Saw The Light that will star Tom Hiddleston as the late, great country western singer Hank Williams. The film will chronicle Williams’ meteoric rise to fame and the price that fame took on his personal life, as he died at age 29 of heart failure. Olsen will play Williams’ wife Audrey Mae. (Jen Yamato at Deadline)
Q&A SECTION (with Michael Ausiello at TV Line)
Question: In what episode of NCIS Season 12 will Jim Beaver be guest-starring? —JP
Ausiello: Though we don’t have the episode number, we do have a title: “The San Dominick.” And Matt Mitovich has learned that it’s the same episode that brings back fan favorite Diane Neal as CGIS Agent Borin. The plot: During a joint NCIS/Coast Guard training exercise, Gibbs and Borin find a body floating in the water. Once it’s determined that the deceased was a crew member aboard a ship run by a Captain Tom O’Rourke (Supernatural alum Beaver’s role), the two decide to pay a visit to the vessel some 60 nautical miles away, to further investigate the “man overboard” situation.
Question: Do you have any insight as to who the Big Bad of season 3 of Arrow will be? —Michael
Ausiello: As revealed at Comic-Con, the Big Bad is this guy — the iconic DC Comics villain Ra’s al Ghul, just recently cast with Aussie Matt Nable. And though the League of Assassins leader is first seen in Episode 4, it will take a bit before he and Arrow butt heads, swords or what have you. “Before the winter break, which would be Episode 9, you’ll see some big stuff with him and Oliver,” promises EP Greg Berlanti.
Question: Will Dr. Whale continue to be seen at all on Once Upon a Time, now that David Anders is on iZombie? Don’t both shows shoot in the same town? —Gwen
Ausiello: Were it as simple as sending Vancouver Taxi to fetch Anders (or his leading lady Rose McIver aka Tinker Bell, for that matter), but it’s not. “We would love to drag [David] across town, as [iZombie EP] Rob [Thomas] is an old friend of ours,” says Once co-creator Eddy Kitsis. “But he’s not in the first batch [of Season 4 episodes].” (Dr. Whale does get a shout-out in an early episode, however. So there’s that.)
Question: I love Sleepy Hollow‘s Katrina – please tell me she’s in the real world longer than just one episode. —Erin
Ausiello: Well, she’s around long enough to engage in some retail therapy, says executive producer Mark Goffman. “I would say she doesn’t cling to her wardrobe the way that Crane does,” he teases, adding that when Mrs. Crane hits the mall, her style is “pretty edgy.” So… no Revolutionary War re-enactor costumes? “She’s a much cooler dresser in a way of mixing and matching the modern era with her own.”
Question: If and when we meet Crane’s mother on Sleepy Hollow, will Victor Garber return as his dad? —Dave
Ausiello: “There’s no doubt that we will learn a lot more about Crane’s mother, potentially in the second half” of the upcoming second season, Goffman tells TVLine, going on to say that Garber – who’s already filmed at least one Season 2 episode – would be very welcome to make another visit. “He’s unbelievable. We loved having him on the show last year and are excited to have him back.”
Question: Can you find out if Castiel and Crowley will be in the 200th episode of Supernatural? —Franca
Ausiello: I can, I will and I did. “We can’t give too much away about the 200th episode or the storylines leading up to it,” a spokesperson for the show tells TVLine, “but we can say that while Misha Collins and Mark Sheppard are not in the episode” — not a huge shock considering series-regular status doesn’t guarantee a presence in all episodes produced — “they, and many other favorite characters from the past nine seasons, will be represented in a way that we think fans will love.” Considering how unique the show’s past meta episodes have been, in what crazy way do you think Castiel and Crowley will make their presence known?
The fall TV season is nearly upon us and it is time to take a look at what the major networks have in store for us.
Over the course of this week, I will focus on each individual night of programming; specifically the new and returning dramas that will debut or air their season premieres when the fall TV season gets started.
The following is the Thursday night schedule (courtesy of TV Line):
NOTE: You can double click on the image above to see a larger size of the Monday night chart.
The majority of the network dramas will either premiere or debut on September 25 with Grey’s Anatomy back for its 11th season and Scandal will be back for its fourth season. The new drama How to Get Away With Murder will debut while Bones will be back for its 10th season. Also, Parenthood will be back for its final sixth season.
Grey’s Anatomy will be back for its 11th season and will be a Meredith-centric (series lead Ellen Pompeo) season because she has lost her ‘person’ – Christina (former series regular Sandra Oh) left at the end of last season – and her husband Derek (series regular Patrick Dempsey) wants to move on to someplace else. Supposedly the new season will pick up right where the last season left off. And, there just might be flashback periods to the younger days of Drs. Ellis Grey, Meredith’s mother and Richard Webber. It would appear that Callie (series regular Sara Ramirez) and Arizona (series regular Jessica Capshaw) will continue to have troubles. What is also known is that Dr. Shane Ross (Gaius Charles) and Dr. Leah Murphy (Tessa Ferrer) will not be back for the new season, but the rest of the remaining cast will be back. Also, Caterina Scorsone, who plays Dr. Amelia Shepherd, one of Derek’s sisters, has joined the show as series regular. Veteran actress Geena Davis will also have a major guest arc playing a surgeon, and Annet Mahendru (The Americans) will also guest star.
Scandal, of course, saw Olivia Pope (series lead Kerry Washington) leaving Washington with Jake Ballard (series regular Scott Foley) in tow at the end of last season. The question, as the new season starts, will be “where on Earth is Olivia Pope?” And, President Fitzgerald Grant (series regular Tony Goldwyn) and his family will be reeling with the unexpected death of his son, which was perpetuated by Olivia’s father (recurring guest star Joe Morton). It is known that Harrison Wright (Columbus Short) will not be back on the show and there will be a time jump of about two-and-a-half months, right in time for the election. Guest stars for this new season will include Matthew Del Negro (Teen Wolf), Mary McCormack (In Plain Sight) and Josh Randall (Ed) and Portia de Rossi (Ally McBeal and Arrested Development).
How to Get Away With Murder will focus on brilliant, charismatic and seductive Professor Annalise Keating (Viola Davis from The Help), who gets entangled with four law students from her class, “How to Get Away with Murder”. Little do the students know that they will have to apply what they learned to real life. The cast includes Aja Naomi King (Emily Owens, M.D.), Jack Falahee (Twisted), Katie Findlay (The Killing and The Carrie Diaries), Tom Verica (American Dream), Liza Weil (Gilmore Girls and Scandal), Charlie Weber (Buffy, the Vampire Slayer), Billy Brown (Hostages and Sons of Anarchy), Matt McGorry (Orange is the New Black), Latino star Karla Souza (Instructions Not Included) and Alfred Enoch (the Harry Potter franchise). Guest stars will include Alysia Reiner (Orange is the New Black), Ana Ortiz (Devious Maids and Ugly Betty)
Last season of Bones found Booth (series lead David Boreanaz) and Brennan’s (series lead Emily Deschanel) home riddled with gunfire and Booth being framed and falsely accused of murdering three federal agents, which found him being sentenced to jail. This new season will pick up right where the finale left off, albeit with a four month time jump, with huge ramifications, both physically and emotionally. Brennan will, of course, be trying to find a way to prove Booth’s innocence along with the squints. The way to do that is to finish what Booth started by uncovering who is behind the conspiracy at the FBI. Also at some point in the season, there just might be a chance for Booth and Brennan to have another child. John Boyd (24) will have a recurring role, playing James Aubrey, a junior FBI agent working under Booth, which means Brennan and the squints must find a way to set him free.
Parenthood will be back for its sixth and final season and it is expected that storylines affecting the Braverman family will be tied up. It is possible that viewers will see the loss of family matriarch or patriarch, Zeek (series regular Craig T. Nelson) or Camille (series regular Bonnie Bedelia [but that has not been confirmed]. Since the show has focused on so many hard-hitting subjects – cancer, failed marriages, affairs, heartbreak and the like – it will be interesting to see what comes next for the large Braverman family.
The new drama Gracepoint (the US adaptation of the British mini-series Broadchurch) will debut on October 2 while that same night The Vampire Diaries will be back for its sixth season and the second season of Reign will return too.
Gracepoint will focus on what happens when a young boy is found dead on an idyllic beach in the small northern California seaside town of Gracepoint. A major police investigation is launched with Detective Emmett Carver (David Tennant from Broadchurch and Doctor Who) in charge. He just arrived in Gracepoint to fill a high position in the town’s police force that was previously promised to Detective Ellie Miller (Anna Gunn from Breaking Bad). Miller has to put aside resentment and work the case with her prickly new boss. The cast includes Josh Hamilton (American Horror Story), newcomer Jack Irvine, Michael Pena (End of Watch), Virginia Kull (Boardwalk Empire), newcomer Madalyn Horcher, Kendrick Sampson (The Vampire Diaries), veteran actor Nick Nolte, Kevin Rankin (Justified), Sarah-Jane Potts (Kinky Boots), Stephen Louis Grush (Lucky 7), Kevin Zegers (Transamerica), Jessica Lucas (Cloverfield) and veteran actress Jacki Weaver.
The Vampire Diaries had a massive season finale with Mystic Falls being overrun with Travelers, the group bent on stripping the town of all its magic; but Elena (series lead Nina Dobrev), Damon (series lead Ian Somerhalder) and Bonnie (series regular Kat Graham) coming up with a dangerous plan to destroy them. That didn’t work out, though, ending with Damon and Bonnie being left on The Other Side as the supernatural world crumbled with them vanishing in a white light. The new season will pick up a couple months later with everyone dealing with the loss; namely with Stefan (series lead Paul Wesley) leaving the town to go soul searching, Elena resorting to witchy drugs in her attempt to hallucinate Damon and Jeremy (series regular Steven R. McQueen) drinking alone in the woods. Meanwhile, a mysterious new community watch program will come to the town. Matt Davis will be back as Alaric, who now has a teaching job at the local university; and Jodi Lyn O’Keefe (Nash Bridges and Hit the Floor) and Colin Ferguson (Eureka and Haven) will guest star.
The second season of Reign will see the plague spread, Francis (series lead Toby Regbo) will find Lola (series regular Anna Popplewell) and his newborn son and Bash (series lead Torrance Coombs) knocking down doors to save his wife Kenna (series regular Caitlin Stasey). Of course, Francis and Mary (series lead Adelaide Kane) will face countless obstacles; and the former will have a great deal of guilt hanging over his head. The dynamic between Mary and Catherine (series regular Megan Follows) will remain incredibly tense. Jonathan Keltz has been promoted to series regular and that will allow for an interesting “quadrangle” between he and Greer (series regular Celina Sinden) and her betrothed Lord Castleroy (recurring guest star Michael Therriault) and Castleroy’s daughter Yvette (guest star Sarah Winter). Oh, and don’t rule out seeing Clarissa (recurring guest star Katie Boland) again. Guest stars this season will be Craig Parker (Spartacus and Legend of the Seeker) and British actress Rose Williams.
Lastly, Elementary will be back for its third season on October 30.
Season three of Elementary will experience an eight-month time jump, will find Joan (series lead Lucy Liu) in her own apartment, a steady boyfriend and a solo P.I. gig; then Sherlock (series lead Jonny Lee Miller) returns to the States after working with MI6. And that’s not all: he will be accompanied by a “new and decidedly different protégé named Kitty. Needless to say, the two women in Sherlock’s life will not get off to a good start with each other. Among the guest stars will be Gina Gershon (Rescue Me), British actress Ophelia Lovibond (the mini-series Titanic: Blood and Steel), Raza Jaffrey (Smash), Sonya Walger (Lost), Zak Orth (Revolution), Mamie Gummer (Off the Map and Emily Owens, M.D.) and Jacob Pitts (Justified).
NOTE: There currently is not a trailer for the third season of Elementary, which is most likely due to the later start for the new season.
Trying to figure out what to watch tonight? Be it new episodes of the TV season, reairs of cable series or a movie, here are some suggestions:
6:15 PM: Braveheart movie on IFC
6:30 PM: Dolphin Tale movie on ABC Family Man of Steel movie on HBO
7:30 PM: The Proposal movie on FX
8 PM: Haven on Syfy (Season Premiere – TIMESLOT CHANGE) The Vampire Diaries on The CW (Reair) Sleepy Hollow on FOX (Reair) Scandal on BET Castle on TNT
9 PM: The Originals on The CW (Reair) Scandal on BET
9:01 PM: Castle on TNT
10 PM: The Honorable Woman mini-series on Sundance (NEW) Scandal on BET
Rueben's Ramblings 