Month: March 2017

James Corden joins late-night talk show circuit with ‘The Late Late Show’

This blog was originally published on elkharttruth.com on March 24, 2015.

Sometimes the only thing decent to watch late at night is a talk show.

But it’ll take a little more time for James Corden, the newest late-night host, to be up to par with Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel.

Corden replaced Craig Ferguson, who left “The Late Late Show” after almost 10 years, and started his hosting stint Monday night, March 23. Well, technically, Tuesday, March 24, since it was after midnight.

After a lot of thanking and one choke-up about his parents, Corden poked fun at himself and the idea that no one in the U.S. really knows him and the fact that he’s never been a host.

Basing his first sketch on “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” with hints of other movies such as “Whiplash,” Corden got his golden ticket and tips from Meryl Streep, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Shia LaBeouf, Allison Janney and, of course, Jay Leno. Because who else?

Honestly, the bit felt like a ploy to get as many celebrities on the show as possible to boost ratings. And after Corden picked up the chocolate bar with the golden ticket that Chelsea Handler dropped, I couldn’t help but wish she wouldn’t have dropped it … even though the bit was fake.

Kudos for getting Simon Cowell to be the greedy celebrity seemingly desperate for a new gig, though.

Corden continued his run of stellar celebrity guests by having Mila Kunis and Tom Hanks be his first interviewees.

The British actor’s interviewing skills could use some work — he talked too much about himself, he struggled to include both celebrities in the interviews (why they did two interview sets together wasn’t clear to me), and he seemed nervous.

He’ll probably improve over time, but it wasn’t enjoyable to watch his first night.

What was fun was an homage to Hanks’ films. It allowed the men to show off their acting chops.

Most people don’t know Corden yet — he’s best known for playing the baker in “Into the Woods” alongside Emily Blunt, but in time, I hope he’ll improve. He has good improv and singing skills, but his interviewing, a key component of late night talk shows, could use some work.

“The Late Late Show with James Corden” airs on CBS at 12:35 a.m. weekdays, after “The Late Show with David Letterman.”

Winter/Spring TV 2017: Time, law common themes this season

The new shows keep rolling in.
It seems that more and more networks are constantly airing new shows.
Here’s the latest crop of show reviews, based on the pilot. I also watched “FEUD” thanks to a preview pass on FX’s website, and as much as I’d like to continue watching it, I don’t want to pay another site. So I’m eagerly waiting for it to come to Netflix. The acting is superb, and its take on aging women in the industry is so relevant.
9 p.m. Sundays on ABC
The 2016-2017 TV season is the year for shows about time travel. In this drama, Freddie Stroma (“UnREAL“) plays H.G. Wells, and Josh Bowman (“Revenge“) plays Jack the Ripper.
The two travel from 1893 to present day, and they both navigate the (disappointingly to Wells) distopia that is today’s world (which included references to ISIS and Trump).
A bit of romance with a museum curator and Wells blossomed, and the end was a cliffhanger twist related to time travel.
It’s all a bit cliche, and there’s not really any concern for how traveling in time could affect the past and future (like “The Flash“).
If you want a show about history and time travel, I think “Timeless” is the better option.
Grade: B

“MAKING HISTORY“

8:30 p.m. Sundays on Fox

For real, these time-travel shows may have seemed ingenious, but they all somehow premiered at same time, which makes them seem less inventive and a lot more repetitive. It’s unfortunate.

This version of the time-travel concept is a comedy that’s infused with pop culture references such as Celine Dion, Starbucks and more.

Starring Adam Pally and Leighton Meester, Pally’s character Dan messes up the Revolutionary War during one of his weekend-1700-travel trips.

Minus all the pop culture references, it’s a pretty predictable show. It probably would’ve been better had it been a new concept like it probably planned to be.

Grade: B-

‘CHICAGO JUSTICE’

9 p.m. Sundays on NBC

Out of so many reboots and spinoffs, this one hit pretty middle of the road.

It felt like I was dropped into this Chicago world without any prior knowledge, so I felt a bit lost. Characters from its other shows came into play, but it faded away to its own show fairly quickly.

Unfortunately, its own show is standard to other courtroom shows. But a few characters popped in briefly, and it may be interesting to see them appear again on the drama.

Grade: B

‘TRIAL & ERROR’

9 p.m. Tuesdays on NBC

It wouldn’t be unwelcome to have a show poking fun and making light of lawyers and courtrooms…unless most of it is in poor taste.

This documentary-style show is the bad courtroom version of shows like “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation.”

Breaking the fourth wall isn’t new. Plotting “gotcha” twists isn’t either. This comedy isn’t worth your time.

Grade: D+

What shows are you enjoying?

Stephen Colbert is no David Letterman

This blog was originally published on elkharttruth.com on Sept. 9, 2015.

Can a Comedy Central guy hack it on CBS?

After watching only one episode, I’d have to say … no.

CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” premiered Tuesday night, and Colbert brought his brand of satirical humor to late-night TV.

I get the feeling people will either love or hate this new talk show, based on how they feel about Colbert and his previous show, “The Colbert Report.”

Colbert has an ego; there’s no doubt about it. Unlike James Corden, his CBS late-night counterpart, he’s not humble or gracious about his new gig.

He almost seemed to be poking fun at his job, even making a joke about how he had nine months to make one hour of TV.

The episode felt like a news show, which is not what the show was when David Letterman hosted. That might have had something to do with his first-night guests, actor and activist George Clooney and presidential candidate Jeb Bush.

Late-night talk shows are supposed to be entertaining, but all the political talk may be too polarizing for viewers.

I’m not sure Colbert has broad appeal, and I definitely think there were better options to replace Letterman.

But Colbert did have some funny moments.

There was a bit about Trump and Oreos which was funny for a bit, but like some of his other jokes, it ran too long.

At least Colbert admitted early in the show that you can’t replace Letterman. Because Colbert can’t.

Not right now, anyway. It’s an adjustment, and viewers will have to wait and see how Colbert molds into his new gig.

But I probably won’t be watching.

What do you think of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”?

In support of TV’s supporting characters: Why ‘Manhattan Love Story’ and ‘A to Z’ were doomed TV shows

This blog was originally published on elkharttruth.com on Dec. 28, 2014.

After watching all the new fall TV shows and then seeing a lot of comedies, I came to a conclusion:

If the supporting characters on a TV show are less than desirable, not even good leads can save it.

Cases in point: “A to Z” and “Manhattan Love Story.”

These two comedies were among the first of the 2014 season to be axed (Though “A to Z” is still airing new episodes, production will most likely not continue). And I was not too surprised.

I thought the leads for the shows were endearing. But their friends on the shows were awful.

The lead actress in “Manhattan Love Story” roomed with her college friend and her husband.

And boy, were they obnoxious. The college friend, Amy, was always talking like she knew everything, with a whiny voice, might I add. And her husband, David, was just stupid and loud.

Same sort of problem in “A to Z.” Cristin Milioti (“How I Met Your Mother”) and Ben Feldman (“Mad Men,” “Drop Dead Diva”), the leads, were quirky and entertaining.

But both characters had best friends who were archetypes. The girl friend was desperate for love and the guy friend was a player.

It’s 2014, almost 2015. TV viewers are smart — they are beyond watching stereotyped characters. It’s boring, uninteresting and a waste of time.

Not every show can be an ensemble show like “Friends” or “Modern Family,” where every character has enough of a story line each episode to give them purpose.

But shows should not have useless characters that only add frustration instead of enjoyment to a TV program.

Think “Breaking Bad” or “The Big Bang Theory.” Those shows have obvious lead and supporting actors. But you’re invested in every character no matter how many minutes they are on your TV screen.

A smart show needs smart characters. And only smart shows will survive.

I get that comedies are hard to write because it’s difficult to be funny. But it can be done. And we don’t need to bog down with dramas. We need to laugh, too.