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Fall Television Preview 2008 Returning shows seek to answer fans' questions by "Behind the Screens" with Joshua Maloni Any season finale worth its weight leaves viewers with one thing: questions. In an attempt to get some answers, "Behind the Screens" caught up with the stars and suits behind four of television's top returning series. Also, discover the secrets of two of primetime's most promising new additions. Returning Shows: "Heroes" - premieres Monday, Sept. 22, on NBC (Channel 2)
NBC's super-powered action hour debuted strong in 2006, thanks to edge-of-your-seat storytelling and real, relatable people with unreal, unbelievable powers. But, starting with a season finale that wasn't entirely satisfying, the show spiraled downward into the beginning of its sophomore year. Creator Tim Kring promised more concise storylines, and the episodes that aired in November and December were improved. Still, he says the audience was deprived the originally planned plotlines because of the writers' strike. "The truth is what you were referring (to) as season two was not really our season two," he tells "Behind the Screens." "It was - it turned out to be season two because of the writers' strike. It was really, you know, sort of like watching a movie and having the projector break 40 minutes into it." "So I just kind of wanted to clarify that, you know, what people are referring to as season two was not by our design. It was really by the design of the fact that there was a writers' strike," Kring says. With no work stoppage in sight this year, and time to prepare and deliver complete ideas, the biggest "Heroes" question heading into this fall involves its maniacal first season villain, the superpower-stealing Sylar. Will he return to form after spending most of season two on the sidelines? "I think that the scripts this season are just, you know, more exciting and more action-packed, and more dynamic than ever. I mean, I think it just keeps getting better and more - you know, every time I open a script it's truly a thrill," says Zachary Quinto, who plays Sylar. "I can't - sometimes when I opened the script in season three, it's difficult to keep track of exactly where I'm going because there's so many different aspects of this character's experience this year that are drawn upon. "So my approach really is just to sort of serve that and to keep track of it at the same time. But I think people will see what I mean as the season unfolds." Adds Kring, "What we're doing now on - for season three - was really going to be contained within the body of season two. So, to the extent of a character like Sylar, who spent the first volume of season two without his powers, in the subsequent volumes he would've gotten those powers back and then gone on, you know, a series of adventures. "Heroes" airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on NBC.
"The Office" airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on NBC.
"I would love to do something like that, but whether I'll get to, I don't know," she says. "I do know my trainer has started having me box a lot more in the off chance they're going to ask me to do some stunts. Who knows? I would like to do something like that for sure. We'll see." "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on Fox
"Bones" - premiered Sept. 3 on Fox
Creatively blending drama, action and comedy, "Bones" has become a standout in the cops-and-robbers genre. Outlandish and sometimes horrific crimes are solved by FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (Buffalo's David Boreanaz) and his partner, the brilliant forensics anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel). "Really, it's the characters that kind of pop and create the show that exists today and makes it better and fun to watch because of these moments," Boreanaz says. Last season, the romantic tension between Booth and Brennan was offset by the addition of a couple's therapist, Dr. Lance Sweets (John Francis Daley), who comically treated the non-couple for work-related stresses. "Giving someone couples counseling to deal with themselves in the workplace is phenomenal. No one, I think, has ever really seen that in television. I mean, it was very ground breaking for us for the last year. It was a big plus for us," Boreanaz says. Heading into its fourth season, Boreanaz is pleased fans have kept up with the show - especially because it's been moved around repeatedly in the Fox schedule. He thinks the show is poised to continue its upward rise in the ratings. "I think what's great about 'Bones' is that it's been embraced by the critics and it's been embraced by a following of people that's really supported us from the beginning," Boreanaz says. "We pretty much remain still under the radar. I still believe that there's a lot of growth for our show as far as not becoming too popular, but maintaining a really nice, steady climb - not only in the ratings, but also with the new fan base that comes on every year for us." "Bones" airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on Fox. New Series: "Fringe" - premiered Tuesday on Fox
Co-creators, writers and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, with whom Abrams worked on "Alias," say "Fringe" is simply reflecting real life discoveries. "It just, it started becoming more apparent to us how often mainstream media news sources were covering things that just sounded very unbelievable; things that 10 years ago would have seemed like science fiction," Orci says. "The example we keep bringing up that we just read on MSNBC a couple weeks ago is that the Pentagon has developed an invisibility cloak. So, that kind of story, any time you look now in the science and technology section of any major media outlet, there's some really strange stories in there." "I would go so far as to say we would not even have pitched that kind of an idea for 'Alias," because it would've sounded too insane, and 'Alias' was as crazed as it gets when it comes to plotting," Kurtzman adds. "So, suddenly when that's actually your reality, and your TV has to match up to that, I think we just kind of felt like there's just a whole new opportunity here." "Fringe," they say, is also a commentary on human behavior. "It feels like it's somewhat in the zeitgeist in that things aren't exactly as they seem. I think a lot of people are feeling that," Orci says. "I think 'Fringe' is sort of a codeword for us, as well, for looking behind what is presented to you as reality, both media and just your beliefs growing up." "Yeah, and I would say, taking that a step further, that at the character level, you know, these characters, while touching fringe science, are also, are either revealing or being forced to reveal the fringes of their personality," Kurtzman adds. "Someone wants to dig deeper into science and, in so doing, reveal the part of themselves that they didn't necessarily know was there or were actually afraid to see. "It just felt like a great way into that." When it came time to cast "Fringe," Kurtzman says it was like a light bulb going off. The creative team knew immediately it had found its leads when meeting with Torv, Jackson and Noble. "The pilot process is a crazy process because, you know, you see, literally, thousands of actors in an incredibly short period of time. And it can be exhausting, but in a way that exhaustion works for you because, when the right person walks in the room, you just know it immediately. You don't have to try and shove them in a box. They just are that person," Kurtzman says. "And, a lot of the time, I think for us, an audition is just as much about what they say when they're not saying the lines and, how they walk in and out of a room, as when they're actually saying the lines. And the three of them, they seemed like incredibly warm people, which I think was important for us because there's an accessibility about each of them. But they also bring, I think, the unique characteristics we needed each character to have, to the table." Breaking the stars down, Orci says, "Noble is warm, but there's a dark side to him. Josh is as smart, and as sort of jaded as his character. And Anna is appealing but real." Just as appealing as the Australian Torv's beauty and charm is the fact that she's relatively unknown. "Fringe" marks her first major U.S. role. "And we liked the idea of discovering someone, as opposed to having a character that brings some kind of preconceived baggage or notions or previous characters. We like the idea of the audience getting to know her as a character for the first time," Orci says. (The "Fringe" premiere replays Sunday, Sept. 14, at 8 p.m.) "Fringe" airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on Fox.
In February, NBC relaunched "Knight Rider," the '80s David Hasselhoff action adventure series, as a television movie. In 2008, Michael Knight (The 'Hoff) has been replaced by his son, Michael Traceur (Justin Bruening), while the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am known as the Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT) has been upgraded to a Ford Shelby GT500KR Mustang Knight Industries Three Thousand. The movie was a hit and, as expected, the storyline has morphed into a series. The biggest challenge now, seven months later, is whether or not "Knight Rider" can keep the momentum its telepic gained. Bruening and his charming co-star Deanna Russo, who portrays Mike's love interest Sarah Graiman, say getting back into character wasn't difficult at all. "We didn't take a break from it. I mean, once we wrapped shooting (the movie), we just kept working on the show from when we shot the two-hour pilot and then we were promoting it," Russo says. "And then we immediately started training into the series, even before we even knew officially. We just wanted to be prepared. "And, you know, we just enjoyed our characters so much that it wasn't - you know what I mean, we didn't want to leave them behind just yet." "And I think deep down we all had confidence that it was going to go to series," Bruening adds. "Shoot, it's 'Knight Rider!' I mean, come on," Russo adds. The show's executive producer, Gary Scott Thompson, says fans, likewise, will have no problem getting back into the show. "We've got great stars here and a great car. We've got a few new cast members, great writers," he says. "There's a lot of stories to tell." "Knight Rider" airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC. |
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