John From Cincinnati Cancelled

crap!!! hbo has announced that they have cancelled the very good John From Cincinnati after one season. this sucks... not only was it a good show, but it had been getting better as the season has progressed.

this isn't the first time david milch (the brilliant creator of the show) has had a show cancelled by hbo. he was also the man behind Deadwood - at least that show made it through season three

i know they are getting desperate for another big, marquee-type show with the end of The Sopranos and before that Six Feet Under and Sex And the City before that. and with other networks like showtime and fx on their heels with some high-quality programming of their own. however, that doesn't make it all better.

anyway, i guess there isn't much more to say here beyond my disappointment with hbo

HBO Is On The Ball, Again.

allen ball, the creator of the great Six Feet Under is returning to hbo with a new show called True Blood. according to Zap2It the series is ' based on charlaine harris' Southern Vampire novels, about a Louisiana waitress (anna paquin) who can read minds in a world where vampires and werewolves are no longer hiding out in legends, but are just as likely to be your neighbor.'

sounds kind of interesting to me, but given that it is allen ball i would be interested in it no matter what the premise. kind of like how i was all excited about John From Cincinnati because of david milch even though the outline of the show didn't sound that exciting (it's a really good show by the way).

Who Is This John From Cincinnati Guy Anyway?

that is one of the questions that is probably on most peoples minds who have had the pleasure of checking out hbo's new show John From Cincinnati. the show has already aired about, i think, seven episodes so far and i have to say i am really enjoying it.

i had high hopes for this show when i heard that one of the creators was david milch. this guy is a brilliant writer. his last project was Deadwood and he also co-created (and wrote a lot of the episodes for the first few seasons) NYPD Blue, which is one of my all-time favorite shows.

so i went in with high expectations, but not knowing what to expect since all i knew about the show was that it was about a family of surfers and a visitor who comes into their lives. it didn't sound that intriguing, but after having watched about six episodes, i can tell you that it sure is.

the characters are full and interesting and the writing is very david milch in its pace and style. and then there is this john character who is an enigma. who or what is he i don't know, but the little bit of 'science fiction' that plays into the story is perfect and doesn't seem corny or out of place - which it so easily could have.

i was going to praise the show after the first episode, but i wanted to see whee it was going before discussing it. Well after six episodes i can safely say that hbo and david milch have once again brought us an original, intelligent and intriguing show filled with great performances and high-quality writing.

Grade: A-

No Ragging On these Riches

i finally got around to watching the pilot episode of fx's new show, The Riches (i know it is late, but there is a lot of tv to watch people). anyway, needless to say i really liked it.

the show stars eddie izzard and minnie driver as a husband and wife who, with their kids, have spent their lives as con artitsts/moden gypsies. However, izzard has started to have a change of heart/midlife and spiritual crisis and decides that things need to change. this leads to the family taking over the identity of another couple and trying to live their lives: as izzard's character says, and it is a great line, "we are going to steal the american dream."

this is a dark comedy/dramady with strong writing an original concept, wit, interlligence and a very engaging cast - especially izzard who is wonderful. the opening scene at a high school reunion is a great way to jump into the show.

it is only the pilot, but it was a good one and one that seems to bode well for another smart and interesting show on fx, which is becoming quite a strong player in the quality-cable-tv wars with shows like The Shield, Rescue Me, Nip Tuck and now this. hbo better watch out - and showtime isn't looking to shabby either these days with the likes of Dexter, The Tudors and Weeds.

this is another show that i will definitely be checking out more episodes to see if it continues to live up to the promise of the pilot.

grade: A

Last Week Of Donnelly's On Television

so as i told you a couple days ago, The Black Donnelly's is getting canned. while that was initially supposed to happen in a couple weeks, nbc has announced that it will happen a week early. which means that two nights ago was the last airing on tv. i say it like that because the remaining six or so episodes will be streamed on nbc.com - that's at least something, but it doesn't make me less angry at nbc for canceling a quality show.

i was thinking that it would be great if fx or hbo or showtime picked it up, as it is the kind of show that feels like it should be on one of those networks. alas, i don't see it happening though.