I watched a few of the first episodes of the new 'Robin Hood' a couple of seasons ago, and just didn't like it. It wasn't so much that I already had a 'Robin Hood' - for good or ill - established in the main Toobworld; it was because the writing was anachronistic and at times it was reduced to the pie-throwing level of a Stooges short.Season three will begin airing this spring, and it's already been announced that Jonas Armstrong, who plays Robin Hood, will be leaving the role at some point during the run. They've already lost Marian to Guy Gisbourne's sword, and now several other actors (including Harry Lloyd, whom I liked a lot in the 'Doctor Who' two-parter of "Family Of Blood" & "Human Nature) are planning to exit as well. Although not confirmed as of yet, Richard Armitage (who plays Guy) may have to leave as well as he's joined the cast of 'Spooks' and that's been re-commissioned for another season (series if you prefer).
And yet, even with so many of the original actors abandoning ship, there are still talks for a fourth season to be made!
The last major version of 'Robin Hood' on television had a similar casting challenge when Michael Praed left the series and was replaced by Jason Connery. But as I wrote this morning to The Stage's TV Today column:
At least with that earlier version of 'Robin Hood' with Praed and Connery, they established that they were two different men - along the lines that one was Robin of Sherwood and the other Robin Locksley, something like that.
And like you said, they had the benefit of keeping everybody else from the cast.
With such an overhaul of the actors about to happen with this version, I think they should find a voice-over artist who sounds like the guy who used to do 'Batman' back in the 1960s. And they should kick off Season 4 with one last look at the original cast and then the announcer says, "Meanwhile... in another dimension....."
William Dozier, the producer of 'Batman', also served as its narrator. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1991, but a sound-alike would make for a great kick in the tights!
BCnU!
Toby O'B
BCnU!
It features Billie Piper as Hannah the morning after she picked up a young shop salesman played by Matt Smith.
That my choice would come from this show was never in doubt, as 'Z Rock' made me laugh out loud with each episode. (Try watching TV alone and see how hard that can be!) But trying to make a choice between Joey, Dave, and Paulie was impossible. And the sum is so much more than the parts anyway. (Although Kitty Braunstein might feel differently about David's parts.....)
I enjoyed the performance by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, but it was more for what he brings to Toobworld that got him the nod in this category. As he's been around for 400 years, and - unlike vampires - able to sire children, John could be a link to other TV shows by the "theory of relateeveety". It's more than just that he could be the father of some established characters; he could be their grandfathers, great-grandfathers, going back who knows how many generations! Add to that all of the famous people and TV characters from the Past with whom he possibly came into contact, and you can see why he'd be an important figure in Toobworld, even if the show only lasted the one season.
At this point in his career, including his supporting turns in the "Harold & Kumar" movies and on stage in various musicals (like "Assassins"), but as far as Toobworld is concerned, for his creation of Barney Stinson on 'How I Met Your Mother', Neil Patrick Harris can do no wrong.
In her very first season, Mary has qualified for induction into the TV Crossover Hall of Fame! She made a guest appearance in a glorified cameo on 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent' (I'm hoping to see her interact with Charlie Crewes of 'Life'!) and provided a copy of Playpen magazine to one of her cases which had been seen "previously... on 'Lost'".
Definitely a high point in the Tele-Folks Directory this year! From one minute to the next you never know what oddity might spill from his lips.
With his sardonic delivery of a line, I'd love to see Marshal Marshall Mann team up with Detective John Munch in a crossover with 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'. It seems like a natural.
COMEDY:
Bernard Cribbins is now officially incorporated into the Toobworld 'Who', after appearing in the movie version with Peter Cushing. And it was a brilliant stroke to bring him back from the one-shot "Voyage Of The Damned" special and to make Wilf the grandfather to Donna. What could have been comic relief turned maudlin by the end was instead handled with the skill of an old pro by Cribbins (seen here with the Doctor). Even though I'm loathe to see Donna ever return to the series, as I think it would violate such a heart-breakingly beautiful farewell with the Doctor, surely there must be some way to bring Wilf Mott back for a visit?
A lot of fans of the show hated her character by the time her story arc finished, but I blame that on the direction taken by the writers, and that was their call. But there's no denying her introduction in "Ten Sessions" (seen here with Ted) was such a breath of fresh air to shake up the ensemble. Based on that alone, I wanted so badly for her to turn out to be the "Mother".
Originally I had Scotty as the "most deserving to be made a regular" winner since early in the year, but then the producers went ahead and did so without my input. Scotty's such a sweet guy and helps modulate the acrimony that so often bubbles up at Walker gatherings. And as one of the top up-and-coming chefs in California, maybe he's met Jack Tripper.....?
I've been a fan of Laurie Holden since I first saw her as Marta Covarrubias on 'The X-Files'. And with the 'Primeval' tweak of the Toobworld timeline, and because both 'The X-Files' and 'The Shiled' are now finished, I'm going to suggest the idea that they are one and the same woman but now with different names and histories, a la Claudia Brown and Jenny Lewis.
BCnU!
BCnU!
Stephen Root can do no wrong anyway, and Eddie was no exception. It was almost as if his character from "Office Space" had been embraced by the Kindred - it would have made him less pathetic, but not by much. There was just something that spoke to me in his "fanger", but not something I'd want to dwell on....
The fact that Greg Giraldo was also a welcome presence in Lewis Black's 'The Root Of All Evil' helped seal the deal for Harry. But at the same time he was such a welcome yet verbally abusive addition to the Tele-Folks Directory.
Ah, the lovely, aforementioned Georgia Moffett as "The Doctor's Daughter"! I'm sure we'll be seeing her again, especially since Steven Moffat requested that her character survive the episode. Blessed with the ability to regenerate without losing her original form, we could posit that certain guest star roles which she might play in the future could also be Jenny under an alias. (Although I'm not sure where she might find a time machine....)
Sweet, lovely and so sad. Perhaps in some future incarnation of the Sing-Along Blog, Dr. Horrible might invent a time machine and go back to save her, even if it does mean screwing up the time-space continuum.
It was certainly an interesting take on the scientist: practically immortal, vampiric, and best of all because of his accomplishments, he had powers based on bio-electrical energy. And there was just this attitude that put me in mind of the legendary movie villain Waldo Lydecker of "Laura".
Sure, the dialects were all over the map, but I could really accept that they all lived together in Bon Temps, Louisiana.
They blended together so well, sometimes I had a hard time figuring out exactly whose storyline I was following.
I bought into the whole dynamic of 'Gav and Stace', accepting that these people could all be related to each other; well-cast on that! As for 'Supernova', with each episode it was just so much fun to go back and hang out in the Outback with these Bruces and Sheilas.
A little something for everyone on the team, and now with an interesting adversary in Jim Sherman, Nate's former rival as insurance investigators.
She even has a great line delivery, punctuating certain conversations with a pitch-perfect "Moo"!
Nuff Said. And it looks like he's set himself on a road to salvation that will keep him stumbling along stupidly as well.
