This Week in TV:
Showtime announces Californication will end after season 7; Larry David says he's not ready for Curb Your Enthusiasm season 9; Matthew Perry brings an Odd Couple reboot to CBS; FX orders Tyrant to a 10-episode first season; and NBC orders a four-hour Rosemary's Baby miniseries.
Earlier this week, Showtime president David Nevins announced that the network's hit comedy series Californication will end its run after season 7, which will premiere next April.
The show's final 12 episodes will see everyone's favorite sex-obsessed lothario, Hank Moody (David Duchovny), join the writer's room of the TV series based on his unproduced film, "Santa Monica Cop," where he'll be forced to deal with his old boss Rick Rath (Michael Imperioli) and the rest of the writing team, including Goldie (Mary Lynn Rajskub) and Alonzo (Alonzo Bodden). Things will then get even more hectic and chaotic for poor Hank when his old friend Julia (Heather Graham) reenters his life. The final season will also feature guest stars Rob Lowe (Parks and Recreation), Brandon T. Jackson (Tropic Thunder), Oliver Cooper (Project X) and Mercedes Masohn (666 Park Avenue).
Said Nevins in the official announcement:
“With its unique blend of lyricism and excess, 'Californication' has been one of our groundbreaking signature series. We will always be indebted to Tom Kapinos for leading the creative charge on this memorable comedy, and to David Duchovny for making us root for an unapologetic hedonist like Hank Moody. Tom has carefully planned the final chapter of Hank’s journey and has brought it to a beautiful and satisfying conclusion for new and long-time fans alike.”
The show is coming to its conclusion despite earning its highest ratings during season 6, which also saw a 20-percent growth in On Demand viewership. Reportedly, the decision to end the series after season 7 was made by the network shortly following the show's season 6 finale.
Fans of Showtime's longest running series will certainly be sad to see the show end, but fortunately, they'll have 12 new episodes to look forward to when Californication returns for its seventh and final season in April 2014.
Sources: Showtime, Deadline
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It's been two full years since HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm has been on the air, and although the series hasn't ever been officially canceled, its creator Larry David recently said he's still not ready to begin work on season 9.
David has always been optimistic that season 9 of Curb will happen, but the question for fans of the show is still: When will Curb Your Enthusiasm return to HBO for a new season? While the answer is still unknown, David's co-star and friend Susie Essman revealed that it might not be anytime soon, telling The Artie Lange Show this week that "right now, [David] doesn't feel like doing it [and] he can't face it."
However, that doesn't mean David won't be up for it someday, as Essman also noted that HBO has "an open door policy" with David and that he can return whenever he's ready.
We're certainly hoping the sometimes sardonic, always brilliant humor of Curb Your Enthusiasm comes back to HBO sooner rather than later and we'll let you know if the status of the show changes.
Source: The Artie Lange Show
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Matthew Perry hasn't had the best luck with his recent sitcom projects, but instead of taking an extended break, he got back in the game this week by selling an Odd Couple reboot to CBS.
So far, the network has only committed to a script, which Perry will co-write with Danny Jacobson (Mad About You). However, the reboot has a good chance to at least earn a pilot order, considering Perry is also attached to produce and star as Oscar Madison, the easygoing but disorganized sportswriter played famously by Jack Klugman in the original 1970s series and Walter Matthau in the 1968 film.
Perry's last two sitcoms, ABC's Mr. Sunshine and NBC's Go On, both only lasted one season, but he may have more success with a proven and well-known production like The Odd Couple.
We'll pass along more info on this latest incarnation of The Odd Couple as the project progresses.
Source: Variety
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A year after purchasing a spec pilot for the drama Tyrant, FX officially gave the long-gestating project a 10-episode first season order earlier this week.
Developed by Homeland creators Gideon Raff and Howard Gordon along with Six Feet Under writer Craig Wright, Tyrant centers on an unassuming American family who gets drawn into the inner workings of a turbulent Middle Eastern nation. Here's a more detailed plot synopsis for the new series:
Bassam “Barry” Al Fayeed (Adam Rayner), the younger son of the dictator of a war-torn nation, ends a self-imposed 20-year exile to return to his homeland, accompanied by his American wife and children, for his nephew’s wedding. Barry’s reluctant homecoming leads to a dramatic clash of cultures as he is thrown back into the familial and national politics of his youth.
While this week's news is certainly worth celebrating for FX and the show's creators, the journey to a series order wasn't without its share of setbacks, including the departure of original pilot director Ang Lee. Reportedly, the network also has some issues with the pilot's initial cut, but were more than pleased with the final version of the episode.
Said FX Networks CEO John Landgraf:
“With 'Tyrant,' Howard Gordon, Gideon Raff and Craig Wright have produced a beautiful television pilot that will be a groundbreaking television series. 'Tyrant' introduces characters and a world that have never been explored in a dramatic television series format. There is a reason a bidding war broke out over this project: it grabs you as all great epics do and simply refuses to let go!”
There is no official airdate set for Tyrant, but we expect to see it premiere sometime in 2014.
Source: Deadline
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After announcing a Rosemary's Baby adaptation was in the works more than three months ago, NBC pushed forward with the project this week, ordering a four-hour miniseries based on Ira Levin's classic 1967 horror novel.
With the series planning to shoot in Paris next month, producers are jump-starting the casting process, but no names are officially attached yet. However, the series does have some name talent behind the camera, including co-writer James Wong (American Horror Story) and Oscar-nominated director Agnieszka Holland (In Darkness).
While the miniseries will be working solely from Levin's original source material, it will undoubtedly draw comparisons to Roman Polanski's 1968 film of the same name, which is considered by many to be one of the greatest horror movies of all time. It certainly has some big shoes to fill, but considering it's been 45 years since Polanski's film haunted audiences, the new series has the chance to introduce the story to an entirely new generation.
Currently, there is no airdate set for Rosemary's Baby, but we'll probably see it in late 2014.
Source: THR