The chopping block is pretty busy at all the networks. Next week they will all present their new schedules to press and advertisers at the Up Fronts.
Today, ABC finally canned “Big Sky” after three dismal seasons. This was a show you could never figure out what was going on. When it began it was a little like “Twin Peaks,” with Ryan Phillippe advertised as the star. But he was killed off in the first episode, and the characters who subsequently took over were meaningless. Unlike “Seinfeld,” “Big Sky” was really a show about nothing.
Two time Oscar winner Hillary Swank starred in “Alaska Daily.” She got twins out of it in real life, born this spring. “AD” looked good and the actors — including dependable Jeff Perry — were fine. But how many unsolved murders could there be in Alaska? And the main characters were undefined. Swank must return to movies. She popped off the TV screen.
Last, “The Company You Keep” starred Milo Ventimiglia from “This Is Us” and a sexy girl. I could never figure out if they each spies, or one of them was, or what they were doing, It thought it was “Mr, and Mrs Smith”– two assassins get it on — but I don’t think that happened. Polly Draper and William Fitchner were in, and who knows why?
ABC is taking “Rescue 911: Lone Star” from Fox for one of these spots They finally got rid of “Nine Million Pieces” or whatever it was called (“A Million Little Things”) which tried to be the reboot of “thirtysomething.” These shows all have fine actors but there’s no vision or point of view, they all seem like wallpaper. None of them are as good as a great wallpaper show like “Trapper John MD.” Why can’t network approach streaming/cable quality?Very frustrating.
