One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
TV Junkie: 'Eastbound & Down' Update; Ted Danson to 'CSI'? More on Sherwood Schwartz
Ted Danson at the 2010 premiere of HBO's "Bored To Death" - Danson will now star in the upcoming season of CBS' "CSI," is this a good or a bad thing?
In this next (and final) season of HBO's "Eastbound & Down" we've heard that Matthew McConaughey and Will Ferrell will be reprising their roles on the show along with new face, Jason Sudeikis, who will play a recurring character. I can't believe the commitment of the team to keep the show to 3 (strong) seasons but they want to end on a high note. Check out our interviews from PaleyFest's "Eastbound & Down" night a few months ago.
---
I like Ted Danson a lot - I was very fortunate to speak with him while the first season of HBO's "Bored To Death" was airing in 2009, a show where he is doing some amazing work with Zach Galifianakis and Jason Schwartzman to create the most compelling comedy trio on TV in the last several years. This decade he also created the iconic character of Arthur Frobisher (Frobisher!) on FX's "Damages" and played a hilarious version of himself on Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Because "Cheers" and "Becker," among other work he's done, is in syndication, Danson has been free to choose exactly what he wants to do and it's because of this I'd love to talk to him about why he's chosen to take a job as a team leader on CBS' "CSI." While I'm happy it won't interfere with his work on "Bored To Death" (if the series is extended), I don't understand why he'd do an aging procedural when he's been doing genre-busting roles on shows that weren't made by any kind of identifiable cookie-cutter. Could Danson make "CSI" better? Undoubtedly, but at what expense? Why prop up a tired vehicle like "CSI" with such great talent? It's time to purge the networks of shows that feel decades-old and are close to being decades-old.
---
Yesterday LAist mentioned the passing of Sherwood Schwartz, the creator of "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch." At the bottom of the page I've included an interview with Schwartz from the TV Legends YouTube channel. As a kid, my afternoons after school were spent watching the endlessly repeated episodes of his two iconic shows, some plots of which I ended up knowing by heart, which I'm not sure was a good thing as even a cursory look will reveal that Gilligan really wasn't funny and "The Brady Bunch" was so shallow it never addressed the circumstances that brought the 2 families together. Were they good enough when they aired in the late '60s/early '70s? Yes, so they are worth the fond memories.
---
The TV Junkie Must-Watch Plan: "ESPY's," "Royal Paints," "Rescue Me," "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" (TV-show host Craig Ferguson; actress Rose Byrne; David Cook performs), "The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson" (Actor D.J. Qualls; actress Angela Kinsey)6:00pm ESPY's ESPN - Sport and entertainment celebrities gather at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles to commemorate the past year in sports by recognizing major achievements.
8:00pm The Courtship of Eddie's Father TCM - (1963) A young boy uses a peculiar and humorous standard to determine the "perfect" wife for his widowed father.
9:00pm Royal Pains USA - Rash Talk Best friends worry about their line of house-cleaning products.
9:00pm The Curious Case of Curt Flood HBO - (Documentary) The professional baseball player risks his career to take on Major League Baseball in court.
10:00pm Rescue Me FX - Season Premiere. Mutha Sheila and Janet join forces and shake-up Tommy's family life.
10:00pm Jon Benjamin Has a Van Comedy Central - Suicide
10:00pm Necessary Roughness USA - Spinning Out Dr. Dani treats a NASCAR driver who is leery of returning to the races.
Sponsored message
10:00pm The Franchise: A Season With the San Francisco Giants Showtime - Behind the scenes with the Giants
11:30pm The Colbert Report Comedy Central - Interview with author David McCullough
11:35pm Late Show With David Letterman CBS - Summer toy demonstration; actor Ryan Gosling; Gomez performs.
11:35pm The Tonight Show With Jay Leno NBC - TV-show host Craig Ferguson; actress Rose Byrne; David Cook performs.
12:35am The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson CBS - Actor D.J. Qualls; actress Angela Kinsey.
12:35am Late Night With Jimmy Fallon NBC - Actress Gabourey Sidibe; singer Blake Shelton; Joe Jonas performs.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
