• Jonathan posted the trailer for Seth MacFarlane’s new web cartoon, which looks to be just as madcap as his cult show Family Guy, chock-full of Cowboys and Angels.
• Heather found some great pictures of Michael (Wentworth Miller) celebrating his Freedom in Prison Break Season 4 – and yes, that IS Sara!
Fri, 10pm, Law & Order: SVU, Five
Tonight’s episode is more tense than usual, as the detectives’ usual means of crime-solving doesn’t work. They’re faced with a spate of murders around New York City, which appear to be the work of a serial killer called RDK (I’ll leave it to the show to explain the rather grisly background to that catchy nickname) who hasn’t struck for 20 years, and he’s deliberately taunting them with riddles and puzzles. There’s just one thing niggling away at the cops as they chase all over the city - is this really RDK or is it a copycat killer?
Sun, 9pm, NCIS, FX
Another mass murderer, another possible copycat killer at work. Former Mossad agent Ziva goes undercover to try to trap a serial killer, a perilous job that requires all her training to deal with. The problem is that it seems there may well be another murderer on the loose who has managed to stay under the radar until now, so the team really have their work cut out for them.
Sun, 10pm, Dexter, FX
Dexter tries to distance himself from Lila - but funnily enough she’s not that easy to get rid of. Speaking of people who don’t know when to let things lie, Doakes’ dogged pursuit of Dexter finally reaps a reward, and he has the evidence he needs to nail Dexter once and for all. Somehow you know it’s not going to be that simple - but how on earth is Dexter going to get out of this one? (I seem to find myself thinking this in every single episode!)
With just over a week to go before the return of the second series of Ugly Betty, here are a few pictures from the episode Zero Worship to whet your appetite.
Will Betty manage to persuade Daniel to ditch the size-zero models in favour of a more ‘real’ look during Fashion Week? Can a trip to a clairvoyant help Amanda discover the identity of her dad? And if that isn’t exciting enough, rappers Bow Wow and Omarion also make guest appearances.
Look away now if you don’t want to spoil the surprise …
10pm, Without a Trace, More4
After Jack’s maverick behaviour last week his life is hanging in the balance, causing the team to face up to their real feelings about him. Not for too long though, as they do still have to get back to work and investigate the disappearance of a girl who has recently had a heart transplant.
10pm, The Unit, Virgin1
This is a really gripping episode, as the team have to rescue Grey after he’s wounded during a mission in Lebanon. Their exit plan falls apart though, leaving them in an extremely vulnerable position. Back at home, Molly reveals she’s anything but vulnerable after Tiffy falls for a scam.
10.05pm & 11.05pm, Grey’s Anatomy, Five SERIES FINALE Just in time for the new series starting on Living on 11th September! Meredith’s father kicks off about his wife’s death, saying some really harsh things to Meredith about her part in the tragedy - not what she needs right before her exams. The real biggie though is the impending nuptials of Cristina and Burke - will they or won’t they?????
Prison Break’s back next week - woo hoo! Well, sort of woo hoo - hopefully, season four will be a lot better than the damp squib that was season three… here are some piccies to get you in the mood. We’ve also got some great behind-the-scenes shots of Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell and co which we’ll be adding to the blog just as soon as we can. Click on the pictures below for a closer look.
Remember those Britney Spears and Russell Brand promos for the MTV Video Music Awards we posted the other week? Well, we’ve just stumbled upon another one, this time featuring LL Cool J referring to the haystack-barnetted one as “Russell Bland”. The awards will be shown here in the UK on MTV One on Monday 8 September at 9pm.
Prison Break’s Wentworth Miller reveals why he prefers being behind bars, the women of Wisteria Lane face up to life after the tornado in Desperate Housewives, and The Riches‘ Eddie Izzard tells us why keeping up an American accent drives him nuts. All this plus, stacks of gossip about all your favourite US dramas!
Click the thumbnail pictures below for a closer look.
9.30pm, Back to You, More4
The cat’s finally out of the bag, and Gracie is less than impressed with her mother about Chuck being her real father, but Kelly’s got the added worry of how to disclose the information to everyone else sensitively. Meanwhile, Chuck realises a hangdog expression is less than effective in winning his daughter over, and resorts to a real-life pooch instead.
10pm, The Nine, Five US
Four weeks on from the hostage ordeal, the group begin to question whether cashier Eva was in on the bank job - a sticky subject for Nick, since he was dating her at the time. The Eva issue isn’t Nick’s only problem, as his old gambling addiction begins to take hold once more. Meanwhile, Lizzie decides to tell everyone about her pregnancy - but will Jeremy come clean about his feelings for Eva’s sister Franny?
10.50pm, Six Degrees, ITV1 SERIES FINALE It’s the last ever episode of the JJ Abrams drama, and things are going well for Laura and Steven until Whitney makes the shock admission that she also has feelings for him. Meanwhile Damien is planning a big party for Ray, unaware that he’s facing potential ruin.
Hot on the tails of Joss Whedon’s magnificent Dr. Horrible earlier this summer, another high profile US TV showrunner, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, is turning his attentions to the web.
Judging from the teaser trailer embedded above, the show promises every bit as random and bonkers as Family Guy, and we here at TV Spy Towers will definitely be logging on on 10 September.
9pm, CSI: Miami, Five
CSI: Miami goes a bit Randall and Hopkirk: Deceased tonight, as Delko gets help in his latest investigation from Tim Speedle, who supposedly died three years ago. Is it a hallucination, or did Speed fake his own death? All will be revealed…
10pm, Private Practice, Living
If you get squeamish watching women giving birth (even if they are just acting) then you’re going to need a lot of tea breaks in this episode. There’s plenty of drama with the team to distract you though, as Pete and Addison plan to take their flirting further, Violet makes Cooper an irresistable offer, and Sam finds himself in an inconvenient position. Oh, and keep your eyes peeled - the waiting room actually has some patients in it this week!
10pm, Smallville, E4
James Marsters makes a welcome return as Brainiac, and he’s more dastardly than ever, targetting Lana to get to Clark and Kara. Meanwhile, Lois and Jimmy try to get to the bottom of Lionel’s machinations, but Lex’s flashbacks reveal just what sort of guy they’re up against. If you’re enjoying Kara’s gung-ho attitude, you really ought to check out the Kara Chronicles on E4’s website.
‘He (the Mayor) wants us to solve the murders, he just doesn’t want the cost. Don’t look so shocked, you’re running with the big dogs now.’
Police chief Rawls reminds Daniels of political realities after the Mayor tells the press he’s determined to see McNulty’s fictitious serial killer brought to book.
This series of The Wire has been strong on the effects of budget cuts on a city and its institutions – the police, the newspaper, the schools… and last night’s episode, The Dickensian Aspect, followed the same theme.
McNulty continues to distort real police work by continuing his campaign for more funds by inventing a serial killer; the forensics lab has messed up the evidence because it employed a temp who didn’t really know how things worked; and The Baltimore Sun has switched its emphasis from a real story about schools to McNulty’s fictitious serial killer.
Meanwhile, as a backdrop to a city where institutions aren’t working properly, we find Marlo and Omar trying to settle scores with guns.
It’s an episode where you can chew over the politics of a city and how and why things work and don’t work, but it also offers the disturbing, yet entertaining, duel between an ice-cool Marlo and emotional Omar.
While we were pleasantly surprised by the first season of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, we couldn’t help but think the series was crying out for a flame-haired uberbitch to whip things up into a mind-bogling, conspiracy-theory frenzy.
The producers seem to agree and have thrown former Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson into the mix as cool-as-ice company bigwig Catherine Weaver. As her little Harry Lime-esque monologue above proves, Catherine isn’t entirely a benevolent boss at the mysterious Zeiracorp, though there is some speculation on whether she’s going to help the Connors or not.
Things got really claustrophobic last night, especially as the creepy Lila has moved in with Dexter and Debs (who hates her). But Dexter’s finally twigged Lila’s a dangerous psycho in the Fatal Attraction mode. So, unless he falls for her bunny boiler antics, I think she’s not long for this world.
Still, it’s just great seeing these two psychos doing their thing. Lila’s shadow at Rita’s apartment sent a chill down my back, as did the moment Dexter realised that it was Lila who called his mother’s murderer. But the scene where he tells her to stay away or she will ‘see the monster’ was choice. Looks like the Lila experiment really is over.
And what about that cliffhanger, where Doakes finds Dexter’s blood slides? Wow! Can this show get any better?
Best line of the night:
Deb: ‘I’m sorry, but she’s gross. And pale. Nobody is pale in Miami. She is obviously a vampire. A gross. English. Titty. Vampire.’
A fantasy comedy drama based in a San Francisco law firm featuring a prophet, a Chinese acupuncturist and singing superstar George Michael as a regular guest may sound completely bonkers, but from the clips I’ve seen so far, Eli Stone – coming to Sci-Fi in October – looks destined to become a hit.
Already a major success in the States, the series follows the adventures of ambitious lawyer Eli Stone, played by Brit Jonny Lee Miller, who, through a series of hallucinations, often involving the song lyrics or the appearance of George Michael (yes, the George Michael!), goes on a voyage of self-discovery both personally and professionally. The medical world blames Eli’s visions on a hereditary brain condition, while his acupuncturist Dr Chen (James Saito) reckons his patient is a prophet!
Cue George Michael, who adds a brand new string to his guitar, taking on his first acting role as the star of Eli’s entertaining hallucinations. Natasha Henstridge stars as Eli’s fiancée Taylor, while Alias’ Victor Garber plays his boss and future father-in-law Jordan.
Ignore the fact that Miller’s phony American accent is frankly quite ropey, and that the show is basically Ally McBeal with a male lead (just substitute the dancing baby for George, and Boston for San Francisco), because this series looks pretty smart.
We’ve got five copies of film Meet the Spartans on DVD, the latest tongue-in-cheek parody from the team behind ultimate spoofs Scary Movie, Date Movie and Epic Movie.
The film follows Leonidas, the King of Sparta, as he fights to protect his kingdom from the Persians. Unfortunately, although he tries to round-up 300 of his finest soldiers to defend his homeland, only 13 of his not-so-finest turn up to meet the call of war, and he heads into battle with his ragtag army armed with nothing more than a cape and his leather underwear!
DVD extras include footage not screened in cinemas, a trivia game and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
To be in with a chance of winning one of the five copies of the DVD, answer this question:
Q.What US sitcom did Sean Maguire recently play a starring role in?
Answers on an email, clearly marked ‘Meet the Spartans DVD’, to tvspy@ipcmedia.com
Closing date 31 August.
We will collect your personal email data solely to process your competition entry. Prize will be awarded to the first 5 correct entries drawn at random under independent supervision after the competition closes at midnight on 31 August. We will notify the winners by email within 21 days of this closing date. The prize consists of a copy of the Meet the Spartans DVD. Promoter: IPC Media. Prize Supplier: Taylor Herring. For full terms and conditions see here
We’re getting excited at the prospect of a niiiice long Bank Holiday weekend (sorry if you’re reading this in Scotland!) after a busy week blogging here at TV Spy. In case you missed them, here are some of the best bits…
• Ben felt guilty about how little we talk about top spy comedy Chuck, so rectified the situation with some previews of series two.
• We all breathed a sigh of relief when Pete got confirmation that he doesn’t have psycho tendencies, courtesy of Dexter’s latest viral campaign. You can have your stapler back now, Pete!
