“Homeland” is good again: It seems humbled, apologetic about the mistakes that came before
So says Willa Paskin about Season 4, which she compares to a relationship that has gone from sour to sweet again. “The result,” she says, “is a series shorn of many of its complications, some of its over-reaching, and much of its implausibility. It is still psychologically astute, but it has become a much more straightforward, and largely effective, spy show. If you do not want to let ‘Homeland' back into your heart, that”s understandable. But maybe let it crash on your couch for a probationary period.” PLUS: “Homeland” found a smart and natural way out of the hole it dug for itself, it distinctly resembles an old-school spy drama, it is leaner and meaner and sleeker and swifter, Season 4 reminds us that Carrie is the cracked heart of this drama, and co-creator Alex Gansa admits “the lack of an Emmy nomination really hurt.”
The Farrelly Brothers will be part of HBO”s “Project Greenlight”
Peter and Bobby Farrelly have joined the Ben Affleck/Matt Damon reality show as judges who will whittle down the director submissions.
Andy Cohen”s interview with the Giudices will air in primetime
The “Watch What Happens” Live special “One-On-One With Teresa And Joe” is scheduled for Monday at 9 pm. PLUS: Friends and foes react to Teresa”s sentence.
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“Family Guy”s” crossover with “The Simpsons” gets a huge DVR boost
In fact, it was the No. 1 entertainment program in the 18-49 demo for premiere week.
“Outlander” book series returns to bestseller lists, thanks to the TV show
Diana Gabaldon”s books are experiencing what George R.R. Martin experienced with the books that inspired “Game of Thrones.”
“Gone Girl” author Giliian Flynn will write all the scripts for HBO”s “Utopia”
She”ll be collaborating with David Fincher, who directed her script for the “Gone Girl” movie.
“The Bachelor” bachelorettes reportedly include a Washington Redskins cheerleader
Also, a Fox News assignment desk employee is said to be wooing Chris Soules” heart.
Lena Dunham is getting political with her book tour
The “Girls” star will help pro-choice female Democrats get elected while she”s promoting “Not that Kind of Girl.”
Wendy Williams defends producing “tastefully” done Aaliyah biopic for Lifetime
“The family is not happy that the movie is being done but we did it so tastefully, I think the family would be proud,” Williams said on “The View.” “We're not throwing anybody under the bus.”
Asian men on TV: A history of male Asian characters getting romantic storylines on TV shows
Of all the Asian male actors, “Selfie”s” John Cho has probably had the most action on TV.
“Stalker”: “A dumb PSA for the dangers of misogyny”
“The real meat of ‘Stalker' is not gruesome violence against women-it”s the pseudo-intellectual conversation about misogyny,” says Sujay Kumar. “'Stalker' isn”t misogynistic scare porn. It”s far worse: a dumb PSA for the dangers of misogyny, delivered with the grace of the NFL and narrative heft of a pornographic film. CBS”s procedural bludgeons viewers not with nihilistic glee or gore or hate for women, but with juvenile dialogue about the evils of men.”
John Francis Daley recalls his favorite “Bones” moments
“I was very gawky and birdlike,” he says of his very first scene.
The Situation will be competing on “Marriage Bootcamp” as an engaged man
He”s participating in a reality show that delayed his arraignment with his brand-new fiancé.
“Stalker” books “Buffy”s” Marc Blucas
He”ll guest as a family man who seeks the help of the stalker task force.
A college student reacts to watching “Gilmore Girls” for the 1st time
“Until this week, I hadn”t the slightest idea what 'Gilmore Girls' was about,” writes Anna Muckerman from the University of Maryland. “In fact, I was so clueless that I completely confused it with 'Gossip Girl” (haven”t watched that, either).”
Katherine Heigl and her “State of Affairs” cast get naked
Heigl instagrammed a photo of her cast filming a scene in the buff.
Will “Black-ish” prompt more people to use the suffix “ish” in their daily conversations?
According to Pia De Jong, “Ish is perfectly suited to our commitment-phobic age, when the atomic clock has synchronized our smartphones, yet those same phones allow us to continually push deadlines and revise plans.”
Aidy Bryant: From Phoenix to “SNL”
Bryant began her comedy journey as a kid taking improv workshops at the Arizona Jewish Theatre Company.
“Bob”s Burgers” returns with musical adaptations of “Die Hard” and “Working Girl”
Forget “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy” – “Bob”s Burgers” has the best animated crossover. PLUS: Watch the ’80s-themed trailer.
How Nick Offerman finally got on “The Simpsons”
Says Offerman: “I think they wrote the role of a drunk, jackass ship's captain and a friend of mine, Mike Scully, who's a veteran writer on 'The Simpsons,' said, 'Hey, you know who's a great drunk jackass? Nick Offerman!” And they probably tried to get three good people, and failing that, said, 'All right, let's give this guy a try.' I think I snuck in there and I'm happy Paul Giamatti was not available.” PLUS: How is Offerman able to juggle all his projects?
What happened when Jerry Seinfeld was asked to pick his favorite “Seinfeld” emoji?
Seinfeld chose “Barry Obame”: “I like the black guy. Who's that? Is that a guy from my show? Who's the black guy in the middle? He's cute.”
“Dexter” alum Courtney Ford joining “Revenge”
She”ll play an FBI agent investigating Conrad”s murder.
“Desperate Housewives” stars: Where are they now?
The post-“Desperate” life hasn”t been particularly good for its male stars. PLUS: “Desperate” launched to 21.3 million viewers.
A former “Intervention” producer tells how he took acting classes to learn how to induce tears in his reality stars
Here are a reality TV producers secrets to provoking unforgettable moments.
Aziz Ansari gets ready to play Madison Square Garden
It”ll be a career milestone for the “Parks and Rec” star, who says “I have an hour and a half that”s solid” but fears the venue will be “a dangerous trap.”
Bravo renews “Married to Medicine”
The Bravo reality show about doctors and doctors” wives will be back for a 3rd season.
HBO releases the “Olive Kitteridge” trailer starring Frances McDormand
The miniseries based on Elizabeth Strout”s novel airs Nov. 2 and 3.
“Star Wars Rebels” takes place in the “Star Wars” sweet spot
Set five years before the original 1977 movie, the new Disney XD series is more “‘Star Wars”-ish” than the prequel films. PLUS: Producers seemed to want a more adult, less whiz-bang story.
Starz”s” Survivor”s Remorse” is more than just an NBA version of “Entourage”
Unlike “Entourage,” which would show Vinnie Chase attempting to act, “Survivor”s Remorse” doesn”t have its leading man attempt to play basketball – at least in the first four episodes. PLUS: It”s very funny with a redeeming sweetness beyond the satire.
Fox's “Mulaney” feels like a student”s final project for a “Tropes and Themes in the 1990s Sitcom” class
“It hits every item on the syllabus,” says James Poniewozik, adding: “This highly constructed diorama of a show has a lot of superficial elements of classic TV comedy. (Fox may want to make its lower-screen graphics prominent during ‘Mulaney,' just so viewers are aware they”re not watching TV Land.) What it doesn”t have is an original voice, organic character relationships or near enough laughs.” PLUS: It”s a bad idea to refer to yourself as a “Seinfeld” ripoff in the pilot, the first few episodes verge on becoming a meta-comment on the entire sitcom genre, the pilot has a weird, sour attitude about women, the show feels thrown together in a comedic mess, perhaps “Mulaney” is the normcore of sitcoms, John Mulaney hasn”t absorbed the basic sitcom lesson of being funny, Mulaney and Martin Short interview each other, and producer Lorne Michaels notes that people actually watch multicam sitcoms.