Tag: TVWriter.Com

RED DWARF Returns Again – But This Time Triumphantly

We loved the original’s hilarious chaos, so, yeah, we’re feelin’ pretty groovy right now:

Red Dwarf1 X: Trojan spoiler-free review
by Pete Dillon-Trenchard

When Dave announced that it would be making a new six-part Red Dwarf series after 2009’s Back to Earth, it’s fair to say that many fans were cautious in their optimism; the three-part special had taken the characters down a much more dramatic route, and seemed to mark a shift in direction for the Boys from the Dwarf, one which took them away from their sitcom roots. WouldRed Dwarf X continue this trend?

Put simply: no. Trojan, the first episode of Red Dwarf’s tenth series, immediately feels more like the classic show than anything that’s been broadcast in nearly twenty years, with a pair of opening scenes which each contain some strong jokes and build to neat crescendos for the characters. And yet, nothing here is without a purpose; both of these scenes contain gags that have superb pay-offs later in the episode – there’s one Cat moment in particular about halfway through the episode which is up there with some of the show’s greatest scenes. read article

Big Writer Deals!

TVWriter™ reads the trades so you won’t have to:

  • Mark Rizzo (THE MAN DATE, ZIP) is developing the film HEATHERS as a sitcom for Bravo.
  • Bret Easton Ellis (AMERICAN PSYCHO) is developing COPELAND PREP, a drama about teens at an overly competitive boarding school for (what else?) the CW.
  • Jessica Queller (GOSSIP GIRL, GILMORE GIRLS, FELICITY) is developing THE APARTMENT as a sitcom for Bravo.
  • Bill Daly (MIKE & MOLLY) has written the pilot for CONTINUING FRED, a sitcom about a slacker who finds her purpose in life as a teacher, for ABC Family.
  • Stu Zicherman (LIGHTS OUT, SIX DEGREES) is developing the drama THE DARLINGS for Bravo.
  • David H. Steinberg (AMERICAN PIE 2) is developing PHYS ED, a sitcom about a jock teaching at his old high school, for ABC Family.
  • Jenni Ross (hot on the showbiz writing “Black List”) is developing ALL AMERICAN GIRL as a drama for Bravo. (It’s about three women working at a women’s lifestyle mag, which spells “for chicks only” to us.)
  • Susana Fogel & Joni Lefkowitz (LIFE PARTNERS) have written the pilot for TERMINALES, a drama about a young woman’s life after she’s diagnosed with terminal illness, for ABC Family. (Talk about “for chicks only!”)
  • Krista Vernoff (SHAMELESS, GREY’S ANATOMY, PRIVATE PRACTICE) is developing RITA (based on a Danish TV series) for Bravo.
  • The CW has ordered a pilot script for EMBRACE, a BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER-type series to be written by Bill Laurin and Glenn Davis, based on a book by Jessica Shirvington.

Wonder How Women Writer-TV Series Creators are Doing?

Inasmuch as our favoritest people are writers, and more than half the writers we know are womens – and our favoritest womens too – this particular factoid seems very important to us:

Women Created 26 Percent of the Television Shows in the 2011-2012 Season – by Melissa Silverstein (IndieWire.Com)
 read article

The Latest Writer Deals Since the Last Latest Writer Deals

Because we’re always thinking of you:

  • MENTALIST creator Bruno Heller has a pilot production commitment from CBS for THE ADVOCATES, a drama about a woman lawyer and a male ex-con who right wrongs for underdogs. (You know, like LEVERAGE without the team, or FAIRLY LEGAL with a duo that actually works together.)
  • Stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan has a put pilot commitment from CBS for an untitled comedy inspired by his life. (You know, like LOUIE without Louis C.K., or EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND without Raymond.) Also on the project: Peter Tolan of THE LARRY SANDERS show.
  • John Phillips, writer of the just purchased by Universal screenplay DIRTY GRANDPA is writing the pilot for STARTING UP, a comedy about two buddies who open a start-up together, for 20th TV.
  • Lauren Pomerantz, writer-producer on ELLEN, will write an untitled comedy about a “proudly independent 32-year-old single woman” for NBC. Joining her as producer of the project will be her current boss, Ellen DeGeneres.
  • Jeff Astrof, co-executive producer of the upcoming PARTNERS, has a put pilot commitment from ABC for a comedy based on the book Fat, Forty and Fired, about a guy who gets fired and figures out that there’s more to life than work anyway.

Overthinking Wes Anderson

Hey, he’s one of our favorite contemporary filmmakers, and very, very easy to overthink. Still, this article actually manages to make sense of what he’s up to. Who could ask for more?

You Are Forgiven: A Unified Theory of Wes Anderson Movies
by JP Gorman

Various writing partners have helped Wes Anderson flesh out the scripts for each of his 6 live-action films, but the finished products are Anderson’s alone. Complex, noble beasts, Anderson’s films burst with a singular creativity and style that rewards re-watching in ways great and small. His chosen themes are deeply personal, and their delivery, stylized but always in the service of the larger point, is perhaps his signature strength as a filmmaker. He is a stylist of the highest order, but his style is never without purpose. read article