AV CLUB: WHAT'S ON TONIGHT? TOP PICK SUNDAY, JUNE 3, 2012
Go west, young reader, with the heroes of A&E's new Longmire
by Todd VanDerWerff
June 3, 2012
... TOP PICK
Longmire
(A&E, 10 p.m.)
A&E’s forays into the scripted drama world have mostly been bland, uninteresting cop shows. And while this could well be another—since it’s about a Wyoming sheriff—at least it’s cribbing material from the right places. The structure of it sounds like Justified—it’s even based on a long-running series of novels—while the use of gorgeous New Mexico location shooting is all Breaking Bad. Plus, it’s got Battlestar Galactica’sKatee Sackhoff in a key supporting role! What we’ve seen isn’t perfect, but there’s promise, and Zack Handlen will help you get to the bottom of that promise from week to week.
SEASON FINALE: Game of Thrones ended season one by lopping off the head of a favorite character and letting viewers know anything might happen next. All this season, that promise has been fulfilled — increasingly so in these final episodes, as the conflicts between territorial rulers became more numerous and unavoidable. So tonight, expect the unexpected, but also expect this: there will be blood.
SERIES PREMIERE: A&E's adaptation of Craig Johnson's mystery series revolves around a Wyoming sheriff who throws himself into his work to combat the pain of his wife's death. For more on Longmire, read Eric Gould's The Cold Light Reader.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: TONIGHT'S BEST TV SUNDAY, JUNE 3, 2012
A Daily Guide To Notable Shows
... Game of Thrones
9-10 PM HBO, SEASON FINALE
The bloody Battle of the Blackwater may be over, but the war for the Iron Throne continues in tonight's season 2 finale. This year GoT has deftly juggled more characters and settings than any other scripted show on TV, which means we're following about eight intense, violent fantasy adventures in the land of Westeros and beyond. While HBO is keeping the finale under lockdown, we do have some hints of what to expect: Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) will be a changed man; Arya (Maisie Williams) will attempt to escape Harrenhal; Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) will seek to reclaim her dragons in the mysterious House of the Undying; Theon (Alfie Allen) will struggle to hold on to Winterfell; and Jon Snow (Kit Harington) will be faced with a devastating decision. Fair warning: Cliff-hangers are coming...about, oh, eight of them.
Source: Film.com [follow link for complete column]
FILM.COM: WHAT 2 WATCH SUNDAY, JUNE 3, 2012
by Charlie Toft
May 28, 2012
WHAT2WATCH: Watch the Thrones, One More Night
Every so often, a HBO drama will switch things up by putting a season’s pivotal developments in the next-to-last week. “Game of Thrones” did this in its first season, when Ned was rather abruptly ushered out of the picture. It remains to be seen if this past Sunday’s long-awaited battle episode will be remembered as the essential climax of Season 2, but this week (HBO, Sunday 9 p.m.) is the true finale nonetheless.
Details on the episode are characteristically light, though those who are up on the books likely won’t be surprised. But we can expect the servicing of several characters that were left out of last week’s fun and games, such as Arya, Dany, and Jon Snow. There’s also the matter of Theon, who may find if all his arrogance has been misplaced; and Tyrion, who we last saw at the edge of death (I think it’s safe to say they aren’t killing off Peter Dinklage). Here’s my question about this show: granted it isn’t cheap to make, but given how big the books are, what’s with the 10-episode seasons? It’s not like they aren’t having to cut a ton out.
Source: Huff Post TV [follow link for complete column]
HUFF POST TV: WHAT TO WATCH SUNDAY, JUNE 3, 2012
... "Longmire"
Sun., June 3:
(10 p.m. ET on A&E) series premiere
Widowed only a year, Longmire (Robert Taylor) is a man in psychic repair who buries his pain behind a brave face and dry wit. Struggling since his wife's death and at the urging of his daughter, Cady (Cassidy Freeman), Longmire knows that the time has come to turn his life around. With the help of Vic (Katee Sackhoff), a female deputy new to the department, he becomes reinvigorated about his job and committed to running for re-election. When Branch (Bailey Chase), an ambitious, young deputy decides to run against him for sheriff, Longmire feels betrayed, but remains steadfast in his dedication to the community. Worn, but not worn out, Longmire often turns to close friend and confidant Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips) for support as he sets out to rebuild both his personal and professional lives, one step at a time.
Source: Huff Post TV [follow link for complete column]
HUFF POST TV: WHAT TO WATCH SUNDAY, JUNE 3, 2012
... "Game of Thrones"
Sun., June 3: (9 p.m. ET on HBO) 70-minute season finale
In the wake of the penultimate episode's epic battle, Theon stirs his men to action; Luwin offers some final advice; Brienne silences Jaime; Arya receives a gift from Jaqen; Dany goes to a strange place; and Jon proves himself to Qhorin.
Based on a series of mystery novels by Craig Johnson, this new crime drama stars Australian actor Robert Taylor as Walt Longmire, a sheriff in rural Wyoming who is struggling to cope with the death of his wife a year earlier. At his daughter's (Cassidy Freeman) urging, he recommits to his job with the help of a new deputy, city girl Victoria "Vic" Moretti (Katee Sackhoff). Bailey Chase and Lou Diamond Phillips also star.
In the season finale, Theon (Alfie Allen) gets his men ready for action and receives some last-minute advice from Luwin (Donald Sumpter). Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) finds himself silenced by Brienne (Gwendolyn Christie). Jaqen (Tom Wlaschiha) has a gift for Arya (Maisie Williams). Dany (Emilia Clarke) goes to a strange place. Kit Harington and Simon Armstrong also star in "Valar Morghulis."
Source: Yahoo! TV [follow link for complete column]
YAHOO! TV - Weekend Picks - What to Watch This Weekend
A list of can't-miss hot shows, undiscovered gems and fan favorites airing this Friday, Saturday and Sunday
... Longmire
SUNDAY 10 PM on A&E
Series Premiere: Hey, “Hatfields & McCoys” fans, in the mood for a modern-day Western? Check out A&E’s new scripted drama, set in Big Sky country. Based on Craig Johnson’sWalter Longmire novels, the series stars Robert Taylor as a widowed Wyoming sheriff running for re-election. “Battlestar Galactica’s” Katee Sackhoff plays Vic, his female deputy; Lou Diamond Philips plays his Native American friend, Henry Standing Bear.
Source: Yahoo! TV [follow link for complete column]
YAHOO! TV - Weekend Picks - What to Watch This Weekend
A list of can't-miss hot shows, undiscovered gems and fan favorites airing this Friday, Saturday and Sunday
... Game of Thrones
SUNDAY 9 PM on HBO
Season Finale: It’s over already? We love “Game of Thrones” so much, we’re sad to see its second season come to an end this week. We still have so many questions: Will Tyrion survive that nasty gash he got last week in the Battle of the Blackwater? Is Joffrey’s hold on the Iron Throne safe? Will Daenerys reunite with her dragons? We could keep going all day, really; this show has like a hundred characters.
Source: Syfy schedulebot [NOTE: Syfy schedule subject to change(s)]
SCIFI MOVIE MARATHON - SYFY: SCHEDULE FRIDAY, JUNE 8, 2012
08:00 AM Mutant Chronicles
A soldier (Thomas Jane) and a monk (Ron Perlman) lead a mission to save humanity from undying mutant hordes.
Cast includes Hung's Thomas Jane, Ron Perlman, Devon Aoki, Sean Pertwee, Benno Fürmann, John Malkovich, Anna Walton, Tom Wu and Steve Toussaint.
10:30 AM Star Trek: Insurrection
The ninth film in the series finds Capt. Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew questioning orders from Starfleet regarding a planet with mystical powers. Ambitious but sluggish. Directed by Jonathan Frakes, who plays Cdr. Riker.
Cast includes Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, F. Murray Abraham, Donna Murphy, Anthony Zerbe, Gregg Henry, Daniel Hugh Kelly and Michael Welch.
12:30 PM Aliens
The long-awaited sequel to the successful ALIEN is a nonstop, high-tech, souped-up war movie, with gung ho marines blasting special-effects creatures, and a genuinely convincing, exciting action heroine. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is found in deep space by a salvage ship and brought back to a space station, where Burke (Paul Reiser), a representative of The Company, tells her that she has been unconscious for 57 years. To her horror, Ripley also learns that the planet on which she and her crew found the creature in ALIEN has been colonized.
Cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, Jenette Goldstein, William Hope, Al Matthews and Mark Rolston.
03:30 PM Alien: Resurrection
Sigourney Weaver reprises her role as Ellen Ripley in the “Alien” saga's fourth installment. Here she returns from the dead, courtesy of cloning, to battle more beasts.
Cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Dominique Pinon, Ron Perlman, CSI's Gary Dourdan, Michael Wincott, Kim Flowers, Dan Hedaya, J.E. Freeman, Brad Dourif and The Closer's Raymond Cruz.
06:00 PM Alien Vs. Predator
During an archaeological expedition on Bouvetøya Island in Antarctica, a team of archaeologists and other scientists find themselves caught up in a battle between the two legends. Soon, the team realize that only one species can win.
Cast includes Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Lance Henriksen, Ewen Bremner, Colin Salmon, Tommy Flanagan, Joseph Rye, Agathe de La Boulaye, Carsten Norgaard, Sam Troughton and Andy Lucas.
[break for SciFi Friday Programming]
3:00 AM Grendel
Chris Bruno, Ben Cross and Marina Sirtis star in this dramatic adaptation of the fantasy epic “Beowulf,” in which a hero battles a legendary monster.
Cast includes Chris Bruno, Star Trek: The Next Generation's Marina Sirtis, Michael J. Minor, Chuck Hittinger, Alexis Peters and Ben Cross.
Source: Collider [follow link for complete interview]
COLLIDER: Katee Sackhoff Talks LONGMIRE, RIDDICK with Vin Diesel, Auditioning for ONCE UPON A TIME, and Reflects on the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA Series Finale
by Christina Radish
May 26th, 2012
The A&E drama series Longmire, based on the Walt Longmire mystery novels by best-selling author Craig Johnson, is a contemporary crime thriller set in Big Sky country. Walt Longmire (Australian actor Robert Taylor) is the charismatic, dedicated and unflappable sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming, who buries the pain of losing his wife behind a brave face and dry wit. With the help of Victoria “Vic” Moretti (Katee Sackhoff), a female deputy new to the department, Longmire becomes reinvigorated about his job and committed to running for re-election, as he rebuilds his personal and professional life.
During this exclusive interview with Collider, actress Katee Sackhoff talked about how this show came about and how it came down to either Longmire or the ABC fantasy series Once Upon A Time (she was up for Jennifer Morrison’s role), how she identifies with her character, and what she enjoys about working with this cast. She also talked about what appealed to her about doing the next Riddick film with Vin Diesel, her crazy audition process for the role, her feelings about the Battlestar Galactica finale, and her dream of playing a country singer who falls in love with a rodeo cowboy (for the film Paper Wings)...
... Collider: How did Longmire come about for you? Had you been looking to do another TV show?
KATEE SACKHOFF: "I hadn’t. I actually opted out of pilot season and said I wasn’t going to do it again, and that I was going to focus on film. My manager has been my manager since I was 17, and he says that he’s supposed to be smart for me when I can’t do it for myself. He would slide the good ones across my desk, and there were two that I loved. One was Once Upon A Time, and one was Longmire. I went in five times on Once Upon A Time. I took one meeting on Longmire, and I met Greer Shephard and I said, “I want this job because of that woman. I love this woman.” So, I walked away from Once Upon A Time and focused on Longmire. It was just those two jobs. Those were the only two pilots I loved that year.
I loved the idea that Wyoming is a world that’s a bubble for these people. I found that so interesting. Something about Battlestar, that I didn’t realize when I took the job, was this whole bubble aspect of closing people in and seeing what they do. This is the opposite of that. It’s about giving everybody wide open space and seeing what they do. I enjoy that idea of this show. I like the fact that there is nobody around. As people, right now, we’re so over-stimulated in this world that I don’t know what I’d do in Wyoming. I really don’t know what I’d do. I would probably have a heart attack because I’d be so lonely and I’d actually have to listen to myself think. That’s a terrifying prospect for myself, and I’m sure many other people, as well. We leave TVs on in our house. I listen to my record player, constantly, to just hear music. I’m really intrigued by this idea of solitude. I’m excited about that, especially because we get to live in it. It’s kind of cool..."
Longmire premieres Sunday, June 3, 2012 at 10/9c on A&E. Cast includes Robert Taylor, Katee Sackhoff, Lou Diamond Phillips, Bailey Chase, Cassidy Freeman and Adam Bartley.
Source: Syfy schedulebot [NOTE: Syfy schedule subject to change(s)]
ALIENS MOVIE MARATHON - SYFY: SCHEDULE THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2012
06:00 PM Aliens
The long-awaited sequel to the successful ALIEN is a nonstop, high-tech, souped-up war movie, with gung ho marines blasting special-effects creatures, and a genuinely convincing, exciting action heroine. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is found in deep space by a salvage ship and brought back to a space station, where Burke (Paul Reiser), a representative of The Company, tells her that she has been unconscious for 57 years. To her horror, Ripley also learns that the planet on which she and her crew found the creature in ALIEN has been colonized.
Cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, Jenette Goldstein, William Hope, Al Matthews and Mark Rolston.
09:00 PM Alien Vs. Predator
During an archaeological expedition on Bouvetøya Island in Antarctica, a team of archaeologists and other scientists find themselves caught up in a battle between the two legends. Soon, the team realize that only one species can win.
Cast includes Sanaa Lathan, Raoul Bova, Lance Henriksen, Ewen Bremner, Colin Salmon, Tommy Flanagan, Joseph Rye, Agathe de La Boulaye, Carsten Norgaard, Sam Troughton and Andy Lucas.
11:00 PM Alien: Resurrection
Sigourney Weaver reprises her role as Ellen Ripley in the “Alien” saga's fourth installment. Here she returns from the dead, courtesy of cloning, to battle more beasts.
Cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder, Dominique Pinon, Ron Perlman, CSI's Gary Dourdan, Michael Wincott, Kim Flowers, Dan Hedaya, J.E. Freeman, Brad Dourif and The Closer's Raymond Cruz.
02:30 AM I Am Omega
A deadly plague pits a sole survivor against mutants that have overrun the Earth in this adaptation of Richard Matheson's "I Am Legend."
Cast includes Mark Dacascos, Geoff Meed, Jennifer Lee Wiggins, Ryan Lloyd and Joshua Schlegel.
Source: Collider [follow link for complete interview]
COLLIDER: Bailey Chase Talks LONGMIRE and Compares His Experience on Network TV to the Cable Schedule
by Christina Radish
June 2nd, 2012
The A&E drama series Longmire, based on the Walt Longmire mystery novels by best-selling author Craig Johnson, is a contemporary crime thriller set in Big Sky country. Walt Longmire (Australian actor Robert Taylor) is the charismatic, dedicated and unflappable sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming, who buries the pain of losing his wife behind a brave face and dry wit. With the help of Victoria “Vic” Moretti (Katee Sackhoff), a female deputy new to the department, Longmire becomes reinvigorated about his job and committed to running for re-election, as he rebuilds his personal and professional life.
During this exclusive interview with Collider, actor Bailey Chase – who plays Deputy Branch Connally, a confident go-getter with political aspirations that often motivate him more than solving cases – talked about what attracted him to Longmire, how he had originally auditioned for the title role, how much he enjoys the character development, why he prefers the shorter cable TV schedule, and what initially drew him to acting...
... Collider: Having played cops before, do you always look for something in the character that makes him different?
CHASE: "It’s tricky. The more territory you cover, the less room you have. In the pilot, it’s all really new and exciting. But, Saving Grace went season after season and I was always longing to do more with the characters’ lives. Longmire is more of a show about the characters and you couldn’t pay a bigger compliment than to want to know more about my character, or the characters on the show. With Saving Grace, it was more focused on the central character. I’m hoping and thinking that Longmire is going to be a very different experience, in that we will be able to cover all of that territory in, hopefully, the years to come, as long as we get the green light to tell those stories..."
Longmire premieres Sunday, June 3, 2012 at 10/9c on A&E. Cast includes Robert Taylor, Katee Sackhoff, Lou Diamond Phillips, Bailey Chase, Cassidy Freeman and Adam Bartley.
Source: Syfy schedulebot [NOTE: Syfy schedule subject to change(s)]
SCIFI MOVIE MARATHON - SYFY: SCHEDULE MONDAY, JUNE 4, 2012
08:00 AM AVH: Alien Vs. Hunter
A hunter from space tracks a deadly alien creature on Earth.
Cast includes William Katt, Dedee Pfeiffer, Wittly Jourdan, Randy Mulkey, Jennifer Couch, Jason S. Gray, John Murphy Jr. and Kevin Kazakoff.
The 1983 V original miniseries cast included Jane Badler, Michael Durrell, Faye Grant, David Packer, Neva Patterson, Tommy Petersen, Marc Singer, Blair Tefkin, Michael Wright, Bonnie Bartlett, Leonardo Cimino, Richard Herd, Richard Lawson, Andrew Prine, Frank Ashmore, Jason Bernard, Rafael Campos, Robert Englund, Joanna Kerns, William Russ and Denny Miller.
10:00 AM V: Original Miniseries - Part One
50 spaceships hover over major cities worldwide, but the aliens' leader offers assurances that they have come on a peaceful mission.
12:30 PM V: Original Miniseries - Part Two
The mothership is infiltrated and the aliens' evil plan is revealed.
02:30 PM Pandorum
After awakening from hypersleep with no memory of their mission, astronauts Lt. Payton (Dennis Quaid) and Cpl. Bower (Ben Foster) discover that the 60,000 passengers aboard their vast spacecraft have vanished without a trace. Little do they realize that they will soon be fighting for the survival of the entire human race.
Cast includes Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, Cam Gigandet, Antje Traue, Cung Le, Eddie Rouse and The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus.
05:00 PM Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
After an encounter with UFOs, a line worker feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.
Cast includes Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, Bob Balaban, J. Patrick McNamara, Warren J. Kemmerling, Roberts Blossom, Philip Dodds, Cary Guffey, Lance Henriksen and Josef Sommer.
Source: Collider [follow link for complete interview]
COLLIDER: Robert Taylor Talks LONGMIRE and How the Show Convinced Him to Do American TV
by Christina Radish
June 1st, 2012
The A&E drama series Longmire, based on the Walt Longmire mystery novels by best-selling author Craig Johnson, is a contemporary crime thriller set in Big Sky country. Walt Longmire (Australian actor Robert Taylor) is the charismatic, dedicated and unflappable sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming, who buries the pain of losing his wife behind a brave face and dry wit. With the help of Victoria “Vic” Moretti (Katee Sackhoff), a female deputy new to the department, Longmire becomes reinvigorated about his job and committed to running for re-election, as he rebuilds his personal and professional life.
During this exclusive interview with Collider, actor Robert Taylor (Agent Jones in The Matrix) talked about how this series came about for him, what sets Longmire apart from other shows like it, what appealed to him about the character of Walt Longmire, balancing the procedural crime element of the show with the character development, and that this is a character he’d like to play and explore for a few years...
... COLLIDER: How will his working relationships develop?
TAYLOR: "We’ll see. There’s the competition with Branch (Bailey Chase), who’s a young guy. Walt has respect for him and what he does, but he’s not sure he’s ready for the job yet, and he’s not sure if he cares. Walt has probably got a bit of an ego, buried there somewhere, like everyone. There’s an interesting dynamic there.
And Walt’s other deputy, Vic (Katee Sackhoff), has come from a different world and things operate at a different pace. There’s a bit more give-and-take here because we know all these people. These are our neighbors and our associates. We don’t just work with them. We see everybody. A lot of the other characters in the show, that haven’t been introduced yet, will be in there a lot. We see them, every day. Vic is struggling with her husband. I don’t know where that’s going to go either.
And then, there’s Henry (Lou Diamond Phillips), who’s like a touchstone for Walt. He represents what’s right and what’s decent, and the whole Native American situation and the different layers and levels. Henry is very, very important to the show. Walt has enormous respect for him, and Henry understands Walt. He knows what Walt is going through and he knows what he needs, which is probably just some simple stuff like a bit of company, a few beers and some female company.
And the young deputy is just a delightful character. Walt loves Ferg (Adam Bartley), but he’d never tell him that. How they’re all going to mesh together, we’ll see. I don’t know. It’s quite lyrical and gentle, but the stakes can really ramp up. There’s a lot of competing interests and different kinds of mind-sets. Walt is trying to stitch it all together and keep everyone on the straight and narrow, and deal with his own stuff. We’ll see..."
Longmire premieres Sunday, June 3, 2012 at 10/9c on A&E. Cast includes Robert Taylor, Katee Sackhoff, Lou Diamond Phillips, Bailey Chase, Cassidy Freeman and Adam Bartley.
