James Harvey
05-16-2002, 06:24 PM
UPN has announced their fall line-up, complete with a new logo to boot! Here's the rundown:
MONDAY
8:00 The Parkers
8:30 One on One
9:00 Girlfriends
9:30 Half and Half
TUESDAY
8:00 Buffy, The Vampire Season (final season)
9:00 Haunted
WEDNESDAY
8:00 Enterprise
9:00 The Twilight Zone
THURSDAY
8:00 WWE Smackdown!
FRIDAY
8:00 Movie
CANCELLED SHOWS
"As If," "The Hughleys," "The Random Years," "Roswell," "Special Unit 2" and "Under One Roof."
NEW SHOWS (info from www.zap2it.com)
<li>Half and Half
Premise: Two half-sisters who only have their father in common suddenly find themselves neighbors in the same San Francisco apartment building. One's a free spirit, the other an overachiever. One was raised by a single parent, the other had two. Although they agree on next to nothing, the blood bond takes over. Luckily, there's a third-party friend to help smooth the waters when things get rough.
From What We've Seen: It's kind of a recycled premise that two sisters from opposite sides of the tracks end up living in the same apartment building. But this show seems to escape being a cliché and could actually deliver some fun moments. It's planted firmly inside UPN's Monday night lineup, which hopes to capture an even stronger black audience, but "Half and Half" could be a crossover success if the network plays its cards correctly.
Stars: Rachel True, Essence Atkins ("Smart Guy"), Telman Hopkins ("Family Matters"), Valarie Pettiford ("One Life to Live") and Theron "Chico" Benymon ("Moesha")
Studio: CBS Productions
Producers: Yvette Lee Bowser
<li>Haunted
Premise: A happily married cop's life is turned upside down when his son is kidnapped and never found. Four years later, he's divorced and working as a private detective when a near-death experience makes him begin receiving communications from lost souls beyond the grave.
From What We've Seen: UPN is obviously trying to catch some of the supernatural sizzle that has surfaced with shows like "Sixth Sense" and "Living With the Dead." Walking away from the preview of this thriller, though, many audience members were legitimately spooked by the familiar but supremely catchy storyline. So far this looks like a strong contender for the hottest new cult classic on TV this fall. So look for Matthew Fox's image to start gracing magazine covers by October.
Stars: Matthew Fox ("Party of Five") and Russell Hornsby ("Gideon's Crossing")
Studio: Industry Entertainment Productions, Viacom Productions and CBS Productions
Producers: Emile Levisetti, Keith Addis, Rick Ramage and Andrew Cosby
<li>The Twilight Zone
Premise: An update of the classic '60s supernatural anthology series that Rod Serling made famous. Each 60-minute episode will be a self-contained story.
From What We've Seen: This show scores points for having very positive name recognition -- and with sometimes creepy Forest Whitaker hosting, it might actually be able to stick around long enough to find at least some sort of audience. If the producers can continue getting interesting actors to guest star in the weekly show -- Jeremy Piven ("Cupid," "Serendipity" ) guest stars in the pilot as a telephone repairman who gets struck by lightning -- then it could become the next "Tales From the Crypt."
Host: Forest Whitaker
Studio: Trilogy Entertainment Group and New Line Television
Producers: Pen Densham, Mark Stern and John Watson
<li>Abby (Midseason Comedy)
Premise: Abby has a complicated life. As the producer of a sports program, she's surrounded by guys and a lot of testosterone; she's broken up with her self-absorbed boyfriend, but remains roommates with him so that they can hold on to their only-on-TV fabulous rent-controlled apartment in San Francisco; and, her "feisty and flirtatious" sister wants to teach her how to use her feminine wiles to get ahead. Throw in a best friend harboring a secret crush, and you have yourself a sitcom.
From What We've Seen: It's a nightmare situation -- you break up with somebody you're living with and the two of you both refuse to move out of the apartment. In "Abby," that gimmick will likely carry the show for a little while, perhaps enough to even establish a small following, but if the producers are still trying to milk it toward the end of its first season, then this comedy won't be around for much longer. It will take a lot of work to keep this show from fading fast -- but it definitely can be done because Sydney Tamiia Poitier (Sidney Poitier's daughter) has a riveting on-screen personality.
Stars: Sydney Tamiia Poitier ("First Years"), Sean O'Brayn, Randy J. Goodwin ("Girlfriends") and Tangie Ambrose
Studio: CBS Productions
Producers: Michael Katlin and Nat Bernstein
And the new logo:
http://tv.zap2it.com/images/people/50-80/u/upn80.jpg
Comments?
MONDAY
8:00 The Parkers
8:30 One on One
9:00 Girlfriends
9:30 Half and Half
TUESDAY
8:00 Buffy, The Vampire Season (final season)
9:00 Haunted
WEDNESDAY
8:00 Enterprise
9:00 The Twilight Zone
THURSDAY
8:00 WWE Smackdown!
FRIDAY
8:00 Movie
CANCELLED SHOWS
"As If," "The Hughleys," "The Random Years," "Roswell," "Special Unit 2" and "Under One Roof."
NEW SHOWS (info from www.zap2it.com)
<li>Half and Half
Premise: Two half-sisters who only have their father in common suddenly find themselves neighbors in the same San Francisco apartment building. One's a free spirit, the other an overachiever. One was raised by a single parent, the other had two. Although they agree on next to nothing, the blood bond takes over. Luckily, there's a third-party friend to help smooth the waters when things get rough.
From What We've Seen: It's kind of a recycled premise that two sisters from opposite sides of the tracks end up living in the same apartment building. But this show seems to escape being a cliché and could actually deliver some fun moments. It's planted firmly inside UPN's Monday night lineup, which hopes to capture an even stronger black audience, but "Half and Half" could be a crossover success if the network plays its cards correctly.
Stars: Rachel True, Essence Atkins ("Smart Guy"), Telman Hopkins ("Family Matters"), Valarie Pettiford ("One Life to Live") and Theron "Chico" Benymon ("Moesha")
Studio: CBS Productions
Producers: Yvette Lee Bowser
<li>Haunted
Premise: A happily married cop's life is turned upside down when his son is kidnapped and never found. Four years later, he's divorced and working as a private detective when a near-death experience makes him begin receiving communications from lost souls beyond the grave.
From What We've Seen: UPN is obviously trying to catch some of the supernatural sizzle that has surfaced with shows like "Sixth Sense" and "Living With the Dead." Walking away from the preview of this thriller, though, many audience members were legitimately spooked by the familiar but supremely catchy storyline. So far this looks like a strong contender for the hottest new cult classic on TV this fall. So look for Matthew Fox's image to start gracing magazine covers by October.
Stars: Matthew Fox ("Party of Five") and Russell Hornsby ("Gideon's Crossing")
Studio: Industry Entertainment Productions, Viacom Productions and CBS Productions
Producers: Emile Levisetti, Keith Addis, Rick Ramage and Andrew Cosby
<li>The Twilight Zone
Premise: An update of the classic '60s supernatural anthology series that Rod Serling made famous. Each 60-minute episode will be a self-contained story.
From What We've Seen: This show scores points for having very positive name recognition -- and with sometimes creepy Forest Whitaker hosting, it might actually be able to stick around long enough to find at least some sort of audience. If the producers can continue getting interesting actors to guest star in the weekly show -- Jeremy Piven ("Cupid," "Serendipity" ) guest stars in the pilot as a telephone repairman who gets struck by lightning -- then it could become the next "Tales From the Crypt."
Host: Forest Whitaker
Studio: Trilogy Entertainment Group and New Line Television
Producers: Pen Densham, Mark Stern and John Watson
<li>Abby (Midseason Comedy)
Premise: Abby has a complicated life. As the producer of a sports program, she's surrounded by guys and a lot of testosterone; she's broken up with her self-absorbed boyfriend, but remains roommates with him so that they can hold on to their only-on-TV fabulous rent-controlled apartment in San Francisco; and, her "feisty and flirtatious" sister wants to teach her how to use her feminine wiles to get ahead. Throw in a best friend harboring a secret crush, and you have yourself a sitcom.
From What We've Seen: It's a nightmare situation -- you break up with somebody you're living with and the two of you both refuse to move out of the apartment. In "Abby," that gimmick will likely carry the show for a little while, perhaps enough to even establish a small following, but if the producers are still trying to milk it toward the end of its first season, then this comedy won't be around for much longer. It will take a lot of work to keep this show from fading fast -- but it definitely can be done because Sydney Tamiia Poitier (Sidney Poitier's daughter) has a riveting on-screen personality.
Stars: Sydney Tamiia Poitier ("First Years"), Sean O'Brayn, Randy J. Goodwin ("Girlfriends") and Tangie Ambrose
Studio: CBS Productions
Producers: Michael Katlin and Nat Bernstein
And the new logo:
http://tv.zap2it.com/images/people/50-80/u/upn80.jpg
Comments?