New A&E drama “Longmire” to begin production in March
Australian actor Robert Taylor stars in "Longmire" - AP Photo
Production on the new hour-long A&E original scripted drama series “Longmire” is scheduled to begin in March in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
A&E has ordered ten episodes of the contemporary crime thriller from Warner Horizon Television and the show will premiere this summer, according to a news release.
Australian actor Robert Taylor (“The Matrix”) stars as Walt Longmire in the series, which is based on the Walt Longmire Mystery novels by best-selling author Craig Johnson.
Longmire, widowed only a year, is sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming.
Longmire is struggling after his wife’s death, and with the encouragement of his daughter Cady (Cassidy Freeman, “Smallville”), decides to turn his life around.
Assisted by Vic (Katee Sackhoff, “Battlestar Galactica”), a female deputy new to the department, he becomes rejuvenated about his job and committed to running for re-election.
Ambitious, young deputy Branch (Bailey Chase, “Damages”) runs against him for sheriff, leaving Longmire feeling betrayed, but still dedicated to the community.
Lou Diamond Phillips (“Numb3rs”) also stars as Longmire’s close friend and confidant, Henry Standing Bear.
Hunt Baldwin (“The Closer,” “Trust Me”) and John Coveny (“The Closer,” “Trust Me”) wrote “Longmire” and serve as executive producers along with Greer Shephard (“The Closer,” “Nip/Tuck”) and Michael M. Robin (“The Closer,” “Nip/Tuck”).
In addition, Christopher Chulack (“Southland,” “ER”) served as director and executive producer of the pilot.
Follow me on Twitter: @MelissaHayer
Pierce Brosnan excels in A&E miniseries “Bag of Bones”
Pierce Brosnan - A&E Network Photo
From the title, you know that “Stephen King’s Bag of Bones” is going to be a horror story, but you’re not sure if it’s going to hit or miss the mark of gelling as a television miniseries translated from a book.
Although I haven’t read the book, I found the movie to be satisfactory viewing, mostly thanks to Pierce Brosnan’s performance.
Brosnan plays best-selling novelist Mike Noonan who, while dealing with the grief of losing his wife in an accident as well as writer’s block, returns to the couple’s lakeside retreat in western Maine.
Between the haunting secrets of Dark Score Lake’s past, his new relationship with a young widow and her daughter, doubts about what he really knew about his wife, nightmares and ghostly appearances from a blues singer named Sara Tidwell (Anika Noni Rose), Noonan has his hands full trying to figure out if there’s a connection between any or all of these elements.
The story leans toward the far-fetched at times, but Brosnan keeps the movie anchored with his credible performance as a man searching for answers and coping with loss.
Annabeth Gish is also solid in her role as Brosnan’s wife Jo, and does a terrific job with Brosnan of laying the groundwork for the story by showing the couple’s genuine connection.
Rose is strong in her poignant performance as Sara, while veteran actor William Schallert as Max Devore and Deborah Grover as his accomplice Rogette Whitmore are beyond creepy.
Mick Garris displays his experience with Stephen King material, having previously directed both “The Shining” and “The Stand” TV miniseries, by keeping the viewer guessing what’s going to happen next as the tale nicely flows along with finely-done flashback scenes and some spooky moments sprinkled in at just the right time.
“Bag of Bones” is a two-night movie event, airing at 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11 and Monday, Dec. 12 on the A&E Network.
– Melissa Hayer
mhayer@opubco.com
Follow me on Twitter: @MelissaHayer
Annabeth Gish and Pierce Brosnan in "Bag of Bones" - A&E Network Photo
Pierce Brosnan, front, and Anika Noni Rose with her band in "Bag of Bones" - A&E Network Photo
A&E reality series “American Hoggers” to premiere Oct. 19
Krystal Campbell, Jerry Campbell and Robert Campbell of "American Hoggers" - A&E Photo
After delaying the premiere of its new reality series “American Hoggers,” A&E has announced the show will debut at 9 p.m. Oct. 19, according to a news release.
The series premiere was postponed due to this summer’s extreme heat and drought in Central Texas.
The synopsis for the show, provided by A&E, is as follows:
Each episode of “American Hoggers” follows legendary hog hunter Jerry Campbell, 64; his level-headed son, Robert, 28; and firecracker daughter, Krystal, 23; as they respond to those threatened by feral hogs. Located in the heart of Texas, the family dedicates itself to the front lines – riding horseback, driving a custom-rigged Jeep, using highly trained dogs with GPS tracking systems and employing good old-fashioned know-how to help those endangered by these destructive beasts. Clad in chaps and cowboy boots, the family sets out in each episode to square off against these extremely intelligent animals that are terrorizing helpless landowners.
Half of the wild boar population in America lives on the Texas countryside. Their populations are growing exponentially into the millions, and they’re tearing up ranchland, feasting on valuable crops and maiming or even killing livestock. They have insatiable appetites, violent temperaments and can grow up to 400 pounds. Feral hogs have caused over $50 million per year in damage to the state of Texas alone. Farms have had to shut down and families have been left scared to step outside their own homes.
When a call comes in, Jerry hops in his custom off-road Jeep, Krystal saddles the horses and Robert rounds up the hog-hunting dogs for jobs that cover every corner of central Texas. They may be called in to help a farmer save his crops, a scrap yard owner who is being harassed by an aggressive boar or an airport official who is crippled by hogs on the runway; no matter how dangerous the situation, the Campbells are prepared for anything.
Kristin Chenoweth featured in BIO Channel’s “When Pop Culture Saved America” documentary
Kristin Chenoweth - AP Photo
A&E and BIO Channel will be honoring the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by airing four commercial-free documentary specials.
BIO Channel premieres “When Pop Culture Saved America” at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 5, “I Survived … 9/11″ at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 6, and “Beyond: Messages from 9/11″ at 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10.
“When Pop Culture Saved America” is a two-hour documentary that takes a comprehensive look at the days and months following the attack, to demonstrate how the non-news media pitched in to bring the country together.
Entertainers from different arenas participated in concerts, telethons and specials to help bring the nation back to the new normal.
Interviews with Oklahoma native Kristin Chenoweth, Denis Leary, Dan Rather, Regis Philbin and more are included in this documentary.
Also on Saturday, Sept. 10, A&E will present at 9 p.m. the two-hour special “Portraits from Ground Zero,” which spotlights the work of Andrea Booher, one of the only photojournalists given full 24-hour access to Ground Zero in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, according to a news release.
In “I Survived….9/11,” the BIO Channel original series commemorates the 10th anniversary by profiling the stories of 12 firefighters, ambulance workers, defense officials and ordinary office workers who went to work on that September day without knowing that their lives were about to be changed forever.
In the one-hour special “”Beyond: Messages from 9/11,” families of 9/11 victims share their stories of the messages they received from beyond, including Bonnie McEneaney, whose husband Eamon predicted an event at work before his death in his 105th floor Twin Towers office on 9/11.
A&E’s “American Hoggers” premiere rescheduled due to weather conditions
Krystal Campbell, Jerry Campbell and Robert Campbell of "American Hoggers" - A&E Network Photo
A&E is moving the premiere date of its new reality series “American Hoggers” because of the extreme heat wave and drought in Central Texas, according to a news release.
The 8-episode half-hour series, which follows the Campbell family and their struggle to rescue Texas residents and ranches from the chaos caused by an abundance of invasive wild boars, was originally slated to debut Aug. 16, but has been postponed until this fall with a premiere date to be announced soon.
“Due to the recent extreme weather in Texas, we think it’s best to move ‘American Hoggers’ to the fall out of consideration to the Campbell family, the crew, and the horses and dogs the family use to hunt,” Executive Vice President of A&E Programming David McKillop said in the news release. “In this record-breaking heat, even the hogs can use a break.”
“The Glades” brings summer sunshine to TV fans again beginning Sunday
Matt Passmore as Jim Longworth in "The Glades" - A&E Photo
Summertime is no longer the vast wasteland for television fans that it used to be.
One of the most recent reasons for that is “The Glades,” which debuts the first episode of its second season at 9 p.m. Sunday on A&E.
In the series, Australian actor Matt Passmore plays Jim Longworth, a Chicago homicide detective who is falsely accused of sleeping with his former captain’s wife and relocates to the fictional town of Palm Glade, Florida.
Passmore excels at playing the detective, who is as quick-witted at solving murders as he is at making snappy commentary, whether it’s while he’s questioning suspects or dealing with his co-workers, which include his friend/golf partner and forensic medical examiner Carlos Sanchez (Carlos Gómez); lab tech Daniel Green (Jordan Wall); and his boss, Regional Director for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Colleen McManus (Michelle Hurd).
Then there’s Callie Cargill (Kiele Sanchez), a nurse and mother attending medical school who’s just as sharp as Longworth is – so, of course, she’s his love interest.
And, of course, as with most TV couples, there are complications involved in this romance.
For starters, Callie’s husband Ray (Clayne Crawford) was in prison when she met Jim, and at the end of last season when she and Jim had finally decided to make a serious go at their relationship and she was going to officially leave Ray, Callie learned her husband was going to be released.
As the second season begins, Callie and Jim are forced to figure out what’s best to do while Ray bonds with his and Callie’s son Jeff (Uriah Shelton).
And Ray wants Callie to give him a chance as well.
The first two cases Jim takes on involve finding out who’s behind the death of the daughter of a Cuban mobster to prevent an all-out war between two rival mob families and hunting a serial killer from Chicago who’s apparently moved to Florida
Longworth re-teams with Det. Samantha Harper (Natalia Cigliuti) to continue their quest in tracking down the serial killer – and, these two have a romantic history as well.
Like I said, complications.
Complications make things interesting though, right?
The twists and turns in that part of the show’s story line make for a nice mix with the perfectly-paced, smart crime-solving plots, and the combination of those elements with great acting and witty dialogue will keep me tuning in to “The Glades.”
– Melissa Hayer
mhayer@opubco.com
Lauren Vélez guest stars in A&E’s “Breakout Kings” season finale
Lauren Vélez in "Breakout Kings" - A&E Photo
“Dexter’s” Lauren Vélez is guest starring in the season finale of “Breakout Kings,” which airs at 9 p.m. Monday, May 30, on A&E.
The description of the show, provided by A&E, is as follows:
Carmen Vega (Vélez), the ruthless queen of a drug cartel, pulls off a violent and deadly escape while attending the funeral of her slain son. Her plan, get the family business back and hand over the keys to her kingdom to her surviving son Cesar. Carmen will stop at nothing – including killing a member of her team as well as her own family – to put Cesar on the throne. The Breakout Kings seem to be one step behind Carmen at every turn and they smell a rat. Is there an informant on the team? Not only do the Breakout Kings need to catch Carmen to get their month off, they must also learn the location where Shea’s girlfriend is being held hostage. Find the rat, catch Carmen and save a loved one – the Breakout Kings have their work cut out for them. In the end, they finally realize they really are a team and there’s no going back.
“Breakout Kings,” from “Prison Break” writers/producers Matt Olmstead and Nick Santora, follows an unusual partnership between the U.S. Marshals’ office and a group of convicts as they work to catch fugitives on the run.
Laz Alonso, Domenick Lombardozzi, Jimmi Simpson, Malcolm Goodwin and Serinda Swan star in the series.
“The First 48: Missing Persons” to premiere June 2 on A&E
A&E is set to premiere the new real life series “The First 48: Missing Persons” at 9 p.m. June 2.
The show, a spinoff from “The First 48,” will focus on the Chicago Police Department’s missing persons unit’s search during the first 48 hours of a missing persons case.
According to an A&E news release, the Chicago Police missing persons unit gets more than 17,000 calls each year and is one of the only major police departments in the U.S. that responds to every missing persons call immediately, and has also for the first time given unrestricted access to ongoing investigations.
The synopsis for the first episode, provided by A&E, is as follows:
Detectives Selles Morris, Laura Skrip and Jim Corcoran team up to search for a straight A college student. They uncover surveillance footage that shows the 19 year-old sophomore walking toward the lakefront, then disappearing. Their around-the-clock search comes to a shocking conclusion and just when they think they’re finished, Detectives Morris and Skrip have to pull double duty. Morris hunts down a father who vanished mysteriously, putting his own family in danger and Skrip has just minutes to save the life of a distraught missing woman who left a note threatening to end her life.
“The Glades”: Second season begins June 5
Matt Passmore of "The Glades" - A&E Photo
The second season of the A&E drama “The Glades” premieres at 9 p.m. June 5, according to a news release.
“The Glades” stars Australian actor Matt Passmore as Jim Longworth, a Chicago homicide detective forced to relocate to the fictional town of Palm Glade, Florida where the devoted golfer ends up being busier solving murders than he had planned.
Co-stars include Kiele Sanchez, Carlos Gomez and Michelle Hurd.
Season two of “The Glades” will consist of thirteen one-hour episodes.
“Breakout Kings” doesn’t break out anything new
From left, Jimmi Simpson, Malcolm Goodwin, Serinda Swan, Laz Alonso and Domenick Lombardozzi in " Breakout Kings " - A&E Photo by Mitch Jenkins
A&E’s new original drama “Breakout Kings” is an average crime fighting show that doesn’t really break out anything new.
The series, from “Prison Break” writers/producers Matt Olmstead and Nick Santora, follows an unusual partnership between the U.S. Marshals’ office and a group of convicts as they work to catch fugitives on the run.
Veteran U.S. Marshals Charlie Duchamp (Laz Alonso) and Ray Zancanelli (Domenick Lombardozzi) form a special task force made up of the three most elusive convicts Ray ever captured: Lloyd Lowery (Jimmi Simpson), a former child prodigy and behaviorist/psychiatric expert who excels in psychoanalysis; Shea Daniels (Malcolm Goodwin), an ex-gang member who knows how to work the system in prison and on the street as well; Erica Reed (Serinda Swan), an expert tracker who learned her trade from her bounty hunter father (as characters are described in an A&E news release).
The former fugitives get closer to earning their own freedom with each criminal they apprehend, but will they be able to wait for their reward, or will they try to make a break for it and go on the run themselves?
I wasn’t drawn in enough to keep watching to find out – there was nothing in the pilot that was completely unfamiliar, much less intriguing, and the acting is mediocre.
When it comes to crime dramas and the A&E network, I’ll keep looking forward to the return of “The Glades.”
“Breakout Kings” premieres at 9 p.m. Sunday on A&E.
– Melissa Hayer
mhayer@opubco.com
