Atlanta-based TNT has cancelled 'Franklin & Bash" after four seasons due to slipping ratings.
The show relied on the goofy charm and camaraderie between Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer as two renegade lawyers who were great at stunting in court and joking around off court.
The series ended with fewer than 1 million overnight viewers October 22. The show opened averaging 2.6 million viewers season one and drew comparable numbers season two. They brought Heather Locklear in for season 3 but she couldn't pull a "Melrose Place." Ratings fell to about 2 million viewers before DVR usage. This past season minus Locklear, the show fell another 40 percent, sealing its fate.
This is the first move TNT since former Fox prez Kevin Reilly was hired last week. The network, Turner Broadcasting president David Levy said, is seeking edgier fare. Lighthearted "Franklin & Bash" does not fit that mold.
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Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Andrew Moore of Dacula won more than $137,000 last season on "Jeopardy." He returned Tuesday night for the Tournament of Champions against the infamous Arthur Chu, a tough competitor whose somewhat unorthodox style of play and "bad boy" image on social media instigated a major backlash.
"I know Arthur now," Moore said in an interview before the show aired last night on 11 Alive at 7:30 p.m. "He's actually a very nice guy. But Arthur makes for good theater. He plays the villain well. He also has a flair for promotion. There was a backlash. His ethnicity may have had something to do with it as well." But the bottom line is: "He's good."
Chu wouldn't take questions down a single category but jump around, seeking Daily Doubles and higher-dollar figure questions. This is a bit disconcerting to regular viewers and potentially other contestants.
Moore used a similar strategy during Tuesday night's pre-taped episode and during the first half, he did okay. He was tied with Chu after the first round.
In the tougher second round, Moore had a brief lead and a Daily Double about the Caspian. But he muffed the question and could not recover. Chu ultimately ran away with the second half and was far ahead by the time Final Jeopardy rolled around.
Moore could have qualified for a wild-card spot by then but he only had $5,200 left. Even if he had bet it all and won, $10,400 is typically not enough to get one of the four wild-card spots. Moore said he felt he needed $15,000 to have a shot to get into the next round.
The final question was about the Oxford English Dictionary. "As of 2014, this 3-letter verb common in sports, theater and politics has the largest entry in the online OED."
The question: "What is run?" Moore chose "win." He ended up with $1.
Moore in a follow-up interview gave kudos for Chu getting to the buzzer faster than him on easier questions. He also said the subjects in that second half board were not to his strengths and he knew from the get go he'd have an uphill climb.
The Tournament of Champions continue into next week. The winner pockets $250,000.
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Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Rosebud chef Ron Eyester was eliminated two weeks ago on "Top Chef" after just three episodes. I did a post-mortem with him last week but ran out of time to post it. And now for some reason, I can't find my notes. Great!
Obviously, he wanted to last longer. He wasn't really there long enough to create a huge impression. In his losing challenge, he realized he took the Fenway Park challenge a bit too literally by creating a baseball-sized croquette. Tom Colicchio thought it was too rich. He said the time it took to go from the kitchen all the way to the Green Monster outfield wall where the judges were didn't help. His hot soup had become a luke-warm mess with a layer on top.
Ultimately, he did enjoy his time there and felt it reinvigorated his cooking chops. Eyester is prepping to open Diner soon at Atlantic Station, Check it out soon. He plans to open for breakfast and lunch at first, then add dinner later. The menu is up here.
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If you haven't seen "Too Many Cooks," which aired for a week on Atlanta-based Adult Swim at 4 a.m., the viral hit is worth a watch.
It starts as a mockery of 1980s sitcom opening credits and has a crazy catchy theme song. It then devolves into pure weirdness, including a slasher film and an outer-space drama.
People have parsed it out in strange ways, too. One person created a flow chart. Buzzfeed ranked their favorite characters. Creator Casper Kelly talked to Gawker about his inspiration-turned-hit.
Maybe everything: it was a postmodern satire of television and Web culture, a commentary on the power of nostalgia, a glimpse at the violence that lurks within us all. Perhaps it was a deconstruction on the very idea of virality itself: it's the Internet that has too many cooks, and all of us, together, with our sharing and repeated clever comments and urge to be the first to share what thousands of others have already shared, have spoiled the broth. Or else it meant nothing, and quit it, you dummies.
The theme song, I promise you, will hook into your front cortex and won't let go. (One writer from NYMag even asked scientists how to get rid of this "earworm" of a tune.)
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