Tag: ABC

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘Station 19’ Spinoff Showrunner Stepping Down

It looks like something big is happening over at ABC, as Krista Vernoff has officially stepped down as the showrunner of the long-running Grey’s Anatomy and its spinoff Station 19. While responsible for both series, she’s spearheaded the medical drama for six years and its spinoff for another four. Vernoff has shared the following statement in regard to her leaving the two series behind for someone new to take over.

It has been the privilege of a lifetime to be entrusted to run Grey’s Anatomy for the past six years and Station 19 for the last four. The passion of the dedicated fandoms and the impact that these shows have on hearts and minds cannot be overstated. The amount of talent in these two extraordinary casts and these two brilliant writers rooms is beyond measure — and these crews work magic week after week.
Krista Vernoff

Vernoff has been involved with Grey’s Anatomy since its first seven seasons, where she went on to rise the ranks and then return once again in 2017 for its 14th season. It’s also no small task that she was responsible for a second series on the side, and it seems that she’s definitely not leaving ABC, as her production company Trip the Light Productions has several projects already in development, one even eyeing a streaming release on Hulu.

There is currently no one set to take over the next seasons but it seems like a deal is currently being finalized. Currently, veteran Meg Marinis is the favorite to take over with Station 19 to be supervised by executive producer Zoanne Clack who’ll act as a co-showrunner with Peter Paige of Good Trouble and The Fosters fame. So, we might get an announcement sooner rather than later.

Source: Deadline

January 25, 2023
Mia Katigbak & Rory O’Malley Join ABC’s ‘Josep’ From Jo Koy

ABC is ramping up the casting for its Jo Koy pilot, Josep.

Per Deadline, Mia Katigbak and Rory O’Malley have joined the cast of ABC’s Josep. They’ll star alongside Jo Koy, who is also executive producing the project. As it stands, Josep has only received a pilot order, which was officially given the greenlight back January.

Josep, hailing from 20th Television, will provide a fictionalized take on the comedian’s real life. It’ll follow him as a recently divorced Filipino American nurse as he attempts to navigate dating and fatherhood, while also dealing with a “very Filipino mother” who goes out of her way to help. Katigbak will play the mother, Lorna, who is described as a little Filipino force of nature. While O’Malley will play Seth, an earnest guy married to Jo’s sister, Gemmalyn.

Koy will executive produce the series alongside Steve Joe (Doogie Kamealoha M.D.). Also serving as producers are Randall Park and Michael Golamco, who are also said to be writing for the half-hour comedy.

Source: Deadline.

March 4, 2022
Failed Pilot: Looking Back at ‘MARVEL’S MOST WANTED’

After a stand-out performance in one of last year’s best films, the charismatic Delroy Lindo has found himself in the heat of awards season headlines. With his name back in the public eye, I remembered simpler times in Marvel Television history that many seem to have forgotten. I am referring to that lost period in 2015 when Agents of SHIELD was supposed to have a spin-off, with Lindo set as one of the leads. Yes, acclaimed actor and Tony Award-nominated thespian Delroy Lindo once signed the dotted line to become part of the Marvel Universe on ABC. The series was titled Marvel’s Most Wanted, but it never came to fruition. Public interest in the show died almost as soon as news of its demise came to light, but what we learned about the project in the months beforehand indicated it could have been one of the more unique projects in Marvel Television’s repertoire. So, why didn’t the series make it to air? Let’s take a look at the brief history of this unproduced Marvel unicorn.

Background

It was long before The Avengers‘s success, Marvel TV’s Jeph Loeb was trying to adapt lesser-known characters to the small screen. Marvel’s Mockingbird was announced at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con. They teased it as an Alias rip-off for ABC Family, where Bobbi Morse was a college student who tried to balance her life working for the famous spy organization and going to college. It was eventually dropped in favor of the MCU tie-in SHIELD show, but to make up for it, an older version of Morse was introduced in that show’s second season, played by Adrianne Palicki. Unable to use classic love-interest Clint Barton organically, she had an ex-husband mercenary. It was the obscure comic character Lance Hunter who got reinvented with Nick Blood in the role. The pair become series regulars for two seasons until, still intent on giving Mockingbird her show, Loeb and showrunner Jeffrey Bell had them written off to become the protagonists of their very own spin-off.

Most Wanted

Most Wanted would have been a Mr. and Mrs. Smith-inspired action thriller that saw the duo on the run from a long list of enemies looking to claim a bounty on their heads. At the heart of the story, there would have been the relationship of Morse, a rule-abiding badass, and Hunter, a renegade hotshot, as their semi-romantic dynamic would evolve over multiple seasons. The two would have found themselves in the employ of one Dominic Fortune, a suave rogue adventurer first introduced in Marvel comics in 1975. His wealth of resources would have kept them both alive in exchange for their expertise on assignments. In January of 2016, Marvel TV announced that Lindo will tackle the role of Fortune. A couple of months later, the rest of the cast filled out, with Fernanda Andrade coming on board to play Fortune’s mysterious niece Christina Santos. Oded Fehr joined as the show’s villain, who was teased as a well-known character from the comics. Sadly, his actual role has never been revealed. The pilot even featured a guest appearance from up-and-coming talent Mckenna Grace, who went on to join the MCU as a young Carol Danvers in Captain Marvel.

So What Happened?

Although it never aired, Marvel Television did film a pilot. Produced in early 2016, it seemed certain that the project would get a series order, with showrunners Bell and Paul Zbyszewski openly confident in the prospect. However, in May of that year, ABC announced that Most Wanted would not be happening. The news came as a shock to SHIELD fans, who felt cheated out of more time with two fan-favorite characters now permanently expelled from the world of Marvel Television, for what felt like no real reason. Eventually, ABC President Channing Dungey explained the situation with a statement to Slashfilm.

Most Wanted, ultimately at the end of the day, did not feel as strong as some of the other pilots that we shot. We talked about it with Marvel and we all came to an agreement that we want to figure out what the next show is that we do together, is something that we all feel is as creatively strong as it can be.

Most Wanted was given a small chance of survival, as it got shopped around to other networks, but its strong ties to SHIELD prevented any sort of interest from ABC’s competitors. Ultimately, the project didn’t get picked up, and circumstance meant Palicki never got a chance to finish the story of Mockingbird, the character who ironically started it all. Blood did eventually reprise his role as Hunter for a single episode of SHIELD‘s fifth season. Sadly, Lindo and company never got to leave their mark on the MCU as promised, and the rest of us were left wondering if the proposed spin-off would have been as unique as its mother series’ final few seasons.

Sources: Slashfilm, Collider, The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, IGN, Slashfilm, Variety, Collider

February 12, 2021
REVIEW: ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ Season 7
It is hard to believe that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is over. After seven years the show has finally aired its final episode. It has been quite the journey. Somehow, Marvel TV’s first major series has survived quite a few hurdles. It saw strong ratings drop throughout its first season. Each season got shifted around the schedule to make way for other shows. Its fifth season finale was even titled “The End”. Suddenly, it gets renewed for two more seasons. Against all odds, SHIELD has now outlived all other Marvel TV shows. At the same time, it signifies the end of an era. Kevin Feige took control to expand into streaming services. As we enter the new Disney+ era, let’s talk about the final mission for our favorite SHIELD agents.

As you continue reading, please keep in mind that there will be spoilers. Only continue at your own risk.

An Adventure Through Time

The story starts us off where the last season ended. Our team ends up in the 1930s. The Chronicoms, a race of synthetic aliens, are trying to destroy SHIELD before it was even truly founded. As such, our ragtag team of agents is forced to chase them down throughout history. On their trip, they have to ensure that HYDRA is established. They infiltrate Area 52. At one point, they even have to stop project INSIGHT centuries before it happened in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Luckily, they have an LMD Coulson to keep them company on their travel through time.

Even after Mack’s warning, they keep changing history. SHIELD’s history gets rewritten multiple times. Wilfred Malick, the before-mentioned HYDRA founder, lives long after his expiration date. His son, Nathanial Malick, wasn’t sacrificed to Hive. He even steals Daisy Johnsons’ quake powers. Afterlife is invaded by HYDRA, where Daisy meets her sister. She was supposed to kill herself but is interrupted by Nathanial. They even invite multiple characters unto the Zephyr-One. Luckily, only Agents Carters‘ Daniel Sousa stays on board beyond his time.

Throughout the season, one of the major mysteries is the whereabouts of Fitz. Simmons has an implant in her neck that keeps her from remembering. He doesn’t show up until the final episodes. Luckily, to fill the void a lot of familiar faces appear throughout the season. Daisy’s mother Jiaying helps Yo-Yo get her powers back. Patton Oswalt returns as the Koenig’s great-great-grandfather. One particular highlight is the return of the first seasons’ main villain John Garret. Tragically, Bill Paxton sadly passed away a few years ago. His son James Paxton took on the role in his honor. He gives us an amazing performance that felt like a younger version of the character. Still, I was expecting more cameos and callbacks. With six seasons to choose from, it felt a little lackluster. I was hoping for a grand return of Brett Dalton‘s Grant Ward or Jason O’Mara‘s Patriot.

Highlights of the Season

As I am looking back at the entire season, there is a lot to cover. Instead of giving recaps of every single episode, I want to talk about my favorite episodes and the moments that made them standout in this season. A general highlight is that each episode had a different opening title depending on the era they were in. It was a fantastic touch that just made this season just a bit more special.
- #701 The New Deal kicks off the season and is our real introduction to what we can expect. It is always great to see the return of Coulson and him getting used to not being fully human. What sold this episode was our LMD agent meeting Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was a calm moment. Our former historian got to geek out to meet a historical figure.
- #704 Out of the Past embraced the classic film noir storyline. I love the in-universe reasoning for Coulson’s inner monologue and that everything is in black and white. Sousa was a highlight throughout the season. He is fleshed out much better here than in Agent Carter, which made me happy to see him join the team long-term.
- #707 The Totally Excellent Adventures of Mack and The D gave us Mack at his lowest. The twist from the previous episode of his parents death was heavy but it was this episode that let it sink in. We’ve never seen Mack like this. It was kind of depressing and it was so great when the episode just suddenly turned into an 80s slasher flick. It was jarring at first but with Deke anything is possible. Also, respect that they managed to add as much blood as they did.
- #709 As I Have Always Been was probably the darkest and funniest episode of the season. It’s a bit of a cliché to have a time loop storyline nowadays. Yet, I do believe they really added some perfectly dark humor to make it stand out. The ongoing joke of them getting killed by Enoch was hilarious. Speaking of, Enoch turned into one of my favorite characters in the show. So, this was a rather sad farewell to a fantastic character.
- #711 Brand New Day was a bit of a filler episode. It set up mostly everything for the finale but it really turned the tables at the end. Suddenly, the Chronicoms destroy every SHIELD facility. The moment we see the Triskelion getting blown up was a shocking sequence. It also just highlighted how great the effects work is on this show by Mark Kolpack and his team.
- #713 What We’re Fighting For has some amazing scenes. The reveal that our team was in the hazmats suits from the last season’s finale was great foreshadowing. The action sequences were done incredibly well. The reveal of Fitz and Simmons’ kid was beautifully done. The sequence through the Quantum Realm surprised me quite a bit. Also, ending the series the same way the first episode ended was a nice touch.
Overall, this was one of the best seasons. The time travel antics made me wish we had more episodes to explore this concept. Sadly, you do realize they ran out of budget later in the season due to a stronger focus on indoor scenes. Still, they managed to make this season feel like they had no restrictions. After seven seasons, they mastered the balance between action, comedy, and heartfelt drama. Especially as the show entered the more fantastical realms of the MCU, they always managed to keep a focus on their characters.

The season’s weakest link is the villains. Nathanial Malick works in theory. It helps to have a HYDRA connection but he feels underdeveloped. Also, the Chronicom’s lose their edge after a few episodes. Sibyll was a great addition. It gives the evil alien race a face. It even makes sense with the reveal that they planned on including M.O.D.O.K. at one point. They just don’t do much with her. She gets killed off-screen without a true resolution. It felt like it was trying to balance a new storyline while also paying tribute to the previous seasons. Yet, it lacked the focus to bring it together. Still, it’s a great season. I am more upset that we don’t get more time with this concept beyond these 13 episodes.

All About the Agents

Clark Gregg‘s performance as Coulson is as iconic as ever. It still makes me wish he will continue this role no matter what. We got some amazing additions throughout the seasons. Chloe Bennett‘s portrayal of Daisy Johnson has truly evolved since her initial appearance. To see her become a superhero throughout the show added a great heroic element. This season especially highlighted her arc and character development. Hopefully, these two will continue to have a future in the MCU.

Fitz and Simmons were the glue of the team. Their romance was just iconic and it was especially a highlight this season. The revelation that they were able to spend time with their daughter had me in tears. Who would’ve thought we’d miss Fitz this much. Iain De Caestecker is a fantastic actor. So, it was a bit disappointing that he only appeared for about two episodes. I was this close to retitling this show “Finding Fitz” and doubted he would ever actually make an appearance.

The rest of the cast is also fantastic. Standout performances this season go to Henry Simmons as Mack and, as I already mentioned, Joel Stoffer‘s Enoch. I’ve always been huge of Mack throughout his appearances. He was the perfect choice as director of SHIELD after Coulson’s death in the show’s fifth season. Enoch was a surprise. I believed he was a one-off character at first. As soon as he kept reappearing, I started to care for this character. His performance of a robot alien slowly with growing empathy was incredible. The moment he called Fitz his best friend was both heart wrenching and funny.

Broken Timeline

I loved this season quite a bit. The ending is a great touch. The ending showed us a world where SHIELD lives on. Mack has stolen Fury’s wardrobe to continue as a director. Daisy is in space with Sousa and her sister, Kora. Fitz and Simmons left this life behind to raise their daughter. May works as a teacher at the SHIELD Coulson Academy and Yo-Yo is still out there doing missions. The one who started it all has a rather somber moment. Coulson flies off in Lola to just do what he always wanted to do. It’s a fitting ending for this show. It echoes Coulson’s words from the first season when the spy organization fell apart at the hands of HYDRA. They are agents of SHIELD not the agents of nothing.

My only gripe is, this takes place about two years after The Snap should’ve happened. We saw that in Avengers: Endgame that the world never really recovered from that event. This show kind of glanced over that moment as if it never happened and now it doesn’t match the world we saw previously. There is a good chance that their escapades in the fifth season splintered them off into a different timeline but until an official word comes out we might never know. For now, most people can only go by their headcanon. Especially with the end of Marvel TV as we know it, this would’ve been a great way to kind of put a nice ending on it all. It still is a great ending. I respect that the showrunners Maurissa Tanchaeron, Jed Whedon, and Jeffrey Bell focused on their stories rather than let the larger MCU determine their direction. It just ends with more open questions that necessary. It could lead to some disappointment as people are expecting these characters to return in the future.

A Spy’s Goodbye

At the end of the day, it has been a fantastic seven-year run. Every show has its issues and SHIELD is not exempt from that. My only gripe is that they never did anything with the Secret Warriors. Still, I think a show does something right if the ending gives you peace. Yet, at the same time, you wished it would continue. It’s a strong testament to the writing and the team behind it. We were here for the characters and the show never forgot that. So let us raise a glass to bid Agents of SHIELD goodbye and hope for a bright future for these actors. Hopefully, we might see them again in the MCU one day.

Source: Digital Spy
August 15, 2020