LOS ANGELES — Matt LeBlanc held court at a CBS/Showtime/CW party in a tight, white short-sleeved shirt, biceps bulging, teeth gleaming. He had finally heard from uber boss Leslie Moonves what the network executive thinks of the characterization of a network executive on LeBlanc’s show.
So, what does Moonves think?
“He said it tonight,” LeBlanc said. “He said, the character should be better looking.”
No matter that the character of the network boss is depicted as amoral, ruthless, crude, tasteless and desperate.
“Episodes” doesn’t spare Hollywood’s feelings.
The wonderful Showtime comedy “Episodes,” the best half-hour you’re not watching, is a great glimpse inside the sausage factory: “Episodes” charts the misadventures of a British couple, partners in marriage and screenwriting, working in American television.
Matt LeBlanc plays a version of himself, an over-indulged TV star, dreadfully miscast in a mindless U.S. adaptation of a witty British comedy.
Showtime entertainment president David Nevins told critics at the summer TCA press tour that he expects “Episodes” to return after this season.
The scheduling can be iregular, “a function of how (Jeffrey) Klarik and (David) Crane want to make show, handcrafted, they write and edit themselves. We tend to be a little slower to get them on the air,” Nevins said.
The Showtime executive discussed viewing habits, noting “we encourage subscribership, but if you’re a subscriber, we want to let you watch the way you want to watch”–on demand, on DVR or elsewhere. The vast majority of viewers aren’t watching live. For instance, “65 to 70 percent of “Weeds” viewing doesn’t happen on Sunday nights.
Other Showtime notes:
will have its finale Sept. 16. A wistful cast talked about favorite moments, a “hopeful” conclusion and what creator Jenji Kohan called “this nagging feeling we’ll never have it as good again.”
“Dexter” gets an eighth season. “Never say never” about more, says Michael C. Hall.
Laura Linney’s “The Big C” will sign off with four one-hour episodes.
begins season 2 on Sept. 30 with a jump forward in time.
The network announced two new dramas: “Masters of Sex,” a 12-episode series about sex researchers Masters and Johnson, is in production for 2013 with Lizzy Caplan and Michael Sheen. “Ray Donovan,” also 12 hours, starring Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight, is also planned for next year. It’s a tough family drama about an L.A. fixer who does dirty work for power players.
“Oliver Stones’ Untold History of the United States,” a 10-episode documentary series focusing on the effect of under-reported events, will debut Nov. 12.
A new documentary series, “Closeup,” will feature first-person profiles of Dick Cheney, Richard Pryor, Tommy Motolla and others.
And a new series, “Conquest” from Ron Howard, will explore Spanish conquistadors, magic and mysticism in what Nevins called a new sort of period piece.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830, jostrow@denverpost.com or twitter.com/ostrowdp
