Interview: Bill Pullman Proclaims His Innocence
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| Bill Pullman, photo by James Dittiger |
Since the movie has been out for more than 20 years, I don't think a spoiler alert is needed to say that at the end of that movie, we learn that Barbara is the one who killed Rusty's mistress, Carolyn. “Scott Turow’s Innocent” opens with Rusty being accused of murdering Barbara, mirroring the accusation he was cleared of years before with Carolyn. I spoke with Bill recently about the movie, which premieres tonight on TNT at 9 ET/PT.
Celebrity Extra: How did you prepare for your role of Judge Rusty Sabich? Did you rewatch "Presumed Innocent," or did you want to go into it with a clear slate to develop the character your own way?
Bill Pullman: I was in the middle of other things and got sent the script, and I read it. I hadn’t seen "Presumed Innocent” all those years ago, and so I thought it was a remake of "Presumed Innocent." I knew it had been a successful movie with great actors and writing and all that. I didn’t want to do a remake of it and waste time and waste money. But I just kept thinking about the script and everything, and I thought, “This is a pretty good script; it’s too bad it's a remake.” But then I looked on IMDb about "Presumed Innocent," and then I realized that this is a whole other story. So I signed on without having seen "Presumed Innocent," but it was great to watch it when I did see it.
CE: Twenty years have passed, and we really have to wonder how Rusty continued on in his marriage to Barbara, who's a manic-depressive and who killed his mistress. How does he make it through each day?
BP: I think that the idea of what it would take to mask over that and to make a choice about how guarded you are as a person. I think if you lived inside of that for that long, you learn the secrets of how to keep a secret, which is a lot of compartmentalization partly. It’s sad, but the fact is a lot of marriages are held together with a lot of things that make for a compromised marriage, which you do for various reasons.
It’s an interesting moment to catch a character whose been so successful out there for 22 years and finds himself swept in an undertow, back into another jeopardizing circumstance, and then just trying to be again incredibly controlled with how he responds to it. He holds it together with this façade that’s come in to be ingrained in him from then on.
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| Bill Pullman and Mariana Klaveno, photo by James Dittiger |
BP: Good, I’m glad that you feel that way, because it's definitely difficult. There’s the age difference, there’s so many things that would make that them the least likely match, but I think it has a lot to do with Anna. She has a certain truthfulness about emotions. She has an emotional intelligence that’s ahead of him, she really does. He does understand the nature of emotion when she says that she loves him.
CE: What are some aspects of Rusty's character that you could relate to or empathize with?
BP: Being a judge with the court of appeals, there’s quite a bit of needing to uphold the law and needing to be careful to never make a mistake. He has an understanding of human behavior and a sense of humanity. I think that scene where he tips off that character in the beginning about the outcome of his case is a result of his humanity, and not because he’s a terribly flawed in a judicial sense. He is dealing with judgments about people constantly, and he’s still alive to the fact that human behavior is complicated. I like that part of him.
And I think there is a way where he has been very connected emotionally to his wife. As much as he can be erratic, there are times where he loves her very much, like that scene where she’s on the bed with the negligee on, that could have gone another way.
CE: What was life like on the set?
BP: There was a good simpatico feeling. Everybody was generous — I think they proved it with the real test of those of us in those courtroom scenes. Those take days and days to shoot because every angle has to be covered, and there’s a lot of technical details that have to be dealt with, doing them a thousand times from a thousand different angles. Those are long days, and I we kept it very fun all the way through.
We all had a great rapport, and we’ve all been keeping in touch through e-mail, which is kind of a rare thing. I think it’s a sign that we all really felt like we had done a play together or we had done something where we really lived in the zone. I enjoyed everybody’s company.
CE: What were your thoughts when you heard this was going to be on TNT, and not released as a feature film like its predecessor?
BP: I'm not a big television watcher, but I love the artistic opportunities it presents. I like the image of people on their sofas on a winter night just getting down with a good, compelling thriller. Makes me want to watch more television.
CE: You've had the opportunity to star in a lot of great television lately, most recently "Torchwood: Miracle Day."
BP: Yeah, I know. I’ve had some great experiences working on "Torchwood." It was a really unusual character. Yeah, definitely giving me permission to go into a zone on that one. Kind of shut me down. I thought that the whole allegory of a miracle day and the fact that nobody is dying anymore was so interesting, to think about the way our lives are with modern medicine and the perpetuation of life no matter what the quality is. It was a good ride.
But something like "Scott Turow's Innocent" — I know that features are hugely expensive, especially studio things. Sometimes stories don’t need all that much money. If you’ve got a good cast and a good script and somebody who can direct the thing, you can pull it together. It’s been good for television. You’re watching good stuff all the time on your sofa with your glass of wine.
CE: Lately you've been doing a lot of dramas, which I love, but do you ever think about going back to doing some goofy or dark comedies, like "Spaceballs" and "Mr. Wrong"?
BP: Oh yeah, yeah. I’m so glad you mentioned "Mr. Wrong," because I think that movie got a little buried.
CE: I saw that at the theater with a bunch of friends and could not stop laughing at the scene where you break your finger ...
BP: (Laughs) "How much do you think I love you? Enough to break my own thumb?" (More laughter)
CE: So, if you got the right script, you'd be game?
BP: I’d be game. Sign me up. Spread the word.
Q and A: Week of Nov. 28
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| Bill Pullman with Marcia Gay Harden, photo by James Dittiger |
A: Bill is headlining TNT’s Mystery Movie Night by starring in “Scott Turow’s Innocent,” which is the sequel to “Presumed Innocent,” picking up the lives of Rusty and Barbra Sabich two decades later. The movie opens with Rusty being accused of murdering his wife, mirroring the accusation he was cleared of years before with his mistress.
You can catch your favorite stars this winter in crime-novel adaptations of books by authors like Scott Turow, Mary Higgins Clark, Sandra Brown and more. While Bill himself is not a big television watcher, he loves the artistic opportunities it presents to actor and viewers, telling me: “I like the image of people on their sofas on a winter night just getting down with a good, compelling thriller. Makes me want to watch more television.” Check your local listings for the date and time of each movie’s airing during TNT’s Mystery Movie Night series ("Scott Turow's Innocent" premieres tomorrow night, Nov. 29, at 9 ET/PT). Come back here tomorrow to read my entire interview with Bill.
Q: I was reading that Universal is going to pull the “Harry Potter” movies from the shelves soon. Is this true? — Andrew R., via e-mail
A: On Dec. 29, Universal is indeed pulling “Harry Potter” movies from the shelves — right after the Christmas rush — and offer them only on a sporadic basis, like Disney has done with its animated classics. If you can, I’d hold off on buying the eight-disc boxed set featuring years one through seven. It contains only the movie discs with no special features or extras. At the end of 2012, Universal plans to release a more comprehensive boxed set of all eight movies, with the extras and special treats we’ve all been waiting for.
Q: What is the lovely Annabeth Gish up to lately? I loved her on “The X-Files.” — Gabrielle V., Portland, Ore.A: Annabeth is starring alongside Pierce Brosnan in A&E’s miniseries “Bag of Bones,” which is based on the Stephen King novel. In the miniseries, best-selling novelist Mike Noonan (Pierce) can’t stop grieving after the death of his wife, Jo (Annabeth). A dream inspires him to return to the couple’s lakeside retreat in western Maine. Of course, mysterious things are going to happen. Check back here next week to read my full interview with Annabeth about her role in this series, which premieres Dec. 12 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Q: I loved Sheldon’s “Soft Kitty Song” on “The Big Bang Theory.” My roommate told me I can buy the Soft Kitty stuffed animal. Please tell me this is true! — Paula F., Youngstown, Ohio
A: Just in time for Christmas, Stylin Online is offering the official Soft Kitty cat and T-shirt for all you “Big Bang” fans. From episode “Pancake Batter Anomaly” comes one of most memorable moments in the history of the show. An ill Sheldon explains to Penny that his mother used to sing him a song as a child whenever he became sick. The song goes: “Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur, happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr, purr, purr.” The stuffed cat will sing you the “Soft Kitty Song” from the show, and it’s available at stylinonline.com/softkitty
Interview: Claire Coffee Is a Killer Lawyer
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| Claire Coffee, Photo by Whit Anderson |
Celebrity Extra: “Grimm,” which is a modern-day retelling of “Grimm’s Fairy Tales,” is very inventive and super scary. What about the show caught your attention and made you really want the part of reaper/assassin/lawyer Adalind Schade?
Claire Coffee: I think the look of the show is so neat. They combined a lot of elements that people are familiar with, but it’s also kind of police procedural with fairy-tale elements. I just really like the whole idea of the show. I like the genre of television in terms of what I want to watch myself. As for my character, I really wanted this one because I’ve never gotten to play any sort of supernatural character before. I’ve played lawyers before, and she’s a lawyer, but I’ve never played an evil witch who has fight scenes and kills people. I got to put some new special skills on my resume through this job.
CE: What’s good about this concept is you have so many Grimm’s tales to choose from — conceivably, the show could go on for decades!
CC: That’s what’s so great. I’ve been reading a lot of the “Grimm’s Fairy Tales,” and I think the ones that we are all familiar with are certainly the best of the bunch, but there are hundreds. They are all very moralistic tales. In the morals of the stories, the characters die or get killed or eaten constantly. It’s not for the Disney Channel — that’s for sure.
CE: Can you give me some clues as to what is coming up later in the season?
CC: The show’s going to be exploring this new world that Nick (Burkhardt, played by David Giuntoli) is coming to and the politics of this magical realm — who’s good and who’s bad — and the unpredictability of not knowing where people stand.
CE: Now, what about “Franklin and Bash”? I know you recently started shooting for the second season.
CC: I do know a little bit about what’s going to happen. Fun times ahead; that’s all I can say.
CE: You play lawyer Janie Ross in “FB,” but I’d say she’s a different kind of lawyer altogether from your “Grimm” character.
CC: Oh yeah — I wear similar suits, but the bad guys are VERY different.
CE: It must be fun for you to get to play two completely different characters like this, at the same time.
CC: It’s really fun. It’s fun to have two jobs, first and foremost. I’m very grateful for that. I feel very lucky that both sets are so pleasant to work on, with people who are really cooperative and have a great sense of humor. That’s a plus.
CE: You are living the dream of almost every girl who grew up in the ’90s by starring with Mark-Paul Gosselaar and James Van Der Beek.
CC: Including myself! It’s too bad I didn’t get a job like this when I first came to town — or maybe it’s a good thing, because I probably would have lost my mind. Mark-Paul and James are similar in that they’re total pros. They know how to work, but they also know that it’s all about the team, and they are very good at being helpful. It’s funny, they get mistaken for each other a lot. We did a joke about that on one of the episodes.
CE: What are some funny moments on the set?
CC: There was one scene where my character and James’ character, who plays my boyfriend, get in a fight, and I run off and the camera holds on James. He says: “Can we please just not hold on this tight angle of me watching a girl walk away?” Because all of “Dawson’s Creek” you could make a montage of Dawson looking, weeping, watching a girl walk away. That was pretty funny.
Interview: Time Griffin Protects and Serves
Celebrity Extra: When you first heard that the British hit “Prime Suspect” was going to be remade for American audiences, were you a bit apprehensive about how fans would receive the new show?
Tim Griffin: It wasn’t really until we started doing the initial press work that I realized, “OK, this is a sacred institution,” because I was a huge fan of the British series, too. It’s almost like a trial by fire that you have to go through. Can it be envisioned, reimagined with an American voice? Our partners are the original producers of the original “Prime Suspect,” so we have that entire canon of scripts at our disposal, and we have Peter Berg [as the executive producer and director]. It’s like its own new animal.”
CE: That’s very smart to do it that way, rather than trying to remake the British series, verbatim, you create your own niche with the original as your guideline.
TG: Right. That’s when it’s successful. If you look at shows like “The Office.” You can’t get more beloved than Ricky Gervais and the original “Office.” But I’m a huge fan of the American “Office.” I did “Leatherheads” with John Krasinski for four months. I think he’s one of the funniest people on the planet, and he’s not even one of the funniest people on that show. It’s just like they’ve created this quirky animal that’s so them. I can’t imagine it not set in Scranton, Pa.
And it’s the same thing with our show. This thing was such a perfect fit for Manhattan Homicide, but I think it’s also brilliant as a fan of the show. It’s not like they just used the title “Prime Suspect” and threw away the entire canon. There was an episode where the remnants of a murder in a storage facility were discovered, which was registered to the killer’s mother. Well, that’s right out of the original “Prime Suspect,” where you had this crazy, Joan Crawford-type mother who’s protecting her son. The son seems completely normal on the outside, but he’s got something about him — both Helen Mirren’s character in the original and Maria Bello’s character in our show can see something is off with this guy. When I see that, I can tell as a fan of the original show that they used that plot device, but they retold it in such a way that it’s almost like you’re not even aware that you’re watching sort of a tribute to something that came before. I am very happy that they are our partners, and that we have access to those brilliant cases and scripts.
CE: Tell me about your character, Detective Blando.
TG: The funny thing is, this wasn’t even the part that I was originally read for. And now looking back on it, I can’t imagine playing any other character. He is sort of like the class clown of the squad. All of these people have a dark humorous streak to them, because there is no way to do this job without a sense of humor. It doesn’t mean I’m any less effective as a homicide detective, just the guy who will always employ my natural personality. As an actor, I am normally brought in to do the heavy dramatic lifting or just outright comedy, so it’s nice to do a nuanced character like this. I’ve rarely gotten to do something that really sort of blends both. I don’t know if it’s because they saw that character in me or they tailored the character to fit my personality. It’s probably a little bit of both. I originally read for Kirk Acevedo’s character, who was originally named Detective Carter, but I can’t imagine anybody else playing Detective Calderon.
CE: The entire cast that Peter Berg has assembled for “Prime Suspect” is really phenomenal. What is it like working with them? TG: We were amazed that they had assembled that cast, because normally you’ll get a couple of luminaries — you’ll get an Aidan Quinn and a Maria Bello, and they’ll populate the rest of the show with nonthreatening pretty people. But Pete was adamant that he wanted every single character to hearken back to shows like “Hill Street Blues” or “NYPD Blue,” where everybody has a distinct voice. So they went out and hired probably the most accomplished cast I’ve ever been a part of. Pete Berg and Alex Cunningham were given carte blanche to hire the best actors. Hopefully they’re not sitting there thinking, “We should have gotten more pretty people.”
CE: What is life on the set like?
TG: We had an episode that aired a few weeks ago where we’re trying to destroy the killer’s ironclad alibi. He checks in at this restaurant at, let’s say, 10 minutes past the hour. He makes a call from his phone, and then it’s surmised that he might have made it from the restaurant to the murder site where he dumps the body. Is it physically possible to do this with New York traffic? Maria speculates, what if he ran it? Then they have me, Kirk (Acevedo) and Maria all run the route. That was such a fun day. We were all just riffing on each other all day long, and then we go into a bar afterward and have a few cocktails.
CE: You’ve been fortunate to have had quite a varied acting career so far. Has that been your intention, or the luck of the audition?
TG: I will tell you, I didn’t go out to do it intentionally. I think it comes with the volume of work that I’ve done. I do strive to not be pigeonholed. But I’ll tell you, there are certain characters that if you are going to be known for something, you’d better be proud of it, and this is one of those characters. Hopefully in five years I won’t be like, “If one more person calls me Augie, I’m going to punch him in the face.”
You know who I love, who I feel is absolutely brilliant? Jared Leto. I am a huge fan of all of David Fincher’s films, and when I saw Jared in “Panic Room,” I was like, “This is the kid from ‘My So-Called Life’?” Can you imagine if that was the only thing he ever did, and everybody called him Jordan Catalano? When I saw the video for “The Kill” (by Jared’s band, Thirty Seconds to Mars), I was like, this better not be that pretty boy. Do you really have to be an amazing rock ‘n’ roll musician too? There are certain people who are just ridiculously talented, and God bless him, he’s one of them. Let him go conquer every arena in the world. I’m just going to stick to acting.
Q and A: Week of Nov. 21
Q: I have noticed the actress who plays Kensi on “NCIS: Los Angeles” appears to have two different colored eyes. Does she, or am I just seeing things? I think she plays a good strong female part and would like to see her in more shows or movies. — Mary B., Virginia Beach, Va.A: Daniela Ruah, who has played Kensi Blye since the show’s premiere in 2009, has a birthmark in her right eye, making it appear almost completely black, with her left eye being hazel. You’ll get to see more of Daniela soon, as she co-stars in the feature film “Red Tails” with Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Bryan Cranston. She also is rumored to be starring in the upcoming “Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune” with Bruce Campbell.
Q: I am loving the second season of my favorite show, “The Walking Dead,” on AMC. I know this might be a little early, but will it return for another season? — Chad G., via e-mail
A: Normally, this would be a bit early for renewal news, but since the show’s return at the end of October, its ratings have been through the roof. Season two ratings have eclipsed the stellar ratings (especially by cable standards) of the first season, so AMC has already renewed it for a third season. “The Walking Dead” depicts the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse following a group of survivors outside Atlanta, starring Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal and Sarah Wayne Callies.
Q: I was sad to read in your column that “Spartacus” star Andy Whitfield had passed away. Will the production of the show continue after his death? — Hallie E., Akron, Ohio
A: In March 2010, Andy was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Production on season two was delayed so he could be treated. Unfortunately, his cancer returned, and he dropped out of the series and was replaced by Liam McIntyre. Andy passed away at age 39 this past September. Season two, with Liam as Spartacus, will return to Starz on Jan. 27, with the network already giving the green light for a third season to begin production in early 2012.
UPDATE: Hot on the heels of the news that Lifetime picked up “America’s Most Wanted” after it was canceled by Fox comes the news of its premiere date. The 20-episode 25th season of the crime-fighting reality show will premiere on Dec. 2 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The show’s passionate host, John Walsh, said of the return: “I am excited to be back in the saddle and working with Lifetime. We are the court of last resort, and with the show getting back to our weekly airing, we’ll have the capability of getting more fugitives off the streets and behind bars where they belong. We hope our observant fans continue the mission with us, on our new night — Friday — and keep our capture number climbing while helping those crime victims who need us.”
Q and A: Week of Nov. 14
Q: I really like “Prime Suspect,” especially the actor who plays Detective Blando. Can you tell me a little about him? He looks so familiar. — Gennifer F., Allentown, Pa.A: Tim Griffin, 42, has starred and guest-starred in countless TV series and big-screen movies, including “Party of Five,” “Charmed,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Bourne Supremacy,” “24,” “Iron Man,” “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” and most recently, “Super 8″ and “Abduction.”
I spoke with Tim about his role in the American version of the British cop drama and asked if he had any qualms about trying to “remake” such a popular series. Tim told me: “It wasn’t really until we started doing the initial press work that I realized, ‘OK, this is a sacred institution,’ because I was a huge fan of the British series too. It’s almost like a trial by fire that you have to go through. Can it be envisioned, reimagined with an American voice?
“Our partners are the original producers of the original ‘Prime Suspect,’ Tim said. “So we have that entire cannon of scripts at our disposal, and we have Peter Berg as the executive producer and director. It’s like its own new animal.”
Q: I am loving the new fall season so far — lots of good shows and only a few stinkers in the bunch. Which shows are you digging so far? — Clyde R., via e-mail
A: In the drama category, far and away my favorite show has to be ABC’s “Revenge,” which has injected a much-needed shot of campy, soapy, sexy drama into my Wednesday nights. (If you are on Twitter, you can follow my live-tweeting feeds at twitter.com/celebrity_extra every Wednesday starting at 10 p.m. ET, where all of us “Revenge” fans whoop and holler together.) I haven’t had this much fun watching a nighttime drama — nor have I talked to the TV screen so much — since “Melrose Place.”
On the comedy side, it’s a tie between Zooey Deschanel’s “New Girl” on Fox and ABC’s “Suburgatory,” whose ensemble cast of Jeremy Sisto, Jane Levy, Cheryl Hines, Alan Tudyk and Ana Gasteyer has me wiping tears of laughter from my face every episode.
Q: I love watching “The Talk” every afternoon. What happened to two of the original hostesses, Holly Robinson Peete and Leah Remini? — Joanne M., Fairport, N.Y.
A: Holly’s and Leah’s contracts were not renewed by CBS after the first season. As of Sept. 6 and Oct. 23, respectively, CBS officially replaced them with Sheryl Underwood and Aisha Tyler.
Q: I read somewhere that James Van Der Beek’s wife recently had another baby. Didn’t they just have a daughter? — Barb D., via e-mail
A: You are halfway correct, Barb. James and wife Kimberly have a daughter, Olivia, who recently turned 1, and are expecting their second child next year. James tweeted: “Just when we thought we couldn’t feel any more blessed, it seems the universe has plans to give our daughter a sibling.”
Q and A: Week of Nov. 7
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| Kevin Dillon |
A: Everyone involved in a show is always hopeful that it will get picked up for another season, hence the wording of ‘season finale’ versus ‘series finale.’ After the second-season finale aired, Fox decided not to renew ‘Human Target’ for a third season. But hey, at least it got to have two seasons.
Even more of this fall’s new shows have been canceled after airing only a few episodes, including the CW’s ‘H8R,’ ABC’s ‘Charlie’s Angels’ (which will air its remaining produced episodes) and CBS’s ‘How to Be a Gentleman,’ starring ‘Entourage’ star Kevin Dillon.
On the critical list are NBC’s ‘Prime Suspect’ and ABC’s ‘Man Up!’ ABC’s ‘Pan Am’ started fairly well, but has been hemorrhaging viewers left and right. However, this seems to be ABC’s darling, so it might get the network support it needs to survive the season.
Q: When will ‘Merlin’ return for another season on Syfy? — Mary D., via Facebook
A: Syfy confirmed at this summer’s San Diego Comic-Con that ‘Merlin’ will return in early 2012 for its fourth season. However as of this writing, no firm date had been set. Also, BBC-One, which produces and airs the show first in the U.K., has approved a fifth season of the popular fantasy, and considering its good ratings on Syfy, there’s a great chance we’ll get a fifth season here as well.
Q: Is ‘Shark Tank’ gone from TV? I loved that show. Will it come back? —Anonymous, via e-mail
A: ‘Shark Tank’ will be back midseason 2012 on ABC for its third season, along with ‘Secret Millionaire,’ which returns for its second season. Producers for the hit entrepreneurial reality show have not yet announced an exact airdate for the season premiere of ‘Shark Tank,’ but if past seasons are any indication, expect it sometime between January and March 2012.
Q: What is going on with Netflix? Is it still going to be around, or is it going to be Qwikster? I am so confused. — Dee Dee T. in Georgia
A: Netflix recently reversed its decision — in a rare move of a big corporation actually listening to its customers! — of having two separate websites/companies for its DVD-mailing service (which was to be Qwikster) versus its streaming service (Netflix). Because customers did not want the hassle of having two separate accounts, movie queues and billing statements if they wanted both mail and streaming DVDs, they voiced their complaints, and Netflix listened. Look for everything at Netflix to remain the same — at least for the time being.
Q and A: Week of Oct. 31
Q: When will Tori Spelling’s reality show return to Oxygen? It’s one of my guilty pleasures, and I have to admit that I miss it! — Patty T., via e-mailA: Tori and husband Dean McDermott will return for the sixth season of “Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood” on Tuesday, Nov. 29. Originally named “Tori and Dean: Inn Love” — where the couple opened a B-and-B while Tori was eight months pregnant with their first child — the new season will welcome the couple’s third child together, Hattie Margaret, who was born in October. Hattie joins siblings Liam and Stella, as well as Dean’s son, Jack, from a previous marriage.
Q: Will “Swamp Wars” be back on Animal Planet anytime soon? — Fred R., Baton Rouge, La.
A: Animal Planet will be bringing back “Swamp Wars” for more drama as the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s Venom One unit carries on its battle against the lethal animals that threaten South Florida. A 12-episode second season begins on Sunday, Nov. 6, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, starting with six all-new episodes and another set of six episodes slated to air in 2012.
This season has our heroes facing a Tegu lizard outbreak as well as Nile monitors and Burmese pythons — you know, just the usual deadly invasive creatures. They also battle venomous lionfish, which are proliferating the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, and have no known aquatic enemies.
Q: I read and enjoy your articles that appear in our newspaper every Sunday. I bet you can answer this: Will “Covert Affairs” on the USA channel be back? — Virginia G., Webster, N.Y.
A: “Covert Affairs” begins airing the second half of its second season on Nov. 1, with six episodes left to round out the season. And I have even more good news for you, Virginia: USA has renewed “Covert Affairs” for a 16-episode third season, to begin airing summer 2012. In fact, all of USA’s original summer programming has been renewed, including “Royal Pains” and “Necessary Roughness.”
USA co-presidents Chris McCumber and Jeff Wachtel said in a statement: “USA’s original programming blew through all expectations this summer. It’s a rare and wonderful thing to announce the pick-up of our entire summer of programming.”
Q: I remember reading in previous columns that you are a big fan of Syfy’s “Being Human,” so I figure you can tell me if/when it’ll be back for a second season? — Johnny T., via e-mail
A: I am, and I can. The werewolf/vampire/ghost paranormal drama will return for its second season on Monday, Jan. 16. As you’ll recall, last season saw the demise of Bishop at the hands of Aidan, with Aidan becoming the new leader of Boston’s vampires; Nora learned Josh is a werewolf, not revealing to him that he scratched her while he was in werewolf form; and Sally missed her window to the Great Beyond to help save Aidan.
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