Damages Season 3 Television Posters

The Blot was really excited to start watching FX’s critically acclaimed drama Damages again when its third season premiered last Monday night. While I’m sure Damages Season 3 will end up being pretty good, all the flash forwards and flashbacks in the show’s first episode had me thinking I was watching a poorly written episode of Lost. Every single scene featured some sort of time jump. It got so bad I couldn’t figure out what, if anything, was taking place in the present.


While Damages’ flash forwards have always been an intricate part of the show, I hate to see such a wonderfully acted drama relay too much on gimmicky plots. And, I worry that so many time shifts in the show’s first episode ended up pushing away Damages’ already dwindling viewership. With that being said, the season premiere’s final scene was a humdinger of a twist, even if everyone saw it coming from a mile away. I’m already intrigued by this season’s new storyline, and can’t wait to see what lies in store for Martin Short as shady attorney Leonard Winstone. Plus, who doesn’t want to see more of Damages’ quintessential villain, Arthur Frobisher, played by the eternal Ted Danson?


Damages, staring Glenn Close Rose Byrne, airs Monday nights at 10/9c on FX.

Damages Season 2 Poster & Trailer - Premieres Tomorrow on FX

Another television series The Blot has been anxiously awaiting for is FX’s Damages, which returns tomorrow, Wednesday, January 7th at 10/9c on FX. While the legal thriller started slow, it quickly became appointment television with its intricate storylines and incredible acting. Glenn Close headlined an amazing cast which included Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, Anastasia Griffith (the sister to BSG’s Jamie Bamber), Zeljko Ivanek and Ted Danson.


Close’s performance in Season 1 as high-stakes litigator Patty Hewes was quite simply amazing, and she was awarded both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Ivanek also won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, but the actor that truly blew me away was Ted Danson. Danson’s Arthur Frobisher was the “villain” in Season 1 and after just a few minutes of screen time Danson made you completely forget that he was once one of the most likable, bankable comedic actors of the 1980’s.


While Damages Season 2 centers on a new case of Patty Hewes’, the most intriguing storyline is that of Byrne’s Ellen Parsons who is now working with the FBI to bring down Hewes. One exciting tidbit is that even though Danson’s storyline has come to an end (and a possible death in last year’s season finale), both Danson and Ivanek’s southern lawyer Ray Fiske will be back in some form or fashion this season. Why this is such interesting news is that Ivanek's character committed suicide at the end of Season 1.

While I’m glad the show is bringing back these incredibly talented actors, I am worried about how they end up working these characters back into the show since both of the character’s storylines were tied up so neatly by Season 1’s end. I really hope Damages isn’t “jumping the shark” by bringing back characters unnecessarily and hindering the growth of Season 2’s new characters and stories.



One aspect of the show I really enjoyed was how Damages plays with the show’s timeline, having both flash backs and flash forwards intertwined with real time. But don’t let that scare you off, the show is very easy to follow and immensely entertaining. Plus, you really don’t even need to have watched Season 1 to enjoy Season 2, but you’d really be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t go buy/rent Damages Season 1 today! You can also look forward to some great new big name talent joining the cast of Damages this season including William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden and Timothy Olyphant.

Damages Season 2 airs every Wednesday at 10/9c on FX.

2008 Emmy Nominations Announced

The 2008 Primetime Emmy Awards nominations were announced this morning and the 60th edition of the premiere television awards show is shaping up to be a great one. The Blot is extremely happy to see many of The Blot Says…' favorite shows nominated for multiple awards this year including Lost making its long awaited return to the Best Drama Series category. I was also really pleased to see Best Supporting Actor/Actress nominations go to How I Met Your Mothers’ Neil Patrick Harris and Pushing Daisies’ Kristin Chenoweth in the comedy categories and Damages’ Ted Danson and Lost’s Michael Emerson in the drama category. And how can you not be excited to hear that 30 Rock led all comedies with 17 nominations. Plus, can someone tell me when was the last time someone from Saturday Night Live was nominated for an Acting award?


On the surface it appears there is some sick competition in both the Actor in a Comedy Series and Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series races, but the real story is the huge number of nominations in the Drama categories going to original programming from basic cable channels (i.e. not "pay cable channels" like HBO or Showtime). AMC’s Mad Men led all dramas with 16 nominations, while other cable dramas Damages, Breaking Bad, Saving Grace, Rescue Me, Nip/Tuck and The Closer all pulled in nominations in major acting categories.

You can watch the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards live on ABC Sunday, September 21st at 8/7c.

60th Primetime Emmy Awards Nominations
COMEDY SERIES
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Entourage
The Office
30 Rock
Two and a Half Men

ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies
Tony Shalhoub, Monk
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men
Kevin Dillon, Entourage
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Rainn Wilson, The Office

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies
Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live
Jean Smart, Samantha Who?
Holland Taylor, Two and a Half Men
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty

GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Will Arnett, 30 Rock
Shelley Berman, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Steve Buscemi, 30 Rock
Tim Conway, 30 Rock
Rip Torn, 30 Rock

GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Polly Bergen, Desperate Housewives
Edie Falco, 30 Rock
Carrie Fisher, 30 Rock
Kathryn Joosten, Desperate Housewives
Sarah Silverman, Monk
Elaine Stritch, 30 Rock

DRAMA SERIES
Boston Legal
Damages
Dexter
House
Lost
Mad Men

ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
James Spader, Boston Legal

ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Glenn Close, Damages
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Ted Danson, Damages
Michael Emerson, Lost
Zeljko Ivanek, Damages
William Shatner, Boston Legal
John Slattery, Mad Men

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Candice Bergen, Boston Legal
Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy
Dianne Wiest, In Treatment
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy

GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Charles Durning, Rescue Me
Robert Morse, Mad Men
Oliver Platt, Nip/Tuck
Stanley Tucci, ER
Glynn Turman, In Treatment
Robin Williams, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Ellen Burstyn, Big Love
Diahann Carroll, Grey's Anatomy
Sharon Gless, Nip/Tuck
Anjelica Huston, Medium
Cynthia Nixon, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

The Blot's Top 10 Cable Television Shows of 2007

Well its officially 2008, but I figured there was still time left to recap 2007. I wanted to do a The Blot’s Favorite Television Shows of 2007, but thought I’d just be giving publicity to a lot of shows already getting tons of pub. So instead I decided to narrow down the focus and shine the spotlight on shows often over looked because they’re on cable and not on the big four (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox). Sorry CW, you’re not one of the big boys yet, but I’m still going to leave you off this list since you’re technically a broadcast station. And you won’t see The Sopranos or Entourage making the list this year, there’s no grandfathering in for past success. Both had considerably down seasons this past year and got pushed out by some little engines that could.

So here it goes, The Blot’s Top 10 Cable Television shows of 2007! If you want to find out more about these great shows, when they air or how you can catch up on past seasons, feel free to click on the names of each show and you’ll be taken to that show’s official website.

10. Little People, Big World - TLC

09. Doctor Who – The Sci-Fi Channel / Torchwood – BBC America (tie)



08. Psych – USA Network


07. Ace of Cakes – Food Network


06. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations – Travel Channel


05. Damages - FX


04. Battlestar Galactica – The Sci-Fi Channel


03. Big Love – HBO


02. Burn Notice – USA Network


01. The Shield - FX