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| “The Sopranos” |
By Scott Huver, Hollywood.com Staff
Anyone with a cable box knows that the major networks hardly have a lock on the most interesting programs on television for the past few years, thanks to the proliferation of high-quality original series on the many various cable channels across the dial. Thus, no Fall TV preview would be complete without a peek at what’s ahead for some of the most hotly anticipated cable shows–including two of TV’s first families, the Sopranos and the Osbournes–in the months ahead.
All times EST/PST
HBO
The Sopranos
The Players: James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, Dominic Chianese, Aida Turturro, Joe Pantoliano, Steven Van Zandt, Tony Siroco, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Robert Iler, Drea de Matteo
Major Changes: How much you wanna bet someone gets whacked?
What’s Ahead: Tony–who in previous seasons has been vexed by his mother, his sister and his daughter–now faces hard times with the central woman in his life: his wife, as an increasingly unhappy Carmela may be developing a wandering eye. NYC underboss Johnny Sack undermines Tony’s authority; the Feds take Junior to trial and plant a mole in the Soprano organization; Janice and Meadow follow Tony onto the therapist’s couch. Christopher faces the truth about his father, or at least Tony’s version of it, and sees his relationship with Adrianna take a downward turn. Young AJ–now with a cute girlfriend (As the World Turns’ Jessica Dunphy)–considers entering the family business; beefy Bobby Bacala sheds pounds and sees his life change; a subplot addresses the same type of anti-Italian-American grievances leveled at the series itself; and, yeah, somebody dies–but not how you might think.
Down the line: Look for a fifth season in 2003, after which executive producer David Chase, Gandolfini and Bracco are expected to depart. If HBO doesn’t continue the series after that, expect The Sopranos to muscle onto the big screen.
Premieres: Sept. 15; airs Sundays at 9 p.m.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
The Players: Larry David, Cheryl Hines, Jeff Garland, Richard Lewis
Major Changes: Nada.
What’s Ahead: You’d think it would be impossible to embarrass Larry David at this point, but the show will continue to deliver excruciatingly painful yet exquisitely funny Seinfeld-goes-L.A. style scenarios for the writer-turned-sitcom star who’s become master of HBO’s comedic domain in 10 new minutia-centric episodes with titles like “Chet’s Shirt,” “The Benadryl Brownie” and “Club Soda and Salt.” Look for guest spots from Ted Danson, Michael York, Joan Rivers, Martin Scorsese, Alanis Morissette, Martin Short and Paul Reiser.
Premieres: Sept. 15; airs Sundays at 10 p.m.
Sex and the City
HBO’s plans aren’t finalized yet, but Sex and the City may return with the back end of this year’s truncated season–perhaps in mid-February–as soon as Sarah Jessica Parker has her real-life baby and gets back to Carrie-esque proportions.
MTV
The Osbournes
The Players: Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly, Jack, nanny Melinda and their menagerie of dogs
Major Changes: The Osbournes take in Kelly and still-unseen sister Aimee’s friend Robert Marcato, an 18-year-old whose mother recently died of colon cancer, the same illness Sharon is struggling with.
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What’s Ahead: Twenty new episodes, in which Sharon allows the MTV cameras to follow every step of her chemotherapy; Ozzy tries to soldier on alone on the road with Ozzfest; the family tries to help Robert get into the best drama school possible; and despite reports to the contrary, the entirety of the season will NOT be shot at the Osbournes’ country manor in England. While the family spends a few weeks there, most of the next season takes place in their Beverly Hills mansion.
Premieres: November, TBA.
The Real World Las Vegas
The Players: Seven strangers, picked to live in a house: athletic and energetic Alton, tough-but-tender-hearted Arissa, blunt and bombastic Brynn, friendly small-town boy Frank, exotic and artistic Irulan, all-American divorcee Steven and gorgeous but wounded Trishelle.
Major Changes: For this twelfth go-round, the roomies’ pad is actually a 28th floor suite in Sin City’s brand spankin’ new Palms Hotel and Casino; all the castmates are 21, so the house contains its own bar and lounge, complete with a jellyfish tank.
What’s Ahead: Does someone see some action on the pool table this season? Will the roommates spend all their time at the hotel’s Ghost Bar? Will one of them go broke at the craps table? It’s The Real World, so about the only things you can count on are bickering and bonding–OK, and maybe the show’s first threesome.
Premieres: Sept. 17; airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m.
MTV is also expected to unveil its new CGI-animated Spider-Man cartoon–featuring the writing of top comic book scribe Brian Michael Bendis and the voices of Neil Patrick Harris (Spidey), Lisa Loeb (Mary Jane), Ian Ziering (Harry), Rob Zombie (The Lizard), Eve (the Black Cat) and other pop stars–in January.
Comedy Central
South Park
The Players: Stan, Kyle, Cartman, Tweak, Butters, Timmy and the rest of South Park, Colo.
Major Changes: As far as anyone at Comedy Central knows, Kenny remains dead.
What’s Ahead: Six brand-new episodes, with top secret plotlines (well, maybe not “top secret” but someone might fling Mr. Hanky at us if we spill the beans, mmm-kay?). In the meantime, you can get your fix with this month’s South Park fifth anniversary special on pay-per-view, as well as with the upcoming DVD collection of the first season.
Premieres: Nov. 6; airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m.
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is planning a fall election bonanza, with several specials including “As Seen On TV” (Sept. 26), featuring the show’s funniest media-centric stories, “Indecision ’02” (Oct. 14), with top clips from the current election race, live broadcasts from Washington, D.C. (Oct. 28-31) and a live election special on Nov. 5.
Other Favorites
Showtime’s The Chris Isaacs Show and Queer as Folk also return in the winter, but the network will be unveiling Zalman King‘s chromiumblue.com (Sept. 6, airing Fridays at 11 p.m.), an erotically charged series kind of like The Love Boat meets Fantasy Island meets Red Shoe Diaries.
On the Cartoon Network, Justice League (Sept. 6) soars into a slam-bang second season as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and the rest of the world’s greatest superheroes tangle with an evil Injustice Gang assembled by Lex Luthor.
Across the dial on Lifetime, Patricia Richardson joins the cast of the she-centric medical drama Strong Medicine (Sept. 8).
FX’s gritty cop show The Shield, which earned an Emmy nomination for star Michael Chiklis, returns Jan. 3.
