Succession

 

This is another HBO produced hit, joining shows like The Sopranos, Veep, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Larry Sanders Show, Oz, The Wire, Entourage, etc. HBO has the slogan “It’s not TV, it’s HBO.” This makes sense since the quality of programs put out by HBO is impressive. TV critic David Bianculli wrote a book called “The Platinum Age of Television.” He mentioned many of the 21^st century HBO shows in his book since their productions are outstanding.

This aired from 2018-2023, with 39 episodes. The show was created by Jesse Armstrong, who wrote 16 of the episodes. He was nominated for an Oscar in 2010 for the film “In the Loop.” 8 Primetime Emmys were won for “Succession.”

The imdb rating is 8.8, which is very high. The Godfather is 9.2, The Sopranos is 9.2, The Wire is 9.3, Breaking Bad is 9.5, Mad Men is 8.7.

The show is about the Roy family, a very wealthy family who owns the world’s largest media company. The drama arises when the elderly man who founded the company has serious health issues, and it needs to be decided who will take over the company. Brian Cox plays Logan Roy, the patriarch of the family. His kids are played by Kieran Culkin, Alan Ruck, Jeremy Strong and Sarah Snook. These characters have no redeeming qualities. They are spoiled brats who have zero integrity. There is a lot of backstabbing, lying and bickering in this show. You never know who is being sincere when they say something. The members of the Roy family think nothing of double crossing one another.  But, that makes it entertaining. People have drawn parallels between the Roy family and Rupert Murdoch’s (founder of Fox News) family. The show is heavily influenced by King Lear by Shakespeare.

The actors, sets and costumes are all top notch. The writing staff is incredible and the scripts are highly creative. It’s easy to get sucked into this show. It's just fascinating and so well done. 

Some information from imdb.com. 

 

Book Review: Carson the Magnificent by Bill Zehme and Mike Thomas

 

This Johnny Carson biography has been long awaited. It was released on election day, November 5, 2024. Bill Zehme wrote a good portion of the book, then contracted cancer. He passed away in 2023 at age 64 and his assistant, Mike Thomas, finished the book. Zehme had written books about show biz giants such as Frank Sinatra, Andy Kaufman, Hugh Hefner and Jay Leno.  I expected this book to be longer, especially since Zehme worked on it for many years. The book did a good job of covering the major events in Johnny’s life, from his time growing up in Nebraska, to his various TV shows that he hosted and touched on his retirement years. Many people have questions about Johnny’s 13 retirement years (1992-2005) after The Tonight Show ended. Apparently, he spent a lot of time on his 130 foot yacht, Serengeti. The book mentioned how Johnny and his fourth wife Alex had some challenges, but he did not want to be a guy who got divorced four times.  I would have liked Zehme to go into more detail about Johnny’s different shows, such as Carson’s Cellar, The Johnny Carson Show, Earn Your Vacation, Who Do You Trust and of course The Tonight Show. The Carson biography by his talent coordinator Craig Tennis went into more detail about the behind-the-scenes aspects that went into producing The Tonight Show. The book talked about Johnny’s challenging relationship with his mother and how that led to shape his view of women. This can be linked to the fact that he had four marriages and had problems with infidelity. His drinking got in the way of building strong relationships with women, so did the fact that he was married to his job. But that was common with many men of his generation. In his 60 Minutes interview with Mike Wallace, Johnny discussed how he did not handle alcohol well.  The book talked about his four wives, how he met them, the differences between them, and factors that led to the marriages ending. The end of Johnny’s first marriage was devastating to him, probably since they had three kids together, and she was with him through the early days of his career. Some may think that Johnny was always rich and famous, but he was not. He had to pay his dues like anyone else. He had shows that were not successful. I wish the book would have talked more about people like Ed McMahon, Doc Severinsen, Fred de Cordova, Peter Lassally, etc. This book did not delve into the psychological analysis of Johnny to the degree that other books did, especially the book by his lawyer Henry Bushkin. The book had some email quotes from Johnny’s son which I don’t think we have seen before. It's not a revelation that Johnny was not a great father or husband, but his son realizes that he did the best he could under the circumstances.  It would be nice to get a definitive biography of Johnny that went into extensive detail about every aspect of his life, but it remains to be seen whether that will happen.

There have been many biographies of Johnny Carson over the years. Some others that I’d recommend include:

Johnny Carson by Henry Bushkin

King of the Night by Laurence Leamer

And Now…Here’s Johnny! By Nora Ephron

Johnny Tonight by Craig Tennis

Carson: The Unauthorized Biography by Paul Corkery

So, there are many ways to learn about the fascinating life of a supremely talented but complicated man who many view as the undisputed king of late-night TV.

People who crave a deep dive into the life of Johnny Carson and his Tonight Show should check out Mark Malkoff’s Carson Podcast. This podcast was produced from 2014-2022 and totaled almost 400 episodes. Many prominent celebrities were interviewed who appeared on Johnny’s show. In addition, several people who were crew members on Johnny’s show discuss what it was like behind-the-scenes on such an iconic program.

 

 

HBO's The Newsroom Was Another Hit for Aaron Sorkin

 

The Newsroom aired from 2012-2014 on HBO, 25 episodes (all are now on MAX).

The creator/primary writer was Aaron Sorkin (Syracuse University, Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater).

Writer of…The West Wing, A Few Good Men, Moneyball, The Social Network, Sports Night, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The American President, etc. He also adapted “To Kill a Mockingbird” into a stage production where Jeff Daniels played the lead role of Atticus Finch.

He’s known for writing rapid fire dialogue, and “walk and talk” scenes that feature tracking shots that lead characters down a hallway as they converse.

He has had challenges in his personal life. He was a chain smoker but quit after having a stroke. He has battled substance abuse issues.

He has won one Oscar (The Social Network), three Golden Globes and six primetime Emmys.  He has been nominated 174 times for various awards and has had 104 wins.

The Newsroom starred Jeff Daniels who played Will McAvoy, a cable news anchor in New York. Other stars included Emily Mortimer, John Gallagher Jr, Allison Pill, Dev Patel, Olivia Munn, Sam Waterston, Marcia Gay Harden and Jane Fonda.

This show did a fantastic job of demonstrating the intensity, manic energy and pressure-cooker atmosphere that comes with working in TV news. In news coverage, there is the balance between being first and being right. Multiple sources must be confirmed before putting a story on the air. This show was excellent since it was a time capsule of the period in which it took place. Real stories were covered in this show, such as the BP oil spill, the killing of Osama Bin Laden, and the explosion at the Boston Marathon. The character development is excellent, and I wish there would have been more episodes.

Jeff Daniels won a leading actor Emmy Award for his role in 2014.

The lobby and exterior shots depicting ACN (Atlantis Cable News), the fictional cable network, are New York’s Bank of America tower.

The interiors were shot at Sunset Gower Studios in Hollywood.

Sorkin learned about the world of cable TV news by observing Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN newsrooms first-hand as a fly on the wall.

The role of Mackenzie McHale (the new executive producer) was offered to Marisa Tomei but the negotiations fell through.

Jane Fonda had a memorable role as Leona Lansing, the CEO of the media conglomerate that owns the ACN cable channel. This is not unlike her third husband, CNN Chairman Ted Turner.

Surprisingly, the reviews for season one were mixed. Seasons two and three received better critical acclaim.

“Newsroom” stars Jeff Daniels and Sam Waterston starred together in the TV mini-series “Godless”.

The show aired on the Canadian, European and Indian versions of HBO, as well as on other networks around the world.

The show has an imdb rating of 8.6 out of 10. That is very high. For comparison, The Godfather is 9.2, Schindler’s List is 9.0 and Seinfeld is 8.9. The West Wing, another Sorkin creation, is 8.9.

*Some information from imdb.com and Wikipedia.

     

Everybody’s in L.A. with John Mulaney Was Unusual Yet Refreshing

 

This was a different type of show that aired live via Netflix for six consecutive nights in May of 2024. It had the feel of a late-night show, even though it was on at 7:00 pm pacific/10:00 pm eastern time. The host was comedian John Mulaney (SNL writer from 2008-2022, and voice actor on animated show “Big Mouth”). The announcer/sidekick was comedic actor Richard Kind (best known for Mad About You and various animated projects). I did not like this show at first, but it grew on me. This was a show that took chances and did something different. We don’t see that enough on today’s TV shows. The title refers to the fact that the week it aired was the week of the “Netflix is a Joke” comedy festival. Therefore, at that point it seemed like everyone, especially in the world of comedy, was in L.A. at the same time. The theme song was “To Live and Die in L.A.” by the group Wang Chung (1985). That song has probably seen a resurgence in popularity since this program aired. It was a mix of serious topics with comedians chiming in with their thoughts too. Each show had a serious topic that is of interest to those in L.A., such as earthquakes, coyotes, palm trees or the future of Los Angeles. Each show featured a highly educated expert on the topic, joined by funny people who provided comic relief. Comedians that appeared on the show included: David Letterman (note: Mulaney appeared on Letterman’s Netflix show “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction”), Nikki Glaser, Bill Hader, Cedric the Entertainer, George Wallace, Sarah Silverman and more. Musical guests appeared on the show such as: Los Lobos, Weezer, Beck and St. Vincent. The shows had remote segments where they would check in on what was going on in the L.A. area with everyday residents. A taped segment had several comedians looking at a home for sale in Los Angeles and making humorous observations. The show felt disjointed at times, but that is the nature of live shows, which can be refreshing. Sometimes it felt like the host and guests were flying by the seat of their pants. With a live show, they were able to take phone calls, which was a nice touch. One segment had them sending two people in limos on a hunt around L.A. looking for Red Hot Chili Peppers member “Flea.” I was looking at Reddit comments regarding this show and someone said this… “Netflix, don’t let John leave the building without giving him a weekly talk show.” Mulaney would make a great late night talk show host, with his quirky sense of humor. His show was a bit like Conan’s in the NBC days, with that crazy, unpredictable vibe. Someone on Reddit commented that he needs to be the new Daily Show host. He did well with the interviews too, considering many people were on the set at the same time. One of the “stars” of the show was Saymo, a delivery robot, which is apparently a common sight around L.A. It would randomly appear, and people would open its lid to reveal drinks. An article said that the set for this show was patterned after Johnny Carson’s Malibu home. USA Today called the show “So weird, but also wonderful.” The review said…” It does not make sense. It does not follow regular formats. It is so strange. And yet it is also pretty funny.” Who knows what the numbers were for this show, but hopefully we will see more.

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction

 

When Johnny Carson retired from The Tonight Show in 1992, people wondered what his next project would be. Besides brief appearances with David Letterman, a Kennedy Center Honors Award and a Bob Hope special, he disappeared. Johnny passed away 13 years later, in 2005. When David Letterman retired from his CBS Late Show in 2015, people thought that Letterman would pull the same disappearing act as his idol, Carson. Thankfully, that did not happen, and David Letterman has kept active with various projects. He is still a co-owner of the Rahal-Letterman-Lanigan Indy racing team. Since growing up in Indianapolis, he has been a die-hard auto racing fan. He appeared at the “Netflix is a Joke” Comedy Festival in Los Angeles. He makes regular appearances on his official You Tube page, being interviewed by longtime producers Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay. Plus, he has released several seasons of his Netflix show “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction.” Since 2018, Letterman has released 5 seasons and 28 episodes. The tagline for the show is “His beard is big. His guests are bigger.” The show has been nominated for a primetime Emmy five times. Its theme song was written and performed by Letterman’s longtime band leader, Paul Shaffer.  This show demonstrates Letterman’s top notch interviewing skills. Even if the viewer is not interested in a specific guest, Letterman makes it fascinating.

His two most recent guests were Miley Cyrus and Charles Barkley. At age 77, David Letterman is no spring chicken. People have suggested that he return to daily TV, or even have a weekly show, perhaps filling in for Jimmy Kimmel, who looks up to Dave like Letterman looked up to Carson. At his stage in life, Dave probably wants a show like he has on Netflix, where he can call the shots and decide how busy he will be. No doubt, he does not need the money. His net worth is a staggering $400 million.

The show is refreshing since Letterman interviews people of all ages and disciplines. It would be easy for him to stick with people only from his age group and talk with nothing but comedians. But he has talked with people much younger than himself who would appeal to a youthful demographic. Examples include: Lizzo, Cardi B, Tiffany Haddish, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and Billie Eilish. That is not to say that he has not interviewed more “seasoned” guests, such as: George Clooney, Howard Stern, Robert Downey Jr, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jerry Seinfeld. In 2018, Letterman interviewed President Barack Obama for this program. That was his first interview since leaving the White House.

His interview with Miley Cyrus had Dave talking with Miley’s mother and sitting with her as Cyrus performed at the legendary Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles.

When he talked with NBA great Charles Barkley, Dave joined him on the golf course and Charles showed Dave around the TBS studios where he acts as an NBA analyst. Letterman joined Barkley and his cohorts on TBS to discuss the current state of the NBA. Dave talked with Barkley’s co-hosts on the NBA show, including Shaquille O’Neal.

It’s refreshing since the show is not just Letterman sitting in a studio interviewing a guest for an hour, although he could make that interesting. Each show is partially in studio and partially on location. It is nice to see Letterman in a long form interview format where he does not need to break for commercials every few minutes like he did with his shows on CBS and NBC.

In 2022, Letterman did another project for Netflix, called “That’s My Time with David Letterman.” This show consisted of six episodes, recorded at the “Netflix is a Joke” comedy festival in Los Angeles. Each episode featured a comedian doing a stand-up set with Letterman briefly interviewing them afterwards. In 2023, Disney Plus released a show called “Bono and the Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman.” This show had Letterman interviewing the duo from then legendary band U2 in their hometown of Dublin, Ireland. Bono and The Edge performed some of their iconic songs, reimagined.

Without a doubt, Letterman will be remembered as one of the icons of late-night television, like his idol, Johnny Carson. 

*Some information from Wikipedia and imdb.