iMedia

[Kromm]

Uh oh.

 

iZombie - Pilot Pulled from Comic-Con Preview Night

[Cranberry]

Damn, this doesn't sound good. I wonder if "cast changes" were really to blame, or if the pilot isn't good. I hope they fix whatever's wrong and still debut the show at midseason, because I'm looking forward to it!

 

Edited to add: Someone in the comments there said:

 

Showfax has posted that the character of 'Eva' played by actress and series regular Nora Dunn is getting recast. Nora Dunn will no longer be part of the show. A casting call was just sent out by the casting director and producers yesterday for her character. Another casting call was sent out yesterday for the series regular role of 'Peyton' originally played y Alexandra Krosney. That's reason why the pilot wasnt shown at Comic-Con last night. So basically these 2 series regulars are getting recasted.

 

Makes sense that they wouldn't want to screen a pilot where two of the actors are being replaced, I guess.

[Kromm]

Nothing against Nora Dunn, but I have to wonder why anyone would cast her for a show like this in the first place. I do get that it's likely they wanted a black comedy aspect to certain parts of this, but I'd equate Nora Dunn more to... um.  Broad farce.

[Featherhat]

Aly Michalka has been cast as "Peyton" the best friend but only (so far) as a recurring, not a regular in the way Krosney was going to be. 

[Trini]

Hmmm. No date set yet; this is probably going to end up airing next season -- if it airs at all....

[Lisin]

We finally have a date! March 17th after The Flash! 

[FurryFury]

With its lead-in being CW's most popular show, I hope iZombie does well.

[Kromm]

It's a good timeslot, but the news on this show has been kind of bad so far.  I hope they cleaned up the mess.

 

It's short term competition will be Agent Carter (which as much as people here like it is no real ratings threat), then Agents of SHIELD, but also NCIS: New Orlreans (which is a completely different demographic, but has a ton of eyes on it) the FOX comedies (probably a lot of the same demographic, because they are young-skewing sitcoms), and the ABC comedies (probably NOT the same demographic, because they usually skew older--and some real generic blah ones are coming onto the schedule in March).  Actually, all of that taken into account, I actually think it's about as good a timeslot as possible.

[FurryFury]

Promo's out! I liked it. http://www.spoilertv.com/2015/01/izombie-first-look-promo.html

[Cranberry]

Not awful, but I was expecting more humor -- nothing in that promo really made me laugh. Hopefully the actual show is better. I'm worried about this one's chances; I think it could end up being another Tru Calling.

[Trini]

So is David Anders a regular?

[FurryFury]

I thought he is, but now I'm not sure. There was a noticeable lack of him in the promo.

BTW, the network had just renewed 8 of its shows, so I'm starting to doubt this one's chances. Still, the wouldn't give it such a good timeslot if they wanted to feed it to the fishes, I suppose (the other midseason show, The Messengers, is basically DOA with its Friday timeslot).

UPD: Wow, there's a lot info about the show today. Some tidbits from Rob Thomas - http://tvline.com/2015/01/11/izombie-preview-comic-book-changes/

I guess David Anders is a regular, after all. I'm glad, love the actor since his Alias days and his character looks like he'll be a lot of fun.

Edited January 11, 2015 by FurryFury

[shapeshifter]

It looks like I will have to be ready each week to squint at the screen through my eyelashes when she's eating brains, just like I do with the dead body scenes in Bones and the surgery scenes in Saving Hope.

[FurryFury]

A very flattering AV Club review. And now I'm really wanting this to succeed.

[Cranberry]

I have to admit that I wasn't expecting good reviews (the promos have left me kinda cold). But the AV Club reviewer compared it to my beloved Wonderfalls (and to Pushing Daisies and Veronica Mars and Reaper, all of which I also enjoyed), so now I'm actually excited.

[seamusk]

I didn't read the review because I don't want to be spoiled, but damn that is a great list of shows (all of which got cancelled too soon though!!!).

[Kromm]

The scary talk after the pilot yanking from Comic Com was disheartening.  Glad to see maybe they knew what they were doing yanking it.

 

Rob Thomas, not to mention the extremely underrated Diane Ruggiero, generally know what they're doing.  Yes, Veronica Mars fell down a little bit later on, but less than many shows.  Party Down was great.  BOTH versions of Cupid were really well written, even if bad ideas to be on network television for other reasons.  Even the Kickstarted Mars movie was... well... apart from all of the overdone fanservice, at least witty (a lot of that due to Ruggiero).

 

EDIT:  The reviews seem great almost across the board, actually (not that we can't give our own 2 cents now)

 

LA Times - Why Veronica Mars Fans Will Love Rob Thomas' New CW Show iZombie

MTV - 'iZombie' Is The Only Zombie Show You Need To Be Watching (Sorry, 'Walking Dead')

EW - iZombie: EW review

NY Times - Review: ‘iZombie,’ the Undead as a Force for Good

 

The NY Times review--a really glowing one--isn't just based on the Pilot either.  The writer clearly has seen at least the first four episodes. Ergo a review THAT good means quite a lot.

 

Now the important barrier is ratings.

Edited March 18, 2015 by Kromm

[Sakura12]

Sneak Peak for next week ep.

 

http://www.spoilertv.com/2015/03/izombie-episode-102-brother-can-you_21.html

[Cranberry]

IZOMBIE: ROSE MCIVER ON EATING BRAINS AND HER CHARACTER'S MANY SKILLS - INCLUDING GAMING

 

Nice interview. This part was interesting; it seems to answer the "was Blaine added as a love interest" line of questioning from the latest episode thread:

 

IGN: And we have heard that there is a zombie suitor down the line.

McIver: There’s a zombie suitor. A zombie gentleman caller. That’s a very exciting prospect for Liv. Again, it would have been great if Blaine had been a nice guy, but he’s not. There’s somebody she meets and respects and they have a really interesting journey together and the conflict that she has to struggle with with Major and her residual feelings for him and their predicament. They are two of those individual relationships that coexist – Well, not at the same time. There’s nothing happening at the same time. But it’s very hard to let go of somebody ,so her juggling those feelings is an interesting part of the show, I think. It’s nice for her to potentially find love again.

[Sakura12]

That would be interesting if Liv gets a zombie boyfriend. 

 

She played Crash Bandicoot that's awesome. I loved that game.

Edited March 30, 2015 by Sakura12

[taragel]

Episode 3 sneak peek clip. 

 

http://tvline.com/2015/03/30/izombie-season-1-spoilers-video-blaine-liv-brains/

[FurryFury]

I wonder who'll play the zombie LI. Mundane LI vs a supernatural one is a classic trope... but the mundane one is never more interesting. I wouldn't be shocked to see it repeated here.

[Julia]

OK, you know what's weird? Time Warner Cable doesn't appear to acknowledge the existence of this show. If I go directly to the On Demand section for the CW, it's there. If I go directly to the time the show is being aired in real time on the schedule, it's there. If I do a search for it in either place, nothing. This has been going on for weeks.

 

I wonder if they're in the middle of one of their many, many content provider feuds...

[dubbel zout]

Where are you, Julia? I'm in NYC, and my DVR picks up the show. I noticed last night that TNT is re-airing the show, though it's two weeks behind. I think the show is also repeated on the CW on Saturdays.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxUwn_RQuck

 

[Actionmage]

Robert Buckley is so goofy in the interviews that he is winning me over.  I hope Major gets more depth.

[editorgrrl]

OK, you know what's weird? Time Warner Cable doesn't appear to acknowledge the existence of this show. If I go directly to the On Demand section for the CW, it's there. If I go directly to the time the show is being aired in real time on the schedule, it's there. If I do a search for it in either place, nothing. This has been going on for weeks.

I can't search for it on Comcast (Xfinity), either. I just assumed they're using a special character for the lowercase "i" at the beginning of the title.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I don't know why the CW waited until today to release these two short interviews with Robert Buckley about Major, but here they are:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqpTruP45vA

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YZQCVqRHiQ

[ElectricBoogaloo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNUh9EelEyA

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxlaEy2d63Y

[Saje]

A friend dvr'd the episodes and I was able to see them in just a few days. I really like the Veronica Mars/Buffy feel that it has, though I wish the stories were more plausible (I know, zombies, but whatever). I do want to know more about the zombies and their stories, too. 

[Sakura12]

Silly quiz, which iZombie character are you?

 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/iramadison/which-izombie-character-are-you#.nuxaGYGPj

 

I got:

Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti

You don’t mind the sterile, depressing environment of a morgue because you find the humor in any situation. The unknown doesn’t scare you, it just intrigues you.

[FurryFury]

Haha it's been years since I've participated in such a quiz. Whatever, it's almost midnight here and I'm a bit drunk, so why not? 

(Choosing between Willow and Sheldon was a hard one, have to admit. Also, pick The CW zombie spin-off was the best question).

Anyway, I'm Peyton, apparently. My answers were absolutely random, so I guess this is why.

[Sakura12]

What's Peyton's say? 

[dubbel zout]

I'm Clive:

 

You don’t do things by-the-book, because you realize that the book was only written to protect the system. You’ll do whatever it takes to get to the truth, even if you have to face your darkest fears.

 

My favorite question was the zombie spinoff, too. Very clever.

[FurryFury]

What's Peyton's say?

 

Sadly I've already closed the page. I was too embarrassed, because Peyton's probably my least favorite character after Major. 

[editorgrrl]

What's Peyton's say? 

 

You have a smart legal mind and your number one fight is for justice. You’re also a really good friend and even when people don’t realize they need you, you don’t give up them. [is that an awkward attempt to not end a sentence with a preposition?]

[FurryFury]

[is that an awkward attempt to not end a sentence with a preposition?]

 

It seems like they've just missed "on".

 

(Also, as a non-native speaker, I have to ask: is not ending sentences with a preposition a rule or a guideline?)

[Cranberry]

You got: Liv Moore

You’ve always had your life planned out, but unfortunately, things took a turn for the zombie. You can find it hard to muster up emotion for the things life keeps hurtling after you, but a snack on some tasty brains always gives you a jolt of energy.

 

Accurate. I just finished off a nice brain pot pie before getting back to fixing a shitty Java program, in fact.

 

(Only one half of that sentence is true.)

[enlightenedbum]

It seems like they've just missed "on".

 

(Also, as a non-native speaker, I have to ask: is not ending sentences with a preposition a rule or a guideline?)

Guideline.  Your more snooty types say it's a rule, but it's not.

[dubbel zout]

If not ending a sentence with a preposition makes your sentence tortured—e.g., "that is a situation up with which I will not put"—end your sentence with a preposition.

[riley702]

I got Liv! Yay.

[fastiller]

 

(Also, as a non-native speaker, I have to ask: is not ending sentences with a preposition a rule or a guideline?)

 

As noted before, it's a guideline. My favourite quote about it is this one (it may be apocryphal):

 

“This is the sort of English up with which I will not put.” - Winston Churchill

[Julia]

Fairly or not, it's one of those grammatical rules people look kind of fussy and pedantic for insisting on. The joke is

 

X: Who did you come with?

Y: Where I come from, we don't end a sentence with a preposition.

X: No problem. Who did you come with, asshole?

[fastiller]

Fairly or not, it's one of those grammatical rules people look kind of fussy and pedantic for insisting on. ..

Yeah.  There's also/always the counter-argument that English is an ever-evolving entity and so it should grow and change.

[Julia]

Yeah.  There's also/always the counter-argument that English is an ever-evolving entity and so it should grow and change.

 

True. I'm pretty sure this one is one of those rules, like splitting an infinitive, that come from trying to make english track to latin. Which considering how many sources english has (The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary) seems like a losing fight, if it's even one that ought to be fought.

[CinnamonCat]

The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.

 

This is the most beautiful description of English linguistics I have ever heard. Goosebumps. Goosebumps!

 

Cancellation Bear (WTF?) promoted iZombie to Certain To Be Renewed: x

 

Also, that quiz said I was Peyton, so now I'm boycotting Buzzfeed. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ha, in light of the preposition discussion, I now present you with a cute clip of Rose McIver which features the CW's interns/monkeys not knowing the difference between "whose" and "who's."

Edited April 28, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[FurryFury]

Just as I was starting to really like Lowell, Bradley James' new show gets additional episodes.

[Impish Dragon]

Hopefully it won't interfere cuz I like Lowell and Liz/Lowell

[Julia]

If I'm right, they're just filming four new episodes? I think if he can handle twenty episodes a season on location in period costume he can handle both. After all, think about Mark Sheppard, who had biggish recurring roles in Leverage, White Collar, Warehouse 13 and Supernatural and at one point Dollhouse all at the same time and had time to do a bunch of guest shots.

 

Fingers crossed ;)