Take Two - General Discussion

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[TWP]

Take Two begins filming on February 26 and WRAPS in July.  I wonder if it's a summer series?

https://www.spoilertv.com/2015/06/various-shows-production-dates.html

[Featherhat]

I guess it's just the initial 13 episodes they've currently scheduled for. I guess it will end up either fall or midseason and not be shown only a year later next summer, unless it's complete rubbish, but you never know. 

[371012]

Have just finished watching the first season of Hart of Dixie and I understand the casting of Rachel Bilson for sure!

[CheshireCat]

On ‎31‎.‎12‎.‎2017 at 8:02 PM, TWP said:

Take Two begins filming on February 26 and WRAPS in July.  I wonder if it's a summer series?

https://www.spoilertv.com/2015/06/various-shows-production-dates.html

For now it is. It'll premiere June 21st https://tvline.com/2018/05/14/take-two-abc-premiere-date-summer-rachel-bilson/

[TWP]

3 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

For now it is. It'll premiere June 21st https://tvline.com/2018/05/14/take-two-abc-premiere-date-summer-rachel-bilson/

From recent memory, I've known some scripted shows that have moved to summer (Quantico (which is now cancelled), Elementary), but I haven't known any that have moved from summer to fall.  Maybe Take Two will be the first?  But it would have to be a break out hit.

[Cranberry]

[Cranberry]

[BellyLaughter]

I’m gonna give this one a go.....early Castle was great....maybe this one can deliver on that level to??!! 

Not thrilled with the casting but fingers crossed I’m wrong on that! 

[ae2]

On 5/14/2018 at 12:14 PM, CheshireCat said:

For now it is. It'll premiere June 21st https://tvline.com/2018/05/14/take-two-abc-premiere-date-summer-rachel-bilson/

Funny that this article mentions the show's similarity to The Grinder, but fails to mention that it's exactly like Castle.

I've never watched any of Rachel Bilson's show, but I've liked her well enough when she's guest starred or been in movies. If they can capture a little bit of the charm of Castle this might be an okay show. 

[Cranberry]

 

This trailer made me laugh a couple times... and I do miss old-school Castle. I think this is worth a shot.

[SallyAlbright]

Definitely watching just for Rachel Bilson. She is underrated IMO, fantastic comic timing. Looking forward to seeing her in this. 

[TWP]

I am definitely mentally counting down for this show.  I either watch it or massive reruns of Family Feud.  I have already memorized Steve Harvey's spiel, know what a good answer is, and just can't do the FF anymore.  Broadcast TV is already a barren wasteland, with summer more barrenier and waste-landier.

Bring it on.  It can't come soon enough.

[Lady Calypso]

Quote

From Terri Edda Miller and Andrew W. Marlowe, the creators and executive producers of ABC's highly popular series "Castle," comes this upbeat detective series that follows Sam Swift (Rachel Bilson), the former star of a hit cop series whose epic breakdown is broadcast to the public and sends her to rehab. Desperate to restart her career, she talks her way into shadowing lone-wolf private investigator Eddie Valetik (Eddie Cibrian) as research for a potential comeback role. Though Eddie resents the babysitting gig, high-spirited Sam uses the skills she learned as an actor playing a cop and proves herself to be surprisingly valuable.

[Happywatcher]

Castle was my thought as well. Either this is going to be Castle with reversed genders, or it will be terrible. I can't tell which from the promo

[gaucho91]

I am 30 minutes in and this is exactly like Castle except painfully bad.  I am a Castle fanatic and have seen all of the episodes numerous times so I can tell when they are using the exact same jokes, dialogue, plot lines, etc.  They aren’t even trying to be original.  There is zero chance this show will ever be as good as Castle was.

Edited June 22, 2018 by gaucho91

[shapeshifter]

Well, it's got Jordan Gavaris (Felix on Orphan Black) as the ME.

It wasn't as bad as I expected.

 I fell asleep during the last main commercial break, but woke up in time to get the reason Eddie Cibrian's character still needs the actress (she draws much needed customers). Evidentally he's the rare PI who chooses catching the bad guy over getting paid (is that even a thing? I mean, are they typically mutually exclusive?), while the spoiled starlet doesn't seem to understand why it's necessary to earn money (because PI is a public service??), so they should make a good team (only on TV).

My biggest problem is that in my many years on this earth and many times around many blocks, I have never met anyone that peppy and cheery with a drug problem.

[KaveDweller]

It is a lot like Castle, plus with the added in jokes about lack of realism on Sam's cop show applying to Castle. They even had Rachel Bilson looking a lot like Kate Beckett in the clip of her on her TV show.

I kind of enjoyed it more than I expected, mostly because Rachel Bilson is so charming.  It's not going to win any awards but it is fun enough for a summer show.

2 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

My biggest problem is that in my many years on this earth and many times around many blocks, I have never met anyone that peppy and cheery with a drug problem.

That was my main problem.  Also, if she's just out of rehab shouldn't she be struggling to stay sober? But maybe they will dig into her addiction issues a few episodes in. They probably want to establish it as a mostly light-hearted show first. Of course, one of the problems Castle had was how it jumped from the dramatic episodes to the light ones with no transition or continuity.

[break21]

I wasn't going to watch and then I flipped back and forth.  It does make me appreciate the chemistry between Fillion and Katic even more. It was pretty bad.  Cilbrian is so sleazy to me I can't really watch it just because of him.   Bilson deserves better.

[Ms Lark]

Light fluff for the summer. Not much substance. I'll give it a chance since not much else on at this point. But mostly because:

 

17 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Well, it's got Jordan Gavaris (Felix on Orphan Black) as the ME.

Yeah, that.

Well, if Sam is so keen, why doesn't she take the training and get a P.I. license? Of course, difficulty varies depending on where this takes place (LA?).

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, KaveDweller said:

1 hour ago, shapeshifter said:

My biggest problem is that in my many years on this earth and many times around many blocks, I have never met anyone that peppy and cheery with a drug problem.

That was my main problem.  Also, if she's just out of rehab shouldn't she be struggling to stay sober? But maybe they will dig into her addiction issues a few episodes in. They probably want to establish it as a mostly light-hearted show first

I may have missed something, but is it too late for them to retcon that her falling down drunk/stoned/whatever was a one-off and that the rehab was just a PR move to get sympathy and prove she was all better now? If they do go that direction, they'd need at least one episode where Ms. Bright-n-Cheery meets someone who needs but has no means for rehab, and then, after some soul searching, she starts a go-fund-me type of project.

[RachelKM]

I'm a sucker for Rachel Bilson.  I watched Hart of Dixie to the bitter end.  She's always delightful.  Certainly this is following the Castle formula (though Castle didn't invent celebrity shadowing/partnering with a detective plot, it was just the TV version) but this more like early Caste before it got too dark and on my nerves.

Also, I will support Jordan Gavaris in any and all of his endeavors. 

So sure, I'm in for the summer.

Edited June 22, 2018 by RachelKM

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

mostly because Rachel Bilson is so charming

I couldn’t stand Castle because I didn’t like Stana and one of my dearest friend being obsessed with her and trying to force me to like it  so I liked this a lot more just because of Rachel. 

[TWP]

Is music director Robert Duncan really that one-note? (pardon the pun)  The background music was so Castle-like for me that the whole sense of the show was that someone took an empty Castle container and placed two new actors inside.  What a mistake to copy Castle music so closely.   

Also, the irony was not lost on me that in the end, MilMar were the instigators of "Castle PI," the arch nemesis of some of the fandom.  Unfortunately Eddie Cibrian is no Nathan Fillion.

But it's a good enough show for multitasking TV watching and I'll more than likely get some productive quilting time for at least an hour a week this summer.

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, TWP said:

Is music director Robert Duncan really that one-note? (pardon the pun) 

I guess when Marlowe/Edda go for copying their last show, they go all the way? I say this as no insult intended, but since this is basically a Castle clone with other actors, well...it's clear Marlowe and Edda didn't exactly do anything new themselves, so maybe Duncan is the right choice for this show. Let's face it: The likes of, say, Mike Post usually don't do straight froth - or hasn't in a while. (Someone like Danny Elfman would probably have a bit of fun with this, maybe.)

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, TWP said:

Eddie Cibrian is no Nathan Fillion

True, but Eddie Cibrian is sort of a Stana Katic equivalent.

The real question then (IMO) is whether Rachel Bilson is a Nathan Fillion.
—I've never watched her in anything, but Nathan Fillion isn't just charming; he has comic timing, and does self-deprecating without losing his I'm-still-debonair self-confidence.

Edited June 22, 2018 by shapeshifter

[TVJunkee]

I never watched Castle at all so can't compare, but I did actually enjoy this.  Except the whole time I kept saying to myself, I can't believe Leanne let Eddie do this.  Rachel Bilson was so cute and perky that she (L) has got to be steaming with jealousy.   I did enjoy that Rachel (what's her character's name?) didn't obey any of Eddie's directives to stay in the car or keep her mouth shut.  Unlike Lou Grant, I LIKE spunk.  And since this is a fluffy comedy I guess, nobody got killed. 

[break21]

Ratings were pretty bad - they'll burn it off during the summer.  I do wonder why this ever got made?

[Jillybean]

This seemed like a purposely-bad parody. I'd say Rachel deserves better, but I quit on Hart of Dixie after a few episodes. Maybe The OC was a fluke.

[threebluestars]

I noticed some really REALLY bad ADR. To the point of the lips and voices not matching even a little.

I've never seen Bilson in anything, and I thought her acting was pretty weak.

Overall it's just too similar to Castle and I don't understand why the showrunners would want to make a crappy copy of Castle. Well, aside from money.

[KaveDweller]

5 hours ago, threebluestars said:

Overall it's just too similar to Castle and I don't understand why the showrunners would want to make a crappy copy of Castle. Well, aside from money.

Lack of creativity or skills to come up with another idea? Or just laziness.

[TWP]

On ‎6‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 3:19 AM, shapeshifter said:

True, but Eddie Cibrian is sort of a Stana Katic equivalent.

The real question then (IMO) is whether Rachel Bilson is a Nathan Fillion.
—I've never watched her in anything, but Nathan Fillion isn't just charming; he has comic timing, and does self-deprecating without losing his I'm-still-debonair self-confidence.

Oh I agree.  It was more that the "they're trying to turn it into Castle PI!" fandom horror scenario I mentioned in my post would be about Nathan playing the role, so I had to compare Eddie to Nathan. 

Nathan would do the straight-laced role very well.  His facial expressions are beautifully subtle while staying meaningful and natural and he would bring some depth to the task....although it would be a total waste of him.

My spouse thinks the show is cute and "no worse than Castle."  And he is a Firefly fan.  So maybe I'm just being too critical because we're missing our favorite actors.

The ratings weren't that bad for a summer show.  It's certainly not a breakout hit but it's keeping up with the Jones'es.  

[TWP]

14 hours ago, KaveDweller said:

Lack of creativity or skills to come up with another idea? Or just laziness.

Don't forget that it's cheap. I'm guessing that making a Castle copy wherein you hire the same people who could now do the exact Castle work in their sleep is really cheap.  They clearly copied and pasted on the music, at least.

I am so glad they did this exercise.  I can't think of time when a more scientific experiment was done by a major network to show what a difference actors make.  Unfortunately, I suspect the point for MilMar was to prove that they were the key people responsible for Castle's success and a show with different actors would still be as successful.  Ooops to them.  Maybe they truly will "respect the process" now ;-).

Edited June 23, 2018 by TWP

[Guest]

I liked the storyline but I thought the lead actress was SO BAD. Plus it was overly predictable, but I predicted the predictability so it wasn’t unwatchable.

[DeafAngelboy23]

I’m only watching this on Hulu just for Rachel Bilson. Is this a tryout show or ABC actually wanted a summer series? No pun intended on Summer ?

[juliet73]

I think this is a good show for summer. I'd much rather watch this than a reality or revived 80's game show. 

I've read that Eddie Cibrian is a douche in real life, but he is easy on the eyes for sure. Unfortunately, every show he's in, never gets a second season so I don't have high hopes for this one.

[dubbel zout]

This show is absolutely Castle-lite, but I find Rachel Bilson so charming that I can overlook every copycat moment and Eddie Cibrian's innate touchiness. Sue me! (Please don't. I'm very poor.)

[NeenerNeener]

I love Jordan Gavaris, but I wish he was in a better show. This is just painfully bad. I don't think I can watch any more of this even as summer fluff.

[371012]

I liked the detective's tech person. I liked the detective better than I expected. I don't think Rachel Bilson has much (any?) depth as an actress, very much the same in all roles, yet I still enjoy her. When I watched Hart of Dixie I repeatedly thought she resembled Stana Katic which brings me to my 'Straight From Castle' commentary:

1. I will handcuff you to the steering wheel next time (but I don't see her doing the awesome cop theme riff NF pulled off).

2. Last detective show you were in with 5 inch heels and runway clothes (little meta anyone?).

3. Cell phone ringing at inopportune moment

Actually, we could have a fun time with a Straight from Castle topic and not bring down those who weren't Castle-watchers...overall, nowhere near the same chemistry out of the gate, but fun enough to DVR for the summer.

[SomeTameGazelle]

[tennisgurl]

I am actually pretty surprised at all the comments about how bad this was, when I thought it was quite serviceable for a summer show. I mean, everyone's opinions are their own, but I actually am starting to question my own taste a bit. Rachel Bilson is always charming, and PI guy is alright, and they have nice chemistry. I read this board before I watched the show, and I admit it, I kept waiting for the incredible badness that was promised to me, to get some cheap laughs, and it never came. Its the summer equivalent of a Cozy Mystery, a sun kissed Hallmark Mystery that my mom would like. Maybe I just have a low bar for television? Or maybe I've seen so many truly abysmal shows, that this doesn't even enter my bad radar? Or maybe its because I never got that into Castle, only watching an episode here or there, so I have nothing to really compare it to?

Anyway, I will give it a few more episodes, as I like the cast (Felix!!!), the premise isnt bad, and I think this could be fun and breezy. I liked it, even if I might end up forgetting its on if I get busy. Its already better than a few other shows that shall not be named that I tried as my breezy summer show.

[greyflannel]

I liked it. For a pilot, it wasn't bad and I love Rachel Bilson. I'll tolerate Cibrian. I think I'll enjoy it a lot more than Instinct, which I thought I would love, but only managed a few episodes before pulling the plug.

[TWP]

17 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I am actually pretty surprised at all the comments about how bad this was, when I thought it was quite serviceable for a summer show. I mean, everyone's opinions are their own, but I actually am starting to question my own taste a bit. Rachel Bilson is always charming, and PI guy is alright, and they have nice chemistry. I read this board before I watched the show, and I admit it, I kept waiting for the incredible badness that was promised to me, to get some cheap laughs, and it never came. Its the summer equivalent of a Cozy Mystery, a sun kissed Hallmark Mystery that my mom would like. Maybe I just have a low bar for television? Or maybe I've seen so many truly abysmal shows, that this doesn't even enter my bad radar? Or maybe its because I never got that into Castle, only watching an episode here or there, so I have nothing to really compare it to?

Anyway, I will give it a few more episodes, as I like the cast (Felix!!!), the premise isnt bad, and I think this could be fun and breezy. I liked it, even if I might end up forgetting its on if I get busy. Its already better than a few other shows that shall not be named that I tried as my breezy summer show.

I can't speak for everyone, only for myself.  I didn't think it was bad, just that it wasn't nearly as good as Castle and that the difference falls squarely on the actors.

I think it's a cute show, which is what Castle likely would have been if Cibrian and Bilson had been cast.  It's light fare, amusing, but nothing to write home about..

[dubbel zout]

I don't think it's supposed to be anything but light and amusing, a forgettable summer show. I think there's a place for shows like this.

[Lady Calypso]

Quote

While working surveillance on a routine cheating spouse case, Sam and Eddie hear gunshots and race in to catch a Hollywood producer standing over the body of his mistress, clutching a smoking gun. It’s case-closed as far as Eddie or any cop is concerned. But when the producer insists he’s innocent, Sam agrees to take on his case, much to Eddie’s chagrin. When their initial inquiries uncover that the producer’s mistress isn’t who she claimed to be, the pair are thrust into an investigation where not everything is as it seems.

[chitowngirl]

It’s no Motive, but as long as this stays a summer show, I’m in. It’ll never make it as a Fall or Mid season replacement.

Edited June 29, 2018 by chitowngirl

[shapeshifter]

A strong episode, but the next one has a different writer, so I'm not going to get my hopes up.

[CaptainTightpants]

I was interested in this show for Rachel Bilson. She is so watchable and charming that I thought it would be worth a look even with the corny premise. 

I have been very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the rest of the cast! So far there are literally no low notes. I really enjoy the coroner who has a crush on Sam and Eddie's assistant, both introduced in the pilot. But now with the cyborg PA (awesome) and Eddie's old partner Zeus (also awesome) the cast is starting to fill out. I absolutely love Lamont Thompson so I was very pleased to see him brought on board. 

Eddie's not-girlfriend Det. Rollins is a nice addition as a competent professional. It is also a treat to see a show where all of the women are awesome and getting along. I can't even remember the last time that I've seen such a show!

So far I think the character interactions are the strongest thing about the show. The cases themselves are not that interesting to me as I am not much into the "detecting" part of the show. But I am enjoying this much more than I expected to. 

I adore Nathan Fillion so I watched Castle, but I couldn't stand the female lead so I eventually gave it up. I am actually enjoying this show more because of the great casting choices so far.