Brad Garrett seems to be merging into his post
”
Everybody Loves Raymond
”
life just fine. Garrett co-stars alongside Joely Fisher in the
new fall Fox comedy
”
Til Death
”
and, at first glance, the series seems to have all the right
ingredients to be a hit.
Brad Garrett seems to be merging into his post “Everybody Loves Raymond” life just fine. Garrett co-stars alongside Joely Fisher in the new fall Fox comedy “Til Death” and, at first glance, the series seems to have all the right ingredients to be a hit.
Garrett and Fisher play a couple who’ve been married for 20 years. When newlyweds move in next door, it forces the older couple to look at their own lives-and toss an emotional life preserver or two over the fence to their younger counterparts. Of course, we’ll have to see what the show’s writers are capable of. The energetic pilot is sharp, well-written and, thankfully, funny. It would be a shame if the series lost that verve. In the meantime, Garrett appeared in front of Television Critics in Pasadena this week to talk about the show, but a week prior to his TCA gig, I caught up with him via the phone at his home in Los Angeles to talk about the show, comedy and, of course, marriage.
“You know, I look at Eddy and Joy (on the show) and they are together for one reason: They got nowhere else to go,” Garrett jokes. “They don’t. He rants and raves and bellows and goes on, but at the end of the day, he knows she loves him. And what he tries to do with his new neighbor is tell him that, well, he’s got no shot. You know, I’m his window for where he’s going to be in 20 years, and he’s my window for where I wish I was.”
Garrett, who has two children with Jill Diven, raves about being a dad in real life. But, he admits – with a laugh – marriage can be “difficult.”
“If you’re really looking for a spouse, and you want to have kids, boy, just make sure they are going to be a great parent. Because at the end of day, it’s about the kid. And the No. 1 thing that will make a marriage work – and this is just coming from me and I know it’s not for everybody – is to let your wife date. It does two things. It opens up your free time, and it makes her see what she really lost out on. That’s what we call ‘coming full circle’ in the Jewish chain of life.”
“Til Death” premieres at 8pm Sept. 7 on Fox.
Powerful Dynamite
TNT continues to impress with its summer lineup. The recently bowed “Nightmares and Dreamscapes,” a four-week anthology of suspenseful goodies from the mind of Stephen King, did well among critics, fans and in the ratings. The last episode, dubbed “The Road Virus Heads North,” found Tom Berenger playing a famed writer who bought a painting that changed every time he looked at it. Oscar-winner Marsha Mason came on board the project, playing a concerned aunt. Although it was Mason’s first foray into sci-fi/suspense, she says she jumped at the chance because she was curious to see what it was like to utilize King’s material. “I just packed up my bags and went to Australia (where it was filmed),” Mason notes. “I was a big fan of Stephen King in the sense that I had not read a lot of his books, but I was curious to see how one translates fears and mystery and suspense through the camera because I had never really done that. I know how comedy works, and I know how drama works but it was a completely different thing.”
As for playing up the fear before the camera, Mason says that it “doesn’t so much come from the actor. It’s part of the director’s vision. You can’t translate fear. All I can do is try to be believable and real and see what the end result will be.” Well, it’s worked for Mason thus far. Note to Hollywood: Cast this fine actress in even more worthy television outings. Up next on TNT’s radar: The next episode of “Saved” (10pm Monday). True, I wasn’t initially drawn to the series when it debuted this summer, but I’ve warmed up to the alluring Tom Everett Scott in what could be one of the standout roles of his career. Monday’s episode features a surprise visit from Alice’s mother (Elizabeth Reaser), forcing Wyatt (Scott) to ponder everything about his relationship with the woman. One word: obsession.
Take note of how paramedic Angela de la Cruz (Tracy Vilar) and the freshman EMT Harper Sims (Michael McMillian). They may have more in common than viewers originally thought.
Target Practice?
Proving there’s really no end in sight to the kinds of reality TV offered, along comes the announcement from Fox about “Celebrity Duets.” The new series will find recording superstars trying to join creative hands with celebrities not famous for singing. The reason? Well, ratings, of course, but there is this: The show’s producer wants these curious pairings to create “beautiful music together.” Each week, expect to find celebrity participants – so long as they remain in the competition – to be paired with a different recording star. They’ll be mentored, choose songs and perform popular duets-live in front of a panel of judges a studio audience and TV viewers.
Sound familiar? It smells a lot like “Dancing With the Stars” to me. The good news? The roster: Cyndi Lauper, Smokey Robinson, Dionne Warwick, Randy Travis, Brian McKnight, Macy Gray, Patti LaBelle, Kenny Loggins, Chaka Khan, Richard Marx, Michael Bolton, Clint Black and Aaron Neville, among others. The two-hour premiere airs at 8pm Aug. 29.
Greg Archer is an entertainment writer based on the Central Coast. He writes about the TV, film and being human. E-mail him at ga*****@**********rs.com or visit www.greg-archer.com.
