Awards Daily TV

Via Press Release:

TV Legends James Burrows & Robert Butler to Receive

Inaugural DGA Lifetime Achievement Award in Television

 ~Prestigious Honor to be Presented at the 67^th Annual DGA Awards~

 Los Angeles – Directors Guild of America President Paris Barclay today announced that legendary directors James Burrows and Robert Butler will be the first recipients of a new DGA Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Television Direction, in honor of each director’s groundbreaking career.

“For those out there who’ve wondered what kind of impact a television director can have on the medium: Jim Burrows and Bob Butler provide the answers. That’s why we’re beyond thrilled to establish a new award, and to inaugurate it with two men who have had an incomparable influence over decades of precedent-setting television directing,” said Barclay.  “They’ve shaped the history of television in ways too numerous to calculate, including directing the pilots for some of the most iconic television shows ever.  Jim, who will soon helm his thousandth television episode, remains one of the most in-demand pilot directors in the business, having long since established his deft comedic touch on shows like Taxi, Cheers, Friends, Will & Grace, and The Big Bang Theory. Bob set the tone and broke the rules on pilots for Hogan’s Heroes, Star Trek, Batman, Hill Street Blues, and Moonlighting. Between the two of them, there are very few people in America who haven’t laughed, cried and/or cheered while watching their work.  They have truly changed the face of television.”

This new award was created by the Board of Directors this year, and will join the Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction in being the two highest honors bestowed by the DGA.  In the Guild’s 78-year history, only 34 directors have been recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction, including Cecil B. DeMille (the award’s first recipient in 1953), Frank Capra (1959), Alfred Hitchcock (1968), Stanley Kubrick (1997), Steven Spielberg (2000), and most recently, Milos Forman (2013).  The winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Television Direction are nominated by a blue ribbon committee of prominent television directors and approved by the present and past presidents of the Guild.

“I am honored and touched to receive this inaugural DGA lifetime achievement award in television directing. I’m proud to accept this award in conjunction with Robert Butler, who I respect for his incredible work in television,” said Burrows.  “To be lucky enough to work with great writers and actors is a blessing, but this is unbelievable.”

“Burrows-Butler is a great pair.  To be DGA-recognized is truly meteoric,” added Butler.

The Awards will be presented at the 67^th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, February 7, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

James Burrows

With more than 40 years directing many of the most critically-acclaimed and audience-beloved sitcoms of all time, James Burrows is considered the modern master of the sophisticated comedy. Famous for turning sitcoms into high art, with a particular knack for working with actors, Burrows set the bar in comedy direction.

Burrows may be best known, among his many accomplishments, as the co-creator of the long-running and critically acclaimed series Cheers. Burrows has served as a director-executive producer on many series including Will & Grace (for which he directed every episode), The Class, Back to You, and Mike & Molly.

Known for his comic timing, adding a fourth camera to the classic multi-cam setup, and his mastery of pilots, Burrows has directed episodes of more than 100 series, among them; The Bob Newhart Show, Rhoda, Laverne & Shirley, Lou Grant, Taxi, The Tony Randall Show, The Associates, Cheers, The Hogan Family, Night Court, Dear John, Wings, Frasier, Friends, NewsRadio, 3^rd Rock from the Sun, Dharma & Greg, Caroline in the City, The Class, Courting Alex, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls, and Partners.  He has directed the pilots for more than 50 television series, many of which have gained iconic status and gone on to enjoy long and successful runs on television, including Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, Friends, Will & Grace, Two and a Half Men, and The Big Bang Theory.

Nominated 21 times for a DGA Award and 43 times for a Primetime Emmy (as a director and executive producer), Burrows won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series four times: for Cheers (both 1983 and 1990); the pilot of Frasier (1993); and Will & Grace (2000) and the Primetime Emmy for directing five times.

Born in Los Angeles, Burrows, whose father Abe Burrows was a successful playwright and stage director, moved to his family’s native New York as a young child so that his father could continue his work on Broadway.  Burrows attended New York’s High School of Music & Arts and Oberlin College and was then accepted to the Yale University School of Drama’s graduate program.

Upon graduating, Burrows moved back to Los Angeles in 1965 after being offered the position of dialogue coach for actor Burl Ives on the television series O.K. Crackerby!  After the series ended its run, Burrows moved to New York to work first as a show technician and then as stage manager for a Broadway rendition of Holly Golightly, written and directed by his father and Edward Albee. As a stage manager, Burrows experienced his first taste of directing, as one of his duties was to direct the plays’ understudies. This segued into his first off-Broadway stage directing job for The Castro Complex, followed by directing the traveling play 40 Carats which led to directing productions ofNorman, Is That You?, Mr. Roberts, and The Odd Couple, among others.  Burrows’ success in the theatre led to an offer to direct an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1974, and he has been working steadily and successfully in television ever since.

Burrows joined the DGA in 1974.  He has served as a trustee of the Directors Guild Foundation since 2001.

Robert Butler

Few directors have altered the trajectory of one-hour drama series as much as Robert Butler.  From devising the look and feel of pivotal programs for decades to influencing and mentoring many of today’s top directors, Butler’s overall impact is immeasurable.

With three episodes of Hennessey in 1960, Butler began a nearly 50-year directing career.  He directed many of the most popular shows such as Twilight Zone, The Defenders, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Gunsmoke, The Untouchables, I Spy and The Fugitive, as well as the pilots for such seminal television series as Hogan’s Heroes, his first, shot in black and white, the initial Star Trek, Batman,Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Remington Steele, which he created, Hill Street Blues and Moonlighting among others.

Butler won the DGA’s Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Dramatic Series in 1973 for The Waltons and again in 1984 for the Hill Street Blues pilot, which was credited with setting a new face and style for all police procedurals.  His specials and long-form shows include The Blue Knight, likely the first four-hour television mini-series ever aired, for which he won multiple Emmys and was nominated for a DGA Award, Dark Victory, and HBO’s White Mile, the river rafting courtroom drama.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Butler was initially a musician at NBC on the Hoagy Carmichael Teenagers band.  Interrupting his years at UCLA, he enlisted in the Army Ground Forces Band, graduating later and taking a job in the early 1950s as an usher at CBS just as live television was developing.  Over the next seven years, Butler became a stage manager and associate director on many CBS shows including Climax! and Playhouse 90 and worked with directors Franklin Schaffner, John Frankenheimer and Arthur Penn, an experience he considers priceless to his own development and career.

Butler joined the DGA in 1959.  He served 11 consecutive terms on the DGA National Board starting in 1985, including two terms as Fifth Vice President.  He also served on the Western Directors Council from 1974-2005 and on the Directors Guild Foundation since 1988, a position he continues to hold today. Butler also served repeatedly on the Negotiations Committee and was a member of the Residuals Study Committee.

In 2001, the DGA honored Butler with the Robert B. Aldrich Achievement Award in recognition of his decades of service to the Guild and its membership.

* * *

Nominations for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film will be announced onJanuary 13, 2015.  Nominations for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television, Commercials, and Documentary will be announced on January 14, 2015. 

BMW is the Exclusive Automotive Sponsor of the 67^th Annual DGA Awards. 

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) announced their television nominees this morning. The hardware will be handed out on Saturday, February 14, 2015.

DRAMA SERIES

• Game of Thrones, Written by David Benioff, Bryan Cogman, George R.R. Martin, D.B. Weiss; HBO
• The Good Wife, Written by Leonard Dick, Keith Eisner, Matthew Hodgson, Ted Humphrey, Michelle King, Robert King, Erica Shelton Kodish, Matthew Montoya, Luke Schelhaas, Nichelle Tramble Spellman, Craig Turk, Julia Wolfe; CBS
• House of Cards, Written by Bill Cain, Laura Eason, Sam R. Forman, William Kennedy, Kenneth Lin, John Mankiewicz, David Manson, Beau Willimon; Netflix
• Mad Men, Written by Heather Jeng Bladt, Semi Chellas, Jonathan Igla, David Iserson, Erin Levy, Matthew Weiner, Carly Wray; AMC
• True Detective, Written by Nic Pizzolatto; HBO

COMEDY SERIES

• Louie, Written by Louis CK; FX
• Orange Is the New Black, Written by Stephen Falk, Sian Heder, Tara Herrmann, Sara Hess, Nick Jones, Jenji Kohan, Lauren Morelli, Alex Regnery, Hartley Voss; Netflix
• Silicon Valley, Written by John Altschuler, Alec Berg, Matteo Borghese, Jessica Gao, Mike Judge, Dave Krinsky, Carson Mell, Dan O’Keefe, Clay Tarver, Rob Turbovsky, Ron Weiner; HBO
• Transparent, Written by Bridget Bedard, Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster, Ethan Kuperberg, Ali Liebegott, Faith Soloway, Jill Soloway; Amazon Prime
• Veep, Written by Simon Blackwell, Kevin Cecil, Roger Drew, Sean Gray, Armando Iannucci, Ian Martin, Georgia Pritchett, David Quantick, Andy Riley, Tony Roche, Will Smith; HBO

NEW SERIES

• The Affair, Written by Dan LeFranc, Hagai Levi, Melanie Marnich, Eric Overmyer, Kate Robin, Sarah Treem; Showtime
• The Knick, Written by Jack Amiel, Michael Begler, Steven Katz; Cinemax
• Silicon Valley, Written by John Altschuler, Alec Berg, Matteo Borghese, Jessica Gao, Mike Judge, Dave Krinsky, Carson Mell, Dan O’Keefe, Clay Tarver, Rob Turbovsky, Ron Weiner; HBO
• Transparent, Written by Bridget Bedard, Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster, Ethan Kuperberg, Ali Liebegott, Faith Soloway, Jill Soloway; Amazon Prime
• True Detective, Written by Nic Pizzolatto; HBO

LONG FORM ORIGINAL

• Deliverance Creek, Written by Melissa Carter; Lifetime
• Return to Zero, Written by Sean Hanish; Lifetime

LONG FORM ADAPTED

• Houdini, Written by Nicholas Meyer; Based on the book Houdini: A Mind in Chains: A Psychoanalytic Portrait by Bernard C. Meyer, M.D.; History Channel
• Klondike, Parts One, Three and Six, Teleplay by Paul T. Scheuring, Parts Two, Four and Five, Teleplay by Josh Goldin & Rachel Abramowitz, Based on the book Gold Diggers by Charlotte Gray; Discovery Channel
• The Normal Heart, Teleplay by Larry Kramer, Based on his play The Normal Heart; HBO
• Olive Kitteridge, Teleplay by Jane Anderson, Based on the novel by Elizabeth Strout; HBO
• “Pilot” (The Leftovers), Teleplay by Damon Lindelof & Tom Perrotta, Based on the book by Tom Perrotta; HBO

ANIMATION

• “Bob and Deliver” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Greg Thompson; Fox
• “Brick Like Me” (The Simpsons), Written by Brian Kelley; Fox
• “Covercraft” (The Simpsons), Written by Matt Selman; Fox
• “Pay Pal” (The Simpsons), Written by David Steinberg; Fox
• “Steal This Episode” (The Simpsons), Written by J. Stewart Burns; Fox
• “Work Hard or Die Trying, Girl” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Nora Smith; Fox

EPISODIC DRAMA

• “A Day’s Work” (Mad Men), Written by Jonathan Igla and Matthew Weiner; AMC
• “Devil You Know” (Boardwalk Empire), Written by Howard Korder; HBO
• “Donald the Normal” (Rectify), Written by Kate Powers & Ray McKinnon; Sundance Channel
• “Friendless Child” (Boardwalk Empire), Written by Riccardo DiLoreto & Cristine Chambers and Howard Korder; HBO
• “The Last Call” (The Good Wife), Written by Robert King & Michelle King; CBS
• “The Lion and the Rose” (Game of Thrones), Written for Television by George R.R. Martin; HBO

EPISODIC COMEDY

• “The Cold” (Modern Family), Written by Rick Wiener & Kenny Schwartz; ABC
• “Landline” (New Girl), Written by Rob Rosell; Fox
• “Low Self Esteem City” (Orange Is the New Black), Written by Nick Jones; Netflix
• “So Did the Fat Lady” (Louie), Written by Louis C.K.; FX
• “Three Dinners” (Modern Family), Written by Abraham Higginbotham & Steven Levitan & Jeffrey Richman; ABC
• “The Wilderness” (Transparent), Written by Ethan Kuperberg; Amazon Prime

COMEDY / VARIETY (INCLUDING TALK) – SERIES

• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Writers: Rory Albanese, Dan Amira, Steve Bodow, Tim Carvell, Travon Free, Hallie Haglund, JR Havlan, Elliott Kalan, Matt Koff, Adam Lowitt, Dan McCoy, Jo Miller, John Oliver, Zhubin Parang, Owen Parsons, Daniel Radosh, Lauren Sarver, Jon Stewart, Delaney Yeager; Comedy Central
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Writers: Kevin Avery, Tim Carvell, Dan Gurewitch, Geoff Haggerty, Jeff Maurer, John Oliver, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner; HBO
• Inside Amy Schumer, Head Writer: Jessi Klein Writers: Emily Altman, Jeremy Beiler, Neil Casey, Kyle Dunnigan, Kurt Metzger, Christine Nangle, Dan Powell, Amy Schumer; Comedy Central
• The Colbert Report, Writers: Michael Brumm, Nate Charny, Aaron Cohen, Stephen Colbert, Rich Dahm, Paul Dinello, Eric Drysdale, Rob Dubbin, Ariel Dumas, Glenn Eichler, Gabe Gronli, Barry Julien, Jay Katsir, Sam Kim, Matt Lappin, Opus Moreschi, Tom Purcell, Meredith Scardino, Max Werner; Comedy Central
• Jimmy Kimmel Live, Head Writers: Molly McNearney, Danny Ricker, Gary Greenberg Writers: Jack Allison, Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Joelle Boucai, Josh Halloway, Sal Iacono, Eric Immerman, Bess Kalb, Jimmy Kimmel, Jeff Loveness, Bryan Paulk, Rick Rosner, Bridger Winegar; ABC
• Saturday Night Live, Head Writers: Seth Meyers, Colin Jost, Rob Klein, Bryan Tucker Writers:  James Anderson, Alex Baze, Michael Che, Mikey Day, Steve Higgins, Leslie Jones, Zach Kanin, Chris Kelly, Erik Kenward, Lorne Michaels, Claire Mulaney, Josh Patten, Paula Pell, Katie Rich, Tim Robinson, Sarah Schneider, Pete Schultz, John Solomon, Kent Sublette, Lakendra Tookes; NBC
• Real Time with Bill Maher, Head Writer: Billy Martin Writers: Scott Carter, Adam Felber, Matt Gunn, Brian Jacobsmeyer, Jay Jaroch, Chris Kelly, Bill Maher, Danny Vermont; HBO

COMEDY / VARIETY – MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES – SPECIALS

• The 68th Annual Tony Awards, Written by Dave Boone; Special Material by Jon Macks; CBS
• 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards, Written by Barry Adelman; Special Material by Alex Baze, Dave Boone, Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Jon Macks, Sam Means, Seth Meyers, Amy Poehler, Mike Shoemaker; NBC
• 2014 Film Independent Spirit Awards, Written by Gerry Duggan, Wayne Federman, Patton Oswalt, Erik Weiner; IFC
• Bill Maher: Live from D.C., Written by Bill Maher; HBO
• Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles, Written by Sarah Silverman; HBO

QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

• Hollywood Game Night, Head Writer: Grant Taylor; Writers: Alex Chauvin, Ann Slichter; NBC
• Jeopardy!, Written by John Duarte, Harry Friedman, Mark Gaberman, Debbie Griffin, Michele Loud, Robert McClenaghan, Jim Rhine, Steve D. Tamerius, Billy Wisse; ABC

DAYTIME DRAMA

• Days of Our Lives, Written by Lorraine Broderick, David Cherrill, Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton, Rick Draughon, Christopher Dunn, Janet Iacobuzio, Ryan Quan, Dave Ryan, Melissa Salmons, Christopher Whitesell; NBC
• General Hospital, Written by Ron Carlivati, Anna Theresa Cascio, Suzanne Flynn, Kate Hall, Elizabeth Korte, Daniel James O’Connor, Elizabeth Page, Katherine Schock, Scott Sickles, Chris Van Etten; ABC

CHILDREN’S SCRIPT – EPISODIC AND SPECIALS

• “Girl Meets 1961” (Girl Meets World), Written by Matthew Nelson; Disney Channel
• “Haunted Heartthrob” (Haunted Hathaways), Written by Bob Smiley; Nickelodeon
• “Haunted Sisters” (Haunted Hathaways), Written by Boyce Bugliari & Jamie McLaughlin; Nickelodeon

DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS

• “Losing Iraq” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
• “United States of Secrets: Privacy Lost (Part Two)” (Frontline), Written by Martin Smith; PBS
• “United States of Secrets: The Program (Part One)” (Frontline); PBS; Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS

DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS

• “Episode Five: The Rising Road (1933-1939)” (The Roosevelts: An Intimate History), Written by Geoffrey C. Ward; PBS
• “League of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
• “Standing Up in the Milky Way (Episode 1)” (COSMOS: A Space Time Odyssey), Written by Ann Druyan and Steven Soter; Fox

TV NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT

• “50th Anniversary of JFK’s Assassination” (CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley), Written by Jerry Cipriano, Joe Clines; CBS News
• CBS This Morning, Written by Duane Tollison, Chip Sorrentino, Bruce Meyer, Bill Crowley; CBS News
• “Nelson Mandela: A Man Who Changed the World” (World News with Diane Sawyer), Written by Diane Sawyer, Lisa Ferri, Dave Bloch; ABC News

TV NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY

• “Nowhere to Go” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Oriana Zill de Granados & Michael Rey; CBS

No idea why anyone pays attention to these, but here you go! Basically, everything gets a nomination

Television Series, Comedy or Musical

• Alpha House
• Louie
• Orange is the New Black
• Silicon Valley
• The Big Bang Theory
• Transparent
• Veep
• Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Television Series, Drama

• The Affair
• Fargo
• Halt and Catch Fire
• House of Cards
• The Fall
• Hannibal
• The Knick
• True Detective

Television Series, Genre

• The Leftovers
• American Horror Story
• Game Of Thrones
• Grimm
• Penny Dreadful
• Sleepy Hollow
• The Walking Dead
• The Strain

Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television

• David Suchet, Agatha Christie’s Poirot
• Dominic Cooper, Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond
• Kiefer Sutherland, 24: Live Another Day
• Stephen Rea, The Honourable Woman
• Richard Jenkins, Olive Kitteridge
• Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart

Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical

• Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
• Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
• John Goodman, Alpha House
• Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley
• William H. Macy, Shameless
• Louis C.K., Louie

Actor in a Series, Drama

• Woody Harrelson, True Detective
• Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo
• Charlie Hunnam, Sons of Anarchy
• Clive Owen, The Knick
• Lee Pace, Halt and Catch Fire
• Martin Freeman, Fargo
• Mads Mikkelsen, Hannibal
• Michael Sheen, Masters of Sex

Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Matt Bomer, The Normal Heart
• Peter Dinklage, Game Of Thrones
• Rory Kinnear, Penny Dreadful
• Christopher Eccleston, The Leftovers
• André Holland, The Knick
• Jimmy Smits, Sons of Anarchy

Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television

• Kristen Wiig, The Spoils of Babylon
• Ann Dowd, The Leftovers
• Nicola Walker, Last Tango in Halifax
• Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful on Broadway
• Sarah Lancashire, Happy Valley
• Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honourable Woman
• Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge

Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical

• Mindy Kaling, The Mindy Project
• Taylor Schilling, Orange is the New Black
• Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
• Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
• Emmy Rossum, Shameless
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep

Actress in a Series, Drama

• Eva Green, Penny Dreadful
• Gillian Anderson, The Fall
• Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
• Kerri Russell, The Americans
• Lizzy Caplan, Masters of Sex
• Robin Wright, House of Cards
• Ruth Wilson, The Affair
• Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black

Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Allison Tolman, Fargo
• Michelle Monaghan, True Detective
• Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story
• Zoe Kazan, Olive Kitteridge

Miniseries Made for Television

• 24: Live Another Day
• Endeavour
• Olive Kitteridge
• Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond
• Happy Valley
• The Honourable Woman
• The Spoils of Babylon
• The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
• Sherlock

Motion Picture Made for Television

• The Normal Heart
• Turks & Caicos

Television Ensemble

• The Knick

Here are  your 2015 Producers Guild of America Nominees. Hardware will be handed out January 24, 2015.

Episodic Television, Drama:

• Breaking Bad
• Downton Abbey
• Game Of Thrones
• House Of Cards
• True Detective

Episodic Television, Comedy:

• The Big Bang Theory
• Louie
• Modern Family
• Orange Is The New Black
• Veep

Non-Fiction Television:

• 30 For 30
• American Masters
• Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
• COSMOS: A SpaceTime Odyssey
• Shark Tank

Competition Television:

• The Amazing Race
• Dancing With The Stars
• Project Runway
• Top Chef
• The Voice

Live Entertainment & Talk Television

• The Colbert Report
• Jimmy Kimmel Live
• Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
• Real Time With Bill Maher
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Sports Program

• 24/7
• Hard Knocks: Training Camp With The Atlanta Falcons
• Hard Knocks: Training Camp With The Cincinnati Bengals
• Inside: U.S. Soccer’s March To Brazil
• Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel

Children’s Program

• Dora The Explorer
• Sesame Street
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Toy Story OF TERROR!
• Wynton Marsalis: A YoungArts Masterclass

Digital Series

• 30 For 30 Shorts
• Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee
• COSMOS: A National Geographic Deeper Dive
• Epic Rap Battles Of History
• Video Game High School Season 3

Via: Hitfix

AMC aired a very small taste of Better Call Saul, its upcoming Breaking Bad prequel, during tonight’s midseason finale of The Walking Dead. AMC has a lot riding on the new show as they haven’t been able to capitalize on Breaking Bad‘s stunning success beyond Mad Men (ending next spring) or The Walking Dead despite many high profile and prestigious shows like Turn or Halt and Catch Fire.

The sneak peek does give fans of the original show some reassurance that the new show will deliver by returning to many of their favorite Breaking Bad characters. In it, Saul (Bob Odenkirk) has a brief skirmish with Mike (Jonathan Banks) over parking.

For those who missed the clip, AMC has made it available on their website with additional detail about the hotly anticipated series.

Better Call Saul will have a 2-night series premiere on February 8 and 9, 2015.

The Walking Dead begins its midseason finale, appropriately titled “Coda,” with a lot of running. Officer Bob, last seen knocking Sasha unconscious, is now fleeing not only walkers steadily in pursuit but also Rick Grimes, hot on the heels of his presumed bargaining chip with Grady Memorial’s Oficer Dawn.

Unfortunately for Officer Bob, Rick doesn’t fuck around. Rick jumps in a police car and takes the chase from on-foot to on-wheels. After one warning, Rick violently plows into Bob, most likely breaking his spine and paralyzing him. Just before Rick shoots Bob in the head, Bob warns them they will all die.

“Shut up,” Rick eloquently responds. After a bullet to the brain.

If this setup didn’t tell you that the midseason finale meant business, then you’re not paying attention. They’re broadcasting it loud and proud.

Next, we return to Father Gabriel, last seen fleeing a religious zombie in the woods. Gabriel finds the abandoned, walker-filled elementary school last occupied by Gareth and his merry band of cannibals. We even get a glimpse of a (Bob’s?) severed leg roasting on a formerly open fire. Gabriel hangs out long enough to lure enough walkers and give them time to break through the glass door. He then (brilliantly) lures them back to the church where Michonne, CAR-UL, and baby Judith are holed up. Of course, they are no match for the roaming hoard, and they lose the only shelter they had. They do manage to trap the zombies in the church and escape through the hole Gabriel left in the floor.

The best sight gag in the episode happens here as the walkers saunter down the church’s aisle. Written above the alter just over the walkers is a Bible verse: “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life.” Sometimes, it’s the small things in life that give me pleasure.

Waiting outside for a new plan, Father Gabriel and gang are saved by Abraham and his massive, bloody fire truck. They reunite, hug, and share the joy with Maggie that Beth is alive and holed-up in Grady Memorial.

Speaking of Grady Memorial, we get a couple of interspersed scenes back there of Beth chatting with her new BFF Officer Dawn, but these don’t (yet) have the gravitas and thrill of the others. They’re clearly trying to humanize Dawn as she struggles to maintain order and control over the hospital. Another cop eventually challenges Dawn, attacking her in a brutal fistfight. Beth steps in, and the two women overpower the attacking cop. Dawn allows Beth to push him down the open elevator shaft, making that a grand total of two cops that Beth has now killed. Remember, she let walker Keisha Castle-Hughes maul the rapey cop a few episodes back.

Carol and Michonne are not the only badass bitches on this show.

Ah, Carol. Just when I thought she was due another epic, “Grove”-level episode, we continue to be served a big plate of Carol’s unconscious and near-death. Beth still watches over her, but when Office Dawn comes in to continue their bonding experience, the dialogue alone would kill Carol if she weren’t already in a coma. Just as Dawn and Beth finish, though, Carol starts to stir, wincing in pain from the tortured exchange between Beth and Dawn.

Outside of the hospital, Rick approaches Grady Memorial to bargain for the exchange: Carol and Beth for the two captured officers. In case they didn’t take him seriously, a walker slowly approaches from behind only to be sniped by Sasha from her nearby perch.

Apparently, the ploy seems to work as our next scene involves the exchange inside the hospital. They start the exchange one for one, Carol first, then Beth. Things seem to move smoothly until Officer Dawn asks for Noah, which was against the original deal. There’s an increased tension until Noah agrees to go. Sweet Beth – sweet, sweet Beth – wants to say goodbye to Noah and give Officer Dawn a parting gift by stabbing her in the shoulder with a pair of scissors.

By instinct, Officer Dawn shoots Beth clean through the head, killing her instantly. Without a second thought, Daryl achieves retribution by shooting Officer Dawn in the head, thereby officially ending the Grady Memorial plotline with both a bang AND a whimper.

As a midseason finale, “Coda” wasn’t quite the shocker that season two’s midseason finale was (the second death of Sophia). Beth’s death is another in a now long-line of sad departures that have come to define the show. She was never really critical to the show – certainly not one of the seemingly untouchable core group that consists of Rick, Michonne, Daryl, or Carol. Nonetheless, it was a sad ending, one met with real tears by the tight-knit actors.

When the show returns in February, we will most likely miss the innocence and positivity that Beth provided. The remaining crew… well… they’re all dead inside anyway.

Lifetime’s holiday entree Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever premiered tonight to largely (and unsurprisingly) terrible reviews. More surprising is Parks and Recreation star Aubrey Plaza’s reaction to the film on Twitter.

Plaza, known for her sardonic sense of humor, provides the voice of the titular cat – something that has bewildered me since the project was announced. Lifetime holiday movies always seemed like the kind of thing Plaza would skewer mercilessly. Somehow, my world felt askew with her participation in the project.

Tonight, the cosmic order was restored when Plaza unleashed an epic string of comedy on Twitter during the film’s premiere and embraced the film’s awfulness, helping the film to trend on Twitter.

WHY DID THEY LET ME DO THIS #WorstChristmasEver pic.twitter.com/OdH1T5v4iu

— Aubrey Plaza (@evilhag) November 30, 2014

THIS MOVIE IS AWFULLLLLLLLL #WorstChristmasEver — Aubrey Plaza (@evilhag) November 30, 2014

CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THE PLOT OF THIS TO ME?!?! I HAVE NO IDEA #WorstChristmasEver

— Aubrey Plaza (@evilhag) November 30, 2014

WAIT FOR MY BIG SPEECH! BUT CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT IT MEANS? WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT? LIFETIME HELPPPPPP #WorstChristmasEver — Aubrey Plaza (@evilhag) November 30, 2014

Those are but a few highlights of what proved to be an incredibly amusing night on Twitter. Missed the movie, though. Sounds like I didn’t miss much. OR I missed the best thing ever.

Please feel free to share your thoughts below.

Lifetime continues to air ‘Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever’ through the month of December. Check local listings for airtimes. Or don’t.

Last week, I accused the SNL writers of suffering from lack of follow-through, and this week they seemed to listen because most sketches had beginnings, middles, and ends. Maybe it was the influence of the wildly funny host Cameron Diaz, who seems to fit in with the cast as well as her ex Justin Timberlake.

Even the cold open was funny, as a take on Schoolhouse Rock! and immigration reform (although it apparently got a lot wrong about the actual politics).

As for Cameron Diaz’s monologue, nothing took place as substantial as having a cameo from Jennifer Lawrence. Diaz took questions from audience, like “Was it fun making ‘The Other Woman’?” (Probably more fun than the sorry bastards that had to watch it.)

As a pseudo sequel to 2013’s “(Do it On My) Twin Bed,” this year the SNL females presented “Backhome Baller” which celebrated the joys of coming home for the holidays and having your parents wait on you. The skit was clever, but not as exciting as last year’s showcase for the SNL ladies.

The “Black Annie” sketch made me wish that Leslie Jones actually was starring in this movie adaptation. She offered a street-wise take on Annie Warbucks, with Jay Pharoah offering a spot-on impression of Jamie Foxx.

The “Nest-Spresso” short was reminiscent of the comedy done on “Portlandia,” only not as clever. Instead of “Put a Bird on It,” it could have been called, “Put a Bird In It,” as the sketch revolved around an espresso-like machine that incubates eggs and turns them into chicks.

Kenan Thompson has been in a lot of sketches this season, and in each one, he seems to get all the laughs, as he did in the “High School Theater Show” parody of a bad high school play.

“Weekend Update” was interesting because it continues to seem like two dueling comedic banjos strumming against one another. On one side, there’s Colin Jost, with his deadpan stare and delivery. On the other side, Michael Che, who infuses a bit of his “Daily Show” snark into reporting. This week had its highs (Kate McKinnon’s Angela Merkel) and lows (a “Rizzoli & Isles” joke bookended with a “Your Mama” joke), and ultimately, it seems like this section of the show is a work in progress.

The “Man Baby” sketch is one of the few recurring characters on the show, and this appeared to be the first time we saw Beck Bennett’s man with the body of a baby outside of the office. But despite Bennett’s dead-on interpretation of an infant, Cameron Diaz is the one who stole the show in this skit. How’s she never breaks character is beyond me.

As mentioned before, this has been Kenan’s season (maybe because it will be his last), and “Dr. Dave and Buggles” worked because of the animals and the ridiculousness of Kenan’s character having to do another 9 episodes of a show with the monkey that tore his ding-a-ling off.

Kyle Mooney is attempting to fill the void left behind by Andy Samberg, but I’m just not sure it’s quite the same. “The Fight” seemed like something from MTV’s cutting-room floor, with its narration of a high school student attempting to battle his arch-nemesis played by Beck Bennett.

Vanessa Bayer gets a lot of attention for her Miley Cyrus impersonation, but her “Poetry Class” teacher is one of my favorite characters, if only for her nonsensical exclamations before she starts another sentence. Watch for Pete Davidson in this skit, whose reaction shots are just about as funny as Bayer.

The final skit of the night, “Night Murmurs,” followed a hotline of women who would do stuff for you if you would in turn help settle their bets, kill Grandmas, and take “packages.” Kate McKinnon steals this skit from the equally game Diaz and Cecily Strong.

What did you think of this past week’s episode? Will you miss Kenan Thompson at the end of the season?

The Walking Dead episode seven, “Crossed,” starts with multiple characters dealing with grief and loss. I know, that’s not exactly a revolutionary way to describe an episode of the series considering how often it explores that theme, but this beginning was exceptionally telling.

With the exception of Father Gabriel Stokes and Sasha, Rick and company are up to their usual routine, fortifying Gabriel’s church against potential intruders using pipe organs and wood cut from the pews. Sasha intensely cuts into the pews, chopping through her grief with a focused intensity. Father Gabriel, the seemingly sane one of the group, tours through the construction and wonders if they would repurpose the church’s cross.

“If we need it,” Daryl ominously replies.

Back inside, Gabriel notices the dried blood from the fight with Gareth’s cannibals. Echoing Lady Macbeth, he tries to clear a spot, scratching on the floor with his fingernails. Sanity is but an illusion, I suppose.

A few scenes later, Carl (CAR-UL) engages Gabriel and tries to teach him the benefit of knowing self-defense with Michonne watching carefully. Gabriel can’t handle it, further demonstrating his prolific weakness. Or so we think…

We briefly return to the Abraham / Eugene scene where Eugene remains unconscious, and Abraham remains near catatonic, his sole reason for living now gone. There is a nice scene where Maggie shows she’s not afraid to “put him down” if he falls out of line. She later continues to provoke him, urging him to get over himself because it won’t get any better than what they have at that moment. Other than that, it was a throwaway moment. We did discover that the gang refers to themselves as GREATM using the first letters of each name to distinguish their water bottles. Kinda cute.

Rick takes a small band of his group to Atlanta to rescue Beth and Carol, who remains unconscious in Grady Memorial. Officer Dawn and the officers holding court there have proclaimed Carol all but dead, leaving instructions to remove her from life support. For vague reasons dedicated only to furthering the plot, Officer Dawn gives Beth the key to the drugs and puts her in charge of saving Carol’s life.

Outside, Noah draws two officers outside into a trap. Rick and company are about to work a deal when another car ambushes them and rescues the captured cops. That victory is short lived when the getaway car plows into a field of zombies in various states of decay. The Most Gruesome Moment of the Episode award goes to Daryl who uses the head of a snarling zombie to bash an attacking cop in the head.

Capturing the three cops for leverage, Rick intends to bargain for Carol and Beth. The cops, however, quickly reveal that Dawn is “on her way out.” One of the officers – a more reasonable, less rapey (hollaback to the first Grady Memorial episode) cop – indicates there’s another way, and he’s willing to help them find it. This cop, however, manages to talk Sasha into freeing him long enough to overpower her and escape by the end of the episode.

Wrapping up other events, Father Gabriel uses the machete CAR-UL gave him to break his way out of the church through the floorboards. After stepping on a nail, he wanders through the woods until he’s attacked by a snarling female walker. He manages to free himself, pushing her down on a tree limb, but cannot smash her head in with a large stone because she’s wearing a cross. Clearly, suffering on the forest floor with her intestines hanging out is justifiable if she’s wearing religious iconography. I know a little about Father Gabriel from spoilery reading on the internet, but I’m not a huge fan of his. It’s a realistic and legit interpretation of the character, but I do find it slightly annoying.

We return once more to the Maggie / Abraham intervention scene where Abraham finally starts coming out of his state. Eugene regains consciousness, and Glenn and others return from their completely uninteresting side journey to look for water. They find something hidden in a backpack, but we’ll have to wait until next week to figure that one out.

This sets the stage for yet another presumable Battle Royale during next week’s midseason finale. I dunno, maybe it’s the weather or maybe it’s just me, but I’m feeling a little fatigued with all of the wars these people keep waging. It’s almost as if it would be more surprising if the various survivors didn’t actually just shoot each other to claim supremacy in this zombie apocalypse.

Five seasons in, just blowing everybody away is getting a little passé.

Do you hear that? That’s the sound of me tooting my own horn. As a person who is rarely right about mysteries, I have to congratulate myself on a mid-episode prediction for the winter finale of the first season of How to Get Away with Murder. We finally found out who killed Viola Davis’ nasty, philandering husband, but there was one more twist on the way. ABC couldn’t possibly allow us to go through the holidays thinking everything was wrapped up, right?

Who killed Sam?! Who killed Sam?! Who killed Sam?! This phrase was floating around for the last three weeks, and the audience was just salivating to find out who smacked Sam over the head with that trophy. The beginning of the episode picks up exactly where we left off: Annalise reveals to her husband that she called the district attorney and called for all of Lila Stangard’s professors to provide DNA. In the hunt for the baby daddy of a dead girl, one cannot leave any penis unturned.

The confrontation between Sam and Annalise might be the most explosive of the season, and that’s saying something. Surely, I am not the only one in thinking that we were going to find out who killed Sam at the very beginning, right? Annalise throws her affair with Nate in Sam’s face (finally!), he slams her up against the wall, and he delivers an acid-tongued tirade calling Annalise a “good piece of ass” and a “disgusting slut.” No one is sad to see Sam go. It’s a great opening to an already buzzed about winter finale.

Oh, you’re still wondering who killed him? Michaela shows up to turn in the trophy, but Annalise isn’t home. As she talks to a drunken Sam, he catches Rebecca trying to get upstairs to steal information from Sam’s laptop that will prove that he killed Lila. He chases after Rebecca, she locks herself in a bedroom, and a frantic Michaela calls the rest of the Keating Clan for backup. Ah, the scene is set. Right when you think everyone has calmed down, Sam lunges towards Laurel, and Michaela shoves him over the railing on the staircase. He lands with a crunching thud on the first floor, and everyone starts re-evaluating their home renovations. The students think he’s dead but, moments later, he’s alive and strangling Rebecca on the floor. And that’s when Wesley Gibbons—Captain Wait List—strikes Sam over the head with the trophy.

After Sam officially bites it, the timelines converge, and How to Get Away showcases a lot of the material we watched in the previous eight episodes. There are some new tidbits, though, that prevent this from becoming a total recap episode. Bonnie made out with a forward gentleman at a bar before she decided to call Asher for that booty call (“I’m a grown ass woman who knows what she wants when she wants it. Now get over here”), and Annalise hooked up with Nate in a scene that will be responsible for all the immaculate conceptions across the country.

What’s the twist that I called halfway through the episode? There were an abundance of theories online regarding Sam’s death. How to Get Away is the show of the fall season that blows everyone’s minds every week, so I decided to go out on a limb and predict something about the murder of Sam Keating. I texted fellow ADTV contributor in the middle of the episode and asked, “what if Annalise asked Wes to kill her husband?” At the very end of the episode (after Annalise calls her loyal students into her office to warn them that the police are going to ask them a lot of questions regarding Sam and Lila), Annalise thanks Wes, and the action flashes back to the night Sam was killed. Wes went back to the house to collect the trophy, but Annalise was sitting at her desk, her husband’s bloody body still sprawled on the floor. I’m not sure if I will be able to shake Davis’ facial expression off my face for a while. Wesley Gibbons—everyone’s least favorite character on everyone’s favorite new show—was appointed by Annalise to kill her husband. Hope he’s getting an A for the rest of the semester.

THAT’S how you leave your audience wanting more when you don’t come back for 2 months. Take note struggling shows.