Entertainment stand-ins: What to do if your favorite shows are still off the air
The Writers Guild of America strike is nearly three months old – and doesn’t look like it will end anytime soon. So if the reruns of favorite shows like The Office and Gossip Girl are not quenching viewers’ primetime thirst, there are some returning and new shows that might save Americans from the overwhelming number of reality and game shows.
Missing Gossip Girl? Take a look at The Tudors
It has all the sex, drama and scandal of the CW’s Gossip Girl – and even more, since it’s on Showtime. Despite its archaic setting – 16th-century England – the drama based on the life of Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers, August Rush) is as enthralling as any modern-day show. Season two’s story begins with the events that lead the king to declare England independent of the Catholic Church. Henry is in a battle with the pope (Peter O’Toole, Stardust) to get a divorce from his wife, Catherine of Aragon (Maria Doyle Kennedy), so he can marry his mistress, the infamous Anne Boleyn (Natalie Dormer). Showtime is airing the first season during the months before the second starts. Showtime – March 30, 10 p.m.
Trade in 24 for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Many 24 fans were anticipating season seven, hoping it would rectify the disappointment of season six. However, it looks like Jack Bauer might not be back at all this year. According to FOX’s press release, the network wishes to air all the episodes together, without reruns. Fear not, though, because FOX has another action-packed show set to air this spring. While Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles is not as fast-paced as 24, it has a number of seat-gripping moments and remarkable special effects. The show takes place after the events of T2, with Sarah Connor (Lena Headey, 300), her teenage son John (Thomas Dekker, Heroes) and terminator Cameron (Summer Glau, Serenity) trying to keep a robot uprising at bay. FOX – Mondays at 8 p.m.
Fans of The Office may like The Return of Jezebel James
While The Return of Jezebel James is not a mockumentory like The Office, it is just as quirky. Jezebel was created by Gilmore Girls’ Amy Sherman-Palladino. The sitcom is about Sarah (Parker Posey), a woman who works in HarperCollins’ children’s division in New York and is about to publish a young-adult novel called The True Adventures of Jezebel James. She seems to have everything she wants – except a baby. To make her life complete, Sarah hires her younger sister Coco (Lauren Ambrose, Six Feet Under) to carry a baby for her. FOX – March 7, 9 p.m.