Like Father, Like Son
Fans of Christopher Guest films are surely rejoicing at the reunion of actors Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara in the original series “Schitt’s Creek” (premieres Feb 11) on the newly revamped Pop network. But this time around, it’s a father-son project in both script and on screen—the TV screen, that is. Eugene’s son Daniel, who also stars as his son in the comedy series and co-wrote it with his father, believes it’s a great time to have a creative voice in television. “With the shift from the ’90s to now, there seems to be a focus on storytelling from people who bring a unique perspective. Whether it’s a ‘Homeland’ or a ‘True Detective’ or it’s an ‘Orange is the New Black,’ networks are giving creators the reigns to really create something in their voice and run free with it,” he said. “We’ve been able to really find a nice place in TV because we’ve been given that freedom that I think has come with this onslaught of cable programming that really is the voice of the creator and not of a thousand different producers and networks.” Pop is the place to do it, he asserted. But is there any pressure that comes with being a marquis show for a relaunched network? Eugene was all confidence. “There’s always a sense of pressure—you don’t want to disappoint. I think that we have taken great pains to come up with a show that passed muster with us, and I think we’ve done that,” he said. “We have no control over how an audience is going to respond or how an audience is going to find it to watch it.” It was important to find the right home for the show, according to Daniel, and to promote and understand it without trying to reconfigure it for a broader audience. “There was no agenda. [Pop] unabashedly loved the show and were so supportive and knew that that was it,” he said. – Kaylee Hultgren
Reviews: “Of Miracles and Men,” Sun, 9p ET, ESPN. Another outstanding entry for ‘30 for 30.’ This doc is several films really. On these shores, the best-known story is the ‘Miracle on Ice,’ where unheralded U.S. amateur hockey players defeated a world-class Soviet club at the 1980 Olympics. The Miracle receives an excellent re-telling from the Soviets, overconfident and drinking before the game. Then there’s the tale, augmented with fabulous interviews and footage, of Anatoli Tarasov, Soviet hockey’s beloved father. There’s no crying in baseball, and perhaps hockey, too, but wait until the film’s coda, when Slava Fetisov visits Tarasov for the final time before creating his ‘miracle’ in N.J. — “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?” series premiere, Sat, 10p, Science. The basic concept: 2 handsome, macho dudes blow up things, with science wedged in. It works because Grant and scientist buddy Kevin have chemistry, no pun. Segment 1, building trash-can rockets, drags. But using old TV parts to construct a laser, OK, a death ray, is cool, especially when it melts pennies. — “Better Call Saul,” premiere, Sun, Mon, 10p, AMC. Writers Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould worried about their “Breaking Bad” spinoff. No need. Ep 1’s cold open is brilliant; not a word’s uttered. Dialogue begins 8:30 in. This is risky, filmic TV. Love it. – Seth Arenstein
