The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, August 3, 2012 2 coverstory By Kyla Brewer TV Media T here's nothing quite like seeing an old friend in the summertime. Lazy days and breezy nights are perfect for catching up and finding out what's new. Millions of fans are about to welcome back a familiar face as Matthew Perry returns to NBC in a sneak peek of the new comedy "Go On," airing after the network's Olympic coverage Wednesday, Aug. 8. Perry stars as Ryan King, a sports talk radio host and re- cent widower who's forced to undergo grief counselling be- fore he can return to work. The new series marks a homecoming for the actor, who starred as Chandler Bing in the iconic NBC comedy "Friends" through its entire 10 seasons (1994-2004). It's an unusual move to of- fer a sneak peek of a new fall series smack in the middle of the Olympics, but NBC execu- tive Robert Greenblatt allud- ed to the possible strategy in May, when the network an- nounced the 2012-13 prime- time slate. "We've got a lineup of new shows that will really get peo- ple to sit up and take notice," said Greenblatt. "And with the Olympics coming this summer and two nights of 'The Voice' in the fall, we've also got the tools we need to give our shows the kind of launch they deserve." With all eyes on NBC due to Olympics coverage, this sneak peek could be just the ticket to create a buzz about "Go On." Once the destina- tion for comedy, NBC has been fighting for its share of the prime-time ratings in the past few years and could use a major hit. With the former "Friends" star at the helm, "Go On" has already been A 'Friendly' face returns Matthew Perry stars in NBC's 'Go On' time arena since those days. Admittedly, "Friends" has been a tough act to follow. Not only did the series about six young people in New York boast killer ratings, it sparked fashion trends and even changed the North American vernacular with phrases such as Joey's (Matt LeBlanc) "How you doin'?" "Go On" star Matthew Perry However, Chandler fans may be disheartened to hear that King is no Bing. Perry's new character is a far cry from the affable "Friend." Fans will see a different side of the charismatic actor as he brings the fast-talking, sarcastic King to life. Having lost his wife in a car accident, the cocky sportscaster is anxious to get back to work, but his boss Stephen (John Cho) isn't so sure he's ready. Soon, a reluctant King finds himself in a support group along with a zany cast of characters coping with differ- ent kinds of loss. Instead of taking the therapy seriously, the widower quickly creates havoc and pits the support group members against each other as they try to determine who has the worst sob story. Finding the funny in grief is a tall order, but if Perry can pull it off, it'll be a triumphant return for the actor who earned a 2002 Emmy nomi- nation for his work as Chan- dler in "Friends." (He also snagged two more nomina- tions for his guest-starring role in another NBC series, "The West Wing.") Unfortunately, Perry hasn't had much luck in the prime- the talk of the TV industry as the struggling network aims to boost ratings with a friend- ly face. was cast as a fictional version of himself. Earlier this year, the series earned him a Gold- en Globe for best actor in a comedy series. Millions of fans seem to be rooting for Perry still, and so are execs. This isn't his "sec- ond chance" at another prime-time series, it's his third. Although his 2006 TV movie "The Ron Clark Story" earned Perry both a Golden Globe nomination and Emmy nomination, his series work hasn't fared so well. In the fall of 2006, he had returned to NBC in Aaron Sorkin's drama "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." Despite the initially warm critical reception, the show was cancelled after just one season. Perry gave it an- other go with ABC's "Mr. Sun- shine," a 2011 sitcom based on his own idea, but that too flopped and the alpha-net- work canned it after nine epi- sodes. "Friends" co-stars are any in- dication, there's hope for Per- ry's "Go On." LeBlanc, who played Chan- However, if his former Kudrow, aka "Rachel" and "Pheobe" in "Friends," have been making waves primarily on the big screen since wrap- ping "Friends." David Schwimmer ("Ross") has also appeared in movies in addi- tion to directing for film and stage. Courteney Cox ("Monica") has had a couple of prime- time hits since "Friends," earning accolades for both the now-defunct FX series "Dirt" and the ABC comedy "Cougar Town." Jennifer Aniston and Lisa "Go On" may not feature his old pals Cox and LeBlanc, but Perry's still in good com- pany. The cast features not one but two Tony award win- ners -- Laura Benanti and Ju- lie White. Benanti stars as the support group's leader, Lau- ren, while White portrays fel- low support group member Anne. The cast also includes Tyler James Williams, Suzy Nakamura and Brett Gelman. There's no doubt -- "Go Chirstopher's Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media talked a lot about Claude Rains as if I should know who he was outside of that movie, but I don't. Why else is he famous? A: Claude Rains is a classic example of a character actor able to disappear so completely in a role that the film's fans can't imagine him as anything else. It's likely that most people can only picture him as Capt. Renault, with whom Bogart's character was embarking on a "beautiful friendship" at the end of the legendary 1942 film "Casablanca." But that's not all he did in his decades-long film career. Other classic-film afficionados will remember him only as the title character in 1933's "The Invisible Man," or maybe as the villainous Prince John in the 1938 classic "The Adven- tures of Robin Hood," opposite the great Errol Flynn. He had a leading role in another classic, 1939's "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." Here he plays Sen. Joseph Paine, giving the sense of a man whose circumstances, more than his character, make him a villain -- this would be good practice for his role in "Casablanca." His notable later-era roles include Mr. Dryden in "Law- Q: I just read an article about "Casablanca" and it dler's best buddy, Joey Tribbi- ani, in the NBC sitcom, bombed with the post- "Friends" spin-off "Joey," but he's gone on to find great success in the Showtime/BBC series "Episodes," in which he On" looks promising. Perry isn't the only success story behind the show, either. Se- ries creator Scott Silveri worked as a writer and pro- ducer on "Friends" for years. In April, "Go On" earned the distinction of becoming the first pilot of the 2012-13 sea- son to be picked up for 13 epi- sodes. rence of Arabia" (1962) and his final role, King Herod in "The Greatest Story Every Told," which was released in 1965, two years before his death at age 77. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. A/Krazy Tom's 2 x 3