Entertainment NOW

TV Media Weekly | June 10 - 16, 2017 By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: We loved the show "Gala- vant"! It was clever, original, funny and had great music. We were very disappointed when it wasn't renewed. We'd like to get DVDs of its two seasons but can't find any. Do you have any information on that? A: There are no DVDs available yet, but hopefully you're just look- ing a bit too early. If the show had been a runaway hit, the network would certainly have rushed to get DVDs onto shelves, but "Galavant" never had that sort of success. Indeed, its lack of that sort of success is why it was canceled after two short sea- sons (season 1 had just eight epi- sodes, while season 2 had 10, though ABC burned through them all in the span of one month in 2016). However, that's not to say it didn't have any kind of success. The show did, as you say, have great music — the innovative mu- sical-comedy series was nominat- ed for a Best Original Music Emmy. But that's not just some kind of consolation prize — famed com- poser Alan Menken, who wrote said music and was easily the most famous name associated with the show, said that its musi- cal success has positioned "Gala- vant" to build a fan base even af- ter being canceled. He's currently working to set up a stage adapta- tion of the show. That may sound like wishful thinking, or like a person who can't accept failure, but it would actually mimic one of Menken's greatest past victories. He wrote the music for the 1992 Disney film "Newsies," which failed in the- aters but was an enormous, Tony- winning success on Broadway years later. If "Galavant" does find that kind of cult success, a full DVD re- lease is sure to follow. For exam- ple, "Newsies," which only made $2.8 million in theaters, represent- ing just a fifth of its $15 million budget, got a lush, 20th-anniver- sary DVD reissue in 2012 to capi- talize on its subsequent cult fame. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Hollywood Q&A By Andrew Warren TV Media P erfect pastries: that's not too much to expect, is it? Sadly, soggy bottoms and tumbled-down edges are common, and enough to get any hopeful home baker sent home in "The Great British Baking Show." The popular baking import is back for its fourth season, which premieres Friday, June 16, on PBS. Actually, "popular" might be an understatement. In the show's home country, where it goes by "The Great British Bake Off," it consistently ranks as one of the most-watched shows on televi- sion, while here on this side of the pond, the third season was PBS's most-streamed series last sum- mer. Pretty impressive stuff for a show that, on the surface, looks not so different from a lot of the other cooking and baking compe- titions out there. Each season brings together a number of home bakers eager to outbake their fellows and impress judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood in a variety of challenges. Each episode features three separate challenges: a signature bake, in which the amateur bakers get to make one of their own reci- pes that they've practiced at home; a technical bake, in which the contestants are tasked with making a specific product, but are given only limited instructions, thus testing their technical knowl- edge of the baker's craft; and a showstopper bake, in which each baker pulls out all the stops to cre- ate a breathtaking masterpiece — then Berry and Hollywood send someone home. English comedians Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc serve as the show's presenters, offering com- mentary, insight and some slightly saucy quips. As for those judges, they're cer- tainly a qualified pair. Berry has published nearly 80 books on cooking, including 2009's best- selling "Baking Bible," and was appointed Commander of the Or- der of the British Empire for ser- vices to culinary arts. Hollywood has served as the head baker at numerous hotels, written cook- books about bread and, in 2008, baked a bread that was named the most expensive in Britain. In the extremely crowded cooking competition space, it's hard to stand out from the crowd, but the quintessential British-ness of "The Great Brit- ish Baking Show" has allowed it to do just that. The fourth season of the U.K.'s biggest cu- linary hit kicks off Friday, June 16, on PBS. Sue Perkins, Paul Hollywood, Mel Giedroyc and Mary Berry as seen in "The Great British Baking Show" Baking, British style The U.K.'s biggest baking hit returns to PBS 10 | Cooking this week Friendship Haven 2 x 2.5" Noah's Ark 2 x 2" 2nd Shift Plumbing 2 x 1.5"

• Cover