VIDEO: Swingtown's Grant Show (Interview)

Ex-Melrose Place hunk Grant Show whose horny pilot Thomas Dekker of porn-moustached species gets to do a bit of wife-swapping every Thursday night at 10pm (and not many CBS characters can say that!) recently sat down with TV Guide to talk about his adult summer drama "Swingtown". Plus my take on recent episodes.



The ratings for "Swingtown" keep on going south (the most recent episode lured only a little over 5.5 million viewers, down 3 million from the June 5 premiere), so I think it is safe to say that season 2 can now be ruled out. That is a shame because the show has actually become deeper and more compelling. Not to mention more entertaining.


Those who were shocked by the show's bold premise never watched. Those who expected Showtime-type shenanigans may have been disappointed. But the most recent episode (also the first post-strike episode, written and produced after that whole WGA chaos) may have been its best yet.


The characters have been given plenty of depth, especially the brilliant Miriam Shor's conservative housewife Janet Thompson, who came out of her rigid shell bonding with people we'd never thought she'd be able to relate to, while not compromising her own set of values. Also, is there another show where adults are rollicking fun and kids are a snoozefest? Oh... "Desperate Housewives"... Never mind...



Despite the drop in the ratings, "Swingtown" continues to deliver some of the best 18-49 demo ratings on a repeat-filled CBS summer schedule, so I do hope we at least get to enjoy this fun show in its entire albeit limited 13-episode run.

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"Swingtown" Creator's New Bisexual Drama

"Swingtown" creator Mike Kelley has just signed a new deal with CBS/Paramount to develop a new one-hour drama for Showtime titled "BiCoastal," about a man who lives with a wife and children in L.A. and falls in love with a man in New York. What will happen to "Swingtown," though?


CBS' adult drama which got off to a great start on Thursday nights in June, but ended up losing quite a bit of ratings muscle the following month, is about to end its 13-episode run tomorrow night.



CBS has yet to make a decision whether they will renew the series for a second season (it could again air in the summer when ratings expectations are more modest) or switch to sister network Showtime, known for its daring programming, which many thought would have been a more appropriate home for "Swingtown" in the first place.



The light erotic drama about 1970s partner-swapping couples in suburban Chicago caused outrage among conservative watchdogs, who demanded that CBS take the series off air and then salivated with glee over its dwindling ratings.

The CBS management is however said to really like and support the drama, and should a decision be made that it ends its run on CBS, a deal may be worked out to take the series to a cable network.



As for "BiCoastal," Kelley promised to give the series a "harder edge" and a "heightened sense of drama," or in other words - the producers will not be required to conform to uptight broadcast network standards, as they have on "Swingtown."

Should "Swingtown" migrate to Showtime, it will be great to finally see the full potential of the series as it continues to explore sexuality of its characters, cable TV style.

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Has Controversy Hurt "Swingtown" Ratings?

The image above shows just how far the orgies go on CBS' light adult drama "Swingtown." That didn't prevent those losers from the PTC (who still don't understand how to use their clickers) from playing the parent card again and start more brouhaha against the show. But has their noise actually hurt the ratings?

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"Swingtown" did lose some groove shedding over one million pairs of eyeballs in its second outing last Thursday (7.25 million). But so far it's hard to say whether the PTC campaign has had any impact since most new dramas drop in week #2. So far, the show is doing as well as any new summer show airing at 10pm would be doing.

Will the show fade away as "Cane" did last fall or will it level off with NBA finals out of the way? I'll certainly be keeping my fingers crossed for the latter, as the period drama's fashion, music and vintage product placement (not to mention the wicked cast including a shirtless Grant Show) has kept me hooked.

Swingtown 'Polaroid' Photo Shoot

How long has it been since I last posted an entry on CBS' decadent soap "Swingtown"? Long enough to get back into the swinging 1970s! Here's a collection of three 'polaroid' images of the couples at the centre of the show, whose lustful story unfolds on Thursday nights at 10/9c on CBS.

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TV Ratings: "Swingtown's" Solid Launch

CBS' adult drama "Swingtown" about couples enjoying group sex in the 1970s got off to a solid start on Thursday night skewing largely female audience. Some folks may have tuned in just to see what all the fuss was about. But will most of them be back next Thursday?


The pilot of "Swingtown" pulled in 8.58 million viewers and scored a 2.8/8 rating among adults 18-49 (by comparison, a repeat of its lead-in "CSI" at 9:00pm generated a 2.3/7 rating, therefore "Swingtown" grew about 12% in the demo).


The show aired opposite an NBA Finals game on ABC which won the night with over 10 million viewers and another drama debut, NBC's new anthology series "Fear Itself," which lured only 5.23 million viewers (with a 2.0/6 rating in the demo).


Most shows airing during the summer when the viewing levels are low tend to struggle to generate more than 7-8 million viewers, so if these numbers hold up "Swingtown" could be considered a moderate summer hit.

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VIDEO: "Swingtown" Trailers

CBS has posted a number of out-of-the-box fun trailers touting the June 5th premiere of its summer soap "Swingtown," including a collection of retro products featured on the show, a look at Grant Show in his Melrose Place days, and a little thing called swing-o-meter telling the difference between the swingers and the squares.







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Summer's Hottest Shows

I have to admit I am not a sports TV fan. But a fluffy soap, a hot reality contest, and a quality period drama will make temperatures soar this TV summer... At least as Prince Modesty is concerned. Now if only CBS execs promise to keep their trigger-happy fingers away from from the axe, I'll be a happy little coach potato.


SWINGTOWN,
Thursdays at 10, CBS,
Premieres June 5

I have only watched the pilot episode of CBS' soundtrack-heavy sexfest about the recoupling couples of 1970s suburbia, but just seeing Melrose Place's signature stud Grant Show, who is of course sporting a porn mustache here, lure his sexy neighbor Jack Davenport and his swing-curious wife into a hot session of unabashed shenanigans to Gary Wright's "Dream Weaver," was enough to fall in love with the show.

No, "Swingtown" will never fly in puritan America, so no hopes for a 2nd season, but at least I'll have something to look forward to on Thursday nights during the summer drought, that is unless CBS takes the show off the air before it concludes its 13-episode run due to low ratings or conservative backlash. Then again, the networks don't really give into conservative backlash these days, do they? Hallelujah!



SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE,
Wednesdays and Thursdays on FOX,
Already Premiered

Every spring around the time "American Idol" does their overstuffed charity show I realize how quickly bored I have become with the current cycle of the mega-popular but declining singing competition and lose interest in the season climax. And then the most amazing thing happens - a fresh season of "So You Think You Can Dance" begins and I'm glued to FOX Wednesdays all over again.

There is just something incredibly appealing about watching these sexy young people dance their hearts off to coolest tunes on the planet and watching the crazy Mary Murphy crack up and scream and growl. And for every loser of Sex's caliber, there is an amazing prodigy, such as the out-of-this-world L.A. popper Robert Muraine, who closed this year's season premiere.


MAD MEN,
Sundays at 9pm on AMC,
Premieres July 27

Have you already discovered what a great gem this Golden Globe-winning drama about chain-smoking heavy-drinking sex-crazed ad men of 1960s New York is? The AMC series' supposedly accurate portrayal of the era in question (I was born in the 70s, so I can't really tell), along with profound character development is a triumph of great writing, acting and set designing talent behind the show.

A new season promises a small leap into a not so distant future. Creator Matthew Weiner declined to reveal to USA Today how big of a leap it will be, but he did confirm it won't be long enough for the characters to escape their pasts. "The world has changed a little bit... but people don't change," he explained. All season 1 characters will be back.

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CBS' "Swingtown" Premieres in California

Earlier this week CBS' controversial new drama "Swingtown" premiered in Studio City, CA at CBS' Summer Block Party (pilot episode airs Thursday, June 5 at 10/9c). Jack Davenport, Molly Parker, Grant Show, Lana Parilla and other members of the sexy cast stepped out on the red carpet to promote the new period drama depicting the lives of group sex-loving couples of the 1970s. Check out the candids and a new video preview.

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VIDEO: New CBS' "Swingtown" Trailer

A review in today's New York Post calls CBS' 1970s-based drama "Swingtown" about wife-swapping couples living in the suburbs of Chicago possibly "the sleaziest hour of television ever produced." Coming from such a hideous publication, I'd find that comment a compliment.

Although I would feel much more comfortable if this highly entertaining series was airing on ABC or NBC, I still hope CBS will give "Swingtown" the necessary marketing support and help it build its audience despite all protest that I'm sure will follow once conservative watchdogs take a look at the pilot.




But since CBS is essentially a network that doesn't really know how to cater to younger audiences (look at the embarrassingly long time they're taking to renew "How I Met Your Mother"), I wouldn't hold my breath.

I will however enjoy "Swingtown" while it lasts. With a new season of FOX's "So You Think You Can Dance" and the return of AMC's award-winning "Mad Men," this may be a fun hot TV summer after all.

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CBS' "Swingtown" to Premiere June 5

As many had expected, CBS has blinked and moved the series premiere of its sexually-charged period drama "Swingtown" (originally scheduled for May 29) to the following Thursday, June 5 due to an ABC schedule change which closes the current season of "Lost" with a 2-hour finale on May 29.


The much-delayed drama that CBS ordered last spring as part of its efforts to become more daring and lure 18-49 audiences almost shut down for good last fall due to the writers' strike.



The show which begins on Bicentennial 4th of July made a lot of CBS affiliate managers nervous about alienating conservative audiences because it depicts the life of 1970s swingers in American suburbia. One manager was quoted as saying: "I don't like it and I don't see the need for it."



Although some observers believe CBS is now backpedalling by burning the show off in the summer, others say such guilty pleasure will fit CBS' summer schedule perfectly, especially airing behind repeats of blockbuster CSI.



I found the pilot episode (starring Pirates of the Caribbean's Jack Davenport and Melrose Place's Grant Show) of the show very amusing and will definitely tune in on regular basis.


Since many US audiences would rather watch people getting killed than having sex (especially group sex), I'm not sure how long the 13-episode series will actually last.


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CBS' "Swingtown" to Air Thursdays at 10

CBS has confirmed its hot new drama "Swingtown" set in the 1970s American suburbia will get a premier spot in the network's summer schedule, airing after "CSI" repeats (at 10/9c) on Thursday nights beginning May 29.

A CBS exec was quoted in Variety saying the time slot should speak volumes about how the network feels about the show.

"Swingtown" will battle NBC's scripted horror anthology series "Fear Itself" which is also slated to run for 13 episodes.

The period drama tells a very compelling story, but may raise some eyebrows due to its depiction of open marriages and sex parties.

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CBS' "Swingtown" to Premiere in Summer

Now here's a show that's bound to cause the incredibly annoying Parents Television Council to throw another fit. CBS is expected to confirm scheduling of its long-awaited drama about the swinging couples of the 1970s in a summer run, Hollywood press reports.



"Swingtown" starring Jack Davenport ("Pirates of the Carribean"), Molly Parker ("Deadwood") and Grant Show ("Melrose Place") depicts the sexual and social revolution that introduced open marriages and women's liberation.

CBS ordered the provocative series last spring as part of its efforts to lure more of the advertiser-coveted 18-49 crowd to its predominantly old skewing procedurals-filled schedule.



But some of the shows ordered as part of that initiative, namely "Viva Laughlin" and "Kid Nation" bombed in the ratings.

Furthermore, the recent FCC ruling about a 5-year old episode of ABC's "NYPD Blue" depicting a naked woman and protests organized by the PTC against CBS for airing reruns of Showtime drama "Dexter" may have made CBS skittish about "Swingtown."



Although the studio was able to produce only 3 episodes of the series prior to the strike, CBS approved the production of the remaining 10 episodes after the strike was settled.

But the show which was originally supposed to air as a midseason replacement, will end up in a postseason run. Will the network give this critically-acclaimed show the marketing push it deserves?

Scheduling the show in July is certainly not a step in the right direction.

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Will CBS Dare Put "Swingtown" On Air?

None of the new CBS shows is a hit (apart from "The Big Bang Theory's" tepid 9-million viewer following) so the network's attempt at developing edgier fare in an attempt to lure more of the 18-49 crowd is failing miserably. Following the collapse of "Viva Laughlin" the network is talking about the return to its conservative roots, so do they still have the guts to put a show about 70s swingers on air?

Last spring CBS announced a very unusual line-up of fall shows including the aforementioned musical series "Viva Laughlin," the supernatural vampire drama "Moonlight" and Latin soap opera "Cane."

None of these shows is a breakout hit, furthermore "Viva Laughlin" was this season's first scripted hour to get the axe. So is CBS going to follow up on its promise and launch the risky and sexually-charged midseason series "Swingtown"?

The show which may better fit CBS' corporate sibling Showtime (known for quality adult drama such as "Dexter," "Weeds" and "Californication") depicts 1970s couples reveling in sexual and social changes that introduced open marriages and swinging parties.

The network has already vowed to get back to what they do best - older skewing crime procedurals. But if fresh episodes of their signature dramas run out by early next year, they may just give "Swingtown" a shot and in strike atmosphere - the show may have a better chance at getting sampled.

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New CBS Shows: "Swingtown" (VIDEO Preview)

CBS wants some buzz. They may be the #1 network, but their shows generate very little buzz in the media and among young adults. For this reason, the network is launching several risky shows next season, including this racy drama called "Swingtown". Check out the synopsis, the trailer and the cast list after the jump.



"Swingtown" peeks into the shag-carpeted suburban homes of the 1970s to find couples reveling in the sexual and social revolution that introduced open marriages, women's liberation and challenged many conventional wisdoms.

During this heady era of provocative change, Susan (Molly Parker, "Deadwood") and Bruce Miller (Jack Davenport, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest") move their family to an affluent Chicago suburb.

They look forward to barbecues and get-togethers with their new neighbors, in search of a different sense of community as well as a change of pace for their teenage daughter and pre-teen son.

Enter Tom (Grant Show, "Melrose Place") and Trina (Lana Parrilla, "24") Decker, a striking, outgoing couple on the hunt who redefine the term "neighborhood watch."

After a mind-blowing evening with them, Susan and Bruce realize that couples in this town share much more than recipes, local gossip and a view of Lake Michigan, and are worlds apart from their former conservative neighbors, Janet (Miriam Shor, "Big Day") and Roger (Josh Hopkins, "Brothers & Sisters") Thompson.

Susan's loyal friend Janet is appalled by what she witnesses in this new neighborhood, while Roger, though dutiful to his wife, may be more intrigued than she knows.

In a changing social climate - defined by its music, fashion and style - everyone in "Swingtown" is confronted with personal choices, experimentation and shifting attitudes.

The drama is being held off till midseason, because CBS wants to run it non-stop. The airdate has yet to be determined. Since the show will be launched in early 2008, CBS has not released any promo stills as yet.

Starring: Aaron Howles as Bruce "B.J." Miller, Jr., Grant Show as Tom Decker, Jack Davenport as Bruce Miller, Josh Hopkins as Roger Thompson, Lana Parrilla as Trina Decker, Miriam Shor as Janet Thompson, Molly Parker as Suasn Miller, Shanna Collins as Laurie Miller.

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