'HIMYM' Co-Creator Talks 'Method & Red'

On this blog, I do many things. I review TV shows, review movies, rant about the entertainment industry and periodically mention the Red Sox. One thing I've never been accused of using this blog for before is actual reportage. I save that stuff for the Zap2it blog, where I can delve into the serious journalistic business of interviewing Adrian Pasdar about whether or not he conditions his beard.

But at CBS' Press Tour party last night, I (along with my Zap2it colleague Rick) conducted an interview that dealt, at least partially, with subject matter that's utterly useless for Zap2it, but completely on-topic for this blog... A little show I like to call "Method & Red." I like to call it that, because that's its name.

In any case, follow through after the bump for my discussion with "How I Met Your Mother" co-creator Carter Bays about "Method & Red" and this blog's ongoing campaign to get the show released on DVD [Sign the petition!]...

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At Zap2it, we have a great collective love for "HIMYM," and therefore a respect for Bays and cohort Craig Thomas. That respect only grew when Rick pointed out to me that before "HIMYM," Thomas and Bays' credits included "Method & Red," but not just "Method & Red," the episode titled "The Article," which featured not only music critic Keith Debeetham, but also self-explanatory childrens' entertainer Downtown Clowny Brown.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), Bays was initially unconfused when we approached him at the party about Keith Debeetham.

As he explained, "Keith Debeetham was the editor we worked for at the 'Late Show.' He was the guy, day in and day out, we'd be putting together skits for the show and he was the guy we'd be editing it with, so it was shout-out to him."

Ooops. Poor research on our part. When we explained that we meant "Method & Red," he remained largely enthusiastic.

"It feels like a dream," he laughed. "I'm not sure I actually worked there. It was a very surreal dream."

Thomas and Bays arrived on "Method & Red" after they'd put in their time writing for "Late Show with David Letterman" and "Oliver Beene."

"It was funny, because they'd just signed Craig and I to a deal at Fox," Bays recalls. "We were freshly on a deal and they looked down their roster of shows and they're like 'What show do you put these two white guys from the suburbs on? Oh wait! We have a deal with the Wu Tang Clan! OK. Yeah. Let's get them together. Yeah. That'll work.'"

Did they spend any wacky times with Method Man and Redman?

"I think I met them both once, but yeah, I didn't really work close with them," he laughs. "We just wrote the script and then left. I feel bad, what a journeyman kind of experience it was."

I mention this blog's ongoing campaign to get "Method & Red" released on DVD, asking if he wanted to join the plea.

"Of course I do! Well, no. Here's my plea -- My plea is wait until after the writers' strike, when the writers actually get paid for the DVDs and then release it. That's my plea. Don't buy it until I'm getting a cut of it, America."

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Odds & Ends for 03/21/07

None of these seem to require their own post, but when they unite, they're like Voltron, baby.

1) I'm not ready to declare victory on this one, but mere weeks after I launched my Employ Kathleen Robertson campaign, Claire, the chancellor's slutty daughter, has been cast as an evil witch of some sort in Sci Fi Channel's updating of "The Wizard of Oz." Huzzah! That's not as good as being cast in a really good network pilot, but it's far superior to being cast in a really bad network pilot.

2) Again, I'm not ready to stop pushing for Robertson, but with at least some measure on that front and in my Keep Eric Balfour Busy campaign, I must once again remind those of you who haven't done so to go sign my petition to get "Method & Red" released on DVD. It's slow-going, but you too can help enact tangible change.

3) Check out the new K-Swiss "Free Running" commercial in which some guy uses the powers of parkour to make it to the stadium in time to watch Anna Kournikova play tennis. I'm still impressed by folks running up the sides of buildings and whatnot, but is the commercial's true message that K-Swiss shoes have the ability to transport you to the past? I mean, K-Swiss is discovering the marketing might of parkour five years after Nike's classic Angry Chicken ad from 2002, which is appropriate, because that was the last time anybody spotted Anna Kournikova playing tennis.

4) When did Avril Lavigne and Kristen Bell cease to be different people? I'm sure that Kirsten Bell would be able to pick up Avril's singing slack, so it's possible that Avril no longer needs to be with us.

5) Did ABC get a package deal on Three Dog Night's "Shambala"? First it was the song in Hurley's flashback and then in his miraculously repaired mini-bus on "Lost" and then it was the song that signaled Bryan Greenberg's liberation from New York City on "October Road." Toss in its more ironic usage in "The Devil's Rejects" and that's a lot of exposure for a 34-year-old chestnut.

6) And last and probably least... If you live in Los Angeles, you've gotta head over to Olympic and Robertson to check out the shiny new BP gas station [Or just check out pics here]. It's either the ugliest gas station I've ever seen, or else the coolest. I'm not sure. All I know is that last week, the gas station was closed to the public so that they could host a private party there. At a gas station. As my homeboy Yakov would say -- What a country!

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Time for a New Fien Print Mission: Get Kathleen Robertson Employed

I should have claimed victory on this one several weeks ago, but I've been a wee bit busy.

You're welcome, Eric Balfour.

As regular readers of this blog know, last May, I began a crusade: Get Eric Balfour a job. It just seemed unfair to me that the star of "Hawaii," "Fearless," "Convictions," "Sex, Love and Secrets" and "Veritas: The Quest" could possibly go into the fall of 2006 without the possibility of having a single show fail. I went through every network pilot and offered suggestions on roles that Balfour could play. Instead, Balfour opted to return to "24," a show he'd previously failed to kill, rather than starting something new and when we talked to network presidents last month at the TCA press tour, not a single one of them had the nerve to suggest that the absence of Balfour was a direct cause of the swift failure of so many serialized dramas this season. Lesson learned. Balfour's Milo Pressman has had an enhanced profile this season, even getting to go into the field in this week's episode, showing off some evasive driving and hand grenade skillz. But don't expect Milo to be around forever, since Balfour has already been cast as a cop in CBS' mighty generic-sounding "Protect and Serve," which also features Monica Potter, a blandly lovely actress whose string of pilot failures is slowly approaching Balfour-ian heights (and yet I'll always support her just a bit because she was in "Without Limits"). There's no guarantee that "Protect and Serve" will get picked up, given how few holes CBS' schedule has and given the presence of Eric Balfour, but I feel like I've done my job.

Time for a new mission.

To be fair, I already started a new mission, my quest to get FOX's misunderstood (perhaps even by its stars) "Method & Red" released on DVD. Special thanks to those of you who signed my petition, all 18 of you. But it isn't too late to go and sign now.

I can wait.

Thank you.

OK. But my new mission is this: I want to see Kathleen Robertson on a primetime network series (or perhaps a top-tier cable series) by next fall. Now, more than ever, the world needs Claire the Chancellor's Slutty Daughter back in primetime. The major difference between this and my Balfour-esque quest is that I actually like Kathleen Robertson. It's not just that I was a "Beverly Hills 90210" devotee or that I watched all aired episode of "girls club." I also watched one episode of IFC's entirely unfunny Hollywood satire "The Business" and I totally would have watched Robertson's guest appearance on "Medium" if somebody had just warned me about it beforehand. I liked her in "Splendor," "XX/XY" and "Hollywoodland," while she and Anna Faris are the only two people I don't blame for "Scary Movie 2," the least funny movie ever made. She's beautiful, Canadian and, from what I can tell, a totally serviceable actress. Why would a casting director want to hire Monica Potter instead of Kathleen Robertson? I'm just not sure I understand. If Brian Austin Green got to be a primetime TV "star" for a full season last year, shouldn't Robertson get another shot?

Keep in mind that without Robertson, Hilary Swank might not even exist today. Steve Sanders was dating Claire the Chancellor's Slutty Daughter until Robertson exited at the end of Season Seven. That left Steve in desperate need of a new love interest. Enter single mom Carly (Swank). Next thing you know, Hilary Swank has two Oscars.

Currently, I'm powerless to do anything more than watch the trades to see if Robertson has been cast in anything. Heck, I don't even know if she's auditioning. But if upfronts role around in May without her popping up, I'll be viewing every pilot with her in mind.

Are you with me?

Good. Now go sign that "Method & Red" petition.

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Release "Method & Red" on DVD!

I feel like the Internet is constantly being used for nefarious purposes, be they Chuck Norris Facts or attempting to get a bridge named after Stephen Colbert or convincing people to see a movie called "Snakes on a Plane."

I have to admit that I attempted to start a campaign myself, a charge to secure fall employment for Mr. Eric Balfour. How did I do? So-so. Balfour isn't on any shows at all this fall, either established or new. That ain't right. But I've made my peace since Balfour will be returning to "24" this winter. Not quite "Mission Accomplished" on my end, but it's something.

Thus today I unveil my newest campaign, one even more doomed to failure:

It's time to get "Method & Red" released on DVD.

Many of you probably don't remember "Method & Red," a somewhat self-explanatory show that ran for nine episodes in the summer of 2004, part of FOX's entirely unsuccessful attempt at year-round original scripted programming. It starred rappers Method Man and Redman as a pair for frequently stoned musicians who moved into a suburban New Jersey neighborhood. Yes, Method Man and Redman were playing entirely sterotypical versions of their own personae, but they were surrounded in their new home by equally stereotypical white folks, including Beth Littleford, as a realtor who they called Neighbor Lady, and Peter Jacobson. Naturally, Method and Red didn't seem to fit in well with their neighbors, but by the end of each episode, with the help of some prime bud, they were all able to learn to get along.

What can you say about a show that introduced the world to legendary characters like Downtown Clowny Brown, evil music critic Keith Debeetham and the frequently incarcerated Chu Chu Hillfong?

Look, "How High" has sold fairly well on DVD. Or at least I'm assuming it has, without any kind of statistical evidence. Why wouldn't "Method & Red" move some copies? The show was being watched by a few million people a week.

FOX has been good in recent years with releasing short-lived shows on DVD. Sure, we may never see "The Ortegas" or "Still Life," but viewers have been able get the entire run of shows like "Wonderfalls," "Action," "Greg the Bunny" and "Keen Eddie" on DVD. If I'm being honest, "Method & Red" isn't as good as any of those shows.

It is, however, better than the fourth season of "Alf," which I got as a screener today. It's better than the second season of "One Tree Hill," which has been out on DVD for a long time. It's better than "Flavor of Love," which seems to be selling OK on Amazon. I'm not 100% sure, but I'm thinking it's better than "Sesame Street: Elmo's Potty Time," currently No. 37 on Amazon's bestsellers list.

It's not as good as the second, third or fourth seasons of "Everwood," which are all in some sort of weird limbo because the first season didn't sell well enough, but I'm sure that there are oodles of "Everwood" fans out there banging the drums for that one.

Thus, I urge any and all readers to join my quixotic quest to get "Method & Red" released on DVD.

Sign my PETITION.

Urge friends to sign as well.

Or not.

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Open Letter on Behalf of Eric Balfour

Dear Casting Directors,

I don't know if you've noticed this, but Eric Balfour doesn't currently have a television show to air in the Fall of 2006. I bring this to your attention only because it's clear you haven't noticed, or else steps would have been immediately taken to rectify the situation. Starting a television season without Eric Balfour would be like starting a meal at the Outback Steakhouse without an Awesome Blossom, or starting a Toronto Blue Jays road game without listening to some American singer butcher "Oh, Canada." I'm not saying you have to keep his show on air for very long, or even that you have to let his character survive the first episode. In fact, I'd almost prefer you give him an episode or two and then give him the boot. That way he'll still have time to book a midseason pilot.



There are certain actors who television critics can count on regularly seeing in new shows each and every season, people like Paula Marshall and Christopher Gorham and Joey Pantoliano. It's not that they can't act (necessarily). And it's not that they don't have good agents, obviously. But they're the small screen equivalents of Reggie Sanders or Kenny Lofton in baseball, role players who for one reason or another can't seem to wear the same uniform consecutive seasons (actually, Sanders and Lofton may be well linked to a Joey Pants -- they're both former all-stars, after all -- but Gorham and Marshall are probably closer to Kent Merker or Pat Borders). They'll never go hungry and, if folks like Paget Brewster and Lauren Graham and Jon Cryer have proven anything, it's that it sometimes isn't the showkiller's fault that their shows keep dying and eventually the right vehicle will come along.

Eric Balfour? He just keeps on looking. And his pilots keep making it onto network schedules, not that you'd necessarily notice. In the spring of 2003, it was "Veritas: The Quest," getting 4 episodes on ABC. He went from there to the WB pilot "Fearless," which was on the fall 2003 schedule, was pulled for retooling and finally never aired. Joining NBC's line-up for the fall of 2004, "Hawaii" was relentlessly promoted, drew an OK first week audience and was gone after 7 episodes. Fortunately, that let Balfour book "Sex, Love and Secrets," which was on UPN for four of the lowest rated episodes in the netlet's history in the fall of 2005. It was cancelled so quickly, that that let Balfour move on to Dick Wolf's "Conviction" by this spring. I think it's possible that particular legal series actually ran for 13 episodes. But now it's gone.



That's five picked-up pilots in three years, an outstanding pace! And although "Fearless" wasn't panelled for the Television Critics Association Press Tour, the others all faced reporters and showed Balfour to be entirely unbowed, ego unchecked. Just as Balfour never seemed inept when he got to guest star on good shows like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Six Feet Under" or "The O.C.," he's never seemed particularly good on any of his failed shows, but he sure is a confident guy. Perhaps casting directors are convinced Balfour's a television star because he's convinced he's a television star.

And the best thing for casting agents and showrunners alike is that Balfour doesn't require an actual part. Just write a character described as "a hotshot young [INSERT OCCUPATION HERE] with unconventional methods and -- despite embarrassingly scruffy facial hair and the inability to make more than a single facial expression -- a very active love life." Balfour does the rest.

Eric Balfour isn't a genuine TV star any more than Orlando Bloom or Josh Lucas are genuine movie stars. Then again, just as those two actors can luck into their "Lords of the Rings" and their "Sweet Home Alabamas," Balfour is due to land a smash hit series one of these days, just through dumb luck. I predict that the minute he stars on a show that makes it to a second season, he'll stage a holdout for a better contract and then ditch the show to try to have a movie career. That's bound to be good for a whole new echelon of hilarity.

I'm starved for entertainment, casting agents. Don't let me down.

Yours Truly,
The Staff of Check the Fien Print

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