BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Executives from The WB on Friday confirmed that their mascot cartoon frog is dead.
It was a sad but necessary move as they try to prove the network’s legitimacy and aim to shed its reputation of being teen-centric.
The WB formally presented four new shows – one sitcom and three hourlong dramas – that bring some big names to the network and introduce some up-and-comers.
There was also a string of announcements, including the introduction of James Marsters to the cast of “Smallville.” He’ll be playing the classic DC Comics villain Braniac, one of Superman’s most formidable enemies.
Marsters is known to fans of The WB for his role as Spike, the vampire who first tried to kill, then fell in love with, Buffy on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel.”
Also, veteran actor Tom Wopat will reunite with “Dukes of Hazzard” co-star John Schneider, who plays Jonathan Kent on the show, for one episode. Wopat will play a state senator who was a boyhood friend of Kent.
But the big news Friday was … well, there was no big news.
Still, some of the new dramas on The WB – don’t call it The Frog – show the promise that its one new sitcom, “Twins,” does not.
Sadly, the dry humor of Sara Gilbert (“Roseanne”) is wasted here in a one-liner-happy half-hour show that only provides an occasional laugh and just doesn’t give us a reason to watch TV at 8:30 on a Friday night.
Still, given the night’s history, “Twins” could do well enough to stay on the air for some time. Heck, “What I Like About You” is still on the air, and three-quarters of the people reading this have probably never heard of it.
What I’m a little more excited about are the dramas, which live up to the execs’ promises to grow up a little with their programming, but also stay true to the youthful vibe with some young stars.
Don Johnson and Jay Baruchel star in “Just Legal,” which has an admittedly odd name; it sounds a bit more like Cinemax than network TV.
Johnson (“Miami Vice” and “Nash Bridges”) plays a jaded, washed-up attorney, and Baruchel (“Million Dollar Baby”) is a Doogie Howserlike whiz, except he went to law school instead of medical school. Their chemistry works, and the back stories of the two main characters, and the family of the young lawyer, will help move stories along week to week.
“Supernatural” is an interesting new thriller that promises scares on a weekly basis as a couple of brothers in their 20s go on the road to hunt down American folklore’s urban legends, including Bloody Mary and the man with a hook who haunts lovers’ lanes.
Executive producer McG (“Charlie’s Angels” movie and “The O.C.”) promises frights every Tuesday night, and there’s no reason to believe “Supernatural” won’t slip right into The WB’s history of modern-day ghost and vampire classics.
Seen and heard
It was The WB’s day to shine, and there was no avoiding some mention of Katie Holmes, who starred on the network’s hit “Dawson’s Creek” for six seasons and has made recent headlines on Tom Cruise’s arm.
“I always knew Tom Cruise would end up with someone from ‘Dawson’s Creek,’” Keith Marder, the WB’s communications director, said. “I just thought it would be James Van Der Beek.”
Victor Balta is on assignment at the TV Critics Association press tour in Los Angeles, filing dispatches on the fall TV season. E-mail him at vbalta@ heraldnet.com.
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