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October 25, 2014

The Daily Star - Stay Tuned

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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, October 24, 2014 2 By Lydia Peever TV Media H ow would you explain to your friends and cowork- ers that you may live forev- er? Imagine bumping into your college professor de- cades after graduation look- ing much the same as the first day you met. How would you explain that away? The fledgling series "Forever" tackles this idea when a new episode of the fantasy drama airs Tuesday, Oct. 28, on ABC. Enter Dr. Henry Morgan. Aside from being touted as the top medical examiner in New York City, he makes a hobby of playing with dead things. Rest assured, this is all in the name of research as Morgan is immortal. He dies time and time again — four times in the premiere, if you can swallow that — and keeps coming back. The problem is that even though he has studied death, he has no idea why it eludes him. The dark doctor is played by Ioan Gruffudd ("Ringer"), who has his fair share of dark and brooding in roles on his resumé. You may re- call him as Mr. Fantastic from the Marvel Comics- based "Fantastic Four" fran- chise, where he may have been just as conflicted deal- ing with a preternatural power few could under- stand. He also has starred in films such as the biographi- cal drama "W." (2008), "King Arthur" (2004) and "Amazing Grace" (2006). "I'm a character that has lived for 200 years," Gruff- udd said in conversation with ABC News. "Yes, I'm immortal, but [Dr. Morgan] sees this as a curse rather than a blessing. If you can imagine living for 200 years and everyone else isn't im- mortal, people come and go in your life, and people pass on, and it's a bit of a tragedy. It's an interesting dichotomy. The character lives and breathes and works in a medical examiner's office, surrounded by death, but he can't die himself." The rest of the cast comes from so many styles there is bound to be a personality that will speak to any viewer. Alana De La Garza is the tough-as-nails Det. Jo Marti- nez. She isn't sure what to make of the distracted medi- cal examiner, but ultimately finds him intriguing, though she doesn't know his secret. De La Garza has been dab- bling with law in television for a decade, starting with the naval and militaristic "Jag," as well as popping in "Law & Order," "CSI: Mi- ami," "NCIS: Los Angeles" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." Lucas Wahl, the doctor's devoted assistant, is a bit of an oddball. Although he is more death-obsessed than his liege, he offers a spark of youth to the proceedings. Portrayed by Joel David Moore ("Bones," "Avatar," 2009), he has had less seri- ous roles in films such as "Dodgeball: A True Under- dog Story" (2004) and "Grandma's Boy" (2006). One face that may seem familiar to viewers is Judd Hirsch, who's had a long, successful career in film and television. His career took off in the mid-'70s when he played moralistic taxi driver Alex Reiger in the hit series "Taxi." Since then, he's starred in hit shows such as "Dear John" and "Num- b3rs," as well as films like "Independence Day" (1996) and "A Beautiful Mind" (2001). He has two Emmys and a Golden Globe to his name, as well as countless other nominations, including an Oscar nod for his support- ing role in "Ordinary People" (1980). Hirsch's character, Abe, is the owner of an antique shop in "Forever" and one of the few people who knows of Henry's odd affliction. Not only is Abe a friend and con- fidant, he also happens to be the adopted son of the im- mortal doctor, which adds a special twist to the already- quirky situation. So while many kids seek advice from their parents, there's often a swap in this relationship since Abe encourages his fa- ther to live a little. It's an odd sentiment, perhaps, when it's directed at a man who'll live a lot longer than even his own son. Narrated by Gruffudd's Dr. Morgan, the show's story is also told in flashback and happens to be eerily similar to a now-defunct 2008 pro- gram. Astute viewers may recall "New Amsterdam," an ill-fated Fox series that only saw eight episodes before its demise. The similarities begin with the immortal John Amsterdam, played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ("Game of Thrones"), who was a mid-thirties New York homicide detective. He was a soldier seeking his true love, and his 65-year-old son is in the picture as well. According to producer Matthew Miller, "Forever" is not a retelling or spinoff. In fact, it was only in develop- ing the show that Miller heard of the previous series. His idea was actually spawned by far more touch- ing means, as he explained at Television Critics Associa- tion press tour in July. "It was pilot season, and I was putting my five-year-old son to bed," Miller said. "He asked me, 'Daddy, are you ever going to die?'" It's a question likely posed by most toddlers at some point, and initially Miller said no. He eventually added, "I will die, but it won't be for a very long time. ... [My son] burst out crying, and my wife came in and continued rais- ing my child, and I went off to write television." The old saying "time flies" certainly rings true for many of us. For Dr. Morgan, how- ever, that idiom couldn't be further from the truth. See how the immortal doctor handles living forever when a new episode of "Forever" airs Tuesday, Oct. 28, on ABC. Christopher's Coins 2 x 2 coverstory Judd Hirsch and Ioan Gruffudd as seen in "Forever" 'Forever' and a day New fantasy drama toys with the immortal By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Will "Gang Related" be back on this fall? I enjoyed the show. A: Sadly, Fox has ended its relationship with "Gang Relat- ed." The network canceled the crime drama just a few weeks ago, shortly after its first — and now only — season wrapped at the end of August. While it is unfortunate for fans, it's not particularly surprising to those who were keeping track of its ratings, which weren't great to begin with and generally got worse over the summer. It likely will be a surprise to those who didn't pay attention to the numbers, though, because it had some good buzz be- fore its premiere. "Gang Related" featured former "Lost" star Terry O'Quinn and multimedia star RZA (an actor, soundtrack writer and member of popular rap group Wu Tang Clan). The show's premise, about a member of the LAPD's gang division who has secret gang ties of his own, drew a number of comparisons to the landmark cop film "The Departed" (2006). Such parallels could be seen either as flattering or daunting ("The Departed" won four Oscars and earned nearly $300 million worldwide). One person who won't be surprised about "Gang Relat- ed's" cancelation is "Variety" reviewer Brian Lowry. He said in his review of the pilot that it was "without enough redeeming qualities to offset its high quotient of ugliness and mayhem." Q: Will Robert Downey Jr. be doing another Sherlock Holmes movie? I loved the first two. A: Apparently, former Hollywood black sheep and current Hollywood darling Robert Downey Jr. will indeed be returning to the role of the great detective, but no one will say when. Warner did give a thumbs-up to a third installment, appar- ently before the second was even released, but everyone in- volved is pretty busy these days. Downey also has another iconic franchise role, that of Iron Man, to deal with. Drew Pearce, who has been hired to write the third script, has also written the script for the fifth "Mis- sion: Impossible" movie that's currently being filmed. Guy Ritchie, who directed the first two films and will presumably helm the third, is working on his big-screen version of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." Jude Law, who has confirmed that he'll return to play Wat- son for the third film, also confirmed that scheduling is the big problem. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. hollywoodQ&A

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