Starz' "Blunt Talk" (Season 2)

[Walts Ghost]

Starz Orders Two Seasons of Seth MacFarlane Comedy 'Blunt Talk'

Starz is getting serious about comedy.

The premium cable network has greenlit two seasons of original live-action scripted comedy Blunt Talk, from producers Seth MacFarlane and Bored to Death's Jonathan Ames.

The 20-episode pickup will be divided over two seasons of 10 each and air in 2015. X-Men's Patrick Stewart will star as Walter Blunt and also produce the series. Ames, who conceived the idea for the series, will executive produce, write and serve as showrunner on the series, which hails from Media Rights Capital.

Blunt Talk is a character-driven comedy revolving around Walter Blunt (Stewart), a British import intent on conquering the world of American cable news. Through the platform of his nightly interview show, Blunt is on a mission to impart his wisdom and guidance on how Americans should live, think and behave. Besieged by network bosses, a dysfunctional news staff, numerous ex-wives and children of all ages, Blunt’s only support is the alcoholic manservant he transplanted from the U.K. to join him in Los Angeles. The series follows the fallout from Blunt’s well-intentioned, but mostly misguided decision-making, both on and off the air.

"In the character of Walter Blunt, Seth, Jonathan and Patrick have found the alchemy that makes a borderline alcoholic, mad-genius-Brit the man you want fighting in America’s corner. Seth and Jonathan have struck the right balance between biting wit and outright absurdity in building this world, and we cannot wait for Patrick to breathe life into Walter," Starz CEO Chris Albrecht said in a statement announcing the news Tuesday.

MacFarlane will produce via his Fuzzy Door Productions, with Starz retaining all domestic and multiplatform rights including TV, home entertainment and digital.
Blunt Talk reunites MacFarlane with the studio behind the prolific writer-producer's big-screen directorial debut Ted. The film ranks as the highest-grossing original comedy of all time worldwide. MRC and MacFarlane previously teamed for his 2008 original YouTube series Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy. They next team for MacFarlane's acting debut, A Million Ways to Die in the West, and the Ted sequel.

The pickup will give MacFarlane at least four shows on the air in 2015: TBS' American Dad, Fox's Family Guy and freshman Bordertown, with Blunt Talk the only live-action comedy among them. (The future of Fox's MacFarlane-produced Cosmos and Fox live-action comedy Dads also remain to be seen.)
For MRC, Blunt Talk marks the studio's latest TV entry, joining Netflix's award-winning House of Cards.

The comedy expands Stewart's relationship with MacFarlane. The Star Trek: The Next Generation alum has voiced Avery Bullock Fox's American Dad for more than 60 episodes in addition to voicing multiple roles on Family Guy and appearing in Cosmos and narrating Ted.

For Starz, the pickup marks a large investment -- the cabler typically renewed series for second seasons ahead of its debut. The show also comes as the network is prepping to launch its first original scripted comedy with LeBron James basketball comedy Survivor's Remorse, which is due in the fall.
MacFarlane is repped by WME and Jackoway Tyerman; Ames is with WME and Wetdog Entertainment; Stewart is with UTA.

THR

[Walts Ghost]

Surprised there's not more love for the return of Patrick Stewart to TV screens.

[bsweetness]

Originally Posted by Walts Ghost

Surprised there's not more love for the return of Patrick Stewart to TV screens.

I'm not much of a fan of MacFarlane, but I'm huge Patrick Stewart fan, so I'm definitely looking forward to this.

[chris_sc77]

sounds really good to me

[Scarface32]

"blunt talk" so it's a show about marijuana discussion?

[doctorD]

Trailer:

Blunt Talk | Walter Blunt Tease | STARZ - YouTube

[BluProofie]

Originally Posted by Walts Ghost

Surprised there's not more love for the return of Patrick Stewart to TV screens.

That's because Seth Macfarlane is involved.

[Jamescush]

So it's not about Emily Blunt?

Cause I'd watch that.

[biglou114]

They are really pushing the McFarlane angle in the advertising, which gets a non-response from me. Then I remember this is actually a Jonathan Ames run show, and suddenly it becomes a must watch.

[amoergosum]

Originally Posted by biglou114

Then I remember this is actually a Jonathan Ames run show, and suddenly it becomes a must watch.

Exactly!...

P.S.: I miss Bored To Death.

Jonathan Ames is hilarious >>>

Jonathan Ames at the 2012 Writers Guild Awards - YouTube

[amoergosum]

I just watched episode 1 & 2...absolutely hilarious...

[eightslicesofpie]

Yeah finding out this is from the creator of Bored to Death makes me 1000x more interested

[Samus Aran]

Originally Posted by biglou114

They are really pushing the McFarlane angle in the advertising, which gets a non-response from me. Then I remember this is actually a Jonathan Ames run show, and suddenly it becomes a must watch.

It's like how J.J. Abrams' name gets all the publicity for new shows coming out, when half the time someone else is the showrunner and he's just lending his name to help the show get made.

Hell, there are tons of people who still think that M. Night Shyamalan -- not Chad Hodge -- was in charge of Wayward Pines.

[amoergosum]

Originally Posted by eightslicesofpie

Yeah finding out this is from the creator of Bored to Death makes me 1000x more interested

I watched episode 1 & 2 (Blunt Talk) yesterday and it really felt like Bored to Death. Absolutely hilarious. I love Jonathan Ames' writing.
For example...the scene at the airport (Blunt Talk episode 2) is comedy gold.

[amoergosum]

"Stewart stars in the new Starz series, "Blunt Talk." He and show creator Ames talk about the project."
>>>
https://www.wnyc.org/radio/#/ondemand/522302

[amoergosum]

"Data (Brent Spiner) makes a cameo appearance on the show. Did you make that casting call?

Yes, that was my idea. One night early on in this whole thing, I had drinks with Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, and Michael Dorn. And they were all so interesting—I mean, these were four real buddies. I just thought they were all so unique and strange. As soon as I saw Brent Spiner, and I sort of knew of him through some mutual friends and I knew that he was a musician, I kind of immediately had this idea of him as a melancholy piano player."

You sitting with four of the main stars from The Next Generation sounds like something out of a dream—or a set-up for a joke.

Oh, I know. I felt in some ways it was a little bit wasted on me because I wasn’t a total Trekkie mad man. But Seth MacFarlane is a total Trekkie. And we were able to get a hold of him. I texted him, “Get over here! With the crew of the Enterprise!” And he showed up, and I didn’t want to intrude on their night, so I just stayed for drinks and had plans afterward. But Seth stayed and just was in heaven. I kind of wanted to get all of them into the show, but I was only able to get Brent, who was wonderful. I just thought it would be fun for fans of The Next Generation to see these actors in other roles."

Source:
http://www.vogue.com/13294731/jonath...ored-to-death/

[McCrutchy]

Just watched the premiere episode. This is so good, but I can see a potential for it to be more of a cult series than a popular one, which I hope doesn't damage its chances at more seasons or Blu-ray releases.

In a way, this kind of exceeded my very high expectations, considering the MacFarlane connection. I was expecting it to look and sound a lot like his work, but to my surprise, it does and it doesn't. There is certainly low-brow humor, but it's handled in a high-brow way. Case in point: When Walter Blunt gets arrested for allegedly

[Show spoiler]having sexual contact with a 21-year old transsexual prostitute, while high from ingesting a bit too much marijuana-laced chocolate, he gets to the roof of his Jaguar, and recites lines from Hamlet, which is correctly identified by another character

. In another scene, Blunt falls asleep in a counselling session and has a lucid dream of

[Show spoiler]brief footage from Carol Reed's Trapeze (presented in 2.35:1, no less), which he mentions to co-workers upon waking

, to exclamations of approval. There aren't any cutaways or non-sequiturs, and indeed, it seems that they are going for a narrative here. It will be very interesting to see where the show goes, and seeing Patrick Stewart play this character is worth the price of admission alone.

Cannot wait for the next episode.

[doctorD]

I watched last night. Some funny stuff. I'm definitely not use to see Captain Picard, uhhh...I mean Professor X, dangit...Patrick Stewart in a role like this. I'll keep watching.

[eightslicesofpie]

Only watched the first episode so far, but it was pretty funny. Really enjoy Jonathan Ames' writing (loved Bored to Death and his novel "Wake Up, Sir!" was pretty good), and Walter Blunt was such a weirder character than I expected haha

[i007spectre]

I liked it. But the first episode is all I will see. I don't subscribe to Starz.