Memphis Beat - NEW TNT Show

Discussion in 'General TV & Media' started by GregNickRyanFan, Jun 23, 2010.

  1. GregNickRyanFan

    GregNickRyanFan Holographic Moderator Moderator

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    Anyone watch this series premiere last night starring Jason Lee from My Name Is Earl? I didn't know anything about the show until I saw a commercial for it Sunday night. I got a little excited cause I grew up in Memphis. I wanted a CSI: Memphis, but they never did that... so I guess this is the next best thing.

    At the end of the ep, his character sang a song in a club. I just wondered if that was really Jason Lee singing cause if it was, he's got a really good voice. Anyone know?
     
  2. jafox

    jafox CSI Level Two

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    I watched last night out of curiosity. My son loved MNIE, and I thought it was the stupidest show ever. :lol: But Jason Lee was quite impressive last night. It's hard to believe it's the same actor. I liked how they integrated the Memphis setting with the storyline. Reminded me of some of the CSI episodes when they delve into the old Vegas history.
    I don't know if that was Jason singing or not, but it was a nice ending. I liked the show and will tune in again. :)
     
  3. GregNickRyanFan

    GregNickRyanFan Holographic Moderator Moderator

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    Well, my grandmother said she thinks she remembers reading some where that Jason Lee was a singer, but others on imdb's message boards said he was bad at lip syncing. I do know that for the Buffy musical ep, they recorded the actors singing off set and then played it back and during the actual filming for the show the actors were lip syncing to themselves LOL... so perhaps its the same for Jason Lee.

    I read that this show was originally going to be called Delta Blues. But just like the CSIs, this show is not filmed on location in Memphis. Its supposedly filmed in New Orleans, but they film airal shots on location cause they had the bridge over the Mississippi and all. But yeah, I liked the show. :)

    Oh and this show is supposedly produced by George Clooney!
     
  4. jafox

    jafox CSI Level Two

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    I did see that in the credits, and I got excited. :lol: Maybe he will make an appearance.
    I think this show has the potential to be good. Maybe similar to 'The Big Easy' movie which I loved.
    The characters are somewhat cliche, especially the Barney Fife one. Could be a Mayberry RFD, blues style. :lol:
    I do hope it does well. It looks like TNT has some pretty good shows this summer.
     
    Last edited: Jun 23, 2010
  5. ladyhunter

    ladyhunter Head of the Swing Shift

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    I've only seen bits and pieces of this show. I did like what I saw though.

    I like Jason Lee. Never got into My Name is Earl, but I've seen him in other things. He's funny and has good comic timing.

    Unfortunately, his accent kept coming and going last night. Anyone else notice that?
    His voice is great, if that's him singing. And the scenery is beautiful, even if it's not filmed in Memphis. It does sort of look like Portland, Oregon. :lol:

    I hope this show is a success. I like it.
     
  6. Destiny

    Destiny Still Sanity Challenged! Premium Member

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    Haven't seen it myself but I looked it up. And for those who are thinking hmm lets see what it says about it. ;)

    Memphis Beat centers on Dwight Hendricks (Jason Lee), a quirky Memphis police detective with an intimate connection to the city, a passion for blues music and a close relationship with his mother. He is "the keeper of Memphis," a Southern gentleman who is protective of his fellow citizens, reverential of the city's history and deeply rooted in its blues music scene.

    Despite his impeccable instincts as a detective, Dwight's loose, relaxed style of police work rubs his demanding new boss, Lt. Tanya Rice (Alfre Woodard), the wrong way. But Dwight may eventually win her over to a Memphis state of mind, especially when he takes the stage at his favorite hangout to perform a legendary song or two.

    MEMPHIS BEAT co-stars DJ Qualls as Davey Sutton, a uniform cop who considers himself to be Dwight's protégé. Also starring are Celia Weston (Junebug) as Dwight's effervescent mother; Sam Hennings (Saving Grace) as Charlie White, aka Whitehead, Dwight's seasoned, hypertensive partner; Leonard Earl Howze (Barbershop) as Reginald Greenback, a fellow detective struggling to make ends meet with two teenage daughters; and Abraham Benrubi (ER) as Sgt. JC Lightfoot, an officer who uses Chickasaw tribal wisdom in his police work.

    MEMPHIS BEAT was created by Liz W. Garcia (Cold Case) and Joshua Harto (The Dark Knight), who also wrote the first two episodes. Harto, who grew up in the South and has spent a lot of time with his country-musician grandfather, sees the show's setting as a chance to spotlight one of America's great cities. "Memphis has been largely forgotten in film and TV today," he says. "It's where the blues and Johnny Cash and Elvis came from. It's where Martin Luther King was assassinated and where Isaac Hayes and Aretha Franklin were born and raised. It's the perfect blend of drama and humor for our show."

    Music is just as vital to MEMPHIS BEAT as its unique characters, drama and humor is the music. "Music is a huge part of this show," Garcia says. "It has to be. You can't live in Memphis and not have your life steeped in music. The city has a soundtrack."

    To get that perfect Memphis feel, the production team approached noted blues singer/songwriter Keb' Mo'. He will provide original compositions and performances for the show to supplement classic Memphis tracks.

    MEMPHIS BEAT is executive-produced by George Clooney, Heslov, Garcia, Harto, John Fortenberry (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Scott Kaufer (Boston Legal). Sean Whitesell (House M.D.) and Smokehouse Pictures' Abby Wolf-Weiss are co-executive producers. The pilot was directed and executive-produced by Emmy® nominee Clark Johnson (The Shield). Harto and Garcia are a husband-and-wife team. Harto is also an actor.
     
  7. GregNickRyanFan

    GregNickRyanFan Holographic Moderator Moderator

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    Does anyone know when this show comes back on?
     
  8. Dynamo1

    Dynamo1 Head of the Swing Shift

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    The TNT webpage for the series at http://www.tnt.tv/series/memphisbeat/ says that it will return this summer, but does not give a specific date yet. Meanwhile, you can read some web chats with the stars, see a list of the music heard on the show, or play the Memphis Beat Blues game at that site.
     
  9. GregNickRyanFan

    GregNickRyanFan Holographic Moderator Moderator

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    Thanks, Dynamo. :)
     
  10. Lesnar

    Lesnar Victim

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    Nope.
    I never see that show but if you will tell me the timings for that show then I will definitely watch it.. :)
     
  11. Dynamo1

    Dynamo1 Head of the Swing Shift

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    From TV Guide online:

    TNT Cancels Memphis Beat

    Oct 14, 2011 06:39 PM ET
    by Natalie Abrams

    TNT has canceled Memphis Beat, the cop drama starring Jason Lee, Deadline.com reports.

    Beat, which centers on an easygoing, but fiercely dedicated detective in the south, pulled in just 4.05 million viewers in its Season 2 finale, the second-highest watched episode next to the series premiere, which drew 4.3 million viewers.

    "TNT has decided not to pick up a third season of Memphis Beat," a network spokesperson told the site. "The network thanks everyone involved in the production of Memphis Beat for their work on the series, including the great cast and crew. TNT wishes everyone the best."
     
  12. GregNickRyanFan

    GregNickRyanFan Holographic Moderator Moderator

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    That sucks! :(
     
  13. mrsjrewing

    mrsjrewing CSI Level One

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    I was glad when I heard this show was cancelled. I do feel bad for the fans, but I was so mad when they cancelled Hawthorne and this show is not nearly as good. I could not see how they would renew this show and not Hawthorne.
     
  14. mulder42

    mulder42 Corpse

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    Damn...I thought for sure it would be coming back. Already knew about HawthoRNe. If they bring back Franklin & Bash (which I did like, but not as much as Memphis Beat) that will truly be a crime. :scream:
     

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