Reaper: ‘The Devil and Sam Oliver’ Finale Tonight
May 26, 2009 by Chandra
It’s time to say goodbye to the second season of The CW’s Reaper tonight during the season finale “The Devil and Sam Oliver.”
Although the network has canceled the series in order to offer teenage girls shows that focus on way more entertaining stuff — you know, like models and rich folks — there’s a chance CW affiliates may keep Reaper alive to air on Sunday nights. If that happens, I’ll be among the first to post an update.
During tonight’s episode, Sam and his daddy The Devil go head to head in battle following Nina’s (Jenny Wade) delivery from Hell, meaning that scroll Mr. Oliver (Andrew Airlie) sent back with her. After translating the text with a little help from Tony (Ken Marino), Sam learns he can summon daddy with a specific incantation that will trap him into a competition. Sam challenges The Devil to a game of quarters, but they play to a draw and The Devil refuses a rematch, so Andi offers her soul as collateral.
Will Sam get his soul back after Andi’s daring action? I have no idea, and given the show’s current up-in-the-air status, I suppose it could go either way. Fingers crossed fans will get resolution somehow if there’s a cliffhanger tonight.
Follow the jump to check out the promo for “The Devil and Sam Oliver.”
In Defense of ‘Reaper’
April 24, 2009 by Chandra
I read an interesting column not too long ago. In the wake of the Hollywood Reporter’s recent proclamation that Reaper is as good as gone at The CW, writer Daniel Fienberg defends the devil dramedy and offers several reasons why the network should at least give a Reaper renewal proper consideration before lowering the ax.
Among the fine points made is Reaper’s sturdy, if not impressive, performance against reality behemoth American Idol, the Fox reality show that The CW intentionally threw Reaper under the bus for in order to save sappy 90210 from a swift and certain ratings death. Remember, the network moved 90210 from its original 8pm ET time slot to 9pm, just so Reaper could take on — and get crushed by — Idol at 8pm instead.
So Long, ‘Reaper’?
April 20, 2009 by Chandra
Could it really be almost time to say goodbye forever to The CW’s devil dramedy Reaper? That just might be the case now that a reputable entertainment publication has publicly stated the series is canceled.
In an April 19 online article titled “Crunch Time for Bubble Series,” the Hollywood Reporter closed its overview with one lone sentence that Sam fans have been dreading pretty much since the middle of the sophomore series’ first season:
Over at the CW, “Reaper” is gone, while the prospects for “Privileged” have improved, and the show is now considered for a possible midseason order.
Next on ‘Reaper’: Dirty Sexy Mongol
March 10, 2009 by Chandra
There’s a brand-new episode of The CW’s Reaper coming up tonight at 8pm EST with the interesting title “Dirty Sexy Mongol.”
Although Sam receives a new assignment from The Devil, the only thing on his mind is learning how Alan (Sean Patrick Thomas) got out of his deal with The Devil. Unfortunately, Sam and Alan are attacked by two demons sent by The Devil when Sam finally manages to locate him.
As a result, Alan not only refuses to talk to Sam anymore, but he up and disappears. Meanwhile, one of the demons shows quite a bit of interest in Ben.
Follow the jump to see five sneak peeks for the episode. The fourth, featuring a little Demon-Devil action, is my favorite.
‘Reaper’ Season Two Premiere Ratings Underwhelming
March 5, 2009 by Chandra
It hasn’t even been a week since The CW’s Reaper returned for its second season and already the bad news has started.
Instead of opening with a bang worthy of all the love fans feel for the show and its characters, Tuesday night’s “Episode 201: Episode IV: A New Hope” Season Two premiere drew a modest audience of just 2.36 million viewers overall, which was about the lowest the series has ever gone. The Nielsen performance was also 40% lower than the show’s series premiere way back in September 2007 (has it really been that long?!).
If it’s any consolation, the supernatural dramedy did have the unenviable position of airing directly opposite two mega popular reality series, Fox’s American Idol (22.68 million viewers) and NBC’s The Biggest Loser (8.26 million viewers), as well as a repeat of CBS’ reliable military crime procedural NCIS (13.66 million viewers). When you look at the situation from that perspective, it’s not surprising in the least that Reaper didn’t get farther in its uphill battle. A lousy time slot will do that, not to mention a nearly yearlong hiatus.
So, what does all of this mean? Well, if you’re a fan and have a glimmer of a hope for a third season, now is definitely the time to band together with other Reaper devotees and begin the push to recruit viewers who can help improve Tuesday’s dismal performance. The last won’t be easy, though.
Reaper will air Tuesdays on The CW at 8pm EST.
Reaper: ‘A New Hope’ for a New Season
March 3, 2009 by Chandra
Although hard to believe, it really is finally time for the second-season premiere of The CW’s delicious Devil dramedy Reaper. The first episode up tonight at 8pm EST has the very long and quite confusing title “Episode 201: Episode IV: A New Hope,” so let’s just call it “A New Hope” for short.
Following the Season One-ending development that The Devil and Sam might be a whole lot closer than mere employer and employee — father and son, in fact — Season Two opens with best buds Sam, Sock, and Ben returning from a soothing vacation. Yet, the road-trip afterglow doesn’t last for long because the trio are forced to face the grim reality that their jobs are now gone at the Work Bench and their apartment is, too. Jobless and homeless, the guys manage to get back on their feet eventually, no thanks to The Devil and his latest whopper of an assignment.
That’s the bare-bones summary. I’ve had the opportunity to screen this week’s and next week’s (“Dirty Sexy Mongol”) episodes ahead of their premiere, and I gotta tell all of my fellow Reaper fans that it sure is nice to have the gang back. As expected, however, the plot isn’t all fun and games.
Reaper: ‘A New Hope’ Sneak Peeks
March 3, 2009 by Chandra
The second season of The CW dramedy Reaper opens tonight at 8pm EST with the premiere “Episode 201: Episode IV: A New Hope,” and I have lots of preview clips for fans who can’t wait that long. If you count yourself among those anxious devotees, just continue after the jump to check out five sneak peeks featuring Sam, Sock, Ben, and The Devil, plus a few new “friends.”
Just Another Cool ‘Reaper’ Promo Poster
February 27, 2009 by Chandra
The CW has released another new faboo promotional pic for Reaper to let everybody know the second-season premiere is now a mere few days away.
Check it out below. I think it’s very nicely done — certainly makes me more excited about the big event heading our way next Tuesday, March 3, at 8pm EST. So, heck yeah, I am ready!
You can also take a look at an earlier promo photo in the previous post Did I Already Mention ‘Reaper’ Returns March 3? The title says it all, right? Don’t claim I didn’t post enough reminders. I’m doing what I can to get viewers to tune in. Now don’t forget.
‘Reaper’s Valarie Rae Miller Guests on ‘Life’
February 24, 2009 by Chandra
I was checking out upcoming episodes for Life, one of my current favorite television series, when I happened upon the photo above. According to the NBC caption, that woman looking snazzy while lounging poolside in a blue bathing suit is Reaper’s very own Valarie Rae Miller, also known as Josie. She’ll be appearing on the cop dramedy Wednesday, March 11.
During the episode called “Shelf Life,” Detective Charlie Crews (Damian Lewis) and his pre-prison partner Officer Bobby Stark (Brent Sexton) investigate a murder involving a soldier stabbed to death while on leave in Los Angeles.
Miller plays a character named Erin Corday, and that’s all I can tell ya because that’s all the information NBC has released. I guess we’ll just have to watch Life in a couple of weeks to find out the rest, which isn’t a bad proposition in the least. So, mark your calendars, Reaper fans.
Life airs Wednesdays on NBC at 9pm EST and Reaper will air Tuesdays on The CW at 8pm EST beginning next week, March 3.
Two Fresh ‘Reaper’ Season Two Promos
February 23, 2009 by Chandra
The anticipation is building and building for the second-season premiere of Reaper next Tuesday.
Thankfully, The CW has just released two more new promos for the show to tide us fans over until the big event on March 3, “A New Hope,” the first episode of 2009.
Until then, check out the two 30-second clips making the rounds right now. The first one is a trailer montage focused on Sam and Andi and the second a best of video called, appropriately enough, “The Best.” I couldn’t agree more.
One more after the jump…