Sort of.

Creator Rockne S. O’Bannon Tweeted late last week that the canceled CW drama will air its remaining six episodes over three upcoming Friday nights. Starting June 28, Cult will air from 8-10 p.m.

ABC is following a similar pattern with its axed freshman dramas: Both 666 Park Avenue and Zero Hour will conclude their runs with original episodes this summer.

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The CW has cancelled Cult, a move that comes as no surprise after the network relegated this Davis and Robert Knepper-anchored series to Friday nights after just two episodes.

The drama was in the unusual position of premiering in February, while many also wondered why The CW paired it with Hart of Dixie, a show with a very different fan base.

“Sadly true,” creator Rockne S. O’Bannon Tweeted of the news. “CW Execs once called the last 5 episodes ‘outstanding.’ I guess too outstanding. You are great, SMART fans. Thx to u all!”

There are no plans to air these installments, however, as returns of The Carrie Diaries and Oh, Sit are scheduled over the next three Fridays.

The post The CW Cancels Cult appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Following back to back episodes that each failed to garner one million viewers, Cult has been pushed to Friday nights by The CW. It’s final episodes will be burned off then at 9 p.m., starting on March 8.

In the show’s previous time slot, the network will air encore episodes of various programs, beginning on March 5 with Beauty and the Beast.

Cult premiered to just 860,000 viewers and a 0.3 demographic rating on February 19. Its second installment failed to improve on those numbers in any noticeable fashion.

The post The CW Pushes Cult to Friday Nights appeared first on TV Fanatic.

I’m sure this being the second episode and viewers knowing what to expect probably had something to do with the lack of confusion, too, but that’s way less fun a reason.

I was glad that “In the Blood” felt grounded in the “real” world and Jeff’s search for Nate. That, to me, is the central storyline of the series, at least at this moment. Tonight definitely opened up more avenues for the story to develop.

Jeff and Skye got one step closer to finding Nate, thanks to Jeff’s coworker EJ, who was none to happy to find Skye working with him, and we also learned who might be the leader of the True Believers.

EJ located an area from which Nate’s last phone call most likely came and Skye believed the call to have come from inside a kid’s bounce house. She was right. They were able to see that as of the night before, Nate was still alive. And he was with late Miriam’s husband. Miriam’s husband who swore that his wife never watched the show. 

The same man who lip-locked with Detective Sakelik during his wife’s funeral.

Okay, so maybe lip-lock is a little bit of an overstatement. But he definitely left his wife’s memorial service to deliver something to Detective Sakelik and get a smooch from the bad cop after being told that his wife’s suicide had thrown “them.” Them being the True Believers.

The True Believers later took Miriam’s husband out by burning his house down, but not before they could strip his wallpaper where he’d written the same kinds of notes that Nate had written in his notebook. And not before Miriam’s husband could utter the key phrase of the True Believers: “Well hey, these things just snap right off.”

Here are these cult members, assimilated into modern life. They work. They play. They keep the peace. And then they kidnap people and sew their mouths shut for daring to interfere with visionary Steven Rae’s idea of what his show should be.

Jeff wondered tonight if he could trust Skye, a conversation the two of them teased during an interview last fall. She says that she is trustworthy because her father’s disappearance 10 years ago may have had something to do with his investigation into Steven Rae, creator of Cult. She believes that he can help her find out what happened to her father and admits that the reason she took the job as a researcher was to hopefully learn about Steven Rae. So far, she’s had no luck.

And those who dare to question Steven often go missing, so it’s not like there are tons of leads out there for her to follow. Her father. Segal. Perhaps even Roger Reeves! Billy Grimm himself isn’t safe if Steven feels that he’s and his following are being threatened. 

Following the clues and figuring out just who the True Believers are is one of the things that can and will keep Cult interesting. Who can we trust? Who can Jeff trust? And just who, exactly, is Steven Rae?

What did you think of “In The Blood?” Are you hooked on Cult yet?

The post Cult Review: True Believers appeared first on TV Fanatic.

The network has unveiled its season finale calendar (first posted at Futon Critic), with it being a safe bet that many of the dates listed below will mark series finales for at least a couple programs. Read on and save room on your DVR accordingly…

Monday, April 8
8:00/7:00c – The Carrie Diaries

Tuesday, May 7
8:00/7:00c – Hart of Dixie

Monday, May 13
9:00/8:00c – 90210

Tuesday, May 14
9:00/8:00c – Cult

Wednesday, May 15
8:00/7:00c – Arrow
9:00/8:00c – Supernatural

Thursday, May 16
8:00/7:00c – The Vampire Diaries
9:00/8:00c – Beauty and the Beast

Friday, May 17
8:00/7:00c – “Nikita

The post The CW Schedules Season Finale Dates appeared first on TV Fanatic.

In the Cult premiere, Matt Davis’ Jeff couldn’t get the police to even consider that his brother was abducted, so why would anyone else believe him?

When he met the show’s research assistant, Jessica Lucas’ Skye, Jeff found someone that bought his story and wanted to help in the search for Nate – but would they be able to really trust each other? 

Last year, when Cult was still in production, TV Fanatic visited the set in Vancouver (trip provided by Warner Bros. TV) to interview the show’s cast, as Davis and Lucas discussed Jeff and Skye’s skepticism regarding the odd situations they witnessed and the cautious relationship between the two leads.

Is Jeff a believer right away? Or is he more skeptical?

Davis: It’s a bit of both. Right away he’s skeptical, but then so much happens so quickly that it’s impossible for him to remain skeptical. He quickly gives into the notation that it’s true and he’s one of the few people who sees it. And, he has to warn the others somehow that it’s true at the risk of looking crazy. So, he’s constantly aware what he’s going through is crazy and [that] trying to talk to anyone outside who doesn’t know, he looks like a madman. He quickly buys into the true believerness of it all.

Is Skye skeptical about the show and the reality of people disappearing?

Lucas: I think Skye has a lot more evidence than Jeff does. If anything, I would say Jeff is more the skeptical one. And, Skye, because she works on the show and has been researching this whole phenomenon actually a lot longer than Jeff, that she has a lot more information than him. And, so she’s not very skeptical. She’s sort of the driving force of — this is really crazy, what’s going on?

Does Jeff trust Skye?

Davis: In the second episode, [“In the Blood“], there’s a big scene in which it dawns on him that everything he knows about the show is through her. That she’s been the one feeding him all this information. So, there’s a scene when all of that comes to a head. There’s a confrontation where she finally admits to him why she’s there, what she has at stake, and where she’s coming from.

Lucas: There’s a scene that happens in episode 2 where Skye sort of explains more of the reasons why she’s there and why she’s fully on Jeff’s side. And, that moment is their sort of bonding point and they fully trust each other from that point on.

Is Skye the only one Jeff can really talk to about what’s happening then?

Davis: Everyone [they] meet is always a suspect. They do have allies that they meet along the way, along the road, but it’s always the notation of how much can they trust them and earn each other’s trust along the way, but primarily, it’s just the two of them. 

Cult airs on Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.

The post Cult Stars Tease New Episode, Wonder: Who Can You Trust? appeared first on TV Fanatic.

“I was in Santa Fe shooting the SEAL Team 6 movie,” he told me last night over the phone. “When I heard I was the pro type for Billy Grimm. So it seemed like something I should check out.”

Grimm, of course, is the lead character on “Cult,” the TV series within the show itself, a premise that some may find confusing, but which Knepper refers to as “deceptively simple.”

The entire set-up is really an “homage,” the actor says, a “love letter to television.”

And along similar lines, Grimm is a kind of homage to the reputation Knepper has carved out for himself. Following his beloved role as the creepy murderer T-Bag on Prison Break, the star says he was recognized everywhere he went.

“But it’s a little weird to go around and be known as such an anti-hero,” he said, joking about what Anthony Hopkins must have gone through after Silence of the Lambs.

Roger Reeves receives the same reaction on Cult, with everyone he meets assuming he’s as evil as the man he portrays on television.

“I was channeling Robert Mitchum for most of the season,” Knepper says of how he plays an evil leader such as Grimm. “He’s quiet, strong, charismatic, totally different than T-Bag, who was a slithering reptile. He couldn’t have a cult following if he paid people.”

The topic of serial killers and cult leaders can strike a little too close for some these days, an area of sensitivity Knepper and creator Rockne S. O’Bannon are careful to navigate.

“Rockne loves to quote Rod Sterling,” Knepper says. “And he once said ‘I’m responsible to the public, but not for the public.’ I really like that. Our show definitely has a message, but our main responsibility is to entertain, to push your imagination.”

And Knepper will be pushing it this season alongside Matt Davis, who earned himself quite the cult-like following on The Vampire Diaries.

Is there any dirt Knepper can spill on the actor? Sadly, no. He could only gush over his co-star.

“It’s one thing to work with an actor you like and respect,” Knepper said of Davis. “But then you turn around and see the finished product… he is such a great guy. Such a mensch. We sort of tag team this season – it’s his story, then my story, then his story – and we just have such great mutual respect for each other.”

Cult airs Tuesday nights at 9 on The CW. Watch the promo now for tonight’s “In the Blood.”

The post Cult Exclusive: Robert Knepper on Public Responsibility, “Love Letter to Television” appeared first on TV Fanatic.

But I’ve got more from my Walking Dead/Steven Yeun chat… as well as scoop on why real life is reflected in the The CW’s Cult… along with love talk for Parks and Recreation’s Leslie & Ben… as well as Gus on Psych Season 7.

And I’m still looking for your comments as to how you’re keeping up with all the TV that is on these days. Let me know, while also chiming in with what just sits collecting dust on your DVR.

THE WALKING DEAD As Glenn continues to be put through the emotional wringer on the show, how has Yeun handled the overwhelming fame that comes with AMC’s hit zombie series? “I don’t know that I’ll ever get used to something like that What is great is that whatever your situation is in terms of how new or odd it is, the through-line is that they all watch the show and they dig it. If that’s the case, then it’s fine with me. It’s great.” 

Talking to us from bustling New York City, the actor said he walked around the city and “people will double take and stop you on the street and it won’t be ‘Hey, let’s take a picture of that guy.’ It’s ‘I love your show’ or ‘I love your character’ and when you hear that stuff it’s awesome! It’s the greatest thing because they’re validating a lot of the hard work that we’re doing. I’m still getting used to it but I’m socially a little shyer than most people.”

Yeun, who grew up in Michigan, credits growing up in the Midwest with helping him stay grounded: “One of the things that the Midwest taught me is that humility will find you one way or another, so it’s on you whether you want it now or later when you don’t’ expect it.”

CULT If you watched the new CW series this week, you can see the show definitely is saying something about the fandom around popular TV shows. In fact, creator Rockne S. O’Bannon told me the idea for Cult begin with his sci-fi series Farscape.

“Looking at that phenomenon and how close some of the actors got to some of the people who’d made contact to them…the Internet is kind of instant access. You don’t know if the person you’re interacting with is next door or across the planet, you know it’s totally anonymous. It’s a real interesting kind of confluence of the difference…kind of scary elements, and then if the thing that was drawing them was this TV show with some edge.”

And if you think the appeal of the show within a show is just fandom, expect more to unfold: “There may be something else to it,” O’Bannon said. “Initially the intent is really that it’s Billy and his kind of powers of kind of enthralling people with his personality and message and all of that.”

PARKS AND RECREATION Last night you saw the marriage finally happen between Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt – and Amy Poehler couldn’t be happier with the path this couple has taken on the sitcom.

“What I love about Parks is that if you care about this couple, you’ve got to see over the past couple years so much change happen with them and it’s really satisfying the show hasn’t killed us with low expectation and will they/won’t they – which I love. And I love that Parks continues to let characters change and actually have things happen, like life goes on in the world, like what happens in the real world. So that part is satisfying because I know that Mike [Schur, Exec Producer] and the writers always kind of write and then just try to figure what’s going to happen later.”

Are you happy Leslie and Ben have finally tied the knot?

PSYCH On the popular USA series, which returns next Wednesday with Season 7 (and is already renewed for season 8), Gus is finally going to get some more romantic action. Actor Dulé Hill, for one, isn’t surprised when talking about his alter ego:

“In my mind, Gus is perfect as a boyfriend,” he said on a press call earlier this week with series creator Steve Franks. “He’s had a lot of time to think about it, a lot of time to do different charts and do different research about what qualities women look for in a boyfriend and made sure that he has is list and he’s checked it twice. So he’s ready to take the plunge.”

Always tongue in cheek, Hill added: “Now I don’t know what his girlfriend may think about him, but I think from Gus’s side he’s perfect.

That’s a wrap for this week! Anything else you’re dying to know about your favorite show? Leave a comment here or you email me directly at jim@jimhalterman.com. And remember: follow @TVFanatic for all your TV scoop!

The post Jim’s Notebook: Open to Psych, The Walking Dead, Cult and More! appeared first on TV Fanatic.

The drama will run only new episodes until the season finale, running it back next Tuesday night with “In the Blood,” as Skye opens up to Jeff about taking the job on “Cult,” while Jeff enlists the help of a tech-savvy friend to help him track down Nate.

Watch the official network teaser now and then sound off on the opener:

What grade would you give the Cult premiere?

The post Cult Episode Teaser: “In the Blood” appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Jeff and Skye pay a visit to Miriam’s husband and he pulls a gun on them. They later see him kiss Detective Sakelik during Miriam’s funeral. He is blown up inside his home by a band of the True Believers.

Jeff questions Skye’s reasons for helping him and she reveals why she took the job as a researcher on Cult. 

Roger bumps into one of the True Believers.

The post Cult Season 1 Episode 2 Recap: In the Blood appeared first on TV Fanatic.