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According to this article in TV Guide Magazine, Ben is one of the voice talents in the newest reboot of “Scooby Doo”. The series will begin airing on the Cartoon Network in July.
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Inc – 7/6c Cartoon Network
Scooby-Doo, where are you? A hip reboot of the 40-year-old cartoon franchise puts the meddling kids and their—talking!—canine pal Scoob in Crystal Cove, the most-haunted town in the world, where they solve mysteries much to the chagrin of everyone else who lives there. Among the celebs who lend their voices to the series (either as guest stars or recurring characters) are: Patrick Warburton, Gary Cole, Linda Cardellini, George Segal, Ben McKenzie, Tricia Helfer, Tia Carrere, Julie Bowen, science fiction writer Harlan Ellison and—for those who know their Scooby history—Vincent Van Ghoul.
Two years after being unveiled at NBC’s upfront presentation, cop drama Southland will once again be introduced at an upfront presentation, this time at TNT’s event tomorrow after the show was recently renewed by the cable network.
“We’re delighted that we’re still alive,” executive producer John Wells said. “So far, we’ve used up the fourth of our nine lives.”
But along with the excitement of staying on at TNT came the reality of having to adjust the series, originally developed and produced for a broadcast network, to the economics of cable. The budget of Southland is being cut by more than a third going into Season 3.
As a result, not all cast members will continue as regulars and those who remain had been asked to reduce their fees and/or the number of episodes they appear in.
Staying on as regulars are Regina King and Michael Cudlitz, who have completed their deals, and Ben McKenzie and Shawn Hatosy who are in negotiations. McKenzie, King and Cudlitz are scheduled to appear at TNT’s upfront presentation tomorrow, while Hatosy had to pull out because of personal commitment.
I wish we had more money,” Well said. ”We are hoping to find a way to have a couple of more regulars if they prefer it that way or recurring if they want to have the opportunity to also appear on other series.”
For instance, after Southland’s cancelation by NBC, series regular Kevin Alejandro landed a recurring gig on HBO’s True Blood where he was upped to a regular with the blessing of the Southland producers. He is still expected to do several episodes of the TNT drama next season. Wells also is looking to bring back in some capacity former regulars Arija Bareikis and Michael McGrady.
Tom Everett Scott started off as a regular on the show on NBC but was switched to a guest star status after the network didn’t like his character and wanted him killed. But the producers loved him and kept him alive and now they have had preliminary conversations with Scott to return for next season, possibly as a regular.
And the producers on the show themselves will take deeper cuts than the actors, said to be larger than 30%. But Wells is not complaining.
“I don’t’ want to sound upset about it,” he said. “We got to keep doing the show, and we are delighted that TNT stepped up and that have been very generous. The reality is in the big difference between how you set up to do a show off the bat on cable and how you transition a broadcast show to cable. It’s new ground.”
Rajiv Joseph’s Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo opened last night, April 25, at the Mark Taper Forum, under the direction of Moisés Kaufman.
The play, recently named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, is set against the backdrop of the war in Iraq. The company, all reprising their roles from an earlier run at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, features Glenn Davis, Brad Fleischer, Arian Moayed, Kevin Tighe, Hrach Titizian, Sheila Vand, and Necar Zadegan.
Among the opening night guests were Ricardo Chavira, Eriq Lasalle, Logan Marshall-Green, Bai Ling, Ben McKenzie, Marisa Tomei, Rutina Wesley, and Charlayne Woodard.
The network has picked up 10 episodes of the critically acclaimed John Wells cop drama, which will air starting next January.
“Southland” has been a modest performer for the cable network, which picked up the series after NBC canceled the series right before the start of its second season.
“’Southland’ is a challenging, visceral show that engages viewers with its immersive style, provocative storylines and complex characters,” said Michael Wright, head of programming for TNT. “These qualities have made ‘Southland’ a favorite among critics and appointment viewing for an extremely loyal audience.”
TNT points out that “Southland” gains about 50% more viewers via DVR time shifting, which is above average. In live-plus-same-day ratings, the final episodes of the show averaged about 2.2 million viewers. The show averaged 2.7 million viewers for the season once seven-day DVR gains are added.
I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t an avid fan of “The O.C.,” I watched the show religiously throughout it’s run. So when I was presented the opportunity to interview Ben Mckenzie (Ryan Atwood on the show), I of course accepted. And it was a pleasure, because he was incredibly nice and gracious. I made the offhand comment that this was my first interview, and he loved it. After his attempt to make me nervous (jokingly), we did the interview.
I have a rule, anytime one of ”The O.C.,” cast members is in a new show or movie, I always give it a chance. Thank God I did because his new show “Southland” is fantastic, and I probably would not have checked it out on my own.
The show has had a pretty rocky run unfortunately. It had a reasonably strong first season on NBC and was renewed for a second season, only to be cancelled because they felt it was too dark to lead into Jay Leno. Luckily, TNT picked up the series and are waiting to see how it fairs. The show certainly isn’t too dark for NBC who in the past couple of years have become well known for their myriad of dramas. As of right now, they are not producing new episodes and are waiting to see how it fares ratings wise.
You can check out the interview below, and please check out “Southland” on TNT on January 12, at 10/9C, where they will re-air the first season, before showing the second season episodes.
Other video interviews Ben did in the last few days:
When NBC decided to abruptly cancel the cop show drama Southland many fans felt cheated. But as fate would have it, TNT has decided to resurrect the show and will re-broadcast the seven episodes of Southland originally seen on NBC and then show six previously-unaired installments.Ben McKenzie talks to Good Day LA about the show and how different it is to be on cable as opposed to network.TV.
Ben interviews on Good Day Atlanta:
A talk with one of the stars of the upcoming TV series, ” Southland ,” Ben McKenzie.
Southland (2009-2010)
Sin Bin (2010)
The Eight Percent (2009)
Johnny Got His Gun (2008)
