As Showtime Chairman and CEO Matt Blank put it, people were "catching the buzz" at New York's Museum of Television & Radio on Wednesday night, as a sneak preview of the second-season finale of Weeds (premiering on Showtime Oct. 30) was unveiled.
The post-screening reception featured an array of hors d'oeuvres and miniature sweets (the whoopie pies were particularly tasty). After scarfing down several of the baked goods, I determined that none of them had any "special" ingredients.
Weeds co-stars Elizabeth Perkins (Celia Hodes) and Justin Kirk (Andy Botwin) were milling around and posing for several photos, as were Blank, creator/Executive Producer Jenji Kohan and Co-Executive Producer Roberto Benabib.
Once all attendees had filed into the screening room, MTR President and CEO Pat Mitchell welcomed everyone to the "secret premiere." Blank followed her on stage, joking that two of the few people who had seen this finale were his 18- and 21-year-old children–repeatedly. He then presented Mitchell with DVDs of seasons one and two of Weeds, quipping that he didn't want to see them available on Ebay tomorrow.
The finale itself was one of the stronger episodes of the season. A highlight: Shane Botwin's (Alexander Gould) elementary school graduation speech. And the cliffhanger ending had me looking forward to a (possible) third season, despite the fact that season two has been so maddeningly uneven.
Following the screening, Perkins, Kirk, Blank, Benabib and Kohan sat down for a Q&A session moderated by New York Post TV columnist Adam Buckman. Some highlights: Kirk revealed that his uproarious masturbation monologue early in the season was mostly off the cuff; Perkins said that she had a heart-to-heart with Allie Grant, the young actress who plays her husky daughter, to assure her that she was only acting when she berated her about her weight; Kirk said that the pot smoked on the show was a form of very low-grade herb that still managed to get him a bit light-headed; and Kohan defined the word "Agrestic" (the name of Weeds' Stepford SoCal town), which, for all of you who may have bombed your SATs, means "Rustic."
When I asked if they planned to have any more ganja-friendly special guest stars on the show (à la the Snoop Dog appearance earlier this season), Kohan replied that they don't indulge in stunt casting. As of now, a third season has not officially been announced, but the panel members were discussing it as if it were a given.
In other Showtime news, Blank touted new show The Tudors, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry VIII; it's set to begin in April 2007.
By Rebecca Stropoli
