The new 13-week CBS drama Harper’s Island is unlike anything else on TV. A serial killer is on the loose on a remote island off the coast of Seattle when a big wedding party arrives. Every week, anyone from the main cast of 25 stars is fair game and can be killed off, slowly building to the end when one of them is revealed to be the killer.Harper’s Island is like a TV version of a murder mystery, and now you can play along at home with BuddyTV’s Harper’s Island Fantasy TV league. Every week make your picks for which actors will be killed off to see if you’re smart enough to figure out who the killer is. Below you’ll find a helpful introductory guide of the 25 stars and who they play to help you pick your victims.Play Harper’s Island Fantasy TV>> Read more »

CBS is often derided by TV critics for being a network entirely built on boilerplate procedural crime dramas. The new drama Harper’s Island, premiering tonight at 10pm, goes against that trend in the polar opposite direction. As serialized as TV can be, the 13-episode horror show chronicles a doomed wedding party on a remote island as a serial killer picks them off one by one.It’s a lot like Friday the 13th, but as a series. The cast starts out huge at 25 major characters, but Harper’s Island promises to kill at least one off every episode, slowly whittling the cast down until the killer is revealed. With the fate’s of the characters unknown, it plays more like a reality show than a typical scripted drama. Read more »

“You don’t even know The Rules? There are certain rules that one must abide by in order to successfully survive a horror movie. For instance, number one: You can never have sex. Big no-no! Big no-no! Sex=Death. Okay? Number two: You can never drink or do drugs. No, the sin factor. It’s a sin. It’s an extension of number one. And number three: never ever ever, under any circumstances, say ‘I’ll be right back.’ Because you won’t be back. You see? You push the laws and you end up dead.” - Jaime Kennedy as Randy Meeks, ScreamYou might say Harper’s Island isn’t a horror film. It’s a television series, and more of a thriller or a Who Done It? at that. You’d be absolutely wrong. Let’s get one thing straight: Harper’s Island is a horror film, specifically a contemporary slasher. Read more »

The fictional small town of Harper’s Island may have a bit of a public relations issue from a tourism standpoint, and rightly so. Despite slashing prices and cutting out the middle man the island resort has had its share of short stays made by unhappy mystery shoppers. But the island does offer some good deals. Harry Hamlin’s stay was half off. With its foggy boat docks, scenic rocky beaches, quaint general stores and its modern luxury hotel the small town offers the best of both worlds, blackberries and Blackberries, skinny dipping and satellite television. No doubt it’s to die for, literally breathtaking if you can excuse the local ghoul infestation. Read more »

Every week BuddyTV offers expert analysis on who will be eliminated on Harper‘s Island.  See who BuddyTV users and our own experts think will get killed this week, then make your own picks at Harper‘s Island Fantasy TV. Read more »

Two episodes in and Harper‘s Island is now must-watch TVevery Thursday night.  The simple mysteryof trying to figure out who‘s the killer, who will die next and what clues aremerely red herrings is as entertaining as anything The second episode helped fix the main problem of thepremiere by establishing more of the characters.  An initial cast of 25 is absurdly huge, butthankfully three of those suspects are already dead.  Continuing the greatness of an underwatermurder and cutting Uncle Marty in half, the second episode featured adecapitation, a hanging and a girl being burned alive.  That‘s just the kind of crazy death scenesany horror movie fan could hope for. Read more »

If being a bride-to-be carries as much pressure as they say it does, then playing one while staying in an island haunted by a homicidal psychopath must be traumatic.  However, it was an amazing experience for actress Katie Cassidy, who portrays Trish Wellington on CBS‘ Harper‘s Island.  Recently interviewed by MediaBlvd Magazine, the rising star discussed the secretive process which she had to undergo every time they had to shoot scenes for the series."We literally had no idea what was happening or when we would go, until we got the scripts," Cassidy revealed.  "Getting the scripts and reading them, we would always flip to the end to see who was going to make it and who wasn‘t."   Read more »

Jim Beaver is a busy man.  Not only does he star on the CW‘s Supernatural and CBS‘ Harper‘s Island (both airing Thursday nights), but he‘s also a new author with the recent release of his third book, Life‘s That Way: A Memoir.  Supernatural fans can look forward to part two of this interview later this week in which he talks about what‘s ahead for Uncle Bobby, but first, BuddyTV spoke to Jim Beaver about his extremely touching new book.  In it he shares the nightly e-mails he wrote to friends and family as he spent his final days together with his wife Cecily. She was dying of cancer and they made plans for him to raise their autistic daughter Maddie alone. The book is full of stories about Jim‘s time on Supernatural and Deadwood but at the heart of it, Life‘s That Way is a story about enjoying what you have before it‘s too late. Read more »

Every week BuddyTV offers expert analysis on who will be eliminated on Harper‘s Island.  See who BuddyTV users and our own experts think will get killed this week, then make your own picks at Harper‘s Island Fantasy TV. Read more »

You‘veheard, I‘m sure, of the twelve gun salute. Hunter got the one gunsalute right in the forehead. Harper‘s Island may be the funnest hour of television I watch each week, and that‘s saying something. As usual it‘s our turn to play amateur sleuths - emphasis on the amateur - and to speculate about "Who is the killer?" The way of the gun proved very important in Episode 3, with the stable-boy-turned-fiance Henry losing a shooting competition to Mr. Wellington before Hunter opened up a Jack in the Box from Hell. Were the two gun stories related? That would seem to come down to how you interpreted the end of the not-so-sportsmanlike game.  Read more »

This week on Harper‘s Island the ratings get slashed. CBS president Les Moonves, who may or may not have been wearing a horrible Network Executive Ghoul mask, is moving the best new show on television to a brand new night of the week with a special start time. That‘s right. The television event is going to bring new excitement to Saturday nights when it comes to you at the more family friendly viewing time of 9PM!CBS had clearly hoped that Harper‘s Island would become a nationwide phenomenon and a ratings juggernaut moving into the summer, and had even speculated that the limited run project could be developed into an on going primetime fixture given the proper financial motivation. They ran commercials constantly, built up a viral online marketing campaign and got a lot of media coverage. Unfortunately when the Nielsons came in they had reason to scream because it became obvious what they did last summer: They blew a lot of money on a series no one wanted to watch. Read more »

As the leading man on a murder mystery show, Christopher Gorham has his eerie moments.  He plays husband-to-be Henry Dunn on the terrifying Harper‘s Island, and it‘s one difficult task that he enjoyed working on from week one.  The 34-year-old actor reveals what it was like to be surrounded by secrets on the set, and even shared some info regarding his return on ABC‘s Ugly Betty.When asked about knowing who the killer was, Gorham admitted that no one knew until the final script was penned.  "One of the producers became known as "The Assassin," he explained, "because he was the one who would make the phone call the night before the new script would come out, telling that week‘s victim that they‘d been killed."   Read more »

Every week BuddyTV offers expert analysis on who will be eliminated on Harper‘s Island.  See who BuddyTV users and our own experts think will get killed this week, then make your own picks at Harper‘s Island Fantasy TV.  Read more »

They didn‘t get me. Not at all. Not for a moment. I knew it all the time. I was always certain. Knowing that every episode of Harper‘s Island so far has ended with a character having a quiet, seemingly private moment only to die in a brutal and expected way the producers laid out the cheese. They lured fans in by having Trish the bride and seemingly one of the safest characters on the show wander into a seemingly inescapable death trap in classic Harper‘s Island style. Just to make the moment more convincing the producers had refrained from having the killer claim any new victims throughout the episode, and since we know it‘s an iron clad guarantee that someone will die each week we knew something big was coming. Read more »

As the mystery and tension escalate on Harper‘s Island, practically everyone is getting hooked.  That is, including the show‘s stars.  Filming the series with the fate of their characters unknown, the actors on the show knew it was going to be an exciting endeavor.  What made the experience more intense was guessing who the killer is. On an interview with TV Guide, Adam Campbell discussed his role as the outsider Cal Vandeusen as well as what goes on behind the scenes of the hit series.  Read more »

Once a network reschedules a show, there‘s usually a scuffle among the audiences.  To watch or not to watch is usually the question, especially if one series coincides with another‘s timeslot.  Still, despite the move CBS made to transfer Harper‘s Island from Thursdays to Saturdays, the series remains strong.The network had its reasons for appointing the mystery thriller to the weekend night, one of which was that several viewers tape the shows and watch them later.  Even though moving shows to Saturdays is an indication of weakness, the 13-episode suspense series pulled through.  Read more »

Here‘s to more unusual but amusing comments from the stars of CBS‘ thrilling series, Harper‘s Island.  A lot of fans probably know how the actors worked on their characters - none of them knowing if they were actually playing the killer until the end.  According to the cast of the show, the experience was both exciting and horrifying."It‘s like going to work to play Clue," said Elaine Cassidy, who plays central character Abby Mills.  "And the conversations we‘ve had ... Who do you think did it ... Everyone has their theory ... You kind of knew, week by week, someone was going to go, and it could be you, or it could be someone you are good friends with." Read more »

After yet another gruesome death, Harper‘s Island returns tonight with the episode "Sploosh."  There have been eight people murdered so far, especially since the Dunn-Wellington wedding is getting nearer.  That was some cliffhanger during the rehearsal last week, a well-crafted plot in which an axe drops straight from the church chandelier.  In one deft fall, it went straight through the skull of Thomas Wellington (Richard Burgi).  Considering the death of the bride‘s rich daddy, will the wedding still push through?  And since all the guests - the live ones anyway - were present during that killing, they‘re now fully aware of their own impending fates.  After a series of quiet and private deaths, Thomas‘ came as a shocker.  It also makes you wonder if this is the surprise J.D. (Dean Chekvala) was telling Henry (Christopher Gorham) about.  Read more »

While Harper‘s Island isn‘t done with its famed 13 episodes, the stars of the series are already moving on to bigger projects.  Actress Katie Cassidy has long been tapped to play a role in the upcoming Melrose Place spin-off on the CW.  What‘s a little exciting about the character she‘s going to play is that she‘s bisexual.  It‘s quite some turnout for someone who plays a bride-to-be on the CBS mystery thriller.For the updated version of Melrose Place, Cassidy has been pegged to portray Ella Sims, an acid-tongued publicist who enjoys fancy clothes and is open about her bisexuality.  What‘s more, she‘s in a casual relationship with her fellow apartment-dweller David (Shaun Sipos). Read more »

When trying to guess who‘s going to die on the next episode of Harper‘s Island, we rely on the onomatopoeic titles and the one-line summaries from CBS.  Tonight, the series returns with "Thrack, Splack, Sizzle." Before we go off and look at how the title reminds one of three famous cereal elves, let‘s see what happened on the last grisly episode of Harper‘s Island.  "Sploosh" saw the guests being hounded by even more fear and suspicion, as the Sheriff (Jim Beaver) tried to get to the bottom of the mystery.  Read more »

Week after week, unsuspecting wedding guests are killed off on Harper‘s Island and we‘ve seen them all die gruesome deaths.  The latest victim of the inhumanity is Malcolm Ross, a groomsman who got a bit too greedy and ended up incinerated just as he was about to repent.  Chris Gauthier, who plays the recently deceased character on the hit thriller recently talked about his experience on the show and who he believes is responsible for the murders.On an interview with Fearnet.com, Chris Gauthier revealed the excitement and difficulties of working on Harper‘s Island.  He said he auditioned for the role of Booth (played by Sean Rogerson) initially, but was called back to play Malcolm.  He had a week-to-week contract with the producers and, like the other cast, had no idea how long the stint took. Read more »

Tonight marks another game of whodunit as Harper‘s Island returns with the episode titled "Gurgle."  Last week we saw the demise of Malcolm Ross (Chris Gauthier), the groom who greedily took the money for himself and eventually thought of giving it up.  Having been sliced and thrown into the furnace, he‘s surely out of the question as the killer. For the eighth episode tonight, fear continues to grip the guests and they threaten to leave the island despite the sheriff‘s orders.  In the chaos of everything, the creepy flower girl Madison (Cassandra Sawtell) goes missing. Read more »

While many might have believed Richard Allen was the killer on Harper‘s Island, his untimely demise proved us wrong.  Actor David Lewis who plays the suspicious brother-in-law on the show talked about his disappearance last week and what his theory is regarding the murders.David Lewis admitted that it was appalling to see his lungs sucked out by a harpoon.  Still, it was a unique way to go.  Upon seeing himself on TV, he said, "I had a couple drinks. I knew I was going out, so I just watched it by myself," he said on an interview with HitFix.  "But yeah, I liked it. I thought it looked good." Read more »

Thirteen people have already met their deaths on Harper‘s Island, and could they have been the lucky ones?  On the next episode of the thrilling series, things get even worse for the remaining occupants of the area.  Despite their own fears, the guests try their best to stay brave and look for Madison on "Seep." We last saw the Harper‘s Island wedding crew hoping to leave at last.  However, Abby (Elaine Cassidy) gets an untraceable call from the missing flower girl Madison (Cassandra Sawtell), and everyone must stay behind.  Read more »

Though he was suspected by many to be the killer, JD Dunn was later found dying and dead on Harper‘s Island.  The actor who plays that dark and brooding character, Dean Chekvala, spoke about his experiences filming the show and discussed the mysteries behind it.On a recent interview with Fearnet, Dean Chekvala admitted that even he thought he was the killer.  That is, until he was discovered gutted on the pier.  Read more »

As usual, another person‘s going to die on the next episode of Harper‘s Island and it‘s not that big of a surprise to know how eager everyone is to find out who.  However, the trailer for "Snap" reveals that it‘s one main character who gets the boot, and by some crazy explosion too.On the new installment of the hit CBS mystery, the marina goes up in flames and everyone continues to panic.  The wedding guests thought they could leave the island at last with Madison (Cassandra Sawtell) already found.  But with the destruction of the only means of transportation they have, there‘s very little hope of departure. Read more »

It was a two-for-one deal on Harper‘s Island, when a couple of ladies mysteriously died on one of the series‘ episodes.  Actresses Abby Borycki, who played the single girl Beth, and Claudette Mink, who played stepmom Katherine Wellington, were interviewed by Hit Fix to talk about their characters on the show.No one witnessed the murders of Beth and Katherine, but they were merely found dead by the other guests.  Both bloody, one was discovered in a tunnel and the other was seen with a pair of shears sticking out of her back. Read more »

Most of us suspected Abby to be the killer set loose on Harper‘s Island, but recent episodes of the series seem to have torn that notion apart.  Still, Irish actress Elaine Cassidy who plays the protagonist is hoping that the revelation will blow audiences away. According to the Los Angeles Times, Cassidy admitted that finding out the identity of the killer won‘t be as uplifting as knowing who won a season of The Bachelor.  Perhaps that‘s a good thing, if you‘re into gore and tricky whodunits like she is. Read more »

Death, death, death, death, death.  A lot of characters will meet their demise on tonight‘s episode of Harper‘s Island, but we‘re still wondering who the killer could be.  Even though a living and breathing John Wakefield has been discovered to exist, there‘s still doubt that he‘s alone on his murderous rampage.On "Splash," the remaining guests continue to seek solace from the killings while Abby (Elaine Cassidy) deals with her father‘s death.  With Sheriff Mills (Jim Beaver) literally dragged out of the picture, there are more questions plaguing his daughter.  Read more »

Whether he was a devoted father or a ruthless murderer, Sheriff Mills was one Harper‘s Island character that intrigued many.  There were several of us who thought he could be the one reliving the John Wakefield manslaughter, but his death on the show proved us wrong. Actor Jim Beaver talked to Hitfix about his experience portraying the law enforcer, from discussing the scenes he had with on-screen daughter Elaine Cassidy who plays Abby, to his character‘s unique death.  There was so much emotion in that last Harper‘s Island appearance of his, and we get to find out why. Read more »

On Harper‘s Island, Chloe and Cal were the romantic duo to keep an eye on.  They stole the scene from the soon-to-be bride and groom, especially because of their touching demise.  Actors Cameron Richardson and Adam Campbell recently talked to HitFix about their stint on the hit CBS thriller, discussing the evolution and relationship of their characters."I think it would have been nice to survive if our death hadn‘t been quite so poetic and beautiful," explained Adam Campbell, who plays the British doctor Cal.  "I think they wrote a fantastic death scene for us, and personally I think that‘s the best way to leave the show." Read more »

The twelfth and thirteenth episodes of Harper‘s Island have already aired on some parts of the globe, a curse to those who haven‘t seen them yet.  Spoilers about the identity of the second killer have been plaguing the Internet, but who knows if they‘re true.  If there‘s one thing we learned from this show, it‘s not to trust anyone because they‘re never what they seem.Still, the speculations are rampant and very logical.  Harper‘s Island has also taught us to really think about the mystery, so here we go.  Possible spoilers below!  Read no further if you haven‘t watched the latest episodes. Read more »

Harper‘s Island is like a TV version of classic horror films with a serial killer on the loose killing off characters one by one.  Twenty-five characters began the series but week by week they‘ve been killed off in all kinds of gruesome and creative ways..When all was said and done, 29 characters were killed off during the 13-episode run, including 21 of the 25 major characters.  That‘s a lot of death, but the primary serial killer had help.  Take a look back at all the carnage and mayhem from Harper‘s Island.HARPER‘S ISLAND TOTAL DEATH COUNT: 29 Read more »

For some lucky viewers tonight, the finale of Harper‘s Island will already be hitting their television screens.  The hugely anticipated two-hour finale of the hit series is dawning upon us and the show has kept us on the edge of our seats so far. Hopefully tonight, the remaining two episodes - "Gasp" and "Sigh" - will finally give us the answers we‘ve all been looking for.  There are too many secrets enveloping the island, and for two glorious hours the mystery, like the dearly departed, will be laid to rest at last.  Read more »

One of this year‘s guilty pleasures is over, with death all around and the mystery not-so-neatly wrapped up.  Harper‘s Island has given audiences plenty to think about, from the identity of the killer to the identity of a second killer. The final two episodes - "Gasp" and "Sigh" - had fans tuned in to close up the mystery.  The surprise was eventually revealed, but it didn‘t have as much impact as we thought.If you haven‘t watched the finale of Harper‘s Island and don‘t want it spoiled, look away now. Read more »

Since the beginning of Harper‘s Island, it was established that protagonist Abby Mills (Elaine Cassidy) had an unshakeable relationship with Henry Dunn (Chistopher Gorham).  Viewers later found out that this would play an important part in the end, especially when we all discovered how the two are really related. HitFix talked to the two stars of the series, who went on about how they felt about the creepy twist their characters had to endure. Read no further if you haven‘t seen the finale of Harper‘s Island.  Read more »

We hope you enjoy seeing a lot of Jim Beaver because you‘ll be seeing a lot more of him on Supernatural this year. We caught up with him at the EW and SyFy Comic-Con party and got the inside scoop on Supernatural, Harper‘s Island, and Jim Beaver in general. Fans will be happy to know Uncle Bobby has a much bigger role this season. With the apocalypse on the horizon, we‘re glad he can be there to give our favorite boys some much needed support.However, something major happens with Beaver‘s character very early on this season. There‘s no real hint as to what it could be but we do know that the story line even surprised and shocked Jim Beaver who says it came out of nowhere (but is awesome, of course). Read more »

Katee Sackhoff won‘t be alone, as it turns out.Another Battlestar Galactica star is set to join the eighth season of 24, but unlike Katee--who joins the show as a systems analyst for the revived CTU--this one appears on the other side of the fence.  Callum Keith Rennie, who played Cylon infiltrator Leoben Conoy, will play Russian syndicate mobster Vladimir Laitanan. Read more »

It may not be this decade‘s Twin Peaks after all, but those who enjoyed the short but exciting run of Harper‘s Island are in for a treat tonight with the premiere of Happy Town.Is ‘Happy Town‘ This Decade‘s ‘Twin Peaks‘?On the premiere episode "In This Home on Ice" we are introduced to Haplin, Minnesota - fondly referred to as "Happy Town" by locals - at a time when a terrible crime is bringing back memories of the infamous "Magic Man." This, after the idyllic town finds an uneasy peace for the past five years. Promo after the jump: Read more »

Summer used to be a total bummer for us TV fans. As the last of our favorite shows wrote "S.W.A.K." in our yearbooks on their way out of town for the summer, one question haunted our dreams on those hot June nights: "What am I supposed to watch now?"That is, until Netflix Instant was born. For just $8 a month, you now have more hours of quality television living inside your computer (or fancy TV) than you could ever hope to watch. Netflix is not paying me to say this. They don‘t HAVE to, because it‘s a no-brainer. And if you watch enough streaming television this summer, you can be a no-brainer, too. No need to go outside at all this summer. What are you, a settler from olden days?There‘s so much to choose from on Netflix Instant that you may not know where to begin. That‘s what this handy Netflix Instant Summer Guide is for. Just pick your mood and dive head first into the stream.  Read more »

Right now is an exciting, stressful time for TV fans. In May, networks have their upfront presentations and announce not only their new pilot pickups, but what current shows will remain to the dial. Some shows will live, some shows will die, and some shows (but not many) will die and yet live on in the hearts of dedicated and obsessive fans.  Read more »