Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. I'm back in the land of the living after recovering from a truly extraordinary Emmy evening the other night. Let's get to the headlines.
FOX has given a full season order to musical comedy Glee, picking up the back nine episodes to bring this season's total to 22 segments. While the cast had already filmed the thirteen initial episodes, there had been no word if FOX would be going ahead with the production until yesterday. Meanwhile, E! Online's Jennifer Godwin has the scoop on some upcoming plot points for the ten remaining unaired episodes from Glee's initial order, including some potential romantic complications for, well, everyone. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)
The CW has announced that Heather Locklear will reprise her role as conniving Amanda Woodward on the resurrected Melrose Place later this season. Locklear is set to first appear in the November 17th episode though the reasons behind her return to the courtyard apartment complex remain a mystery. (Editor: could it have to do with Sydney stealing her thunder by faking her death too?) Zap2It wonders whether Locklear's Amanda could have a familial relationship with Katie Cassidy's Ella but that remains speculation at the moment. (Zap2It)
Torchwood star John Barrowman has hinted that he might make an appearance in this year's final David Tenannt Doctor Who specials. (Editor: I predicted as much back when Torchwood: Children of Earth wrapped its run earlier this summer.) Barrowman, asked by Metro about whether he would be returning to Doctor Who, said, "I'll put it this way - Captain Jack will always return to the side of The Doctor when he needs assistance." Hmmm... (Digital Spy)
John Glenn (Eagle Eye) will write the script for FOX drama pilot Fallen, described by the Hollywood Reporter as "a real-world drama that revolves around a group of vigilante "fallen" angels who take down the criminal and the corrupt in New York while falling in love, battling demons and seeking their own personal revenge." Project, from 20th Century Fox Television and the Chernin Co., will be executive produced by Glenn, Peter Chernin, and Katherine Pope. (Hollywood Reporter)
CBS is staying in the crime drama business. The network has given script orders (with penalties) to two projects from Sony Pictures Television. The first is an untitled crime drama from Peter Tolan (Rescue Me) about a quirky college professor who solves crimes; Tolan will executive produce with Michael Wimer. The second is The Rememberer, from writer/executive producer Ed Redlich (Without a Trace), about a female NYPD cop who has the secret ability to recall everything that she experiences. Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly will also executive produce. (Variety)
SPOILER! E! Online's Watch with Kristin chats with House star Jesse Spencer about what's coming up for Chase this season. "I'm back on the team," Spencer told E! Online's Jennifer Godwin. "It's kinda old-school: Cameron and Chase, kickin' it old-school. The merging of the teams is a work in progress. People are back and forth, and in and out, but I think very soon it's going to be a complete conglomeration of old and new. It's going to be a new dynamic for the team, which I think is going to be really good... I've got a lot of storylines coming my way. There's a bit of dodgy doctoring going on. But dodgy doctoring is all we do on the show. Bend the rules a little bit--that's what House does. If House was practicing medicine [in the real world], he'd have lot his license on day one." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)
Michael Fresco (My Name is Earl) will direct single-camera FOX comedy pilot Keep Hope Alive, from writer/executive producer Greg Garcia and 20th Century Fox Television, about a 25-year-old man who--wait for it-- is "raising an infant with the help of his quirky family after the mother of the baby, with whom he had a one-night stand, ends up on death row." (Hollywood Reporter)
FX has announced that it will launch comedy series The League in the 10:30 pm timeslot following It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia beginning October 29th. Series, from Jeff Schaffer and Jackie Marcus Schaffer, follows the exploits of a fantasy football league. Meanwhile, the cabler also announced that animated comedy Archer (which aired its pilot via a sneak peek on Thursday evening) will launch in January and Louie will kick off sometime during the first quarter. (via press release)
Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello talks to Mariska Hargitay about what's coming up on Law & Order: SVU via a video interview at Sunday's Emmy Awards. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)
Variety is reporting that the Television Critics Association will return to the Langham Hotel in Pasadena for the Winter Press Tour in January but has secured the Beverly Hilton for the next three Summer Press Tours, beginning with the 2010 session, slated to run July 17th to August 8th. (Variety)
Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing. I was lucky enough to see an advance screening of upcoming film Julie & Julia last night and urge all you film-loving foodies to head out and watch it when it's released. Just make sure you eat beforehand!
Comedy Central has ordered ten episodes of an untitled multi-camera comedy series starring Jon Heder (Blades of Glory, Napoleon Dynamite). Project, about an unemployed IT specialist who returns to his smalltown to move in with his parents and younger brother, will be written by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, and Chris Henchy. Series hails from Debmar-Mercury and Gary Sanchez and will have an initial run on Comedy Central; if it scores with audiences, another 90 installments will be automatically picked up with Comedy Central having the first window while Debmar-Mercury will sell the series into first-run syndication at the same time. (Variety)
ABC has announced that it will launch FTVS' internationally produced drama series Defying Gravity, which it acquired last week, on August 2nd at 9 pm with a two-hour premiere. The week after, Defying Gravity will move into its regular timeslot Sundays at 10 pm ET/PT. Series, which stars Ron Livingston, Laura Harris, Malik Yoba, Christina Cox, Florentine Lahme, Paula Garces, Eyal Podell, Dylan Taylor, Andrew Airlie, Karen LeBlanc, Zahf Paroo, and Maxim Roy, revolves around four male and four female astronauts from five countries who are on a mysterious six-year international space mission. Action will flash between their current mission and their rigorous training in the past. (via press release, Variety)
Gregory Smith (Everwood) will star opposite Missy Peregrym in Canadian police drama Copper, which will air Stateside on ABC. Smith will play Dov, a recent graduate from the police academy who attempts to make his way as a rookie cop. Elsewhere, Taylor Kinney (Fashion Show) has been cast as a regular on NBC's medical drama Trauma, where he will play Glen, an EMT that joins the rapid response team. (Hollywood Reporter)
SPOILER: Production on Season Four of HBO's sensational drama series Big Love begins August 13th and producers are on the hunt for two new recurring roles next season. Producers are looking to cast the roles Christie, the problem child daughter of Barb's sister Cindy who has been sent to Mormon Disciplinary Camp several times and who finds a seething jealousy towards new cousin Cara Lynn, and Dale, an closeted gay Mormon who is a partner at a big eight accounting firm and who becomes the new trustee of the Juniper Creek assets. (Spoiler TV)
The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has a absolutely fantastic piece on the power of San Diego Comic-Con and its enduring appeal. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)
MTV has given a series order to teen comedy Hard Times, which revolves around an unpopular fifteen year old whose, er, endowment is revealed in front of the whole school during a prank and instantly finds popularity. Project, written and executive produced by David Katzenberg and Seth Grahame-Smith, is being compared to a teen version of HBO's similarly-themed Hung. (Hollywood Reporter)
Syfy's launch for drama series Warehouse 13 drew 3.5 million viewers, making it the third most watched network series debut behind Stargate Atlantis (4.2 million) and Eureka (4.1 million). (Broadcasting & Cable)
E! Online's Watch with Kristin is reporting that Catherine Bell isn't leaving Lifetime's Army Wives anytime soon. "I'll tell you this. I'm still in South Carolina, and I was filming the show this morning," said Bell via telephone. "Frank and Denise struggle for a while. It's not over. There are some really, really wonderful scenes coming—there's going to be some more communication about this... There's some really cool stuff coming up where you see a different side of him and their relationship. There's some positive stuff. He's a big teddy bear, and Frank adores Denise. He's going to change a bit this season. You're going to see a different side of him, that's very exciting." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)
Best news of the day: Bravo has announced a launch date for the sixth season of Top Chef, entitled Top Chef: Las Vegas, and it's a hell of a lot earlier than I anticipated.
Cabler Bravo announced this morning that it will kick off the sixth season of the culinary competition series on Wednesday, August 26th at 10 pm ET/PT and announced the seventeen-member cast for Top Chef: Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, judges Tom Collichio, Gail Simmons, Toby Young, and host Padma Lakshmi are all on board for the Vegas-based edition and we can look forward to such guest judges as Natalie Portman, Wolfgang Puck, Daniel Boulud, Tyler Florence, Penn & Teller, and Nigella Lawson. (Yes, you read that correctly: NIGELLA LAWSON!!!)
UPDATE: The full press release from Bravo, along with official bios for the Top Chef: Las Vegas contestants and video, can be found below.
Video: Chef Introductions Get introduced to the chefs that will be competing on this season.
Video: The Judges on the Sixth Season The judges share their thoughts on this exciting season in Las Vegas.
THE "STEAKS" ARE HIGHER IN SIN CITY ON BRAVO'S "TOP CHEF: LAS VEGAS" WED. AUGUST 26 AT 9 PM ET/PT
17 New Chefs Rack It Up Along With Guest Judges And Stars Natalie Portman, Wolfgang Puck, Daniel Boulud, Tyler Florence, Penn & Teller And Nigella Lawson
NEW YORK – July 8, 2009 – What happens in Vegas won't stay in Vegas. The sixth season of the No. 1 food show on cable, Bravo's Emmy and James Beard Award-winning series returns with "Top Chef: Las Vegas," premiering Wednesday, August 26 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The 17 new chef'testants take on Sin City this season to see if they have what it takes to become Top Chef. And for the first time ever – the series has a set of brothers competing against each other.
This season captures Sin City's high stakes and high rollers in addition to exploring what Vegas has to offer beyond the Strip. Some of the top names in food, movies and entertainment including Wolfgang Puck, Todd English, Natalie Portman, Daniel Boulud, Penn & Teller, Hubert Keller, Laurent Tourondel, Tim Love, Michelle Bernstein, Tyler Florence, Charlie Palmer, Paul Bartolotta, Nigella Lawson and Jerome Bocuse will be featured this season on "Top Chef: Las Vegas."
Once again returning to the kitchen, cookbook author, actress and host Padma Lakshmi presides over the judge's table alongside head judge Tom Colicchio, renowned culinary figure and chef/owner Craft Restaurants, and judges Gail Simmons, of Food & Wine magazine and Toby Young, food critic and best-selling author of the book How to Lose Friends and Alienate People.
"Las Vegas has become a culinary destination – some of the world's best chefs and restaurants are here – so it's only fitting that our newest season was the best yet," said Colicchio. "You'll be surprised by the quality of chef'testants we discovered this season. They really raised the bar."
The Emmy-nominated Magical Elves return to produce "Top Chef: Las Vegas." Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz ("Top Chef Masters," "Project Runway," "Top Design"), Liz Cook and Casey Kriley serve as executive producers. Nan Strait serves as co-executive producer.
The 17 "Top Chef: Las Vegas" chef'testants will be whittled down week by week as they compete to outshine their competition. The winning chef will receive $100,000 furnished by the makers of the Glad family of products, $100,000 of merchandise provided by Macy's, a feature in Food & Wine magazine, a showcase at the Annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and will earn the title of "Top Chef." The M Resort Spa & Casino served as the production location for "Top Chef: Las Vegas."
Following are the 17 new "Top Chef: Las Vegas" chef'testants:
-Ash Fulk, 29 – Hometown: Pleasant Hill, Calif.; Resides in New York City -Ashley Merriman, 32 – Center Sandwich, N.H.; Resides in Seattle, Wash. -Bryan Voltaggio, 33 – Hometown: Frederick, Md.; Resides in Urbana, Md. -Eli Kirshtein, 25 – Hometown/Resides in: Atlanta, Ga. -Eve Aronoff, 40 – Hometown/Resides in: Ann Arbor, Mich. -Hector Santiago, 41 – Hometown: San Juan, Puerto Rico; Resides in Atlanta, Ga. -Jennifer Carroll, 33 – Hometown/Resides in: Philadelphia, Pa. -Jennifer Zavala, 31 – Hometown: Cromwell, Conn.; Resides in Philadelphia, Pa. -Jesse Sandlin, 30 – Hometown/Resides in: Baltimore, Md. -Kevin Gillespie, 26 – Hometown/Resides in: Atlanta, Ga. -Laurine Wickett, 38 – Hometown: Rochester, N.Y.; Resides in San Francisco, Calif. -Mattin Noblia, 29 – Hometown: Biarritz, France; Resides in San Francisco, Calif. -Michael Isabella, 34 – Hometown: Little Ferry, N.J.; Resides in Washington, D.C. -Michael Voltaggio, 30 – Hometown: Frederick, Md.; Resides in Los Angeles, Calif. -Preeti Mistry, 33 – Hometown/Resides in: San Francisco, Calif. -Robin Leventhal, 43 – Hometown: Sun Valley, Idaho; Resides in Seattle, Wash. -Ron Duprat, 40 – Hometown: Mare Rouge, Haiti; Resides in Hollywood, Fla. and Naples, Fla.
Bravo's "Top Chef" offers a fascinating window into the competitive, pressure-filled environment of world-class cookery and the restaurant business at the highest level. The series features seventeen aspiring chefs who compete for their shot at culinary stardom and the chance to earn the prestigious title of "Top Chef." Each episode holds two challenges for the chefs. The first is a quickfire test of their basic abilities and the second is a more involved elimination challenge designed to test the versatility and inventiveness of the chefs as they take on unique culinary trials such as working with unusual and exotic foods or catering for a range of demanding clients. The challenges not only test their skills in the kitchen, but also uncover if they have the customer service, management and teamwork abilities required of a Top Chef. The competing chefs live and breathe the high-pressure lifestyle that comes with being a master chef and each week someone is asked to "pack up their knives" and go home.
This season, BravoTV.com is taking a page from one of "Top Chef''s" most beloved challenges and is reinventing the classics. Fans will find the "Top Chef Fantasy Game," "Memory Match," "Rate the Plate," and blogs from judges and contestants old and new. But this season, BravoTV.com is also bringing some changes – "Top Chef: New York's" Italian Stallion Fabio Viviani will be host to this season's "Top Recipe," where viewers learn to cook each episode's winning recipe. Two new webisode series will also debut – "Guest Judges: Strip'd" where fans can get more intimate with guest judges, learning about their personal styles and backgrounds; and a new series with the chefs out on the town in Las Vegas, where viewers get a peek into the chefs' lives outside the kitchen.
"Chef" fans can also visit m.bravotv.com from their web-enabled phone for exclusive content including contestant and judge Q&A's, photo diaries, foodie faves, video clips, wallpapers and ringtones. Fans who text CHEF to 27286 can join the Top Chef mobile fan club and receive behind-the-scenes dish and exclusive interactive content from the chef'testants, hosts and judges. A new exclusive mobile video series hosted by Toby Young pits the Las Vegas contestants against each other to win the "Slice & Dice Showdown." Contestants are grouped into two teams and led by brothers Bryan and Michael to compete in foodie challenges and earn points culminating in the ultimate dessert bake-off.
"Top Chef" has steadily increased audiences season-to-season, debuting in March 2006 to critical acclaim and ratings success, returning with season two in October 2006 which averaged over two million total viewers, then season three which premiered on June 2007 finished out the season averaging over 2.5 million viewers. Most recently season four which premiered in March 2008, averaged over three million viewers and finally, season five, "Top Chef: New York," was the series' highest rated season ever, averaging almost three million adults 18-49 and almost four million total viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. Additionally, the season five finale was the highest rated telecast ever for the series among adults 18-49 and total viewers (with almost five million).
Top Chef: Las Vegas premieres Wednesday, August 26th at 10 pm ET/PT on Bravo.
Ending several months of rumors, FX has now officially announced the launch dates for its returning series Sons of Anarchy, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and nip/tuck.
Season Two of Sons of Anarchy will kick off on Tuesday, September 8th at 10 pm ET/PT. The second season of the Charlie Hunnam-led series will feature guest turns by Alan Arkin and Henry Rollins.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia returns for a fifth season of madcap adventures on Thursday, September 17th. The twelve-episode season will air Thursday nights at 10 pm ET/PT.
nip/tuck returns for its sixth and penultimate season of ten episodes in October (specific date TBA). Guest stars next season will include Vanessa Redgrave, Rose McGowan, Mario Lopez, Barry Bostwick and Gilles Marini.
Additionally, the network will also launch an as-yet-unannounced new comedy series as a companion to It's Always Sunny on Thursday evenings. (I'd assume, then, that the poorly-received Testees won't be back for another go-around.)
The full press release from FX, announcing the launch dates, can be found below.
FX SETS FALL SCHEDULE
Sons of Anarchy Returns Tuesday, September 8 It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Comes Back Thursday, September 17 nip/tuck’s All New 6th Season Returns in October FX Plans to Launch a New Original Comedy Series This Fall September-December Features Premieres of Blockbuster Movie Titles
LOS ANGELES, June 30, 2009 – FX, home to critically acclaimed and award-winning original series, has set its fall schedule with the return of three of its hit original series kicking off with the sophomore season of the drama Sons of Anarchy on September 8, followed by the comedy It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia on September 17, and season six of nip/tuck which begins this October. FX also has plans to launch a new original comedy series this fall to pair with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
In addition to the return of original series, this fall the network features a slate of blockbuster feature film premieres including Ghost Rider, Fantastic Four & The Silver Surfer, Spiderman 3, and Live Free or Die Hard.
Sons of Anarchy returns for its second season (13 episodes) on a new night, Tuesday, beginning September 8 at 10 PM ET/PT. Starring Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal and Ron Perlman, Sons is an adrenalized drama with darkly comedic undertones that explores the notorious outlaw motorcycle club’s (SAMCRO) desire to protect its livelihood and the town of Charming, Calif. from outside influences. New guest stars this season include Adam Arkin and Henry Rollins. The first season of Sons of Anarchy averaged 1.2 million Men 18-34 demo on a weekly cumulative basis, making it the #1 scripted show in basic cable in that demo and its cume of 1.9 million Adults 18-34 ranked #3.
The fifth season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (12 episodes) will run Thursdays at 10 PM ET/PT for crude, controversial, outlandish, and downright hilarious comedy starting on September 17. Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton, Charlie Day, Kaitlin Olson and Danny DeVito star as the self-centered owners of Paddy’s Pub in Philadelphia who will do just about anything, no matter how reprehensible, in attempt to better their own situation. The fourth season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia was #1 in both M18-34 (1.1 million) and A18-34 (1.8 million) on a weekly cumulative average for all live-action scripted comedies in basic cable.
nip/tuck will return for its sixth and penultimate season in October and will consist of 10 new episodes. Starring Dylan Walsh and Julian McMahon as Los Angeles plastic surgeons, the new season will include guest stars Vanessa Redgrave, Rose McGowan, Mario Lopez, Barry Bostwick and Gilles Marini. nip/tuck's 5th season was FX's highest-rated original series with an average weekly audience of 5.1 million A18-49 and 6.5 million total viewers.
Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.
The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has an absolutely fantastic interview with Doctor Who star David Tennant on the eve of BBC America's airing of last Christmas' Doctor Who special "The Next Doctor." Among the topics of discussion: the end of his run on the legendary British sci-fi series, the truth behind the all-Doctors reunion rumors (false, says Tennant), and what's next for the actor (Poliakoff's Glorious 39), among other things. "I'm all finished," said Tenannt of his run on Doctor Who. "Three or four weeks ago, I filmed my last scene. So it's over. Still a long time to go before they're all broadcast, though, so I'm still clinging on for a bit. But yeah, it's done. It was very emotional, very exciting. We managed to go out with some of the best scripts I had in four years. So it was a real treat." (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)
Jeri Ryan (Shark) has been cast in a recurring role on Season Two of TNT's drama series Leverage, where she will play "Tara, a smart-ass, street-wise con woman whom Sophie (Gina Bellman) calls on for help and who gets sucked into the Leverage family." (Hollywood Reporter)
It's official: Noah Wylie has signed on as the lead in TNT's untitled sci-fi pilot from executive producer Steven Spielberg and writer Robert Rodat. Project is set in a future where most of humanity has been wiped out by an alien incursion; Wylie will play the leader of a small human resistance force who are attempting to overthrow the occupying aliens. (Hollywood Reporter)
Former Privileged star Joanna Garcia has joined the cast of CW's Gossip Girl for a four-episode story arc next season, where she will play Bree Buckley, "an irreverent, slightly evil Miss America-type who hails from a conservative Southern family" who becomes romantically entangled with Chace Crawford's Nate Archibald. Garcia's first appearance on the series is set to air on September 14th. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)
Flashpoint returns to CBS will new episodes on Friday, July 17th at 9 pm. The network ordered a third season of the Canadian co-production last month. (Futon Critic)
Meanwhile, CBS has teamed up with its affiliate stations to launch a marketing plan tied around the crucial 10 pm timeslot, which has been named Project LENO (that's, ahem, Late prime Enhanced News Opportunity). The network is offering affiliates at 10 pm "tool kit" including "sponsorable broadcast spots, Web banners and radio spots, as well as behind-the-scenes vignettes" and CBS is also offering "an affiliate swap spot to promote the 10 pm hour." (Variety)
NBC announced their fall premiere dates yesterday, with most series--except 30 Rock--launching in the two week period between September 14th and September 26th. The Peacock will roll out its comedies Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and Community on September 17th (30 Rock, which returns October 15th); The Biggest Loser will launch on September 15th; Heroes returns with a two-hour premiere on September 21st; Trauma kicks off on September 28th; Parenthood and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit debut on September 23rd; Southland and Law & Order will launch on September 25th, followed the next night by Saturday Night Live. (via press release)
BBC Worldwide and WGBH will co-produce a new Emma mini-series starring Atonement's Romola Garai, Michael Gambon, and Jonny Lee Miller and a sequel to Cranford that will star Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Francesca Annis, Eileen Atkins, Jonathan Pryce, Tim Curry, and Tom Hiddleston, both of which will air stateside on Masterpiece Classic next year. (More info on Cranford 2 can be found here.) Additionally, WGBH has partnerned with BBC on Framed, an adaptation of Frank Cottrell Boyce's children's book, and two-parter Small Island, based on Andrea Levy's novel about an ambitious Jamaican woman (Naomi Harris) in London after WWII. And the PBS affiliate also acquired three BBC productions: a remake of The 39 Steps starring Rupert Penry-Jones and Sharpe's Peril and Sharpe's Challenge, which star Sean Bean. (Variety)
The N will launch thirteen-episode original comedy series The Assistants, about four Hollywood assistants working for a high-profile producer, on July 10th at 8:30 pm. Series was ordered in November 2007 but the cable network hadn't been able to find a spot for the series on the schedule. (Variety)
Welcome to your Thursday morning television briefing.
Eddie Cibrian (The Starter Wife) has joined the cast of CBS' CSI: Miami as a series regular next season, where he will play a Hollywood police officer that joins the team in Miami. Cibrian most recently appeared in CBS drama pilot Washington Field, which was not picked up to series by the network. Meanwhile, the series' producers confirmed that Adam Rodriguez will be returning next season. (Hollywood Reporter)
E! Online's Watch with Kristin caught up with Royal Pains star Mark Feuerstein to find out just what the USA drama has in store for Hank, Jill, and Evan, among other things. "You can expect moments of happiness interspersed with tempestuous fights that are filled with the sexual tension that we have, which leads to either our complete and total demise or our hot and heavy desire to continue that is challenged by lots of different circumstances," said Feuerstein. As for Hank and Evan's relationship, he said that upcoming episodes will reveal "that our father lost a lot of his money in the stock market. That our father has kind of abandoned us. You find out something about our mother—it has to do with her health and her getting sick. That has something to do with why I became a doctor. And the fact that our father has been kind of sketchy with money has something to do with our different opinions about money and the rich and the whole life in the Hamptons that we're now living." And what's this about a possible cross-over with Burn Notice? (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)
Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello is reporting that Ugly Betty's Daniel Eric Gold will be bumped to a series regular next season. However, Ausiello writes, "Don't take that to mean Matt and Betty will reunite and live happily ever after. In fact, I hear Betty producers are already cooking up a fresh obstacle for the pair, and rumor has it they want him to be lovable and blue collarish." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)
Fox 21 has signed a one-year overall deal with Vertigo Entertainment with an option for a second year, under which the shingle will develop both scripted and unscripted programming for the 20th Century Fox Television division. Vertigo previously had an overall deal with Lionsgate Television, for which it developed several properties at ABC, HBO, and Lifetime. (Variety)
Craig Brewer (Hustle & Flow) will direct FX dramedy pilot Terriers, written/executive produced by Ted Griffin and executive produced by Shawn Ryan. Filming on the one-hour pilot begins in August. (Twitter)
CBS announced their fall primetime launches yesterday, rolling out the majority of its new and returning series during the traditional premiere week. Survivor: Samoa will get a jump on the season with a launch date of Thursday September 17th at 8 pm. How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and Accidentally on Purpose will all launch on September 21st. NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, and The Good Wife launch on September 22nd; The New Adventures of Old Christine, Gary Unmarried, Criminal Minds, and CSI: New York all launch the following night on September 23rd; CSI and The Mentalist take off on September 24th; Ghost Whisperer, Medium, and NUMB3RS all launch on September 25th; two-hour premiere of The Amazing Race launches on September 27th with Cold Case; Three Rivers will launch on October 4th. (via press release)
British network ITV have commissioned a second season of thirteen episodes of Law & Order: UK, which is expected to return next year. Series stars Bradley Walsh, Jamie Bamber, and Freema Agyeman will all return for Season Two, which will film later this year. "This new commission brings our total order to 26 episodes which demonstrates our commitment to series that have concepts and storylines that can run long term," said ITV director of drama Laura Mackie. "Audiences clearly loved the first series which featured the cream of British acting talent with gripping 'torn from the headlines' storylines and this will again be at the heart of the new series." ITV also confirmed it had ordered four more episodes of Lewis, which will be shot next month. (The Guardian)
G4 is making history by broadcasting the first ever Comic-Con panel on television, presenting the Star Wars panel as a taped two-hour special entitled "The Star Wars Spectacular" that will include unseen footage and a Clone Wars table read, hosted by Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira. The special will air roughly a day after the live panel, with a telecast set for July 25th at 2 pm. (Variety)
Mark your calendars: FOX has announced its fall premiere for new and returning series.
Surprisingly, FOX has slated its premieres smack in the middle of September, which means that the network will go head-to-head with its rivals while in previous years FOX has either launched early or late due to baseball pre-emptions.
The week of September 16th alone will see the launch of Glee and the return of such drama series as Fringe, Bones, and Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, with a two-hour season opener of House (directed by executive producer Katie Jacobs) airing on September 21st, the first official day of the fall season.
Meanwhile, a new edition of Hell's Kitchen sneaks onto the lineup on Tuesday nights this fall, beginning September 29th.
All of the premiere dates, as well as the official press release from FOX announcing the scheduling, can be found below.
FOX ANNOUNCES FALL PREMIERE DATES FOR THE 2009-2010 SEASON
NEW COMEDY “GLEE” DEBUTS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
NEW FAMILY COMEDY “BROTHERS” TO PREMIERE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
NEW ANIMATED SERIES “THE CLEVELAND SHOW” TO DEBUT SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
NEW SATURDAY LATE-NIGHT ENTRY “THE WANDA SYKES SHOW” (working title) DEBUTS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7
FOX has set the fall premiere dates for its new and returning series. The 2009-2010 season will kick off Wednesday, Sept. 16 with the sixth season premiere of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), followed by the highly anticipated series premiere of GLEE (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), the biting new comedy for the underdog in all of us that features a soundtrack of hit songs from past and present. On Thursday, Sept. 17, fan favorite BONES (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) and the second thrilling season of FRINGE (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) return. BROTHERS, the new family comedy starring Michael Strahan, premieres Friday, Sept. 18 (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) followed by the return of ‘TIL DEATH (8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT) and the second season premiere of Joss Whedon’s DOLLHOUSE (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT).
HOUSE jumpstarts its sixth season with a special two-hour premiere Monday, Sept. 21 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). Sunday, Sept. 27 marks the return of ANIMATION DOMINATION with the amazing 20th season premiere of THE SIMPSONS (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT), the series premiere of THE CLEVELAND SHOW (8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT) and the season premieres of FAMILY GUY (9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) and AMERICAN DAD (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT). The second season of hit drama LIE TO ME will premiere Monday, Sept. 28 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE will air two nights per week when the original dance competition has its time period premiere Tuesday, Sept. 29 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), and later expands to two-hour performance shows beginning Tuesday, Oct. 27 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). In addition, new Saturday late-night entry THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (working title) debuts Saturday, Nov. 7 (11:00 PM-Midnight ET/PT).
Premieres of new series and returning favorites are listed below in chronological order.
8-8:30 pm: THE SIMPSONS (Season Premiere) 8:30-9 pm: THE CLEVELAND SHOW (Series Premiere) 9-9:30 pm: FAMILY GUY (Season Premiere) 9:30-10 pm: AMERICAN DAD (Season Premiere)
Monday, Sept. 28
8-9 pm: HOUSE (All-New Episode) 9-10 pm: LIE TO ME (Season Premiere)
Tuesday, Sept. 29
8-9 pm: HELL’S KITCHEN (All-New Episode) 9-10 pm: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (Time Period Premiere)
Tuesday, Oct. 27
8-10 pm: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (Time Period Premiere)
Saturday, Nov. 7
11-12 am: THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (wt) (Series Premiere)
Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.
Who said dead means dead? Comedy Central has signed a deal with studio 20th Century Fox Television for twenty-six new episodes of long-dead series Futurama, which it will launch in 2010. "When we brought back Family Guy several years ago, everyone said that it was a once in a lifetime thing -- that canceled series stay canceled and cannot be revived," said 20th Century Fox TV Chairmen Gary Newman and Dana Walden in a joint statement. "But Futurama was another series that fans simply demanded we bring back, and we couldn’t have been happier when Matt and David agreed that there were many more stories yet to tell." Series, which features the voices of Billy West, Katey Sagal, and John DiMaggio, ended its run on FOX in 2003 and has since aired repeats on Comedy Central, as well as the DVD-based episodes. "It's sweet, and basically everybody who has worked on the show wants to come back," said co-creator Matt Groening. "I choose to believe it's more than the economic situation. People had a good time working on this show." And it's worth noting that the studio still has an option to license the new installments to a broadcast network... like FOX. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files, Variety)
FX has ordered a pilot for one-hour dramedy Terriers from writer/executive producer Ted Griffin (Ocean's Eleven) and executive producer Shawn Ryan (The Shield). Series, from Fox 21 and Ryan's MidKidd Prods., revolves around a former cop turned private eye who forms a partnership with a younger hotshot who "solve crimes while trying to avoid danger and responsibility." (Variety, Hollywood Reporter)
AMC will launch Season Three of award-winning period drama Mad Men on Sunday, August 16th at 10 pm ET/PT and the seaspm premiere will air with limited commercial interruptions. And the cabler has been able to reach a compromise with creator Matthew Weiner about the additional two minutes of commercial ad time they sought to include in Mad Men's upcoming season, with the episodes now slated to run over into the 11 pm hour in order to accommodate the additional ads. "It's wonderful to have partners who can respond to both a business and creative challenge in such a satisfying way," Weiner told Variety. "We're thrilled that we've crafted a way to maximize our business and at the same time meet everyone's demands -- those of our marketers and advertisers, those of our creative team and those of our viewers," said Joel Stillerman, SVP of original programming, production and digital content at AMC. (Variety)
Casting roundup: Michael Kenneth Williams (The Wire), Dabney Coleman (Heartland), and Paz de la Huerta (Amsterdam) have been cast in Martin Scorsese's HBO period drama pilot Boardwalk Empire, which started shooting yesterday. Elsewhere, Adam Jamal Craig (The Office) has come aboard CBS' upcoming drama series NCIS: Los Angeles as a regular; he'll play Dominic Vale, a new young agent at the Office of Special Projects. (Hollywood Reporter)
Showtime has renewed Nurse Jackie for a second season... just a day after launching the series to the highest rated premiere numbers in Showtime's history. (Televisionary)
Going to Comic-Con San Diego this year? E! Online's Watch with Kristin has an up-to-the-minute roundup of the TV-related panels that have so far leaked out ahead of the official announcement. They include panels for Psych on Thursday, The Big Bang Theory and Past Life on Friday, Chuck, Eastwick, V, Fringe, Human Target, Vampire Diaries, and MythBusters on Saturday, and Smallville and Supernatural on Sunday. There's also a Wednesday evening WB Pilot Preview Night planned. Still to come: days and times for such series as Dexter, Dollhouse, Flash Forward, Ghost Whisperer, Legend of the Seeker, Lost, and True Blood. (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)
ABC yesterday announced via press release premiere dates for their new and returning series this fall. They include:
Saturday, September 5 8-11:30 pm: Saturday Night Football
Friday, September 11 10-11 pm: 20/20
Monday, September 21 8-10 pm: Dancing with the Stars 10-11 pm: Castle
Tuesday, September 22 8-10 pm: Dancing with the Stars (special two-hour episode) 10-11 pm: The Forgotten
Wednesday, September 23 8-9 pm: Dancing with the Stars the Results Show (special day and time) 9-9:30 pm: Modern Family 9:30-10 pm: Cougar Town
Thursday, September 24 8-9 pm: FlashForward 9-10 pm: Grey’s Anatomy
Sunday, September 27 7-9 pm: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (two-hour season premiere) 9-10 pm: Desperate Housewives
Tuesday, September 29 8-9 pm: Shark Tank 9-10 pm: Dancing with the Stars the Results Show (regular day & time period premiere)
Wednesday, September 30 8-8:30 pm: Hank 8:30-9 pm: The Middle
Sunday, October 4 7-8 pm: America’s Funniest Home Videos 8-9 pm: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (regular time period premiere)
Friday, October 9 8-10 pm: Ugly Betty (two-hour season premiere)
Friday, October 16 8-9 pm: Supernanny 9-10 pm: Ugly Betty (regular time period premiere)
SAG members have ratified the two-year feature-primetime contract with an overwhelming vote of support of 78 percent in favor of the new deal. The announcement of the vote's outcome ends the year-long conflict between the guild and the studios. "This decisive vote gets our members back to work with immediate pay raises," said SAG intermin national executive director David White, "and puts SAG in a strong position for the future." (Variety)
Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.
E! Online's Watch with Kristin caught up with True Blood star Stephen Moyer, who plays vampire Bill Compton on the HBO supernatural drama, to talk about Season Two, which kicks off on June 14th. "There's no getting away from the fact that Bill is a vampire. He can't wish to be anything else, because he's a vampire, but he's a vampire who wants to live a human life," said Moyer about his character. "Actually, in fact, he wishes not for a human life, but for a moral life. It's not that he doesn't want to feed on blood, it's that he doesn't want it to involve killing—but in his first season he kills as many people as the murderer. That was something that was very present in our minds. He has that blood lust, he has that very strong sense of right and wrong. If somebody f--s him off, he's going to take them out. He's torn. He's not going to do it just for the sake of it. But if somebody hurts him or hurts his family or hurts his loved one... they're history. [Chuckles]. I like that." As for Bill's relationship to telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), Moyer said, "I think that they love each other more than they have loved anything ever. Speaking from Bill's point of view, she's given him reason to live again." (E! Online's Watch with Kristin)
Californication's Madeline Zima has been cast in a recurring role on Season Four of NBC's Heroes, where she will play Gretchen, described as "an edgy outsider and college roommate to Claire (Hayden Panettiere)," who is heading to college next season. (Hollywood Reporter)
Rehearsals are set to start next Monday on the final season of British comedy series Gavin and Stacey, which will start shooting on June 15th. James Corden, who co-created the series with Ruth Jones and co-stars alongside her, didn't rule out further writing collaboration with Jones after wrapping the third and final season of Gavin and Stacey. "It's an emotional time because we're saying goodbye to these characters that we love. So the whole thing is very sad and I just hope it can be as good as possible," said Corden. "You know, when we wrote the words, 'This really is the end, the end', we were both a bit welled up and we looked at each other and we were sure that's it. I just hope it's good enough. Ruth and I, we'd like to write something else again but we're inevitably not going to spend as much time locked in a room together." (BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat)
USA is said to be close to handing out a pilot order for espionage thriller Covert Affairs, from writers Matt Corman and Chris Ord. Project, from Universal Cable Prods, executive producers Doug Liman and Dave Bartis, and Dutch Oven, focuses on Annie Walker, a linguist and CIA trainee who is "summoned to headquarters and given assignments assisted by blind tech expert [Auggie] Anderson. While she believes she'd been recruited for her language skills, it might be an elusive former boyfriend her CIA bosses are after." USA has very quietly engaged the services of a casting director and is beginning to reach out to agents about potential candidates for the roles of Annie Walker and Auggie Anderson. (Hollywood Reporter)
Comedy Central has ordered a second season of Important Things With Demetri Martin, with ten new episodes expected to launch early next year. (Variety)
Gregg Henry (The Riches) has joined the cast of HBO comedy series Hung in a recurring role, where he will play Mike, an assistant coach at the high school where Thomas Jane's character coaches basketball. Elsewhere, Courtney Ford (Cold Case) has joined the cast of Showtime's Dexter in a multiple-episode story arc where she will play a reporter. (Hollywood Reporter)
NBC will launch primetime talk show The Jay Leno Show on Monday, September 14th at 10 pm ET/PT. The network will use the season finale of America's Got Talent to help launch the series, which takes over the 10 pm hour across the week. It's also thought possible that the network could launch its Thursday night comedy series that week as well but the network hasn't confirmed any plans to that effect. (Variety)
FOX has quietly moved the air date for its two-hour sci-fi telepic Virtuality (originally a two-hour backdoor pilot) from the Fourth of July to Friday, June 26th at 8 pm ET/PT. (Televisionary)
BBC One controller Jay Hunt has said that she will seek out innovative home-grown drama series rather than hand over primetime slots to acquired American series. The network currently airs FX's Damages in a latenight slot. "It is very unlikely that we will show U.S. series in primetime. It is nice to have Damages in the mix. The show is hugely valued by a very small audience, but it is a very small audience," said Hunt speaking at the Broadcasting Press Guild on Tuesday. "Part of what the charter (the BBC’s constitution) commits us to is to find the best of world television and showcase it ... but my main job in drama is to spearhead real innovation and creativity in original British production." (Variety)
Bravo has announced that Las Vegas will be the setting for Season Six of culinary competition series Top Chef. Host Padma Lakshmi and head judge chef Tom Colicchio, along with judges Gail Simmons and Toby Young, are all set to return for Season Six. There's no official launch date for Season Six but it's widely believed that Top Chef will return this fall. (via press release)
TLC will offer a sneak peek at new docusoap Masters of Reception, from executive producers Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, Charlie Corwin, and Milojo Prods., on June 12th. The series, which follows a New Jersey family-owned catering business and its clients and events, will return this fall with five one-hour installments. (Variety)
FOX has now shifted the world broadcast premiere of the two-hour sci-fi telepic Virtuality, from Battlestar Galactica's Ronald D. Moore and Michael Taylor and director Peter Berg, from its July 4th airdate to Friday, June 26th at 8 pm ET/PT.
The film, originally meant to be a two-hour backdoor pilot for an ongoing series, stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (New Amsterdam) as Commander Frank Pike, the head of the crew of interstellar vessel Phaeton who find escape from the mundanity of their ten-year journey by venturing into virtual worlds, where--thanks to a glitch in the system--they are seemingly attacked by a malevolent figure.
FOX describes Virtuality's themes with the following: "The two-hour movie raises fascinating questions about the lines (or lack thereof) between reality and virtual reality. What would you do if you were faced with the prospect of going on a 10-year space journey to another planet in order to save an Earth ravaged by global warming, food shortages and degradation? Would you be more apt to go if you had a way of slipping away into your own simulated virtual-reality to pass the time? Would you be able to distinguish this new reality from your old one? What if something started going horribly wrong on your voyage – would you turn back, even with a worldwide audience back on Earth anxiously awaiting news of their planet’s salvation? Or would you continue, uncertain of whether your own life, virtual or otherwise, was in imminent danger?"
The official description of Virtuality and the full cast list from FOX can be found below.
**FOX MOVIE OF THE WEEK SPECIAL** —“VIRTUALITY”—(8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) CC-HDTV 720p-Dolby Digital 5.1
THE CREW OF THE PHAETON EMBARKS ON A 10-YEAR JOURNEY THROUGH OUTER SPACE TO SAVE THE EARTH IN THE ORIGINAL SCIENCE-FICTION THRILLER “VIRTUALITY” FRIDAY, JUNE 26, ON FOX
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (“New Amsterdam”) stars
The crew of the Phaeton is approaching the go/no-go point of their epic 10-year journey through outer space. With the fate of Earth in their hands, the pressure is intense. The best bet for helping the crew members maintain their sanity is the cutting-edge virtual reality technology installed on the ship. It's the perfect stress-reliever until they realize a glitch in the system has unleashed a virus on to the ship. Tensions mount as the crew decides how to contain the virus and complete their mission. Meanwhile, their lives are being taped for a reality show back on Earth in the World Broadcast Premiere of VIRTUALITY airing Friday, June 26 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (FM-0904) (TV-TBA)
Cast: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Commander Frank Pike; Sienna Guillory as Rika Goddard; James D’Arcy as Dr. Roger Fallon; Ritchie Coster as Dr. Jimmy Johnson; Erik Jensen as Dr. Jules Braun; Omar Metwally as Dr. Adin Meyer; Kerry Bishe as Billie Kashmiri; Joy Bryant as Alice Thibadeau; Nelson Lee as Kenji Yamamoto; Jose Pablo Cantillo as Manny Rodriguez; Gene Farber as Val Orlovsky; Clea Duvall as Sue Parsons; Jimmi Simpson as Virtual Man
BBC America will premiere Torchwood: Children of Earth on July 20th at 9 pm ET/PT. The third series, comprised of five serialized episodes, will air across five consecutive nights that week.
The timing of Torchwood's return to the schedule is linked to the launch of BBC America HD, a high-definition simulcast of the BBC America channel, which will also bow on July 20th to digital cabler subscribers.
"BBC AMERICA is a truly unique channel in the cable landscape," said Garth Ancier, President of BBC Worldwide America in a statement. "We bring viewers some of the best programs on television and now with the option to experience them in HD, they’re going to be even better. The launch of BBC AMERICA HD coupled with the existing VOD channel, BBC AMERICA On-Demand, expands the opportunity for viewers and distributors to access the best of British entertainment."
The week of July 20th will see not only the launch of BBC America HD but a slew of new programming intended to capitalize on the HD feed, such as the aforementioned Torchwood: Children of Earth, the latest Doctor Who special ("Planet of the Dead") starring David Tennant and Michelle Ryan, and the launch of supernatural drama series Being Human.
The full press release from BBC America announcing the launch of BBC America HD and Torchwood: Children of Earth can be found below.
BBC AMERICA HD LAUNCHES JULY 20 WITH A SPECIAL SCI-FI WEEK - U.S. Premieres of Torchwood: Children of Earth, Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead and Being Human to Air in HD -
New York, NY - Monday, June 1, 2009 - BBC Worldwide launches BBC AMERICA HD on July 20 with the high-definition simulcast of BBC AMERICA. BBC AMERICA HD kicks off with an extraordinary week of sci-fi U.S. premieres - the return of the channel’s highest rated series, Torchwood, the latest Doctor Who special, Planet of the Dead, the BBC AMERICA co-production, Being Human and the thrilling season finale of Primeval, Season 3.
Since its inception in 1998, BBC AMERICA has seen substantial growth, recently celebrating its highest ratings ever in total live viewers for the first quarter of 2009. The channel is responsible for bringing the BBC’s world renowned news stateside with BBC World News America as well as some of the year’s most buzzed about and critically acclaimed UK shows - from the popular Torchwood and addictive Mistresses to the provocative Skins and charming Gavin & Stacey. It has introduced American audiences to such marquee series as The Office, Top Gear and Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. This unique and high quality programming has aided BBC AMERICA to see an increase in ad sales of almost 40% in the last year. It has also secured the channel two Golden Globes, six Peabody Awards and availability in over 64 million households nationwide.
Garth Ancier, President, BBC Worldwide America says, “BBC AMERICA is a truly unique channel in the cable landscape. We bring viewers some of the best programs on television and now with the option to experience them in HD, they’re going to be even better. The launch of BBC AMERICA HD coupled with the existing VOD channel, BBC AMERICA On-Demand, expands the opportunity for viewers and distributors to access the best of British entertainment.”
The highly anticipated return of Torchwood: Children of Earth will kick off the first of BBC AMERICA’s HD offerings. Told over five consecutive nights starting July 20 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT, the series re-joins Captain Jack (John Barrowman), Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles) and Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd) as they are still coming to terms with the death of two of their closest friends. Yet despite their pain, they know they have a job to do. This time they are faced with their fiercest threat to date - one which throws the future of Torchwood and the entire human race spiralling into danger. Battling against the odds, do they stand a chance of saving mankind?
Also airing in HD on Sunday, July 26 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT is the U.S premiere of the first of the last four Doctor Who specials featuring David Tennant as the tenth Time Lord. In the latest special, Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead, the Doctor (David Tennant) must join forces with the mysterious Lady Christina (Michelle Ryan), when a London bus takes a detour to an alien world. But the mysterious planet holds terrifying secrets, hidden in the sand. And time is running out, as the deadly Swarm gets closer.
On Saturday July 25 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT, the monster hit, Primeval concludes its third season in high-definition style. As the embattled team continues to fight against unrelenting threats and creatures, Helen (Juliet Aubry) is attempting to stop the destruction of the Earth by traveling back in time to prevent humans from evolving. The team is determined to go back to the future and stop her before she can hurt anyone else but is forced to split up when a fracture in time causes another destructive creature to appear.
The lauded BBC AMERICA co-production, Being Human premieres in HD on Saturday July 25 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. A witty and intriguing look into the lives of three twenty-somethings and their secret double-lives – as a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost - the trio do their best to live their lives as normally as possible, despite their strange and dark secrets. But with unwelcome intruders into their world, a threatened revolution from the vampire underworld and constant threats of exposure – on top of the day-to-day issues faced by young people – the only thing they may be able to rely on in their heightened world, is each other.
Digital cabler BBC America has announced a launch date for supernatural drama series Being Human.
The six-episode series, which stars Russell Tovey (Doctor Who), Lenora Crichlow (Sugar Rush), and Aidan Turner (The Clinic), will kick off on Saturday, July 25th at 9 pm ET/PT.
BBC America won't be airing the original pilot episode for Being Human, which aired last year on BBC Three and--other than Tovey--featured an entirely different cast including Guy Flanagan, Andrea Riseborough, and Adrian Lester. While the pilot is considered canon, it wasn't included on the recent Region 2 DVD release for Being Human and isn't necessary viewing in order to understand--or enjoy--the series itself.
The full press release from BBC America and the original trailer for Being Human from BBC Three can be found below.
SOME ROOMATES ARE SCARIER THAN OTHERS –The U.S. premiere of co-production, Being Human–
Mixing the mythic with the commonplace, the farcical with the horrific and the domestic with the epic, Being Human, a BBC AMERICA co-production, is a witty and extraordinary look into the lives of three twenty-somethings and their secret double-lives – as a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost. Russell Tovey (Doctor Who, The History Boys), Lenora Crichlow (Sugar Rush, Doctor Who) and Aidan Turner (The Clinic) star as housemates trying to live normal lives, despite their strange and dark secrets. Being Human premieres Saturday, July 25, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.
George (Russell Tovey) and Mitchell (Aidan Turner) work in anonymous drudgery as hospital porters. They lead lives of quiet desperation under the burden of a terrible secret—Mitchell’s a vampire and George a werewolf. Deciding to start life afresh and leave behind the dark side, they move into a house, only to find that Annie, the ghost of a woman killed in mysterious circumstances, haunts it. As the monster threesome deals with the challenges of their new life together, they’re united in their desire to blend in with their human neighbors.
By all appearances, George is a mild-mannered and geeky guy - except for one night a month when he’s a flesh-hungry, predatory werewolf. Mitchell is good-looking, laid-back and, unlike George, has an easy confidence with the ladies. But he’s also suffering withdrawal from the blood he craves. Annie (Lenora Crichlow) is chatty, insecure and desperate for company and now that death has separated them, she longs for her fiancé, who owns the house she haunts.
But with unwelcome intruders into their world, a threatened revolution from the vampire underworld and constant threats of exposure – on top of the day-to-day issues faced by young people – the only thing they may be able to rely on in their heightened world, is each other.
Being Human launches Saturday, July 25th at 9 pm ET/PT on BBC America.
Welcome to Day Four, the last day of the 2009 network upfronts. Up last is netlet the CW, which has now unveiled its primetime schedule for advertisers.
As expected, the CW has ordered three new series for fall, with Melrose Place, Vampire Diaries, and The Beautiful Life joining the schedule and drama Parental Discretion Advised (formerly known as Light Years) getting a midseason berth.
Melrose Place gets the post-90210 spot, echoing the original pairing of the two series when FOX launched Melrose Place way back in 1992.
And it was widely believed that the CW would pair new drama The Beautiful Life--about the personal and professional lives of young models--with reality franchise America's Next Top Model on Wednesdays and, sure enough, they did. (No surprises there.)
More intriguing, however, is that the CW will break up its combination of Smallville and Supernatural on Thursdays and bump Smallville, returning for its ninth and final season, to Friday nights in order to pair Supernatural with new drama series Vampire Diaries at 8 pm.
Meanwhile, the network confirmed the cancellations of such series as Reaper and Privileged and comedies Everybody Hates Chris and The Game.
UPDATE: The full press release from the CW, announcing the primetime schedule, as well as new series descriptions, photography, and video clips can be found below.
CW FALL 2009-10 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
MONDAY 8-9 pm: Gossip Girl 9-10 pm: One Tree Hill
TUESDAY 8-9 pm: 90210 9-10 pm: Melrose Place
WEDNESDAY 8-9 pm: America's Next Top Model 9-10 pm: The Beautiful Life
FRIDAY 8-9 pm: Smallville 9-10 pm: America's Next Top Model Encores
MIDSEASON: Parental Discretion Advised
For those of you keeping track of such things, here's how the CW schedule stacks up.
Returning Series: 90210, America's Next Top Model, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, Smallville, Supernatural
New Series: The Beautiful Life, Melrose Place, Parental Discretion Advised, Vampire Diaries
New Timeslots for Returning Series: Smallville
Midseason Launches/Returns: Parental Discretion Advised (fka Light Years, Life Unexpected)
Cancelled/Ended: 4Real, 13: Fear is Real, Easy Money, Everybody Hates Chris, The Game, In Harm's Way, Privileged, Reaper, Stylista, Valentine
Reactions: To be honest, there were absolutely no surprises with the CW's schedule, save maybe its decision to shunt Smallville--entering its final season--to Friday nights in order to make room for new series Vampire Diaries. But, really, where else was the CW going to be able to program this series?
Certainly not on Mondays, where the CW will retain its drama combo of Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill. Nor on Tuesdays, the new home of flashback soaps 90210 and Melrose Place, or Wednesdays, where it will pair reality franchise Top Model with new model drama The Beautiful Life. Which leaves Thursdays as the only logical place (no way would they attempt to use it to launch a new night of dramas on Fridays).
(Still, from a demo standpoint it does make sense as Vampire Diaries is extremely female-oriented and could tap into lead-out Supernatural's female fan base, even though I probably would have aired it at 9 pm in order to give it some cushioning from an established lead-in.)
All in all, a rather predictable schedule that will keep the network's lineup stable and use their key strengths to launch three new dramas, as well as another drama--Parental Discretion Advised--in midseason.
THE CW ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE FOR 2009-2010 SEASON
A NEW SEASON OF TV TO TALK ABOUT LAUNCHES IN THE FALL WITH RETURNING HITS "GOSSIP GIRL," "90210" AND "AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL," ALONG WITH HIGHLY ANTICIPATED NEW SERIES "MELROSE PLACE," "THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE" AND "THE VAMPIRE DIARIES"
Monday Night Stays Strong with Winning Team of Hit Dramas "Gossip Girl" and "One Tree Hill"
Tuesday Night: "90210" Returns for a Second Season in The Zip, Followed By New Updated Version of Iconic Drama "Melrose Place"
On Wednesdays, "America's Next Top Model" Leads Into New Fashion-Fueled Drama "The Beautiful Life" From Producer Ashton Kutcher
New Drama "The Vampire Diaries" From Producers Kevin Williamson ("Dawson's Creek") and Julie Plec ("Kyle XY") Teams with "Supernatural" For a Spine-Tingling Thursday Lineup
Fan-Favorite "Smallville" Moves to Friday Night, Followed by an Encore of "America's Next Top Model"
New Drama Premieres Midseason: "Parental Discretion Advised"
May 21, 2009 (New York, New York) - The CW Network unveiled the schedule for its 2009-2010 season today at a presentation for advertisers, affiliates and national media in the Theater at Madison Square Garden. The announcement was made by Dawn Ostroff, President of Entertainment, The CW.
"In just three years, The CW has become TV to talk about, with culturally current, quality programming," said Ostroff. "Next fall, we will have great flow from Monday through Friday, starting with the Monday pairing of Gossip Girl' and One Tree Hill,' which made The CW one of the top destinations for young women this season. Tuesday night gives us a perfect match with 90210' and Melrose Place.' And what could be better than our Wednesday night shows from Tyra Banks and Ashton Kutcher the all-model lineup of America's Next Top Model' and The Beautiful Life.' On Thursdays, The Vampire Diaries' taps into the continuing fascination young women have with all things vampire, and makes the perfect lead-in for Supernatural,' which is coming off its strongest year ever. Moving Smallville' to Fridays gives us a major player with a loyal fan base to kick off the night. Top all that off with our heartwarming and humorous midseason drama Parental Discretion Advised,' from writer/producer Liz Tigelaar, and we have a full slate of great programming to keep our viewers watching, chatting, texting and tweeting all next season."
On Monday, the powerhouse combination of GOSSIP GIRL and ONE TREE HILL will remain in place. Last fall, this winning team made The CW the Number One network with women, and sent Monday night ratings up 118 percent in women 18-34. GOSSIP GIRL, which continues to be one of the most talked-about shows on television, will return to its 8:00-9:00 p.m. slot, followed by ONE TREE HILL from 9:00-10:00 p.m.
On Tuesday, 90210 returns for its sophomore season in the 8:00-9:00 p.m. timeslot. Last season, 90210 gave The CW its highest-rated series premiere ever and improved the 8:00 p.m. time period by 35 percent in women 18-34. The highly anticipated, updated version of the 1990s monster-hit drama MELROSE PLACE will premiere in the 9:00-10:00 p.m. timeslot. The new MELROSE PLACE features a dynamic ensemble of up-and-coming stars, along with two original cast members reprising the roles they made famous: Laura Leighton as Sydney Andrews and Thomas Calabro as Dr. Michael Mancini. MELROSE PLACE promises to deliver all the backstabbing and sizzle of the original series. And, as they did once before, 90210 and MELROSE PLACE will combine for a great night of television.
On Wednesday, AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL returns in its successful 8:00-9:00 p.m. timeslot, followed by the glamorous new drama THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE. Last season, AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL ranked second in its time period with young women. Tyra Banks is one of the few women who is seen regularly on both daytime and primetime television. Beginning this fall, The CW's daytime block will feature two hours of THE TYRA BANKS SHOW, with an encore episode from 3:00-4:00 p.m. and an original episode from 4:00-5:00 p.m. AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL and THE TYRA BANKS SHOW provide perfect symmetry and a natural fit for The CW brand by targeting the same audience in both primetime and daytime.
New drama THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE joins TOP MODEL on Wednesdays. From producers Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg, Karey Burke, Mike Kelley and Carol Barbee, the fashion-based series gives viewers an exciting, behind-the-scenes glimpse at the cutthroat world of a group of young, beautiful and very sexy models living together in a models' residence in New York City. The show features a stunning ensemble cast, featuring Sara Paxton ("Last House on the Left"), Mischa Barton ("The O.C.") and supermodel Elle Macpherson ("Friends"). Together, AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL and THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE will be television's most fashionable night.
Thursdays go Goth with the new teaming of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES from 8:00-9:00 p.m., followed by SUPERNATURAL in the 9:00-10:00 p.m. hour. Based on the best-selling series of books, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES is the story of two vampire brothers obsessed with the same beautiful girl, and battling to control the fate of an entire town. Starring Nina Dobrev ("DeGrassi: The Next Generation"), Paul Wesley ("Mad Men"), Ian Somerhalder ("Lost") and Steven R. McQueen ("Everwood"), THE VAMPIRE DIARIES makes the perfect new lead-in to SUPERNATURAL. Last season, SUPERNATURAL's Winchester brothers gave the network ratings growth across key young demos, despite the highly competitive timeslot.
Big changes are in store on Fridays when SMALLVILLE relocates to the 8:00-9:00 p.m. hour, bringing young viewers from Thursday into Friday nights. With non-stop action and classic DC Comics characters from Lois Lane to Doomsday, SMALLVILLE continues to give loyal viewers the stories and characters they love.
The heartwarming and humorous drama PARENTAL DISCRETION ADVISED will premiere midseason. From writer/producer Liz Tigelaar, ("Brothers and Sisters"), PARENTAL DISCRETION ADVISED is the story of a young girl who finds her biological parents and how that discovery changes all their lives. The show stars Britt Robertson ("Swingtown"), Kristoffer Polaha ("Mad Men"), Shiri Appleby ("E.R.") and Kerr Smith ("Eli Stone").
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 P.M. "GOSSIP GIRL"
Returning for its third season, GOSSIP GIRL is a one-hour drama based on an exclusive group of privileged teens on Manhattan's Upper East Side whose lives revolve around the blog of the all-knowing albeit ultra-secretive Gossip Girl. No one knows Gossip Girl's identity, but everyone in this exclusive and complicated vicious circle relies on her website and text messages for the latest scoop. The series stars Blake Lively as Serena van der Woodsen, Leighton Meester as Blair Waldorf, Penn Badgley as Dan Humphrey, Chace Crawford as Nate Archibald, Taylor Momsen as Jenny Humphrey, Ed Westwick as Chuck Bass, Jessica Szohr as Vanessa Abrams, Kelly Rutherford as Lily van der Woodsen and Matthew Settle as Rufus Humphrey. Filmed in New York and based on the popular series of young-adult novels by Cecily von Ziegesar, GOSSIP GIRL is from Alloy Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios with executive producers Josh Schwartz ("Chuck," "The O.C."), Stephanie Savage ("The O.C."), Bob Levy ("Privileged"), Leslie Morgenstein ("Privileged"), John Stephens ("Gilmore Girls," "The O.C."), and co-executive producer Joshua Safran.
9:00-10:00 P.M. "ONE TREE HILL"
In season seven of ONE TREE HILL our beloved characters learn the struggle to live an exceptional life doesn't end once you've achieved your dreams. Whether they found true love, answered a call to greatness, or sought redemption for sins of the past, nothing that's come before compares to the challenges our characters now face to keep their dreams alive, their friendships intact and their lives full in the place they call home. ONE TREE HILL was created by Mark Schwahn and is executive produced by Schwahn, Joe Davola, Greg Prange, Mike Tollin and Brian Robbins. ONE TREE HILL is a Mastermind Laboratories and Tollin/Robbins Production in association with Warner Bros. Television.
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 P.M. "90210"
The second season of "90210" focuses on the West Beverly group as they begin their all-important Junior year. They'll go through all the ordinary teenage struggles and triumphs crushes, sexual discovery, academic pressure, evolving friendships, shunning and isolation, love and relationships, family issues, SATs, STDs, a desire to fit in, a desire to stand out, fear and humiliation, joy and exultation but they'll do so in the extraordinary world of LA a world of movie stars and overnight success, glamour and glitz, surfing and sunshine; a city where the American dream is writ large in the Hills and yet failure could come around any corner of the Boulevard of Broken Dreams. We'll follow Naomi, the well-meaning, but delightfully narcissistic rich girl with a heart of cubic zirconium; Adrianna, the gifted, artistic drama queen whose personal life is as dramatic as any role she could hope to play; Silver, the outspoken free spirit who marches to the beat of her own drum machine; Annie, the good girl from Kansas who has gotten a bit lost in the land of Oz; Dixon, her charming, good-natured brother who adapts easily to any challenging situation and yet is still struggling to find his own voice; Navid, whose geeky charm makes all the Blaze girls swoon; and Liam, the troubled New York transplant who abhors the decadent materialistic world of Beverly Hills. These stories could only happen in LA...and only on "90210." The series stars Rob Estes as Harry Wilson, Lori Loughlin as Debbie Wilson, Shenae Grimes as Annie Wilson, Tristan Wilds as Dixon Wilson, AnnaLynne McCord as Naomi Clark, Ryan Eggold as Ryan Matthews, Jessica Stroup as Silver, Michael Steger as Navid Shirazi, Jessica Lowndes as Adrianna Tate-Duncan and Matt Lanter as Liam Court. 90210 is produced by CBS Television Studios with executive producer Rebecca Sinclair.
9:00-10:00 P.M. "MELROSE PLACE" (New Series)
In an elegant Spanish-style apartment building in the trendy Melrose neighborhood of Los Angeles, a diverse group of 20-somethings have formed a close-knit surrogate family. Sydney Andrews (Laura Leighton, the original "Melrose Place") is the landlady, still beautiful at 40, and a central figure in the lives of all her tenants, especially handsome and rebellious David Breck (Shaun Sipos, "Shark"). Sydney started an affair with David despite her turbulent history with his estranged father, Dr. Michael Mancini (Thomas Calabro, the original "Melrose Place"). Both father and son learned through experience that Sydney was not above using blackmail to control people. Another tenant, high-powered publicist Ella Simms (Katie Cassidy, "Supernatural"), once considered Sydney her mentor, but their friendship was destroyed by betrayal, and Sydney threatened to evict Ella and ruin her career. Sydney also played a pivotal role in the career of Auggie Kirkpatrick (Colin Egglesfield, "All My Children"). After they met at an AA meeting, she became Auggie's sponsor and encouraged his dream to become a chef. Now a successful sous chef at the trendy restaurant Coal, Auggie has been avoiding Sydney since she began drinking again. The other tenants include Lauren Yung (Stephanie Jacobsen, "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles"), a medical student in desperate need of money to pay her student loans, and Jonah Miller (Michael Rady, "Swingtown"), an aspiring filmmaker who has just proposed to his live-in girlfriend Riley Richmond (Jessica Lucas, "Cloverfield"), a first-grade teacher. The newest tenant, 18-year-old Violet Foster (Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, "7th Heaven"), has just arrived in LA with her own secret connection to Sydney. When a bloody body is found floating in the courtyard pool, David is the leading suspect. However, as the police are soon to discover, almost everyone living at Melrose Place had a reason to want the deceased out of the way. An updated version of the popular 1990s series, MELROSE PLACE is from CBS Television Studios with executive producers Todd Slavkin & Darren Swimmer ("Smallville"). Oscar-winner Davis Guggenheim ("An Inconvenient Truth") is the director and executive producer of the pilot.
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 P.M. "AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL"
Returning with its thirteenth and fourteenth cycles, the runaway runway hit series stars Tyra Banks. The show gives real people an opportunity to prove that they can make it in the high-stress, high-stakes world of supermodeling. With mentoring by Tyra Banks and exposure to high-profile fashion-industry gurus, young women of various backgrounds, shapes and sizes must endure a highly accelerated modeling boot camp and face weekly tests to determine who will make the cut as they vie for a professional modeling contract. The executive producers are Ken Mok ("Making the Band"), Tyra Banks and Daniel Soiseth ("Hell's Kitchen"). The reality series was created by Tyra Banks and developed by Mok and Kenya Barris. AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL is produced by 10 by 10 Entertainment in association with Bankable Productions.
9:00-10:00 P.M. "THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE" (New Series)
The life of a high-fashion model appears glamorous and sexy, but as every new model quickly learns, behind the beautiful faade is a world of insecurity and cutthroat competition. Two teenage models who are about to discover this world for themselves are Raina Collins (Sara Paxton, "Last House on the Left"), a stunning beauty with a secret past, and Chris Andrews (Benjamin Hollingsworth, "The Line"), a strikingly handsome Iowa farm boy. When Raina makes an unforgettable impression at a show introducing the new line from designer Zac Posen (appearing in a cameo role), she steals the spotlight from her friend Sonja (Mischa Barton, "The O.C."). Sonja has been out of the country for mysterious reasons and is now desperate to reclaim her standing as the reigning supermodel. While Raina and Sonja live at the top of the fashion food chain, Chris is starting at the bottom, having just been discovered by agent Simon Lockridge (newcomer Dusan Dukic) of the Covet Modeling Agency, which is owned by former supermodel Claudia Foster (Elle Macpherson, "Friends"). At his first photo shoot, Chris' inexperience almost derails his career until Raina comes to his rescue, showing him how to relax and work the camera. That afternoon, Raina brings Chris to the "models' residence" where she lives along with other young hopefuls, including Marissa Delfina (Ashley Madekwe, "Secret Diary of a Call Girl"), Egan (Jordan Woolley, "As The World Turns"), Issac (Corbin Bleu, "High School Musical 2") and the current alpha-male-model known as Kai (Nico Tortorella, "Twelve"). At an exclusive industry party that night, Chris is again impressed by Raina's generosity when she steps aside to make sure Sonja lands a job that will resurrect her career. However, after an ugly scene with Simon, Chris is left to question whether he can survive in this world of dangerous excess and fleeting fame. THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE is from Katalyst Films in association with CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television with executive producers Ashton Kutcher & Jason Goldberg ("True Beauty," "Punk'd"), Karey Burke ("True Beauty"), Mike Kelley ("Swingtown," "Jericho") and Carol Barbee ("Swingtown," "Jericho"). Christian Duguay ("Coco Chanel") directed the pilot.
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 P.M. "THE VAMPIRE DIARIES" (New Series)
Four months after the tragic car accident that killed their parents, 17-year-old Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev, "DeGrassi: The Next Generation") and her 15-year-old brother, Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen, "Everwood") are still trying to cope with their grief and move on with their lives. Elena has always been the star student; beautiful, popular and involved with school and friends, but now she finds herself struggling to hide her sadness from the world. As the school year begins, Elena and her friends are fascinated by a handsome and mysterious new student, Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley, "Army Wives"). Stefan and Elena are immediately drawn to one another, and Elena has no way of knowing that Stefan is a centuries-old vampire, struggling to live peacefully among humans, while his brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder, "Lost") is the embodiment of vampire violence and brutality. Now these two vampire brothers - one good, one evil - are at war for Elena's soul and for the souls of her friends, family and all the residents of the small town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. Based on the series of books by L. J. Smith, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES is from Alloy Entertainment and Bonanza Productions Inc in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios with executive producers Kevin Williamson ("Dawson's Creek," "I Know What You Did Last Summer"), Julie Plec ("Kyle XY," "Wasteland"), Leslie Morgenstein ("Gossip Girl," "Privileged") and Bob Levy ("Gossip Girl," "Privileged"). Marcos Siega ("Dexter") directed the pilot.
9:00-10:00 P.M "SUPERNATURAL"
Returning for its fifth season, this haunting series follows Sam and Dean Winchester, two brothers bound by tragedy and blood to their dangerous, other-worldly mission. This past season, Dean was rescued from Hell by the angel Castiel, who told Dean he was meant to avert the impending Apocalypse, as well as Lucifer rising from Hell. As the brothers were caught up in the epic battle between angels and demons, Sam and Dean found their relationship was strained almost to the breaking point until ultimately, both brothers were betrayed. Now, in season five, they must battle the Devil himself. The series stars Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester, Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester and Misha Collins as Castiel). SUPERNATURAL is from Warner Bros. Television in association with Wonderland Sound and Vision, with executive producers McG ("Charlie's Angels," "The O.C."), Eric Kripke ("Boogeyman") and Robert Singer ("Midnight Caller").
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 P.M. "SMALLVILLE"
Returning for its ninth season, last season SMALLVILLE was filled with twists and surprises, starting with the disappearance of Lex Luthor. However, someone quickly arrived to take his place the enticing Tess Mercer. As Tess maneuvered her way through town, she flirted with her old flame Oliver Queen, discovered Clark's true identity and unleashed a new world of danger. As if that hurdle wasn't enough for Clark, he also met his greatest match Doomsday. SMALLVILLE explored the origins of Doomsday, revealing a sympathetic guy named Davis Bloome, who battled an inner demon the Doomsday character fans have loved to hate for years. When Clark wasn't busy battling the beast, he was knee-deep in work at the Daily Planet. Last season threw Clark and Lois Lane together literally across the desk from each other. As Clark's persona as the cub Planet reporter emerged, so did his feelings for Lois, the fated love of his life. The series stars Tom Welling as Clark Kent, Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan, Erica Durance as Lois Lane, Justin Hartley as Oliver Queen and Cassidy Freeman as Tess Mercer. Reinterpreting the Superman mythology from its roots, SMALLVILLE was developed for television by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar ("Shanghai Noon," "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor"), based on the DC Comics characters. Copy/pasted from Futon Critic Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson serve as executive producers, along with James Marshall, Mike Tollin, Brian Robbins and Joe Davola. The series is produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions and Warner Bros. Television. SUPERMAN was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
9:00-10:00 P.M. "AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL" (Encore Presentation).
MIDSEASON
"PARENTAL DISCRETION ADVISED" (New Series)
After spending all of her 15 years bouncing from one foster family to another in Portland, Oregon, Lux (Britt Robertson, "Swingtown") has decided it's time to take control of her life and become an emancipated minor. Her journey through the legal maze leads Lux to her biological father, 30-something Nate "Baze" Bazile (Kristoffer Polaha, "Mad Men"), who owns a bar, lives like an aging frat-boy with two slacker roommates, and is astonished to learn that he has a teenage daughter. Lux is equally astonished when Baze reveals that her mother is Cate Cassidy (Shiri Appleby, "E.R."), a star on the local "Morning Madness" radio show, along with her on-air partner and real-life boyfriend, Ryan Thomas (Kerr Smith, "Eli Stone"). Lux has been listening to Cate's voice on the radio as long as she can remember, so she feels an instant connection with the mom she's never met. Baze takes Lux to meet Cate, who is shocked and saddened to learn that Lux has grown up in foster care, but thrilled to finally meet her beautiful daughter. When a judge decides that Lux isn't ready for emancipation and unexpectedly grants temporary joint custody to Baze and Cate, they agree to try to get past the awkwardness and make a belated attempt to give Lux the family she deserves. PARENTAL DISCRETION ADVISED is produced by Mojo Films in association with CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television with executive producers Liz Tigelaar ("Brothers and Sisters," "What About Brian") and Gary Fleder ("October Road"). Gary Fleder directed the pilot.
Welcome to Day Three of the 2009 network upfronts. Up next is CBS, which has unveiled its fall schedule to advertisers.
Not too many surprises for CBS, which once again sticks with overall stability and picks up a bunch of new drama series (and one lone comedy holdout).
Turning around the shortest series cancellation ever, CBS has picked up supernatural drama series Medium for another season. Medium, produced by CBS Television Studio, had been axed yesterday by NBC and will now shift networks and join fellow chiller drama Ghost Whisperer on Friday nights.
The network also ordered several new series including comedy Accidentally on Purpose, legal drama The Good Wife, medical dramas Miami Trauma and Three Rivers, NCIS: Los Angeles, and unscripted series Arranged Marriage and Undercover Boss.
While not on the schedule, Canadian co-production Flashpoint will return--in Summer 2010--and CBS will launch another CTV co-pro, The Bridge, in midseason. Also scheduled to join the schedule in the spring: Miami Trauma, Undercover Boss, Arranged Marriage, and Rules of Engagement.
UPDATED: The full press release from CBS, announcing the schedule, full descriptions for the new series, and photography can be found below.
CBS FALL 2009-10 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
MONDAY 8-8:30 pm: How I Met Your Mother 8:30-9 pm: Accidentally On Purpose 9-9:30 pm: Two and a Half Men 9:30-10 pm: The Big Bang Theory 10-11 pm: CSI Miami
TUESDAY 8-9 pm: NCIS 9-10 pm: NCIS: Los Angeles 10-11 pm: The Good Wife
WEDNESDAY 8-8:30 pm: Old Christine 8:30-9 pm: Gary Unmarried 9-10 pm: Criminal Minds 10-11 pm: CSI:NY
SATURDAY 8-9 pm: Crime Drama Encores 9-10 pm: Crime Drama Encores 10-11 pm: 48 Hours
SUNDAY 7-8 pm: 60 Minutes 8-9 pm: The Amazing Race 9-10 pm: Three Rivers 10-11 pm: Cold Case
MIDSEASON: Miami Trauma, The Bridge, Flashpoint, Undercover Boss, Arranged Marriage, Rules of Engagement
For those of you keeping track of such things, here's how the CBS schedule stacks up.
Returning Series: 48 Hours, 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race, The Big Bang Theory, Big Brother, Cold Case, Criminal Minds, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: New York, Flashpoint, Gary Unmarried, How I Met Your Mother, The Mentalist, NCIS, New Adventures of Old Christine, NUMB3RS, Rules of Engagement, Survivor, Two and a Half Men
New Series: Accidentally on Purpose, Arranged Marriage, The Bridge, The Good Wife, Medium*, Miami Trauma, NCIS: Los Angeles, Three Rivers, Undercover Boss
New Timeslots for Returning Series: The Big Bang Theory, Cold Case, How I Met Your Mother, Medium (new network, in fact), The Mentalist
Midseason Launches/Returns: Arranged Marriage, The Bridge, Flashpoint (Summer 2010), Miami Trauma, Rules of Engagement, Undercover Boss
Cancelled/Ended: Eleventh Hour, The Ex List, The Unit, Without a Trace, Worst Week
Reactions: Overall, a rather strong schedule from a network that thrives on consistency and stability. The new series would seem to complement their current ones, although I can't help but wonder if a double dose of Ghost Whisperer and Medium back-to-back on Fridays could be female-driven supernatural overkill.... or just the thing for Friday nights. Given the studio affiliation with Medium, it seemed natural that CBS would snap up the series when NBC balked at bringing it back once more.
A slight switcheroo with the comedies on Monday but overall the comedy block shows stability, based upon the performance of newcomer Accidentally on Purpose at 8:30 pm. How I Met Your Mother, meanwhile, relocates to 8 pm (where it landed earlier in its run) to kick off the night and provide Accidentally with a proven lead-in while The Big Bang Theory shifts later to air after Two and a Half Men.
Not sure whether shifting The Mentalist out of its highly rated berth is the strongest move, however, though CBS did seem to want to pair NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles in a two-hour block in order to properly cushion the spin-off with its predecessor as a lead-in.
Having read the script for The Good Wife, I assumed the Eye would schedule it in an earlier hour rather than at 10 pm. There's nothing in there that screams post-watershed hour and I think they would have been better off deploying it in an earlier timeslot.
I'm glad that CBS is opting to keep The Amazing Race in its Sundays at 8 pm timeslot, which I think is the absolute perfect place for the series (and an ideal way to wrap up the weekend). Plus, the combo of Three Rivers and Cold Case give the network a nice lineup that's definitely distinct from ABC's more female-driven lineup of Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters.
All in all a pretty stable schedule that doesn't deviate from CBS' usual penchant for procedural dramas and doesn't include the type of mind-boggling risk of recent seasons. (No vampires, swingers, or gangsters here.)
The full press release from CBS as well as new series descriptions can be found below.
CBS ANNOUNCES 2009-2010 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
America's #1 Network Adds Four New Series to Top-Rated Lineup
New Dramas Star Chris O'Donnell and LL COOL J,
Julianna Margulies and Alex O'Loughlin
New Comedy Stars Jenna Elfman
"The Mentalist" Moves to Thursday at 10:00 PM Pairing TV's #1 New Show With TV's #1 Drama ("CSI")
"The Big Bang Theory" Moves to Mondays at 9:30 PM Forming a Comedy Power Hour With "Two and a Half Men"
Ordered for Midseason: New Dramas "Miami Trauma" and "The Bridge" New Alternative Series "Arranged Marriage" and "Undercover Boss," Comedy "Rules of Engagement"
CBS, the only major broadcast network to grow its audience in all key ratings measures this season, announced today the addition of four new series to strengthen its already top rated primetime lineup for the Fall 2009-2010 season.
The new series include three dramas and one comedy. Chris O'Donnell and LL COOL J star in NCIS: LOS ANGELES, a spinoff from the hit drama NCIS; THE GOOD WIFE stars Emmy® Award winner Julianna Margulies in a legal drama about a steadfast wife and mother who boldly returns to work as a lawyer when her husband is imprisoned for a high profile political scandal; THREE RIVERS, a medical drama that stars Alex O'Loughlin as the head of a renowned transplant surgery team, and ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE stars Golden Globe Award winner Jenna Elfman in an ensemble comedy about a successful, single journalist who accidentally gets pregnant by a much younger man.
The freshmen series will join 18 returning series on the current CBS schedule.
CBS will return the season's #1 drama/scripted program - CSI; #1 comedy - TWO AND A HALF MEN; #1 new series - THE MENTALIST and the #1 news magazine - 60 MINUTES, along with two franchise reality series - SURVIVOR and the six-time Emmy Award winner THE AMAZING RACE.
The other returning series include: THE BIG BANG THEORY, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, CSI: MIAMI, NCIS, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE; GARY UNMARRIED, CRIMINAL MINDS, CSI: NY, GHOST WHISPERER, NUMB3RS, 48 HOURS MYSTERY and COLD CASE.
Ordered for midseason is a new fast-paced medical drama, MIAMI TRAUMA, from executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer; the new police drama THE BRIDGE; the returning comedy RULES OF ENGAGEMENT; and the new alternative series ARRANGED MARRIAGE and UNDERCOVER BOSS.
On the strength of its scripted series, and the success of its two reality franchises, CBS will win the 2008-2009 television season in viewers, its sixth victory in the past seven years, and in adults 25-54 (projected tie with Fox). CBS is the ONLY network to post ratings gains over the last season in all key measures: +12% in viewers, + 3% in adults 18-49, and +8% in adults 25-54.
This top-rated schedule will serve as the springboard to introduce four new series - all of which have established franchises as a lead-in.
The 2009-2010 schedule:
On Mondays at 8:00 PM, the critically acclaimed ensemble comedy HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER opens the night and serves as a strong lead-in for the new comedy ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE at 8:30 PM. From 9:00-10:00 PM, television's top comedy TWO AND A HALF MEN and the genius comedy THE BIG BANG THEORY form a power comedy hour. CSI: MIAMI, a perennial time period winner, completes the night at 10:00 PM.
On Tuesdays, NCIS kicks off the night at 8:00 PM, providing a seamless lead-in for its spin off NCIS: LOS ANGELES at 9:00 PM, followed by new legal drama THE GOOD WIFE at 10:00 PM.
Wednesday returns intact with the comedy block THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE and GARY UNMARRIED from 8:00-9:00 PM, as well as the crime drama tandem of CRIMINAL MINDS and CSI: NY from 9:00-11:00 PM.
On Thursdays at 8:00 PM, SURVIVOR returns to the time period it has won every year since 2004. And from 9:00-11:00 PM, CBS is pairing television's #1 drama, CSI, with television's #1 new series, THE MENTALIST.
On Friday, CBS plans to add the popular drama series MEDIUM at 9:00 PM, starring Emmy Award winner Patricia Arquette, to its top-rated Friday night lineup, forming a hauntingly compatible two-hour block with GHOST WHISPERER at 8:00 PM. NUMB3RS caps the night at 10:00 PM.
The Saturday night lineup remains intact, anchored by the night's highest-rated show, 48 HOURS MYSTERY.
As always, 60 MINUTES kicks off Sundays at 7:00 PM, followed by the six-time Emmy Award winning reality series THE AMAZING RACE at 8:00 PM, which leads into the new medical drama THREE RIVERS at 9:00 PM. The crime drama COLD CASE anchors at 10:00 PM.
The new DRAMAS:
NCIS: LOS ANGELES is a drama about the high stakes world of undercover surveillance at the Office of Special Projects (OSP), a division of NCIS that is charged with apprehending dangerous and elusive criminals that pose a threat to the nation's security. By assuming false identities and utilizing the most advanced technology, this team of highly trained agents goes deep undercover, putting their lives on the line in the field to bring down their targets. Special Agent "G" Callen (Chris O'Donnell) is a chameleon who transforms himself into whomever he needs to be to infiltrate the criminal underworld. His partner is Special Agent Sam Hanna (LL COOL J), a former U.S. Navy SEAL who has seen action in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and a surveillance expert who uses state of the art monitoring equipment to look out for those in the field and feed them crucial information. Both Callen and Hanna report to Special Agent Lara Macy (Louise Lombard), the OSP team leader responsible for directing the operations and making life-or-death decisions. Assisting the team is Special Agent Kensi Lo (Daniela Ruah), the exceptionally bright daughter of a slain Marine who lives for the adrenalin rush that comes with undercover work, and Operational Psychologist Nate Getz (Peter Cambor), adept at getting into anybody's head, profiling the target and monitoring agents' states of mind before, during and after missions. Armed with the latest in high tech gear and sent regularly into life-threatening situations, this tight-knit team relies on each other to do what is necessary to protect national interests. Shane Brennan ("NCIS") is the executive producer for CBS Television Studios.
THE GOOD WIFE is a drama starring Emmy Award winner Julianna Margulies as a wife and mother who must assume full responsibility for her family and re-enter the workforce after her husband's very public sex and political corruption scandal lands him in jail. Pushing aside the betrayal and crushing public humiliation caused by her husband Peter (Chris Noth), Alicia Florrick (Margulies) starts over by pursuing her original career as a defense attorney. As a junior associate at a prestigious Chicago law firm, she joins her longtime friend, former law school classmate and firm partner Will Gardner (Josh Charles), who is interested to see how Alicia will perform after 13 years out of the courtroom. Alicia is grateful the firm's top litigator, Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski), offers to mentor her but discovers the offer has conditions and realizes she's going to need to succeed on her own merit. Alicia's main competition among the firm's 20-something new recruits is Cary (Matt Czuchry), a recent Harvard grad who is affable on the surface, but will use any means to ensure that he, not Alicia, secures the one full-time associate position that's available. Fortunately, Alicia finds an ally in Kalinda (Archie Panjabi), the firm's tough in-house investigator. Gaining confidence every day, Alicia transforms herself from embarrassed politician's scorned wife to resilient career woman, especially for the sake of providing a stable home for her children, 14-year-old Zach (Graham Phillips) and 13-year-old Grace (Makenzie Vega). For the first time in years, Alicia trades in her identity as the "good wife" and takes charge of her own destiny. Tony Scott, Ridley Scott, Robert King, Michelle King, Dee Johnson and David Zucker are the executive producers for CBS Television Studios.
THREE RIVERS is a medical drama that goes inside the emotionally complex lives of organ donors, the recipients and the surgeons at the preeminent transplant hospital in the country where every moment counts. However, dealing with donor families in their darkest hour and managing the fears and concerns of apprehensive recipients takes much more than just a sharp scalpel. Leading the elite team is Dr. Andy Yablonski (Alex O'Loughlin), the highly-skilled workaholic lead organ transplant surgeon, whose good-natured personality and sarcastic wit makes him popular with his patients and colleagues. His colleagues include Dr. Miranda Foster (Katherine Moennig), a surgical fellow with a rebellious streak and fiery temper who strives to live up to her deceased father's excellent surgical reputation; Dr. David Lee (Daniel Henney), a womanizing surgical resident who's broken as many hearts as he's replaced; Ryan Abbott (Christopher J. Hanke), the inexperienced new transplant coordinator who arranges the intricately choreographed process of quickly and carefully transporting organs from donor to patient; Dr. Sophia Jordan (Julia Ormond), the head of surgery and a dedicated medical professional; and Pam Acosta (Justina Machado), Andy's no-nonsense operating assistant and best friend. In this high stakes arena, in which every case is a race against the clock, these tenacious surgeons and medical professionals are the last hope for their patients. Carol Barbee, Curtis Hanson and Carol Fenelon are the executive producers for CBS Television Studios.
The new COMEDY:
ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE is a comedy starring Golden Globe Award winner Jenna Elfman as Billie, a single woman who finds herself "accidentally" pregnant after a one-night stand with a much younger guy, and decides to keep the baby... and the guy. A newspaper film critic, Billie is barely surviving a humiliating breakup with her charming boss, James (Grant Show), who's still trying to resume their relationship. Suddenly expecting a child with her "boy toy," Zack (Jon Foster), Billie and Zack make an arrangement: to live together platonically. Billie's party girl best friend Olivia (Ashley Jensen), and Abby (Lennon Parham), her conventional, younger married sister, eagerly look forward to the new addition and offer their own brands of advice and encouragement. But when Zack and his freeloading friends, including Davis (Nicolas Wright), start to turn her place into a frat house, Billie isn't sure if she's living with a boyfriend, a roommate, or if she just has another child to raise. Lloyd Braun, Gail Berman, Gene Stein and Claudia Lonow are the executive producers for CBS Television Studios. Pamela Fryman directed the pilot.
The new MIDSEASON DRAMAS:
THE BRIDGE is a drama about a tough and dedicated police officer who is voted to become the police union's dynamic leader. To serve the public as well as his 8,000 fellow officers, charismatic Frank Leo (Aaron Douglas) battles criminals on the street, corruption in the ranks and his own bosses. On the force is his able partner and confidante Tommy Dunn (Paul Popowich), who rides with Frank across the bridge that spans the divide between the rich and the poor in the area they patrol; Staff Sergeant Bernie Kantor (Frank Cassini), a voice of reason and moral sounding board; Jill (Inga Cadranel), a detective with a lot of attitude who is moving up the ranks; Billy (Theresa Joy), a young female cop who is determined to prove herself to the guys; and Ed Wycoff (Michael Murphy), the shrewd Chief of Police. Abby St. James (Ona Grauer) is a sharp prosecutor who begins working with the police union, and shares a mutual attraction with Frank. In his new position, Frank Leo takes on the politically-motivated department brass... and makes many powerful enemies in the process. Craig Bromell, Adam J. Shully, Laszlo Barna, Alan Di Fiore and Robert Wertheimer are executive producers for E1 Entertainment, 990 Multi Media Entertainment Company and Jonsworth Productions in association with CTV and CBS Television Studios.
MIAMI TRAUMA is about a team of expert surgeons who work at one of the premiere trauma facilities in the country, where only patients with life threatening injuries are treated. Dr. Matthew Proctor (Jeremy Northam) is new to the trauma team, after a tour of duty in a MASH unit during the Gulf war. Dr. Eva Zambrano (Lana Parrilla) is a workaholic surgeon who is more comfortable in her scrubs than she is out in the real world. Dr. Christopher Deleo, "Dr. C.," is a playboy who thrives on the high-stakes of trauma medicine and is, by his own description, a genius redneck. Dr. Serena Warren (Elisabeth Harnois) is fresh out of medical school, and head nurse Tuck Brody (Omar Gooding) keeps the doctors on track and the patients' families updated in this chaotic corner of the medical profession. Together, this team of doctors excels in the "golden hour," the 60 minutes after being critically injured, when a patient's life hangs in the balance. Jerry Bruckheimer, Jeffrey Lieber and Jonathan Littman are executive producers for Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television Distribution.
The new MIDSEASON ALTERNATIVE series:
ARRANGED MARRIAGE is a series that brings the tradition of arranged marriages, which is still practiced successfully by many cultures throughout the world, to the U.S., where it is virtually an inconceivable option for most single Americans. Three adults who are anxious to get married, but who have been unsuccessful in their own search for a mate, choose a life-altering path. They rely on their closest family and friends, those who love and know them best, to choose someone for them to marry based on shared goals, values, experiences and the commitment to make it work. The series intimately documents these three arranged marriages, starting with the first meetings of the families and the wedding day; and then follows the couple through the day-to-day joys, challenges, and emotional tumult that results from their arranged union. Emmy Award nominees Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth are executive producers for Magical Elves Inc.
UNDERCOVER BOSS is a new reality series that follows high level corporate executives as they slip anonymously into the lowest level jobs within their companies. Once undercover, they'll get their hands dirty with the rank and file, find out what their employees REALLY think of them and discover how smoothly their companies are REALLY run. In the process, these senior executives learn about themselves, the perception of their company and the spirit of their work force. Stephen Lambert is the executive producer for Studio Lambert, Ltd.
Day Two of the 2009 network upfronts continues as NBC (finally!) announced their 2009-10 primetime schedule.
"NBC has picked up more scripted shows than last season even with The Jay Leno Show at 10 pm," said Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. "We're incredibly excited about our new and returning series and have more comedy programming than anyone else, as well as two of the most buzzed about new shows, Community and Parenthood. We can't wait for the fall."
"We are extremely proud to introduce these strong new series to NBC's schedule next season in strategic timeslots that position them for success," said Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios. "They join some of the highest quality returning shows on television, which will serve as a strong foundation to the new schedule. I think viewers are going to be happy to see this lineup of great new shows that will truly fit the NBC legacy of quality, culturally defining shows."
As previously reported, NBC ordered several new series including Mercy, Trauma, Day One, Parenthood, 100 Questions, and Community and renewed dramas Heroes and Southland and comedy Parks and Recreation back on May 4th, when it also ordered six new installments of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday. (The pickups and renewals joined The Office, 30 Rock, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Biggest Loser, Celebrity Apprentice, and Friday Night Lights, all of which received early pickups a few months back.)
NBC made news earlier today when it officially announced, via press release, that it would be bringing back Chuck for a third season, although it would hold off on returning the series until after the Winter Olympics, when it would rejoin the schedule in its Monday nights at 8 pm timeslot. Also joining Chuck in midseason are dramas Day One and Mercy and unscripted series The Marriage Ref, all of which will turn up following the Olympics.
Heroes will wrap its season in the fall, vacating the Mondays at 8 pm timeslot for Chuck. My Name is Earl has been officially canceled by NBC, as has Medium. It's unclear at the moment whether CBS will pick up Medium for their own schedule.
Also left off of the midseason schedule: Friday Night Lights, which will instead return to NBC in Summer 2010 after its run on DirecTV's Channel 101.
UPDATED: NBC's full fall and midseason schedules can be found below, along with the official press release from the network.
NBC FALL 2009 SCHEDULE
MONDAY 8-9 pm: Heroes 9-10 pm: Trauma (new drama) 10-11 pm: Jay Leno
TUESDAY 8-10 pm: The Biggest Loser 10-11 pm: Jay Leno
WEDNESDAY 8-9 pm: Parenthood (new drama) 9-10 pm: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 10-11 pm: Jay Leno
THURSDAY 8-8:30 pm: SNL Weekend Update Thursday 8:30-9 pm: Parks and Recreation 9-9:30 pm: The Office 9:30-10 pm: Community 10-11 pm: Jay Leno
THURSDAY (after SNL ends) 8-8:30 pm: Community 8:30-9 pm: Parks and Recreation 9-9:30 pm: The Office 9:30- 10 pm: 30 Rock 10-11 pm: Jay Leno
FRIDAY 8-9 pm: Law & Order 9-10 pm: Southland 10-11 pm: Jay Leno
SUNDAY 7-8 pm: Dateline NBC 8-9 pm: The Marriage Ref (new reality) 9-11 pm: Celebrity Apprentice
For those of you keeping track of such things, here's how the NBC schedule stacks up.
Returning Series: 30 Rock, The Apprentice, The Biggest Loser, Chuck, Football Night in America, Friday Night Lights, Heroes, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Southland, Sunday Night Football
New Series: 100 Questions, Breakthrough with Tony Robbins, Community, Day One, The Jay Leno Show, The Marriage Ref, Mercy, Parenthood, The Sing Off, Trauma, Who Do You Think You Are?
New Timeslots for Returning Series: Heroes, Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Southland
Midseason Launches/Returns: Chuck, Day One, Friday Night Lights (Summer 2010), Mercy, The Marriage Ref
Cancelled/Ended: America's Toughest Jobs, Chopping Block, Crusoe, ER, Kath & Kim, Kings, Knight Rider, Life, Lipstick Jungle, Momma's Boys, My Name is Earl, My Own Worst Enemy
Reactions: I've gone into enough detail in the past about what I think of the decision to air Jay Leno five nights a week at 10 pm, so I won't say anything more about it here other than I think it's a sad state of the industry when we're seeing a major broadcast net give up the 10 pm hour to a daily talk show rather than schedule scripted programming. Sigh. Will NBC's gambit pay off? We'll see this fall and we'll see just how happy the advertisers are versus their spending on scripted first-run programming in the same timeslot last year.
I think it's a good decision to program shorter runs of scripted drama series, with Heroes and Trauma set to air their full seasons before the start of the Olympics, after which we'll see Mondays turned over to Chuck (yay!) and Jesse Alexander's sci-fi drama Day One. With the reduction of available real estate (thanks to the Jay Leno deal), I think it's a smart decision and will hopefully produce a higher concentration of quality episodes than in a typical 22-episode season.
I am, however, a little concerned about yet another huge hiatus between seasons for Chuck, which saw significant downturn in the ratings when it wasn't returned quickly enough to the schedule after the WGA strike. Given its current momentum and fan and critical support, I would have thought that NBC would have wanted to rush this back on air as quickly as possible. Hmmmm.
No surprise that NBC would keep reality competition series The Biggest Loser in a two-hour edition on Tuesdays, though I do think that the combination on Wednesdays of Parenthood and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an odd one, to say the least. Will the same audience really stick around for SVU after watching a family drama? I don't know. The same applies to Mercy in midseason as well.
SNL Weekend Update Thursday is a no brainer. It worked quite well for NBC in the lead-up to the presidential election last fall and gives the net more of a lead-in cushion for floundering comedy Parks and Recreation at 8:30 pm and allow Community to get some sampling after The Office for a few weeks before it kicks off the night roughly six weeks later. Happy to see that NBC didn't mess around with its 9 pm combo of The Office and 30 Rock, which will join the schedule after SNL Weekend Update Thursday wraps its run.
Friday nights will either be a blessing or a curse for NBC, with their new lineup of veteran drama Law & Order and newbie Southland taking over the graveyard shift. Given Southland's plummeting ratings on Thursdays at 10 pm this season, I fully anticipate the series' viewers to flee once it moves to a less desirable Friday evening locale.
NBC ANNOUNCES 2009-2010 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE BOLSTERED BY MORE ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING THAN EVER BEFORE
Shared Time Period Strategy Around NBC's Broadcast of 2010 Winter Olympics Along with Jay Leno at 10 p.m. Enables Network to Broadcast Original Programming Year-Round
Network Renews Returning Series "Law & Order" and "Chuck"
NEW YORK CITY -- May 19, 2009 – NBC announced today its 2009-2010 schedule featuring more original programming than ever before and a shared time-period strategy around NBC's Olympics platform that, along with "The Jay Leno Show" (Mondays-Fridays 10-11 p.m. ET), allows the network to broadcast all-new content year-round.
In addition, NBC issued renewals to "Law & Order" and "Chuck" (see accompanying release) as part of its strong slate of new and returning shows announced recently at the network's highly successful Infront.
"NBC has picked up more scripted shows than last season even with "The Jay Leno Show" at 10 p.m.," said Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios. "We're incredibly excited about our new and returning series and have more comedy programming than anyone else, as well as two of the most buzzed about new shows, 'Community' and 'Parenthood.' We can't wait for the fall."
"We are extremely proud to introduce these strong new series to NBC's schedule next season in strategic timeslots that position them for success," said Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios. "They join some of the highest quality returning shows on television, which will serve as a strong foundation to the new schedule. I think viewers are going to be happy to see this lineup of great new shows that will truly fit the NBC legacy of quality, culturally defining shows."
NBC's shared time period strategy will kick off this fall on Mondays with the premiere of "Heroes" (8-9 p.m. ET) continuing with all originals before "Chuck" assumes the time period after the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, which will be a powerful launching platform with its broad, female appeal and strong ratings as the most-watched event of the year. Using "NBC Sunday Night Football's" potent promotional platform, the new high-octane drama "Trauma" will debut Mondays (9-10 p.m. ET) with the epic event series "Day One" taking over the time period following the Olympics.
NBC's successful "The Biggest Loser" series continues Tuesdays (8-10 p.m.) and will help launch the new Wednesday lineup this fall, with the new family drama "Parenthood" debuting (8-9 p.m. ET) and the new hospital drama "Mercy" assuming the time period post-Olympics. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" will air 9-10 p.m. ET following "Parenthood."
NBC's Thursday marquee comedy night will begin with the only live comedy between 8-10 p.m. on any network, "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" (8-8:30 p.m. ET), followed by "Parks and Recreation" (8:30-9 p.m. ET), "The Office" (9-9:30 p.m. ET) and the new comedy "Community" (9:30-10 p.m. ET). After "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" completes its multi-week run, "Community" will move to 8 p.m. and "30 Rock" will debut at 9:30 p.m., enabling NBC to feature more original comedy than ever before.
On Fridays in the fall, the enduring drama "Law & Order" will return for its record 20th season (tying "Gunsmoke" as the longest running drama series in primetime) and will lead off at 8-9 p.m. (ET) while "Southland" follows at 9-10 p.m. (ET), building a great crime block.
Saturdays will be a showcase for "Dateline NBC" (8-9 p.m. ET) and encore episodes of "Trauma" (9-10 p.m. ET) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (10-11 p.m. ET).
"Football Night in America" (7-8:20 p.m. ET) and " NBC Sunday Night Football" (8:20-11 p.m. ET) – the number one show of the fall -- will return on Sundays in the fall with a fan-pleasing schedule of games to round out the fall season.
Utilizing the compatible demographics provided by the Olympics, NBC will launch the premieres of "The Marriage Ref" from executive producers Jerry Seinfeld and Ellen Rakieten ("Oprah") on Sundays (8-9 p.m. ET) and the third season premiere of "The Celebrity Apprentice" on Sundays with two-hour editions (9-11 p.m. ET). In addition, the new comedy "100 Questions" will debut on Tuesdays (9:30-10 p.m. ET) following a 90-minute edition of "The Biggest Loser" (8-9:30 p.m. ET).
And coming in the summer 2010, NBC will telecast all original episodes of "The Jay Leno Show," "Friday Night Lights," "America's Got Talent," "Breakthrough with Tony Robbins," "Dateline NBC," with additional programs to be announced later.
Welcome to Day Two of the 2009 network upfronts. Up next is ABC, which has unveiled its fall schedule to advertisers.
So far, the Alphabet has picked up the most new programming out of any broadcast network to date, with orders for Cougar Town, The Deep End, Eastwick, Flash Forward, The Forgotten, Hank, Happy Town, The Middle, Modern Family, Shark Tank, and Vas expected.
Returning series include America’s Funniest Home Videos, The Bachelor, Better Off Ted, Brothers & Sisters, Castle, Dancing with the Stars, Desperate Housewives, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Grey’s Anatomy, Lost, Private Practice, Saturday Night College Football, Scrubs, Supernanny, True Beauty, Ugly Betty, Wife Swap, and 20/20.
"Our focus is always on delivering the best stories with the most memorable characters on TV, whether that’s established audience favorites or innovative new shows," said ABC Entertainment Group president Steve McPherson. "This year we’ve got the best of both. We’re headed into the season with a strong slate of returning series as well as great new shows from one of our best development seasons ever."
Immediately noticeable is the creation of a two-hour comedy block on Wednesdays, with Hank, The Middle, Modern Family, and Cougar Town airing between 8-10 pm, followed by Eastwick. The comedy block comprises ABC's "biggest risk but also our biggest upside," said McPherson on a conference call with press this morning.
Meanwhile, ABC has shifted Ugly Betty to Friday nights at 9 pm. Given the dwindling ratings for the series, which will enter its fourth season this fall, I had anticipated ABC moving Betty to a softer timeslot and opening up the timeslot to a more competitive series... like Flash Forward, which will air at 8 pm on Thursdays.
Genre fans will be happy as, so far anyway, Flash Forward will air at 8 pm on ABC, followed by Fringe at 9 pm on FOX. McPherson described Flash Forward as an "intimate, personal story about the nature of fate... love, loss." He also noted that the series has "an extensive multi-season arc" and that "each season has its own cycle."
Hotly anticipated sci-fi series V will air in four season-long arcs and will have "a beginning, middle, and end," according to McPherson. Whether each season will be comprised of 13 episodes or 22 remains to be worked out, though McPherson did tease that Elizabeth Mitchell may be seen on both V and Lost next season.
Not on the schedule: According to Jim, Samantha Who, The Unusuals, and Cupid, all of which have been officially axed. "It was really frustrating," said McPherson of Samantha Who's decline this year. "It launched really well and then ran out of steam. This year, it was really hurt when we couldn't get In the Motherhood to be really viable and it was hurt by that."
UPDATED: ABC's full fall and midseason schedules can be found below, along with the official press release from the network, promo videos, and photography for the new series.
ABC FALL 2009 SCHEDULE
ABC’s fall primetime schedule is as follows (all times listed are Eastern):
MONDAY 8-10 pm: Dancing with the Stars (two-hours) 10-11 pm: Castle
TUESDAY 8-9 pm: Shark Tank 9-10 pm: Dancing with the Stars Results Show 10-11 pm: The Forgotten
WEDNESDAY 8-8:30 pm: Hank 8:30-9 pm: The Middle 9-9:30 pm: Modern Family 9:30-10 pm: Cougar Town 10-11 pm: Eastwick
N.B.: The Bachelor will air Monday nights from 8-10 pm following the run of Dancing with the Stars, and Scrubs and Better Off Ted will air at 9:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., respectively, following the run of Dancing with the Stars Results Show.
For those of you keeping track of such things, here's how the ABC schedule stacks up.
Returning Series: 20/20, America's Funniest Home Videos, The Bachelor, Better Off Ted, Brothers & Sisters, Castle, Dancing with the Stars, Desperate Housewives, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Grey's Anatomy, Lost, Private Practice, Scrubs, Supernanny, True Beauty, Ugly Betty, Wife Swap
New Series: Awesome Hank, Cougar Town, The Deep End, Eastwick, Flash Forward, The Forgotten, Happy Town, The Middle, Modern Family, The Shark Tank, V
New Timeslots for Returning Series: Supernanny, Ugly Betty
Midseason Launches/Returns: The Bachelor, Better Off Ted, The Deep End, Happy Town, Lost, Scrubs, V
Cancelled/Ended: According to Jim, Boston Legal, Cupid, Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, Homeland Security USA, In the Motherhood, Life on Mars, Opportunity Knocks, Pushing Daisies, Samantha Who, The Unusuals
Reactions: ABC's fall schedule shows the network setting into some stability while also determined to take some risks, as seen by their decision to launch a night around scripted comedies on Wednesday, with the launches of new series Hank, The Middle, Modern Family, and Cougar Town. Whether this strategy will pay off remains to be seen but, given the network's problem this past fall on Wednesdays with the ratings hit of strike-affected series like Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money, I think it's a good sign that they are looking to do something different on the night after situating Scrubs and Better Off Ted on the night this spring. Scripted comedies are a Good Thing and it's a genre that networks have gotten too comfortable bypassing altogether.
No one expected ABC to change up its Sunday night lineup or shift Dancing with the Stars and Sundays and Monday nights look exactly the same as it did this season with Mondays comprised of Dancing from 8-10 pm, followed by Castle, which gets a shot at a second season. Not sure that The Forgotten will win viewers over at 10 pm on Tuesdays, given the difference in key demo with lead-in Dancing, but thanks to less competition over at NBC (thanks to Jay Leno at 10 pm), this could score with viewers looking for scripted post-watershed drama.
It makes sense for ABC to hold onto such new dramas as V, Happy Town, and The Deep End until midseason and it will be interesting to see how Flash Forward (easily my favorite project of the season) will perform at 8 pm on Thursdays. It doesn't have a lot of competition on the drama side and ABC did originally launch Lost at 8 pm, so it will likely get a lot of sampling initially. (And, as I mentioned above, I love that genre fans will get back-to-back sci-fi on Thursdays with Flash Forward at 8 pm and the Fringe at 9 pm on FOX.)
Ugly Betty moving to Fridays? I've assumed for a long time that ABC would dump the declining Betty on a less competitive night, where it will go up against FOX's Dollhouse in the hour. (Do the two series really share the same fan base?) Given the creative and ratings decline this series has faced in recent years, I was surprised when ABC picked it up but judging from McPherson's tone this morning on the press call, it seems like Betty's days are numbered after this year, unless they can turn things around.
All in all, a promising lineup that boasts a slew of proven ratings hits as well as some risky new ventures, many of which are exciting and original.
The full press release from ABC, announcing their fall schedule along with official series descriptions, can be found below.
ABC UNVEILS 2009-10 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
New Series Include “Cougar Town,” “The Deep End,” “Eastwick,” “Flash Forward,” “The Forgotten,” “Hank,” “Happy Town,” “The Middle,” “Modern Family,” “Shark Tank” and “V”
“Better Off Ted,” “Castle,” “Scrubs” and “True Beauty” Join Previously Announced Returning Series “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “The Bachelor,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Lost,” “Private Practice,” “Supernanny,” “Ugly Betty,” “Wife Swap” and “20/20”
Stephen McPherson, president, ABC Entertainment Group, today outlined ABC’s plans for next season and unveiled the network’s 2009-10 fall schedule before the advertising and media communities at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall.
New fall and midseason series include “Cougar Town,” “The Deep End,” “Eastwick,” “Flash Forward,” “The Forgotten,” “Hank,” “Happy Town,” “The Middle,” “Modern Family,” “Shark Tank” and “V.”
“Better Off Ted,” “Castle,” “Scrubs” and “True Beauty” join previously announced returning series “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “The Bachelor,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Lost,” “Private Practice,” “Supernanny,” “Ugly Betty,” “Wife Swap” and “20/20.” “Saturday Night College Football” will also return.
“Our focus is always on delivering the best stories with the most memorable characters on TV, whether that’s established audience favorites or innovative new shows,” said McPherson. “This year we’ve got the best of both. We’re headed into the season with a strong slate of returning series as well as great new shows from one of our best development seasons ever.”
For the 2008-09 TV season, ABC claims four of the top 10 highest-rated TV series in Adults 18-49, including the top two scripted shows with “Desperate Housewives” and “Grey’s Anatomy.” For the fourth straight season, the Network remains a top destination for upscale viewers, delivering five of the top 15 highest-rated TV series and three of the top four scripted shows among Adults 18-49 in homes w/$100K+ annual income. During the fall, the Net finished No. 1 in the November Sweep among Adults 18-49 for the fourth year in a row. ABC’s audience is growing in 2009, delivering across-the-board gains over the same point last year: Total Viewers +2%, Adults 18-34 +14%, Adults 18-49 +4% and Adults 25-54 +3%.
Fall premiere dates will be announced at a later time. However “Shark Tank” will premiere over the summer following the special 10th anniversary primetime return of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” and will then move to Tuesday nights at 8:00 p.m. Please note shows picked up but not listed on the schedule will debut later in the 2009-10 season.
NEW FALL AND MIDSEASON SERIES:
DRAMA
THE DEEP END
Each year one of LA’s most prestigious law firms recruits four young lawyers from the finest law schools worldwide. The only way for these first-years to survive is to support each other…even as they compete against one another in the cutthroat arena of high-end law. Sex, greed, romance, betrayal – it’s all part of being a first year associate at Sterling Law.
“The Deep End” stars Matt Long as Dylan Hewitt, Ben Lawson as Liam Priory, Tina Majorino as Addy Fisher, Norbert Leo Butz as Rowdy Kaiser, Leah Pipes as Beth Bancroft, Billy Zane as Cliff Huddle, Sherri Saum as Susan Oppenheim and Clancy Brown as Hart Sterling.
The series is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television. David Hemingson is executive producer/writer. The pilot was directed by Michael Fresco.
EASTWICK
Three very different women find themselves drawn together by a mysterious man who unleashes unique powers in each of them, and this small New England town will never be the same. The series is based on the popular movie “The Witches of Eastwick” and on the novel of the same title by John Updike.
“Eastwick” stars Rebecca Romijn as Roxie Torcoletti, Lindsay Price as Joanna Frankel, Jamie Ray Newman as Kat Gardener, Paul Gross as Darryl Van Horne, Sara Rue as Penny, Veronica Cartwright as Bun, Johann Urb as Will, Jon Bernthal as Raymond and Ashley Benson as Mia.
The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television. Maggie Friedman is executive producer/writer. The pilot was directed by David Nutter.
FLASH FORWARD
When a mysterious event causes the entire world to black out, humanity is given a glimpse into its near future, and every man, woman and child is forced to come to grips with whether their destinies can be avoided or fulfilled.
Adapting award-winning author Robert J. Sawyer’s revolutionary novel, executive producers David S. Goyer (visionary co-writer of “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight”) and Brannon Braga (“24,” “Star Trek: Enterprise”) invite you to embark on a journey to answer the question, “if you knew what your future held, what would you do?”
“Flash Forward” stars Joseph Fiennes as Mark Benford, John Cho as Demetri Noh, Jack Davenport as Lloyd Simcoe, Sonya Walger as Olivia Benford, Courtney B. Vance as Stan Wedeck, Brian O’Byrne as Aaron Stark, Christine Woods as Janis Hawk, Zachary Knighton as Bryce Varley and Peyton List as Nicole.
The series is from ABC Studios. David S. Goyer is executive producer/writer/director. Brannon Braga is executive producer and co-wrote the pilot. Other executive producers are Marc Guggenheim, Jessika Goyer, Vince Gerardis and Ralph Vicinanza. Guggenheim will be the showrunner, along with Goyer.
THE FORGOTTEN
From executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer comes a crime show in which a team of dedicated amateurs work on cases involving unidentified victims. After the police have given up, this group must first solve the puzzle of the victim's identity in order to then help catch the killer. They work to give the deceased back their names, lest they become -- The Forgotten.
“The Forgotten” stars Rupert Penry-Jones as Alex, Reiko Aylesworth as Linda, Michelle Borth as Candace, Bob Stephenson as Walter, Anthony Carrigan as Tyler and Rochelle Aytes as Detective Grace Russell.
The series is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Warner Bros. Television. Mark Friedman is executive producer/writer, Jerry Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman are executive producers, KristieAnne Reed is co-executive producer and Danny Cannon is executive producer/director.
HAPPY TOWN
Haplin, Minnesota, “Happy Town,” is approaching almost a decade of peace after being riddled for years by unsolved kidnappings. But in the wake of this small town’s first crime in seven years, some dark truths are being revealed about some familiar faces. They say every town has its secrets… that doesn’t even begin to describe Happy Town.
“Happy Town” stars Geoff Stults as Tommy Conroy, Lauren German as Henley, Amy Acker as Rachel Conroy, Dean Winters as John Haplin, John Patrick Amedori as Andrew Haplin, Sarah Gadon as Georgia Bravin, Jay Paulson as Larry ‘Root Beer’ Rogers, Robert Wisdom as Roger Hobbes and Sam Neill as Merritt Grieves.
The series is from ABC Studios. Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg are executive producers and co-writers. The pilot was directed by Gary Fleder, who is also an executive producer.
V
V is a re-imagining of the 1980’s miniseries about the world’s first encounter with an alien race in which the aliens call themselves The Visitors, and have a seemingly friendly agenda that may or may not be a cover for something more malevolent.
“V” stars Elizabeth Mitchell as Erica Evans, Morris Chestnut as Ryan Nichols, Joel Gretsch as Father Jack Landry, Lourdes Benedicto as Valerie Stevens, Logan Huffman as Tyler Evans, Laura Vandervoort as Lisa, with Morena Baccarin as Anna and Scott Wolf as Chad Decker.
The series is produced by HDFilms in association with Warner Bros. Television. Scott Peters is executive producer/writer and Steve Pearlman and Jace Hall are executive producers. The pilot was directed and executive produced by Yves Simoneau.
COMEDY
COUGAR TOWN
Courteney Cox stars as a recently divorced single mother exploring the honest truths about dating and aging in our beauty and youth obsessed culture.
“Cougar Town” stars Courteney Cox as Jules, Christa Miller as Elle, Busy Philipps as Laurie, Dan Byrd as Travis, Brian Van Holt as Bobby, Josh Hopkins as Grayson and Ian Gomez as Andy.
The series is from ABC Studios. Bill Lawrence is executive producer/writer/director, Kevin Biegel is writer/co-executive producer, and Courteney Cox and David Arquette are executive producers.
HANK
Kelsey Grammer stars in this timely comedy as Hank Pryor, a titan of industry who suddenly finds himself out of work, almost out of money and around a wife and kids for whom he's never made much time. Despite his recent setbacks, however, Hank is confident he's on the road back to the top. He knows he is destined to return to greatness. And he is — just not the greatness he imagines.
“Hank” stars Kelsey Grammer as Hank, Melinda McGraw as Tilly, David Koechner as Grady, Macey Cruthird as Maddie and Ryan Wynott as Henry.
The series is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with McMonkey Inc., Grammnet Productions, Werner Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television. It is written by Tucker Cawley. Tom Werner, Tucker Cawley, Kelsey Grammer and Mike Clements serve as executive producers. The pilot was directed by James Burrows.
THE MIDDLE
The Hecks are a middle class family living in the middle of Indiana, just trying to keep their heads above water. Emmy-winner Patricia Heaton stars as a wife and mother of three in a comedy about raising a family and lowering your expectations.
“The Middle” stars Patricia Heaton as Frankie, Neil Flynn as Mike, Eden Sher as Sue, Atticus Shaffer as Brick and Charlie McDermott as Axel.
The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television. Eileen Heisler and DeAnn Heline are executive producers/writers and Werner Walian is producer. The pilot was directed by Julie Anne Robinson.
MODERN FAMILY
Today’s American families come in all shapes and sizes. Shot from the perspective of an unseen documentary filmmaker, this comedy takes a modern look at the complications that come with being a family in 2009.
“Modern Family” stars Ed O’Neill as Jay, Sofía Vergara as Gloria, Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell, Eric Stonestreet as Cameron, Ty Burrell as Phil, Julie Bowen as Claire, Sarah Hyland as Haley, Rico Rodriguez as Manny, Nolan Gould as Luke and Ariel Winter as Alex.
The series is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television. Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd are executive producers. The pilot was directed by Jason Winer.
ALTERNATIVE SERIES
SHARK TANK
From Mark Burnett, executive producer of “Survivor” and “The Apprentice,” and Sony Pictures Television comes “Shark Tank,” an exciting new reality show that gives budding entrepreneurs the chance to make their dreams come true and become successful – and possibly wealthy – business people. But the entrepreneurs must first try to convince five tough, multi-millionaire tycoons to part with their own hard-earned cash and give them the funding they need to jumpstart their ideas.
In these trying economic times, it’s difficult for an individual possessing a dream or even a working small business poised for growth to get a loan for a risky venture. Whether it be an imaginative enhancement for an existing product, a family recipe that has all the ingredients to become a profitable culinary treat, or the latest technological gadget that could take the world by storm, most of these dreams die an early death because no one dared take a financial chance on someone with an unproven and oftentimes outrageous proposal. Many of these people now see “Shark Tank” as their last chance at success. Some have been laboring on their ideas for years or even decades, have invested large amounts of money, and are being pressured to throw in the towel by friends and family. Others have simply never had access to the means to live out their dreams, until now.
Enter the Sharks of “Shark Tank” – Barbara Corcoran (Manhattan real estate titan), Kevin Harrington (king of infomercials), Robert Herjavec (technology tycoon), Daymond John (fashion mogul) and Kevin O'Leary (venture capitalist) – five multi-millionaires who lifted themselves up by their bootstraps to make their own entrepreneurial dreams come true and turned their ideas into empires.
Each week ambitious entrepreneurs from across the country will present their breakthrough business concepts, products, properties and services to the panel of ruthless investors. Their goal is to convince these merciless moguls to invest their own dollars in the concept. Convincing real-life millionaires to part with their own money is no easy task, because when the idea is poor, the Sharks will tear into the ill-prepared presenters and pass on the idea with a simple, “I’m out!” -- sending them running for the exit.
But these Sharks aren’t just out for blood, they too have a goal: to own a piece of the next big idea. Entrepreneurs will be asked to give up a percentage of their companies’ equity to the Sharks in order to get the investment they need. But when the Sharks hear a really top-notch idea, and more than one of them wants to sink their teeth into it, a war between them will erupt. Then the once-desperate entrepreneur can rejoice when the Sharks reveal their true interest in the product and bid up the price of the investment.
RETURNING SERIES:
DRAMA
“BROTHERS & SISTERS” “Brothers & Sisters” continues to follow the California-based Walker family through the complicated maze of American life today. The compelling one-hour drama series is about a collection of five enmeshed and somewhat damaged adult siblings, their spouses and their strong and passionately devoted mother, Nora Holden (Oscar and Emmy Award winner Sally Field).
The Walkers’ lives have not been without challenge; romance, parenting, divorce, infidelity, addiction, war, birth and even death have pushed each of them to the limit, but they continue to work toward living their lives as individuals, while loving each other unconditionally and trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy after the loss of their larger-than-life family patriarch, William Walker.
“Brothers & Sisters” stars Dave Annable as Justin Walker, Maxwell Perry Cotton as Cooper Whedon, Kerris Lilla Dorsey as Paige, Sally Field as Nora Holden, Calista Flockhart as Kitty Walker, Balthazar Getty as Thomas Walker, Rachel Griffiths as Sarah Whedon, Rob Lowe as Senator Robert McCallister, Sarah Jane Morris as Julia Walker, Matthew Rhys as Kevin Walker, Ron Rifkin as Saul Holden, Emily VanCamp as Rebecca Harper and Patricia Wettig as Holly Harper.
The series produced by ABC Studios. Ken Olin (“Alias,” “thirtysomething”), Greg Berlanti (“Dirty Sexy Money,” “Everwood”), Monica Owusu-Breen (“Alias”), Alison Schapker (“Alias”), Sarah Caplan and Molly Newman are executive producers.
“CASTLE” When viewers first met Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) -- a famous mystery novelist and divorced father raising his teenage daughter (Molly Quinn as Alexis), while being kept grounded by his Broadway diva mother (Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers) -- he was bored with his own success. He then found out that a real-world killer was staging murder scenes depicted in his novels. Castle was questioned by NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic), a bright and aggressive detective who kept her investigations under tight reins, especially the years-old unsolved murder of her own mother. Though they instantly clashed, sparks of another sort began to fly, leading both to danger and a hint of romance as Castle stepped in to help find the copycat killer. Once that initial case was solved, together Castle and Beckett built on their new relationship investigating more strange homicides in New York – as much fun as one could have with death and murder. In the season finale, Castle, against Beckett’s direct order to stay out of her mom’s case, unearthed information in that homicide which may end his relationship with her forever.
Also starring in the series are Ruben Santiago-Hudson as NYPD Captain Roy Montgomery, Tamala Jones as Medical Examiner Lanie Parish, Jon Huertas as NYPD Detective Javier Esposito and Seamus Dever as NYPD Detective Kevin Ryan.
“Castle” is produced by ABC Studios. Andrew Marlowe serves as executive producer/writer, along with executive producers Rob Bowman, Armyan Bernstein and Laurie Zaks.
“DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES” After jumping five years ahead into the lives of the women of Wisteria Lane, critically acclaimed series “Desperate Housewives” returns for its sixth season on ABC. Susan (Teri Hatcher) and Mike (James Denton) are brought together by their worst fears; Lynette’s (Felicity Huffman) unexpected pregnancy tests her family; as Bree’s (Marcia Cross) marriage dissolves, she finds herself in the arms of another man; Gabrielle (Eva Longoria Parker) is in for a surprise when she and Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira) welcome their niece into their home; and Katherine (Dana Delany) struggles over the thought of losing Mike.
“Desperate Housewives” stars Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer, Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo, Marcia Cross as Bree Hodge, Eva Longoria Parker as Gabrielle Solis, Ricardo Antonio Chavira as Carlos Solis, Doug Savant as Tom Scavo, Kyle MacLachlan as Orson Hodge, Dana Delany as Katherine Mayfair, Shawn Pyfrom as Andrew Van De Kamp, Brenda Strong as Mary Alice Young, James Denton as Mike Delfino, Charlie Carver as Porter Scavo, Max Carver as Preston Scavo, Joshua Moore as Parker Scavo, and Kendall Applegate as Penny Scavo.
Marc Cherry serves as executive producer and creator. Sabrina Wind, George Perkins, Larry Shaw and David Grossman are executive producers. “Desperate Housewives” is produced by ABC Studios and is the winner of both the 2005 and 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy.
“GREY’S ANATOMY” “Grey's Anatomy” is the recipient of the 2007 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama, and multiple Emmy nominations including two for Outstanding Drama Series.
The doctors of Seattle Grace Hospital deal with life-or-death consequences on a daily basis - it's in one another that they find comfort, friendship and, at times, more than friendship. Together they're discovering that neither medicine nor relationships can be defined in black and white. Real life only comes in shades of grey.
“Grey's Anatomy” stars Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey, Patrick Dempsey as Derek Shepherd, Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang, Katherine Heigl as Isobel “Izzie” Stevens, Justin Chambers as Alex Karev, T.R. Knight as George O’Malley, Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey, James Pickens, Jr. as Richard Webber, Sara Ramirez as Callie Torres, Eric Dane as Mark Sloan, Chyler Leigh as Lexie Grey and Kevin McKidd as Owen Hunt.
“Grey's Anatomy” was created and is executive produced by Shonda Rhimes (“Introducing Dorothy Dandridge”). Betsy Beers (“Casanova”), Mark Gordon (“Saving Private Ryan”), Krista Vernoff (“Law & Order”), Rob Corn (“Chicago Hope”), Mark Wilding (“Jake: 2.0”) and Allan Heinberg (“The O.C.) are executive producers. “Grey’s Anatomy” is an ABC Studios production.
“LOST” After Oceanic Air flight 815 tore apart in mid-air and crashed on a Pacific island, its survivors were forced to find inner strength they never knew they had in order to survive. But they discovered that the island holds many secrets, including a mysterious smoke monster, polar bears, housing and hatches with electricity and hot & cold running water, a group of island residents known as “The Others,” and a mysterious man named Jacob. The survivors have also found signs of those who came to the island before them, including a 19th century sailing ship called The Black Rock, a downed Beechcraft plane from a failed drug run, the remains of an ancient statue, as well as bunkers belonging to the Dharma Initiative -- a group of scientific researchers who inhabited the island in the recent past. They also encountered a freighter stationed off the island that some thought would lead to their rescue, but ultimately almost caused their extinction. The band of friends, family, enemies and strangers must continue to work together against all odds if they want to stay alive. But as they have discovered during their journey, nothing is what it seems, and danger and mystery loom behind every corner, with even those they thought could be trusted turning against them. Even heroes have secrets.
“Lost” stars Naveen Andrews as Sayid, Henry Ian Cusick as Desmond, Michael Emerson as Ben, Matthew Fox as Jack, Jorge Garcia as Hurley, Josh Holloway as Sawyer, Daniel Dae Kim as Jin, Yunjin Kim as Sun, Ken Leung as Miles, Evangeline Lilly as Kate, Elizabeth Mitchell as Juliet and Terry O’Quinn as Locke.
A 2008 recipient of the prestigious Peabody Award, “Lost” was created by Jeffrey Lieber and J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof. Abrams, Lindelof, Bryan Burk, Jack Bender, Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz and Carlton Cuse serve as executive producers. “Lost,” which is filmed entirely on location in Hawaii and premiered on September 22, 2004, is from ABC Studios.
“PRIVATE PRACTICE” From Shonda Rhimes, the Golden Globe-winning creator of “Grey’s Anatomy,” comes a story about finding a way to begin the rest of your life. Addison Forbes Montgomery is a renowned neonatal surgeon at the pinnacle of her profession. Having left behind Seattle Grace Hospital and a broken marriage, Addison has moved to Los Angeles for sunnier weather and happier possibilities. Now reunited with her friends from medical school, Naomi and Sam Bennett, Addison has joined their co-op practice at Oceanside Wellness Group in Santa Monica. The practice’s resident pediatrician is Dr. Cooper Freedman, Dr. Pete Wilder is the alternative medicine specialist, psychiatrist Dr. Violet Turner and office manager/nurse, William Dell Parker, round out the tightly knit group of professionals. The doctors of Oceanside work together to find solutions to their patients’ needs, but along the way they encounter medical cases that challenge their ethical and moral ideals and their abilities as doctors. For Addison, an old friend’s invitation has brought her to a new city and a new life full of promise - now it’s up to her to take chances in dating and find her place in this new medical environment. At Oceanside Wellness Group, the doctors are dedicated pros; it’s their private lives that need a little practice.
“Private Practice” stars Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery, Tim Daly as Dr. Pete Wilder, Audra McDonald as Dr. Naomi Bennett, Paul Adelstein as Dr. Cooper Freedman, KaDee Strickland as Dr. Charlotte King, Chris Lowell as William Dell Parker, with Taye Diggs as Dr. Sam Bennett and Amy Brenneman as Dr. Violet Turner.
“Private Practice” was created and is executive-produced by Shonda Rhimes. Betsy Beers, Mark Gordon, Mark Tinker, Jon Cowan and Robert Rovner are executive producers. The series is produced by ABC Studios.
“UGLY BETTY” In the superficial world of high fashion, image is everything. Styles come and go, and the only constants are the super thin beauties who wear them. How can an ordinary girl from Queens possibly fit in? Sweet, intelligent, hard-working and – undoubtedly – fashion-challenged, Betty Suarez dreams of a successful career in magazine publishing. After taking a job at Mode Magazine, the bible of the fashion industry, Betty's indomitable spirit and bright ideas win over the respect of her Mode cohorts despite continuous predictions of failure. She thrives in the ultra-competitive environment in spite of her lack of fashion sense. Betty forms an unlikely team with her boss, Daniel Meade, the co-editor in chief of Mode Magazine, as they help one another navigate the choppy waters of NYC’s shark infested fashion scene. Now she must prove that she is not just a super assistant with no fashion sense, but an aspiring career woman and editor-to-be while balancing her tumultuous love life and her family responsibilities.
“Ugly Betty” stars America Ferrera as Betty Suarez, Eric Mabius as Daniel Meade, Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater, Ana Ortiz as Hilda, Tony Plana as Ignacio, Becki Newton as Amanda, Mark Indelicato as Justin, Michael Urie as Marc and Judith Light as Claire Meade.
Based on “Yo Soy Betty La Fea,” the groundbreaking Colombian telenovela that became an international phenomenon, “Ugly Betty” is from ABC Studios. The series has been awarded the Golden Globe, Peabody, NAACP, ALMA, GLAAD and Imagen awards and earned 3 Emmy awards and 17 nominations. Executive producers are Silvio Horta (“Urban Legend”), Academy Award-nominee and Emmy Award winner Salma Hayek, Jose Tamez, Richard Heus, Ben Silverman, Teri Weinberg, Tracy Poust and Jon Kinnally.
COMEDY
“BETTER OFF TED” “Better Off Ted” is a satirical office comedy about successful good guy, Ted, who runs research and development at the morally questionable Veridian Dynamics. No achievement is too far-fetched and no invention too unorthodox for Veridian. Need cow-less meat grown in a test tube? Done. Need pumpkins that also double as weapons of mass destruction? No problem. Ted’s a single dad to a seven-year-old girl, and he loves his job, but he’s starting to take a closer look at the company’s extremely dubious practices. Do you manufacture the best teeth whitener ever if it could also kill off all of the planet’s fish? Probably not, but...
Ted’s also fighting an attraction to co-worker Linda, who enjoys small acts of rebellion against Veridian (she’s secretly stealing and hoarding all the company’s creamer packets). But he holds back about his true feelings. He’s already had his self imposed “one office affair” with überboss Veronica. Incredibly beautiful (if seemingly devoid of conscience and also emotion-free), Veronica lets nothing get in her way when it comes to serving Veridian’s needs… even if it means doing something like cryogenically freezing an employee for testing purposes. And after all, the employee, research scientist Phil, survived (after he thawed out). So what if he screams like an eagle at the slightest provocation? He and his best friend, fellow research scientist Lem, are both geniuses and when they’re not bickering, they’re responsible for many of Veridian’s miracles of weird science.
“Better Off Ted” stars Jay Harrington as Ted, Portia de Rossi as Veronica, Andrea Anders as Linda, Jonathan Slavin as Phil, Malcolm Barrett as Lem and Isabella Acres as Rose.
“Better Off Ted” is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television. Victor Fresco (“My Name Is Earl,” “Andy Richter Controls the Universe”) is executive producer and creator of the series.
“SCRUBS” This irreverent and offbeat comedy received two consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2005 and 2006, and was named TV.com’s “Best of 2007” in Comedy.
“Scrubs” focuses on the unique point of view of Dr. John Dorian, or “J.D.” (Zach Braff). After surviving his internship and residency, and year as an attending physician with his own class of unmanageable interns at Sacred Heart Hospital, J.D. is moving on to greener pastures. He continues to face many challenges in his personal and professional life trying to balance his roles as doctor, father to Sam, devoted live-in boyfriend and friend to his very quirky companions at Sacred Heart.
In its debut year, “Scrubs” was nominated for two Emmy Awards and a People’s Choice Award. It has received a total of 16 Emmy nominations, and it won an Emmy for Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing in 2005 and another for Outstanding Sound Mixing in 2007. In 2004 the series was honored with a prestigious Humanitas Prize. Beginning that same year, it received three consecutive Producers Guild Award nominations, from 2004-2006.
“Scrubs” is produced by ABC Studios. Bill Lawrence (“Spin City”) is the executive producer and creator.
ALTERNATIVE
“AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS” “America’s Funniest Home Videos” will celebrate its 20th season when it returns in the fall. Hosted by Tom Bergeron, “America’s Funniest Home Videos” is the longest-running primetime show in ABC history and has been entertaining viewers for decades by showing what happens when adults, children and even inanimate objects are at their spontaneous best, “America’s Funniest Home Videos” has given
away over $10 million in prize money and evaluated more than half a million videotapes from home viewers. Viewers wishing to submit home videos to “America’s Funniest Home Videos” should visit www.ABC.com for details.
Vin Di Bona is executive producer, with Todd Thicke and Michele Nasraway serving as co-executive producers.
“THE BACHELOR” ABC’s “The Bachelor” is the original primetime romance reality series that offers one lucky man and 25 lucky women the unique opportunity to find true love. The new Bachelor will get to know 25 women via a series of social gatherings and exotic, romantic dates – some in groups, some individually. He will introduce some of the women to his family, and will visit their hometowns for a slice of their life in an effort to determine the woman with whom he is most compatible.
“The Bachelor” is hosted by Chris Harrison and produced by Next Entertainment in association with Warner Horizon Television. Mike Fleiss and Martin Hilton are executive producers.
“DANCING WITH THE STARS” Hosted by Tom Bergeron (“America’s Funniest Home Videos”) and Samantha Harris (“The Insider”), “Dancing with the Stars” challenges celebrities from the worlds of Hollywood, sports, and beyond, to perform choreographed ballroom routines ranging from the foxtrot to the cha cha cha. Celebrities are paired with some of the top professional ballroom dancers in the world and their live televised performances are judged by renowned ballroom judge Len Goodman and dancer/choreographers Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba.
“Dancing with the Stars” is the U.S. version of the international smash hit series, “Strictly Come Dancing.” This version is produced by BBC Worldwide Americas. Conrad Green serves as executive producer and Rob Wade and Matilda Zoltowski are co-executive producers. Alex Rudzinski directs.
“EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION” Put together one very run-down house, a deserving family, several opinionated designers, seven days and what do you get? The answer is “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” The show has won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Reality Program, plus the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Reality Show/Makeover and the Family Television Award for Best Alternative/Reality Program. Each episode is self-contained and features a race against time on a project that would ordinarily take at least four months to achieve, involving a team of designers, contractors and several hundred workers who have just seven days to totally rebuild an entire house – every single room, plus the exterior and landscaping. The lives of the lucky families are forever changed when they learn that they’ve been selected to have their home walls moved, their floors replaced and even their facades radically changed. The result should be a decorator’s delight… if it can be done in time.
The design team includes team leader Ty Pennington, with designers Paul DiMeo, Paige Hemmis, Michael Moloney, Ed Sanders, Tracy Hutson, Eduardo Xol, John Littlefield, Rib Hillis and Didiayer Snyder.
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” is produced by Endemol USA, a division of Endemol Holding. David Goldberg is Chairman, Endemol North America. The executive producer is Anthony Dominici (“America’s Next Top Model,” “The Amazing Race”).
“SUPERNANNY” “Supernanny” is in its fifth season with Jo Frost criss-crossing America, taking on some of its toughest parenting challenges. She can tame the wildest toddler, soothe the savage six-year-old and get the most difficult child to overcome problems with behavior, sleep, mealtime, potty training and other
challenges that have vexed parents around the world for centuries. The series debuted in America in early 2005 and captivated the country with Jo’s practical, no-nonsense style, honed over 20 years of nannying. “Supernanny” is now an international phenomenon; it airs in 172 territories, almost all of them with Frost as Supernanny. The series has been nominated for a People’s Choice Award.
Nick Powell is the creator and executive producer of both the American and British versions of the show. Nick Emmerson and Stephanie Schwam are executive producers of the American version. “Supernanny” is produced by Shed Media US.
“TRUE BEAUTY” What makes a person truly beautiful? From executive producers Tyra Banks (“The Tyra Banks Show,” “America’s Next Top Model”) and Ashton Kutcher (executive producer of “Punk’d” and “Beauty and the Geek”), beauty is redefined in the popular ABC series “True Beauty.”
Gorgeous female and handsome male contestants assume they’re being judged solely on their outer appearance, but they’re only half right; outer beauty is just one component the judges are looking for. Contestants, unbeknownst to them, are also being evaluated for their INNER beauty as they’re tested in challenging situations that require them to make moral decisions.
Each episode will showcase an outer beauty and an inner beauty challenge, during which contestants will be judged on everything from how well they perform in photo shoots to how well they respect their elders. The three judges will observe and critique the contestants’ behavior and eliminate one person each week. Only after someone is eliminated will the truth about the show be revealed to him/her, as they watch a video montage of their behavior captured by a hidden camera during the shoot. At the end of eight episodes, one winner will be declared, a person who is truly beautiful inside and out. That person will receive a cash prize and a spot in PEOPLE magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful People issue.
Executive producers of “True Beauty” are Denise Cramsey (“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”), Tyra Banks and Laura Armstrong for Bankable Productions, and Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg, Karey Burke and Rod Aissa for Katalyst Productions. The series is a production of Warner Horizon Television.
“WIFE SWAP” Each week two very contradictory families from across the country participate in a two-week-long challenge: The wives exchange husbands, children and lives (but not bedrooms) to discover daily life in another woman’s shoes. This astonishing experiment repeatedly changes lives and redefines families.
In the first week of the swap, the wives move in and adopt their new family’s lifestyle, no matter how different it may be. They agree to follow a manual written by the departing wife that sets out the rules of their new household – how they parent, shop, do the house work, manage their budgets and their social life. In the second week, everything changes. The new wives take charge. They introduce their own set of rules and get to run the new household their way. It’s a radical shock to both families. The results are explosive, enlightening, emotional and often comical.
At the end of the show, the two couples meet for the first time. In a highly-charged exchange of views, both couples make a frank assessment of each other and talk about what they’ve learned from the experience.
“Wife Swap” is an RDF USA production. The show was created by Stephen Lambert and is executive-produced by Mike Gamson, and Michael Davies of Embassy Row (“Who Wants to be a Millionaire”). Neil Regan, Julie Cooper and Will Nothacker are co-executive producers.
“20/20” ABC News’ acclaimed series “20/20” has distinguished itself as one of the most esteemed news programs in broadcast journalism. Amid the heated, competitive environment of primetime entertainment, “20/20” has demonstrated its ability to consistently attract a significant segment of the viewing audience by offering viewers more choices and more chances to learn about the world around them. For over three decades, “20/20” has continued to combine hard-hitting investigative reports, newsmaker interviews and compelling human interest and feature stories that have changes lives.
The program is co-anchored by the broadcast team of Elizabeth Vargas and John Stossel, both award-winning journalists.
Welcome to the first day of network upfronts 2009.
FOX is up first and this morning announced its plans both for fall and midseason, unveiling a schedule that includes several new scripted series, including dramas Past Life, Glee, and Human Target and comedies Brothers and The Cleveland Show.
What's immediately noticeable is the decision to shift sophomore drama series Fringe to Thursdays (where it will be paired with Bones) and hold off launching the majority of its new scripted series (other than Glee, The Cleveland Show, and Brothers) until the New Year, a wise move considering the massive promotional machine that is American Idol. (Traditionally, FOX has had a hell of a time trying to launch new series in the fall.)
Fridays, meanwhile, will remain the home of Dollhouse at 9 pm ET/PT, this time being paired with two live-action comedies, Brothers and 'Til Death, which take over the 8 pm timeslot vacated by the now-canceled Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
"As the No.1 network for the last five years, FOX is the first place viewers go to connect with the stories and characters they love," said Peter Rice, Chairman, Entertainment in a statement. "With next year's slate of distinctive shows, we're continuing to invest in creativity to give viewers the rich, emotional experience they can only get on television."
"The strategic moves we made last year to build off of our biggest assets are paying off," said Kevin Reilly, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. "We've created stability and consistently strong performance across the week. Next season, we're bringing back two top-rated sophomore dramas and using our hits to introduce a broad and compelling slate of new shows that will make our air even more vibrant and alive."
UPDATED: FOX's full fall and midseason schedules can be found below, along with the official press release from the network and photos and descriptions for the new fall and midseason series.... and now video promos as well.
FOX FALL 2009 SCHEDULE:
MONDAY 8-9 pm: HOUSE 9-10 pm: LIE TO ME
TUESDAY 8-10 pm: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Performance Show
WEDNESDAY 8-9 pm: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Results Show 9-10 pm: GLEE
SATURDAY 8-8:30 pm: COPS 8:30-9 pm: COPS 9-10 pm: AMERICA’S MOST WANTED 11-12 am: THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (working title) 12-12:30 am: ANIMATION DOMINATION ENCORES
SUNDAY 7-7:30 pm: ANIMATION DOMINATION ENCORES 7:30-8 pm: AMERICAN DAD 8-8:30 pm: THE SIMPSONS 8:30-9 pm: SONS OF TUCSON 9-9:30 pm: FAMILY GUY 9:30-10 pm: THE CLEVELAND SHOW
For those of you keeping track of such things, here's how the FOX schedule stacks up.
Returning Series: 24, American Dad, American Idol, America's Most Wanted, Bones, COPS, Dollhouse, Family Guy, Fringe, Glee, Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, Lie to Me, The Simpsons, So You Think You Can Dance, 'Til Death
New Series: Brothers, The Cleveland Show, Human Target, Past Life, Sons of Tucson, The Wanda Sykes Show
New Timeslots for Returning Series: Fringe, So You Think You Can Dance, Lie to Me, 'Til Death
Midseason Launches/Returns: American Idol, 24, Sons of Tucson, Human Target, Past Life
Cancelled/Ended: Do Not Disturb, Hole in the Wall, Osborunes: Reloaded, Prison Break, Secret Millionaire, Sit Down, Shut Up, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Reactions: Overall, not too many shocking announcements and I think that FOX was wise to hold off on launching its new series until the spring when it has the added support of American Idol. I don't necessarily agree with the thought that more So You Think You Can Dance in the fall (right after the conclusion of the summer cycle) is a good thing, as reality franchises typically do well resting between cycles. Will it be overkill? That remains to be seen; FOX clearly wants to mirror its spring schedule with So You Think You Can Dance taking over for American Idol as a launchpad and ratings boost.
I'm more curious about the decision to shift Fringe to Thursdays, where it will go up against ABC's Grey's Anatomy and CBS' CSI. While Grey's has a higher female audience, this move will either make or break Fringe, which returns for a second season. Will viewers follow Fringe to another night, where it doesn't have the support of an American Idol as a lead-in?
Fridays are another odd evening, with Dollhouse airing out of two live-action comedies, the dismal 'Til Death (somehow resurrected yet again) and new comedy Brothers. Not sure this is the best way to keep Dollhouse afloat on a tough night but I don't know what else they would have paired Dollhouse with as the network was upfront about its decision to keep Dollhouse put on Fridays. And the ratings didn't exactly sing when Dollhouse was paired with fellow genre series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Smart decision to hold off on Hell's Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares and deploy these at a later date, giving FOX the ability to replace a sagging series with one of these series at any given time (they have a cycle of each already in the can). All in all, we're seeing a FOX making some safe moves and implementing scheduling that attempts to achieve stability in both the fall and spring segments.
The full press release from FOX, announcing its primetime schedule, can be found below:
FOX ANNOUNCES PRIMETIME SLATE FOR 2009-2010 SEASON
FOUR NEW COMEDIES, TWO NEW DRAMAS AND ONE LATE-NIGHT SHOW JOIN SCHEDULE
RYAN MURPHY'S NEW COMEDY "GLEE" TO PREMIERE IN FALL AFTER UNPRECEDENTED PREVIEW EVENT TOMORROW NIGHT
NEW COMEDIES "BROTHERS" AND "THE CLEVELAND SHOW" DEBUT IN FALL
NEW SATURDAY LATE-NIGHT ENTRY "THE WANDA SYKES SHOW" (working title) SLATED FOR FALL LAUNCH
NEW ACTION DRAMA SERIES "HUMAN TARGET," MYSTERIOUS DRAMA "PAST LIFE" AND COMEDY "SONS OF TUCSON" DEBUT MIDSEASON
"SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE" Returns in the Fall
"HUMAN TARGET" and "24" Premiere Sunday, January 17 Following NFC Divisional Playoff Game
New York (Monday, May 18, 2009) Peter Rice, Chairman, Entertainment; and Kevin Reilly, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company, today unveiled the FOX primetime schedule for the 2009-2010 television season to the national advertising community during its annual Programming Presentation at New York City Center.
"As the No.1 network for the last five years, FOX is the first place viewers go to connect with the stories and characters they love," said Rice. "With next year's slate of distinctive shows, we're continuing to invest in creativity to give viewers the rich, emotional experience they can only get on television."
Reilly added, "The strategic moves we made last year to build off of our biggest assets are paying off. We've created stability and consistently strong performance across the week. Next season, we're bringing back two top-rated sophomore dramas and using our hits to introduce a broad and compelling slate of new shows that will make our air even more vibrant and alive."
After a special preview event airing Tuesday, May 19 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), GLEE, the distinctive new comedy from Ryan Murphy ("Nip/Tuck") starring Jane Lynch ("The 40 Year Old Virgin") and newcomers Matthew Morrison (Broadway's "Hairspray"), Lea Michele ("Spring Awakening") and Cory Monteith ("Kyle XY"), will enter its freshman year this fall. Combining biting humor with a soundtrack of hit music from past to present, the inventive series follows an optimistic high school teacher who against all odds attempts to restore McKinley High's fading Glee Club to its former glory, while helping a group of underdogs realize their true star potential.
Two additional new comedies will premiere this fall. From the producers of FAMILY GUY, comes THE CLEVELAND SHOW. The new Sunday night animated comedy follows everyone's favorite soft-spoken FAMILY GUY neighbor, CLEVELAND BROWN (Mike Henry), who moves with his son back to his hometown in Virginia and settles down with his high school sweetheart and her unruly kids. Copy/pasted from The Futon Critic BROTHERS, starring Michael Strahan ("FOX NFL Sunday") and Daryl "Chill" Mitchell ("Ed," "Veronica's Closet"), is a new half-hour comedy about a former big-city NFL hot shot who returns home to his family and his mother's house to get his life back on track.
On Saturday, Nov. 7 (11:00 PM-Midnight ET/PT), late night will never be the same when Emmy Award winner Wanda Sykes returns to FOX to host THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (working title). The irreverent Saturday late-night series will feature Sykes' outspoken comedic perspective on current events along with topical, high-energy roundtable discussions.
The new event drama, HUMAN TARGET, premieres with a special preview Sunday, Jan. 17 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) following the NFC Divisional Playoff game. HUMAN TARGET is a full-throttle, action-packed thrill ride from executive producers McG ("Terminator Salvation") and Simon West ("Con Air," "Tomb Raider"). Based on the popular DC Comics graphic novel and starring Mark Valley (FRINGE), Chi McBride ("Pushing Daisies") and Academy Award nominee Jackie Earle Haley ("Watchmen"), the series follows CHRISTOPHER CHANCE (Valley), a unique private contractor who will stop at nothing even if it means becoming a human target to keep his clients alive.
The other drama for midseason is PAST LIFE, a fast-paced emotional thriller inspired by the book "The Reincarnationist." The series stars Kelli Giddish ("All My Children") as a gifted psychologist and Nicholas Bishop ("Home and Away") as a former NYPD detective who work together to explore and unravel mysteries that must be solved in both the past and the present.
One new comedy is scheduled to premiere in midseason. From three-time Emmy Award winner Todd Holland ("Malcolm in the Middle"), the non-traditional family comedy SONS OF TUCSON stars Tyler Labine ("Reaper") as a charming but wayward schemer hired by three young brothers whose father is in prison.
Summer sensation SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE moves to the fall with its sixth season. Hosted by Cat Deeley and featuring renowned judges Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy, the original dance competition series will continue to inspire and amaze viewers as dancers skilled in styles ranging from hip-hop to ballroom compete to be named America's Favorite Dancer.
It was also announced that the eighth season of 24 will return to the FOX schedule with a two-night, four-hour premiere as part of a special extended primetime on Sunday, Jan. 17 (9:00-11:00 PM ET/PT), immediately following the premiere of HUMAN TARGET. The next installment of the Emmy Award-winning series starring Kiefer Sutherland will unfold in New York City, amidst the shadows of the Statue of Liberty and the United Nations.
Other FOX series returning in 2009-2010 include: AMERICAN DAD, AMERICAN IDOL, AMERICA'S MOST WANTED, BONES, COPS, DOLLHOUSE, FAMILY GUY, FRINGE, HELL'S KITCHEN, HOUSE, KITCHEN NIGHTMARES, LIE TO ME, THE SIMPSONS and 'TIL DEATH. Specials returning to the FOX schedule include: THE 41st NAACP IMAGE AWARDS, NEW YEAR'S EVE LIVE and TEEN CHOICE 2009.
NEW SERIES SYNOPSES
The following new comedies will premiere this fall on FOX:
GLEE
McKinley High School's Glee Club used to be at the top of the show choir world, but years later, it has turned into a haven for misfits and social outcasts. But at McKinley, things for the Glee Club are about to change. From Ryan Murphy, the creator of "Nip/Tuck," comes GLEE, an uplifting comedy musical series with biting humor that features a soundtrack of hit music from past to present. The show follows an optimistic high school teacher as he tries to refuel his own passion for singing while reinventing the school's glee club and challenging a group of underdogs to realize their star potential. WILL SCHUESTER (Matthew Morrison) has offered to take on the Herculean task of restoring McKinley's Glee Club to its former glory with the help of fellow teacher and germaphobe EMMA PILLSBURY (Jayma Mays). It's a tall order when the brightest stars of the club include KURT (Chris Colfer), a nerdy soprano with a flair for the dramatic; MERCEDES (Amber Riley), a dynamic diva-in-training who refuses to sing back-up; ARTIE (Kevin McHale), a geeky guitarist who spends more time avoiding bullies than chasing girls; and TINA (Jenna Ushkowitz), an awkward girl who needs to suppress her stutter before she can take center stage. Will's only hope lies with two true talents: RACHEL BERRY (Lea Michele), a perfectionist firecracker who is convinced that show choir is her ticket to stardom; and FINN HUDSON (Cory Monteith), the popular high school quarterback with movie star looks and a Motown voice who must protect his reputation with his holier-than-thou girlfriend and head cheerleader, QUINN (Dianna Agron), and his arrogant football teammate, PUCK (Mark Salling). Driven by his secret past, Will is determined to do whatever it takes to make Glee great again, even though everyone around him thinks he's nuts. He's out to prove them all wrong from his tough-as-nails wife TERRI SCHUESTER (Jessalyn Gilsig) to McKinley's scheming cheerleading coach SUE SYLVESTER (Jane Lynch) to an ber-hip world that thinks jazz hands and sequined tuxedos litter the road to infamy rather than pave the way to Hollywood dreams.
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: 20th Century Fox Television, Ryan Murphy Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Dante Di Loreto
CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Ian Brennan, John Peter Kousakis
DIRECTOR: Ryan Murphy
CAST: Dianna Agron as Quinn, Chris Colfer as Kurt, Jessalyn Gilsig as Terri Schuester, Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester, Jayma Mays as Emma Pillsbury, Kevin McHale as Artie, Lea Michele as Rachel Berry, Cory Monteith as Finn Hudson, Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester, Amber Riley as Mercedes, Mark Salling as Puck, Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina
THE CLEVELAND SHOW
THE CLEVELAND SHOW is a new animated series that follows everyone's favorite soft-spoken neighbor, CLEVELAND BROWN (Mike Henry), to his hometown in Virginia as he settles down with his high school sweetheart, her unruly kids and his own 14-year-old son, CLEVELAND JR. (Kevin Michael Richardson). Many years ago, Cleveland was a high school student madly in love with a beautiful girl named DONNA (Sanaa Lathan). Much to his dismay, his love went unrequited, and Donna wound up marrying another man. Cleveland once told Donna he would always love her, and if this man ever done her wrong, he'd be there when she called. Well, this man done her wrong. Donna's husband ran off, leaving Donna with a teenage daughter and a young son. Now she's open to Cleveland and has offered him another chance at love. Unattached after the Loretta-Quagmire debacle and true to his word, Cleveland joyously reunites with Donna, and he and Cleveland Jr. move to Virginia to join their new family. Once in Virginia, there are a few surprises in store for Cleveland, including ROBERTA (Reagan Gomez-Preston), a rebellious new stepdaughter; RALLO (Henry), his new 5-year-old stepson who loves the ladies; and a collection of neighbors that includes a loudmouth redneck, LESTER (Richardson); a hipster wanna-be, HOLT (guest voice Jason Sudeikis); and a religious pair of talking bears, TIM (Seth MacFarlane) and his wife ARIANNA (guest voice Arianna Huffington).
PRODUCTION COMPANY: 20th Century Fox Television
CO-CREATORS/EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Seth MacFarlane, Rich Appel, Mike Henry
VOICE CAST: Mike Henry as Cleveland Brown, Rallo and others; Sanaa Lathan as Donna Tubbs; Reagan Gomez-Preston as Roberta Tubbs; Kevin Michael Richardson as Lester and Cleveland Jr.
GUEST VOICES: Arianna Huffington as Arianna, Jason Sudeikis as Holt
BROTHERS
Starring Michael Strahan ("FOX NFL Sunday") and Daryl "Chill" Mitchell ("Ed," "Veronica's Closet"), BROTHERS is a new half-hour comedy about a former NFL hot shot who learns that even though you can always go home again, the trip back might be tougher than you think. MIKE TRAINOR (Strahan) seemingly has it all he's a good-looking, wealthy and recently retired NFL player living the high-life in New York City, but he's about to get sidelined. When Mike gets a phone call from his MOM (CCH Pounder, "The Shield") who orders him home to Houston, he quickly realizes the more his life has changed, the more his family has stayed the same. His brother CHILL (Daryl "Chill" Mitchell), whose life was altered drastically after a car accident left him in a wheelchair, is struggling to keep his restaurant afloat with the help of his loudmouth associate, ROSCOE (Colton Dunn, "MADtv"). The dynamics between Mike and Chill are the same as when they were kids, and their sibling rivalry hasn't lessened with age. If they can stop their bickering, put aside their differences and learn to be teammates, the brothers might just turn out to be each other's biggest asset. Copy/pasted from The Futon Critic Wedged between Mike and Chill are their parents. Their father, whom everyone refers to as COACH (Carl Weathers, "Rocky"), is the local high school football coach and the conservative, opinionated alpha male of his clan. Coach thinks he runs the show, but really it's Mom who calls the shots. Saucy, stern and a schemer, she is the mastermind of the family. And when she learns that Mike's business manager took off with all his money, she orchestrates a plan to keep Mike in Houston, save Chill's restaurant and bring the family back together under one roof again all without anyone realizing what she's up to. Mom's plan helps Mike realize that his family however dysfunctional they may be is the only family he's got. And although he may not have a penny to his name, as long as he's surrounded by people who love him, he'll always be a rich man.
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Sony Pictures Television; Tantamount Studios; Impact Zone Productions, Inc.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, Mitch Hurwitz, Don Reo
DIRECTOR: Ted Wass
CAST: Michael Strahan as Mike, Daryl "Chill" Mitchell as Chill, CCH Pounder as Mom, Carl Weathers as Coach, Colton Dunn as Roscoe
The following new late-night series will premiere this fall:
THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (working title)
Emmy Award-winning actress, comedian and author Wanda Sykes returns to FOX to host the innovative and irreverent new Saturday late-night series, THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (working title). The high-energy one-hour show will feature biting commentary on topical issues and heated panel discussions with recurring personalities. The series' unique format will highlight Sykes' outspoken comedic perspective on current events and will also allow her to leave the studio to shoot segments in the field.
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Fox Television Studios
HOST: Wanda Sykes
The following new dramas are slated for a midseason launch:
HUMAN TARGET
It takes a brave, selfless man to make himself a "human target" in order to save the lives of those in danger. Based on the popular DC Comics graphic novel, HUMAN TARGET is a full-throttle action drama centered on CHRISTOPHER CHANCE (Mark Valley, FRINGE), a unique private contractor/security guard hired to protect. Call him what you like, because for Chance, it's about one thing only: saving his clients' lives. When there is an unusual or imminent threat that can't be solved through "normal" means of protection, Chance is hired to completely integrate himself into his clients' lives to become the human target. If you're a corporate manager whose disgruntled employee has gone violently off the deep end, Chance is your new auditor. If you're the president of a bank who's been tipped off to a potential heist, Chance is your unassuming bank teller. During each job, Chance, assisted by his business partner WINSTON (Chi McBride, "Pushing Daisies") and hired gun GUERRERO (Jackie Earle Haley, "Watchmen"), puts himself directly in the line of fire as he races against time to save his client, while unraveling the truth behind the mission. With every new danger, Chance's dark history will also unravel. Does anyone know who Christopher Chance really is, or what secrets lay buried in his past? What would make a man willingly become a HUMAN TARGET?
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Bonanza Productions Inc., Wonderland Sound and Vision, DC Comics, Warner Bros. Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jon Steinberg, McG, Simon West, Brad Kern
CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Peter Johnson
DIRECTOR: Simon West
WRITER: Jon Steinberg
CAST: Mark Valley as Christopher Chance, Jackie Earle Haley as Guerrero, Chi McBride as Winston
PAST LIFE
Have you ever experienced dj vu or met someone you thought seemed familiar? Do you believe in karma, fate or love at first sight? From writer David Hudgins ("Friday Night Lights"), and inspired by the book "The Reincarnationist" by M.J. Rose, comes PAST LIFE, a new drama series about an unlikely pair of past-life detectives who investigate whether what is happening to you today is the result of who you were before. DR. KATE MCGINN (Kelli Giddish, "All My Children") is not your typical psychologist. Confident, outspoken and highly educated, she works at The Talmadge Center for Behavioral Health in New York City, a world-renowned institute dedicated to the study of the science of the soul. After experiencing a past-life regression in her 20s, Kate became a believer in reincarnation. Using regression therapy and her natural gift for reading people, Kate helps solve the mysteries of her troubled clients who suffer from present-day problems caused by past-life traumas. She believes there are levels of consciousness and explanations for human behavior that science can't begin to explain. Accustomed to skeptics, but not bothered by them, Kate is an unapologetic believer and a force of nature who marches to the beat of her own drummer. Her partner, PRICE WHATLEY (Nicholas Bishop, "Home and Away"), is a different story. A former NYPD homicide detective, pragmatic and cynical, Price is a damaged soul who constantly battles grief and guilt over the accidental death of his wife. Price feels that Kate, though not certifiable, certainly operates on the fringes of science. It's a volatile relationship, but with Price's solid detective skills, and Kate's penchant for out-of-the-box thinking, together they make a formidable, if somewhat dysfunctional, team. A fast-paced emotional thrill ride, each episode finds Price and Kate working with their colleagues to unravel a new mystery involving the past-lives of their clients. DR. MALACHI TALMADGE (Richard Schiff, "The West Wing") is Kate's mentor and the center's namesake, an avuncular but gruff elder statesman who is a legend in the field of cognitive research. DR. RISHI KARNA (Ravi Patel, "Scrubs") is the rookie of the group, a baby-faced therapist from Calcutta who loves bad American TV, Cuban jazz and driving everyone crazy.
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Bonanza Productions Inc., Warner Bros. Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: David Hudgins, Lou Pitt
DIRECTOR: Deran Sarafian
WRITER: David Hudgins
CAST: Kelli Giddish as Dr. Kate McGinn, Nicholas Bishop as Price Whatley, Richard Schiff as Dr. Malachi Talmadge, Ravi Patel as Dr. Rishi Karna
The following new comedy is slated for a midseason launch:
SONS OF TUCSON
In the tradition of "Malcolm in the Middle" and "The Bernie Mac Show," SONS OF TUCSON is a family comedy about three brothers who hire a charming, wayward schemer to stand in as their father when their real one goes to prison. What begins as a business relationship evolves into something more complex and compelling: a family unlike any we've ever seen. The three brothers find their dad-for-hire, RON SNUFFKIN (Tyler Labine, "Reaper"), at the local sporting good store. Ron will be forced to draw on a wide array of skills and a vast bag of tricks as he steps into the patriarch role to take care of the boys of the Gunderson family. ROBBY GUNDERSON (Davis Cleveland, "How I Met Your Mother"), 8, is a loose cannon who doesn't respond well to authority; GARY GUNDERSON (Frank Dolce, "Doubt"), 11, is a bright and street-savvy leader who is every bit the con man his father is; and BRANDON GUNDERSON (Troy Gentile, "Entourage"), 13, is a gentle free spirit who simply goes along for the ride. MAGGIE MORALES (Natalie Martinez, "Saints & Sinners"), Robby's second-grade teacher and the object of Ron's affection, might just be the only stable figure in the lives of this quirky quartet. While SONS OF TUCSON is grounded in the day-to-day challenges of a single-parent home, nothing in the Gunderson household is quite what it seems. An ongoing chess match between Ron and the boys will keep both parties on their toes, as neither side can afford to give up too much power or independence.
PRODUCTION COMPANY: 20th Century Fox Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Justin Berfield, Jason Felts, Harvey Myman, Todd Holland
DIRECTOR: Todd Holland
WRITERS: Tommy Dewey, Greg Bratman
CAST: Tyler Labine as Ron Snuffkin, Davis Cleveland as Robby Gunderson, Frank Dolce as Gary Gunderson, Troy Gentile as Brandon Gunderson, Natalie Martinez as Maggie Morales
Welcome to your Friday morning television briefing.
Mischa Barton (The O.C.) has joined the cast of CW drama pilot A Beautiful Life, where she will play Sonja, a supermodel who is trying to stay on top of the modeling world but who is finding it not so easy as she thought. Barton was originally up for a role on the netlet's revival of Melrose Place but did not land a role on that pilot. (Hollywood Reporter)
Joel Gretsch (The 4400) will co-star in ABC sci-fi pilot V, from writer/executive producer Scott Peters, co-creator of The 4400, and Warner Bros. Television. Gretsch will play a Catholic priest who sees a sudden resurgence of faith among the human population following the arrival of The Vistors. Elsewhere, Donald Faison (Scrubs) will star opposite Cedric the Entertainer in ABC comedy pilot The Law, where they will play reserve LAPD officers; Ben Koldyke (Boldly Going Nowhere) has scored a lead role in CBS comedy pilot Big D; and Natalie Martinez (Saints & Sinners) has joined Tyler Labine in FOX comedy pilot Sons of Tucson, where she will play a second grade teacher and possible love interest for Labine's Ron. (Hollywood Reporter)
NBC has announced launch dates for three new scripted series it will launch this summer. The Listener, from Shaftesbury Films, CTV and Fox Intl. Channels, will launch June 4th in the Thursdays at 10 pm timeslot. Merlin, from BBC, Fremantle and Shine, will will launch on June 21st, airing Sundays at 8 pm. Universal Media Studios' and Carnival Films' much-delayed drama The Philanthropist, is set to launch June 24th; it will air Wednesdays at 10 pm. On the unscripted front, NBC will launch I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! will air four nights a week beginning June 1st, Great American Road Trip will launch July 1st, and America's Got Talent returns with a new season on June 23rd. (via press release)
Meanwhile, NBC will be delaying several of its season finales to June in an effort to give The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien a cushy premiere week. Medium is slated to air its season finale on June 1st, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit will wrap its season on June 2nd, and Law & Order will air its finale on June 3rd. "We’ll give Conan the best launch possible during his premiere week," said NBC Entertainment/Universal Media Studios co-chair Ben Silverman. (Variety)
Hollywood was shocked yesterday by the corporate restructuring at News Corp, which saw Peter Ligouri step down as chairman of entertainment at FOX. News Corp head Rupert Murdoch has restructured the company in the wake of the departure of president and COO Peter Chernin and has promoted Jim Gianopolous and Tom Rothman of Fox Filmed Entertainment will now retain oversight of the TV production division and Tony Vinciquerra, who oversee cable networks, will now also oversee all of FOX's TV networks. Former Chernin direct reports Dana Walden and Gary Newman, co-chairmen of 20th Century Fox Television, will now report to Gianpololous and Rothman, while FTVS head Emiliano Calemzuk will report to Walden and Newman. But the biggest surprise was who would be replacing Peter Ligouri: none other than Fox Searchlight head Peter Rice, who has no TV experience. Still unknown is the ultimate fate of FOX entertainment president Kevin Reilly, who was brought in by Ligouri, with whom he had worked closely at FX previously. He'll report to Rice, meanwhile. (Hollywood Reporter)
Elsewhere, it's a bit of executive musical chairs at FOX and NBC as NBC/Universal Media Studios drama VP Terence Carter is said to be in discussions to move to FOX, where he would assume the role of co-head of drama with Rachel Bendavid, replacing Laura Lancaster. Carter and Bendavid will report to Matt Cherniss. But Lancaster meanwhile will herself segue to NBC Universal to take the top drama job. She'll report to Angela Bromstad, with whom she worked closely when she was head of drama at NBC Universal TV Studio (NUTS) when Bromstad was president. (Variety)
The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan has some details about the much-buzzed-about sixth episode of FOX's Dollhouse, which will guest star Patton Oswalt. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)
Henry Thomas (Without a Trace) will guest star in an upcoming episode of CSI, which will focus on the early career days of Catherine (Marg Helgenberger). Thomas will play an accused killer named Jeremy Kent, whom Catherine locked up during her very first case in the early 1990s. After nearly twenty years in prison, Kent is an expert in forensics himself and questions whether Catherine's original findings were accurate. (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)
Heidi Klum to Project Runway fans: picket Harvey Weinstein's house. The outspoken host of Project Runway, the subject of a lawsuit between distributor The Weinstein Company and NBC Universal, is said to be frustrated over the fact that the sixth season, which finished shooting, still does not have a launch date on either Lifetime or Bravo. "I think people should be demonstrating outside of Harvey Weinstein's house," said Klum. "If it were up to me, it'd be on by now." (New York Post)
BBC Two has announced that it will air all five seasons of HBO's The Wire, the first time that the series will be shown on terrestrial television in the UK. BBC Two, which has yet to announce a launch date, will strip the series across the week. (BBC)
Sci Fi Channel has promoted Craig Engler to SVP of digital, where he will oversee content development and business matters for the company's portfolio of digital channels, including Scifi.com, Dvice.com, Scifiwire.com, Figit.com, and Chillertv.com. (Variety)
Welcome to your Wednesday morning television briefing.
ABC ordered three drama pilots yesterday: Inside the Box, about a female news producer in a Washington network news bureau from writer Richard E. Robbins and executive producers Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers (Grey's Anatomy); I, Claudia, about a young prosecuting attorney who is unaware that in the future she will be a contender to be the first female president of the US, from writer/executive producer John Scott Shepherd (The Days); and an untitled US adaptation of Argentinian series Brothers & Detectives, about a detective who discovers that he has a brilliant 11-year-old brother after the death of his estranged father, from Daniel Cerone (Dexter). (Hollywood Reporter)
NBC has ordered a pilot for futuristic drama Day One from writer/executive producer Jesse A. Alexander (Heroes) about "the aftermath of a global event that devastates the world's infrastructures when a small band of survivors strive to rebuild society and unravel the mysteries of why the event took place and what the future has in store." Project, produced by Universal Media Studios, should not be confused with CBS' Jericho, seemingly about the same subject matter... (Hollywood Reporter)
Kristen Johnson (3rd Rock from the Sun) is said to be in talks to star as Eddy in FOX pilot Absolutely Fabulous, a US remake of the BBC comedy created by Jennifer Saunders. Johnson appeared at the table-read of the pilot script on Friday; also participating in the read: Kathryn Hahn (Revolutionary Road). (Variety)
Elsewhere at FOX, the network has given a pilot greenlight to drama Masterwork from Prison Break creator Paul Scheuring. Project, from 20th Century Fox Television, is a globe-spanning adventure in recover artifacts and is said to be in the same vein as National Treasure or The Da Vinci Code. (Hollywood Reporter)
TV Guide has a look at the best of Sawyer's constant stream of sobriquets on Lost. Any you would have added in the mix? (TV Guide)
NBC has announced that it will launch unscripted celebrity genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are, based on the BBC series, on April 20th. Series, which will feature such celebs as Lisa Kudrow, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Susan Sarandon, will take over the Monday night at 8 pm timeslot currently home to Chuck, as "slot occupant Chuck will have finished its season run by then." Is anyone else troubled that Chuck will wrap in April and not May? (Variety)
Bonnie Sommerville (Cashmere Mafia) has been cast in NBC comedy pilot Off Duty, opposite Bradley Whitford (The West Wing) and Romany Malco (Weeds), about a decorated detective on his way out (Whitford) who is assigned a new partner (Malco) who is a straight arrow both on the job and off. Sommerville will play Malco's wife. Also cast: Capethia Jenkins as the police district chief. Elsewhere, Jesse Tyler Ferguson (The Class) has been cast in ABC comedy pilot An American Family, from Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd and 20th Century Fox Television, where he will play one of the neighborhoods' gay dads. (Hollywood Reporter)
Unnamed SAG board members, speaking on condition of anonymity, claim that talks between the guild and the AMPTP could begin as early as next week, following the ousting of chief negotiator Doug Allen. Meanwhile, the board has also voted to remove president Alan Rosenberg's ability to speak to the press on behalf of the guild. Another sign of things to come? (New York Times)
TNT's launch for scripted drama Trust Me scored not such great numbers, capturing only 3.4 million viewers and 1.3 million adults between 18-49, significantly less than its launch for Leverage, which bowed with 5 million viewers without support from a lead-in from The Closer, and Raising the Bar, which launched with 7.7 million viewers. (Variety) Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick (Quarterlife) have sold a drama pilot script to CBS about a "marriage that works." Relationship dramas are no strangers to Hershovitz and Zwick, who also created Once and Again and thirtysomething. (Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider)
UK's Channel 4 has acquired rights to two HBO series: True Blood and Generation Kill. (Variety)
Noel Clarke, who played Mickey on Doctor Who, has said that he would love to return to the series. "Who would turn down a return to Doctor Who?" said Clarke in an interview with The Sun. "I love the show and have always supported it. I was there from day one when nobody was sure if it was going to be a hit. But the show moves on. Who knows? Whatever happens, happens." (Digital Spy)
Generate has signed a multiple-year overall deal with 2oth Century Fox Television to develop and produced scripted series for broadcast and cable networks and will grant a first look to the studio for its alternative and reality projects. (Variety)
Style has acquired exclusive off-network rights to all seasons of ABC's Supernanny, which it will launch in the fall. (Hollywood Reporter)
TBS has ordered 80 additional episodes of Tyler Perry comedy series Meet the Browns, which is currently in the middle of a ten-episode test run that started January 7th. Order pattern closely follows that of Perry's other TBS series House of Payne, which launched with ten episodes and went on to receive an order for 90 additional installments. (Variety)
Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing.
ABC has ordered a pilot for a modern day remake of seminal 1980s mini-series V, to be written/executive produced by Scott Peters (The 4400). Updated V, from Warner Bros. Television, will focus on a female Homeland Security agent. Elsewhere, NBC has removed the contingency from period comedy pilot Lost in the '80s, from Sony Pictures Television and Tantamount, which will be directed by P.J. Hogan (Shopaholic). (Hollywood Reporter)
Former Doctor Who co-star Freema Agyeman will reportedly reprise her role as Martha Jones in one of the four Doctor Who specials planned for 2009, despite some rumors of bad blood between her and outbound head writer/executive producer Russell T. Davies, said to originate when she accepted a role on ITV's Law & Order: London rather than star in a new season of Torchwood. “Freema’s on board," said an unnamd source. "It’s early days so it’s unclear what exactly Martha will be up to in the new show. Whatever happens it’s good news for Freema and shows that whatever friction there was between her and Who bosses has gone.” (The Sun)
It's looking increasingly likely that 24's Day Eight will be the last for Kiefer Sutherland. "Whether Season Eight is the end or not, I don't know," said Sutherland. "I love making the show, so I'm leaving my options open. And in all fairness, I think the audience will dictate that more than anybody." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)
ABC has shifted a comedy block of Samantha Who? and new series In the Motherhood to Thursday nights at 8 pm, a timeslot traditionally held by Ugly Betty, which will go on hiatus until the two series wrap their runs. Additionally, Scrubs will be paired on Wednesdays with new comedy Better Off Ted in an 8 pm timeslot. But don't count Betty out just yet; ABC said that the struggling series would have been airing repeats during that time anyway. (Variety)
Amy Poehler's untitled NBC sitcom, from executive producers Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, now has a title: Public Service. Series is set to launch on April 9th at 8:30 pm ET/PT. (New York Times)
More info about Scott Bakula's multiple-episode story arc on Chuck from NBC: "In the storyline, Chuck made a promise to his sister, Ellie that he was going to find their dad in time for her wedding. But when he does find him, Chuck discovers that his dad is not necessarily a guy who wants to be found. He's living in a trailer, he's disheveled, he's paranoid and he's claiming constantly that Ted Roark (guest star Chevy Chase) -- who he used to work with -- stole all his ideas from him. In addition, Ted Roark has now become a super-successful software billionaire while Chuck's dad has become an eccentric, living in the shadows." (press release)
Jon Hamm is set to appear in three episodes of 30 Rock starting next week but you can get a sneak peek at footage of him as Dr. Drew Baird on the NBC comedy right now. (Chicago Tribune's The Watcher)
Among the teams racing for the million-dollar prize on the next season of CBS' The Amazing Race: screenwriter Mike White (best known for Freaks & Geeks, Pasadena, and Chuck & Buck, among many others) and his father, a gay-rights activist and former speechwriter for Pat Robertson and Billy Graham, and a 22-year-old deaf student and his mother. (Associated Press)
Producers of FOX's House are said to be in talks with Anne Dudek about reprising her role as Amber, Wilson's, er, dead girlfriend, later this season. Just don't look for her to return as a ghost like Grey's Anatomy's Denny. "If we could figure out a way to bring her back that is not a ghost sex plot," said executive producer Katie Jacobs, "we'd be thrilled to do it and have her back." (Entertainment Weekly's Ausiello Files)
Doug Allen has been fired as national executive director and chief negotiator for SAG in a move that also replaced the SAG negotiating committee, which is being viewed as a sign that the guild may soon sign a feature-primetime deal. "I'm sure it was a difficult decision to replace SAG's negotiators, but if the other entertainment unions can make a deal their members can live with, SAG can too," said Sally Field, who has audibly opposed Allen this past year, "and now I feel certain that will happen, quickly and productively." (Variety)
MTV has renewed The City and Daddy's Girls for second seasons as well as handed out a twenty-episode order for Teen Cribs and another batch of 28 episodes for series Made. (Variety)
Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. I'm back in the land of the living after recovering from a truly extraordinary Emmy evening the other night. Let's get to the headlines.
