Archive: May 2009 (27-39 of 101)

May 20 2009 07:20 PM ET

Ratings: 'Idol' + 'Dancing' does not = 'Glee'

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Categories: TV Biz, TV Ratings

As expected, American Idol was Tuesday’s top-rated show, as fans had their last chance to judge Adam Lambert and Kris Allen before tonight’s season 8 finale. Dancing With the Stars’ crowning of Shawn Johnson fell 3 million viewers shy of the title. All eyes were on Fox’s sneak peek at Glee, at least figuratively. Though the well-reviewed high school-set musical comedy from Nip/Tuck’s Ryan Murphy finished just behind DWTS in the coveted adults 18-49 demo for the 9 p.m. hour, Fox can’t be entirely happy. It held on to less than half of its tailor-made Idol lead-in and, more worrisome, dropped 3.5 million viewers over the course of the 60 minutes. The episode will be available on the network’s website  throughout the summer, leading up to the series’ fall bow, which, of course, will be the true test.

 
   
   
      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

 

Time Show Viewers (in millions)
8 p.m. American Idol (Fox)
NCIS (CBS)
Dancing With the Stars (ABC)
Most Outrageous Moments (NBC)
Reaper (The CW)		 23.1
16.1
7.7 (repeat)
3.0 (repeat)
1.8
9 p.m. Dancing With the Stars Finale (ABC)
The Mentalist (CBS)
Glee (Fox)
Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
90210 (The CW)		 20.1
16.8
10.7
3.5 (repeat)
2.1
10 p.m. Without a Trace (CBS)
Law & Order: SVU (NBC)		 11.3
6.7 (repeat)

 

More TV News:
Michael Slezak recaps American Idol
Adam B. Vary is on the scene at last night’s American Idol
Annie Barrett recaps Dancing With the Stars
Ken Tucker on ‘Glee‘

May 20 2009 07:09 PM ET

TNT hypes summer slate, with Jada Pinkett Smith and Dylan McDermott

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Categories: Television

TNT is selling itself as the place to go for quality dramas at a time when its broadcast rivals are cutting back on big-budget scripted fare. “Broadcast networks are relying on disposable programming more than ever,” Turner Networks President Steve Koonin told advertisers gathered for the cable network’s upfront presentation Wednesday. He even added an extra NBC-directed dig, noting that TNT “is not abandoning 10 p.m.” — while the Peacock will run Jay Leno five nights a week next season.

The “We Know Drama” network will fill its now-three-nights-a-week original programming slate with two new series, four returning series, and its first unscripted show….

* Starting June 16, Jada Pinkett Smith will star as a stubborn head nurse in Hawthorne, which she promises won’t be a typical case-of-the-week medical drama: “You’ll see character stuff, politics in the hospital. It’s more about ailments of the soul than just treating illnesses.”

* Dark Blue, premiering July 15, features Dylan McDermott as an undercover cop and marks uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer’s first foray into cable after years of hitmaking for CBS (CSI, Without a Trace). Both broadcast vets say the freedoms of cable will make for a far grittier-than-average cop show. “You can get away with a lot more,” McDermott says.

* The net’s first unscripted series, Wedding Day, kicks off along with Hawthorne on June 16. A sort-of wedding version of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, the Mark Burnett (Survivor) production will give celebrity-caliber dream weddings to deserving workaday couples (community outreach workers, Army captains, a firefighter-lifeguard pair).

* Also returning this summer are Leverage, Raising the Bar, Saving Grace, and The Closer.

* And already slated for a December start, dramedy Men of a Certain Age costars Ray Romano, Andre Braugher, and Scott Bakula as pals in Midlife Crisis. “When I told my parents I had this new show on TNT,” Romano jokes, “my mom was very excited, and my dad was like, ‘I guess we have to get cable.’”

May 20 2009 06:12 PM ET

'24' exclusive: Hail to the (new) chief!

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Categories: 24

Chrisdiamantopoulos_lAccording to my watch, it’s time for the second piece of casting on 24‘s eighth season!

Chris Diamantopoulos — best known as Debra Messing’s gay BFF on The Starter Wife — has been tapped to play the series regular role of Rob Weiss, the argumentative and tough new Chief of Staff to President Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones). He replaces Taylor’s current C.O.S., Ethan Kanin, who snatched his job back in last Monday’s finale after the prez’s psycho daughter, Olivia, was taken into federal custody.

As I previously reported, Day 8′s action will switch from Washington D.C. to New York City and center on an assassination plot against a visiting foreign leader (Slumdog Millionaire‘s Anil Kapoor, the new season’s first piece of casting).

Bonus piece of trivia free of charge: Diamantopoulos is married to Ugly Betty‘s sublime Becki Newton. On second thought, that little nugget is worth at least $50. Pay up.

May 20 2009 04:16 PM ET

Exclusive 'Chuck' boss on who's in, who's out, and what's next!

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Categories: Chuck

Checkjoshschwartz_l
I don’t know about you, but NBC’s official renewal of Chuck has been the highlight of upfront week for me. (ABC’s cancellation of According to Jim finishes a very close second.) But it’s time to bring the victory celebrations to a close and get down to business — the business of asking questions. Will a tighter budget lead to a less awesome (and populated) show? Does the massive Subway deal mean an end to Sarah’s yogurt shop? Will the midseason launch kill the show’s momentum? Will Chuck and Sarah start dating for real? Will exec producer Josh Schwartz answer all of these and then some in the following exclusive Q&A? I can tackle that last one: Yes!

NBC said the show’s budget will remain unchanged from last season. I’m hearing different. What’s the deal?
JOSH SCHWARTZ: I can tell you that [Warner Bros.] asked us to make budget cuts to meet a decrease in the NBC license fee. That’s how it was presented to me. That’s as far as I know. My job is to then be able to produce the show at the number the studio is able to deficit it for.

How will the cuts affect what we see?
SCHWARTZ: Hopefully, you won’t be able to tell. I don’t think the look
of the show is going to change. We might have certain episodes where
Chuck’s mission is such that we don’t get the opportunity to go to the
Buy More [as much]. We love our cast and, obviously, we want to use
them as much as possible in as many episodes as possible.

I heard Julia Ling [Anna] might not return. True?
SCHWARTZ: No. We have plans for Anna to return.

Has she been taken off contract?
SCHWARTZ: We actually haven’t finalized all of our actor deals yet.
It’s all being sorted out. But, like I said, we’re going to do whatever
we can to try to keep the ensemble together.

Will the show’s central trio be in every episodes?
SCHWARTZ: Yes. Chuck, Sarah, and Casey are in all episodes.

Will Sarah be working at a Subway next season?
SCHWARTZ: [Laughs] You
know, I don’t know the full details of the Subway integration yet.
I know it will be significant. Chuck is a show that happens to be well
positioned for effortless product integration, especially because Chuck
works at an electronics shop in a strip mall. If Sarah or someone
worked at a Subway it would hopefully be no more intrusive or
unrealistic than Liz Lemon working at NBC.

Are you concerned at all about the show being off the air for 10 months?
SCHWARTZ: It was really a tough choice that the network faced: Put us
on Friday or [hold us until] midseason. I really believe Chuck is the
little show that could. Our fans are clearly passionate, clearly loyal,
and hopefully all we’ll do is get them more and more [excited] for our
return. And we’ll come up with fun ways of stoking the fans throughout
the fall. We also have something very, very fun planned for Comic-Con
this year.

How about a season 3 spoiler in honor of the show’s renewal?
SCHWARTZ: The biggest thing, obviously, will be dealing with the
ramifications of how we ended the season. What does it mean for Chuck
[and] how will it manifest itself? And I think for anyone who is
concerned that he’s no longer going to be the Everyman, or an
accidental hero, fear not.

Will Chuck and Sarah start the season off as a full-fledged couple?
SCHWARTZ: I don’t want to give anything away, but obviously, Chuck
having the Intersect in his head will severely complicate their ability
to be a couple. Oh, here’s something: Look for… [the rest of this
answer will run in this week's Ask Ausiello, posting tonight.]

Really? For who?
SCHWARTZ: [The rest of this answer will run in this week's Ask Ausiello, posting tonight].

Male or female?
SCHWARTZ: Gosh, isn’t it more fun to tease?

I guess.
SCHWARTZ: Teasing is what you’re good at.

More TV Scoop:
CBS unveils Fall sked
Privileged boss on “heartbreaking” cancellation
Lost: Juliet mystery solved?

May 20 2009 02:33 PM ET

CBS announces fall schedule: 'The Mentalist' jumps to Thursdays

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Categories: TV Biz

Thementalist_l
CBS will debut three new dramas and one new comedy this fall. The Mentalist starring Simon Baker (pictured) will also get a new night on Thursdays and the NBC drama Medium gets a fresh lease on life on the eye’s Friday lineup.

Mondays will feature the new Jenna Elfman comedy Accidentally on Purpose, about a film critic who gets pregnant after a one-night stand with a slacker. The comedy airs at 8:30 p.m., bumping Big Bang to 9:30 p.m. behind Two and A Half Men. NCIS: Los Angeles starring Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J airs at 9 Wednesdays behind behind the mothership NCIS. At 10 p.m., Juliana Margulies stars in The Good Wife as a politician’s wife who returns to the work force as an attorney.

“It’s a real sea change at 10 p.m.,” say CBS Corp CEO Leslie Moonves in reference to The Jay Leno Show on NBC. “There will be more shares available.” Adds the Eye’s head of scheduling Kelly Kahl, “We’ll see some huge opportunity for growth at 10 p.m.”

Wednesday stays intact for CBS, while Thursdays will feature The Mentalist at 10 p.m. The show bowed on Tuesdays last fall and went onto become the network’s most-watched new series. Medium — which was canceled by NBC on Tuesday, and is produced by CBS/Paramount — will now air on CBS Fridays at 9 p.m. behind Ghost Whisperer. Cold Case gets yet another timeslot on Sunday — this time at 10 — to make way for the new drama Three Rivers at 9; it’s a medical drama about a preeminent transplant hospital, starring Moonlight‘s Alex O’Loughlin.

Midseason shows include The Bridge, a cop drama from Canada, and Miami Trauma, a medical series starring Jeremy Northam from Jerry Bruckheimer. Rules of Engagement will be back this winter, too, along with Flashpoint. New reality shows include Undercover Boss, which features CEOs who disguise themselves as everyday workers at their own companies; and Arranged Marriage, a self-explanatory show from the Project Runway producing team of Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth.

Gone are Eleventh Hour, Without a Trace, The Unit, and Worst Week.

CBS FALL 2009 SCHEDULE

MONDAY

8 p.m. How I Met Your Mother

8:30 p.m. Accidentally on Purpose

9 p.m. Two and A Half Men

9:30 p.m. The Big Bang Theory

10 p.m. CSI: Miami

TUESDAY

8 p.m. NCIS

9 p.m. NCIS: Los Angeles

10 p.m. The Good Wife

WEDNESDAY

8 p.m. The New Adventures of Old Christine

8:30 p.m. Gary Unmarried

9 p.m. Criminal Minds

10 p.m. CSI: NY

THURSDAY

8 p.m. Survivor: Samoa

9 p.m. CSI

10 p.m. The Mentalist

FRIDAY

8 p.m. Ghost Whisperer

9 p.m. Medium

10 p.m. Numb3rs

SATURDAY

8 p.m. Crimetime Saturday

9 p.m. Crimetime Saturday

10 p.m. 48 Hours Mystery

SUNDAY

7 p.m. 60 Minutes

8 p.m. The Amazing Race

9 p.m. Three Rivers

10 p.m. Cold Case

More TV Upfront news:
Jay Leno on his naysayers: ‘trash talking is a part of the competition’
ABC announces fall schedule, ‘Ugly Betty’ moves to Fridays
Ken Tucker’s ‘Instant TV reviews’ of ABC’s new fall shows
NBC announces fall schedule: ‘Chuck’ stays, ‘Southland’ moves to Fridays
Ausiello Exclusive: ‘Without a Trace,’ ‘Privileged,’ canceled, ‘Gossip’ spin-off DOA
Breaking: ‘Earl, ‘Unit’ axed, ‘Medium’ moving to CBS
Fox announces fall schedule, acknowledges Whedon fans
Ken Tucker’s ‘Instant TV reviews’ of Fox’s new fall shows
The Ausiello Files, for the latest renewals and cancellations
Ausiello’s Fall TV cheat sheet

May 20 2009 01:04 PM ET

Jay Leno on his naysayers: 'trash talking is a part of the competition'

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Categories: TV Biz

Jaylenoportrait_l

Jay Leno brushed aside criticism from competitors who believe his fall primetime show is not only a cynical move by NBC but bad for television. Speaking to a small gathering of reporters in New York on Tuesday, Leno said “I’m a big boy” and he’s not affected by the naysayers who doubt the viability of his nightly primetime show this fall. Earlier on Tuesday, in fact, ABC latenight host Jimmy Kimmel made a joke at Leno’s expense at the network’s upfront presentation to advertisers, saying NBC was so desperate to hold onto Leno that it was willing to “destroy the network” in the process. Leno chuckled when he heard Kimmel’s comments.

“As long as it was funny,” said Leno. “Trash talking is a part of the competition. You do your best. It gives you the impetus to prove them wrong.”

Leno can’t give too many specifics on his new fall show, other than to say it’ll likely average two guests a night and include some sort of standing comedy bit in the second half-hour to encourage viewers to stay tuned for their local 11 p.m. newscast. Leno’s signature Headlines and Jay Walking bits will probably fill Mondays and Tuesdays; he’s not sure about the frequency of musical acts. Mostly, Leno seems juiced by the opportunity to get a jump start on topical jokes. “Before the parade of white guys starts, I’ll be out there,” Leno says, in reference to the other latenight hosts.

He also downplayed any potential battle for guests with Conan O’Brien, who will take over The Tonight Show after Leno steps down May 29. “There are really only 18 guests who would make a difference,” says Leno of A-listers like Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson and Brad Pitt. Gibson, along with Billy Crystal and Arnold Schwarzenegger, will appear on The Tonight Show during Leno’s final week.

The veteran comedian is not under any illusion that he’ll immediately succeed in his new 10 p.m. timeslot. “When I took over The Tonight Show, we lost against Letterman [for nearly two years],” he recalls. “If you lose, you work harder. We’re not expecting to blow the doors off CSI. But maybe we’ll catch up to them in the summer when they’re in reruns.”

NBC won’t say what adults 18-49 rating Leno will need to achieve to stay profitable; instead, the suits insist he’ll be viewed differently than other shows in primetime. Unlike the typical scripted series that airs for 22 weeks, Leno will be judged on a 52-week basis since he’ll be delivering original content most of the year (save a few weeks during the Olympics). “This is a marathon, not a sprint,” says NBC’s head of research Alan Wurtzel. “Leno is the quintessential counter-programming. A lot of people are looking for a real alternative. We are very bullish [about the show's future].”

Leno wasn’t particularly sold on the title, however. He wanted Weeknights with Jay Leno but the NBC brass feared the show would be nicknamed Weeknights so the network went with The Jay Leno Show, instead.

More TV Upfront news:
ABC announces fall schedule, ‘Ugly Betty’ moves to Fridays
Ken Tucker’s ‘Instant TV reviews’ of ABC’s new fall shows
NBC announces fall schedule: ‘Chuck’ stays, ‘Southland’ moves to Fridays
Ausiello Exclusive: ‘Without a Trace,’ ‘Privileged,’ canceled, ‘Gossip’ spin-off DOA
Breaking: ‘Earl, ‘Unit’ axed, ‘Medium’ moving to CBS
CBS picks up four new dramas, new Jenna Elfman comedy
Fox announces fall schedule, acknowledges Whedon fans
Ken Tucker’s ‘Instant TV reviews’ of Fox’s new fall shows
The Ausiello Files, for the latest renewals and cancellations
Ausiello’s Fall TV cheat sheet

addCredit(“Steve Snowden/Getty Images”)

May 19 2009 11:51 PM ET

Ratings: 'Dancing With the Stars' wins Monday, 'The Bachelorette' comes up roses

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Categories: Gossip Girl, Reality TV, Television, TV Ratings

It was an eventful Monday night full of series premieres and season finales, but Dancing With the Stars still managed to come out on top with 18.7 million viewers, according to preliminary overnight ratings. Also on ABC, The Bachelorette premiered to rosy numbers (9 million fans). Elsewhere, 24′s two-hour season finale seemed to struggle up against the Stars/Bachelorette combo, earning an okay 9.4 million, down from last week’s 10.1 million. Over on The CW, Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill ended their seasons with a so-so 2.2 and 2.6 million, respectively.

 
   
   
      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

   

      

      

      

   

 

Time Show Viewers (in millions)
8pm Dancing With the Stars (ABC)
24 (Fox)
Rules of Engagement (CBS)
Deal or No Deal (NBC)
Gossip Girl (The CW)		 18.7
9.4
7.5
4.8
2.2
8:30pm How I Met Your Mother (CBS) 8.7
9pm Two and a Half Men (CBS)
The Bachelorette (ABC)
One Tree Hill (The CW)		 16.0
9.0
2.6
9:30pm Rules of Engagement (CBS) 12.8
10pm CSI: Miami (CBS)
Medium (NBC)		 14.1
6.5
May 19 2009 06:48 PM ET

Exclusive: 'Without a Trace,' 'Privileged,' canceled, 'Gossip' spin-off DOA

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Categories: Numb3rs, Privileged

Traceprivilegedcancel_l
Several major upfront-week developments to report:

* CBS has canceled Without A Trace and renewed Numb3rs. I’m told Eye execs had one slot left, and they went with Numb3rs because it’s less expensive to produce. CBS has also dropped Eleventh Hour and renewed How I Met Your Mother, Gary Unmarried, Rules of Engagement, and Old Christine.

* The CW will not be renewing Privileged for a second season. There was talk of a possible midseason berth for the much-loved dramedy, but, ultimately, the show was a casualty of the network’s strong development. "It’s truly heartbreaking," series creator Rina Mimoun said via e-mail. "I’m so grateful to everyone out there
who supported our little show and fell in love with Megan Smith. She
was the most delightful character I’ve ever had the pleasure to write
and watching JoAnna Garcia bring her to life every day was a gift I
will never forget. I’m incredibly proud of the work we did and forever
indebted to all the fans, critics and to Warner Bros. for being so
wonderful and supportive. I will miss this more than you know." Class act, that one.

*Among new shows, The CW has picked up Melrose Place 2.0, Beautiful Life, and Vampire Diaries. Oh, and the Gossip Girl spin-off is officially dead.

My Fall TV Cheat Sheet has been updated to reflect all of these developments. 

For up-to-the-minute renewal-cancellation-pickup scuttlebutt throughout
upfront week, stay close to both my blog (the one you’re reading now!)
and Twitter feed. And to see the networks’ complete fall schedules, head to the Hollywood Insider blog.

More TV Scoop:
ABC cancels Samantha Who?
CBS cancels The Unit, NBC axes Earl
Lost‘s Juliet mystery solved?
ABC renews Castle, Better Off Ted
Burning Prison Break finale Qs answered

May 19 2009 04:44 PM ET

NBC announces fall schedule: 'Chuck' stays, 'Southland' moves to Fridays

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Categories: TV Biz

Joelmchale_l
NBC will premiere two new dramas and a single-camera comedy this fall and move the struggling cop series Southland to Fridays, where the net hopes it’ll have a better chance of surviving against Fox’s Dollhouse and ABC’s Ugly Betty. A special SNL Weekend Update will now run Thursdays at 8 p.m. to help prop up Amy Poehler’s ratings-challenged comedy Parks and Recreation at 8:30 p.m., while 30 Rock will temporarily move off the night to make way for Community, the new single-camera comedy about junior college life starring The Soup‘s Joel McHale and Chevy Chase. The Tina Fey laugher will be back in the winter.

Also this fall, Trauma — a drama about paramedics — will air after another season of Heroes on Mondays, while Parenthood — a small-screen take on the 1989 Ron Howard film of the same name — will lead into Law & Order: SVU on Wednesdays. And nothing’s changed at 10 p.m. (at least, since NBC last shocked Hollywood with the news): The Jay Leno Show is still airing in the primetime slot once reserved for (mostly) serious dramas.

Chuck is back and on Mondays this winter, along with the new high-concept drama Day One, about life after a global catastrophe. Also coming midseason: A new sitcom about a New York single gal called 100 Questions on Tuesdays, the nursing drama Mercy on Wednesdays, and an hour-long reality show from Jerry Seinfeld called The Marriage Ref on Sundays. Not coming back: My Name is Earl and Medium. “A couple of our shows were aging as we were getting younger,” explains NBC Entertainment Co-Chairman Ben Silverman. “And the demand for Chuck that came from online and the advertising base made us have to pick up that show. The other shows, there was not that kind of attention or energy.”

NBC FALL 2009 SCHEDULE

MONDAY
8-9 p.m. Heroes
9-10 p.m. Trauma
10-11 p.m. The Jay Leno Show

TUESDAY
8-10 p.m. ­ The Biggest Loser
10-11 p.m. The Jay Leno Show

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. Parenthood
9-10 p.m. ­Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
10-11 p.m. ­The Jay Leno Show

THURSDAY
8-8:30 p.m. ­ SNL Weekend Update Thursday (multi-episode run)
8:30-9 p.m. ­ Parks and Recreation
9-9:30 p.m. ­ The Office
9:30-10 p.m. ­ Community (moves to Thursdays 8-8:30 p.m. after 30 Rock returns)
10-11 p.m. The Jay Leno Show

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. ­Law & Order
9-10 p.m. ­Southland
10-11 p.m. ­The Jay Leno Show

SATURDAY
8-9 p.m. ­ Dateline NBC
9-10 p.m. ­ Trauma (encore broadcast)
10-11 p.m. ­ Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (encore broadcast)

SUNDAY
7-8:20 p.m. Football Night in America
8:20-11 p.m. NBC Sunday Night Football

NBC’s mid-season 2010 schedule after the jump.

NBC MID-SEASON 2010 SCHEDULE
(2010 WINTER OLYMPICS preempt regularly scheduled programming from February 12-28, 2010)

MONDAY
8-9 p.m. ­ Chuck (season premiere)
9-10 p.m. Day One
10-11 p.m. ­The Jay Leno Show

TUESDAY
8-9:30 p.m. ­The Biggest Loser
9:30-10 p.m. 100 Questions
10-11 p.m. The Jay Leno Show

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. ­Mercy
9-10 p.m. ­ Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
10-11 p.m. ­The Jay Leno Show

THURSDAY
8- 8:30 p.m. Community
8:30-9 p.m. ­ Parks and Recreation
9- 9:30 p.m. ­ The Office
9:30-10 p.m. ­ 30 Rock
10-11 p.m. The Jay Leno Show

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. ­ Law & Order
9-10 p.m. ­ Southland
10-11 p.m. ­The Jay Leno Show

SATURDAY
8-9 p.m. ­ Dateline NBC
9-10 p.m. ­ Southland (encore broadcast)
10-11 p.m. ­ Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (encore broadcast)

SUNDAY
7-8 p.m. ­ Dateline NBC
8-9 p.m. ­ The Marriage Ref
9-11 p.m. ­ The Celebrity Apprentice (season premiere)

More TV news:
ABC announces fall schedule, ‘Ugly Betty’ moves to Fridays
Fox announces fall schedule, acknowledges Whedon fans
The Ausiello Files, for the latest renewals and cancellations
Ausiello’s Fall TV cheat sheet
CBS picks up four new dramas, new Jenna Elfman comedy
Gallery: Inside the ‘NCIS’ spinoff
Q&A: Catching up with Alex O’Loughlin

READ FULL STORY »

May 19 2009 03:06 PM ET

Breaking: 'Earl, 'Unit' axed, 'Medium' moving to CBS

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Categories: My Name is Earl

Earlmediumunit_l
It’s been a busy morning. Let’s get to the headlines:

* NBC has pulled the plug on My Name is Earl. The show’s sidekick, Ethan Suplee, confirmed the news via Twitter. "Just got the call
that My Name Is Earl has been canceled," he wrote. "They sure did take their time
with that decision — or rather informing us of it." An Earl insider says execs at 20th Century (the show’s producer) are in discussions with Fox and ABC about picking up the four-year-old comedy.

* NBC has passed on ordering another season of Medium. However, CBS, which owns the show, is expected to pick it up and pair it on Fridays with Ghost Whisperer. 

* CBS is disbanding The Unit after four seasons. No talk of another network rescuing it.

My Fall TV Cheat Sheet has been updated to reflect all of these developments. 

For up-to-the-minute renewal-cancellation-pickup scuttlebutt throughout
upfront week, stay close to both my blog (the one you’re reading now!)
and Twitter feed. And to see the networks’ complete fall schedules, head to the Hollywood Insider blog.

More TV Scoop:
ABC cancels Samantha Who?
Katherine Heigl gunning for another Emmy
Lost‘s Juliet mystery solved?
ABC renews Castle, Better Off Ted
Burning Prison Break finale Qs answered
Fox renews Dollhouse

May 19 2009 01:53 PM ET

Scoop: ABC defends moving 'Ugly Betty' to Friday

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Categories: Ugly Betty

Uglebettyamerica_l_2
Ugly Betty fans are pretty peeved.

ABC’s announcement this morning that it’s banishing moving the once-mighty comedy to Fridays next season to make room for its buzzy new drama Flash Forward on Thursdays at 8 p.m. has elicited a chorus of “WTFs?!” from the show’s rabid followers. But Alphabet president Stephen McPherson insists shifting the show to the TV graveyard known as Friday should not be interpreted as a sign Betty is on her last legs.

“I love the show [and] America [Ferrera] is one of our biggest stars,” says McPherson. “[But] you look at [Betty's declining ratings on] Thursday night and we think we have a big opportunity with Flash Forward. You have to make some bold moves sometimes. To me, I’d love to see [Betty] have a great run on Friday night the way Ghost Whisperer has [for CBS].”

In other ABC scheduling news, McPherson confirmed the demise of Cupid, The Unusuals, According to Jim, Samantha Who?, and In the Motherhood. To track the status of all your favorite bubble shows, bookmark my Fall TV Cheat Sheet. To see ABC’s complete fall schedule, head to the Hollywood Insider blog. And for up-to-the-minute renewal-cancellation-pickup scuttlebutt throughout
upfront week, stay close to both my blog (the one you’re reading now!)
and Twitter feed.

More TV Scoop:
ABC cancels Samantha Who?
Katherine Heigl gunning for another Emmy
Lost‘s Juliet mystery solved?
ABC renews Castle, Better Off Ted
Burning Prison Break finale Qs answered
Fox renews Dollhouse

May 19 2009 01:14 PM ET

ABC announces fall schedule, 'Ugly Betty' moves to Fridays

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Categories: TV Biz

Abclineup_l
ABC will launch three new dramas and four comedies in
the fall, including an entirely new — and risky — lineup of shows on
Wednesday.

New comedies starring Kelsey Grammer (Hank) and
Patricia Heaton (The Middle) will lead off Wednesday, followed by
laughers featuring Ed O’Neill (Modern Family) and Courteney Cox (Cougar
Town) starting at 9 p.m. ET. The new drama Eastwick — a new take on the John
Updike tome The Witches of Eastwick — will air in the 10 p.m. slot. "We
really wanted to get back to family comedies," explains Stephen
McPherson, ABC’s entertainment president, of the 2-hour comedy block.
"We needed the next generation."

The new crime drama Forgotten airs at 10 p.m. on Tuesdays
behind Dancing With the Stars. Ugly Betty moves to Fridays at 9 p.m., behind
Supernanny, and the new Flash Forward — a high-concept drama about the
aftermath of a 2-minute blackout — leads off Thursdays. A reality show
from Mark Burnett called Shark Tank bows on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. (though it’ll
get an early launch this summer after the 10th anniversary of Who Wants
to Be a Millionaire). Scrubs and the sophomore show Better Off Ted
will air on Tuesdays after Dancing With the Stars completes its fall run
in November.

Gone is In the Motherhood, The Unusuals, According to Jim, Cupid,
and Samantha Who?. "I feel really responsible for that show," concedes
McPherson of the fledging sophomore laugher. "Christina Applegate is a
giant TV star. It was really frustrating. It launched well but ran out
of steam."

Midseason dramas include legal series The Deep End
and V, a re-imagining of the miniseries about the world’s encounter
with aliens. As for the new comedies, Hank‘s about a powerful
CEO-cum-family man who loses his job; The Middle is about a blue-collar
family in the midwest; Cougar Town is about a divorced mom living with
her teenager; and Modern Family focuses on several crazy clans.

Shark Tank gives would-be entrepreneurs a chance to turn their inventions into reality.

ABC’s fall primetime schedule:

MONDAY

8:00 p.m. Dancing With the Stars
10:00 p.m. Castle
       
TUESDAY

8:00 p.m. Shark Tank
9:00 p.m. Dancing With the Stars the Results Show
10:00 p.m. The Forgotten

WEDNESDAY   

8:00 p.m. Hank
8:30 p.m. The Middle   
9:00 p.m. Modern Family
9:30 p.m. Cougar Town
10:00 p.m. Eastwick

THURSDAY

8:00 p.m. Flash Forward
9:00 p.m. Grey’s Anatomy
10:00 p.m. Private Practice

FRIDAY:   

8:00 p.m. Supernanny
9:00 p.m. Ugly Betty
10:00 p.m. 20/20
       
SATURDAY   

8:00 p.m. Saturday Night College Football

SUNDAY   

7:00 p.m. America’s Funniest Home Videos
8:00 p.m. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9:00 p.m. Desperate Housewives
10:00 p.m. Brothers & Sisters

The Bachelor will air Monday nights from 8:00-10:00 p.m. 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 The Results Show.

More TV news:
Fox announces fall schedule, acknowledges Whedon fans
The Ausiello Files
Ausiello’s Fall TV cheat sheet
CBS picks up four new dramas, new Jenna Elfman comedy
Gallery: Inside the ‘NCIS’ spinoff
Q&A: Catching up with Alex O’Loughlin

May 19 2009 03:52 AM ET

'Lost' scoop: Juliet mystery (sort of) solved

by
Categories: Lost

Elizabethmitchell_lAnd now for some news that should surprise no one: ABC is expected to announce tomorrow that it has picked up a reboot of the camptastic ’80s thriller V and that Lost heroine Elizabeth Mitchell is a full-time castmember.

Translation: She will not be returning to Lost as a series regular.

However, before you go declaring Juliet DOA from last week’s detonated hydrogen bomb, I should point out that this piece of scoop comes with a big but attached: Mitchell’s Lost days are not done. Multiple sources confirm that the actress is expected to appear in an unspecified number of episodes next season, so it’s entirely possible Juliet survived Jughead and her absence will be explained in another way. (Check out Doc Jensen’s column this Wednesday for a comprehensive Juliet theorypalooza.)

What do you think happened to Juliet? And are you as bummed as I am that we’ll be seeing less of her next season? Sound off below!

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