Image Credit: ShowtimeShowtime has renewed Dexter, its top-rated drama series, for a sixth season. The network made the announcement in advance of Dec. 12′s season 5 finale. The show scored its second-best audience ever on Nov. 28, with 2.54 million viewers. That’s just shy of the 2.57 million who tuned in for the shocking season 4 finale, and up 43 percent from its season 5 premiere (1.77 million).
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The Walking Dead has stopped walking (and shambling, and lying about going “Uuurgh!”), at least for now. Last night’s first season finale of AMC’s zombie show ended with a bang, literally, as the CDC blew itself up, incinerating both Jeryl Prescott’s Jacqui and Noah Emmerich’s Dr. Jenner. But what did Jenner whisper to Rick? Could Rick and his fellow survivors be heading to France (home of fine wine, foul cigarettes and, it seems, top notch zombie experts)? Will Michael Rooker’s Merle return in season two? And is my heterosexual man-crush on Norman Reedus’ Daryl getting way out of hand?
We put all these questions, and so many more, to Robert Kirkman, writer of the Walking Dead comic book and an executive producer of the show.
See that over there? That’s the end of Dexter‘s fifth season, peeking around the corner, holding a needle behind its back, waiting anxiously for you. The only thing standing between you and it is Sunday’s “Hop a Freighter,” the second-to-last episode of the year. Craving a preview of the action? You’ve come to the right blog post. We give you four teases from Dexter executive producer Manny Coto—and two exclusive clips from the episode.
Image Credit: FoxThe Simpsons would like to wish you a very Perry Christmas: The animated Fox comedy’s holiday episode on Dec. 5 includes a special live-action segment that features pop star Katy Perry hamming it up with Simpsons characters that have been transformed into puppets. Can’t wait until Sunday to get a peek at Perry and the puppets? You may open this present early: Two exclusive clips from the episode! But first, let’s hear about the plot that brings Perry into the world of Homer & Co. “Maggie has a Muppet-type DVD that no one will let her watch, so she has this puppet dream with the Simpsons, and Katy Perry shows up the way Elton John would on The Muppet Show,” Simpsons executive producer Al Jean tells EW. Clad in a flashy red dress that would have stressed out the folks at Sesame Street, Perry sings “The 39 Days of Christmas” with the Simpsons, Mr. Burns, and Moe, who, believe it or not, is her boyfriend. “Moe can’t actually reach her — he’s too short — so there’s a slightly risqué joke at the end of the show,” hints Jean. “Don’t tune out during the credits.” The episode, which is titled “The Fight Before Christmas,” also boasts an appearance by (an animated) Martha Stewart.
Next week is Community‘s Christmas special, which — in perhaps the greatest idea ever — has been lovingly rendered with stop-motion animation (a.k.a. claymation). EW has the exclusive first look at three clips from the episode, plus three behind-the-scene vignettes depicting how the animation was produced. The answer: Very slowly. In the episode, Abed (Danny Pudi) wakes up in stop-motion animation, realizes he’s stuck in a Christmas special, and thereby resolves to discover the true meaning of the holiday. Meanwhile, Jeff (Joel McHale) and Britta (Gillian Jacobs) worry about Abed’s fixation on Christmas, and the entire study group subsequently undergoes hypnosis to enter Abed’s “Winter Wonderland.”
Yeah, makes no sense to me either, but I’m jazzed about seeing stop-motion animation — a dying art form — showcased on primetime television. And just look at how adorable the gang’s claymation doppelgangers are! (Although Britta appears to have stepped straight out of Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride.) After the jump, check out two exclusive clips from the episode, one bonus clip that hopefully explains what the heck is going on, and three featurettes on the episode with actors Danny Pudi (“I’m looking at a drawer of my mouth!”), Joel McHale (who provides a sample of his singing talents), and Chevy Chase (who seems to believe that stop-motion animation involves drawing). Community‘s Christmas special airs Dec. 9 on NBC. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Vivian Zink/NBCNBC has scaled back its full-season order on the U.S. Marshal drama Chase from 22 to 18 episodes, EW has confirmed. An insider stressed that the reduction does not mean the drama has been canceled, though the series isn’t exactly raking in the big audiences: The freshman show has only posted a 1.9 rating in adults 18-49 and 6.5 million viewers. (Each 18-49 point represents 1.3 million people). It is still considered a full-season order for Chase, which will move to Wednesdays beginning Jan. 12.
The drama stars Kelli Giddish, Cole Hauser and Jesse Metcalfe and is from Warner Bros. TV.
Image Credit: Eric McCandless/ABC; Justin Lubin/Fox; Richard Cartwright/CBS; Eric McCandless/ABCWe’ve already seen the death of six new shows (Lone Star, My Generation, The Whole Truth, Undercovers, Outlaw and Running Wilde, though Fox hasn’t officially canceled the latter) as well as the departure of some old ones (So long, Medium! Looks like you’re out the door, too, Life Unexpected!) So it probably shouldn’t come as any surprise that HUT levels among CBS, NBC, Fox and ABC (that’s “homes using television”) are down 3 percent this year (from 39.7 million to 38.5 million).
Does that mean there weren’t enough good shows to watch on the Big Four this fall? Glee, Modern Family and The Good Wife fans would probably disagree, but it’s never good when so many freshman series tank before the holidays. Here’s how all the shows ranked in total viewers from Sept. 20 to Nov. 28:
1. NCIS (CBS) 21.3 million
2. Dancing with the Stars (ABC) 21.2 million
3. NFL Sunday (NBC) 20.2 million
4. Dancing with the Stars results (ABC) 18.5 million
5. NCIS: LA (CBS) 17.4 million
6. The Mentalist (CBS) 17.3 million
7. Criminal Minds (CBS) 16.2 million
8. CSI (CBS) 15.9 million
9. Two and A Half Men (CBS) 15.5 million
10. NFL Sunday pre-kickoff (NBC) 15.2 million
11. The Big Bang Theory (CBS) 15 million
12. Modern Family (ABC) 14.7 million
13. Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) 14.6 million
14. Hawaii Five-0 (CBS) 14 million
15. 60 Minutes (CBS) 13.9 million
16. The Good Wife (CBS) 13.7 million
17. Survivor: Nicaragua (CBS) 13.3 million
18. Blue Bloods (CBS) 13.25 million
19. Desperate Housewives (ABC) 13.22 million
20. Castle (ABC) 13 million READ FULL STORY »
Viacom is appealing a June court ruling that stated YouTube and Google Inc. had not violated federal copyright rules by enabling users to upload pirated content to the website, the Los Angeles Times reports. The appeal argues that YouTube and its founders broke the law in order to invite traffic; Viacom had asked for over $1 billion in damages when first arguing the case. Back in June, a U.S. District Court judge in the Southern District of New York ruled that YouTube had not violated the law, since they removed the videos after discovering that pirated content was online. Some of Viacom’s programming in question includes The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, South Park, and MTV Cribs.
Image Credit: Jerod Harris/Getty Images; AMCIn an interview with EW, The Walking Dead executive producer Gale Anne Hurd (The Terminator, Aliens) denies reports that director Frank Darabont fired the hit AMC show’s writing staff. She also confirmed that all of the principal cast — or, presumably, the actors whose characters are still alive at the end of this Sunday’s season finale — are signed up for multiple seasons of the zombie show.
Earlier this week, Deadline reported that Shawshank Redemption filmmaker Frank Darabont — who developed the Walking Dead for television and directed the pilot — had let go the show’s writers, including Murder One co-creator Charles “Chic” Eglee. But earlier today, Hurd refuted that allegation. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Ray Mickshaw/FOXYou saw in the preview for next week’s Bones that this is the episode where Brennan realizes she made a big mistake when she turned down Booth (dial 1-800-finally on your touch-tone phone). But what happens after to the calculated, emotionally closed squint queen following her long-awaited realization? Emily Deschanel braved a conference call of reporters to tell us what to expect following the big episode, the next time we’ll see the gravedigger, and what’s to come for Booth and Hannah. (It’s not good news, Hannah haters.) Here are the highlights: READ FULL STORY »
Oscar-winning actor Jeremy Irons (Reversal of Fortune) will make his first appearance in a network TV series, when he guest stars on Law & Order: SVU early in 2011, according to NBC. His character, Dr. Cap Jackson, is a sex therapist who runs a sex-addiction clinic.
The agents on The CW’s Nikita aren’t the only folks who are able to obtain top-secret information. EW has infiltrated the show’s production office (or maybe just talked to executive producer Craig Silverstein) and has tons of juicy info on the action series’ upcoming plotlines. SPOILER ALERT! Look for Lyndsy Fonseca’s Alex to finally get out of Division’s lair. “Alex will be graduating from recruit to full Division agent, but it will come at a terrible cost,” says Silverstein. “After our winter break hiatus, there will be a major shift in the show as Nikita and Alex will be working together on the OUTSIDE. No more recruit pajamas! No more Stephen Hawking computer voice! Like Nikita before her, Alex will be out in the real world, with her own apartment, wardrobe, and car.” Also, Alex will be getting a new potential love interest in the form of soap star Thad Luckinbill, who actually played Fonseca’s love interest years ago on The Young and the Restless. Luckinbill’s first appearance will be on the Jan. 27 episode. Also popping up in a guest role, look for Roswell‘s Brendan Fehr in February.
Meanwhile, we’ll get to know a little more about Alex’s mentor Nikita (Maggie Q). Says Silverstein, “We will reveal the location and origin of Nikita’s lair, and yes — we’ll learn where she got all her ‘money.’ It may not be as much as you think… ” Plus, “Nikita and Michael’s relationship will take another turn, bringing them closer in an unexpected way.”
And, perhaps the most exciting plot point we were able to get out of Silverstein: “There will be sex. On this show. Finally.”
Image Credit: ShowtimeAmid news of stronger-than-ever ratings, it is being reported that Dexter is set to return for season 6. (Showtime has yet to issue a confirmation.)
With two episodes to go this season, the show earned 2.54 million viewers last week, a hair behind the series high of 2.57 million set by the season 4 finale. The shows ratings performance is especially encouraging considering the show was charged this season with producing material strong enough to follow the Trinity plotline, led by an Emmy Award-winning performance from John Lithgow. If the numbers are any indication, the trifecta of guest stars they responded with, including Julia Stiles, Peter Weller, and Jonny Lee Miller as Jordan Chase, seems to have done the job.
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‘Dexter’ recap: Sex, Lies, and Videotape
James Hibberd
@James_Hibberd
Lynette Rice
@EWLynette
