UPDATED 6/24 We’ve got a handy guide to when your favorite — and soon-to-be-favorite — broadcast shows debut, like Big Brother, Wipeout, and Mark Burnett’s newest venture, Expedition Impossible. Read on for more!
June 23
Expedition Impossible (ABC, series premiere)
Rookie Blue (ABC, season premiere)
Wipeout (ABC, season premiere)
Image Credit: ABC
Mark Burnett’s new adventure competition series Expedition Impossible debuted as the top-rated show Thursday night.
Expedition benefited from a lack of competition during the evening, delivering a summer-solid 7 million viewers and a 2.3 rating among adults 18-49. That tied its lead-in Wipeout (7.5 million, 2.3) as the highest-rated show. The return of cop series Rookie Blue (5.9 million, 1.6) underperformed at 10 p.m.
Networks aired mostly repeats. Fox had So You Think You Can Dance (6.3 million, 1.9), down 14 percent this week. Also, NBC aired Love Bites (2 million, 0.8), down 20 percent.
Read more:
‘So You Think You Can Dance’ recap: Can You Save Me?
Image Credit: Donna Svennevik/ABC/Getty Images
Another notable resident of Pine Valley will be making a surprise return to All My Children to help bid farewell to the sudser. ABC announced today that Carol Burnett will return for a few episodes this September. She’ll reprise her role as Verla Grubbs, who first appeared in the fictitious soap town in 1983 as the long-lost daughter of Langley Wallingford (the late Louis Edmonds).
Burnett returned to AMC in 1995 for the show’s 25th Anniversary. She’ll play Verla opposite Susan Lucci (Erica Kane), and Jill Larson (Opal Cortlandt) for one of the show’s final episodes this fall. “It is our honor and pleasure to welcome back Carol Burnett to Pine Valley. Verla Grubbs is a beloved member of the All My Children family and we look forward to reprising her character,” said Executive Producer Julie Hanan Carruthers in a statement.
Read more on All My Children’s final days:
Eva La Rue returns to AMC
Josh Duhamel returns to AMC
ABC cancels AMC and OLTL
Let’s say goodbye to Pine Valley together! Follow me @EWLynette
Image Credit: NBC (4)
Dia! Javier! Vicci! Beverly! We have our Voice final four. But were they the worthy winners of the latest round? And which one should and will take home the title next week? Jessica Shaw joins me on this week’s InsideTV Podcast to break down the finalists and their chances for victory. Plus, we grade the coaches on their performance this season and ask the question: Is Carson Daly the worst reality host ever? Then, we bring in critic Ken Tucker to sort out the best and worst of summer TV. What’s his favorite new show? What’s his least favorite new entry? And what returning show has him jazzed beyond belief? We also give our take on the return of True Blood. We’ve seen the first three episodes. Listen in to hear what we think. READ FULL STORY »
Keith Olbermann responded to complaints that his 63-minute show on Current TV was forcing viewers to choose between his show and that of his protege, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow. Olbermann’s new program doesn’t go head-to-head with Maddow’s program, but its final three minutes overlap with the first three of Maddow’s at 9 p.m. Three days after essentially saying, “Too bad, it’s a competition,” Olbermann reversed course. “At @current we’ll soon have a 9 PM companion commentary show to mine,” tweeted Olbermann. “But in the interim there is no reason for me to be overlapping with my friend Rachel, nor to ignore the wishes of those who’ve been so loyal to both of us for so long. We’ve heard you: as of tomorrow night Countdown finishes at 9. Bonus stuff will instead go to Countdown Online. Thanks for upsiding my head on this 
“
Read more:
Keith Olbermann’s new show draws modest viewership
Olbermann brings ‘Countdown’ to Current
Image Credit: Giovanni Rufino/Showtime
Hello, Spoiler Roomies! As you read this I’m getting eaten alive by mosquitoes in my motherland (Texas). But I’ve taken a break from vacation to bring you a spoiler-filled Q&A with Weeds creator Jenji Kohan about season 7 (kicks off Monday!), which will hopefully tide you over until I can return and answer a ton of your questions.
On that note, remember to send any and all inquiries to spoilerrooom@ew.com (note the two “r”s) or Tweet them to me at @EWSandraG. I’m still off next week, but I’ll see you the week after! Until then! READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Cliff Lipson/CBS
It’s not like Parvati Shallow is short on money, having already won over a million dollars courtesy of three appearances on Survivor (including winning Survivor: Micronesia). But that won’t stop the cheapskate from trying to travel the globe without paying a single penny. Starting on July 5th, she’ll be starring on CBS.com’s Around the World For Free, taking over for previous host Jeff Schroeder (of Big Brother and Amazing Race fame). On the show, Parvati will spend 100 days on the road — with rides, shelter, and meals provided by viewers themselves. (She gets four free flights along the way to handle longer journeys.) Viewers will also help determine where Parvati goes next on her journey via an online interactive map at cbs.com/world. I talked with the Survivor champ/minx to get the lowdown on her latest adventure. READ FULL STORY »
HBO’s Game of Thrones has made its first casting hire for season 2:
Natalie Dormer, who memorably played the seductive and doomed Anne Boleyn on Showtime’s The Tudors, has been added to the fantasy drama’s regular cast.
Dormer will play Margaery Tyrell, a (minor spoiler alert) beautiful and shrewd young woman from the influential House Tyrell. She’s pledged to marry the late King Robert’s brother, Renly Baratheon, as part of House Tyrell’s support for his bid to seize the Iron Throne from King Joffrey.
In addition to The Tudors (where, appropriately enough for joining the decapitation-filled Thrones, her character was beheaded) Dormer is also appearing in the upcoming Captain America.
UPDATE: Here’s who will play Davos and here’s who is cast for Melisandre and Stannis.
READ MORE:
Game of Thrones finale hits season high
Game of Thrones season finale recap! Plus: We list the best & worst episodes, acting, fights and sex scenes from season one
‘Game of Thrones’ producers talk season finale surprises
Game of Thrones epic final photo
Image Credit: Ian Derry/Fox
Simon Cowell’s much-anticipated new music reality competition, The X Factor, will finally arrive on Sept. 21, Fox has announced. The show will debut with a two-hour premiere on a Wednesday night, to be followed the following night by another two-hour episode.
Fox also confirmed the premiere dates for its entire fall season, after the jump:
Saturday, Sept. 10
8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT COPS (Season Premiere)
8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT COPS (Encore Episode)
Sunday, Sept. 18
8:00-11:00 PM ET/ 63RD PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS (Live Telecast)
5:00-8:00 PM PT READ FULL STORY »
UPDATED, 6/23 Ready for Breaking Bad to return? Or perhaps True Blood is more your cup of tea? Read on to find about those and other (The Rachel Zoe Project! Jersey Shore!) summer premieres for basic and premium cable TV:
Are you ready to bid farewell to HBO’s Entourage? The final eight episodes get underway July 24 and EW has your first look at the show’s lovely final season poster / marketing campaign ad. Here are the boys, one last time, ready to say goodbye to Hollywood… READ FULL STORY »
James Hibberd
@James_Hibberd
Lynette Rice
@EWLynette
