Image Credit: G4
Can NBC wipeout rivals this summer?
The Peacock will air cult-favorite competition series American Ninja Warrior, the hardcore obstacle course competition show that typically runs on G4.
Officially, G4 and NBC will “partner” on the presentation, but the headline here is that NBC is getting into the obstacle course game at a time when ABC’s Wipeout is getting soft in the ratings. READ FULL STORY »
Justin Lubin/FOX
Sadly, there’s no new Glee tonight but Gleeks can get their fix with this new promo that Fox released for next week’s ginormous Michael Jackson tribute titled, appropriately enough, “Michael!” In the promo, cast members talk about paying homage to the pop icon, Blaine (Darren Criss) wears a sequin blazer, and Kurt (Chris Colfer) rocks what appears to be a man brooch! So much to look forward to!!! There also appears to be a Blaine/Santana face-off with the Warblers in the vein of Jacko’s “Bad.” Here’s the full track list…
Watch the preview below… READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Craig Sjodin/ABC
Though we’ve known sweet, Southern single mom Emily Maynard would be the next Bachelorette for a week, host Chris Harrison, who officially announced it on Good Morning America this morning, assures us it was only a done deal today. The producers have long been courting Maynard, he says. “We approached her. She was reluctant, and needed a lot of time to think about it, obviously, because there’s somebody else involved in her life, Ricki, her daughter. It was a huge decision. It wasn’t our usual approach to finding the Bachelorette,” he says. “We took it very slow. We had a lot of interviews. She had a lot of reservations, a lot of them centered around her daughter and how we’ll handle that — logistically, too, is she gonna come along? All that’s being worked out. But ultimately, she, like Ben [Flajnik] and even Brad [Womack], ironically enough, knows that she can trust us. It means a lot to me, honestly, that someone like an Emily will come back. It says a lot about this franchise and what we do. Yes, we have dramas and tears, and if you saw The Bachelor last night, the show can be crazy, but at its core, it is a good thing and it works. That’s why these people come back.”
Below, Harrison, who also blogs each episode of The Bachelor for EW.com, talks about how Maynard’s season will be different and what Bentley Williams, the villain from Ashley Hebert’s Bachelorette season, would have to do if he really wanted to contend for Emily’s hand. (That is all conjecture at this point, Harrison says.) Come back on Monday, when Harrison talks about the current season of The Bachelor, and by that, we mean Courtney versus Emily. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Images NCIS: LA
With a re-election bid in the balance, critics are ready to hear Obama answer on a number of issues that have made decidedly less progress than anticipated in the past year, and several more issues he plans to tackle in 2012. The contents of the President’s hour-long speech will no doubt dominate the headlines tomorrow. So if you want to be in the know, we have a guide for the offerings on all the major networks for one of politics’ biggest nights — one of the rare nights on TV you’re likely not to see Ryan Seacrest’s talking head. (And God bless America for that.) Read on for the lineup — and if you’re someone who, say, just reads the recaps, there’s a little in here for you, too.
8 PM HOUR
MSNBC and CNN all begin their special coverage. Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper will helm the latter, while Rachel Maddow will steer the ship on MSNBC.
Fox News will slip into coverage around 8:55 p.m. with Bret Baier, according to MediaBistro.
9 PM HOUR
Pick a channel. Any channel. Scott Pelley’s on CBS, Brian Williams is on NBC, Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos are on ABC, and Shepard Smith is on Fox.
But if you’re really, really averse to watching the president speak (“Not to worry. Twitter will tell me how to feel about it all!” — horrible person) or don’t allow yourself deep thought after 8 p.m., there’s a new episode of Jane By Design on ABC Family (for tweens), Dance Moms on Lifetime (for people who want to see moms scarier than theirs), Dirty Jobs on Discovery (for people who need a little reminder that it can always get worse), and Joan and Melissa: John Knows Best on WE (for fans of puppetry).
10 PM HOUR
Post-show begins, following the Republican response, with Cooper anchoring CNN’s analysis starting at 10:30 p.m. until midnight. Greta Van Susteren will host a special half-hour On the Record, with Sean Hannity taking over at 11 p.m.
ABC, CBS, and FOX conclude their coverage at 10:30 (Fox will go into local news, while ABC and CBS will air repeats of Modern Family and The Big Bang Theory, respectively), and NBC’s coverage ends at 11.
In unrelated programming, TLC will have the one-hour 3rd season finale of Extreme Couponing: All Stars, the finale of Flashpoint is on ION, the second episode of Justified is on FX (read about the premiere here), and Southland is on TNT.
Where will you be tonight, readers?
Image Credit: Richard Forman/ABC
You would think that after last week’s traumatizing arrest, things would finally start to get a little easier for Emmett (Sean Berdy). But if anything, they’re about to get worse — especially when it comes to his relationship with Bay (Vanessa Marano).
Though the couple started the season off strong, the honeymoon is about to end in tonight’s new episode, as the emotional repercussions from Emmett’s arrest finally force them confront the fact that they come from two very different worlds — hearing and deaf. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Todd Williamson/WireImage.com
Things are about to get a little strange on the final season of In Plain Sight.
Mädchen Amick, better known as Twin Peaks‘ Shelly Johnson, is set for a guest role on the fifth and final season of the USA series starring Mary McCormack, EW has learned exclusively. Amick will play associate director Lisa Ruffino, the second in command at WITSEC, who, according to casting intel, “is a savvy political operator who comes to Albuquerque with news about the office.” Well, that sounds nice and ominous. She will appear in the March 23 episode.
This is not the first USA series in which Amick has appeared. Earlier this season she had a guest spot on White Collar, although, oddly, was not among the cast members to appear in the Twin Peaks-themed episode of Psych, which reunited a number of original cast members. Her other credits include roles on Damages, Californication, and Gossip Girl.
In Plain Sight returns March 16.
Read more:
USA cancels ‘In Plain Sight’
Photo Gallery: 10 TV Shows That Changed TV Since the ’90s
Image Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images
NBC’s comedy development for fall of 2012 was put into high gear today, as it picked up multiple pilots — one of which would return Roseanne Barr to her (with any luck) blue-collar best and another that fairs from the crazy head of Jimmy Fallon.
Barr will headline Downwardly Mobile, a project from former Roseanne scribe Eric Gilliland (and Barr, natch) that will have the comedienne playing the “proprietor of a mobile home park and surrogate mother to all of the unique people who live there in a challenging economy.” It’s a multi-camera sitcom from 20th Century Fox TV.
Meanwhile, Fallon is jumping into the comedy biz with an untitled comedy about three 30-something guys who “enjoy the adventures of parenting despite the fact they haven’t grown up themselves.” (He’s the exec producer). There is also a pilot called Animal Kingdom, a single-camera workplace comedy from Brian Gatewood and Alex Tanaka about a “House-like veterinarian who loves animals but usually hates their owners.” READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Jack Guy/CBS
Usually, it would take a stronger person than myself to resist the charms of Simon Baker. But I was able to compose myself enough to bring to you this special Mentalist-centric episode of Spoiler Room: Video Edition.
In it, Baker, who was in town on a frigid New York morning, takes some of your burning questions, like what’s coming up for Patrick Jane and Lisbon and whether or not he thinks Lisbon will find herself in Red John’s crosshairs this season.
Hope y’all enjoy it! And if you didn’t get a chance to submit a question, weep not. Your next chance is…NOW! Tomorrow I’ll be chatting with The Good Wife‘s Archie Panjabi for the next installment. (My first question? “Can I have your boots?”) So send your spoilery q’s to spoilerroom@ew.com or ping me on Twitter! Till next time.
Image Credit: Getty Images
British actor Tom Riley has landed the lead role in Starz’s upcoming series that re-imagines Leonardo da Vinci as a young superhero.
Riley is best-known in the UK as a stage actor. He’s also appeared in the drama series Monroe and the film A Few Days in September. He’ll take on the role of da Vinci in Starz’s historical fantasy. Demons follows “the ‘untold’ story of the world’s greatest genius during his turbulent youth in Renaissance Florence. Brilliant and passionate, the twenty five-year old da Vinci is an artist, inventor, swordsman, lover, dreamer and idealist.”
The eight-episode series will launch in 2013.
Read more:
Hottest TV projects of 2012: ‘Bewitched,’ ‘Under the Dome,’ ‘Flintstones,’ more
Image Credit: Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic.com
Steve Buscemi is back on the case: The Boardwalk Empire actor will appear in the Feb. 16 episode of 30 Rock, series creator/star Tina Fey tells EW. Buscemi — who has guest-starred on the NBC comedy multiple times and directed an episode — will not only reprise his role as private detective Len Wosniak, he’ll also helm this installment. Notes Fey of the plot: “After Jack (Alec Baldwin) gets mugged, he tries to reach out to his connections on the police force, [saying,] ‘I know Commissioner Ray Kelly. We have a column in IRISH ARGUMENTS WEEKLY, the only all-caps magazine. But he hasn’t gotten back to me on this.’ Jack wants Len to help him form a private police force where the salary starts at $5 million, so the police have the same interest in protecting the rich.”
Other guest stars on 30 Rock‘s sixth season include Mary Steenburgen, Emma Stone, Andy Samberg, Will Arnett, and Kristen Schaal.
Read more:
Emma Stone, Andy Samberg, and Nick Cannon to guest on ’30 Rock’ — EXCLUSIVE
’30 Rock’ takes on Tracy Morgan’s antigay comedy routine — VIDEO
‘30 Rock’ recap: Idiots are people two!
Tracy Morgan: ‘I know bullying can hurt’
Image Credit: Tommaso Boddi/WireImage.com
An eccentric psychic is about to return to Salem.
EW has learned exclusively that Beverly Todd (Crash, Bucket List) will join NBC’s Days of Our Lives as Celeste, the nutty mom of Lexie Carver (Renee Jones). She will fill the role previously played by Tanya Boyd since 1994.
Todd will first appear on April 3 for a multi-episode arc. Here’s how the producers described Celeste when they put out the call for a “gorgeous African-American female” to play the character now: “Celeste is a unique character in every way. She has had a very sordid past with many errors in judgment. Celeste is a tarot card reader and somewhat of a fortune teller although usually tends to have visions of doom for people. She has a strong bond with her daughter and grandson and she is very protective of them. She comes back to Salem to be with her family and help keep them safe.”
Here’s a shot from the set:
Image Credit: Discovery
The Mythbusters team is launching a new show in which contestants build elaborate contraptions that would make Rube Goldberg proud.
Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman will executive producer and judge a new series from BermanBraun and Discovery Studios called Unchained Reaction. In the six-part series, two teams of varying backgrounds (like artists, rocket scientists, animatronic specialists, and engineers) race against each other to build elaborate chain reaction contraptions. “Mechanical movements, pyrotechnics, and large-scale destruction are encouraged,” according to Discovery. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Scott Green/NBC; Bob Mahoney/The CW; Sonja Flemming
Howdy, roomies.
Lots to get to this week and I’m a bit under the weather, so I’ll make this brief. Got a question? E-mail me: spoilerroom@ew.com. Like your news fast? Follow me on Twitter:
Follow @EWSandraG
Want some scoop? Read on…
‘GRIMM’: BOSSES TEASE ‘BIG CONSEQUENCES’ FOR MONROE, CAPT. RENARD REVEALS
One of Grimm‘s most fascinating characters is in for some big-time trouble. READ FULL STORY »
James Hibberd
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Lynette Rice
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