UPDATED: The creator of the most-watched drama on TV is suing CBS for making a successful spin-off of his hit series.
JAG and NCIS executive producer Don Bellisario filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit Thursday against producer CBS TV Studios for making NCIS: Los Angeles, which airs back-to-back with NCIS on Tuesday nights. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Mitch Haddad/ABC
Gee, what would have happened if it were opposite an original of Glee? The premiere of Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution on ABC only managed to post a 1.4 rating/4 share among adults 18-49 — down 36% from last season’s Sunday premiere on March 21, according to early results. It averaged a 5.3 million and was ultimately crushed in viewers by NCIS (19.2 million) and The Biggest Loser (which averaged 7.1 million over two hours).
CBS ended up winning the night in the demo (3.0/8) and viewers (15.5 million), with NCIS earning a 3.8/12, followed by NCIS: LA (3.3/9, 15.3 million) and The Good Wife (2.0/5, 10.9 million). NBC came in second in the demo (2.4/7) with Loser earning a 2.6/7 and Parenthood posting a 5% gain to a 2.0/5 (you just had to have sex, didn’t you Haddie?). The drama attracted 5 million.
ABC finished third in key demo because of the Dancing With The Stars results show (3.0/8, 15.4 million) and Body of Proof (up 4% from last week to a 2.5/7, and 11.1 million). Fox aired repeats of Glee and Raising Hope, though that was an original of Traffic Light (not that you saw it: it ony posted a .9/2 and 2.2 million). CW also aired reruns.
Wanna be the captain of the Enterprise. Wanna be the king of the Zulus. @EWLynette
Image Credit: Monty Brinton/CBS
In a series first, tech operator Eric Beale (Barrett Foa) goes undercover tonight on CBS’ NCIS: Los Angeles to ensure classified technology remains secure after a rocket-engine expert is killed. (“They let the monkey out of his cage,” Foa jokes. “They promptly put him back in.”) The most obvious change was wardrobe. He got to temporarily trade in Eric’s standard surfer-dude flip-flops and shorts. “I’d look in the mirror and say, ‘Oh my God, I’m actually [wearing] shoes with laces and long pants. Who am I?’ My ankles have never been so warm.” But there was also the joy of location shooting. “I think the only time that Eric has been out of the ops center was to take Abby Sciuto [Pauley Perrette] from NCIS on a date, and she promptly got kidnapped on his watch. I think he was more successful this time,” he laughs. Really? The story called for filming in the desert, at an airport hangar, and on a farm. “There’s a horse that won’t behave — neighing and bucking during takes, and some guy with a stick chasing chickens trying to get them in the shot,” he recalls. “I was like, ‘This is different than the computer room in the ops center.’” READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Zumapress
Claire Forlani has just been cast in CBS’ NCIS: Los Angeles in a recurring role this season, and the big news is her character description: Forlani plays Lauren Hunter, the NCIS: LA team’s new Operations Manager.
Which raises a crucial question: What does this mean for Hetty?
Hunter is described as attractive, authoritative, cool and calculating: “She rarely lets her guard down, but when she does she reveals a dangerous quality that suggests she is much more than your run-of-the mill operations manager.” READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Claire Folger/ABC
Many of the Dancing with the Stars’ fans stuck around to see Body of Proof, the new Dana Delany drama that has her playing an icy medical examiner. The series earned an admirable 3.0 rating/8 share in the demo and 13.8 million viewers – enough for it to beat The Good Wife on CBS and Parenthood on NBC, according to early results.
Speaking of the Julianna Margulies drama, the Braverman clan seems to be catching up to her: Wife and Parenthood both earned a 1.9/5 in the demo, which was a series low for the CBS series. Wife averaged an 9.9 million while Parenthood lured 4.7 million (that’s all?).
After airing a special dubbed Dancing With The Stars: The Story So Far (?), the DWTS results show earned a 4.2/11 and 18.8 million viewers — enough to help ABC win the night in the demo (3.3/9) and total folks (15.1 million). CBS was second with a 3.1/8 and 14.4 million, with originals of NCIS (3.8/11, 18.2 million) and NCIS: LA (3.5/9, 15.2 million). Fox aired repeats of Glee and Raising Hope, followed by an original of Traffic Light (1.1/3, 2.6 million).
The CW aired repeats of One Tree Hill and Hellcats.
Image Credit: Danny Feld/ABC; Joseph Viles/Fox; Prashant Gupta/FX
Happy Tuesday, all! What’s so happy about it, you ask? Well, I’ve got info aplenty on several of your favorite shows. You want more? Don’t be shy. Send all questions/musings/flattery to: spoilerroom@ew.com and @EWSandraG, then come back Friday for the goods. ‘Till then! READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Liane Hentscher/Fox; Brian Bowen Smith/Fox; NBC 
Below is what I’ve dug up this week, but remember that I use your inquiries as a guide. Let me know what shows you want to know about! And you can do so (as always) in two ways: via e-mail spoilerroom@ew.com and via Twitter @EWSandraG.
FRINGE: EPS TEASE TRIPPIEST EPISODE SINCE ‘BROWN BETTY’
Full disclosure: I was originally going to preview tonight’s episode of Fringe for you, but honestly, I’m in such a pleasant mood over the renewal that I say we move on to bigger matters, like episode 19, airing April 15.
Before the big news, Jeff Pinkner and Joel H. Wyman hopped on the phone with me to tease an episode I’ve been dying to know more about ever since I heard a rumor that it would be Astrid-centered, which, it turns out, isn’t entirely the case. Oh, I’ll just let them explain. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Frank Micelotta/Fox; Fox; Nickelodeo; Kelsey McNea
Steven Tyler and J. Lo don’t necessarily appeal to everybody who watches TV.
American Idol may be the most popular show in all of TV – the Wednesday editions have averaged 25.8 million viewers while the ones on Thursday pull in 24.2 million. But the singing competition doesn’t hog all the glory in the house of Nielsen – especially when it comes to specific demographics like kids, young men, and adults over 50.
So we did some digging! The following results are based on a survey of all shows between Sept. 20 and March 6. (We singled out the male demos versus the female ones since they’re the toughest group for advertisers to reach): READ FULL STORY »
In a first-of-its-kind partnership with a major TV show, the popular photo-sharing app Instagram is teaming with NCIS: Los Angeles on a venture that will have the cast sharing on-set snapshots with fans (and vice versa).
The “Flaunt Your City” campaign starts Thursday and encourages fans to send in pics of their hometown for the chance for one of them to appear on the show’s May 17th season finale. Meanwhile cast members will be taking their own on-set pics and sharing them too (see samples below). READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Michael Becker/Fox; Bob D'Amico/ABC; Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images; Greg Gayne/CBSThe 2010-11 season is more than half over, so it’s time to check in to see what you people are watching (or avoiding like the plague).
The news isn’t that great for the Big Four: From the Sept. 20 start of the season through Feb. 13, every net except the CW is down among adults 18-49, the most important demographic to advertisers. CBS is posting the biggest drop at 12 percent, followed by ABC (11 percent), Fox (8 percent) and NBC (4 percent). The CW, in comparison, is up 11 percent (though that’s not exactly the sand box that the teen-loving network likes to play in). If it’s any consolation, the collective adult 18-49 rating for all of TV — and we mean every last network — is down 2 percent versus a year ago, so its not just the broadcast nets that may be taking a hit. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Monty Brinton/CBSFor the love of Mark Harmon, would you look at those ratings for NCIS! The veteran CBS drama posted a series record in viewers on Tuesday – a whopping 22.7 million – and also earned its best adult 18-49 rating (4.6/12) since October of 2009, according to preliminary ratings. As a result, CBS slaughtered the competition in viewers (17.5 million) and 18-49 (3.5/9) for the night. Each 18-49 ratings point equals 1.3 million viewers.
Then again, CBS didn’t have a helluva lot of competition in the 8 p.m. time slot. Fox aired a repeat of Glee and ABC went with an oldie of No Ordinary Family, so Harmon and Co. only had to do battle with The Biggest Loser, which also posted a tidy gain over the previous week by earning a 3.3/8 — up 3% — and 9.1 million.
The rest of CBS’s schedule rocked, too. NCIS: LA earned a 3.8/9 — up 15% — and 17.7 million, while The Good Wife grabbed a 2.2/6 – up 5% — and 12.1 million. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Art Streiber/NBCMan, originals of The Biggest Loser, No Ordinary Family, V, and Parenthood were no match for the NCIS franchise: CBS won Tuesday in adults 18-49 (3.2 rating/9 share) and viewers (16.5 million), thanks to those men and women from NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles. Granted, both dramas were down (NCIS earned a 4.1/11, down 9 percent, while LA earned a 3.3/9, down 11 percent), but the network still ruled in most key demos for the night. Each 18-49 ratings point equals 1.3 million.
The Good Wife only did so-so ratings, earning a 2.1/6 in the demo — which ties it with its season low. READ FULL STORY »
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 »
James Hibberd
@James_Hibberd
Lynette Rice
@EWLynette
