ION Television Acquires Chicago P.D.; TCA Summer 2018 Press Tour: ABC

Wednesday, August 08, 2018

ION Television Acquires Chicago P.D.; TCA Summer 2018 Press Tour: ABC

ION Media announced a long-term content deal with NBCUniversal Television Distribution to bring the top-rated drama Chicago P.D. to its flagship network, ION Television. From Dick Wolf's highly successful Chicago franchise, the series is a top-10 drama on broadcast television in A25-54 and A18-49 and is the #1 series in its time period (Wed/10p) in all key demos this season. The agreement gives ION seasons 1-5 (106 episodes) of Chicago P.D., which will make its network debut in early 2019, plus the option for future seasons.

ION Television will also add season 17 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit to its programming lineup this fall. The series continues to be a top performer with an average of 1.24 million viewers, making ION the #1 cable network on Saturdays. The agreement extends ION's rights to Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Additionally, ION has acquired the rights to broadcast the Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent series on its D2 properties. Chicago P.D. will join ION Television's acclaimed library of hit series, including NCIS: Los Angeles, Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, plus, a robust catalog of scripted original programming, including the series Private Eyes and more than 30 made-for-TV holiday movies.

ABC

ABC was up yesterday at the TCA 2018 Summer Press Tour. ABC has announced green lights for its "Sunday Fun & Games" programming block: Celebrity Family Feud for its fifth season, and The $100,000 Pyramid and To Tell the Truth for their fourth seasons. ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey made the announcement at the network's Television Critics Association press tour. The programming block has fueled many ratings victories for the network, which has ranked as the No. 1 broadcaster on each week the block has aired this summer among Adults 18-49. ABC also announced a two-hour prime-time special celebrating 90 years of Mickey Mouse. From the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, the elegant affair will feature star-studded musical performances, moving tributes and never-before-seen short films. Superstars from music, film and television will join the festivities to celebrate the birthday of the internationally beloved character on Mickey's 90th Spectacular, airing Sunday, November 4, 2018 from 8:00-10:00 p.m. EST, on The ABC Television Network.

And finally, The Goldbergs will once again pay tribute to a hit movie from the 1980s, the iconic John Hughes film Sixteen Candles, when the comedy has its sixth season premiere, Wednesday, September 26 at 8:00pm EDT, on The ABC Television Network, streaming and on demand. In the upcoming "Sixteen Candles" episode, it's Adam's 16th birthday, but his parents are too distracted by Barry and Lainey's engagement and Erica's band ambitions to remember their youngest son's big day. But the situation presents an opportunity for Adam to ask Erica to put him on the high school social map. Meanwhile, Beverly thinks she can scare Barry and Lainey straight with the reality of being adults.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Thursday, April 25

The Big Bang Theory - "The Decision Reverberation" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Koothrappali is worried people won’t take him seriously in his own field after publishing a paper that suggests he may have discovered alien life. Also, Leonard wants to be the principal investigator on a plasma physics study.

Young Sheldon - "A Political Campaign and a Candy Land Cheater" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Unhappy that school funds are going towards football rather than academics, Sheldon decides to run for class president.

Mom - "Triple Dip and an Overhand Grip" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Bonnie and Tammy revisit childhood memories on a trip to their old foster home. Also, Christy and Jill regret accepting a date with two guys from their AA meeting.

Life in Pieces - "Misery Turd Name Pills" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT)
While Joan is bedridden recovering from surgery, she persuades Sophia to spend time with her, which she quickly regrets. Also, Jen and Greg select a name for their new baby only to learn that Matt and Colleen chose the same one; Colleen and Matt invite the family over to get to know Morgan (Joey King); and Heather has a new business idea.

Superstore - "Quinceañera" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Jonah (Ben Feldman) struggles to find his place at Amy’s (America Ferrera) daughter Emma’s quinceañera, while Dina (Lauren Ash) proves very popular with some teenage boys. Cheyenne (Nichole Bloom) and Mateo (Nico Santos) are obsessed with seeing Amy cry.

A.P. Bio - "Sweet Low Road" (NBC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When budget cuts threaten to gut Whitlock and put his job in jeopardy, Jack recruits Mary, Stef, and Michelle to take down the Superintendent. Durbin plans an appeal to the heart, while the students plan an appeal to the soul.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine - "Tickling Clocks" (NBC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
In an episode that takes place in real time, Jake and the squad must track down a hacker who has infiltrated the Nine-Nine's servers. Rosa deals with relationship issues. Hitchcock and Scully attempt to cook the perfect lasagna.

Abby's - "Mail Bin" (NBC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Abby finds a letter from her estranged father in a pile of unopened mail and opens up to the group about their fraught relationship.

Better Things - "The Unknown" (FX, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Sam gets theatrical.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 22)

Thursday, April 25

Paul Rudd (Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later/Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp/Wild Oats) - Catch Paul on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
Tig Notaro (One Mississippi) - Tig appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Susan Kelechi Watson (Louie) - Susan is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Lake Bell (Bless This Mess/Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp/How to Make It in America) - Lake visits E!'s Busy Tonight at 11pm.
Steve Lemme and Kevin Heffernan (Tacoma PD) - Steve and Kevin are guests on E!'s Busy Tonight at 11pm.
Bradley Cooper (Kitchen Confidential) - Bradley stops by The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Diedrich Bader (American Housewife/Veep/The Drew Carey Show) - Diedrich visits The Real, so check your local listings.
Margo Martindale (The Millers) - Margo appears on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 11:30am ET.
James Brolin (Life in Pieces) - James talks about Life in Pieces on People Now at 12pm.
Alfonso Ribeiro (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air/In the House/Silver Spoons) - Alfonso is a guest on Access Live, so check your local listings.
Laurie Metcalf (The Conners/The McCarthys/Getting On/Roseanne) - Laurie talks about Hillary & Clinton on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
Queen Latifah (Living Single) - Queen Latifah appears on NBC's Today in the 10am hour and on the BUILD SERIES at 3pm.
Ali Wentworth (Nightcap) - Ali is a guest on ABC's Strahan & Sara at 1pm.
Billy Crystal (The Comedians/Soap) and Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) - Billy and Ben talk about Standing Up, Falling Down on the BUILD Series at 1pm.