ION Television February 2010: My Name is Earl on Weekends; USA Network Acquires CSI Starting Dec. 2010, Exclusive Rights Start Sept. 2014

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

ION Television February 2010: My Name is Earl on Weekends; USA Network Acquires CSI Starting Dec. 2010, Exclusive Rights Start Sept. 2014

ION Television has done very well in the ratings, especially in primetime, that they haven't made many schedule changes to their schedule lately. In February 2010, they will add two new shows to their line-up, while one show leaves. First off, they will add My Name is Earl to its weekends line-up whenever a movie doesn't start at 3pm. The series starts Saturday, Jan. 30 in the 3pm hour. It will also air Feb. 7 at 3pm, Feb. 13 from 3-4pm, Feb. 21 from 3-4pm, and Feb. 28 from 3-4pm. So it isn't anything regular, which is strange. It is replacing Family Feud at these times, but that show airs weekdays from 5-7pm anyway. I think ION is probably limited to airing My Name is Earl on weekends because broadcast stations are also airing the series on weekdays as is TBS on cable. It seems weird that it is only airing on weekends, though.
As for weekdays, starting Feb. 1, weekdays in the 4pm hour will now be back-to-back episodes of the court show Texas Justice, replacing Reba, which is now gone totally. Texas Justice was a court show which had cases that were judged by Larry Joe Doherty. The program was recorded at the studios of Fox station KRIV (Channel 26) in Houston, Texas. The series lasted for 4 1/2 seasons in syndication from January 2001 until it was cancelled in September 2005. Reba will remain on cable in Lifetime, so it isn't totally gone from television at least. No word when or if Reba will return to ION.
Other ION February 2010 notes includes a M*A*S*H sighting! But it is only one airing on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 3pm with the episode "The Pilot" airing. Strange, but at least an episode is airing. Movie premieres for ION in February are Basic, Twisted and Elopement. Movies encoring are Unbreakable, Matrix Reloaded, Matrix Revolutions, City of Angels, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Guarding Tess, and The Pelican Brief.
View the full ION Television February 2010 schedule and highlights.

USA Network has acquired the rights to reruns of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation for its second cycle. Under the agreement, USA will have non-exclusive rights to seasons 1-10 beginning December 2010 (shared with Spike TV). Starting Fall 2011, USA will also have the exclusive off-network rights to premiere CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Seasons 11 and beyond. Beginning September 2014, NBCU shall be the exclusive home of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, as Spike TV loses the rights to the series. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation will be available to air on other NBCU owned networks like Bravo. Sources close to the deal say USA is paying in the neighborhood of $500,000 per episodes for the CBS TV Studios-produced show.
CSI will join the rerun rose of NCIS, JAG, Law and Order: SVU, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, House, and more. NCIS spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles is also set to make USA its rerun home in Fall 2011 airing weekly then weekdays by Fall 2013. With a lineup of originals led by Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, & White Collar that continues to set ratings highs, USA was No. 1 basic cable network in 2009 in the 18-49 demo, increasing 29% from 2008.