Sundance Channel Picks Up The Comeback; Conan Premiere Hammers Letterman and Leno on Monday

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Sundance Channel Picks Up The Comeback; Conan Premiere Hammers Letterman and Leno on Monday

Sundance Channel has acquired basic cable rights to the short-lived HBO original comedy series The Comeback. The series will make its basic cable premiere on Sundance Tuesday, Nov. 23 at 11:00pm ET and will air every Tuesday nights.
The 13-episode series stars former Friends star Lisa Kudrow and was created by Kudrow and Sex and the City creator Michael Patrick King. The 2005 series was about a former sitcom star trying to make her way back in show business, and without much luck. Lisa Kudrow, was also nominated for an Emmy for the role.
The series will be paired with Sundance's newest reality show Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys, which will premiere Tuesday, Dec. 7 at 10:30pm ET. That series examines relationships between women and their gay best friends.

Conan O'Brien's new TBS talk show was a hit with young viewers for its premiere on Monday night, delivering an audience with a projected median age of just 30 (compared to the median age of 59 for The Tonight Show). Conan - which featured guests Seth Rogen, Lea Michele and Jack White - was watched by 2,451,000 adults 18-34; 3,285,000 adults 18-49; and 4,155,000 total viewers. The series beat both Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in all categories (including hammering both in adults 18-49 by wide margins). Conan also beat Comedy Central's The Daily Show and The Colbert Report in the hour. Conan was second overall in late night to ABC's Nightline, which had a 3.7 metered market rating, to Conan's 2.8 metered market rating, but the new talk show was by far the best in adults 18-49.
O'Brien has a strong following among younger viewers, and social media has proven to be a key way for him to connect with his fans. Conan welcomed guests Tom Hanks, Jack McBrayer and Soundgarden last night. Upcoming guests include Jon Hamm, Fistful of Mercy and Charlyne Yi tonight; and Michael Cera, Julie Bowen and Jon Dore on Thursday. Conan airs Mon-Thurs at 11:00pm ET on TBS.
Meanwhile, Lopez Tonight moved to 12am on Monday. TBS's Lopez Tonight, starring George Lopez, opened its second year Monday with outstanding deliveries of adults 18-34 (571,000) and adults 18-49 (883,000). The series had a 1.1 metered market rating, coming short of other 12am entries: Jimmy Kimmel Live (1.7), Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (1.4) and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (1.2).
Overall, Monday's premiere – which featured Grammy®-winning musical artist and actress Janet Jackson, musical guest Rooney and online sensation Antoine Dodson – was watched by 1,352,000 total viewers in its new later timeslot. Last night, Lopez was joined by Oscar®-winning actor Jamie Foxx, Glee star Jayma Mays and San Francisco Giants infielder Freddy Sanchez. Upcoming guests include Howie Mandel and Juliette Lewis tonight and Denzel Washington, Hilary Duff and Russell Peters on Thursday. Lopez Tonight airs Mon-Thurs nights at 12 midnight ET.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Monday, September 25

Son of a Critch - "Particip-action" (The CW, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Mark is forced to participate in the school's Sports Day; Fox fights for her mother's attention and attempts to break the school record for gold medals.

Run the Burbs - "Li Xi" (The CW, 8:30PM ET/PT)
As they celebrate Vietnamese Lunar New Year, Andrew worries about his parents' relationship; Camille pitches her business to Andrew's mother; the kids get into trouble with their business startup.

Children Ruin Everything - "Dignity" (The CW, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Following embarrassing run-ins with her boss and co-workers, Astrid feels on the back foot and disconnected from her younger co-workers; Astrid realizes her best move might be to attend a drink night with the rest of her team.

American Dad! - "Productive Panic" (TBS, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Francine becomes an overnight sensation when a famous art dealer discovers her homemade pottery.

Breeders - "No Matter What: Part Two" (FX, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Jackie's health is continuing to worsen; Paul helps out a distressed Luke but finds himself in more conflict with Ally; at Baby Jay's naming party, Ava declares her love, and Paul makes an offer that will take him and Ally back in time.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 25)

Monday, September 25

Eddie Murphy (The PJs) - Watch Eddie on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
D'Arcy Carden (The Good Place/Barry) - D'Arcy is a guest on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Idris Elba (Turn Up Charlie) - Idris appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) - Aubrey is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show) - Wilmer appears on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Woody Harrelson (Cheers) - Woody is a guest on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Jon Lovitz (Mr. Box Office/NewsRadio/Foley Square) - Jon is a guest on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen on CBS between 12:37-1:37am.
Kelly Ripa (Hope & Faith) and Mark Consuelos (Alpha House/Hope & Faith) - E! News has interviews with Kelly and Mark at 11pm on E!.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler (Guys with Kids/Entourage) - Jamie-Lynn appears on Watch What Happens: Live at 3:30am on Bravo.
Kerry Washington (Unprisoned) - Kerry talks about her new book Thicker than Water: A Memoir on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am.
Punkie Johnson (After Life) - Punkie talks about her podcast Love Thang with Punkie Johnson on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - Keke talks about her Big Boss album and tour on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.