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

Thursday, December 5

Young Sheldon - "A Party Invitation, Football Grapes and an Earth Chicken" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Mary gets Pastor Jeff involved when Sheldon isn’t invited to Billy’s birthday party. Also, George Sr. has “male-bonding time” with Dr. Sturgis.

The Unicorn - "No Pressure" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Wade pretends to be dating Caroline (Betsy Brandt) to avoid being set up on blind dates by Delia. Also, Ben and Michelle throw an anniversary party for themselves, but have issues with the catering.

Mom - "Tuna Florentine and a Clean Handoff" (CBS, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Christy and the ladies rally around Tammy when she has trouble adjusting to early release from parole. Also, Bonnie is disappointed when her perfect birthday gift for Adam gets a lukewarm response.

Carol's Second Act - "Therapy Dogs" (CBS, 9:30PM ET/PT)
As the hospital hosts therapy dogs to help care for their patients, Carol helps Lexie when the emotional burden of being a doctor becomes too “ruff."

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of December 2)

Thursday, December 5

Sam Rockwell (F Is for Family) - Catch Sam on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Lizzy Caplan (Party Down/The Class) - Lizzy appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
Rebel Wilson (Super Fun Night) - Rebel drops by The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
Anna Faris (Mom) - Anna is a guest on a repeat of A Little Late with Lilly Singh at 1:35am on NBC.
John Lithgow (Trial and Error/Twenty Good Years/3rd Rock from the Sun) - John visits Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Trevor Noah at 11pm.
Casey Wilson (The Hotwives/Marry Me/Happy Endings), Nico Santos (Superstore) and Chris Hardwick (Guys Like Us) - Casey, Nico and Chris are panelists on Lights Out with David Spade at 11:30pm on Comedy Central.
Jameela Jamil (The Good Place) - Jameela stops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
Lea Michele (The Mayor) - Lea appears on LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, so check your listings. She talks about Same Time Next Christmas on ABC's GMA 3: Strahan, Sara & Keke at 1pm.
Sean Hayes (Will & Grace/The Millers/Sean Saves the World) - Sean appears on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
Iain Armitage (Young Sheldon) - Iain is a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show, so check your local listings.
Kristin Chenoweth (Trial and Error/Kristin) - Kristin talks about Hallmark Channel's A Christmas Love Story on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT and on Access Daily, so check your local listings.