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BET and Centric held its upfront presentation yesterday and we had some sitcom worthy announcements. First up, BET has picked-up a seventh season of its hit comedy The Game. As you know, The Game on BET is a record-breaking, history-making phenomenon, with 7.7 million viewers on premiere night in 2011, making BET the home of the #1 sitcom debut in the history of cable TV. In 2013, players come and go but The Game goes on, with Lauren London and Jay Ellis joining the cast in season six. Brandy returns in her expanded role as Chardonnay, aka Mrs. Jason Pitts, along with series favorites Hosea Chanchez, Coby Bell and Wendy Raquel Robinson. Season 7 promises to deliver more sexy dramedy as the cast negotiates the ups and downs of love and football. Look for The Game season seven to premiere in early 2014. Also returning will be multi-camera comedy Let's Stay Together. Looking back, in 2011 the premiere of Let's Stay Together debuted at #2 right behind The Game, making it a certified smash hit. This fun, flirtatious comedy about two couples and one sexy single is back for a fourth season of laughs and love lessons. Audiences adore and relate to this cast. Averaging nearly 3 million viewers in its first season, the series debut ranks among the top 3 Tuesday sitcom premieres over the past 10 years. Making relationships work is easier said than done, but Season 4 is sure to be filled with juicy new plot twists that will continue to keep Let's Stay Together on viewers' must-watch list. This comedy will also return in early 2014. Currently, both comedies just started their current seasons last Tuesday and are airing through May 21.

Moving on to sister network Centric, they have announced a few acquisitions. First, they will be airing episodes of current first-run syndicated sitcoms The First Family and Mr. Box Office. Both sitcoms were originally planned to launch in the fall, as we mentioned, but the deals didn't go through and they will start on Friday, April 19. The First Family will air Fridays at 8pm and 9pm, while Mr. Box Office will air Fridays at 8:30pm & 9:30pm. They both air on weekends in local broadcast syndication, so check your local listings. They will encore between 2-4am on Friday nights as well. Also, Centric has added reruns of the sitcom Malcolm & Eddie as of April 1. The series was airing on and off on sister network MTV2. The Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Eddie Griffin sitcom is airing weekdays 2-3pm, replacing Everybody Hates Chris. Both of Malcolm-Jamal Warner's comedies will air in a Sunday night block as well, with Malcolm & Eddie from 9-10pm leading into his earlier series The Cosby Show from 10-11pm. That's about it that was sitcom/scripted TV series related in BET/Centric's upfront. In scheduling news, 227 will get a stunt on Centric on Saturday, April 13 from 4-9pm, while Everybody Hates Chris gets one on Saturday, April 27 from 11am-7pm. Both series are currently not on the regular line-up. On BET, we have a marathon of The Jamie Foxx Show on Saturday, April 13 from 8am-6pm, another series currently not on the regular line-up. One other note, recent addition Family Matters will get a marathon on Saturday, May 25 from 8am-7:30pm, kicking off Memorial Day weekend. Stay with us for continued updates.



On the next...The Middle:
By: Pavan

ABC's Comedy Wednesday sitcom starring Patrica Heaton airs Wednesday nights at 8:00pm and we have just watched the next episode that airs tonight (April 3). The episode features The Bachelor host Chris Harrison in a voice-over. In the episode airing tonight, "The Bachelor," Frankie (Patrica Heaton) can't hide her disappointment over whom The Bachelor chooses to marry and ends up moping around the house for days about it; Mike (Neil Flynn) tries to toughen Sue (Eden Sher) up when she joins the school's tennis team and continually compliments her opponents during their matches; and Axl (Charlie McDermott) and Cassidy (guest star Galadriel Stineman) try to figure out where their relationship stands after their big fight.

Spring is in the air! As the season changes, lots of things are happening in the Heck household: The Bachelor season has ended and Frankie is upset, Sue plays tennis while Mike helps, Axl and Cassidy go through a rough patch, and Brick surprises with a new "obsession." The Axl-Cassidy storyline is a continuation from the previous episode where we see Cassidy and her ex-boyfriend holding hands while Axl sees that from far away. They confront each other about that incident and what Axl saw, wasn't really what he thought he saw. Cassidy gets upset and Axl tries to win her back, but how will it go? I hope it is a happy ending, because these two are good for each other. The best storyline once again goes to Sue. She accidentally gets on the tennis team (yeah, only in Sue's world this can happen) and is ecstatic. She goes to practice and Mike is helping and he realizes Sue is actually good! However, when Sue plans an actual game she is just full of compliments...for the opponents. Mike tries to get her out of that habit and hilarity happens when she plays her next match. I'll just say, if only the entire world is nice and positive like Sue Heck then everyone would be living in peace. And the final storyline is the main storyline about Frankie watching The Bachelor and she doesn't pay attention to anything around her (and also has a Roseanne-style laugh). While watching the finale, she is upset at The Bachelor's decision in picking his fiance. She wanted Alyssa, but he went with Kendall! This causes Frankie to lose it for about six days and she is just obsessively upset. She'll get a boost from an unexpected source at the end that is hilarious.



"There's not a thing that I would change... 'cause The Middle is amazing. Just the way it is." We get a nice Bruno Mars song at the end of the episode and it can be reworded to fit this show, just like above. This episode perfectly shows us the talent and greatness of this series. It has the laughs, the emotional moments, and Sue Heck. Everyone shines in this episode, like usual. Sue Heck shines the most because she brings it to yet another level in this episode. I don't think I have ever seen anyone as nice and positive like that, especially playing a game or sport. Everyone wants to be competitive, but Sue just roots everyone on. She stole the episode. Not to say everything else wasn't great, it was, but Sue was just perfection. You'll want to tune in tonight for another great episode of this sitcom. B

We have a follow-up to our story from Thursday regarding Family Matters on BET. We mentioned that the sitcom has a marathon scheduled on BET for March 2, but we didn't know yet if it were joining the schedule. We can now answer that! Family Matters will indeed be joining the BET schedule on Monday, March 4, 2013! The '90s comedy will air weekdays 10-11am and 3-4pm (though sometimes it will be preempted in the 3pm hour). The 10am hour will replace My Wife & Kids, while the 3pm hour is replacing Moesha, which shifts to 2-3pm (and remains 8-9am). As a result, The Parkers will go from 2-3pm to 1-2pm (and remain 9-10am), replacing Jamie Foxx, which seems to be off the weekday line-up. Also off the weekday line-up is My Wife & Kids. No word on when both will return to weekdays, but Jamie Foxx Show is scheduled for a marathon on Saturday, March 9 from 8am-5pm and some airings on Sunday, March 10. Jamie Foxx keeps on going back and forth from BET to Centric, so it could pop-up on Centric, but as of now it is not scheduled for the week of March 4. Weekdays 11am-1pm will remain movies. My Wife & Kids has been airing on BET since Fall 2011, but it remains airing on Nick at Nite in late nights. Stay with us for continued updates, as it is likely to pop back up soon.

Elsewhere at BET, an all-new season of The Game premieres in March. 11 episodes have been ordered and includes a reunion episode. The season premieres on Tuesday, March 26, 2013 with a one-hour premiere at 10pm. The season finale will be on Tuesday, May 28. Following The Game on Tuesday nights at 10:30pm will be a third season of Let's Stay Together, as ten episodes have been ordered for that. That sitcom is about two independently minded sisters that take the step toward marriage, life puts their love to the test. This sophisticated romantic comedy series keeps its sense of humor as it tackles the intricacies of sex, intimacy, and communication.

IFC announced that the comedy network has ordered a second season of its original series, Comedy Bang! Bang!, hosted by comedian/writer and podcast host Scott Aukerman (co-creator/director/producer, Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis; writer/performer, Mr. Show). IFC has ordered 20 episodes, double the first season's order, to air in ten episode arcs on IFC. The first ten episodes will debut in third quarter 2013 with the remaining ten slated to air in fourth quarter. Production is currently underway in Los Angeles. Comedy Bang! Bang! riffs on the late night talk show format, infusing celebrity appearances and comedy sketches with a tinge of the surreal. Aukerman engages his guests with unfiltered and improvisational lines of questioning, punctuated by banter and beats provided by musical cohort Reggie Watts (Conan), to reinvent the traditional celebrity interview. Season one featured a rotating line-up of well-known comedians and actors, including Amy Poehler and Zach Galifianakis along with others which can be seen at www.ifc.com/comedy-bang-bang.

During its annual Upfront presentation to the advertising community, BET Networks, the leading provider of content to black consumers globally, revealed its new programming content including scripted programs and original movies for both BET and Centric as well as new web series for BET.com. During the presentation, BET announced new late night series Don't Sleep, new scripted series Second Generation Wayans, House Husbands, and new reality series The Mathis Project.

BET has also renewed all three of its sitcoms. New episodes of The Game will be produced by and air exclusively on BET. This will be its sixth season. After enjoying record ratings in syndication, The Game, created by Mara Brock Akil and executive produced by Kelsey Grammer, Salim Akil and Kenny Smith, will follow the lives of the fictitious San Diego Sabres - and the women who love them. BET will bring back Let's Stay Together for a third season. When two independently minded sisters take the step toward marriage, life puts their love to the test. This sophisticated romantic comedy series keeps its sense of humor as it tackles the intricacies of sex, intimacy, and communication. Created and executive produced by Jacque Edmonds Cofer and executive produced by Flavor Unit Entertainment. Ans finally, a second season of refreshing family comedy Read Between the Lines is navigating the ups and downs of love, work and family. This contemporary blended Black family uses wit, warmth and humor to keep life's challenges in perspective, remembering to always make room for love.

As for the upcoming new BET series, Don't Sleep is a fresh new voice joining the ranks of Jon Stewart, Steven Colbert and Bill Maher. House Husbands is an insanely funny sketch from the 2011 BET Awards (which quickly became a phenomenon) starring host Kevin Hart, rap heartthrob Nelly, R&B crooner Bobby Brown, comedian Anthony Anderson and film star Nick Cannon is coming to primetime.The Mathis Project is a powerful new docu-series aims to empower neighborhoods plagued by unsolved homicides starring Judge Greg Mathis. And the final new show, Second Generation Wayans, is a hilarious new scripted comedy based on the lives of the members of the next generation of the Wayans family. However, as it turns out, being a Wayans isn't all fun and games. Viewers see the good, the funny and the ugly as the young trio emerges from the long shadows of their uncles to carve out their own paths to stardom in Hollywood. Executive produced by Devon Shepard, Marlon Wayans and Rick Alvarez. Starring Craig Wayans, Damien Dante Wayans, and George O. Gore II.


From the floor of the annual National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas, Weigel Broadcasting Co. announced increased distribution for MeTV in Southern California via a new primary channel affiliation with KVME-TV. Classic TV fans in Southern California will find it easier than ever to "Like Me" as the MeTV Network begins airing its memorable entertainment programming Monday, April 30 on KVME-TV, Channel 20, licensed to Bishop California. MeTV will also continue to air on Los Angeles independent KDOC-TV, Channel 56.3. Both stations will brand themselves as "MeTV Hollywood."
In addition to over-the-air reception, MeTV fans can also find the definitive classic television network on DirecTV and Dish Network Channel 20, as well as FiOS Channel 462. These changes add more than two million homes to MeTV's expanding footprint in Southern California. The MeTV Network clearances now cover more than 78% of the country, serving 121 affiliates.

The stakes are raised on BET, as Grammy Award-Winning R&B star Brandy Norwood is added to the cast of The Game and acclaimed actress Kyla Pratt joins sophomore multi-camera comedy Let's Stay Together. After record-breaking premieres last season, garnering a combined 12.1 million viewers, BET's top-rated scripted series The Game and Let's Stay Together are set to return with 22 half-hour episodes, beginning Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 10 p.m. Boasting all-star casts, both shows up the ante with more laughs and more drama.

As the #1 sitcom debut in the history of all cable TV, season four of The Game left viewers on the edge of their seats. The seduction continues as infidelity, ambition, secrets and betrayal collide to make season five the most compelling yet. Picking up where it left off, Melanie (Tia Mowry Hardrict) contends with Derwin's (Pooch Hall) abortion accusation; Malik (Hosea Chanchez) and Tasha (Wendy Raquel Robinson) struggle to wrangle an intoxicated Jenna (Tika Sumpter); and Kelly (Brittany Daniel) is still off in the world trying to find herself, leaving Jason (Coby Bell) forced to come to terms with his feelings towards Black women. The new season also ushers in a new love interest for Jason, who is sure to shake things up!
In addition to music star Brandy joining the cast, and long-time favorites Melanie, Derwin, Tasha, Malik, and Jason, season five also welcomes the return of the prodigal sports manager Irv Smiff (PJ Byrne); the mother of Derwin's son, Janay (Gabrielle Dennis); Malik's former girlfriend, Jenna; as well as Malik's former assistant turned entrepreneur, Tee Tee and his famous Wing Truck (Barry T. Floyd). The momentum continues with a number of exciting new guest appearances, including Shawn Marion, Estelle, Selita Ebanks, DeRay Davis, Nene Leakes, Rockmond Dunbar, and the Emmy-award winning Loretta Devine among others.

The sexy combination of Tuesday night football followed by a little romance continues as the second season of Let's Stay Together premieres immediately after The Game. The first episode will answer the big question of what happened at Stacy (Nadine Ellis) and Charles' (Bert Belasco) wedding from the cliffhanger in last season's finale, and why he left her standing at the altar. Additionally, Tasha (Joyful Drake) and Jamal (RonReaco Lee) will have their marriage tested by former relationships and other temptations while Charles and Stacy continue to explore the ups and downs of making coupledom work.
In season two, life becomes even more complex when Kita (Erica Hubbard) is inspired to go on a reality show a la Survivor and asks her cousin Crystal (Kyla Pratt) to house sit in her absence. Let's Stay Together will explore what it means to be married, date, start and grow a business, establish a new career, and even go to college in modern day Atlanta.

For video sneak peeks and first looks of the new season of both comedies, visit their official pages respectively at BET.com/TheGame and BET.com/Letsstaytogether. Viewers can also find series updates on Facebook by liking the fan pages at http://www.facebook.com/thegameBET and http://www.facebook.com/LetsStayTogether. Also, join the conversation about the shows on Twitter by using hashtags: #thegameBET and #letsstay2gether; follow the shows for all updates & special surprises @thegameBET & @letsstay2gether. For more information about these series visit www.BET.com.
And if you haven't seen it already, read our DVD review of The Game Season 4, which is out on DVD today! Order it!


As of yesterday, TV Land made a last minute schedule change and added Home Improvement back to its line-up. The sitcom will air two episodes every weeknight from approx. 8-9pm ET/PT (fine, 7:56pm-9pm). The Taylor family will replace an hour of Roseanne, but that sitcom will still air in the late night every weeknight and also on weekends. No other schedule change was made, but we will be giving you TV Land's January 2012 schedule very soon and they have acquired a new series to air. We will reveal that to you soon, so stay with us!

Tune in tomorrow night for ABC Holiday Laugh On Wednesday!

BET has renewed The Game for a second season on BET and its fifth season overall! The comedy surged in the ratings this winter and did series best ratings every week on BET on Tuesday nights at 10pm. The fourth-season premiere drew 7.7 million viewers, cable's biggest comedy opener ever, doing better than any of its CW airings by a landslide. The sitcom just finished its season and aired 13 episodes for its fourth season (its first on BET) and averaged 5.3 million viewers for the season, which is the best ever for a sitcom in the history of basic cable. BET will air a full-season of 22 episodes for the upcoming fifth season set to premiere in January 2012.
BET has also renewed freshman comedy Let's Stay Together for a second season. The first season was a companion series for The Game and averaged a healthy 2.9 million for its 13 episodes. BET will also air a full-season of 22 episodes for this comedy's second season also set to premiere in January 2012.
It is also being reported that BET has plans for a new comedy titled Reed Between the Lines, a family comedy starring Malcolm-Jamal Warner (The Cosby Show) and Tracee Ross Ellis (Girlfriends), set to premiere this October, 2011. They'll play professional parents (she's a psychologist, he's an English professor) of three kids. We will have more info to come very soon! And also two more new comedies are on tap for next summer. We will have more on that as well when it is official by next week when BET has its 2011-2012 upfront. Comedy is thriving on BET and that is always a good thing!

It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars (but we won't cover movie stars like Tom Hanks or John Travolta, since they won't be talking about their past sitcoms likely), so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of April 18-22, 2010, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!

Monday, April 18, 2011

• Chris Rock (Everybody Hates Chris) - Watch the funnyman Chris on a repeat from March on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Betty White (Hot in Cleveland/The Golden Girls/The Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Tune in to see Betty on a repeat from March on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Courteney Cox (Cougar Town/Friends) - Catch Courteney on an all-new Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC. Cougar Town returns at a special time of 9:30pm ET/PT after Dancing with the Stars on Monday before airing at its regular Wednesday time of 9:30pm ET/PT on ABC.
• Kunal Nayaar (The Big Bang Theory) - Kunal appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12am on ABC.
• Tina Fey (30 Rock) - Tina drops by the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Tracy Morgan (30 Rock/The Tracy Morgan Show) - Tracy visits Lopez Tonight at 12am on TBS.
• Judy Greer (Mad Love/Arrested Development/Miss Guided) - Watch Judy on Lopez Tonight at 12am on TBS.
• Josh Hopkins (Cougar Town) - Catch Josh on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Jamie Foxx (The Jamie Foxx Show - Jamie stops by The Gayle King Show at 10am on OWN.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

• Kathy Griffin (Suddenly Susan) - Watch Kathy on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
• Tina Fey (30 Rock) - Tina continues to make the rounds on The Ellen DeGeneres Show (check local listings) and later visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Robin Williams (Mork & Mindy) - Robin chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Courteney Cox (Cougar Town/Friends) - Catch Courteney on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• The Game Cast - Part 2 of The Game Reunion airs on The Mo'nique Show at 9pm ET/PT and re-airs at 11pm ET/PT on BET.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

• Kirstie Alley (Cheers/Veronica's Closet) - Catch Kirstie on a March repeat of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno at 11:35pm on NBC.
• Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) - Watch the funny lady Amy on a March repeat of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:37am on NBC.
• Julie Bowen (Modern Family) - The lovely Ms. Bowen appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Christian Slater (Breaking In) - Christian is the guest host on LIVE! with Regis & Kelly, so check your listings.
• Reno Wilson (Mike & Molly) - Reno drops by The Mo'nique Show at 11pm on BET.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

• Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) - Catch Selena on a repeat from March on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Sinbad (A Different World/The Sinbad Show - Watch Sinbad on The Gayle King Show at 10am on OWN. His own reality show called Sinbad: It's Just Family airs on WE tv.

Friday, April 22, 2011

• Danny McBride (Eastbound & Down) - Danny appears on a repeat from March on The Late Show with David Letterman at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother) - Watch Josh on a March repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:37am on NBC.
• Tracy Morgan (30 Rock/The Tracy Morgan Show) - Tracy visits The Gayle King Show at 10am on OWN.
• Kirstie Alley (Cheers/Veronica's Closet) - Kirstie discusses her Dancing with the Stars journey on Good Morning America at 7-9am on ABC.
• John Larroquette (Night Court/The John Larroquette Show) - John talks about starring in Broadway’s How to Succeed in Business... at 10am on NBC's Today.

Leave us comments on our message board or Tweet/Facebook us to let us know what you think of this Friday feature! We do listen!

CMT's original sitcom, Working Class, starring Melissa Peterman and Ed Asner, will kick-off its season one finale night Friday, April 1, with two new back-to-back episodes premiering at 8:00 p.m., ET/PT and 8:30 p.m., ET/PT.
In the first episode of the one-hour finale block, Carli brings an internet date (Guest star David Faustino, Married... with Children) to Rob's housewarming party, hoping to prove that she is a good catch. In the episode immediately following, Carli accepts an "employee of the month" award from Parker Foods, setting the stage for a flashback to when she first interviewed for the job (Guest star Martin Mull, Roseanne and 'Til Death).
The series has a 12 episode order for the first season and will complete it by airing two episodes on April 1. The Singing Bee 3, which is hosted by Working Class star Melissa Peterman, takes over the time period beginning April 8. No word yet on a second season of the sitcom, but odds are that it will get a second season. Stay tuned!

In a last minute scheduling move, BET has added a weekend marathon of sitcom Girlfriends for this coming week, March 19-20. Girlfriends will air this Saturday (March 19) from 8am-6:30pm into a mini-block of The Game. Then the marathon continues on Sunday (March 20) with a block from 10:30am-3:30pm. Girlfriends airs weekdays on BET in the 12 noon hour. It also airs at various times on weekends in the early afternoon. Elsewhere at BET, there will be a full season four marathon of all 13 episodes of The Game on Saturday, April 2 from 3pm-9:30pm. The season finale will air on Tuesday, March 29 at 10pm. But the following Tuesday (April 5) a special "Twitter" encore episode (not sure what it is yet) of the finale is scheduled at 10pm leading into the finale of freshman sitcom Let's Stay Together at 10:30pm. Then on Tuesday, April 12, there will be a special all-new The Mo'nique Show at a special time of 9pm with the cast of The Game reuniting leading into new series Toya at 10pm. No word on a fifth season of The Game or a second season of Let's Stay Together, but based on the strong TV ratings for The Game, it is very likely a new season will be ordered! The jury is out though for Let's Stay Together. Stay tuned!

NBC is up today at the TCA Winter 2011 press tour. They are not having an executive session today due to the recent Comcast deal still pending. So we are really not getting any new info today. The day started off with an USA Network Character Breakfast. Then there were panels for Syfy series Being Human and Face Off. Then before NBC was up, Bravo's Platinum Hit, Mun2's I Love Jenni and Oxygen's The Glee Project were up. Panels later this afternoon will have NBC shows go up, as we see The Cape (Mondays at 9pm), Perfect Couples (premieres next Thursday at 8:30pm), America's Next Great Restaurant (premieres Wednesday, March 16), Harry's Law (premieres Monday at 10pm), and Community (Thursdays at 8pm). The day will conclude with a NBC Universal Evening Event party.
IF there is anything noteworthy from NBC's panels this afternoon, we will let you know, so stay with us!

BET's scripted night of programming broke ratings records as millions tuned in on Tuesday, January 11 to watch the hour long cable debut of sitcom The Game at 10:00 p.m. and the series premiere of Let's Stay Together at 11:00 p.m. The Game was the #1 ad-supported sitcom telecast in cable TV history, garnering 7.7 million total viewers and 4.87 coverage rating according to the Nielsen Company and was the #1 The Game telecast on broadcast and cable ever (beating its airings on The CW by miles). The premiere also ranks as the #2 telecast in BET history among viewers (behind BET Awards '09).
Let's Stay Together, a brand new scripted series on the network, ranked among the top 5 ad-supported sitcom premieres in cable TV history ever and was the #2 series telecast in BET history behind The Game, debuting to 4.4 million viewers among 2.7 million households with a 3.0 coverage rating on Tuesday, January 11 at 11:00 p.m.
Following BET Networks' successful syndicate acquisition in February 2009, the BET premiere of The Game picked up where things left off at the end of season three (over two years ago) with the show's main cast -- Coby Bell, Hosea Chanchez, Brittany Daniel, Pooch Hall, Tia Mowry and Wendy Raquel Robinson.
In addition to its incredible on-air performance, The Game had the highest amount of social media buzz of all other prime time television shows, according to Trendrr's Prime Time Television Activity Chart for Tuesday, January 11. At one point, commenting on The Game Facebook page averaged 893 likes per minute, and 750 comments per minute, after the question "What did you think about tonight's episode?" within the first 28 minutes after the post. The Game related topics dominated Twitter with 9 out of the top 10 trending topics 30 minutes into the program.
So why did The Game get such big ratings? The CW aired the series only in primetime once a week, while BET has been airing the series since February in all day parts with a lot of marathons, gaining new fans and airing it with similar style sitcoms. With the amount of networks available today, it is very hard to find an audience for a series airing just once a week. Comedies tend to repeat well and are perfect for marathon viewing. The previous high for The Game on The CW was 3 million viewers for the season two premiere, which was more than doubled in the BET premiere. Maybe more network sitcoms need to have their sitcoms air for marathons or daily afternoon airings to get a bigger audience in primetime. Original dramas on cable also are doing well with the marathon blocks and extra encores, such as ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars, which recently saw series highs for the return.
Both series will regularly air every Tuesday on BET at 10pm & 10:30pm, respectively.

The TCA (Television Critics Association) Winter 2011 press tour is on day two of their three day tour for cable networks. Up today at the TCA press tour will be Turner Broadcasting, BET, Playboy, Discovery Networks, and OWN Network.
Before we get into today's sessions, we want to let you know of the few late breaking items from day one. Yesterday we told you about Hot in Cleveland's cross-ver event with All My Children, now we have some more guest star updates for Hot in Clevelend! Celebrities Peri Gilpin, (Frasier), Jimmy Kimmel (Jimmy Kimmel Live!), Jon Lovitz (The Simpsons), Isaiah Mustafa ("The Old Spice Guy"), Darnell Williams (All My Children) and John Ducey (Jonas) have been tapped as guests stars for the first 10 episodes of the second season of TV Land's original sitcom Hot in Cleveland, which returns Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. They join previously announced guest stars Mary Tyler Moore, Bonnie Franklin, Melanie Griffith, Carl Reiner, Wayne Knight, John Schneider, Sherri Shepherd, Susan Lucci, Michael E. Knight and Jack Wagner. It was also announced that Hot in Cleveland will return for another 10 new episodes on June 15, 2011 to complete its 20-episode second season order. The mid-season finale will air on March 23 before returning on June 15.
Also, TV Land celebrates Betty White's 89th birthday by giving stars and fans the opportunity to honor everyone's golden girl with birthday wishes and personal video messages via a birthday card that is on the Hot in Cleveland Facebook page. Join superstars Tina Fey, Joel McHale, Taylor Swift, Kathie Lee Gifford, Hoda Kotb, Kristin Chenoweth, Jessica Walter and more along with fans around the world in wishing the incomparable Betty White a happy birthday. Visitors are invited to "Like" the page and post their messages and video birthday well wishes alongside their favorite celebrities including Betty's Hot co-stars Valerie Bertinelli, Wendie Malick and Jane Leeves. The birthday card will be presented to Ms. White at her TV Land birthday bash happening in New York City on Tuesday, January 18, and a compilation of messages will be available for all to see on TVLand.com.
Finally fro TV Land, The 9th Annual TV Land Awards is moving to New York City! The star-studded celebration will honor Bill Cosby and the entire cast of The Cosby Show, Michael J. Fox and the cast of Family Ties and more talent to be announced soon. The show will tape and air in April 2011. The Cosby Show will receive The Impact Award at this year's show. This award is presented to a show that offered both entertainment and enlightenment, with comedy that reflected reality. Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Sabrina Le Beauf, Tempestt Bledsoe, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Raven Symone and even Lisa Bonet will all be in attendance. The Fan Favorite Award is being presented to the cast of Family Ties. The series, which won viewers' hearts, starred Michael J. Fox, Meredith Baxter, Michael Gross, Justine Bateman and Tina Yothers, who will all be on hand to accept the award.

Moving on to today's sessions, we will start with TNT. They were promoting two dramas launching in June. The first one, Franklin & Bash, stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Raising the Bar) and Breckin Meyer (Heroes) as two young, fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants street lawyers who cause a seismic culture clash when they join a legendary, button-down law firm. Meyer plays Jared Franklin, who has a knack for connecting with jury and judge. Gosselaar is Steven Bash, who loves sticking it to authority every chance he gets. The series also stars Malcolm McDowell (Entourage) as the patriarch of the law firm. The second original series is Falling Skies starring Noah Wyle (ER) and is produced by DreamWorks Television and executive producer Steven Spielberg. In the wake of an all-out invasion of the planet by an alien military force, survivors have banded together outside major cities to fight back. Each day is a test of survival as citizen soldiers protect the people in their care while fighting an insurgency campaign against the occupying alien force. TNT also had a panel for current series Men of a Certain Age, which stars Ray Romano and Scott Bakula and airs on Monday nights at 10pm.
Moving on to BET, they are promoting the return of The Game and new original sitcom Lets Stay Together. Both will launch on Tuesday (Jan. 11). Everyone is back on The Game as the series moves to BET after 2 years off. The series will be in its fourth season. Let's Stay Together is an urban romantic comedy set in Atlanta, GA circled around the lives of two successful adults who take an absurd step and leap-of-faith by blending their independent modern lives into the confines of a traditional marriage. The story follows Stacy Lawrence, a pediatrician who is engaged to Charles Whitmore, the contractor she hired to remodel her kitchen. Stacy and Charles have a fun, sexy, intense dynamic. However, six months in, some of the magic of finally finding a soulmate has worn off, and they find themselves constantly renegotiating their rules of cohabitation. In contrast, Stacy's super-fabulous younger sister Tasha and her husband Jamal act like an old married couple even though they're only in their twenties. Charles' earthy younger sister Kita, a proud employee of the DMV, is celebrating her independence by taking a break from dating while she explores all that life has to offer before she settles down.
These are the only notable items for today (don't think Playboy TV updates are for us). There will be even an Oprah Winfrey appearance at TCA today. What will she giveaway to critics?


The 37th Annual People's Choice Awards were held last night. Here are the winners for the television portion:

FAVORITE TV DRAMA
The Good Wife (CBS)
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
House (Fox)
Gossip Girl (The CW)
The Vampire Diaries (The CW)
WINNER: House (Fox)

FAVORITE TV COMEDY
Modern Family (ABC)
How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Two and a Half Men (CBS)
Glee (Fox)
WINNER: Glee (Fox)

FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTOR
Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy, ABC)
Hugh Laurie (House, Fox)
Taye Diggs (Private Practice, ABC)
Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire Diaries, The CW)
Chase Crawford (Gossip Girl, The CW)
WINNER: Hugh Laurie, House (Fox)

FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTOR
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock, NBC)
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory, CBS)
Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother, CBS)
Steve Carell (The Office, NBC)
Matthew Morrison (Glee, Fox)
WINNER: Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

FAVORITE TV DRAMA ACTRESS
Lisa Edelstein (House, Fox)
Blake Lively (Gossip Girl, The CW)
Julianne Margulies (The Good Wife, CBS)
Kate Walsh (Private Practice, ABC)
Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy, ABC)
WINNER: Lisa Edelstein, House (Fox)

FAVORITE TV COMEDY ACTRESS
Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother, CBS)
Courteney Cox (Cougar Town, ABC)
Jane Lynch (Glee, Fox)
Eva Longoria Parker (Desperate Housewives, ABC)
Tina Fey (30 Rock, NBC)
WINNER: Jane Lynch, Glee (Fox)

FAVORITE TV OBSESSION

Dexter, Showtime
Pretty Little Liars, ABC Family
Burn Notice, USA Network
White Collar, USA Network
True Blood, HBO
WINNER: Dexter (Showtime)

FAVORITE COMPETITION
American Idol (Fox)
Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
Hell's Kitchen (Fox)
So You Think You Can Dance (Fox)
America's Got Talent (NBC)
WINNER: American Idol (Fox)

FAVORITE SCI-FI / FANTASY SHOW
Fringe (Fox)
Smallville (The CW)
Supernatural (The CW)
The Vampire Diaries (The CW)
True Blood (HBO)
WINNER: Fringe (Fox)

FAVORITE TALK SHOW HOST
Chelsea Handler, Chelsea Lately (E!)
Conan O'Brien, Conan (TBS)
Ellen DeGeneres, The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Syndicated, Warner Bros.)
Oprah Winfrey, The Oprah Winfrey Show (Syndicated, CBS Television Distribution)
George Lopez, Lopez Tonight (TBS)
WINNER: Conan O'Brien

FAVORITE TV GUEST STAR
Betty White, Community (NBC)
Britney Spears, Glee (Fox)
Carrie Underwood, How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
Demi Lovato, Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Neil Patrick Harris, Glee (Fox)
WINNER: Demi Lovato, Grey's Anatomy (ABC)

FAVORITE TV FAMILY (NEW!)
The Griffins, Family Guy (Fox)
The Harpers, Two and a Half Men (CBS)
The Pritchetts/Dunphys, Modern Family (ABC)
The Scavos, Desperate Housewives (ABC)
The Simpsons, The Simpsons (ABC)
WINNER: Simpson family, The Simpsons (Fox)

FAVORITE NEW TV DRAMA
Blue Bloods, CBS
Chase, NBC
The Defenders, CBS
Detroit 1-8-7, ABC
The Event, NBC
Hawaii Five-0, CBS
Hellcats, The CW
Law & Order: Los Angeles, NBC
Nikita, The CW
WINNER: Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)

FAVORITE NEW TV COMEDY
$#*! My Dad Says CBS
Better With You, ABC
Mike & Molly, CBS
No Ordinary Family, ABC
Outsourced, NBC
Raising Hope, Fox
Running Wilde, Fox
WINNER: $#*! My Dad Says (CBS)

Various sources are indicating that BET has a set a premiere date of Tuesday, January 11, 2011 for the all-new season of The Game. This will be the fourth season for the sitcom, but the first season on BET. The series hasn't been in production since The CW canceled it after the 2008-09 season. BET has been airing reruns of the series to good numbers so they decided to revive the sitcom "due to popular demand." The show will air Tuesdays at 10pm starting Jan. 11, leading into BET's first original sitcom Let's Stay Together at 10:30pm. In that series, when two independently minded sisters take the step toward marriage, life puts their love to the test. This sophisticated romantic comedy series keeps its sense of humor as it tackles the intricacies of sex, intimacy, and communication. Malinda Williams and Bert Belasco star and will air Tuesdays at 10:30pm starting Jan. 11. Exact episode counts for both are not known yet, stay with us for further details.

Moving on to the current BET schedule, they have removed City Guys from the Saturday line-up, effective last week (Oct. 23). This week, they will air an In Living Color marathon from 9am-4pm, promoting its airings on sister network Centric. Original series stunts will air every other Saturday morning now instead of City Guys and other sitcoms.
BET has also returned The Jamie Foxx Show beginning yesterday to weekdays 11am hour. The series will continue to air on sister network Centric as well. And since last week, Bernie Mac's afternoon hour was moved to mornings with its first hour, so now the series airs weekdays from 9am-11am leading into Jamie Foxx at 11am. Everybody Hates Chris remains in the 12pm and 5pm hours, as The Game's morning hour moved to afternoon to join the afternoon hour. So The Game now airs from 3-5pm. As for Sundays, there are early afternoon airings of Bernie Mac, Everybody Hates Chris, and The Game, but times vary week-to-week. Stunts wise, besides In Living Color for this Saturday, there will be an Everybody Hates Chris day after Thanksgiving marathon on Friday, Nov. 26 from 9am-4pm. A Bernie Mac stunt airs on Saturday, Nov. 27 from 9am-2pm.

Malcolm in the Middle is moving from Nick at Nite to sister network TeenNick starting this November. Malcolm in the Middle was pulled from the Nick at Nite regular schedule last month and hasn't been seen since. An episode was slated to air on Nick at Nite in their Halloween marathon this coming Saturday (Oct. 30), but was replaced by a Halloween episode of Home Improvement instead. Back to TeenNick, Malcolm in the Middle will launch with a three-day block on Friday, November 26 to Sunday, November 28 from 10pm-12am for these three nights. Then effective Monday, November 29, the sitcom will air weekdays in the 10pm hour and again in the 1am hour. Malcolm in the Middle will replace Degrassi in the 10pm hour, as that hour will move to the 12am hour, cutting That '70s Show to just the 11pm hour. The second hour of That '70s Show will move to the 2am hour, as the What I Like About You 1-3am block moves to 3-5am replacing One on One, which will be off the line-up then. The daytime line-up will remain the same.
So first Full House goes from TeenNick to Nick at Nite and now Malcolm in the Middle goes from Nick at Nite to TeenNick. I think that is a better fit for Malcolm in the Middle. The series has been in contract with Viacom since July, 2009.