Friday, May 18, 2007
New Fall 2007 Sitcoms Preview
ABC
Sam I Am - Mondays at 9:30PM EST/PST (9:00PM EST/PST after Dancing with the Stars concludes) on ABC
When a terrible accident leaves Samantha “Sam” Newly in a coma for eight days, she wakes up with no recollection of any past experiences, memories or events. Faced with amnesia, Sam must start over. To her dismay she discovers that she wasn’t a particularly honest, good-hearted or loving person. In fact she was self-involved, narcissistic and devoid of real relationships - essentially a bitch. Sam must now struggle with her desire to be good and her temptation to be...not so good. Finding the line between good and evil is never easy.
Cast:
Christina Applegate (“Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”): Sam
Jennifer Esposito (“Related”): Andrea
Kevin Dunn (“Prison Break”): Howard
Melissa McCarthy (“Gilmore Girls”): Dena
Tim Russ (“Without a Trace”): Frank
Jean Smart (“24”): Regina
Barry Watson (“What About Brian”): Todd
Credits:
Story By: Cecelia Ahern & Donald Todd
Teleplay: Donald Todd (“Ugly Betty”)
EP: Donald Todd (“Ugly Betty”)
EP: Peter Traugott (“Frangela”)
Director: Robert Duncan McNeill (“Crossing Jordan”)
Production Company: ABC Studios
Links:
Cavemen - Tuesdays at 8:00PM EST/PST on ABC
Cavemen is a unique buddy comedy that offers a clever twist on stereotypes and turns race relations on their head. Inspired by the popular Geico Insurance commercials, the series looks at life through the eyes of the ultimate outsiders - three modern cavemen - as they struggle to find their place in the world. Joel, his cynical best friend, Nick, and easy-going little brother, Jamie, are contemporary cavemen who live in the suburban south and simply want to be treated like ordinary thirty-something guys. Despite their attempts at assimilation, Nick doesn’t believe mainstream society will ever completely accept them, Jamie seems to take it all in stride and Joel straddles the middle, torn between his friends, his more traditional values and his loving fiancée.
Cast:
Bill English (“The Pavement”): Joel
Nick Kroll (“Arranged”): Nick
Dash Mihok (“Hollywoodland”): Jamie
Kaitlin Doubleday (“Catch Me If You Can”): Kate
John Heard (“Prison Break”): Trip
Stephanie Lemelin (“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”): Thorne
Credits:
EP: Daniel Rappaport (“Office Space”)
EP: Guymon Casady (“Hope & Faith”)
EP/Director: Will Speck & Josh Gordon (“Blades of Glory”)
EP: Bill Martin (“Grounded for Life”)
EP: Mike Schiff (“Grounded for Life”)
Co-EP/Writer: Joe Lawson
Production Company: ABC Studios
Links:
Carpoolers - Tuesdays at 8:30PM EST/PST on ABC
Less about saving the environment than male bonding, four guys from very different backgrounds relish their daily commute as they commiserate about their lives, jobs and families in the carpool lane. There’s Laird, the recently divorced playboy; Aubrey, the timid homemaker and breadwinner; the conservative and traditional Gracen; and eager newlywed Dougie. Together, between the pressures of home and work, these men find time to be themselves while driving to and from the office.
Cast:
Fred Goss (“Sons & Daughters”): Gracen
Faith Ford (“Hope & Faith”): Leila
Jerry O’Connell (“Crossing Jordan”): Laird
Jerry Minor (“Arrested Development”): Aubrey
Allison Munn (“That ‘70s Show”): Cindy
Tim Peper (“The Guiding Light”): Dougie
T.J. Miller: Marmaduke
Credits:
EP/Writer: Bruce McCulloch (“Saturday Night Live”)
EP: Justin Falvey (“Las Vegas”)
EP: Darryl Frank (“Las Vegas”)
EP: David Miner (“30 Rock”)
EP/Director: Anthony Russo & Joe Russo (“You, Me and Dupree”)
Production Company: ABC Studios
Links:
Miss/Guided - Mid-Season on ABC
Having navigated the awkward and sometimes traumatic world of high school, Rebecca Freely returns to her alma mater as a guidance counselor, free of the insecurities and orthodontia of her school days. Amidst student behavioral problems and the persistent romantic advances of the male nurse, Gary, Rebecca is certain of one thing -- she is interested in the hot auto-shop-turned-Spanish-teacher, Tim. However, much as in high school days of unexpected teenage angst, Lisa, a former cheerleader and nemesis of Rebecca’s, returns as the new English teacher determined to make Rebecca relive her unpopular past, setting sights on Tim as well.
Cast:
Judy Greer (“Two and a Half Men”): Becky
Brooke Burns (“Pepper Dennis”): Lisa
Earl Billings (“How I Met Your Mother”): Principal Huffy
Kristoffer Polaha (“CSI: Miami”): Tim
Jonathan Sadowski (“American Dreams”): Gary
Credits:
EP: Ashton Kutcher (“That ‘70s Show”)
EP: Jason Goldburg (“Beauty and the Geek”)
EP: Karey Burke (“The Real Wedding Crashers”)
EP/Writer: Caroline Williams (“The Office”)
EP/Writer: Gaby Allan (“Scrubs”)
Director: Todd Holland (“Malcolm in the Middle”)
Production Company: 20th Century Fox TV & ABC Studios
Links:
CBS
The Big Bang Theory - Mondays at 8:30PM EST/PST on CBS
THE BIG BANG THEORY is a comedy from the Emmy Award nominated Co-Creator and Executive Producer of "Two and a Half Men" Chuck Lorre, about brainy best friends Leonard (Johnny Galecki, "Roseanne") and Sheldon (Jim Parsons "Judging Amy"), who can tell you anything you want to know about quantum physics, but when it comes to dealing with everyday life here on earth they're lost in the cosmos. Neither fully understands that scientific principles don't always apply in matters of the heart - until they meet their sexy new neighbor Penny (Kaley Cuoco, "8 Simple Rules..."), a friendly screenwriter/waitress from the midwest who also happens to be newly single. She quickly makes an impression on the other members of Leonard and Sheldon's geek squad - Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"), who portrays himself as the Casanova of Cal Tech, and fellow whiz kid Rajesh Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar, "NCIS"), who is rendered speechless around anyone unprepared to converse about the Theory of Relativity or other scientific jargon. The chemistry between this gaggle of geniuses and a delightful damsel is about to undergo a stimulating series of inter-personal experiments. Multiple Emmy Award winner James Burrows ("Will & Grace") directed the pilot. Lorre and Bill Prady ("Gilmore Girls," "Dharma & Greg") are executive producers for Warner Bros. Television.
Cast:
Johnny Galecki (“Roseanne”): Leonard
Jim Parsons (“Judging Amy”): Sheldon
Kaley Cuoco (“8 Simple Rules”): Penny
Simon Helberg (“Studio 60 at the Sunset Strip”): Wolowitz
Kunal Nayyar (“NCIS”): Koothrappali
Links:
Fox
Fall 2007
Back to You - Wednesdays at 8:00PM EST/PST on Fox
In the 90s, the local TV news scene in Pittsburgh was dominated by one team: CHUCK DARLING (Kelsey Grammer, "Frasier," "Cheers") and KELLY CARR (Patricia Heaton, "Everybody Loves Raymond"). They had that elusive quality all news teams need: chemistry ... at least on-screen. Off-screen, Chuck was a bit of a self-centered womanizer, Kelly a bit of an uptight know-it-all. So when Chuck got the call to move up to a larger market, no tears were shed. But after an embarrassing on-air tirade ended up on the Internet, Chuck found himself on the downswing career-wise. He even questioned whether his lifestyle of chasing women and living in hotels was as exciting as it used to be. So when he got the call to return to Pittsburgh, to reunite with Kelly and try to take the newscast back to No. 1, it was an offer he couldn't refuse. Back in Pittsburgh, Chuck has a new coworker in RYAN CHURCH (Josh Gad, "Mary and Joe"), the overstressed news director. There are also familiar faces like MARSH McGINLEY (Fred Willard, "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," "Best in Show"), the affable, endlessly inappropriate sports anchor, and GARY CREZYZEWSKI, pronounced Kre-shoov-ski (Ty Burrell, "In Good Company," "Out of Practice"), the perennially put-upon field reporter who always seems to get left out in the snow. But, mostly, there's Kelly, now a single mom to 10-year-old GRACIE (Laura Marano, "Without a Trace"). There was magic between them once. Can they find it again?
Cast:
Kelsey Grammer (“Frasier,” “Cheers”): Chuck
Patricia Heaton (“Everybody Loves Raymond”): Kelly
Fred Willard (“Best in Show”): Marsh
Josh Gad (“Mary and Joe”): Ryan
Ty Burrell (“Out of Practice”): Gary
Laura Marano (“Without a Trace”): Gracie
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: 20th Century Fox Television, Levitan/Lloyd Productions
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS/CREATORS: Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd
DIRECTOR: James Burrows
Links:
January 2008
The Return of Jezebel James - Wednesdays in January 2008 at 8:30PM EST/PST on Fox
Can two estranged sisters, polar opposites, live together when one agrees to carry the other's baby? SARAH THOMKINS (Parker Posey, "For Your Consideration," "Best in Show") is a bright, optimistic, determined woman who seems to have it all a great job as a children's book editor, an eager-to-please assistant, BUDDY (Michael Arden), who helps keep her life together, and a no-strings-attached personal relationship with successful businessman MARCUS SONTI (Scott Cohen, "Kissing Jessica Stein"). Nevertheless, as her father, RONALD (Ron McLarty, "Law & Order"), is constantly pointing out, something is missing from Sarah's life. Her hard work may garner accolades, but when she goes home at night, she is very much alone. All too aware that she isn't getting any younger, Sarah decides to have a baby on her own and gets the shock of her life when the doctor tells her she can't get pregnant. Having no concept of the term "can't," Sarah wills herself to execute a plan. With nowhere else to turn, Sarah sets up a meeting with her quirky younger sister, COCO (Lauren Ambrose, "Six Feet Under"), and proposes a plan for Coco to carry her baby. They haven't seen each other in a while, and Coco refuses to go along with such a huge favor. But something happens when Sarah mentions that she's turned Coco's imaginary childhood friend, Jezebel James, into a children's book. Even though she doesn't say so out loud, Coco is clearly touched, and, realizing that her current living situation sharing a couch with her friend's sick dog isn't working out, Coco decides that this just might be worth a try.
Cast:
Parker Posey (“For Your Consideration”): Sarah
Lauren Ambrose (“Six Feet Under”): Coco
Scott Cohen (“Kissing Jessica Stein”): Marcus
Michael Arden: Buddy
Ron McLarty (“Law & Order”): Ronald
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Regency Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dan Palladino
DIRECTOR: Amy Sherman-Palladino
Links:
Spring 2008
The Rules for Starting Over - TBD/Spring 2008 on Fox
From the creatively fruitful minds of the Farrelly Brothers comes a single camera comedy, set in Boston, about a group of newly single friends learning the painful lessons of starting over in their 30s. They'd all love to get remarried, if they could just find their true loves. JACK "GATOR" GATELY (Craig Bierko, "Cinderella Man," "Boston Legal") is a charismatic, optimistic leader who never expected to be single again. But now that he is, he's determined to make the best of it. He's going to sift through all the bruised, damaged, occasionally psychotic fruit until he finds "the one." Joining Gator in bachelorhood redux is his thrice-divorced best friend TOMMY (Johnny Sneed, "The Guardian," "Fever Pitch"). The founder and brewmaster of an upstart microbrewery, Tommy has a voracious appetite for food, beer and women. He falls in love easily and always disastrously, yet truly hopes his fourth starter marriage will be "the one." DR. FREDDY SAHGAL (Shaun Majumder, "24," "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle") has seen some pretty strange stuff during his years as a successful surgeon, but he's never seen any of it through the eyes of a single man. Probably the least equipped of the group to handle this unexpected life change is Dr. Freddy, who can execute a triple bypass in his sleep, but is all thumbs when it comes to the opposite sex. Rounding out the group is KATE (Rashida Jones, "The Office"), a smart, successful attorney who handled all three of the boys' divorces. Having just turned 30, Kate finds herself dumped after a seven-year engagement. She reluctantly joins the guys in negotiating the treacherous waters of dating. Kate owns the brownstone next to Gator's. Over time, this pair may find that "the one" is just a brick wall away.
Cast:
Craig Bierko (“Cinderella Man”): Gator
Rashida Jones (“The Office”): Kate
Johnny Sneed (“Fever Pitch”): Tommy
Shaun Majumder (“Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle”): Dr. Freddy Sahgal
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: 20th Century Fox Television, Conundrum Entertainment, Watson Pond Productions
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly, Bradley Thomas, Brad Johnson
WRITERS: Chris Pappas, Michael Bernier, Kevin Barnett
DIRECTORS: Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly
Links:
NBC
The IT Crowd - Mid-Season on NBC for 6 episodes
Ever wonder what's up with those quirky techies who come to fix the office computer when no one's around? "The IT Crowd" is an offbeat series, based on the critically acclaimed British comedy, that offers a humorous behind-the-scenes peek at the people who truly keep the office humming. Roy (Joel McHale, "The Soup") and Moss (Richard Ayoade, "The IT Crowd" -- U.K.) are the misunderstood masters of their high-tech domain, but they lack the people skills to befriend anyone but each other. Their company's head is Denholm (Rocky Carrol, "Chicago Hope"), who wants the IT department to stay segregated and forever banished to the basement. Executive producers are Moses Port ("Just Shoot Me"), David Guarascio ("Just Shoot Me"), Joe Port (NBC's "The Office"), Joe Wiseman ("The Office"), Graham Linehan ("The IT Crowd" -- UK) and Steve Tao ("Red Doors"). Gail Mancuso ("Scrubs," "30 Rock") directed the pilot. "The IT Crowd" is produced by NBC Universal Television Studio.
Cast:
Joel McHale (“The Soup”): Roy
Richard Ayoade (“The IT Crowd” -- U.K.): Andrea
Rocky Carroll (“Chicago Hope”): Denholm
Jessica St. Clair: Jen
Rob Reins: Barry
Shea Curry: Emily
Links:
The CW
Aliens in America - Mondays at 8:30PM EST/PST on The CW
Justin Tolchuk (Dan Byrd, "The Hills Have Eyes") is a sensitive, lanky 16-year-old just trying to make it through the social nightmare of high school in Medora, Wisconsin, with the help of his well-meaning mom Franny (Amy Pietz, "Caroline in the City"), aspiring-entrepreneur dad Gary (Patrick Breen, "Kevin Hill"), and his popular sister Claire (Lindsey Shaw, "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide"), who is sweetly unaware of how good-looking she is. When Franny signs up for the school's international exchange student program, she pictures an athletic, brilliant Nordic teen who will bestow instant coolness on her outsider son. However, when the Tolchuk's exchange student arrives, he turns out to be Raja Musharaff (Adhir Kalyan, "Fair City"), a 16-year-old Pakistani Muslim. Despite the cultural chasm between them, Justin and Raja quickly develop an unlikely friendship that just might allow them to navigate the minefield that is contemporary high school. It's going to be a very interesting year for Raja, Justin, his family and the entire population of Medora. ALIENS IN AMERICA is from CBS Paramount Network Television Inc. and Warner Bros. Television with executive producers Tim Doyle ("Jake in Progress"), Moses Port ("Just Shoot Me," "Mad About You") and David Guarascio ("Just Shoot Me," "Mad About You"). Luke Greenfield ("The Girl Next Door") directed the pilot.
Cast:
Dan Byrd (“The Hills Have Eyes”): Justin
Amy Pietz (“Caroline in the City”): Franny
Patrick Breen (“Kevin Hill”): Gary
Lindsay Shaw (“Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide”): Claire
Adhir Kalyan (“Fair City”): Raja
Links:
Discuss the fall schedules here: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, The CW.
What's Your Fall Viewing Schedule?
Which new sitcoms have the best chance at success? Vote in our poll.
Which sitcom actor are you happiest about returning in a new show? Vote in our poll.
Stay tuned for our reviews of the pilots for these new sitcoms in the upcoming months!
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Fox and The CW Upfront 2007-08: Fall 2007 Schedule; ABC Family Adds 'Sister', '8 Simple Rules'
Fox 2007-08
Fall 2007
Sundays
7:00PM NFL Postgame
8:00PM The Simpsons
8:30PM King of the Hill
9:00PM Family Guy
9:30PM American Dad
Mondays
8:00PM Prison Break
9:00PM K-Ville (NEW!)
Tuesdays
8:00PM New Amsterdam (NEW!)
9:00PM House
Wednesdays
8:00PM Back to You (NEW!)
8:30PM 'Til Death
9:00PM Bones
Thursdays
8:00PM Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
9:00PM Kitchen Nightmares (NEW!)
Fridays
8:00PM The Search for the Next Greatest American Band (NEW!)
9:00PM Nashville (NEW!)
Saturdays
8:00PM Cops
9:00PM America's Most Wanted
January 2008:
Sundays
7:00PM King of the Hill
7:30PM American Dad
8:00PM The Simpsons
8:30PM Family Guy
9:00PM The Sarah Connor Chronicles (NEW!)
Mondays
8:00PM K-Ville (January)/Prison Break (Spring)
9:00PM 24
Tuesdays
8:00PM American Idol
9:00PM House
Wednesdays
8:00PM Back to You
8:30PM The Return of Jezbel James (NEW!)
9:00PM American Idol Results Show
9:30PM 'Til Death
Thursdays
8:00PM Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
9:00PM Canterbury's Law (NEW!)
Fridays
8:00PM Bones
9:00PM New Amsterdam
Saturdays
8:00PM Cops
9:00PM America's Most Wanted
Fox has not yet scheduled a slot for mid-season comedy The Rules for Starting Over.
To recap, Fox will launch two new dramas, one new comedy and three new reality series in the fall. Two new dramas and two new sitcoms will launch in mid-season.
Discuss Fox's 2007-08 line-up here.
Your first look at The CW's official line-up!
The CW 2007-08
Fall 2007
Sundays
7:00PM Online Nation (NEW!)
7:30PM The CW Now (NEW!)
8:00PM Life is Wild (NEW!)
9:00PM Top Model Encore
Mondays
8:00PM Everybody Hates Chris
8:30PM Aliens in America (NEW!)
9:00PM Girlfriends
9:30PM The Game
Tuesdays
8:00PM Beauty and the Geek
9:00PM Reaper (NEW)
Wednesdays
8:00PM America's Next Top Model
9:00PM Gossip Girl (NEW!)
Thursdays
8:00PM Smallville
9:00PM Supernatural
Fridays
8:00PM WWE Smackdown!
Mid-Season:
Coming off the bench in mid-season are returning drama series One Tree Hill and returning reality series Pussycat Dolls Present along with two new reality series Crowned and Farmer Wants a Wife.
Discuss The CW's 2007-08 line-up here.
ABC Family has made changes to its June line-up and will be adding two sitcoms to its afternoon and evening line-up! Joining the line-up at 2 & 2:30 p.m. weekdays starting June 11 will be the Tia & Tamara sitcom Sister, Sister! Also joining the line-up, airing weekdays at 6 & 6:30 p.m. starting June 12 (a movie will air here on June 11 for that night only) will be the John Ritter sitcom 8 Simple Rules! Now because of these changes, ABC Family will edit some other timeslots. Step by Step which was airing 2 & 2:30 p.m. will move to 8 & 8:30 a.m. weekdays. 8 & :30 a.m. was Boy Meets World, now that will move to afternoons at 3 & 3:30 p.m. Full House was 3 & 3:30 p.m., now that will move down to 4 & 4:30 p.m., replacing Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which is now going to be weekdays at 9:00 a.m, replacing America's Funniest Home Videos. Grounded for Life will return to the weekday line-up and air at 7 & 7:30 p.m. 8 Simple Rules and Grounded for Life will replace 7th Heaven and Smallville. Smallville is going to be moving to 12 midnight replacing America's Funniest Home Videos. It will only air Wed-Fri because original encores air in the slot on Monday and Tuesday nights. What about 7th Heaven? It will only air Sunday mornings now at 7 & 8 a.m...ouch.
To view the full schedule, click HERE.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
CBS Upfront 2007-08: Fall 2007 Schedule; ABC Schedule Change for Next Tuesday
CBS 2007-08
Fall 2007
Sundays
7:00PM 60 Minutes
8:00PM Viva Laughlin (NEW!)
9:00PM Cold Case
10:00PM Shark
Mondays
8:00PM How I Met Your Mother
8:30PM The Big Bang Theory (NEW!)
9:00PM Two and a Half Men
9:30PM Rules of Engagement
10:00PM CSI: Miami
Tuesdays
8:00PM Navy NCIS
9:00PM The Unit
10:00PM Cane (NEW)
Wednesdays
8:00PM Kid Nation (NEW)
9:00PM Criminal Minds
10:00PM CSI: NY
Thursdays
8:00PM Survivor
9:00PM CSI
10:00PM Without a Trace
Fridays
8:00PM Ghost Whisperer
9:00PM Moonlight (NEW!)
10:00PM NUMB3RS
Saturdays
8:00PM-10:00PM Crime Repeats
10:00PM 48 Hours Mystery
Mid-Season:
Coming off the bench in mid-season are returning series The Amazing Race and The New Adventures of Old Christine along with new drama Swingtown and new gameshow Power of 10.
Discuss CBS's 2007-08 line-up here.
ABC has made a schedule change for next Tuesday (May 22). ABC will move the two-hour season finale of Dancing with the Stars from 8-10pm to 9-11pm! Boston Legal's season finale was scheduled at 10pm and will move to the following Tuesday (May 29) at 10pm. ABC will air The Bachelor: After the Final Rose special at 8 p.m. on May 22.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
ABC 2007-08 Upfront: Fall 2007 Schedule; CBS Returning Series News; CW and Fox Upfront Update
ABC 2007-08
Fall 2007
Sundays
7:00PM America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00PM Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9:00PM Desperate Housewives
10:00PM Brothers & Sisters
Mondays
8:00PM Dancing with the Stars
9:30PM Sam I Am (NEW)
10:00PM The Bachelor
Tuesdays
8:00PM Cavemen (NEW)
8:30PM Carpoolers (NEW)
9:00PM Dancing with the Stars: The Results
10:00PM Boston Legal
Wednesdays
8:00PM Pushing Daisies (NEW)
9:00PM Private Practice (NEW)
10:00PM Dirty Sexy Money (NEW)
Thursdays
8:00PM Ugly Betty
9:00PM Grey's Anatomy
10:00PM Big Shots (NEW)
Fridays
8:00PM Men in Trees
9:00PM Women's Murder Club (NEW)
10:00PM 20/20
Saturdays
8:00PM College Football
Mid-Season:
Cashmere Mafia, Notes from the Underbelly and October Road will premiere after Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelor conclude their fall seasons.
Coming later in the year is the return of Lost for 16 straight episodes, new sitcom Miss/Guided, new drama Eli Stone, the alternative series Oprah's Big Give, and the returns of Supernanny & Wife Swap.
Discuss ABC's 2007-08 line-up here.
Tomorrow is CBS's turn at the upfronts. We will have the schedule for you in the morning, but first we have just found out that Jericho and Close to Home will NOT be picked-up now. They were both reportedly picked-up for at least 13 episodes, but now that will not happen. The Class was officially canceled, which is no surprise. Other on the bubble series How I Met Your Mother, The Unit, Rules of Engagement and The New Adventures of Old Christine will return next season, the latter for mid-season. And they made these obvious renewals official: Criminal Minds, Ghost Whisperer, Shark and NUMB3RS joining previous renewals.
Meanwhile, The CW has announced that it is very likely that Veronica Mars will NOT return. Fans will be upset, but it makes sense because the ratings have not been good. The CW confirmed that All of Us will not return, but Smallville, The Game, Girlfriends, Supernatural and One Tree Hill were renewed an you'll see them this fall, joining the already renewed Everybody Hates Chris, America's Next Top Model, and WWE Smackdown! Among the new series pick-ups, we have dramas Gossip Girl, The Reaper, Wild at Heart and the sitcom Aliens in America. The CW has also confirmed that they will air unscripted series Sundays at 7, called Online Nation (AFV type show featuring online videos) and CW Now (ET type show on pop-culture).
Fox has renewed 24 through the end of the 2008-09 season, so you will get more Jack! More on Fox's actual pick-ups tomorrow.
Monday, May 14, 2007
NBC 2007-08 Upfront: Fall 2007 Schedule; More Upfront News
NBC 2007-08
Fall 2007
Sundays
7:00PM Football Night in America
8:00PM Sunday Night Football
Mondays
8:00PM Deal or No Deal
9:00PM Heroes
10:00PM Journeyman (NEW)
Tuesdays
8:00PM The Biggest Loser
9:00PM Chuck (NEW)
10:00PM Law & Order: SVU
Wednesdays
8:00PM Deal or No Deal
9:00PM Bionic Woman (NEW) (Will air on Sci Fi Channel a few days later)
10:00PM Life (NEW) (Will air on USA Network a few days later)
Thursdays
8:00PM My Name is Earl
8:30PM 30 Rock
9:00PM The Office
9:30PM Scrubs
10:00PM ER
Fridays
8:00PM 1 vs. 100 / The Singing Bee (NEW)
9:00PM Las Vegas
10:00PM Friday Night Lights
Saturdays
8:00PM Dateline
9:00PM-11:00PM Crime Repeats
(Law & Order: Criminal Intent second run is reportedly here.)
Mid-Season:
January (Sundays after NFL ends)
7:00PM Dateline
8:00PM Law & Order
9:00PM Medium
10:00PM Lipstick Jungle (NEW)
NBC will kick-start the weekend on Fridays (8-9 p.m. ET) with "Game Night," a rotation of game shows that features 1 vs 100 (hosted by Bob Saget) for eight weeks, followed by six weeks of the new variety competition series The Singing Bee in the fall. The program is a competition that challenges contestants to accurately sing the lyrics to popular songs -- even when the band stops playing.
Later in the fall, NBC plans to introduce the unscripted series, World Moves, a talent competition program from executive producer Randy Jackson ("American Idol") that features dance teams from around the world auditioning for their shot to come to Los Angeles and compete for a global championship and an international touring contract.
Single camera sitcom The I.T. Crowd will join for six weeks in mid-season. Some other notes: The Office will have 30 half-hours of the hit series, including five hour-long episodes, and also has increased the season order for My Name Is Earl to 25 episodes. NBC "bulks up" with 30 combined episodes of Heroes and Heroes: Origins, an innovative new spin-off that each week will introduce a new character -- one of whom will be chosen by viewers through the Heroes website on NBC.com to become a cast regular the following season. Finally, Jerry Seinfeld, star of the classic NBC mega-hit Seinfeld, returns to the network to create and star in 20 unique live-action comedy "minisodes" inspired by his experiences creating the upcoming DreamWorks animated feature film Bee Movie, in theaters November 2.
Discuss NBC's 2007-08 line-up here.
Well, tomorrow we have ABC coming up at the upfront. We announced a few days ago what series have been picked-up thus far. ABC has picked up 10 new series so far (Private Practice, Big Shot, Dirty Sexy Money, Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, Cashmere Mafia, Sam I Am, Women's Murder Club, Carpoolers and Cavemen), but now they also have picked-up sitcom Miss/Guided for mid-season. Maybe a 12th will be picked-up soon in sitcom The Middle starring Ricki Lake. We'll find out tomorrow. Football Wives will probably not be picked-up (as we mentioned, expense issues) but ABC will have an option to pick-it up, similar to what they did with October Road last year. And other series that were in the run like The Hill & The Thick Of It seem unlikely. According to Jim might actually return for mid-season, but George Lopez seems unlikely now.
As for CBS, they made it official, they have picked up four dramas and a sitcom so far. Dramas are: Cane, Moonlight, Viva Laughlin, & Swingtown. The latter is expected for mid-season. No mention of Babylon Fields...unless CBS already picked it up. It was slated for mid-season, maybe CBS won't need it now. Sitcom wise so far The Big Bang Theory has been picked-up, with two more likely, possibly the back from the dead I'm in Hell and The Captain. CBS also picked-up game show The Power of 10 hosted by Drew Carey. CBS is expected to bring back shortened seasons of Jericho, Close to Home and The Unit.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
More Upfront Rumbling; Week 34 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did
Fox will not pick up new drama The Apostles now. Canterbury's Law was picked-up. No word yet on Nurses, but will likely be picked-up for at least mid-season. The War at Home will not return for a third season...no surprise.
Nothing new to report on ABC, as most of their projects were picked-up. The Middle and Football Wives have shots, but the latter might not get picked-up at all now due to expense issues. Sigh!
CBS is closer to bringing back Close to Home for 13 episodes for at least mid-season. Jericho might return and be slotted for the fall for 13 weeks with new drama Babylon Fields now for mid-season. Finally, The CW is still negotiating with Veronica Mars, but as of now, it doesn't look good for a return.
Come on back for NBC's official fall line-up maybe by later tonight or for sure by tomorrow morning before 9am!
Week 34 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):
Households: Fox: 9.2/14.9; CBS: 8.2/13.5; ABC: 7.6/12.4; NBC: 4.9/8.1; The CW: 2.1/3.4; MNT: 0.6/0.9.
Total Viewers: Fox: 15.22 million; CBS: 12.62 million; ABC: 11.42 million; NBC: 7.52 million; The CW: 3.17 million; MNT: 0.84 million.
Adults 18-49: Fox: 5.6/15.9; ABC: 3.8/10.5; CBS: 3.7/10.3; NBC: 2.9/8.0; The CW: 1.4/4.0; MNT: 0.3/1.0.
Analysis: The 34th week saw Fox in front again with the usual leader American Idol. Through the first four nights, Fox has the lead, followed by CBS and ABC battling for second in HH, viewers and 18-49. NBC still remains a distant 4th place in all categories. As usual, Friday and Saturday numbers are not above, since final numbers are not available yet. Tonight has ABC airing all-new episodes and CBS is also all new with the finale of Survivor, the battle will be with them for viewers with ABC in command for 18-49. Fox's comedies are also all-new (except 7p & 8:30) and NBC has yet another Dateline followed by the movie Shrek and for some reason an encore of Thank God You're Here. I am afraid to look at NBC's numbers for this night. Expect ABC to win.
On Monday Dancing with the Stars continued to rule Mondays for ABC. 19.44 million, slightly up from the previous week...it should be even higher tomorrow for the semifinals! CBS's CSI: Miami was all-new at 10pm and did 17.18 million, down a bit from last week and the 100th episode of NBC's Deal or No Deal was way down against Stars, with 10.43 million, down from last week by nearly two million. 8-9pm sitcoms were hurt the most for CBS, doing 7.69 and 7.22 million, up a bit from last week...they have been going up, so a good sign. Two and a Half Men rose from those numbers and did 13.27 million, down slightly from last week, followed by an all-new King of Queens doing 13.42 million, up from last week. Fox aired a repeat of House doing 7.48 million (on par with last week), followed by 24 with 10.92 million, also on par from last week. ABC aired The Bachelor from 9:30-11 and did a decent 10.39 million, up from last week, and NBC aired hit Heroes at 9 with 11.14 million (down from the numbers from last week), followed by The Real Wedding Crashers at just 4.77 million, NBC has pulled the show now. The CW's comedies are still under performing on this night, with Chris at just 2.48 million.
Tuesday was Fox's night. American Idol did 25.47 million at 8 (down from last week) and House did 21.36 million, slightly up from last week. ABC was on the map thanks to Dancing with the Stars: The Results doing 16.86 million at 9 (slightly up from last week), with the one-hour finale of George Lopez episodes preceding it with 4.6 million. Boston Legal at 10 was at its normal levels with 9.98 million. CBS was third with new episodes of NCIS, The Unit from 8-10 (13.88 and 10.74 million, both up from last week), and an encore of Without a Trace aired at 10 with 8.15 million. NBC was fourth for for the night with both Law & Order spin-offs doing 6.94 and 10.94 million from 9-11pm (both keep going down each week), with another Dateline kicking the night off with 4.98 million. The CW aired a new Gilmore Girls (3.99 million) and Veronica Mars (1.85 million). The latter needs to go!
Wednesday again Fox got the boost from that show called American Idol, doing 28.2 million at 9pm, down slightly from last week. Bones preceded with 10.23 million at 8 for pre-Idol tune-in. CBS was second for the night with the Jericho finale doing just 7.72 million (down from last week) followed by a new Criminal Minds and a new CSI: NY doing 12.92 and 12.83 million, both slightly down from previous week. ABC followed with According to Jim & Notes from the Underbelly doing OK to open up the night with 6.35 and 5.7 million (both slightly down from last week), followed by According to Jim & George Lopez encores doing 4.55 and 4.22 million better than last week's 4.02 million of a Lost encore and an all-new Lost closed the night off with a solid 12.11 million. NBC was again fourth for the night with a new Thank God You're Here doing 5.27 million (down a million from last week), Crossing Jordan followed with just 5.34 million for a new episode, down from last week. A new Medium followed built on the lead-in with 7.91 million, up from last week. The CW was in the game at 8 with America's Next Top Model doing a solid 4.92 million, followed by One Tree Hill doing 2.95 million.
On Thursday we saw CBS and ABC take control. Grey's Anatomy for ABC at 9pm did 19.58 million, down from last week. A new Ugly Betty opened the night off with 9.63 million, also down from last week. A special preview of Traveler aired at 10pm and did just 8.61 million...if it can do 6-8 million for its summer airings, that should be good enough. CBS's Survivor: Fiji was first at 8 with 13.77 million, slightly up from last week. A new CSI and a special night & time season finale of Without a Trace followed with 18.75 and 14.31 million. Fox was third with two-hours of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? with 9.32 million and 8.7 million. NBC was fourth in viewers with all-new episodes of its comedies and an all-new ER, which just did 9.39 million, but up from last week's series low. And CW aired new episodes of its Thursday dramas doing 3.43 and 2.9 million, both again down from last week.
Friday (numbers not counted in our ratings), saw CBS win the night with its dramas, but not as much as they were doing in the fall and early winter. NBC did much better from 8-10 with Dateline and it looks like that is helping Law & Order at 10. ABC aired a repeat of Grey's Anatomy from Thursday and was third followed by a two-hour 20/20. The CW did decent for its WWE coverage, but it is not doing as well as in the winter, though up from last week for fourth place. Fox aired a movie for fifth.
Saturday ratings saw CBS (for viewers) and ABC (for 18-49) do decent, with Fox and NBC trailing. ABC saw so-so numbers for an NBA Playoff game. Fox's NASCAR did slightly worse. As for tonight, ABC will win with its normal line-up. As for this week in general, it should be like last week as series continue to go up in anticipation of season finales!
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of April 30-May 6)
- King of the Hill (Fox) 2 episodes - 3.09 million for a repeat and 4.19 million for a new episode, new episode was up slightly from previous week.
- The Simpsons (Fox) 2 episodes - 7.77 million for a new episode followed by a repeat at 8.08 million...new was up a bit from previous week and the repeat was down a bit from previous week.
- Family Guy (Fox) - 7.95 million for a new episode, slightly down from lead-in for a second straight week, but up in other categories such as HH and 18-49.
- American Dad (Fox) - 6.31 million, down from last week a bit.
Monday Sitcoms
- How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A new episode did 7.69 million...up from previous week.
- Old Christine (CBS) - 7.82 million, up 1/2 million from last week.
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 13.27 million...down about 1/2 million from last week.
- King of Queens (CBS) - 13.42 million ... up nearly 1/2 million from last week.
- CW Monday Comedies: Chris, All of Us, Girfriends. All-new episode of Chris started it off with 2.48 million, followed by a new episode of All of Us at 2.29 million, and the one-hour finale of Girlfriends did 2.89 million.
Tuesday Sitcoms
- George Lopez (ABC) - One-hour finale did 4.6 million...not too good.
- According to Jim (ABC) - New episode did 6.35 million, slightly down from last week.
- Notes from the Underbelly (ABC) - 5.7 million, slightly down from last week's 6.0 million, but down still from three weeks ago's 6.26 million.
- My Name is Earl (NBC) - 6.94 million for another expanded episode thru 8:42, down from last week.
- The Office (NBC) - 7.17 million and a 3.9 18-49 rating for an expanded episode through 9:23. Both a bit up from last week.
- Scrubs (NBC) - 5.31 million for an expanded episode that started at 9:23 thru 10:01, up slightly from last week.
None.
Saturday Sitcoms
Airing tonight (Sunday) are new episodes of Fox comedies.
Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, Old Christine, and King of Queens were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as The Office, My Name is Earl) or just plain old terrible (George Lopez, All of Us).
Remember to come join us all this week, for the official fall 2007 schedules for the networks, in edition to our news!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Upfront Rumblings; Mini-DVD Review: The Chipmunks Go to the Movies (May 22)
ABC:
Drama Pick-Ups: Dirty Sexy Money, Private Practice, Cashmere Mafia, Big Shots (aka Perfect Gentlemen), Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, and Women's Murder Club.
Sitcom Pick-Ups: Sam I Am, Cavemen, and Carpoolers.
Still Could Be Picked Up Dramas: Football Wives
Still Could Be Picked Up Sitcoms: The Middle, The Hill, Miss/Guided
No Shot: Marlowe
Possible On the Bubble Current Series Renewals: Notes from the Underbelly (13 episodes), Knights of Prosperity (9 episodes), October Road (TBD episodes)
Comments: There have been some expense issues for some series like Football Wives & Marlowe. Women's Murder Club will be very cheap to produce so ABC will pick that up over Marlowe. Football Wives could still get picked-up as it could be a key series for ABC next season. They can premiere it in January or even after the Dancing with the Stars season finale in mid-November. Sitcom wise, ABC's only sure thing was Sam I Am...rumor was The Middle and Miss/Guided were going to be picked-up for the fall, but now they decided to pick-up Cavemen and Carpoolers instead, but both most likely will be for mid-season. ABC can still pick up The Middle and a traditional sitcom like The Hill. As for the current series, look for Underbelly and October Road to be renewed and their is an outside chance that The Knights of Prosperity will return with 9 new episodes to go along with the few unaired episodes from this season. Mix reports so far for George Lopez...some sources say it is canceled and some say it will return mid-season. According to Jim has a less of a chance to return. And What About Brian looks like will not return for a third season.
CBS:
Drama Pick-Ups: Swingtown, Viva Laughlin, Cane (AKA: Los Duques), Babylon Fields.
Sitcom Pick-Ups: None.
Still Could Be Picked Up Dramas: The Man
Still Could Be Picked Up Sitcoms: 1321 Clover
No Shot: I'm in Hell
Possible On the Bubble Current Series Renewals: Jericho (13 episodes), Close to Home (13 episodes), The Unit
Comments: CBS might not pick up a sitcom for the fall as the slate has been weak and they might be forced to bring back New Adventures of Old Christine in the fall rather than mid-season. 1321 Clover is the only sitcom in contention now, with series like The Big Bang Theory far behind. There is word that Jericho will be back for 13 episodes and same goes for Close to Home. Both will probably not be part of fall though. The Unit might also not be, as The Man has gotten closer to a pick-up, CBS might try that on Tuesdays for the fall. The Jason Biggs comedy I'm in Hell is dead and has no shot really of a pick-up...and The Class has no shot of a second season really. The Amazing Race will likely return in January or March.
NBC:
Drama Pick-Ups: Chuck, Life, Journeyman, Bionic Woman, Lipstick Jungle.
Sitcom Pick-Ups: None.
Still Could Be Picked Up Dramas: None.
Still Could Be Picked Up Sitcoms: Business Crowd, I.T. Crowd, Lipshitz Saves the World
No Shot: Mastersons of Manhattan
On the Bubble Current Series Renewals: Friday Night Lights, Scrubs (18 episodes)
Comments: As for NBC, so far no sitcom pick-ups but word is Business Crowd or I.T. Crowd will be picked-up for the fall while the other is saved for mid-season. Lipshitz Saves the World is also in consideration. On the drama front, there is word that Lipstick Jungle has been picked-up, but for mid-season. So NBC could potentially have two series that starts with "Lip"...odd. NBC has announced that Scrubs will indeed return to the network for one final season for 18 episodes...maybe for the fall or another January start. Still no word on Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, but Crossing Jordan is about as good as dead right now it seems.
FOX:
Drama Pick-Ups: Sarah Connor Chronicles, New Amsterdam, K-Ville
Sitcom Pick-Ups: Back To You, The Return of Jezebel James, Rules for Starting Over
Still Could Be Picked Up Dramas: Nurses, The Apostle, Them, Canterbury's Law, Company Man
Still Could Be Picked Up Sitcoms: Animals
No Shot: Supreme Courtships
On the Bubble Current Series Renewals: 'Til Death
Comments: Fox has picked-up three sitcoms so far and three dramas. They are in contention to pick-up a few more dramas even and maybe an animated sitcom. It looks like Kirstie Allie's sitcom is dead and the drama Supreme Courtships was written off days ago. Fox will bring back 'Til Death for a second season to join the three new comedies on the new Wednesday comedy block with Bones either moving to Thursdays or Fridays.
The CW:
Drama Pick-Ups: Gossip Girls, Reaper
Sitcom Pick-Ups: None
Still Could Be Picked Up Dramas: Wild at Heart, World According to Barnes
Still Could Be Picked Up Sitcoms: Aliens in America, Hell on Earth, Eight Days a Week
No Shot: Spellbound
On the Bubble Current Series Renewals: One Tree Hill, Supernatural
Comments: No Veronica Mars has not been picked-up yet! I don't think it will be either. So far no sitcoms have been picked up but Aliens in America, Hell on Earth are close to...one will be for the fall, one will be for mid-season. It seems Girlfriends and The Game will return. Two new dramas so far have been officially picked-up, with two more possibly to follow. Look for Supernatural and One Tree Hill to return but with new nights. Everybody Hates Chris, America's Next Top Model and Smallville will be the only locks to stay in their current positions...and well WWE Smackdown!
Check back periodically as we get more updates all-weekend long! I don't sleep during upfronts week!
Join us all next week (May 14-17) bright and early for the fall schedules. I assure you we will be among the first ones to post the fall line-ups for each network.
And now back to our regularly scheduled blog programming:
Welcome to another edition of mini-DVD reviews. This week we take a look at Paramount Home Entertainment's The Chipmunks Go to the Movies. The Chipmunks Go to the Movies is a continuation of Alvin and the Chipmunks from 1990 where the Chipmunks re-enact your favorite classic movies like Star Trek, Batman and Honey I Shrunk the Kids! See my mini-DVD review of The Chipmunks Go to the Movies:
Alvin & the Chipmunks: The Chipmunks Go to the Movies (Paramount, $14.99) brings three episodes from the short-lived 13 episode series. This is the fourth set from Paramount featuring the Chipmunks series. The last set was the Valentine's set set. Previously we had the Halloween and Christmas specials releases. Paramount has also released the Chipmunk feature film from 1987 on a separate set...so five sets really. This set has three episodes from the 1990 series featuring spoofs on Batman, Star Trek & Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. The episode titles are "Star Wreck," "Batmunk," and "Funny...We Shrunk the Adults." Why not just bring all 13 on two discs or something? It doesn't make sense to me why just three episodes. Each episode runs 21:30 or so, but there are NO closing credits! Very strange! No chapter stops like previous Chipmunk sets. Packaging is simple and in the same line as the previous sets--a nice simple case with the disc inside with an insert for Chipmunks.com. The menu screen has Play All and Episode Selection. The video and audio are decent and very watchable.
I highly do recommend any fan to pick up this set. New fans might also want to see this hilarious take on popular films, but I am hoping Paramount (or any other studio) releases the series on DVD in order with the classic episodes, and not just select episodes from The Chipmunks years. I like the old style animation the series had on NBC from 1983-87...why aren't they coming to DVD first?? I want to see The C-Team episode with Mr. T again! So, hopefully we get the series on DVD from the start next, but for now go out and buy this set and watch Alvin as The Joker and more!
-- Reviewed by Pavan
(4/5 stars)To purchase the DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
Amazon.com
Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
Alvin & the Chipmunks TV.com Page
Chipmunks.com
Friday, May 11, 2007
SitcomsOnline.com 2007-08 Upfront Preview: The CW; TV Land July Highlights; ION Television June Highlights
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com The CW 2007-08 preview:
New Series Already Picked-Up: None.
New Series We Think That Are Almost Good To Go: Aliens in America (sitcom), Gossip Girl (drama), Reaper (drama), Spellbound (drama) and Wild at Heart (drama).
New Series Perhaps Picked-Up for Mid-Season: The World According to Barnes (drama) and Hell on Earth (sitcom).
OUR FALL 2007 PREDICTION:
Sundays
5:00PM Various Repeats
6:00PM Various Repeats
7:00PM America's Next Top Model Encore
8:00PM Supernatural
9:00PM Spellbound (NEW)
Mondays
8:00PM Everybody Hates Chris
8:30PM Aliens in America (NEW)
9:00PM Girlfriends
9:30PM The Game
Tuesdays
8:00PM Wild at Heart (NEW)
9:00PM One Tree Hill / Pussycat Dolls
Wednesdays
8:00PM America's Next Top Model
9:00PM Gossip Girl (NEW)
Thursdays
8:00PM Smallville
9:00PM Reaper (NEW)
Fridays
8:00PM WWE Smackdown!
Comments: This is another tough prediction. Veronica Mars is probably dead and One Tree Hill & Supernatural will return I think. Mondays I think The CW will stick with the comedies, but add another single camera sitcom to go with Chris...possibly Aliens in America or the Kyla Pratt sitcom Hell on Earth. Girlfriends will probably have to come back to go with The Game, as both are traditional sitcoms, and CW has none in development. Tuesdays with Gilmore Girls out of the mix they could go with the Gossip Girl or Wild at Heart, I choose the latter and maybe One Tree Hill can move from Wednesday to Tuesday. Wednesday will of course have Next Top Model followed by Gossip Girl maybe. Thursday I put Reaper out of Smallville with Supernatural moving to Sundays leading into new drama Spellbound. You can say goodbye to favorites 7th Heaven, Gilmore Girls, Reba, All of Us and Veronica Mars. And shows like Runaway. Reality hit Beauty and the Geek will probably be back for mid-season in between Top Model cycles. Pussycat Girls could start for the fall and delay One Tree Hill a bit.
Remember, next Thursday (May 17) is the actual date when we will find out The CW's plans for the 2006-07 season. So, come on back next Thursday and we will let you know the details and you can see how much we were right (or wrong). Stay tuned next week for all the final schedules released by all the networks! We will put them up as soon as they are released by the networks, so this will be your home to see them first!
TV Land announced its July highlights today. The summer marathons (we announced last week) which will air 10pm-4:30am starting June 4, will continue in July through July 22. Starting July 23 the regular scheduled shows from 10p-4:30a will return. The other July highlights include The Jeffersons Go to Hawaii 4-part episode airing on the 4th of July to-be-continued-free from 8-10pm. Friday movies include the premieres of The Negotiator, Dragnet, and the Elvis movie Speedway.
TV Land Confidential returns for a second season starting July 11 airing Wednesdays a 10! Just when you thought you heard it all. TV Land Confidential brings you the stories behind your favorite TV shows from the people who were there: the stars, producers, network executives and others in the know. Sure, you’ve seen the shows. You know all the characters. You know all the storylines, but here are the stories you haven’t heard. TV Land Confidential reveals all the behind-the-scenes secrets! Some of the topics that will be covered this season include: How did What's Happening!! get a second chance at life and why didn't Larry Hagman appear in the Jeannie reunion movies? And how did Balki come up with that crazy accent on Perfect Strangers?
And for you What's Happening Now!! fans, as of now no new episodes are scheduled for July. We will get the entire first season in June on TV Land. Let's hope we get more new episodes soon after.
ION Television has announced its June schedule. There are no changes to the regular line-up. Remember when we said they will air the series Calvin Ayre Wild Card Poker the week of May 28 at 10pm? It is now confirmed that it is only a week-long series. The finale will air Saturday, June 2 from 8-11pm. Diagnosis Murder will return to the weekday line-up after a week off on June 4 in its regular 9pm slot, shifting The Wonder Years back to its 10pm slot after a week at 9pm.
ION weekend movies include Superman: The Movie and The Principal. Joining ION on June 29 every Friday through Sunday from 7-11PM will be programming from the RHI Entertainment library. Classic TV movies, mini-series and new original movies will be airing. The TV movies for this month include Broken Vows and Lonesome Dove.
You will want to come back next month when we announce the ION July line-up. There is expected to be changes to the line-up with some new additions, including possibly fan favorite Perfect Strangers! Don't be ridiculous! Great stuff! We will have more on July when announced, and of course more RHI programming will air with even original new movies.
But for now click HERE for the June highlights!
Finally, To celebrate Mother's Day - Princess Cruises is reuniting television's favorite mothers and daughters to christen its newest cruise ship, Emerald Princess: Florence Henderson & Susan Olsen of The Brady Bunch and Marion Ross & Erin Moran of Happy Days! The TV icons will crack the bottle of champagne to christen the ship in Athens, Greece -- the birthplace of Mother's Day -- on May 13. Gavin McLeod, former "Captain Stubing" of The Love Boat, will officiate.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
SitcomsOnline.com 2007-08 Upfront Preview: Fox; NBC Renews 'Lights', Picks Up Four New Series
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com Fox 2007-08 preview:
New Series Already Picked-Up: Back to You (sitcom)
New Series We Think That Are Almost Good To Go: Minister of Divine (sitcom), The Return of Jezbel James (sitcom), The Life & Times of Tim (animated sitcom), The Apostles (drama), K-Ville (drama), The Sarah Connor Chronicles (drama)
New Series Perhaps Picked-Up for Mid-Season: Company Man (drama), Nurses (drama) and Animals (animated sitcom)
OUR FALL 2007 PREDICTION:
Sundays
7:00PM NFL Overrun / Animated Encores
8:00PM The Simpsons
8:30PM The Life & Times of Tim (NEW)
9:00PM Family Guy
9:30PM American Dad
Mondays
8:00PM The Sarah Connor Chronicles (NEW)
9:00PM Prison Break
Tuesdays
8:00PM American Band (wt) (NEW!) / K-Ville (NEW)
9:00PM House
Wednesdays
8:00PM Back to You (NEW)
8:30PM 'Til Death
9:00PM American Band Results Show (NEW) / Minister of Divine (NEW)
9:30PM The Return of Jezbel James (NEW)
Thursdays
8:00PM Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
9:00PM Trading Spouses
Fridays
8:00PM Bones
9:00PM The Apostles (NEW)
Saturdays
8:00PM Cops
8:30PM Cops
9:00PM America's Most Wanted
Comments: Fox is once again tough to figure out. Besides pre-empting regular series for the baseball playoffs and World Series in October, they will probably launch some shows in mid-August, like their Monday dramas and now with word that they will do an American Idol type show for the fall featuring a search for bands, it makes things more complex. Of course 24 and American Idol itself will come back in January. 24 will probably be aired with the mid-season drama Company Man, while Sarah Connor and Prison Break take a break..if Sarah is a hit, who knows maybe they will move it or even keep it in the same slot. Tuesdays and Wednesdays will be tough now with the Band series coming. I think it will inherit the Idol slots (Tuesdays at 8 and Wednesdays at 9...if it even has a results show, but most likely it will). House will probably stay put Tuesdays at 9 with all-comedies on Wednesday. I think Bones will be either benched until mid-season or put to Fridays...I went with the latter. Thursdays I think Fox will remain with the same line-up of 5th Grader and Trading Spouses, or maybe they try a drama at 9...even though it is a death slot against the two highest rated dramas. And so many series are goners: Drive, Happy Hour, Justice, The O.C., Vanished, The Rich List, Wedding Bells, The Winner, & War at Home. I think Nanny 911 will return at some point. Like when anything fails fast. As for mid-season, maybe House can take a 6-week break or something so they can try the new drama Nurses after Idol in January or March? I don't think King of the Hill will really be needed but they will probably bring it back in January or so for the 7-8pm hour and Fox will also try the Adam Sandler animated comedy Animals for mid-season. Fox is the most hardest to predict I think with the many schedule "blocks" of months they have.
Remember, next Thursday (May 17) is the actual date when we will find out Fox's plans for the 2007-08 season. So, come on back next Thursday and we will let you know the details and you can see how much we were right (or wrong). Stay tuned tomorrow for a preview on The CW's upfront.
Monday we gave our prediction on NBC's upfront. We had Friday Night Lights on our schedule and sure enough NBC made it official today that the show will return to NBC for a second season. No word yet if it will be for the fall or January. NBC also announced it has picked-up at least four new dramas to air for the 2007-08 season: Journeyman, Bionic Woman, Chuck and Life. I'm sure two of them at least will be for the fall.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
SitcomsOnline.com 2007-08 Upfront Preview: CBS; Notes on ABC, TV Land, AmericanLife and TV One
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com CBS 2007-08 preview:
New Series Already Picked-Up: None
New Series We Think That Are Almost Good To Go: The Man (drama), Los Duques (drama), Big Bang Theory (sitcom) and Babylon Fields (drama).
New Series Perhaps Picked-Up for Mid-Season: Swingtown (drama), Viva Laughlin (drama), and Kohan & Mutchnick Project (sitcom)
OUR FALL 2007 PREDICTION:
Sundays
7:00PM 60 Minutes
8:00PM Cold Case
9:00PM The Man (NEW)
10:00PM Without a Trace
Mondays
8:00PM How I Met Your Mother
8:30PM The Big Bang Theory (NEW)
9:00PM Two and a Half Men
9:30PM Rules of Engagement
10:00PM CSI: Miami
Tuesdays
8:00PM Navy NCIS
9:00PM The Unit
10:00PM CSI: NY
Wednesdays
8:00PM The Amazing Race
9:00PM Criminal Minds
10:00PM Shark
Thursdays
8:00PM Survivor
9:00PM CSI
10:00PM Los Duques (NEW)
Fridays
8:00PM Ghost Whisperer
9:00PM Babylon Fields (NEW)
10:00PM NUMB3RS
Saturdays
8:00PM Crime Repeats
9:00PM Crime Repeats or Close to Home
10:00PM 48 Hours Mystery
Comments: CBS will probably only pick up one sitcom for the fall. Their sitcom development has been terrible quite frankly so we might see on the bubble sitcoms return. This is what I said last year about Close to Home: "Close to Home is on the bubble for CBS, yet it wins its slot regularly on Friday nights, so I think it will return. Maybe CBS can try it on Saturdays to spice up that night." And I was right on the money...and I think this time it might move to Saturdays or just be gone outright as CBS wants to get a bit younger on Fridays.
Series canceled or will be include The Class, Jericho, Smith, 3 LBS, & The King of Queens. I think CBS will have to bring back Old Christine for mid-season as its sitcom development was bad...maybe they pick up one newbie for mid-season. The Class and Jericho are most likely done, but Jericho has a slight chance, but CBS's drama pilots have come out better than expected. Their best drama is probably Swingtown, but it is nothing like a CBS show, so I had no idea where to slot it in the fall. Maybe they can find a fit for mid-season, to say Wednesdays at 8? Wednesdays at 8 is very hard to schedule for CBS. Maybe they will have Amazing Race to that slot in the fall. I really think CSI: NY will move to the cursed CBS Tuesday at 10 slot. That will help that slot and CSI: NY has battled the original Law & Order well in the past, so I think it can tackle a declining Law & Order: SVU. Maybe they will try Shark out of Criminal Minds so CBS can try something else post-CSI, like Los Duques.
Remember, next Wednesday (May 16) is the actual date when we will find out CBS's plans for the 2007-08 season. So, come on back next Wednesday and we will let you know the details and you can see how much we were right (or wrong). Stay tuned tomorrow for a preview on Fox's upfront.
ABC has pulled the 9:30pm airing of Notes from the Underbelly for tonight for a repeat of George Lopez. Notes from the Underbelly will still air in its regular 8:30pm slot.
On TV Land, they will be finally airing new episodes of What's Happening Now!! and not the same 12 episodes over and over. Starting Tuesday, May 29 you can catch episodes never seen on TV Land before of the hit follow-up series. The series lasted 66 episodes, so let's hope we see them all. The series airs weekdays at 7am ET/PT on TV Land. Program those DVRs, TiVos, VCRs, or whatever. For more information on the new episodes click HERE.
AmericanLife TV has acquired the classic '60s drama Mission: Impossible to its primetime classic TV line-up! The series will debut October 2007! For full details click HERE.
In addition to the TV One Mother's Day marathon we mentioned in the May highlights, TV One is asking us to vote for the top TV One mom...Mary Jenkins of 227 or Florida Evans of Good Times? Vote for your fav TV mom, plus enter for a chance to win $25,000 by clicking HERE.
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Wednesday, November 4
Scrubs - "My Story" (ABC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
J.D. and Elliot reconnect while managing a difficult parenting conversation; the interns grapple with work-life balance.
Abbott Elementary - "Courtney" (ABC, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Gregory and Melissa come together to address an issue with a teacher; Janine spends time with Courtney.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of November 2)
Wednesday, November 4
- Timothy Simons (Nobody Wants This/HouseBroken/Veep) - Watch Timothy on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Tracy Morgan (The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins/Crutch/The Last O.G./30 Rock/The Tracy Morgan Show) - Tracy appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Bill Hader (Barry) - Bill is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about The Cat in the Hat on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 10am hour.
- Sarah Paulson (Leap of Faith) and Niecy Nash-Betts (Reno 911!/Getting On/The Soul Man/Do Not Disturb) - Sarah, Niecy, Kim Kardashian and Naomi Watts talk about All's Fair on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am. Sarah will also be on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Denise Richards (Blue Mountain State) - Denise talks about All's Fair on ABC's GMA3 at 1pm.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Cafe Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Valerie is joining the Drew's news desk to hit the headlines with Drew and Ross on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/20/26 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27/26 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11/26 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
04/11/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
04/21/26 - Famous Studios Champion Collection (Blu-ray) (DVD)
05/19/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (DVD)
05/19/26 - Looney Tunes Cartoons - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
06/16/26 - Difficult People - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
06/30/26 - Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
07/14/26 - The Office - The Complete Series - Superfan Extended Episodes (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Bill Dana Show - The Complete Series (DVD)
07/28/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Paper - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
08/25/26 - Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/08/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
09/22/26 - Bridget Loves Bernie - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/20/26 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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