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Upfront Rumblings; Mini-DVD Review: JAG Season 6 (May 20)

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Saturday blog for an update on the network upfronts. This is probably the busiest TV weekend of the year--the weekend before the network upfronts start. Latest buzz on scripted series:

ABC:
Close to Being Picked-Up Dramas: Life on Mars.
Close to Being Picked-Up Sitcoms: Bad Mother's Handbook, The Goode Family.
Still Could Be Picked Up Dramas: Good Behavior, Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas, The Prince of Motor City, Castle, The Unusuals
Still Could Be Picked Up Sitcoms: This Might Hurt, My Brother's Hot (And Other Dilemmas)
No Shot: The More Things Change, Cedric
Possible On the Bubble Current Series Renewals: Eli Stone, Boston Legal, Scrubs (from NBC)
Possible Current Series Canceled That Had a Chance: MEN IN TREES (confirmed), Women's Murder Club, October Road
Comments: ABC will probably add just 1-2 new shows in the fall and load up in mid-season, because of the strike causing pilots not to shoot a pilot. The only pilot to shoot so far was Life on Mars, and word is ABC will re-shoot it but it will be picked-up. They have a lot of buzz on more dramas, but they haven't been shot yet. The scripts sound very good on most of those, like Good Behavior, Extraordinary Atlas and Prince of Motor City. Sitcom wise, ABC is very high on Bad Mother's Handbook, but other than that it is very quiet on what could make it. The Goode Family, an animated comedy, has a 13 episode commitment for 2009, so that will likely air. Mix reviews so far for Alyssa Milano's comedy My Brother's Hot (or is it known as Nuclear Family), but I bet it will be picked-up. No word on Cupid yet, the remake of the short lived comedy...ABC would be wise to pick it up...it could be Love Boat style as it will be an hour this time. Word is ABC has passed on Cedric's comedy, so there goes a chance of multicamera comedies returning to ABC. As for current series, ABC has officially axed MEN IN TREES (remaining episodes will air starting May 28) and the word is Women's Murder Club will also get the ax. Meanwhile Eli Stone fans will be happy that the word is it will indeed return. Boston Legal's chances are better to return than to be axed. No news on October Road, but ABC is shopping it. Maybe MRC can get it for that Sunday block on The CW? Scrubs will likely come to ABC in the fall it seems, and According to Jim is taping at least 6 episodes this month and in June, so maybe that will be available earlier this year than the previous two seasons.

CBS:
Close to Being Picked-Up Dramas: Eleventh Hour, Mentalist.
Close to Being Picked-Up Sitcoms: My Secret Public Journal, My Best Friend's Girl
Still Could Be Picked Up Dramas: Mythological Ex, Exit 19, Tower
Still Could Be Picked Up Sitcoms: Single White Millionaire, Worst Week
No Shot: NY-LON
Possible On the Bubble Current Series Renewals: The Unit, Old Christine, Moonlight, Rules of Engagement
Possible Current Series Canceled That Had a Chance: Jericho, Shark
Comments: CBS is very high on Eleventh Hour and The Mentalist, so expect them to be picked-up for sure. CBS also is eying Mythological Ex, Exit 19, Tower and possibly Harper's Island. Sitcom wise, the picture is not that clear, but CBS seems to have liked quite a few like My Secret Public Journal, My Best Friend's Girl, and Single White Millionaire. Worst Week seems to have picked up steam and is also in the running with another sitcom or two also possible.
Current series wise, The Unit seems to have gained traction and could return now. Moonlight and Rules of Engagement has a better shot to return, while Shark could be on its way out. Old Christine is tough to figure. It'll be back next season...either on CBS or if CBS cancels it, ABC could pick it up. So maybe CBS will pick it up so ABC can't.

FOX:
Close to Being Picked-Up Dramas: Fringe (confirmed), Dollhouse
Close to Being Picked-Up Sitcoms: The Inn (confirmed), Sit Down Shutup (confirmed), Cleveland
Still Could Be Picked Up Dramas: Courtroom K
Still Could Be Picked Up Sitcoms: Spaced, Starting Under, The Pitts
No Shot: The Oaks
On the Bubble Current Series Renewals: 'Til Death (confirmed)
Possible Current Series Canceled That Had a Chance: Back to You (confirmed)
Comments: Fox is very high on Fringe and Dollhouse. Fringe will be their main show to push as it has been picked-up for the fall, while Dollhouse could come mid-season. Courtroom K is another Fox drama that could be picked-up. Fox has passed on drama The Oaks, and they are shopping it to other studios. Sitcom wise, they have officially picked up The Inn, and a mid-season pickup for animated sitcom Cleveland (Family Guy spinoff) is almost certain. Sitdown Shut Up has been picked up for sure for mid-season. So maybe The Pitts will be passed on now. And another sitcom or two like Spaced or Bernie Mac's Starting Under. Boldly Going Nowhere is also picking up steam. Because of the pick-up of The Inn, the sitcom Back to You is canceled! After a bad performance this past week, it really sealed that deal. The cost of the show is also high as it has two sitcom veterans and the producers/director are also costly. Meanwhile, 'Til Death survives once again for the second straight year for a third season. So Back to You is canceled and 'Til Death is renewed. No word when or if the four unaired episodes of Back to You will air or not. Series finale is this coming week.

The CW:
Close to Being Picked-Up Dramas: 90210, Filthy Rich Girls
Close to Being Picked-Up Sitcoms: None
Still Could Be Picked Up Dramas: Austin Golden Hour
Still Could Be Picked Up Sitcoms: None.
No Shot: N/A
On the Bubble Current Series Renewals: Reaper, The Game
Possible Current Series Canceled That Had a Chance: Aliens in America, Girlfriends (both confirmed)
Comments: 90210 is almost certain to be picked up now that Jennie Garth will indeed reprise her role as a recurring character. Filthy Rich Girls is another drama that will be picked-up for the fall, while Austin Golden Hour could be for mid-season. No new sitcoms at all, but they have canned Aliens in America and we already knew Girlfriends was ending. So it looks like Chris and The Game will be the only sitcoms on The CW, possibly Fridays 8-9pm. The CW has given up on Sundays, and will let MRC program from 7-11pm: The CW is aligning with Media Rights Capital to program its Sunday night primetime programming block for the 2008-09 broadcast television season. The strategic alliance between the two companies will take effect in Fall 2008 and feature four new programs--two comedies and two dramas--from top producers and creative talent.
As for returning shows, Reaper will be back most likely. Gossip Girl could be paired with 90210.

Check back periodically as we get more updates all-weekend long! I don't sleep during upfronts week!

Join us all next week (May 12-15) 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. NBC will be first on Monday, but they have already announced their schedule...so nothing new. No changes are expected either on Monday for NBC's schedule.


And now back to our regularly scheduled blog programming:

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for mini-DVD reviews! Today we have we take a look at CBS DVD's 6th Season of JAG. JAG was a huge hit for CBS. If you are a fan of Navy NCIS, you know that NCIS is a spin-off of JAG. See Seth Thrasher's mini-DVD review of JAG - The Complete 6th Season:

JAG - The Complete 6th Season (CBS, $55.98) is coming to DVD for the first time on May 20! Enjoy this long running Donald Bellisario classic on DVD -- and I've got great news. If you didn't notice already, the MSRP for this season set has dropped by $9, from $65 to $56. In addition, the SRP for seasons one through four (as of this writing) have dropped significantly. Seasons 1 and 2 are now $30, Seasons 3 and 4 are now $39. Those of you who've read these reviews know that the SRP was EASILY my biggest gripe against the JAG sets, and now the first four sets are available for under $40 -- the first two for just under $30, with the price of the sixth season starting at a lower base. This is great for fans of the show who might have hesitated at the price point.
I'll be completely honest here -- this is around the point in the original run of the show that I lost interest -- about 2/3 of the way through the season to be specific. It wasn't the show itself so much as I just found other things to watch, and sort of drifted away. I didn't begin watching again until the final season. So this IS the first time I've seen a good third of the season. The season starts off with the great two-parter, "Legacy," which once again involves Harm's family life -- this time taking place in Russia. The fifth episode of the season, "JAG TV," is an interesting one. The JAG office has its first televised court martial -- resulting in a circus, not surprisingly. The episode features Lawyer Celebrities Gloria Allred and Johnnie Cochran, plus Mary Hart and then-host of the Late Late Show, Craig Kilborn. The season finale is, of course, a cliffhanger. The episode is titled "Adrift," and I won't reveal much of the plot...but it's a surprisingly good episode. Can't believe I missed it first time through.
Moving to the technical side, packaging is, thankfully, a mere outer box plus slim cases. Many CBS DVD titles are moving to those horrible translucent plastic cases with the fragile disc holders in the center. The number of discs involved with a drama such as JAG makes this a bit prohibitive, a fact of which I'm thankful. Video is presented nice and clear in anamorphic widescreen. The video, being shot in HD, has no defects that I can detect. Audio is great, and I once again have to just say I LOVE the show's theme and how good it sounds here. . The “disclaimer of doom” does appear on the back of the box, indicating possible edits, but honestly I think this is standard operating procedure for CBS DVD. There weren't any glaring edits that I could find, but I don't have original broadcast OR syndication copies to compare to -- and like I said, I stopped watching midseason. The episodes generally run 43:30-44:30, probably on par with the normal 2000-01 shows. There are, unfortunately, no special features that I could find.
I wish I’d kept on watching back then, as there's still quality story for the series left to tell -- the episodes I missed, and the season as a whole, is quite good, and I wholeheartedly recommend the set -- and go back and pick up the earlier seasons now that the prices have gone down.

-- Reviewed by Seth Thrasher
(4/5 stars)

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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com Full DVD Reviews Page
JAG TV.com Page

Sitcom Time Changes on WE tv; Programming Reminders for This Weekend

Starting this Monday (May 12), WE tv will switch the timeslots for sitcoms Kate & Allie and Hope & Faith. Kate & Allie was airing weekdays from 12-1pm (sometimes it would be extended a bit longer, too) and will now move to 10-11am weekdays where Hope & Faith was airing. And yes, Hope & Faith will move to 12-1pm (and sometimes it will be extended a bit beyond that, too). Dharma & Greg will remain in the middle from 11am-12pm.
Remember WE tv also has reruns of Girlfriends, Golden Girls and Ghost Whisperer coming in 2009.

Yes, MTV Networks (TV Land, Nick at Nite, etc) had their upfront yesterday, but as of now, still no press releases or anything from TV Land. I do know that Chris Rock was on hand at the upfront for Everybody Hates Chris, which comes to Nick at Nite in 2009.
At its 2008 upfront presentation, MTV Networks united its leadership, talent and marketing partners to showcase innovative partnerships, programming and platforms across its brands. The presentation highlighted "return on innovation" -- the value for marketers in MTVN's reinvention of how audiences experience content and advertising on every screen. The event was highlighted by special guest appearances by some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Justin Timberlake, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Rock, Ashanti, Taylor Swift, Lauren Conrad, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, George Foreman, Dr. Drew Pinsky, as well as exclusive musical performances by John Legend, Sarah Silverman, JabbaWockeeZ from MTV's Randy Jackson Presents: America's Best Dance Crew and the cast of hit Broadway musical Legally Blonde.
Yeah, nothing major at all. We will let you know if there is anything announced today or whenever.

This weekend has a lot of nice programming for everyone. We have mentioned all of these already, but we are going to remind you again. Tonight ABC will air the two-hour special TV's All-Time Funniest...sitcoms of the past and present are featured from Married with Children to I Love Lucy to The Office. Tune in from 8-10pm ET/PT on ABC! Must see for sitcoms fans.
Then we mentioned a few Mother's Day stunts. They will all of course air on Mother's Day, this Sunday (May 11). Airing on BET from 12pm-5pm is a sitcom marathon of Thea. The short-lived ABC sitcom starring Thea Vidale and Brandy Norwood. Watch Thea take care of her four kids and work two jobs...how does she do it? Tune in! On Boomerang this Sunday from 12pm-7pm, there will be Wilma themed episodes of animated sitcom The Flintstones. Finally, Nick at Nite has a nice primetime block featuring "Hot Moms." Tune in starting at 9pm for "Hot Moms" like Jill Taylor, Angie Lopez and Vivian Banks! The marathon will be hosted by one of the hot moms themselves, Constance Marie (Angie on George Lopez)!

SitcomsOnline.com 2008-09 Upfront Preview: Fox; Flintstones Mother's Day Marathon on Boomerang

Fox's weak spot of the season is usually the fall line-up, but they could be better next season. They will probably go with stable shows with just a few new shows in the fall and more news shows for mid-season, when American Idol and 24 return.
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com Fox 2008-09 preview:

New Series Already Picked-Up: None
New Series We Think That Are Almost Good To Go: Starting Under (sitcom) and Fringe (drama)
New Series Perhaps Picked-Up for Mid-Season: Dollhouse (drama), Spaced (sitcom) Sit Down Shutup (animated sitcom) and Cleveland (animated sitcom)

OUR FALL 2008 PREDICTION:

Sundays
7:00PM NFL Overrun / Animated Encores
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 Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Tuesdays
8:00PM Fringe (NEW!)
9:00PM House

Wednesdays
8:00PM Back to You
8:30PM Starting Under (NEW!)
9:00PM Bones

Thursdays
8:00PM The Moment of Truth
9:00PM Kitchen Nightmares

Fridays
8:00PM Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
9:00PM Don't Forget the Lyrics!

Saturdays
8:00PM Cops
8:30PM Cops
9:00PM America's Most Wanted

Comments: It'll be once again a tale of two seasons within a season for Fox. Look for their mid-season line-up probably to be a lot different from fall, since 24 and American Idol come in January. Sarah Connor and Prison Break will air Mondays I think in the fall, with both possibly taking a break in January when 24 comes, and Fox can launch Dollhouse, another promising drama they have. That will probably run for 6-9 episodes or so, and then they could being back Sarah for its final batch of episodes from like March-May, paired with 24. I don't think Prison Break will return after the fall ends...it doesn't really deserve to...maybe the potential spin-off could be introduced in an episode sometime in the fall. As for Tuesdays, I think the J.J. Abrams drama Fringe will likely be paired with Fox's House. If it hits, I wonder where Fringe will go in January when American Idol comes? Maybe Thursdays? More on that later. On Wednesdays, I think they will start with two comedies. Right now their best bet is Back to You and the new Bernie Mac comedy Starting Under...with 'Til Death likely a goner or saved for mid-season. I personally wouldn't bring back Back To You, but Fox really doesn't have anything good in the sitcom development, except animated comedies and some single camera comedies. I think Bones could be asked to air at 9:00pm. It could work, too. When January comes, we can expect American Idol's Results Show at 9 and possibly Bones moving down an hour to 8 or the comedies (perhaps one of the mid-season sitcoms in there)? Can they move Bones once again by January? Fox is hard to figure. Thursdays I think Fox will remain reality, but maybe something different. I'm not sure if they have more episodes of The Moment of Truth by the fall, since new airings are coming this summer, but that would be good for the fall at 8 followed by Kitchen Nightmares, which is coming back in the fall for sure. Now by January, if Fringe is indeed a hit, they might move it to Thursdays paired with maybe Bones? I think Fox will have comedies at 8 (maybe a traditional sitcom in The Inn or single camera ones like Spaced or Outnumbered could be aired here with either Back or Under) before Idol or maybe Moment of Truth, if it is not available in the fall. 5th Grader and Don't Forget the Lyrics could be on the move to Fridays for the full season. As for Sundays, animation domination will continue, with the same shows in the fall, but perhaps as much as two new animated comedies will come by mid-season, for sure Cleveland, the Family Guy spin-off, and another new one such as The Pitts or Sit Down Shut Up...I hope the latter. They will likely replace King of the Hill and American Dad! for awhile, if not the rest of the season.
As a recap, for Fox January, I'd do: Sundays: Animated Repeats, The Simpsons, Sit Down Shut Up, Family Guy, and Cleveland; Mondays: Dollhouse/Sarah Connor and 24; Tuesdays: American Idol and House; Wednesdays: Sitcoms/The Moment of Truth and American Idol Results; Thursdays: Bones and Fringe; Fridays: 5th Grader and Lyrics.
And so many series are goners next season: K-Ville, Nashville, Search for the Next Great American Band, New Amsterdam, Canterbury's Law, Return of Jezebel James, Unhitched, & possibly 'Til Death. I think Hell's Kitchen could likely return sometime in the season or next summer.
So, it looks like Fox will be decent year-round. Will American Idol fall more next season? It might. But before that, let's see how Fox does in the fall. I still think CBS and ABC will share leadership for the fall in viewers/18-49, and Fox will have to rely on mid-season again, but maybe it will be a bit better next season.

Remember, next Thursday (May 15) is the actual date when we will find out Fox's plans for the 2008-09 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 the official fall line-ups for all the networks...will NBC edit anything on upfront day? We shall see. Also, we will try to give you all latest pilot rumblings on Saturday, so you will want to check with us! See if we have any inside buzz on this very slow development season.
Discuss your thoughts on our prediction and feel free to make suggestions of your own by clicking HERE!

TV Land is having their upfront today...so if they announce anything later today, you can check here. If it is bit late then we will have a write-up for you tomorrow. So check back either way!

Throughout time, mothers have been revered for their love, nurture and support...not to mention their hard work. To celebrate Mother's Day on Sunday, May 11, Boomerang (Cartoon Network's 24-hour commercial-free sister network) gives birth to a 7-hour tribute to that modern Stone-Age matriarch, Wilma Flintstone. During the Wilma Flintstone Mother's Day Marathon, which airs from 12-7 p.m. (ET), viewers will see Wilma Flintstone through the years-as she and Fred first court, during her pregnancy, as a new mother and, finally, as she becomes a grandmother. The holiday marathon kicks off with five and a half hours of Wilma-centric escapades from the original The Flintstones animated series and concludes with the 90-minute animated feature Hollyrock-A-Bye Baby (1993).
To see the episodes, click HERE! Wilmaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Don't forget to tune in tomorrow to the TV special TV's All-Time Funniest airing 8-10pm ET/PT on ABC! It should be a fun special for all sitcom/comedy fans of all eras. I suggest you tune in!

SitcomsOnline.com 2008-09 Upfront Preview: CBS

CBS continues to be the network that will have the least amount of changes to its fall schedule. I think we will see a few moves and some cancellations though.
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: Eleventh Hour (drama), The Mentalist (drama), Single White Millionaire (sitcom), My Secret Public Journal (sitcom) and Exit 19 (drama).
New Series Perhaps Picked-Up for Mid-Season: Tower (drama) and Exit 19 (drama)

OUR FALL 2008 PREDICTION:

Sundays
7:00PM 60 Minutes
8:00PM The Amazing Race
9:00PM Can Openers (NEW!)
10:00PM Cold Case

Mondays
8:00PM The Big Bang Theory
8:30PM How I Met Your Mother
9:00PM Two and a Half Men
9:30PM Single White Millionaire (NEW!)
10:00PM CSI: Miami

Tuesdays
8:00PM Navy NCIS
9:00PM The Mentalist (NEW!)
10:00PM Without a Trace

Wednesdays
8:00PM Rules of Engagement
8:30PM My Secret Public Journal (NEW!)
9:00PM Criminal Minds
10:00PM CSI: NY

Thursdays
8:00PM Survivor
9:00PM CSI
10:00PM Eleventh Hour (NEW!)

Fridays
8:00PM Ghost Whisperer
9:00PM Moonlight
10:00PM NUMB3RS

Saturdays
8:00PM Crime Repeats
9:00PM Crime Repeats
10:00PM 48 Hours Mystery

Comments: CBS will probably have one new show each from Sun-Thurs. Their Monday sitcom block will likely have one new comedy, Single White Millionaire starring Fred Savage seems like it would hold most of Two and a Half Men's numbers. As for Tuesday, there could be a shake up to this night. The Unit has been MIA since the strike, and it probably won't return...so CBS will try something new at 9 following NCIS, like The Mentalist? Exit 19 starring Geena Davis could also be an option (in her old Commander in Chief slot, but that was ABC) ...if not, for mid-season then. The cursed 10pm slot could go to a proven player like Without a Trace, which would move for the third time in three seasons if it were to move. Wednesdays 9-11pm will likely remain intact, but the 8pm hour CBS has had difficulty with. I think two sitcoms are the best option, possibly a returning one like Rules of Engagement paired with a newbie like My Secret Public Journal. CBS Thursdays will have to change if Without a Trace leaves from 10pm, CBS will likely add the Jerry Bruckheimer drama Eleventh Hour following CSI. Fridays will likely remain the same, but I wouldn't be surprised if Ghost Whisperer or NUMB3RS move to another night, like Sundays. Moonlight is doing OK, but maybe CBS could pick up new drama Mythological X, as that sounds like it would skew younger after Whisperer. And as for Sundays, CBS always gets screwed with the sports run-over (especially in the fall with the NFL) and they usually are in 30-40 minute delays or even more for the entire country except the west coast. I suggest they just shorten 60 Minutes, or it will kill a new show if they launch one on Sundays, which I think they will. Maybe a medical drama like Can Openers which would skew younger than the normal CBS show probably, especially out of the Amazing Race. I think Amazing Race will be back at 8pm...maybe for two cycles this year. As long as they don't bring back Big Brother in the regular season! What a disaster that was. Cold Case could be on the move to 10pm to better close the night.
Series canceled or will be include The Unit, Shark, Cane, Power of 10, Viva Laughlin, Kid Nation & Jericho. I think CBS will bring back Old Christine for mid-season in case one of the comedies fails. If not, then ABC will sure pick it up...so don't worry fans. Jericho is gone for good...send all the nuts you want, it won't work again. Price is Right will likely return in primetime for some specials...I doubt they would air it as a weekly series. I don't think they will pick-up any new mid-season sitcoms, especially since Jennie Garth is no longer in the My Best Friend's Girl pilot.

Remember, next Wednesday (May 14) is the actual date when we will find out CBS's plans for the 2008-09 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.
Discuss your thoughts on our prediction and feel free to make suggestions of your own by clicking HERE!

Slow news day so far...if we have anything (which I'm sure we will have SOMETHING), we'll post it, so check back!

SitcomsOnline.com 2008-09 Upfront Preview: The CW; Family Matters Coming To Nick at Nite June 29, More Nickat Nite News; CW Daytime Adds Wayans, Jamie

The CW is dying for some shows that do well, with one of their best shows actually in WWE Smackdown! leaving, they will need to find something that does 4 million. Their development slate seems to be very weak this season...the strike could be to blame, as there are actually no sitcoms ordered to pilot. Will America's Next Top Model rebound in the fall after a slow spring?
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com The CW 2008-09 preview:

New Series Already Picked-Up: None.
New Series We Think That Are Almost Good To Go: 90210 (drama), How To Teach Filthy Rich Girls (drama), and Styledome (reality).
New Series Perhaps Picked-Up for Mid-Season: Austin Golden Hour (drama) and Fashion Magazine Assistants (reality).

OUR FALL 2008 PREDICTION:

Sundays
5:00PM Various Repeats
6:00PM Various Repeats
7:00PM America's Next Top Model Encores
8:00PM Styledome (NEW!)
9:00PM The Game
9:30PM The Game Encores

Mondays
8:00PM 90210 (NEW!)
9:00PM Gossip Girl

Tuesdays
8:00PM One Tree Hill
9:00PM Reaper

Wednesdays
8:00PM America's Next Top Model
9:00PM How To Teach Filthy Rich Girls (NEW!)

Thursdays
8:00PM Smallville
9:00PM Supernatural

Fridays
8:00PM Everybody Hates Chris
8:30PM Everybody Hates Chris Encores
9:00PM Reaper Encores

Comments: The CW has barely anything in production. Whatever they have ordered to pilot will be picked-up...that's how bad it is. The strike might be the reason, as they also have no sitcom pilots ordered to pilot. They have a script order for a Sherri Shephard sitcom, that would work well with The Game, so they should order it to pilot ASAP so it can be ready for mid-season. 90210 remake is their best shot at new success, and it would do well leading off Mondays and possibly can give Gossip Girl a bit of a bump...maybe over 3 million? Tuesdays should have One Tree Hill and Reaper, because they are both actually decent performers, as Reaper has proved itself this spring airing in multiple slots. Wednesday will of course have Next Top Model followed by How To Teach Filthy Rich Girls maybe. How To Teach Filthy Rich Girls would also fit with One Tree Hill, I think. Thursday with Smallville and Supernatural shouldn't be changed, as it does decent enough. Fridays will be changed and of course I don't think they can replace the 4 million that Smackdown! got. I would just double pump on Everybody Hates Chris and maybe encore Reaper on the night. Aliens in America would do terrible on this night, so I don't think The CW will bring it back. Repeats of Chris would do better...maybe for mid-season, they can develop another single camera comedy to pair with Chris. Or maybe by midseason Chris will be back to Sundays anyway. As for Sundays, maybe a reality show (Styledome) would be best to start at 8pm out of an encore of Top Model? This would lead into back-to-back episodes of sitcom The Game. Once Styledome wraps, they could always move Chris to 8-9pm if the Friday airings are bad. As for mid-season they could bring in a drama like Austin Golden Hour which is a medical drama, if anything fails... and the Fashion Magazine Assistants reality show maybe in between cycles of Top Model? Beauty & the Geek and Pussycat Dolls don't deserve to return.
You can say goodbye to the following shows Aliens in America, Beauty & the Geek, Girlfriends, Life is Wild, Pussycat Dolls, CW Now, Online Nation and Farmer Wants a Wife.
The CW needs help for sure, I think they should start each weeknight with a proven show (One Tree Hill, Top Model, Smallville, Chris) and 90210 would probably fall into those shows once it airs. Sophomore shows such as Gossip Girl and Reaper will be brought back to prove itself and grow. But without any new sitcoms, they are in a mess.
Discuss your thoughts on our prediction and feel free to make suggestions of your own by clicking HERE!

Remember, next Tuesday (May 13) is the actual date when we will find out The CW's plans for the 2008-09 season. So, come on back next Tuesday and we will let you know the details and you can see how much we were right (or wrong). Stay tuned tomorrow for our preview of CBS' upfront.
And as a reminder, 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!

Finally Family Matters has been officially announced for Nick at Nite! A press release just came out! Nick at Nite will add Family Matters, a laugh-out-loud hit series for the whole family, to its sitcom line-up this summer, launching the show with a seven–hour marathon on Sunday, June 29 from 9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m., before it lands in its regular time period, Sunday through Thursday at 8:30 p.m. & 11:00 p.m.; and Friday & Saturday at 12 a.m. (all times ET/PT). Family Matters ran for nine seasons (1989-98) and 215 episodes on broadcast networks ABC (first eight seasons) and CBS (for its last season), catapulted Jaleel White's archetypal nerd-next-door, Steve Urkel, into the pop culture, and the actor captured three Image Awards for his portrayal. In this long-running comedy – a spinoff of Perfect Strangers via wisecracking elevator operator Harriette Winslow – nosy, good-hearted Steve Urkel pesters and wreaks havoc on his neighbors, the Winslows of suburban Chicago. Starring Reginald VelJohnson, Jo Marie Payton, Darius McCrary, Kelly Shanygne Williams, Jaimee Foxworth, Rosetta LeNoire, Bryton McClure, with Telma Hopkins, and Jaleel White.
There will be no other changes to the June line-up. So, everything else will remain the same. Family Matters will replace a Nickelodeon airing at 8:30 on Sun-Thurs and a Fresh Prince airing at 11pm on Sun-Thurs...on Fri-Sat it will air at 12am replacing a Fresh Prince airing on Friday & a Home Improvement airing on Saturday. The only other change that will happen is at 6am, Full House will air Mon-Thurs replacing a Nickelodeon airing. Now this could be just a rough schedule...we shall know more soon when we announce Nick at Nite June in the coming weeks...so come on back!
In other Nick at Nite news, they will revive the classic Nickelodeon game show GUTS, with a family twist. GUTS, the groundbreaking, original hit game show from the '90s, is being recreated for a new generation of families as Nick at Nite greenlights My Family's Got GUTS, a new extreme sports competition series. Nick at Nite will commence production on two 10-episode tournaments, (20 new half-hour episodes and two hour-long specials), created and executive produced by the digital entertainment studio Worldwide Biggies. The series will be shot on location at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla., beginning in August and is scheduled to premiere in prime time on Nick at Nite in fall 2008 with the finale on the Worldwide Day of Play. The original GUTS was hosted by Mike O'Malley (Yes, Dear, Get the Picture) and aired on Nickelodeon from September 28, 1992, until October 1995. A spin-off was created called Global GUTS.
Finally, Nick at Nite is going to the dogs...literally! For the first time ever, Nick at Nite will give dog owners everywhere the chance to showcase the unique charms of their canine companions by entering them online as contestants for The First Annual Worldwide Fido Awards premiering on Sunday, July 27, and Monday, July 28, 9-10 p.m. (ET/PT). The competition kicks off on May 19, when viewers can upload videos of their dogs to the popular online dog video community site www.WorldwideFido.com, created by digital entertainment studio Worldwide Biggies, to compete in six categories and vote online for their top picks. The contest culminates in a two-night television event that will reveal the winners in each category and ultimately the 2008 Worldwide Fido Award for best in show. The pooch fest will also feature canine friendly celebrities and their four-legged best friends. The categories include "Cutest Dog," "Best Dressed," "Best Voice," "Most Outrageous," "Best Trick" and "Dog/Owner Look-Alike."

The CW Television Network is teaming up with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution to create a daily two-hour afternoon programming block that will bring a new court television series from Telepictures Productions and two hit comedies from Warner Bros. Television to The CW from 3:00–5:00 p.m. each weekday.
Judge Jeanine Pirro, a new original one-hour court program featuring Jeanine Pirro – regular contributor to Fox News Channel, former Westchester County (N.Y.) District Attorney and County Judge, nationally known legal commentator and author – as the presiding jurist will air Monday–Friday back-to-back at 3:00 p.m., followed by a one-hour comedy block of classic urban 90s sitcoms The Wayans Bros. at 4:00 p.m. and The Jamie Foxx Show at 4:30 p.m. The new programming schedule will debut Monday, September 22, 2008.
These shows will replace the current CW Daytime block of All of Us, What I Like About You and back-to-back Reba episodes.
Eventually, The CW would like to have two full hours of first-run product, rather than one, in the block by next year. Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Television and The CW originally discussed doing that immediately, but decided to just start with one hour for now. So this block will be fully Warner Bros. owned shows, and not other studios. They have aired shows from other studios before such as ABC Studios' 8 Simple Rules, 20th Century Fox's Reba and CBS Paramount's All of Us, with Warner owned shows in the mix as well such as ER and What I Like About You.

SitcomsOnline.com 2008-09 Upfront Preview: ABC; Sci Fi and WE tv Acquire Ghost Whisperer, Classics Coming to Sci Fi Such As Mork & Mindy

NBC is the first network going at upfront, which will be next Monday, but they have already announced their 2008-09 schedule last month so we can't preview and make predictions for NBC...so we decided to go with the next network ... ABC (which will go next Tuesday). With the writers' strike causing a lot of delays to the pilot season, many pilots won't be ready before the upfronts, thus we won't see many new shows this fall, unfortunately. I think mid-season will see a lot more shows than normal. So, ABC will likely build on their sophomore shows (the current freshman series such as Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, Dirty Sexy Money, and Samantha Who?). Most of those have not returned after the strike ended, so they will likely do large return promotions for these. New shows wise, I expect maybe 1-2 new dramas or 1-2 new sitcoms on ABC this fall, with lots of new shows being ordered for mid-season. Here is the SitcomsOnline.com ABC 2008-09 preview: New Series Already Picked-Up: Section 8 (6 episode order, but doesn't mean it will be on in the fall). New Series We Think That Are Almost Good To Go: Good Behavior (drama), Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas (drama), My Brother's Hot And Other Dilemas (wt for Milano series) (sitcom). New Series Perhaps Picked-Up for Mid-Season: Prince of Motor City (drama), Life on Mars (drama), Cupid (dramedy), Bad Mother's Handbook (sitcom), Never Better (sitcom), This Might Hurt (sitcom). OUR FALL 2008 PREDICTION: Sundays 7:00PM America's Funniest Home Videos 8:00PM Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 9:00PM Desperate Housewives 10:00PM Dirty Sexy Money Mondays 8:00PM Dancing with the Stars 9:30PM Samantha Who? 10:00PM Good Behavior (NEW!) Tuesdays 8:00PM My Brother's Hot (And Other Dilemas) (NEW!) 8:30PM Miss Guided 9:00PM Dancing with the Stars: The Results 10:00PM Boston Legal Wednesdays 8:00PM Pushing Daisies 9:00PM Private Practice 10:00PM Brothers & Sisters Thursdays 8:00PM Ugly Betty 9:00PM Grey's Anatomy 10:00PM Eli Stone Fridays 8:00PM Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas (NEW!) 9:00PM According to Jim 9:30PM According to Jim or Cedric the Entertainer Project (NEW!) 10:00PM 20/20 Saturdays 8:00PM College Football Comments: It is really hard to predict what shows will be ready for the fall since the strike has caused a lot of production delays. I'm hoping new dramas Good Behavior and Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas will be ready for the fall...they sound very good. For Mondays, I'm leaving 8-10 intact right now but 10pm needs a change. The Bachelor is an average performer, but they can do better...especially with the high profile Good Behavior, which is the Outrageous Fortune Australian remake. The Bachelor would come back in January. My Brother's Hot (And Other Dilemas) is the new Kristin Newman sitcom project that will star Alyssa Milano! I think Miss Guided should return. It was fed to the strike and it had to start itself off without any support and besides it is very funny and should be given another chance. It would do well out of Milano's show. However, if there is a chance CBS drops Old Christine, then I think ABC should really go after it and air it 9:30 Mondays after Dancing with the Stars because I think a multi-camera sitcom would do better. Thus if that happens, then I would slide Samantha Who in the 8pm hour on Tuesdays paired with Alyssa Milano's sitcom, and hold on to Miss Guided for later. ABC should start Boston Legal in the Tuesday at 10 slot for the fall since not many new shows will be available, and this show proves it can do decent in this slot out of Stars..so don't mess with it until mid-season. Wednesdays ABC should bring back the combo of Pushing Daisies and Private Practice from 8-10pm because they were very solid and helped ABC win this past fall on Wednesday nights. Closing the night I think the addictive Brothers & Sisters should move to this night and give a nice flow to the night...as it has proven itself already on Sunday nights. As for Thursdays, Betty and Grey's are a given, but I think Eli Stone should return for a second season and air in the fall at least. If it doesn't work, then try something else...but it should be tried because the show is high class and deserves to be given a shot after Grey's. If Betty continues to slide (which I think it will perk up when Lohan comes), they could try something else in the slot mid-season. Lost will return in February most likely for 16 or 17 straight weeks, possibly Thursdays at 10 again? Or maybe on another night? I don't see that happening though unless they want to have an all male night with Scrubs and a new comedy (possibly This Might Hurt). Speaking of Scrubs, I think ABC will indeed pick it up but not air it until January. I have no idea where they would slot it, too. Tuesdays at 8 in January or Thursdays at 8 giving Betty a break in January? I think ABC should go after Fridays. They shouldn't give up. They should go after the family audience. And new adventure drama Captain Cook's Extraordinary Atlas is exactly what they should air...especially in the the colder months between October-February when viewership is higher. I think According to Jim should wrap up its series run in the fall rather than being fed to American Idol in the winter/spring. I would double up on it because I'm too scared to launch a new sitcom, like Cedric the Entertainer's new sitcom. I guess they could double pump Jim for a while then bring in Cedric in one of the slots if this night clicks. Finally, on Sundays...I would leave 7-10pm alone. I think Dirty Sexy Money would be a better fit out of Desperate Housewives than Private Practice was...so yes it is a risk to move Brothers & Sisters, but I think that drama can do well on another night, too. Series that will be canceled or are ending include: Notes from the Underbelly, October Road, Women's Murder Club, Big Shots, Cashmere Mafia, Cavemen, Carpoolers, Duel, MEN IN TREES. The Bachelor, Wife Swap & Supernanny will all return for mid-season or maybe December/January on Monday nights. Other reality shows like Oprah's Big Give, Here Come the Newlyweds, and Dance War all did decent, and should be tried again for mid-season or maybe next summer. Looking at the fall line-up, ABC is pretty stacked with shows that are hits and sophomores that could build and be big hits...but with the strike it is very hard to tell what new shows will be available in the fall. Some shows that should make it sometime this season that I haven't mentioned yet are dramas Prince of Motor City, Life on Mars, Section 8 (has a 6 episode order), and comedies Bad Mother's Handbook, Cupid, Never Better, and the animated Goode Family. Anyway, this season ABC had some decent hits like Private Practice, Samantha Who, Pushing Daises and some promising shows such as Eli Stone, Miss Guided and Dirty Sexy Money. But this coming year will have ABC trying to build on those even more with their mega hits like Dancing with the Stars, Desperate Housewives, and Grey's Anatomy. Hopefully there isn't an actors strike to mess the TV landscape again. Discuss your thoughts on our prediction and feel free to make suggestions of your own, by clicking HERE! Remember, next Tuesday (May 13) is the actual date when we will find out ABC's plans for the 2008-09 season. So, come on back next Tuesday 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. Turning to the news, Ghost Whisperer was acquired by ION Television starting in September 2009 for broadcast rights, but now the show has been sold to cable as well! Both Sci Fi Channel and WE tv will share the show in a joint contract. Sci Fi Channel will air the show in four hour marathon blocks once a week, while WE tv will air it daily, similar to ION. We will have more on WE tv's part soon, but Sci Fi has already announced their plans this morning. SCI FI Channel has secured off-network cable rights to CBS's Emmy-nominated series, Ghost Whisperer, from CBS Television Distribution. SCI FI will launch the series in the fall of 2009. In addition, SCI FI will have access to shows in the CBS-Paramount library, including Star Trek: The Next Generation, which will premiere Monday June 2, 2008 on SCI FI, Charmed, Early Edition, Highlander, Highlander: The Raven, Seven Days, The Sentinel, The Invaders, Friday the Thirteenth: The Series and the classic Robin Williams sitcom Mork & Mindy, among others. We will have more details on those classic series later, but we know Star Trek: The Next Generation starts Monday, June 2 and will air Mondays from 7-11pm. SCI FI likes to air shows in marathon blocks, so they have something fresh each day. Look for the classic series to be rotated into their morning daytime rotation slots. Nice to have a sitcom on SCI FI! Maybe they can get Webster from CBS-Paramount as well? We all know Webster was secretly an alien...just kidding! Seriously, they should get more sitcoms of this nature from other studios like Debmar-Mercury's ALF, 20th Century Fox's Small Wonder and Universal's Out of this World...just my suggestions and thoughts. Mork & Mindy is a nice start, though! We will keep you up to date on these library shows. Yes, the Charmed deal will be shared with TNT ... so SCI and TNT can air it. In other news, WE tv has also secured rights to the last three seasons of the sitcom Girlfriends! BET will have rights to the other seasons still. We will have more on this shortly. We already mentioned WE tv has acquired The Golden Girls for March 2009, in a shared deal with Hallmark, so it seems WE Tv is loading up more on off-net programming. Meanwhile, SCI FI will launch Lost this fall, as we stated previously.

Week 32 Numbers (First Four Nights); How the Sitcoms Did

We didn't get the final averages for Thursday, so we will not give you the first four nights averages for this week...we will still have everything else though!

Week 32 numbers (first four nights, Mon-Thu):

Households: N/A
Total Viewers: N/A
Adults 18-49: N/A

Analysis: As stated, I don't have final network averages for the first four nights for this week, Week 32...but one can assume Fox is on top in HH/viewers, but CBS and ABC could be right behind. As of Wednesday, it was Fox with a 9.0 and 15.16 million, but CBS and ABC must have closed in with their top Thursday shows. 18-49 is clearly Fox right now, but ABC and CBS are vying for second. So I can't comment more on this because of no averages...I apologize once again. Last week, week 31, CBS edged ABC for number one in HH once again but also this time CBS edged both ABC and Fox in total viewers as well. It was a very close race in HH/viewers between CBS, ABC and Fox. Fox had the lead in 18-49. ABC was second but only 0.5 rating behind. CBS was third in 18-49, while NBC was an uncompetitive fourth in everything.
On Monday, ABC was on top with Dancing with the Stars doing 18.22 million for 98 minutes, up from the week before. The hit sitcom Samantha Who did 9.87 million, also up from the previous week. The Bachelor: London Calling followed with 7.17 million, down just a tad from the previous week. CBS started with sitcoms and leading it off was The Big Bang Theory at 8.07 million, finally up, a new How I Met Your Mother followed and built on that and did 8.84 million...up from previous week, #1 sitcom Two and a Half Men followed with 12.91 million ... down from previous week. Closing the sitcom block was Rules of Engagement at 10.31 million, down from previous week. A new CSI: Miami did 13.88 million...down from previous week and again ir seems below normal, but then again all the scripted shows back seem lower than usual. Fox aired a new Bones to start off the night and it did a nice 9.8 million, up a lot from the previous week and following at 9pm was the return of House on a new night with new episodes doing 14.64 million and a nice 5.8 18-49 rating. NBC was led by yet another special two-hour Deal or No Deal at 10.05 million, down a tad week-to-week and Medium closed the night off with 9.68 million, also down a tad from previous week. The CW had a new episode of Gossip Girl doing 2.53 million, up a bit from the return and a new One Tree Hill at 2.57 million, down from previous week.
On Tuesday, Fox was on top thanks to Idol at 25.09 million at 8pm, up from previous week. At 9pm Fox aired a new Hell's Kitchen and it did solid with 11.94 million...as it went up for the second straight week. ABC was next with two episodes of According to Jim (new and repeat) at 8pm doing 3.92 and 4.07 million...both on par really from previous week. Then at 9pm, Dancing with the Stars: The Results did a solid 17.06 million, down from previous week as Shannon Elizabeth was the next to go. Watch her new Lifetime Movie Network movie tonight at 6pm and 8pm. ABC closed the night at 10pm with the return of Women's Murder Club on a new night and time at 7.53 million, down quite a bit from what Boston Legal does. CBS was next with a new episode of NCIS at 14.76 million, up a bit from previous week, followed by the return of Shark with new episodes doing 10.17 million, but the 2.2 18-49 is not good. A special CSI repeat followed at 10pm with 7.61 million. NBC was bad again from 8-10pm as a new Most Outrageous Moments at 8pm did just 4.09 million, but up a bit from previous week and a repeat of SNL Primetime from 8:30-10 did a bad 3.18 million, worse than previous week but a new Law & Order: SVU at 10pm drew 12.31 million ... up a bit from the previous week. This week NBC will remove the SNL repeats and have a repeat of Outrageous Moments at 8:30 and a repeat of SVU at 9...too many repeats by NBC. The CW aired a new Beauty & The Geek at just 1.68 million, up from previous week and a new Reaper did 2.58 million, up from the return episode...this show could see a second season, while Beauty shouldn't see another season.
On Wednesday, it was Fox on top again. American Idol Results seemed to do lower that usual once again as maybe those sitcoms are the reason, anyway from 9-10pm it did 22.8 million...down from previous week. From 8-9pm Fox aired sitcoms 'Til Death and Back to You doing lower than the previous week at 5.57 and 7.12 million. CBS is now airing Price is right Primetime at 8pm and did 7.16 million and Criminal Minds and CSI: NY were all-new and they did 13.03 and 11.51 million...the latter seemed way below normal. NBC was next with Deal or No Deal starting the night off with 7.94 million for another two-hour episode...down a lot from previous week and the original Law & Order followed 9.65 million, also down a lot from previous week. ABC was next with new episodes of Wife Swap and Supernanny at a below normal 5.91 and 5.5 million...but up a tad from previous week. Closing the night for ABC was Boston Legal on its new night doing 7.39 million, much better than what this slot was doing but BL was down a few million from its Tuesday airings. The CW had an all-new Top Model at 4.19 million, down a tad week-to-week, and new series Farmer Wants a Wife did 2.39 million, up from the Pussycats finale even. MyNetworkTV aired the third episode of Under One Roof starring Flavor Flav and it did 1.19 million this week, down a tad week to week, but consistently in the 1.2-1.3 million range
On Thursday, CBS and ABC shared leadership...we final numbers are not available. For CBS Survivor: Micronesia started the night off with 12.5 million (prelim), down a tad from previous week...a new CSI followed with 17.8 million (prelim), up a bit from previous week and a new Without a Trace closed the night off with 12.9 million (prelim), down a bit from previous week. ABC started the night off with a new Ugly Betty at 7.9 million (prelim), down from previous week and a bit disappointing, a new Grey's Anatomy did 15.1 million 9prelim), lost to CSI in viewers but won in 18-49...6.0 to 4.0...final numbers are not in yet but most of these shows will go up a bit, especially Grey's. Lost was next as the show did 11.01 million (prelim), down from previous week but still a solid 4.8 18-49 rating. Fox was next with Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? doing 8.3 million (prelim), down just a tad week to week and Don't Forget the Lyrics! followed with 7.3 million (prelim), seems lower than lately. NBC was next, with an all-new My Name is Earl doing 6.8 million (prelim), finally went up...Scrubs did just 5.9 million (prelim) but up a bit from previous week. The Office did 7.7 million (prelim) on par with the previous week. A new 30 Rock did just 5.4 million (prelim), down from previous week even and a new ER did just 7.7 million (prelim), up a tad week to week.. CW aired a new Smallville at 3.6 million (prelim), on par week to week and Supernatural was new too at 2.5 million, up from previous week (prelim). All these Thursday numbers could go up a bit or down a bit, as finals are not in yet. We'll let you know on the boards when the finals come in.
Like usual, no Friday finals yet. CBS won though with new episodes of Ghost Whisperer, Moonlight, and NUMB3RS. NBC was led by a two-hour Dateline. Saturday ratings were not available to us.
Tonight will be all ABC thanks to Desperate Housewives and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Brothers & Sisters will do solid wrapping around DH. CBS will be second with 60 Minutes & the season finale if Cold Case at 8pm will do solid, but a two-hour Dexter from 9-11 is faulty. NBC has a new Dateline, which will do OK or average but repeats of USA Network's Monk and Psych will do terrible again from 8-10pm...especially the latter...but this is the last time they will air, as now The Office repeats will take over next week...will that do any better? I doubt it. Fox will have new episodes actually of its animated comedies from 8-10pm, so they will beat NBC easily.
As for the week, I believe it will be either a toss-up in HH & viewers, as CBS, ABC or Fox can win it. CBS is my bet. Fox has 18-49 locked I think, with ABC second. NBC will be 4th in everything as its struggles continue.
This coming week sees the second full week of May sweeps. What to watch this week is how Dancing with the Stars' 100th episode on Tuesday, as that might be big.

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of April 21-27)

• Everybody Hates Chris (The CW) - All-new episode did 1.3 million, up from the previous week but it really should be doing better than this.
  
• Aliens in America (The CW) - A new episode did 1.07 million worse than previous week's repeat which was 1.09 million.
  
• The Game (The CW) - A new episode did 1.58 million, up a bit from the previous week...this show has the most potential of the CW sitcom block, I think.
  
• Girlfriends (The CW) - A repeat did 1.43 million, slightly up from previous week.
  
• The Simpsons (Fox) 2 episodes - A new episode did 7.75 million, decent...but the 3.7 18-49 rating was more impressive. Earlier at 7:30 a repeat did an OK 4.61 million.
  
• King of the Hill (Fox) 2 episodes - A repeat at 7pm did just 3.18 million, but up from previous week. A new episode at its normal time of 8:30 did 6.53 million...a bit lower than normal, I think.
  
• Family Guy (Fox) - Finally a new episode. 8.42 million tuned in, which was the best of the block but once again the 18-49 rating of a 4.3 was the standout. Season finale already tonight.
  
• American Dad (Fox) - Just 6.76 million for a new episode...this show has got to be on the chopping block...it bleeds too much from the lead-in.
  

Monday Sitcoms

• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 8.07 million tuned in for a new episode...up from previous few weeks!
  
• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 8.84 million...up from previous week again...will it rise again a lot when Britney comes back?
  
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 12.91 million for a new episode ... clearly the #1 sitcom, but down from previous week a bit once again as maybe House affected it.
  
• Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 10.31 million...down a bit from previous week.
  
• Samantha Who (ABC) - A new episode did 9.87 million...up from previous week.
  

Tuesday Sitcoms

• According to Jim (ABC) 2 episodes - 3.92 million for a new episode, down week to week, and 4.07 million for a repeat, up week to week. Preempted this week for the Dancing special.
  

Wednesday Sitcoms

• 'Til Death (Fox) - 5.57 million for a new episode, down from previous week.
  
• Back to You (Fox) - 7.12 million for a new episode...down a bit week to week..
  
• Under One Roof (MyNetworkTV) - 1.19 million for its third episode. Its lowest yet, but still very close...1.21, 1.27 and 1.19 is the count so far.
  

Thursday Sitcoms

• My Name is Earl (NBC) - We don't have final numbers for this night, but this did 6.8 million (prelim)...so it finally went up, as it was going down each week so far.
  
• Scrubs (NBC) - Just 5.9 million (prelim)..but that is up from previous week.
  
• The Office (NBC) - 7.7 million (prelim)...on par from previous week.
  
• 30 Rock (NBC) - Just 5.4 million 9prelim)...that's lower than previous week even.
  

Friday Sitcoms

• None
  

Saturday Sitcoms

• None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) is a mix of new and repeats of sitcoms on The CW from 8-10, and Fox's animated comedies are new from 8-10 (repeats 7-8p).

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement, Samantha Who?, The Big Bang Theory & How I Met Your Mother were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (The Office, Back to You ) or just plain old terrible (According to Jim, 30 Rock).

Sitcom Book Review: Close-ups: Conversations with Our TV Favorites By Eddie Lucas

Today instead of a mini-DVD review we have a book review! We have done a few book reviews in the past such as a review of the Desperate Housewives cookbook, Jim Belushi's book, and a book on the Sitcoms of Norman Lear. Man we do a lot of types of reviews...DVD reviews (full and minis), book reviews, CD reviews, pilot reviews, and we even did a review of the In2TV system and ABC Full Episode Player system! We were supposed to do this book review some months back, but we never got the book. Now we have it and it seems to have been worth the wait! I think all sitcom fans will like this and should buy it...but let skees53 tell you that in his review:

Close-ups: Conversations with Our TV Favorites by Eddie Lucas (Bear Manor Media, $22.95) gets in-depth and personal with many of our favorite TV stars from the past. The author of the book, Eddie Lucas, gets together with 17 different well-known actors and actresses from classic TV series that we all know and love and interviews them, asking them questions from the obvious to the less obvious, providing us with answers that don't surprise us as well as candid answers that do surprise us.
The book begins with an introduction, telling fans--both casual and die-hards--what the book is all about, and why the author embarked on the project. After that, the book is presented in chapters, 17 of them to be specific, each one featuring a recent interview with 17 different actors and actresses from TV series going back from the 1950s all the way up to the mid 1980s, though the book does have an emphasis on series from the 1950s and 1960s. The actors and actresses included are as follows:

• Alice Ghostley (Bewitched and Designing Women)
• Peter Breck (The Big Valley)
• Elinor Donahue (Father Knows Best and The Andy Griffith Show)
• Lynn Borden (Hazel)
• Ray Fulmer (Hazel)
• Keith Thibodeaux (I Love Lucy)
• Marla Gibbs (The Jeffersons and 227)
• Jon Provost (Lassie)
• Barbara Billingsley (Leave it to Beaver)
• Tony Dow (Leave it to Beaver)
• Dwayne Hickman (The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis)
• Peter Lupus (Mission: Impossible)
• Kaye Ballard (The Mothers-In-Law)
• Stanley Livingston (My Three Sons)
• Jon Walmsley (The Waltons)
• Ernest Thomas (What's Happening!! and What's Happening Now!!)
• Haywood Nelson (What's Happening!! and What's Happening Now!!)

Unlike many books about TV and TV stars, this book is not just some author writing a story in his own words, but instead, the book is exactly as it is described in the title: conversations. What appears in the book is verbatim conversations with each one of these stars, with the author asking the questions and the stars giving their own responses in their own words. As you read the book, you can almost hear the stars saying things the way that they are written in the book in their own voices. It makes everything in the book sound more natural and authentic (and it also avoids the pitfalls of paraphrasing, where details all too often get changed into something inaccurate).
When I first received the book, my first thought was "huh, another book about TV, I've heard it all already," but only minutes after getting into the book, I realized that this was by no means just another book. In fact, this is a very different and interesting book that actually gets in-depth with the actors and actresses and tells more personal stories with more details than I've heard in many other places. It is interesting, for example, to read about Barbara Billingsley's life outside of Leave it to Beaver. We learn that before Leave it to Beaver, she was offered a TV pilot in a series where she would have been married to a character played by Buddy Ebsen, and we also get to learn the story about why she wore the high heels and pearls. There actually was a real reason, and it wasn't because the producers believed that a typical housewife WOULD be wearing that. In the interview with Ernest Thomas, we get to learn why Mabel King's character simply disappeared from What's Happening!! and how she felt about the series after her departure. Perhaps one of the most interesting interviews, however, is the one with Alice Ghostley. While her insights on Bewitched are interesting, it is even more interesting to hear her very candid insights on Designing Women, particularly how she felt about the series and the direction that it took in the later seasons. Her story about the "Black Man" song on Designing Women is also very interesting to hear. What is unfortunate, however, is the fact that this was probably among her last interviews ever, if not the last, as the interview was done while she was ill. In fact, the book was officially released just one day before here death in September.
For the many people out there that love books about TV, this book is a must-own book for sure. But for those that just love TV but don't really care to read about it may find themselves interested in this book also. The book is nearly 300 pages, but it is actually very easy to read, and of course, the book doesn't require the reader to read every interview. Readers can pick and choose which ones they are interested in. The material presented in this book is more insightful and interesting than anything you can get off of any tabloid entertainment (such as a TV interview where just the bits and pieces that the producers want you to see are presented), and you actually learn things about the stars that give you a better idea of who they are. This is definitely worth adding to your book collection, even if you haven't started one!

-- Reviewed by skees53
(5/5 stars)

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ION Fall 2008 Schedule, Dead Zone and Mr. Cooper Also Join; ABC Family Upfront

Yesterday we gave you some details on ION Television's upfront, with the announcement of ER coming in June. Later in the evening ION sent us the full details of their acquisitions and plans for Fall 2008.
ION Television solidified its evolution into a popular, general entertainment network aimed at the 25-54 demographic. At its 2008 sales presentation to the advertising community, held at the New York Public Library in New York City, the Upfront highlighted ION Television's exciting, contemporary programming initiatives for the 2008-2009 television season and promised strong partnerships for advertisers in an ever-changing and competitive marketplace.
ION Television's new campaign is called the "Positively Entertaining" network branding, showcasing a powerful new primetime lineup and the expansion of the network's programming block to 4 p.m.
This Fall, viewers will see a great new lineup of top shows during the week and on weekends. RHI Entertainment, ION Television's exclusive partner in weekend primetime programming, will deliver 12 original movies, including three Westerns, during the 2008-2009 season. RHI's high-caliber content has brought impressive ratings returns, demonstrating how well the ION platform does with quality programming. The award-winning producer and distributor of groundbreaking miniseries and movies for television will continue to provide original programming, as well as quality library titles.
We mentioned in the past and recent days, that ION has acquired Boston Legal & M*A*S*H for this fall, ER starts next month and Criminal Minds & Ghost Whisperer for Fall 2009, but now ION has given more announcements for more series!
USA Network's original series, The Dead Zone, a science fiction/suspense series from Debmar-Mercury, will appear on ION Television's Fall primetime schedule airing Thursday nights. The hit drama stars Anthony Michael Hall as Johnny Smith, a man who awakens from a six-year coma to discover that he has psychic abilities.
Through a deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, the hit sitcom, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, will be on the ION Television Fall lineup airing weekdays. Mark Curry plays Mr. Mark Cooper, a single teacher and basketball coach at a high school in Oakland, California. The cast also includes Raven-Symoné, Holly Robinson Peete, Nell Carter, Omar Gooding and more.
ION clearly said at their upfront, that they are not "the Mama's Family channel" anymore and thus the show will be off the line-up by the fall, as of now. That is not to say it won't ever return, but as of now, they are trying to move forward. Recently introduced shows such as The Drew Carey Show, Quantum Leap, Family Feud and The Steve Harvey Show will remain on the network in the Fall.

The following is an outline of ION's Fall 2008 schedule, but could change, so it is not set in stone:

Mondays-Fridays
4:00PM The Steve Harvey Show
4:30PM The Steve Harvey Show
5:00PM Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
5:30PM Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
6:00PM The Drew Carey Show
6:30PM M*A*S*H

Mondays-Thursdays
7:00PM Family Feud
7:30PM Family Feud
8:00PM Quantum Leap

Mondays-Wednesdays
9:00PM Boston Legal
10:00PM ER

Thursdays
9:00PM The Dead Zone
10:00PM The Dead Zone

Fridays-Sundays
7:00PM-11:00PM RHI Entertainment on ION

6:00PM (and if any other slots on weekends are added) weekends will be known closer to the Fall.
We will have an interview with ION very soon (if all goes well), and will try to answer everything in our on going "Seven Questions With..." series. So stay tuned!

Moving on to another upfront, ABC Family also had their upfront yesterday! They outlined ABC Family's plans for Summer and Fall of 2008. Scheduled to debut this summer are new original drama series including The Middleman (Monday, June 16) and The Secret Life of the American Teenager (Tuesday, July 1). In addition to the summer series, ABC Family will premiere Samurai Girl, a special event premiering with six hours over three nights this Fall (September 5, 6, 7) and has ordered a third season of Lincoln Heights (Fall 2008), a second season of Greek (Fall 2008), and a third season of Kyle XY (January 2009). The 11th annual 25 Days of Christmas event will feature an original movie and special as well as the basic cable premieres of The Chronicles of Narnia and Cars.
Rerun wise, joining the successful line-up of acquired series, including America's Funniest Home Videos, What I Like About You, 8 Simple Rules and Gilmore Girls will be the newly acquired sitcoms That '70s Show premiering this June and My Wife and Kids premiering this September. We gave you news on both of these already, though.
New ABC Family original movies include The Circuit starring Michelle Trachtenberg on Sunday, June 8 and Picture This starring Ashley Tisdale on Sunday, July 13. In addition, ABC Family presents the new original movie Snow 2: Brain Freeze starring Tom Cavanaugh and Ashley Williams, the sequel to the highly successful Snow during the 25 Days of Christmas.
In the works for 2009 are an original sitcom and a half-hour dramedy. Roommates, the network's first foray into a half-hour sitcom, will premiere with thirteen episodes in 2009. Roommates is about a group of friends trying to figure out love and life in their post-collegiate years. The ensemble cast includes, Tyler Francavilla, Dorian Brown, Tommy Dewey, David Weidoff and Tamera Mowry (Sister, Sister).
Sophie, an all new original half-hour series will also premiere in 2009 with thirteen episodes also. Sophie is a heartwarming and comedic tale of a lovely young woman having the worst year of her life. The cast includes Natalie Brown, Sebastian Spence, Jeff Geddis, Amy Lalonde, Mimi Kuzyk, Sara Botsford, Chantelle Chung and Catherine Bérubé.
For more details on ABC Family's Upfront highlights, I suggest you click HERE! You can also discuss the new there. We should have ABC Family's June schedule in the coming days so you will know when That '70s Show will be airing!

Stay tuned next week as we preview the broadcast network upfronts, in our annual preview. We will let you know what we think ABC, The CW, CBS and Fox will do (NBC has already announced their fall schedule, so we can't preview them) for the fall.
Upfront week is week of May 12, starting with NBC, but they already announced their 2008-09 schedules.

ER Comes to ION Television in June 2008; BET Schedule Changes, Includes Diff'rent Strokes and Different World Memorial Day Marathon

Today is ION Television's upfront! ION Television today announced a licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution to air seasons 11-14 of the long-running hit series ER on ION Television. The medical drama, which has earned more Primetime Emmy Award nominations than any other program in history, will debut in primetime on the network beginning this June. The show will enter its 15th and final season on NBC next season. We will have more on ER and ION June 2008 in the next week or so, so stay tuned! We also still have the interview with them planned, and hopefully we will know when next week.

BET has made some more schedule changes. And again it is better than before. First off, fans of Diff'rent Strokes and Malcolm & Eddie take note that the episodes will not encore later in the day anymore...but now we will get two new hours each! This started yesterday, so you need to watch or tape both hours immediately. So, Diff'rent Strokes airing 9-10am will not encore 3-4pm later in the day, but that 3-4pm will be new episodes! The same for Malcolm & Eddie...10-11am and 4-5pm are both new episodes. So we get four episodes a day rather than two! So, watch or tape/DVR both hours now. That is good news, I think.
Then, starting this Saturday (May 3), BET has added a sitcom block on Saturdays from 9am-1pm! From 9-10am it will be The Parkers, the Nickelodeon sitcoms Just Jordan and Romeo! will move up an hour to 10-11am and 11am-12pm, and finally closing out the block is two episodes of Diff'rent Strokes from 12-1pm...and yes, they will be new episodes, so you'll need to watch or tape/DVR these as well! Also on Saturday, May 3, we told you A Different World will get a mini marathon block from 8:30-10pm last week, but now it has been extended to 8-10pm...so an extra episode. The show will get weekly Sunday evening airings, but the times vary as I stated last week.
BET has also added Girlfriends for this Saturday only from 10-11pm and 2-3am, while A Different World will encore this Saturday from 3-4am for one time only, preempting Sanford.
Starting next Saturday night (May 10), In Living Color will return and air Saturday nights from 3-4am, replacing Sanford. Sanford fans don't worry because the show will return again to Sundays 12-1pm replacing The Parkers starting May 18, as The Parkers is now Saturdays 9-10am. Remember there is a Thea Mother's Day marathon on May 11 from 12pm-5pm. The marathon episodes of that will be episodes where they left off in the regular run, so we will get (in production order): #11 "Birthday Girl," #12 "Mama I'm Full," #13 "Good Stock," #14 "A Christmas Story," #15 "Danesha's Project," #16 "Who's Zooming Who?," #17 "Of Fish and Men," #18 "T.C.B.," #19 "Call Me Thea," and #20 "The Pie Queen and the Loan Duck," all from 12pm-5pm. So it seems they have aired about every episode of Thea after this...I think just 1 or 2 haven't been aired, so hopefully we get those soon.
Finally, this Memorial Day (Monday, May 26), BET will present a 'different' (or is it spelled Diff'rent?) kind of marathon for viewers! It is the Diff'rent Strokes and A Different World marathon! Diff'rent Strokes will air from 9am-7pm and A Different World from 7pm-3am. We will have episode info for both marathons in a few weeks, so stay tuned for that!