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Fox Mid-Season Pilot Review: Sit Down, Shut Up - Premieres April 19; ABC Family Change; GSN Awards

Sit Down, Shut Up - Sundays 8:30PM ET/PT on Fox
Premieres Sunday, April 19, 2009 at 8:30PM ET/PT

There is a new kid on the block on Fox's Sunday night animation lineup, and this time it comes from Emmy Award-winning writer Michael Hurwitz of the series Arrest Development. Sit Down, Shut Up is an animated comedy about the staff of Knob Creek High School, a high school in a small Florida town, and much like in the drama series Boston Public, we find that the teachers can have as many (if not more) problems than their students. There is the acting principal Sue Sezno, and as the name suggests, she always says no. Of course, the upbeat vice principal Stuart Prozakian is always there to counter-balance her at all times. And there is an entire ensemble cast of teachers with their own respective problems.


Cast Details:

* Will Arnett as Ennis Hofftard
* Jason Bateman as Larry Littlejunk
* Kristen Chenoweth as Miracle Grohe
* Will Forte as Stuart Proszackian
* Tom Kenny as Happy
* Nick Kroll as Andrew LeGustambos
* Cheri Oteri as Helen Klench
* Kenan Thompson as Sue Sezno
* Henry Winkler as Willard Deutschebog


Will Arnett (Ennis) is best known to sitcom fans in his role as Gob Bluth on the series Arrested Development, but has also had many film roles including roles in Ice Age: The Meltdown, RV, and Monster-in-Law. He has also recently completed filming two upcoming films, G-Force and When in Rome.

Jason Bateman (Larry) is known to sitcom fans from the series Arrested Development and the 80s sitcoms Silver Spoons and The Hogan Family. He has also played roles in the films The Ex, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and Starsky & Hutch. He has recently signed a deal to develop, direct, and write original content for 20th Century Fox Television.

Kristen Chenoweth (Miracle) was recently nominated for an Emmy Award for her role in the series Pushing Daises and also has credits from the series Ugly Betty and The West Wing. She will soon be in the upcoming David E. Kelly legal drama Legally Mad.

Will Forte (Stuart) has spent several years on the series Saturday Night Live, and is considered to be a rising comedy star by many critics. He has also been in the films Baby Mama and Beerfest.

Tom Kenny (Happy) is no stranger to fans of animated series, as he is the voice of the very popular character SpongeBob SquarePants. He has also played roles in the Nickelodeon series CatDog and Rocko's Modern Life, and countless other animated series. In addition, he has made appearances at comedy clubs across the country and on the late night talk shows.

Nick Kroll (Andrew) is an up-and-coming actor that has starred in Cavemen, Best Week Ever, Worst Week, The Life and Times of Tim, and Reno 911. He is also a writer that co-authored the book "Bar Mitzvah Disco" and was a contributing writer on Chappelle's Show. He has also done some standup comedy at the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival as well as the Bonnaroo Festival.

Cheri Oteri (Helen) is known for her years on Saturday Night Live, and has also appeared in many films including Scary Movie, Inspector Gadget, Liar Liar, and Shrek the Third, among many others. She has had several guest appearances on series such as Just Shoot Me, Strangers with Candy, and Boston Legal.

Kenan Thompson (Sue) is another Saturday Night Live actor (currently in his fifth season) that is also known to a generation of youth that grew up on Nickelodeon in the 90s from the series Kenan and Kel as well as All That. He also starred with Kel Mitchell on the feature film Good Burger. Other major film credits for Thompson include Snakes on a Plane, Fat Albert, D2: The Mighty Ducks, and Rocky & Bullwinkle.

Henry Winkler (Williard) is the true "veteran" of the cast, known to fans all around the world as "The Fonz" from the hit sitcom Happy Days. He has also served as a producer for series including MacGyver, Hollywood Squares, Sightings, So Weird, among others. In 2003, he began writing a series of children's novels entitled "Hank Zipzer: The World's Most Amazing Underachiever," which are inspired by his struggle with learning challenges. He has also appeared on Arrested Development.


Pilot Plot:

For the review, we had the first and second episode of the series. The series is scheduled to air 5 of its 13 produced episodes for now, all in five consecutive weeks.

#1 "Pilot" (Airs April 19) - Knob Haven High School is facing some serious budget problems, and Sue Sezno knows the way to repair the budget problems: by soliciting donations from alumni. But the alumni will only be willing to do that if they can win the upcoming football game.

#2 "Miracle's Are Real" (Airs April 26) - Miracle Grohe decides to spread some spring cheer by giving her fellow colleagues some flowers (which actually turn out to be hemlock), placing the school into another financial crisis. The school carnival is the way to make this money, but this causes a bit of trouble between Sue Sezno and Helen Klench.


Analysis:

Catchphrases, stereotypes, and clichés. That is all that I saw in the two episodes that I received to review. The series lacks substance, and without that substance, it can't go very far. Over and over again, we are reminded in both of these episodes that Sue Sezno always says no, that Stuart Proszakian used to be a prison clown, that Ennis Hofftard is a womanizing jock, that Miracle Grohe has a baby that she carries with her at all times, that Willard Deutschbog is having a miserable life... I think that pretty much drives home my point. But where does the series go from that point? I can't see any real direction for the series in these two episodes.

It doesn't help either that the ensemble cast on the series is big--way too big in fact. There are basically nine different characters that make up the core cast of the series, and the writers have attempted to place every single one of these characters in a plotline in each episode. It would have been better to have had each episode focus on one major plot with just a few of the characters, but instead, with the series as it is, all we really have time for is several mini-plots that just reinforce the catchphrases, stereotypes, and clichés.

Both of the first two episodes basically focus on the same thing: budgetary problems at the school and how to fix those financial issues. One has to wonder if this is pretty much the direction that many or most episodes will go in. So far, it doesn't appear that there is much variety in the plots of the episodes, which doesn't matter anyway because the series doesn't have time to develop much of a plot with all of the characters and the catchphrases, stereotypes, and clichés. There were a few "chuckle" moments in the episodes, but there really wasn't anything that caused me to burst out into laughter. It is a shame, really, because I can see that with the characters and background of the series, that this could have the potential to be that kind of series.

However, one thing that I did think was a little nice and creative was the use of live action backgrounds for some of the scenes in the series. It reminded me a lot of the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and it is surprising that this style hasn't been used that much in other animated sitcoms.


Conclusion:

I honestly believe that this will be another one of the many Fox series that doesn't make it, although I could be wrong about that. Unlike the other animated series on Fox, this series is just too full of catchphrases and stereotypes to a point where it becomes outright obnoxious. The series really sounded good when I read about it, but there is some disconnect between the concept and what we actually have here. Not only is the series inconsistent with the other animated series on the Fox Sunday night lineup, but matters are only made worse by the fact that the series isn't that funny.

Still, I feel like the series could have the potential to be a good series under the right circumstances, but there is no way this show could go on for years--or even more than a handful of episodes for that matter--by repeating catchphrases, clichés, and stereotypes all the time. The series could work well if it had well-written storylines that were funny or even outright absurd (such as the ones on Family Guy), but the series just isn't meant to make it in the form that it is seen on the premiere episodes. I've been wrong about these things before, but I have a feeling that the series will be off the air before many episodes are even aired.


Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 3/5
Funniness: 2/5
Overall: 3/5

-- Reviewed by skees53 on 04/17/09

Discuss the show after you watch it on Sunday, April 19 on our message board.

Related Links:

Fox.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

Sit Down, Shut Up Photo Gallery

Now back to the news. ABC Family's original sitcoms Roommates and Sophie are not doing that well in the ratings. They air Mondays back-to-back starting at 9:00PM ET/PT. Now ABC Family is removing the encore airings that air late Tuesday nights at 12:00am & 12:30am, and replacing them with Whose Line Is It Anyway? starting this Tuesday (April 21). So if you watch these shows and like them, watch them live on Monday nights because now there will be no encore airings.

GSN announced that it will make television history with The Game Show Awards - the very first awards show exclusively aimed at celebrating excellence in the genre of games. The two and a half-hour, star-studded extravaganza will premiere on June 6, 2009 starting at 8PM ET/7PM CT only on GSN, and will honor classic and contemporary game shows, with special tributes to pioneers Bob Barker (The Price is Right), legendary game show producer Mark Goodson, and host Monty Hall (Let's Make a Deal). In keeping with the participatory nature of game shows and GSN's programming, fans will be able to vote for their favorite nominees online at GSN.com in several categories, including best/favorite host, model, announcer, contestant, catch phrase, sound effect and others.
View the full details an categories for the first annual Game Show Awards.

Stay tuned next week as we give you some classic TV sitcom appearances on game shows on GSN, in case you never saw them...and a sitcom is coming to CMT for a special weekend.

TV Land Makes Early Evening Changes; TV Land Announces Presenters and More for TV Land Awards

TV Land has announced some last minute schedule changes. The first one begins tonight, with Thursdays 10pm-12am now M*A*S*H instead of The Jeffersons. Now next week that won't happen since the already scheduled Married...with Children stunt is airing, but M*A*S*H will air tonight and April 30. The rest of the changes are to the weekday late afternoon/early evening line-up starting Tuesday, April 21, 2009. At 4pm ET/PT we get a second episode of Bonanza replacing two episodes of Green Acres. Bonanza will remain at 3pm as well. Then from 5-8pm we had three episodes each of Beverly Hillbillies and Hogan's Heroes, but now we have will some changes. In the 5pm hour we get two episodes of Hogan's Heroes replacing back-to-back Beverly Hillbillies. In the 6pm hour we now get Green Acres replacing one Hillbillies and one Hogan's Heroes. Then finally in the 7pm hour we get two episodes of Beverly Hillbillies replacing back-to-back Hogan's Heroes.
So nothing is replaced in the weekday schedule, but some time shifting, while Bonanza gets an extra episode and Hogan's and Hillbillies get an episode reduced.
See our TV Land April 2009 schedule and highlights, if you haven't seen it.

Sticking with TV Land, they announced that legendary producers Sid and Marty Krofft will receive the Pop Culture Award at the 2009 TV Land Awards, and Will Ferrell, star of the upcoming film Land of the Lost, Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives), Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Live, Parks and Recreation), comedian and talk show host Jimmy Kimmel (Jimmy Kimmel Live!), Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween) and TV talk show host and psychologist Dr. Phil will be among the presenters at the evening's celebration.
Additionally, music stars Cyndi Lauper and David Cassidy will perform in the tribute to Sid and Marty Krofft. The two-hour show, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, will tape this Sunday (April 19) at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City and will air on TV Land during a special presentation of TV Land PRIME on Sunday, April 26th at 8PM ET/PT.
Medical drama ER has been added as an honoree at the 2009 TV Land Awards. ER, one of television's longest running dramas, will be presented with the Icon Award for the way that it changed television with its fast-paced steadi-cam shots as well as for its amazing and gritty storylines. The Icon Award is presented to a television program with immeasurable fame and longevity. The show transcends generations and is recognized by peers and fans around the world. Cast members Alex Kingston, Anthony Edwards, Linda Cardellini, Ellen Crawford, Laura Innes, Kellie Martin, Mekhi Phifer, Parminder Nagra, Shane West and Yvette Freeman will all be in attendance to accept the award.

Other stars scheduled to appear so far: Don Rickles, Julia Louis-Dreyfus; cast of Home Improvement Tim Allen, Zachary Ty Bryan, Debbe Dunning, Richard Karn, Patricia Richardson, Taran Noah Smith; cast of Knots Landing Lisa Hartman Black, Kevin Dobson, William DeVane, Constance McCashin, David Jacobs, Michele Lee, Don Murray, Donna Mills, Michelle Phillips, Ted Shackleford, Joan Van Ark; cast of Magnum P.I. Larry Manetti, Roger E. Mosley, Tom Selleck; cast of Married with Children Christina Applegate, David Faustino, Ted McGinley, Ed O'Neill, Katey Sagal; cast & crew of M*A*S*H Alan Alda, Allan Arbus, William Christopher, Larry Gelbart, Mike Farrell, Jeff Maxwell, Burt Metcalfe, Gene Reynolds, David Ogden Stiers, Loretta Swit, Kellye Nakahara Wallet; and cast & crew of Two and a Half Men Mark Burg, Jon Cryer, Conchata Ferrell, Angus T Jones, Chuck Lorre, Charlie Sheen, Holland Taylor.
TV Land previously announced additional honorees for this year's show including Don Rickles (Legend Award), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Legacy of Laughter Award), Married With Children (Innovator Award), M*A*S*H (Impact Award), Home Improvement (Fan Favorite Award), Magnum P.I. (Hero Award), Two and a Half Men (Future Classic Award) and Knots Landing (30th Anniversary Award).

The Nanny Joins Nick at Nite in May 2009; TBS Orders Original Animated Comedy

We have mentioned many times that The Nanny is coming to Nick at Nite in spring 2009. Yesterday we gave you an actual date. That was for the all-night marathon launch on Sunday, May 10 from 9pm-6am ET/PT...now we have the regular airing schedule, along with the rest of Nick at Nite May 2009! Effective Monday, May 11, 2009 The Nanny will join the Nick at Nite line-up airing Sun-Thurs at 11:00pm & 11:30pm ET/PT. That will force Nick at Nite to move Family Matters, which is one of their big guns, to 12:00am & 12:30am ET/PT on Sun-Thurs nights. You might say why are they doing this? Now Nick at Nite will sandwich The Nanny in between big time ratings hits George Lopez (10-11pm) and Family Matters (12-1am). Now if The Nanny does falter, they can always switch it to midnight and move Urkel and company back to 11pm. Family Matters is replacing Home Improvement at 12 midnight. That hour of Home Improvement will move to Mon-Thurs 3-4am ET/PT, replacing The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Fresh Prince will now only air Mon-Thurs from 2-3am, instead of the 2-5am block. The Nanny will also air 4-5am on Mon-Thurs nights, followed by Family Matters from 5-6am on Mon-Thurs nights, replacing Roseanne. Family Matters will also remain at 6am as well on weekdays. Now if you noticed the late night airings are Mon-Thurs (1am-6am) rather than Sun-Thurs like primetime (9pm-1am). On Sunday nights at 1am, we get back-to-back Home Improvement episodes replacing The Cosby Show, which is now gone from Nick at Nite. The Nanny airs 2-3am and Family Matters from 3-4am on Sunday nights, with Roseanne closing it out with a two-hour block from 4-6am.
So now that Sun-Thurs is all done, we have Friday & Saturday left. Again it is broken up into two different pieces (10pm-1am and 1am-6am). On both nights we get a change at 12 midnight with The Nanny airing back-to-back episodes, replacing Family Matters. Family Matters moves to 2-3am on Friday nights and 1-2am on Saturday nights, both replacing Home Improvement. Home Improvement moves to 4-5am on Friday nights replacing Roseanne and 2-3am on Saturday nights replacing Family Matters. The Nanny airs 3-4am on Saturday nights replacing Family Matters. Family Matters late night airing on Saturday nights are now 4-5am, replacing an hour of Roseanne, which will only be 5-6am on Saturday nights now. 5-6am on Friday nights will be The Nanny, replacing Family Matters encore.
In other May news, we get a George Lopez marathon on Tuesday, May 5 from 9pm-3am ET/PT called "Cinco de Lopez II." Celebrate Cinco de Mayo Lopez style!
This is the first major schedule change in a while. It is hard to follow, but here is a recap: The Nanny joins, Cosby Show is gone, Fresh Prince & Roseanne are heavily reduced, and Family Matters and Home Improvement get some time shifting, while George Lopez's slots remain unchanged.
Still confused? Don't worry, view the full Nick at Nite May 2009 schedule.

Adding a devilish touch to its line-up, TBS has greenlit the half-hour animated series Neighbors from Hell, which comes to the network from Fox TV Animation (same people who do Family Guy), DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. and Jeffrey Katzenberg (Shrek). Pam Brady (South Park), who wrote the pilot episode, and Mireille Soria (Madagascar) will serve as executive producers. TBS has ordered 10 episodes of the series, marking the network's first foray into original primetime animation. The series should work well with reruns of Family Guy on TBS.
Neighbors from Hell centers on the Hellmans, a typical, all-American suburban family, with Balthazor; his wife, Tina; their two children, Mandy and Josh; and their dog, Pazuzu. The only thing that distinguishes them from the rest of the folks in the neighborhood is that the Hellmans happen to be from Hell. They have been sent to Earth to pose as normal suburbanites with a mission to keep humans from finding their way to Hell. Their task is made all the more complicated by Balthazor's growing affection for humans and their odd but endearing qualities.
TBS has not given a set launch period for this show as of yet.

Nick at Nite Late Night Changes; Spike TV's May 2009 Highlights

Nick at Nite is making some late night changes starting this week. First, weekdays at 6am another Family Matters is replacing Full House, which is leaving the line-up. This started yesterday. The rest of the changes are to late nights on Friday nights and Sunday nights. Effective Friday, April 17 (which is technically early Saturdays) The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air replaces Roseanne in the 3am hour with two episodes. Roseanne will still air 4-5am, though. Then Sunday nights starting Sunday, April 19 (which is technically early Mondays), Family Matters will replace Fresh Prince in the 3am hour, while Roseanne is added with a two-hour block from 4-6am replacing an hour each of Fresh Prince and Family Matters.
View these changes in a list form, if you're confused. There are no other changes, so if a show is airing in a time we haven't mentioned, it is still airing in that slot.
This is not all the news we have for Nick at Nite. We have a date for The Nanny launch! The Nanny launches on Sunday, May 10 at 9PM with an all-night Mother's Day marathon! The Nanny will then join the regular schedule the following night (Monday, May 11). When will it air regularly? I won't reveal that (along with the rest of the new Nick at Nite May 2009 schedule) until tomorrow! So come on back tomorrow! What will be dropped or reduced for the addition of The Nanny? You'll see tomorrow.

Also this Mother's Day, Spike TV is actually celebrating the day. Celebrate Mother's Day Spike-style with Spike TV's greatest mom of all time - Peg Bundy in a Married... with Children marathon on Sunday, May 10 from 1pm-5pm. The marathon is being called "MILF Day." Then on Memorial Day (Monday, May 25) catch a CSI NY marathon from 9am-7pm. Among the movie premieres in May include Any Given Sunday, The Color of Money, Gangs of New York, and two original movies - Kill Switch & Street Warrior. Spike will also have original episodes of its original series.
As a preview to June, you'll see a CSI NY week-long marathon from 9am-7pm the week of June 22-26. The following week it will be CSI vs. CSI NY from 9am-3pm and a Star Wars movies marathon from 3pm-9pm the week of June 29-July 3.

Hallmark Brings Back Little House, Matlock; JustMyShow.com Interviews Charles in Charge's Michael Pearlman

Late Friday we got word of The Hallmark Channel making a very last minute change that would take in effect TODAY! We told you a bit about it this weekend on Twitter and our message board. That gives you even more incentive to follow us on Twitter in case breaking news happens. Well anyway, the schedule takes in effect today (Monday, April 13), as Hallmark is looking to stabilize their line-up. After a short two week hiatus, Little House on the Prairie is called on once again to help out. It will return and air weekdays at 10am and 11am, replacing an hour of I Love Lucy and an episode of Touched by an Angel. Touched will still air weekdays at noon, while Lucy is now back down to just weeknights at 2:30am. Also returning to the schedule is a show that has been gone from the regular line-up for a while now...Matlock! Ben and company will air weekdays at 3pm and 4pm, replacing M*A*S*H. Not to worry M*A*S*H fans, the block will now be moved to 5-7pm, but we do lose an hour. The Golden Girls will gain an hour in early evening and move from 6-7pm to 7-9pm, replacing 7th Heaven. 7th Heaven will remain in the afternoons at 1pm and 2pm. There you have it, the new changes. Will this work for them? We shall soon find out. It looks like a better schedule for ratings, though.
We will keep you up to date, and no sign of Walker, Texas Ranger returning... and Waltons fans, that show expired at the end of March so that doesn't have a chance of returning.

Our friend Eric at JustMyShow.com has a new podcast up featuring an interview with Michael Pearlman. Before Jamie, Sarah and Adam Powell on Charles in Charge, there was Lila, Douglas and Jason Pembroke. Don't be confused. Michael Pearlman is here to give you the inside word on Charles in Charge's first family--the Pembrokes. I liked the Pembrokes. They were fun and not as known as the Powells. I may have preferred the more popular Powell seasons, but the Pembrokes were also good and started this show off!
As an actor, Michael Pearlman is best know for the role of Jason Pembroke in the first season of Charles in Charge. He has since left Hollywood for Wyoming where he writes the outdoor adventure blog Generation Recreation.
Eric even gives us at SitcomsOnline a quick mention in the first question to Michael! So now this makes this interview a must listen! Thanks Eric! So head on over to JustMyShow.com to listen to the interview Eric does with Michael Pearlman! And after you listen to that, get more of Michael Pearlman over there by listening to bonus clips, which includes Michael talking about how he got the role and how it was to meet the second family. Good stuff!

Week 29 Ratings and Analysis; How the Sitcoms Did

Week 29 numbers (first four nights final averages, Mon-Thurs):

Households: CBS 8.2/13.3; Fox 7.9/12.4; ABC 5.6/9.0; NBC 4.5/7.2; The CW 1.4/2.1; MNT 0.7/1.1.
Total Viewers: Fox 13.32 million; CBS 13.31 million; ABC 8.63 million; NBC 6.99 million; The CW 1.98 million; MNT 1.05 million.
Adults 18-49: Fox 4.7/12.7; CBS 3.6/9.8; NBC 2.5/6.8; ABC 2.4/6.5; The CW 0.9/2.4; MNT 0.3/0.9.

Analysis: Week 29 sees CBS and Fox again neck and neck. Through the first four days, Fox and CBS share a slim lead each in viewers and HH, but Fox has a big lead in 18-49 with CBS in second, ABC is third in HH/viewers, with NBC in fourth. NBC has a slim lead for third though in 18-49.
Last week, CBS won in week 28 in HH/viewers, but Fox once again took 18-49 but just barely over CBS. Fox was second for the week in HH/viewers, with ABC third and NBC in fourth even with the ER finale. NBC was third though in 18-49, nipping by ABC.
Monday it was ABC with the victory as Dancing with the Stars continues to dominate. ABC aired the first 90-minute version of Dancing with the Stars at an impressive 19.88 million, down some from the previous week, but that was two-hours. After that, ABC aired the series premiere of Bob Saget's new sitcom Surviving Suburbia at a decent 11.25 million. Hopefully it can sustain or build tomorrow. A new episode of crime-romance drama Castle followed doing 9.03 million...on par really from previous week despite not having the Dancing lead-in. This show's plots get better each week. CBS started with repeats of its 8pm comedies, The Big Bang Theory did a below normal for a repeat at 6.94 million, followed by a repeat of How I Met Your Mother doing 6.1 million, not too good. The rest of CBS Monday was preempted for the NCAA Basketball Championship game between UNC and Michigan State at 17.65 million, which lasted until 11:47pm. Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement and CSI: Miami return tomorrow. Fox started with a new episode of House and did 13.29 million, up from previous week, then Fox had an all-new 24 doing 10.96 million, down from previous week, as it probably was affected by NCAA. NBC was next with its sluggish Monday. A new Chuck did 6.1 million, but up from previous week. The downfall of Heroes continues as this show did just 6.11 million, a series low, and a series low of 2.6 18-49 rating. What to do NBC? Medium followed with 7.17 million for a new episode, down a bit from previous week. The CW was next with repeats (already?) of Gossip Girl doing 1.08 million and One Tree Hill did 1.09 million.
Tuesday it was Fox on top, but CBS was very close behind. Fox started with a 69 minute American Idol doing 22.81 million, down near two million from previous week, then at 9:09pm to 10:07pm Fox returned Fringe at just 9.88 million, as it went down each 15 minutes except from 10-10:07pm, as viewers tuning in for 10pm programming probably came in. CBS started with a new NCIS doing 17.81 million, up some from previous week. A new episode of The Mentalist was next and did 16.92 million, on par really from previous week. Without a Trace was next at 12.15 million, down some from previous week. ABC was next and started with the holiday special Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown & Charlie Brown All-Stars doing 4.36 million, as this is not as high rated as the classics like Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Dancing with the Stars: The Results was next at 9pm doing 14.56 million, up from previous week as it only faced Idol for the first 9 minutes, which was not planned but Fox was slick. ABC followed with a new Cupid doing 5.71 million...down over a million from previous week, it should do better. It's a simple plot...Cupid tries to hook up a new couple each week, so this isn't serialized folks, you can join in anytime! NBC was next with a two-hour The Biggest Loser doing 8.1 million, down from previous week again. NBC finished the night with a new Law & Order: SVU at 10pm doing 9.26 million...down some week-to-week. The CW aired a new episode of Reaper and did 2.11 million, down from previous week and a new 90210 followed with only 1.96 million, down from previous week's return.
Wednesday saw Fox dominate. Fox was lead by the results show of American Idol at 9pm doing 22.98 million, but that was nearly down two million from previous week. New Fox drama Lie to Me started the night off at 8pm doing 8.56 million, down from previous week. CBS started with new episodes of sitcoms Old Christine and Gary Unmarried, doing 7.17 and 7.24 million...not too bad. A new Criminal Minds followed and did 13.61 million. CSI: NY followed with a new episode as well doing 12.5 million, seems lower that normal. ABC was next with a new Scrubs and a new episode of the new Better Off Ted doing 4.56 and 4.04 million...both down from previous week. A new episode of Lost followed at 9pm doing a below normal 8.56 million, down from previous week, as it seems everything was down from normal on this night (except some of CBS). And the series premiere of The Unusuals at 10pm did 6.83 million, it improved on the numbers in the slot, but needs to do this or better every week. It's a good show, too! NBC opened the night with a repeat of Law & Order doing 5.44 million, the finale of Life followed and did an improved 4.6 million, down nearly from previous week. Law & Order followed at 10pm with another repeat and did a way below normal 4.64 million, down nearly two million week-to-week, as looks like Unusuals affected it a bit. The CW was on the map with America's Next Top Model doing a nice 3.69 million, down some from previous week then The CW followed with a special episode doing 1.86 million...was that a clip show?
Thursday saw CBS with the win. CBS started with a new Survivor: Tocantis at once again a below normal 11.24 million, down a tad from previous week. CSI was next with 16.62 million, up two million from previous week but only a 3.8 18-49 rating, the same as previous week. And the premiere of new mystery Harper's Island closed the night at 10.21 million, which was lower than Eleventh Hour's finale the previous week...not a good sign. Fox started with Bones at 9.01 million, off a bit from previous week. An all-new Hell's Kitchen followed at 9pm did 7.54 million, up from previous week. NBC started with a special all-new episode of The Office at a special time doing a decent 7.32 million at 8pm, as My Name is Earl was preempted. Then the series premiere of Parks and Recreation followed with 6.88 million, which is OK, but will it continue that? The Office followed with a second new episode on its normal time doing a better 8.02 million and 30 Rock followed with 6.81 million, needs to do better. NBC closed the night wit the series premiere of Southland doing 9.86 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating, not bad and on par with this season of ER. Will it continue? ABC started with a new In the Motherhood doing 4.51 million, down from previous week. An all-new Samantha Who? was next and did 4.83 million, up some from previous week. A repeat of Grey's Anatomy was next and did 5.12 million, up some from previous week. One more week before the return on April 23 for the final batch of episodes of the season. A repeat of Private Practice followed and did 4.22 million at 10pm, up from previous week. Smallville was a repeat on The CW and did 1.97 million followed by a repeat of Supernatural at 2.05 million.
Now, as usual final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but CBS won Friday with Ghost Whisperer, Flashpoint, NUMBERS. ABC finished second for the night helped by 20/20. The Sarah Connor Chronicles finale and a new Dollhouse did terrible for Fox, and NBC was not much better with the season finale of Friday Night Lights. A typical Friday.
Saturday numbers were quiet, with ABC winning the night with the classic film The Ten Commandments.
Tonight Easter will affect programming a bit. CBS should win. CBS has a new 60 Minutes followed by the Amazing Race 14, Cold Case & The Unit. ABC will have a new AFV, a new two-hour Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and a repeat of Desperate Housewives. The regular line-up including Brothers & Sisters, returns next week until the ends of the season. I've seen the Brothers & Sisters return already...good stuff! NBC has a two-hour Dateline at 7pm and a two-hour Celebrity Apprentice, which is nothing it used to be. Fox has a repeat lineup of its animated comedies.
As for the week, CBS should win the week in HH/viewers, with Fox in 18-49. Fox will be second in HH/viewers, while ABC will take third in HH/viewers, but it will be close race for third in 18-49 but ABC should edge NBC. As for the coming week...ABC returns According to Jim on Tuesday with back-to-back episodes starting at 8:00pm, as Constance Marie (Angie from George Lopez) guest stars! Look for a stunning black dress! And on Friday Fox returns Prison Break with its final episodes.

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of March 30-April 5, Week 28)

• The Simpsons (Fox) 2 episodes - 6.5 million for an all-new episode...down a bit from previous week. A special repeat at 9:30 did an OK 5.54 million.
• King of the Hill (Fox) - A repeat at 7:30 only did 2.89 million, down a tad from the previous week.
• Family Guy (Fox) 2 episodes - We got two repeats...the first at a special time of 8:30pm did 5.87 million, and the second in its regular time at 9pm did a better 6.18 million.
• American Dad! (Fox) - 2.58 million for a repeat at 7pm was a bit better than previous week, as its regular 9:30pm slot was preempted.

Week 29:
Monday Sitcoms

• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 6.94 million for a repeat...below normal.
• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - Only 6.1 million for a repeat is below normal, but in defense, it aired in the late night in the mountain time zone.
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - preempted.
• Rules of Engagement (CBS) - preempted.
• Surviving Suburbia (ABC) - 11.25 million for the premiere. Sounds good, but could have been better. If it does similar number or more, then it is doing its job.

Tuesday Sitcoms

• None.

Wednesday Sitcoms

• Old Christine (CBS) - 7.17 million for a new episode is not too bad.
• Gary Unmarried (CBS) - 7.24 million for a new episode, and built from the lead-in.
• Scrubs (ABC) - New showing did 4.56 million, down from previous week, as JD and the gang went to the Bahamas. Part two this week.
• Better Off Ted (ABC) - 4.04 million for a new episode, series low. Too bad it was a good episode with a funny look at racism.

Thursday Sitcoms

• My Name is Earl (NBC) - preempted
• In the Motherhood (ABC) - Just 4.51 million, lowest yet. That bully at the school was great. Gary Coleman like character, but mean.
• Parks and Recreation (NBC) - 6.88 million for the premiere is not bad, but remember Kath & Kim started this way too and this show had Office as its lead-in and lead-out.
• Samantha Who? (ABC) - 4.83 million, up some from previous week.
• The Office (NBC) 2 episodes - 7.32 million for a special all-new 8pm airing could have been better, but the 9pm airing did a decent 8.02 million. I think this show has reached its peak, as the ratings have seen a downward trend.
• 30 Rock (NBC) - 6.81 million...not good, but not bad.

Friday Sitcoms

• Everybody Hates Chris (The CW) - A new episode did a prelim 1.47 million...down from previous week's prelim numbers.
• The Game (The CW) - A new episode did a prelim 1.38 million. Down from previous week's prelim numbers by quite a bit.

Saturday Sitcoms

• None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) are repeats of Fox animated comedies from 7-10pm!

Summing it up. Surviving Suburbia & The Office 9pm were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (The Office 8pm, Parks and Recreation, Gary Unmarried) or just plain old terrible (such as In the Motherhood, Better Off Ted).

Blog DVD Review: The Paper Chase - Season One

It is Saturday, so that must mean it is time for the weekly Blog DVD Review! Today we take a look at Shout! Factory's The Paper Chase - Season One. The Paper Chase is a 1978-79 television series (later revived feom 1983-86) based on a 1970 novel by John Jay Osborn, Jr., as well as a 1973 film based on the novel. It follows the lives of law student James T. Hart and his classmates at Harvard Law School. See skees53's Blog DVD Review of The Paper Chase - Season One:

The Paper Chase - Season One (Shout!, $49.98) takes viewers through the "first years" of James T. Hart (James Stephens), a first year law school student at Harvard Law School, and his dealings with his tough as nails professor, Charles Kingsfield (John Houseman). James is a young man that grew up in a small Midwestern town and now faces a totally different world that he was never prepared for at Harvard Law School, but is determined to make it in spite of the challenges, the biggest challenge being Professor Kingsfield. As Professor Kingsfield's opening narrative for each episode says, "the study of law is something new and unfamiliar to most of you, unlike any other schooling you have ever known before. You teach yourselves the law, but I train your minds. You come in here with a skull full of mush and, if you survive, you'll leave thinking like a lawyer." The series was based upon the popular film and book of the same title, and ran for one season on CBS in 1978-1979, and was later revived as one of the first series on Showtime in 1983 to 1986.
Marilu Henner (Taxi) guest stars in the pilot episode, where we first meet our cast of characters, and things don't start out so well for Hart as he arrives late for Kingsfield's class. One of Hart's classmates may be in serious trouble, and decides to count on Hart to defend him from expulsion in "Great Expectations." Hart finds the perfect girlfriend but learns a secret that he'd rather not know when her father is killed (by mobsters) in "Nancy." Kim Cattrall (Sex and the City) guest stars in "Da Da," where one of Hart's classmates is having a hard enough time dealing with married life, let alone the fact that his wife (Cattrall) is pregnant! The women's liberation movement hits Harvard Law when the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is on campus and asked why he has never hired a female law clerk in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice."
One of the classmates finds out why it is never acceptable to cheat in "An Act of Desperation." In "The Man in the Chair," the study group has a new member that is in a wheelchair and they do a lot for him--in fact, too much--which backfires. Hart tutors a black woman that was admitted to the college by affirmative action when he is short on cash in "A Matter of Honor." Hart gets to be Kingsfield's apprentice in "The Apprentice." We go into another class at the law school in "Once More with Feeling," and this professor (Robert Reed, The Brady Bunch) has some serious ethical problems. Hart is out to do better than Kingsfield did on an earlier case in "The Clay Footed Idol." Hart and Kingsfield go directly against each other in a legal case in "The Tables Down at Ernie's."
The set has the three standard double slimcases inside the slipcase. Inside each slimcase, we find two discs (for a total of six discs), which really have no artwork except for the series name on different law-related backgrounds. The back of each slimcase lists all of the episodes contained on the discs, and there is also an episode booklet that contains episode descriptions, original airdates, and even quotes from some of the episodes. The menus on the set are very basic, with the theme song playing in the background (performed by Seals and Croft of "Summer Breeze" fame, by the way), and options of Play All and Episodes. That is really about all there is to the menus. Once you select an episode, it plays immediately, with chapters placed at all of the appropriate places.
The video and audio quality of the episodes has a tendency to be a little rough at times, but it isn't terrible. The picture quality is rather clear, but there are some issues with grain and scratches, and there are some unusual color issues at the beginning of some of the episodes. The audio is somewhat dull, but adequate, presented in mono. Closed-captioning is nowhere to be found on the set. There is some variance in runtimes (running anywhere from about 46 minutes to 48 minutes), and since I've never seen the series before this DVD set, it is hard to say whether or not this is normal. However, my best guess is that this fluctuation is nothing to be concerned with, and that the episodes are probably fine.
Unlike virtually every other recent Shout! Factory release, we are left with no special features on this set. It is unfortunate, but it isn't a big deal. The series really didn't produce any prominent actors, as most of them did not really go on to bigger things after the series ended. Really, in a way, the lack of special features almost is almost fitting for a series like this--it allows the episodes to speak for themselves.
This is the first time that I've ever seen the series, and I have to admit that I found the series, much like Professor Kingsfield's demeanor, a bit difficult to approach at first. This is definitely one of those series that requires an attention span to watch the episodes. You can't just have it on in the background while you are doing something else; you have to fully focus on the series (again, just like you would if you were studying for Kingsfield's class). But there is no question that this series is a quality series with solid writing and scripts. This is not a series that I'd recommend for any classic TV fan in general, because many people out there will have a hard time understanding the series, but for fans of more "sophisticated" programming (or law school students) are certain to enjoy this series. Of course, fans of the film will also enjoy this series, as there are many similarities to the film. You will now be dismissed... but only when I permit you to do so!

Reviewed by skees53
(4/5 stars)

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CBS Season Finale Dates, Time Shifts; ABC Family Upfront, Sister Sister Reunion on Roommates April 13

CBS has announced its season finale dates for its regular season programming. But before that, they have scheduled a couple of special encores and special airings.
On Monday, April 20 at 10:00PM we get a special encore of The Mentalist at a special night & time. Then on Tuesday, April 21, at 8:00PM we get a special encore of The Big Bang Theory on a special night followed by a special encore of Two and a Half Men at 8:30PM on a special night & time. This means NCIS and The Mentalist will move to special times of 9PM and 10PM on this date only, but they will be encores as well, preempting a scheduled repeat of Without a Trace. Then the next night, on Wednesday, April 22 at 9:00PM will now be a repeat of Criminal Minds instead of a new one, but the scheduled new episode will now be at a special time of 10:00PM on the same night, preempting CSI: NY, which was scheduled to be all-new, too. Why are they trying all this? Not sure, could it be tests to see how they do in other timeslots?
That's not all! On Monday, May 18 at 8:00PM we get a special all-new episode of Rules of Engagement at a special time. The show will also air in its
its normal 9:30pm time on this date as well, which is the season finale. Earlier this week I was wondering where its 13th episode would be placed, now we got that answer with that special 8PM slot on May 18. And we also got our answer of what will air on Wednesday, May 20 at 8:00PM since Old Christine/Gary Unmarried would be finished by May 13. A special all-new Criminal Minds will air at a special time, which is part one of the season finale, leading into part two at its regular 9:00PM time.
OK, now lets move on to the CBS season finale dates. Cold Case has a two-part finale airing on two weeks, Sunday, May 3 and Sunday, May 10 at 9PM. Sunday, May 10 also as the season finales of The Amazing Race at 8PM and The Unit at 10PM. The next night, Monday, May 11, The Big Bang Theory wraps up its 24-episode season with a season finale at 8PM. On Wednesday, May 13, as we previously stated, Old Christine & Gary Unmarried have their season finales at 8:00PM & 8:30PM. The next night, Thursday, May 14, will be the season finale of CSI at 9PM. The next night, Friday, May 15, will have the season conclusions of all the Friday shows: Ghost Whisperer, Flashpoint, and NUMB3RS. On Sunday, May 17, CBS hands the night over to the finale of Survivor: Tocantins from 8-10PM, followed by the Reunion Show. On Monday, May 18, we have the season finales of How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, Rules of Engagement, and CSI: Miami from 8:30-11PM. On Tuesday, May 19
, the Tuesday crime dramas all have their finales: NCIS, The Mentalist, and Without a Trace from 8-11PM. On the final day of the season, Wednesday, May 20, we have a two-hour season finale of Criminal Minds from 8-10PM, followed by the season finale of CSI: NY at 10PM. There you have it, all the CBS finale dates in the regular season!

Earlier this week ABC Family announced their 2009 summer schedule and fall/winter premieres at its Upfront presentation in New York. The network's slate includes three new original series, returning hits, original movies and blockbuster theatrical acquisitions. The network finished 2008 as its best year on record, and the first quarter of 2009 just wrapped as the best quarter in its history.
Make It or Break It is a one-hour scripted drama, created and written by Holly Sorensen. Sorenson and Paul Stupin serve as executive producers. The pilot was directed by Steve Miner. Set in the world of competitive gymnastics, Make It or Break It follows a group of teen Olympic hopefuls as they train and prepare for their day in the spotlight. The cast includes Peri Gilpin and Candace Cameron Bure both make a return to series television in starring roles. Make It or Break It premieres Monday, June 22 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. ABC Family has ordered 10 episodes.
Then we have two new original comedies. 10 Things I Hate About You is a half-hour, single-cam comedy with director Gil Junger (who also directed the feature film of the same name) and executive producer and writer Carter Covington. Inspired by the hit movie, the Stratford sisters, Kat (Lindsey Shaw) and Bianca (Meaghan Jette Martin), are two very different people, which is evident as they start at their new high school with very contradictory goals. Kat is a strong-willed, in-your-face feminist looking to save the world and get out of high school as fast as she can. Bianca is a social butterfly carefully maneuvering the minefield of high school popularity. Can each sister find happiness after getting off to a very rocky start at new school Padua High? The original series will also star Larry Miller, who reprises his film role as the girls' over-protective father, and Ethan Peck (grandson of Gregory Peck) has been cast in the role of 'Patrick' (portrayed by Heath Ledger in the 1999 film). 10 Things I Hate About You premieres on Tuesday, July 7 at 8:00PM ET/PT. ABC Family has also ordered 10 episodes for this series.
Ruby & the Rockits is an ABC Studios half-hour multi-cam comedy executive-produced by Shaun Cassidy and Marsh McCall. Ruby & the Rockits follows Patrick Gallagher, a former teen idol who has chosen to lead a quiet life with his wife and two sons. But when his former Rockits band mate and brother, David, shows up unexpectedly with his new-found teenage daughter in tow, the Gallagher family's life becomes anything but normal. David, who refuses to give up his past glory days, comes to Patrick for help in raising Ruby while he continues to perform. Patrick must now put the past with David behind them in order to help raise Ruby and keep order within the rest of the Gallagher clan. The pilot was directed by Ted Wass. Alexa Vega, Katie Amanda Keane, Austin Butler, Kurt Doss , and former teen idol David Cassidy star. Ruby & the Rockits premieres on Tuesday, July 21 at 8:30PM ET/PT with a 10 episode order.
ABC Family thus far hasn't had much success with original sitcoms Roommates and Sophie, so we don't know if we will see more of those yet. Speaking of Roommates, Tim Reid guest stars this Monday, which marks a mini Sister, Sister reunion! Reid once again will play the father of Tamera Mowry, who plays Hope on the sitcom. Hope relies on more fabrications when her father shows up in "The Break-In," an all-new episode of Roommates, premiering on ABC Family on Monday, April 13 at 9:00PM ET/PT with guest star Tim Reid (Sister, Sister). Hope's father (Reid) comes to town for a surprise visit and quickly realizes that his daughter's life is in shambles and decides it is time for her to move home. In an effort to prove that her life isn't as big a mess as he thinks, she ropes Mark into pretending to be her boyfriend. She may not have a great job, but she is in "love." Can Mark use his acting skills to help Hope pull off yet another one of her lies or will Hope be on her way home with her father when all is said and done?
Additionally, three of the network's one-hour original series will mark their returns: The one number hit series The Secret Life of the American Teenager, which finished the first quarter of 2009 as cable's No. 1 original series in Viewers 12-34 and Females 12-34, will launch its second season on Monday, June 22, at 8:00PM ET/PT. 12 of the 24 episodes for the season will air in 12 straight weeks, with the midseason finale on Sept. 7. The critically acclaimed and NAACP Image Award-winning Lincoln Heights will premiere its fourth season on Tuesday, August 4 at 9:00PM ET/PT for 10 more episodes. And the third season of Greek will premiere on Monday, September 14 at 8:00PM ET/PT. Currently Greek is finishing up its second season order, which concludes on June 1, before 10 more episodes come in September for season three.
As far as movies go, Warner Bros. Pictures' Academy Award-winning (Best Animated Feature Film) Happy Feet will make its basic cable premiere on ABC Family in June 2009 (after making its broadcast debut on Friday, May 8 on ABC). The film features the voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Hugo Weaving and Anthony LaPaglia.
The network will also present the original movie premiere of Labor Pains, starring Lindsay Lohan, on Sunday, July 19 at 8:00PM ET/PT. Chris Parnell, Cheryl Hines, Luke Kirby, Kevin Covais and Janeane Garofalo also star. Legally Blondes, will be premiering on Sunday, August 2 at 8:00PM. Actress Jenny McCarthy will star in the network's new original holiday movie, Santa Baby 2, with Paul Sorvino and Dean McDermott. The movie will premiere in December during ABC Family's 12th annual "25 Days of Christmas" programming event which will feature over 200 hours of holiday-themed entertainment for the whole family from December 1- 25. In addition to Santa Baby 2, the network will feature classic holiday favorites such as Rudolph's Shiny New Year, Frosty's Winter Wonderland and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town. ABC Family will also present the basic cable premieres of DisneyPIXAR's Academy Award-winning (Best Animated Feature Film) RATATOUILLE and Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause. And again this year, Christmas comes early with "Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas," which adds 16 additional days of holiday programming.
There were no sitcom or off-network series acquisitions details, so looks like nothing major is coming...or it is not ready to be announced yet.

ABC Announces First Batch of Summer 2009 Schedule; ION Ratings Go Up, Schedule Changes

A few days back we gave you a peek at some of ABC's summer schedule. All of that was right basically but now we have more details! So let's take a look night-by-night! As we knew, the new cycle of The Bachelorette launches May 18 from 9-11pm, but its timeslot launch is Monday, May 25 from 8-10pm. We are not sure how long the cycle will run, since there will be for sure a Men Tell All and After the Final Rose specials, so maybe the finale won't be July 13 and could last longer? We'll let you know. So what will air at 10pm on Mondays? I guessed a second season of Here Come the Newlyweds, and I was right! ABC will air that series for eight straight weeks from May 27-July 13 at 10pm on Mondays. Following the run of that, ABC will launch a new series starting July 20 at 10pm. The reality series Dating in the Dark will air for six weeks making it last through all of August. The show is a unique alternative series that asks the age-old question, "Is Love Blind?" Each week, three single men and three single women, all looking for love, will move into a house together, but be totally sequestered from the opposite sex. While they will have no chance of seeing each other in the light, they will have the opportunity to date in a completely dark room.
Tuesdays will not change until after the NBA Finals are over. Prior to the NBA finals will be filler programming, including two burn-offs of Opportunity Knocks. Then after the NBA Finals (which airs Thursdays, Sundays, and Tuesdays from June 4-18) ends, ABC will launch The Superstars on Tuesdays at 8pm starting Tuesday, June 23. The Superstars, a fresh take on an old favorite, is based on ABC's classic "Wide World of Sports" series, The Superstars, which pitted athletes from all different sports against each other to determine the best athlete in the world. Eight celebrities are paired with eight professional male and female athletes to compete against each other in varying sporting events. Each week a team will be eliminated until one team is ultimately crowned the winner. The six-episode series will be shot entirely on location at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. The finale is set for Tuesday, July 28. As for rest of Tuesday, it is unknown still what will air from 9-11pm starting June 23. And it is unknown what will air following the run of The Superstars starting August 4. As I said, this is only the first batch details.
Moving on to Wednesdays, as we mentioned, Wipeout will have its season premiere on a new night starting Wednesday, May 27 at 8pm. And ABC has 16 episodes this season, well one aired already, as ABC aired the Wipeout Bowl (the 6th one produced) on Super Bowl Sunday. We get new obstacles and a new twist to the big balls! Cannot wait for this as this will last throughout the summer on Wednesdays at 8! Following Wipeout, for six weeks, as we mentioned we get the animated comedy The Goode Family! The Goode Family is a new animated series from he King of the Hill crew Mike Judge, John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky. With standards always changing, no matter how hard you try to be good, it's virtually impossible these days... especially for the Goode family. Gerald and Helen Goode are a couple who live by the motto WWAGD ("What Would Al Gore Do?"). We first thought the series would be aired back-to-back at 9pm & 9:30pm, but now that is not the case. It will air in the 9pm half-hour only. So we get 6 of the 13 episodes produced. Following The Goode Family will be the new night of the Bob Saget sitcom Surviving Suburbia. That sitcom launched to decent ratings on Monday at 9:30 and will air five more times in that slot (through May 11) before moving to Wednesdays at 9:30pm starting May 27 for six more episodes for an original summer run. So ABC will air at least 12 of the 13 episodes produced. I really think this sitcom has potential and ABC could use it next fall to launch new traditional comedies. Both comedies will run through Wednesday, July 1. Starting Wednesday, July 8, we get a second season of the game show I Survived a Japanese Game Show! It is an unscripted reality/game show -- actually a show within a show - that takes an eye-opening, behind-the-scenes look at 12 Americans who are whisked away to Japan to compete in the ultimate Japanese game show. This season we get 10 episodes, so it will last into September. It is unknown what ABC will do at 10pm, but The Unusuals has five episodes remaining in its first season episode order if they want to air originals of that. The series launched last night to good ratings. The series will air for four more straight weeks through May 6, before the Lost two-episode season finale on May 13. So five episodes will for sure air out of its ten episode order. If ABC chooses to air the remaining five in the summer, it would air from May 27 through June 24, for five straight weeks. That would give ABC an entire night of originals on Wednesdays from 8-11pm. If that is the case with The Unusuals, they have not announced what would air Wednesdays at 10pm starting July 1. Or they could hold those episodes for next fall, if the series returns.
There has been nothing announced for Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays. We have specials and stuff, though. Thursday, May 28 will be The Scripps National Spelling Bee from 8-10pm, as we told you. And Sunday, May 24 is the first part of the miniseries Diamonds from 9-11pm, also as we told you. It concludes on Tuesday, May from 9-11pm. ABC has another miniseries in the works called Impact.
Finally, Saturdays at 10pm is a rotating wheel to burn-off remaining episodes of canceled series. Pushing Daisies returns to the schedule from Saturday, May 30 through Saturday, June 13 at 10:00pm for its final three episodes. Then Eli Stone returns on Saturday, June 20 through Saturday, July 11 at 10:00pm for its final four episodes. Then finally Dirty Sexy Money returns on Saturday, July 18 through August 8 at 10:00pm for its final four episodes (which includes the unaired Thanksgiving episode!). It'll be weird seeing the Thanksgiving episode first since they aired three other episodes after that.
Well there you have it, the first batch of ABC summer. Of course more timeslots needs to be announced and we will let you know as soon as we hear what they are! Will Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? return in August for its 10th anniversary? We shall see!

First quarter 2009 has been a record breaking time for ION Television, with double digit growth in primetime viewership among households as well as in the key adults 25-54 demo. ION has delivered more adults 25-54 than at any other time in its history and ION's top five most watched episodes ever in households (HH) all aired during the first three months of this year. ION's extraordinary growth is a continued reflection of the success of its strategy to build viewership through its acquisitions of critically acclaimed off-network series in primetime.
Primetime delivery for households was up 26%, while adults 25-54 rose 44%, year over year. Also during this time period, viewership for adults 25-54 exhibited double digit growth across every hour in primetime: The 8:00 PM hour was up 20%, the 9:00 PM hour grew 49% and the 10:00 PM hour rose 62%.
ION's primetime off-network series continue to deliver. NCIS and Boston Legal have both grown significantly since their launch in fourth quarter 2008. In fact, NCIS delivered ION's top five most watched episodes ever (HH), reinforcing ION's mission in attracting more viewers than ever. NCIS averaged over one million total viewers in first quarter 2009, up 27% among households and up 31% among adults 25-54. Boston Legal's first quarter 2009 performance has grown 18% among households and 17% among adults 25-54.
ION's ratings gains provide the network with considerable momentum as it prepares its programming schedule for the 2009-10 season and beyond. That schedule will feature 12 originally produced movies a year, the new first-run series Durham County, The Border and The Guard; and the newly acquired off-network hits Ghost Whisperer and Criminal Minds.
Speaking of ION Television, they have just announced some changes to April. They are not major changes, though. All of the RHI movies have been pulled for the rest of April. So this Saturday (April 11) from 6-11pm we will get a M*A*S*H marathon instead. Other replacements include a Boston Legal block on Friday, April 17 from 8-11pm, big screen movies and more M*A*S*H. We already told you for May, the RHI movies would be leaving, so now it is earlier than planned. The Lonesome Dove four part mini-series is still slated to air the weekend of May 2-3, then after that there is no more RHI movies scheduled. More mainstream big screen movies will air. Check out the revised April schedule so you know what is on a particular day.

Stay tuned tomorrow for ABC Family upfront update!

NBC Mid-Season Preview: Parks and Recreation - Premieres April 9; NBC Pulls Kings; TV Land Renews High School Reunion

Parks and Recreation - Thursdays 8:30PM ET/PT on NBC
Premieres Thursday, April 9, 2009 at 8:30PM ET/PT

From Emmy Award-winning executive producers Greg Daniels (NBC's The Office, King of the Hill) and Michael Schur (NBC's The Office, Saturday Night Live) comes a new mockumentary that looks at the exciting world of local government. The new half-hour comedy will examine the mundane but necessary ways that people interact with their government, and ask why it's frequently so complicated -- as everyone knows from standing in line at the DMV, applying for home construction permits, or trying to get the city to fix a pothole.
The documentary cameras follow Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler, NBC's Saturday Night Live, Baby Mama) a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana. In an attempt to beautify her town -- and advance her career -- Leslie takes on what should be a fairly simple project: help local nurse Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones, NBC's The Office, Unhitched) turn an abandoned construction pit into a community park. Opposing them are defensive bureaucrats, selfish neighbors, real estate developers, and single-issue fanatics -- whose weapons are lawsuits, the jumble of city codes, and the very democratic process that Leslie loves so much.
Leslie is alternately helped and undermined by her colleague, Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari, Human Giant, Scrubs), who cheerfully exploits his government position for personal gain. She is also thwarted by her boss Ron Swanson, who is philosophically opposed to government in any form.
Helping Leslie and Ann navigate the Pawnee bureaucracy is charismatic city planner Mark Brendanawicz, whose outlook has been soured by 15 years of public service.
If they can pull it off, Leslie hopes that she also will have inspired her uninterested college intern April (Aubrey Plaza, Mayne Street) and April's whole generation - all the while moving one step closer to her ultimate goal: becoming the first female president of the United States.
Parks and Recreation is a production of Deedle-Dee Productions and Universal Media Studios. Along with Daniels and Schur, Howard Klein also serves as executive producer for the series.

Cast Details:

* Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope
* Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford
* Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins
* Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson
* Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate
* Paul Schneider as Mark Brendanawicz

Emmy Award nominee Amy Poehler stars as mid-level bureaucrat Leslie Knope on the new NBC comedy Parks and Recreation. The new series is a half-hour mockumentary that looks at the exciting world of local government.
The year 2008 was a very busy year for Poehler. Between her seventh season of NBC's Saturday Night Live (and her fourth as the co-anchor of Weekend Update), a trio of films and a new animated project for Nickelodeon, she was very active. Poehler received her first Emmy nomination in 2008 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Saturday Night Live. Due to a change in eligibility, this is an unprecedented nomination, making her the first performer in SNL history to land a spot in this category.
Poehler could be seen starring opposite Tina Fey in Universal Pictures' hit comedy film Baby Mama and also lent her voice to the animated film Horton Hears a Who! with Jim Carrey and Steve Carell. Poehler had a starring role in the ice-skating comedy Blades of Glory, alongside Will Ferrell, Will Arnett and Jon Heder, and she also provided the voice to the boxoffice smash hit Shrek the Third as Snow White. Her other feature credits include the hit comedy Mean Girls, Mr. Woodcock, Southland Tales, Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny, The Ex, Wet Hot American Summer and Envy.
Poehler has made memorable appearances on television ranging from NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien (as recurring character Stacey, Andy Richter's little sister), Arrested Development, Wonder Showzen and Undeclared. She also was a voice on O'Grady and The Simpsons.

Aziz Ansari (Tom Haverford) is poised for 2009 to be his breakout year with a new television series, a trio of films, and a headlining comedy tour. Before the new series premieres, Ansari will appear in a handful of features. He recently began production on Judd Apatow's upcoming comedy Funny People, opposite Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill, and also has roles in I Love You, Man with Paul Rudd, and opposite Rogen and Anna Faris in Observe and Report.
Ansari is best known for his role on MTV's hit sketch comedy series, Human Giant. The series is based around comedy sketches performed by Ansari, along with Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer. Many of their sketches have become Internet sensations and have popularized the trio with young people all across the U.S. Last year, Ansari also had a memorable guest-starring role on Flight of the Conchords, in which he portrayed a racist fruit vendor. He can also be seen in a multi-episode arc on Scrubs.

Rashida Jones (Ann Perkins) can be seen in the feature film I Love You, Man for writer-director John Hamburg, starring opposite Paul Rudd and Jason Segal. She recently completed her starring roles in the independent features Life in Flight (with Patrick Wilson and Amy Smart), and Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (with Max Minghella) -- both set for release later this year. Her past film credits include Little Black Book, opposite Holly Hunter, Kathy Bates and Brittany Murphy.
Jones caught attention of audiences and the industry alike when she portrayed the ambitious saleswoman, Karen Filippelli, in NBC's Emmy Award-winning comedy NBC's The Office, opposite Steve Carell. She also starred as Kate on Unhitched a half-hour comedy from the Farrelly brothers. Her previous television credits include David E. Kelley's Boston Public as Louisa Fenn and Jorge Zamacoma's Wanted as Detective Carla Merced. She also appeared in Judd Apatow's Freaks and Geeks, If These Walls Could Talk II, The Chappelle Show and the British television series NY-LON. Jones was also a weekly correspondent on the talk show Vibe TV.

Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson) received his B.F.A. in theater from the University of Illinois and has performed at Chicago’s famed Goodman and Steppenwolf theaters. He was a series regular on American Body Shop and has appeared on 24, Deadwood, Will & Grace, Monk, The West Wing, CSI: NY and NYPD Blue. He recurred on George Lopez as Randy.
His feature credits include Wristcutters, Patriotville, The Go Getter, Sin City, and Miss Congeniality 2. Nick can next be seen in the feature films Men Who Stare at Goats with George Clooney and Ewan McGregor and All Good Things with Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst.

Aubrey Plaza (April Ludgate) is originally from Wilmington, Del., and is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She is an actor, writer and comedian. She has been performing improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater since 2004. She also recently began performing stand-up and has appeared at the Laugh Factory and The Improv.
Plaza stars in the upcoming comedy features Funny People, directed by Judd Apatow, and Derrick Comedy's Mystery Team which debuted at Sundance. She can also be seen in the hit online series The Jeanne Tate Show, and ESPN's Mayne Street. Plaza will next star in the Universal feature Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life, directed by Edgar Wright.

Paul Schneider (Mark Brendanawicz) will next be seen in Bright Star directed by Jane Campion as well as Sam Mendes Away We Go opposite John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph. Schneider was lauded for his performance in Lars and the Real Girl opposite Ryan Gosling as well as The Assassination of Jesse James with Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck. His directorial debut Pretty Bird starred Billy Crudup and Paul Giamatti and screened in competition in Sundance in 2008. He has also received critical acclaim for his work in Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown, All the Real Girls and The Family Stone.


Pilot Plot:

#1 - SERIES PREMIERE--MAKE MY PIT A PARK - From Emmy Award-winning executive producers of The Office comes a new mockumentary that looks at the exciting world of local government. The documentary cameras follow Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) a mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana. In an attempt to beautify her town Leslie takes on what should be a fairly simple project: help local nurse Ann Perkins (Rashida Jones) turn an abandoned construction pit into a community park. Leslie is alternately helped and undermined by her colleague, Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari), who cheerfully exploits his government position for personal gain. She is also thwarted by her boss Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) who is philosophically opposed to government in any form. Helping Leslie and Ann navigate the Pawnee bureaucracy is charismatic city planner Mark Brendanawicz (Paul Schneider), whose outlook has been soured by 15 years of public service. If they can pull it off, Leslie hopes that she also will have inspired her uninterested college intern April (Aubrey Plaza) and April’s whole generation – all the while moving one step closer to her ultimate goal: becoming the first female president of the United States.

#2 - REPORTER - LESLIE HAS TROUBLE WITH A REPORTER - When Leslie (Amy Poehler) invites a reporter to do a story on her park project, she and her committee have trouble staying on message. Leslie calls in Mark (Paul Schneider) to help save the story, but he only makes the situation worse. Meanwhile, Tom (Aziz Ansari) kisses up to his boss (Nick Offerman). Rashida Jones and Aubrey Plaza also star.

Analysis:

Unfortunately, we were unable to obtain any screener copies in time for review. The show looks pretty funny from the promos and 5-minute preview they've posted online. I've always liked Amy Poehler and Rashida Jones, so I will be tuning in to watch the premiere. I'm not too familiar with the rest of the cast. NBC is set to air 6 episodes.

Here are some external reviews:

The Hollywood Reporter
Entertainment Weekly
Variety
Newsday
San Francisco Chronicle
Zap2it

More on Google News

Discuss the show after you watch it on Thursday, April 9 on our message board.

Related Links:

NBC.com Official Site

Knope Knows - A Parks and Recreation fansite

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

Parks and Recreation Photo Gallery


Sorry we couldn't give you our take on the pilot. If we somehow get the pilot before airing, we will edit it in and let you know. Thanks for the preview, Todd! Anyway, back to the news...NBC has pulled Kings from the Sunday line-up. NBC will dethrone to Kings to Saturdays at 8PM effective Saturday, April 18. Kings will not air this week. NBC will replace Kings' Sundays at 8PM airings with an expanded Dateline from 7-9PM. Kings is just the latest NBC bomb. NBC says they will air all the episodes, so that should last it into June. Kings lasted only 4 weeks on Sundays.

TV Land announced that it has picked up its successful reality series High School Reunion for a third season. Over 1 million people have been watching the current season, which airs its final episode tonight (April 8) at 10pm ET/PT. Now viewers can tune in as Las Vegas' Chaparral High School's Class of 1989 will experience a reunion like no other. Set on the garden isle of Kauai, the classmates of Chaparral -- some of whom haven't seen each other in over twenty years -- will have the unique opportunity to finally settle a score, find new love or rekindle an old flame and reconnect during this luxurious getaway. High School Reunion is produced for TV Land by Mike Fleiss through his NEXT Entertainment production company in association with Warner Horizon Television. High School Reunion is set to debut its third season on TV Land, with eight episodes, in the third quarter of 2009, on TV Land during TV Land PRIME, the network's primetime destination block.
Season two of High School Reunion has been averaging 883,000 total viewers with a median age of 45. Among A25-54, it has been posting a 0.5 rating and 554,000viewers 25-54 and among A40-54 a 0.6 rating and 343,000 viewers among 40-54.

CBS Schedules Wednesday Rules of Engagement Airing; The CW's Two Summer Series

Yesterday we gave you updates on ABC, NBC, and Fox, so we just have to give some updates for you on CBS and The CW, right? CBS has announced that it will air the sitcom Rules of Engagement on a special night and time on Wednesday, April 29 at 8:00pm ET/PT. That will bump the regularly scheduled episode of Old Christine to 8:30pm, preempting Gary Unmarried all together for the night. May sweeps starts on April 23, so these episodes will be all-new. In fact, Rules of Engagement will be all-new also on its regular night and time that week (Monday, April 27 at 9:30pm).
So why is CBS doing this? It could be a test to see if Rules of Engagement can anchor an hour on its own and to see if it works with Old Christine. Or it could be because they are just lining episodes up so all episodes of the sitcoms, all fit in. Old Christine has a 22 episode order, while Gary Unmarried has 20...so both will now be in sync to have their season finales on May 13, but we are not sure how many Rules of Engagement episodes they have ordered. 12 are scheduled from what we can see, so possibly only 12, with the season finale on May 18. OR if they have 13 episodes, they could schedule the season finale on the last night of the season on Wednesday, May 20 at 8pm (since the Wednesday comedies will finish the week before)? We shall see.

The CW announced today that it will launch two original series for the summer: the reality relationship series Hitched or Ditched and the docu-series set in Washington, D.C., Blonde Charity Mafia. Hitched or Ditched premieres Tuesday, May 26 from 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET, following the season finale of Reaper from 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET. Encore presentations will air Wednesdays from9:00-10:00 p.m. ET, beginning May 27. The six-episode run will continue until the season finale on Tuesday, June 30. The series is a one-hour reality show focusing on couples who are in long-term relationships but have not yet taken that big leap into marriage. The show is produced by RDF USA in association with Next Entertainment. The executive producers are Mike Fleiss, Chris Coelen, Greg Goldman, Mike Duffy and Jason Ehrlich. Mike Fleiss is having series left and right. The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, High School Reunion, and the upcoming The Cougar for TV Land and More to Love for Fox. So Fleiss this summer will have The Bachelorette on ABC Mondays from end of May to mid-July, Hitched or Ditched on The CW Tuesdays from end of May to end of June, More to Love on Fox Tuesdays starting at the end of July, and The Cougar on TV Land Wednesdays from mid-April to early June. Wow that is a lot of shows and The Bachelor's latest season just ended in early March and High School Reunion's latest season is about to end this week!
The half-hour episodes of Blonde Charity Mafia will premiere with two back-to-back episodes on Tuesday, July 7 from 9:00-9:30 and 9:30-10:00 p.m. ET. Beginning July 14, an encore of the previous week's episode will air at 9:00 p.m., followed by an original episode at 9:30 p.m. The six episodes will conclude with a season finale on Tuesday, August 4. The series is a docu-series about the lives of Washington, D.C.'s most influential 20-something Alpha Girls. The series is from Capital Hills Productions, Inc. with executive producers Patty Ivins and Julie Pizzi.

ABC To Air Animated Comedy The Goode Family in Summer with Wipeout; Fox and NBC Updates

Today we have all network news, including some scoops! As we first announced on our message board on Friday (and then later on Twitter), we have gotten the early portion of the ABC summer 2009 schedule! We already knew about The Bachelorette airing on Mondays (it launches in-season on May 18 after the Dancing performance finale), and will air 8-10pm on Mondays starting the following week (May 25). It is unknown right now what will air at 10pm on Mondays, but ABC does have Here Come the Newlyweds on the roster for a possible pairing. The next night will be Tuesday, May 26 as ABC brings back the family game show Opportunity Knocks for at least two weeks airing May 26 and June 2 at 8pm. Then the NBA Finals come, so not sure what ABC will do yet. ABC has six episodes on the shelf, so at least two will see the light of day. ABC will air the miniseries Diamonds on two nights--Sunday, May 24 and Tuesday, May 26 from 9-11pm. Diamonds is a Canadian production starring Judy Davis. Diamonds weaves together five storylines to form the plot, focusing on the daughter of a U.S. Senator who is murdered at a diamond mine in Sierra Leone (in Africa). It is a Hollywood event limited series from start to finish, especially with its stellar ensemble including Judy Davis who won an Emmy for the last role she played which aired on ABC (Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows). James Purefoy (Rome) also stars. ABC has another Canadian miniseries in the works for later in the summer called Impact. Impact is a four-hour disaster epic and stars David James Elliott, Natasha Henstridge, Steven Culp and James Cromwell.
Then on Wednesday, May 27, ABC will launch the second season of last summer's big hit Wipeout! It's back with all the big balls and more for 16 episodes this summer! Wipeout will lead into new animated comedy The Goode Family airing back-to-back in the 9pm hour. The series has 13 episodes to air. The 10pm hour will likely be new episodes of The Unusuals, as that series (which launches this Wednesday) will have only 5 episodes airing of its 10 in the regular season, so the final 5 could air in the summer following Wipeout and Goode Family. As previously announced, Thursday, May 28 will be The Scripps National Spelling Bee from 8-10pm. Saturday, May 30 will see the return of Pushing Daisies! The series has three episodes left and will likely be stripped for the next two weeks as well in the Saturdays at 10pm timeslot concluding the series. ABC could also air the final three episodes of Dirty Sexy Money and the final four of Eli Stone as well in the slot thereafter. We'll let you know for sure when we do. Sunday, May 31 could see game 7 of the NBA Western Conference Finals in primetime, if it is necessary. The 2009 NBA Finals will air from June 4-18 on Thursdays, Sundays and Tuesdays for up to seven games, if necessary. A second year of the half-hour series Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night will lead into all of the games once again. We don't have any other June details or late summer news, so stay tuned for that. Lots of stuff still to come, such as the second season of I Survived a Japanese Game Show and new stuff such as Wide World of Sports Superstars, with possibly the 10th anniversary return of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire this August!
In other ABC updates, they will air a clip show of Lost on Wednesday, May 13 at 8pm leading into the two-episode season finale from 9-11pm, while ABC will air a performance recap show of Dancing with the Stars on Tuesday, May 19 at 8pm leading into the two-hour grand finale from 9-11pm.

Fox has given Bones two special nights. Because of the all preemption by American Idol and President Obama, Bones will have to air on two special nights to catch up on its episode order. The first special night will be Wednesday, April 15 at 8pm, preempting Lie to Me, which has also had its share of preemptions. The second special night will be Monday, April 20 at 8pm, replacing a scheduled House repeat. So, yes that will be three new episodes of Bones in a matter of 5 days, as it will still air and be all-new on its regular night and time of Thursday, April 16.
We gave you the Fox summer 2009 schedule before, but they have added a new series and moved the premiere of one by a week. New medical drama Mental now premiering Friday, May 29 at 9:00 pm ET/PT. Mental follows Dr. Jack Gallagher (Chris Vance), a dynamic, young psychiatrist who serves as Director of Mental Health Services at a Los Angeles hospital. It was previously scheduled to launch on May 22, but now a House repeat will air instead. In other summer updates, More to Love, the inspirational new dating competition out to prove that love comes in all shapes and sizes, is set to premiere Tuesday, July 28 at 9:00 pm ET/PT on Fox. Executive-produced by Mike Fleiss, the unscripted series follows a single average guy with a big waist and an even bigger heart as he romances several confident and secure plus-size women. The series will follow episodes of Hell's Kitchen.

Meanwhile NBC has pulled Law & Order: Criminal Intent Wednesday repeats after one airing effective this week. The repeats had replaced the recently pulled Chopping Block. Instead now NBC will air repeats of the original Law & Order. After the Life season (or series?) finale this Wednesday, repeats of Law & Order: SVU take over starting the following week (April 15). So, the night will be turned into an all Law & Order series night, with repeats of the original at 8 and repeats of SVU at 9, leading into new episode of the original at 10pm. This could be a test for the fall to see how Law & Order and Law & Order SVU do from 8-10pm, back-to-back, even though they will be repeats right now.

Week 28 Ratings and Analysis; How the Sitcoms Did

Week 28 numbers (first four nights final averages, Mon-Thurs):

Households: Fox 8.3/12.9; CBS 7.7/12.3; ABC 5.8/9.3; NBC 5.7/9.1; The CW 1.8/2.8; MNT 0.9/1.3.
Total Viewers: Fox 14.13 million; CBS 12.44 million; ABC 9.02 million; NBC 8.9 million; The CW 2.67 million; MNT 1.34 million.
Adults 18-49: Fox 5.0/13.3; CBS 3.4/8.9; NBC 3.2/8.5; ABC 2.6/6.9; The CW 1.2/3.3; MNT 0.5/1.2.

Analysis: Week 28 sees CBS and Fox battle it out so far this week, as ABC's big Thursday guns were not on. Through the first four days, Fox is on top in all categories, with CBS in second everywhere, ABC is third in HH/viewers, with NBC just behind them in fourth. NBC is third though in 18-49 thanks to the ER series finale.
Last week, CBS won in week 27 in HH/viewers, but Fox once again took 18-49 but by a closer margin, over NCAA-fueled second place CBS. ABC was second for the week in HH, with Fox a close third, but it was the other way around in viewers. ABC was third in 18-49, while NBC was back in a distant fourth of course in everything.
Monday it was all ABC as Dancing with the Stars continues to dominate. ABC aired a two-hour episode of Dancing with the Stars at an impressive 20.48 million, up some from the previous week. After that, ABC aired a new episode of crime-romance drama Castle doing 9.09 million...on par really from previous week. That was a good plot and another good one for tomorrow involving a frozen body. CBS did decent starting with all-new episodes of its comedies, The Big Bang Theory did a solid 9.74 million, followed by How I Met Your Mother doing 9.2 million, up nearly two million from previous week when it aired at 8pm and on its own. #1 sitcom Two and a Half Men did 14.56 million, clearly the best of the sitcoms. A new Rules of Engagement followed and did 11.02 million, up nearly two million week-to-week when its lead-in was a repeat. At 10pm a new CSI: Miami did 13.46 million, which was down a tad from previous week. Fox started with a new episode of House and did 12.51 million, then Fox had an all-new 24 doing 11.26 million, up a million from previous week when its lead-in was a repeat. NBC was next with its sluggish Monday. A new Chuck did 5.72 million, down from previous week. The downfall of Heroes continues as this show did just 6.42 million, down just a bit from previous week in HH/viewers, but it was up a bit in 18-49 at least. Medium followed with 7.27 million for a new episode, up from previous week. The CW was next with a new episode of Gossip Girl doing 2.45 million, up some from previous week as ABC Family's Secret Life is no longer against it. A new episode of One Tree Hill did 2.36 million, down a tad from previous week.
Tuesday it was Fox on top. Fox started with an 86 minute American Idol doing just 24.41 million, then at 9:26pm to 10:02pm Fox aired the special Osbournes: Reloaded at just 8.4 million. Fringe returns this week and needs to do better or it cold be in trouble. CBS started with a new NCIS doing 17.23 million, down a bit from previous week when it aired at a special 9pm time. A new episode of The Mentalist was next and did a great 16.96 million, but that was down from previous week when it aired in a special 10pm slot. Without a Trace was next at 12.53 million. ABC was next and started with encores of the first two episodes of Better Off Ted doing only 3.18 million. Dancing with the Stars: The Results was next at 9pm doing 13.51 million, down from previous week as it faced Idol. No more Idol now until the finale vs. Dancing's Results. ABC followed by airing the series premiere of Cupid doing 7.22 million...needs to do better than that, but with a better Dancing lead-in in the coming weeks, it should do better. It's a simple lot...Cupid tries to hook up a new couple each week, so this isn't serialized folks! NBC was next with a two-hour The Biggest Loser doing 8.78 million, down over a million from previous week when it aired from 9-11pm and no Idol. NBC finished the night with a new Law & Order: SVU at 10pm doing 9.37 million...which is nothing what it used to do. The CW aired a new episode of Reaper and did 2.37 million, down some from previous week's season high, and the return of 90210 on a new time did 2.04 million, that is not good news! It needs to do better than that.
Wednesday saw you Fox dominate. Fox was lead by the results show of American Idol at 9pm doing 24.34 million. New Fox drama Lie to Me started the night off at 8pm doing 9.18 million, not bad but seems lower than usual. CBS started with the April Fool's special I Get That A Lot at a surprising 10.35 million, much more than the usual Old Christine and Gary Unmarried, so those shows need to pick it up. A repeat of Criminal Minds followed and did 10.03 million. CSI: NY followed with repeat as well doing 10.06 million. Both seemed to be at below repeat levels. ABC was next with a new Scrubs and a new episode of the new Better Off Ted doing 4.97 and 4.67 million...both seemed to be affected by the April Fool's special as that skewed the audience these do. A new episode of Lost followed at 9pm doing 9.57 million, up from previous week And the series finale of Life on Mars at 10pm did 5.64 million, it improved from previous week once again. That was a good sign going up each week the last few weeks. NBC opened the night with a repeat of Law & Order: Criminal Intent doing 5.03 million, a new showing of Life followed and did an improved 5.7 million, up from previous week. Law & Order followed at 10pm with a repeat and did 6.34 million. The CW was on the map with America's Next Top Model doing a nice 3.97 million, up over a million from previous week as there was no Idol meddling...The CW followed with an encore of...what else...90210 at 1.09 million, up from previous week. That was an encore from the previous night.
Thursday saw NBC with the win as the series finale of ER took home the night. When was the last time NBC finished first besides the Super Bowl? NBC started with a retrospective special of ER doing a solid 10.63 million at 8pm. My Name is Earl was preempted. Then the ER two-hour send-off aired and did 16.38 million, which is up six million from previous week. Great numbers. Though this doesn't compare at all with other big series finales at all, which has to be disappointing. The Office and 30 Rock were preempted. CBS was next with the return of Survivor: Tocantis at a below normal 11.27 million. CSI celebrated its 200th episode with series lows of 14.63 million and only a 3.8 18-49 rating. And the finale (series maybe?) of Eleventh Hour closed the night at 10.37 million. Fox started with Bones at 9.25 million, which off a bit from usual but expected. An all-new Hell's Kitchen followed at 9pm did 6.95 million, off from previous week obviously. ABC started with a new In the Motherhood doing 5.01 million, down a lot from the premiere. Not a good sign. An all-new Samantha Who? was next and did 4.7 million, down two million from previous week. A repeat of Grey's Anatomy was next and did 4.9 million! Too bad we have to wait until April 23 for the final batch of episodes of the season. A repeat of Private Practice followed and did 3.74 million at 10pm. Smallville was all-new on The CW and did a solid 3.85 million, up a bit from previous week, followed by a new Supernatural at 3.27 million, up some from previous week.
Now, as usual final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available, but CBS won Friday with Ghost Whisperer, Flashpoint, NUMBERS, though two of those were repeats. ABC finished second for the night helped by 20/20. Sarah Connor Chronicles and the new Dollhouse did terrible for Fox, and NBC was not much better with Friday Night Lights. Why is that on the air?
Saturday numbers were above normal again as CBS won with some NCAA Final Four, as we now have the final two of North Carolina and Michigan State battling for the title on Monday!
Tonight CBS also should win. CBS has a new 60 Minutes followed by the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. ABC will have all repeats of AFV, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters, so they will be out of the battle. NBC has Dateline at 7pm, followed by big-time dud Kings, and a two-hour Celebrity Apprentice, which could do a season high tonight with limited competition. Fox has a mainly repeat lineup of its animated comedies again...except The Simpsons is new at 8pm.
As for the week, CBS should win the week in HH/viewers. Fox in 18-49 likely but CBS could take it thanks to NCAA. Fox will be second in HH/viewers, while ABC or NBC could take third in HH/viewers, but I think NBC will take third in 18-49 for the week much thanks to the ER finale, leaving ABC in fourth thanks to no Thursday and Sunday new showings. As for the coming week...ABC premieres new comedy Surviving Suburbia tomorrow at 9:30pm, hope you saw our review on Friday. And on Wednesday ABC premieres new cop show The Unusuals, which is very good. Fox returns Fringe tomorrow at 8pm. Thursday NBC premieres new comedy Parks and Recreation at 8:30pm, which we hope to have a review up by Wednesday. Tomorrow also is the championship game of the NCAA Tournament!

Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week of March 23-29, Week 27)

• The Simpsons (Fox) 2 episodes - 6.62 million for an all-new episode...up from previous week. A repeat did better at 8:30 doing 6.63 million.
• King of the Hill (Fox) - A repeat at 7:30 only did 2.96 million, but better than the previous week.
• Family Guy (Fox) - A new episode did 8.12 million, up week-to-week.
• American Dad! (Fox) 2 episodes - 6.02 million...up some from previous week. Earlier in the night a repeat at 7 did just 2.4 million, but it was better than previous week.

Week 28:
Monday Sitcoms

• The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - 9.74 million for a new episode, this show is clearly a self-starter.
• How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - 9.2 million for a new showing is two million better when CBS tried to self-start this show the previous week...and didn't work.
• Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 14.56 million for new episode is of course #1 for sitcoms.
• Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 11.02 million for a new episode...up from previous week when its lead-in was a repeat.

Tuesday Sitcoms

• Better Off Ted (ABC) 2 encores - First two episodes encored at 8pm doing just 3.18 million.

Wednesday Sitcoms

• Old Christine (CBS) - preempted.
• Gary Unmarried (CBS) - preempted.
• Scrubs (ABC) - New showing did 4.97 million, down some from previous week.
• Better Off Ted (ABC) - 4.67 million for a new episode...up a bit week-to-week!

Thursday Sitcoms

• My Name is Earl (NBC) - preempted
• In the Motherhood (ABC) - Second episode did just 5.01 million, it was way down from the premiere and needs to do better.
• Samantha Who? (ABC) - 4.7 million, down two million from previous week.
• The Office (NBC) - preempted.
• 30 Rock (NBC) - preempted.

Friday Sitcoms

• Everybody Hates Chris (The CW) - A new episode did a prelim 1.79 million...down a bit from previous week's prelim numbers.
• The Game (The CW) - A new episode did a prelim 1.86 million. Down some from previous week's prelim numbers.

Saturday Sitcoms

• None.

Airing tonight (Sunday) are a mix of new and repeats of Fox animated comedies from 7-10pm!

Summing it up. Two and a Half Men, Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Rules of Engagement, were impressive for the week. Nothing else was OK as we had a lot of just plain old terrible (such as Samantha Who?, Better Off Ted).