Wednesday, January 19, 2011
NBC Mid-Season 2011 Schedule Changes; NBC Mid-Season Pilot Review: Perfect Couples - Premieres January 20
NBC has announced some changes to its mid-season changes. NBC announced that it will continue with new episodes of Parenthood on Tuesdays at 10pm through April 19. This means there will be either 3 repeats or preemptions somewhere so all 22 episodes can air. It is unclear what will air starting April 26. Also, Law & Order: Los Angeles, which was previously scheduled to resume on that day and time beginning February 8, will return on a day to be determined. The series is going through a number of changes. Parenthood was scheduled to move to Mondays at 10pm starting March 7, but that will not happen and mid-season drama Harry's Law will now air all of its 13 episode order rather than just 6. Harry's Law will air through May 9 and it will also have to be repeats for three weeks.
In addition, the new alternative competition series America's Next Great Restaurant will now debut on Sunday, March 6 at 8pm instead of the previously announced Wednesday, March 16 at 9pm. The Marriage Ref, which was intended to return for its second season on Sunday, March 6 at 8, will return at a later date. Airing Wednesdays at 9pm after Chase concludes after March 2 will be repeats of Law & Order: SVU leading into new episodes at 10pm.
See a full list of these changes. Still yet to be scheduled are new comedy-drama Love Bites and new comedies Friends with Benefits and The Paul Reiser Show. They are now joined by The Marriage Ref (10 new episodes) and Law & Order: Los Angeles (14 episodes remain to air from 22 episode order), which now have to be determined return dates. Could some of these possibly air in summer? Stay tuned.
Perfect Couples - Thursdays 8:30PM ET/PT on NBC
Premieres Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 8:30PM ET/PT
Perfect Couples is a romantic comedy that follows three flawed pairs trying to get it right.
Dave (Kyle Bornheimer, Worst Week) and Julia (Christine Woods, Flash Forward) are the "everyday couple," messed up in all the "normal" ways. Dave struggles to keep both his wife and his needy best friend, Vance (David Walton, NBC's 100 Questions) happy. Vance and the volatile Amy (Mary Elizabeth Ellis, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) are the high-passion, high-drama couple who bring out the best and worst in each other.
The third duo features Rex (Hayes MacArthur, She's Out of My League) and Leigh (Olivia Munn, Attack of the Show, The Daily Show). Rex is a reformed party guy who has channeled his jock energy into a competitive drive to be the ideal mate. Leigh, a self-anointed relationship guru, has formed the perfect union with Rex, and now considers it her duty to mold the other couples in their image.
Perfect Couples is produced by Universal Media Studios. Show creators Jon Pollack (30 Rock) and Scott Silveri (Friends) serve as executive producers with Andy Ackerman (Seinfeld, The New Adventures of Old Christine), who also directed the pilot.
Cast Details:
* Kyle Bornheimer as Dave
* Christine Woods as Julia
* David Walton as Vance
* Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Amy
* Hayes MacArthur as Rex
* Olivia Munn as Leigh
* Nicolette Robinson as Isabella
Pilot Plot:
#1 "Pilot" (Airs January 20)
Dave and Julia's plans for the perfect anniversary fall through. Rex and Leigh gear up for game night instead. Vance and Amy break up and make up again. Nicolette Robinson also stars.
Directed by Andy Ackerman
"Perfect Health" (Airdate: TBD - possibly February 3)
After discovering that Dave has high cholestrol, Julia puts him on a strict diet and realizes it's time to start acting like adults. Vance tries to curb Amy's outrageous spending. Rex takes Leigh's suggestion of building a "man cave" where there are no rules -- and no judgments. Nicolette Robinson also stars.
Analysis:
NBC aired a sneak preview of the show on December 20, 2010 at 10:00pm. In the episode "Perfect Tens," Dave confronts Julia about her slovenly ways, and the two push each other to be "perfect tens" by dressing up and going out every night. The preview was barely promoted and watched by only 3.8 million and had a 1.4 18-49 rating. You can watch the episode online at NBC.com .
Perfect Couples is a single-camera comedy from Universal Media Studios. NBC has ordered 13 episodes. The show will air on Thursday nights at 8:30pm ET/Pt. Kyle Howard was originally cast as Dave, but he was replaced by Kyle Bornheimer for the pilot episode. In the pilot, we meet the three couples as they try to go to bed. Dave and Julia plan a game night. Vance and Amy break up. Isabella is Dave and Rex's secretary at the real estate company they work at. Vance plays some dramatic exit music after arguing with Dave. Luke is Dave and Julia's dog. In a closing montage scene with a song played in the background, Dave and Julia take some sledgehammers to a house and tear it up. Vance and Amy are on a plane to Paris and plan on getting married.
The show uses a lot of quick editing, scene description title cards, flashbacks and freeze frames. It's a little bit like How I Met Your Mother, but not nearly as funny or outrageous. An opening theme song and credits sequence is used in the additional episode that was provided for review. In "Perfect Health," Julia puts Dave on a strict diet after she discovers he has high cholestrol. Rex shows Dave and Vance his man cave. This episode wasn't quite as good as the pilot.
Conclusion:
This seems to be the season of romantic comedies featuring couples dating or already married. Every network seems to have a few on the air or planned for mid-season. ABC's Better with You is the best of the bunch that I've seen so far. There's really nothing truly unique about Perfect Couples, but I think it is well cast and they appear to have good chemistry. They look to be having fun working together. I liked the physical comedy and things get a little silly at times. Kyle Bornheimer is good here, but I think he was better on Worst Week. Olivia Munn is quite attractive and seems to have a big following online. She steals a lot of the scenes she appears in. The other actors do a decent job portraying their characters.
Perfect Couples appears to be a good fit with NBC's other single camera comedies, but the competition on Thursdays is pretty fierce with American Idol on a new night. It's going to be tough for them to get an initial audience, but maybe they can pick up some additional viewers in the upcoming weeks. I'm not really a big fan of romantic or single camera comedies, but if you enjoy them or are a fan of any of the actors, you will probably want to check out the pilot and at least a few other episodes as they air.
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Watchability: 3/5
Funniness: 3/5
Overall: 3/5
-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller on 01/19/11
Discuss the show after you watch it on Thursday, January 20 on our message board.
Related Links:
NBC.com Official Site
TV.com
epguides.com
Internet Movie Database
Wikipedia
Perfect Couples Photo Gallery
Preview:
In addition, the new alternative competition series America's Next Great Restaurant will now debut on Sunday, March 6 at 8pm instead of the previously announced Wednesday, March 16 at 9pm. The Marriage Ref, which was intended to return for its second season on Sunday, March 6 at 8, will return at a later date. Airing Wednesdays at 9pm after Chase concludes after March 2 will be repeats of Law & Order: SVU leading into new episodes at 10pm.
See a full list of these changes. Still yet to be scheduled are new comedy-drama Love Bites and new comedies Friends with Benefits and The Paul Reiser Show. They are now joined by The Marriage Ref (10 new episodes) and Law & Order: Los Angeles (14 episodes remain to air from 22 episode order), which now have to be determined return dates. Could some of these possibly air in summer? Stay tuned.
Perfect Couples - Thursdays 8:30PM ET/PT on NBC
Premieres Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 8:30PM ET/PT
Perfect Couples is a romantic comedy that follows three flawed pairs trying to get it right.
Dave (Kyle Bornheimer, Worst Week) and Julia (Christine Woods, Flash Forward) are the "everyday couple," messed up in all the "normal" ways. Dave struggles to keep both his wife and his needy best friend, Vance (David Walton, NBC's 100 Questions) happy. Vance and the volatile Amy (Mary Elizabeth Ellis, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) are the high-passion, high-drama couple who bring out the best and worst in each other.
The third duo features Rex (Hayes MacArthur, She's Out of My League) and Leigh (Olivia Munn, Attack of the Show, The Daily Show). Rex is a reformed party guy who has channeled his jock energy into a competitive drive to be the ideal mate. Leigh, a self-anointed relationship guru, has formed the perfect union with Rex, and now considers it her duty to mold the other couples in their image.
Perfect Couples is produced by Universal Media Studios. Show creators Jon Pollack (30 Rock) and Scott Silveri (Friends) serve as executive producers with Andy Ackerman (Seinfeld, The New Adventures of Old Christine), who also directed the pilot.
Cast Details:
* Kyle Bornheimer as Dave
* Christine Woods as Julia
* David Walton as Vance
* Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Amy
* Hayes MacArthur as Rex
* Olivia Munn as Leigh
* Nicolette Robinson as Isabella
Pilot Plot:
#1 "Pilot" (Airs January 20)
Dave and Julia's plans for the perfect anniversary fall through. Rex and Leigh gear up for game night instead. Vance and Amy break up and make up again. Nicolette Robinson also stars.
Directed by Andy Ackerman
"Perfect Health" (Airdate: TBD - possibly February 3)
After discovering that Dave has high cholestrol, Julia puts him on a strict diet and realizes it's time to start acting like adults. Vance tries to curb Amy's outrageous spending. Rex takes Leigh's suggestion of building a "man cave" where there are no rules -- and no judgments. Nicolette Robinson also stars.
Analysis:
NBC aired a sneak preview of the show on December 20, 2010 at 10:00pm. In the episode "Perfect Tens," Dave confronts Julia about her slovenly ways, and the two push each other to be "perfect tens" by dressing up and going out every night. The preview was barely promoted and watched by only 3.8 million and had a 1.4 18-49 rating. You can watch the episode online at NBC.com .
Perfect Couples is a single-camera comedy from Universal Media Studios. NBC has ordered 13 episodes. The show will air on Thursday nights at 8:30pm ET/Pt. Kyle Howard was originally cast as Dave, but he was replaced by Kyle Bornheimer for the pilot episode. In the pilot, we meet the three couples as they try to go to bed. Dave and Julia plan a game night. Vance and Amy break up. Isabella is Dave and Rex's secretary at the real estate company they work at. Vance plays some dramatic exit music after arguing with Dave. Luke is Dave and Julia's dog. In a closing montage scene with a song played in the background, Dave and Julia take some sledgehammers to a house and tear it up. Vance and Amy are on a plane to Paris and plan on getting married.
The show uses a lot of quick editing, scene description title cards, flashbacks and freeze frames. It's a little bit like How I Met Your Mother, but not nearly as funny or outrageous. An opening theme song and credits sequence is used in the additional episode that was provided for review. In "Perfect Health," Julia puts Dave on a strict diet after she discovers he has high cholestrol. Rex shows Dave and Vance his man cave. This episode wasn't quite as good as the pilot.
Conclusion:
This seems to be the season of romantic comedies featuring couples dating or already married. Every network seems to have a few on the air or planned for mid-season. ABC's Better with You is the best of the bunch that I've seen so far. There's really nothing truly unique about Perfect Couples, but I think it is well cast and they appear to have good chemistry. They look to be having fun working together. I liked the physical comedy and things get a little silly at times. Kyle Bornheimer is good here, but I think he was better on Worst Week. Olivia Munn is quite attractive and seems to have a big following online. She steals a lot of the scenes she appears in. The other actors do a decent job portraying their characters.
Perfect Couples appears to be a good fit with NBC's other single camera comedies, but the competition on Thursdays is pretty fierce with American Idol on a new night. It's going to be tough for them to get an initial audience, but maybe they can pick up some additional viewers in the upcoming weeks. I'm not really a big fan of romantic or single camera comedies, but if you enjoy them or are a fan of any of the actors, you will probably want to check out the pilot and at least a few other episodes as they air.
Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):
Watchability: 3/5
Funniness: 3/5
Overall: 3/5
-- Reviewed by Todd Fuller on 01/19/11
Discuss the show after you watch it on Thursday, January 20 on our message board.
Related Links:
Preview:
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Antenna TV Premieres The Ropers on Feb. 15, 2011; Remembering Character Actor Peter Hobbs
We were the first ones to tell you that both spin-offs of Three's Company would air on Antenna TV within the Three's Company timeslots. Now we have info on the premiere date for the series' first spin-off, The Ropers! The 1979-80 sitcom starring Norman Fell, Audra Lindley, and Jeffrey Tambor will air Mon-Thurs at 5:30pm ET with an encore at 12:30am ET starting Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2011 following Three's Company airings. The pilot episode ("Moving On") and the episode where John Ritter, Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers guest starred ("Stanley, the Ladies Man") air as Three's Company episodes in syndication. Those episodes are in the Three's Company package, so they will kick-off the series on Feb. 15 and 16 at 5:30pm ET (encore at 12:30am ET). Antenna TV will then air the other 26 episodes of The Ropers starting Feb. 17.
As mentioned above, The Ropers will air Mon-Thurs at 5:30pm with an encore on most nights at 12:30am ET. The final The Ropers episode will tentatively air on Monday, April 4, so after that Three's Company will get the full-hour back on Tuesday, April 5. This is such a good way to incorporate The Ropers within Three's Company! As far as I know, they have never aired this way in syndication before.
Looking ahead, after the final episode of Three's Company, the second spin-off series Three's a Crowd will take over the full-hour. This spin-off series focused on Jack Tripper after Three's Company and starred John Ritter, Mary Cadorette and Robert Mandan. The dates are subject to change, but as of now the Three's Company series finale is scheduled for Thursday, June 23 and then on Monday, June 27, Three's a Crowd takes over the full-hour for about 2 1/2 weeks until all 22 episodes air. So on or about Wednesday, July 13, Three's Company would return to the schedule starting with the very first episode. Then all of this would repeat again when the Ropers leave for their own series. Very cool and a Three's Company lover's dream to see all three series aired in the same rotation!As mentioned above, The Ropers will air Mon-Thurs at 5:30pm with an encore on most nights at 12:30am ET. The final The Ropers episode will tentatively air on Monday, April 4, so after that Three's Company will get the full-hour back on Tuesday, April 5. This is such a good way to incorporate The Ropers within Three's Company! As far as I know, they have never aired this way in syndication before.
View the Three's Company episodes schedule for February and you'll see how The Ropers are incorporated. And of course visit the Antenna TV website on where you can watch the network! It's such a great network, it's vintage... without the funny smell!
Character actor Peter Hobbs, who straddled stage and screen, died on Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011, in Santa Monica following a short illness.
In his 50-year showbiz career Hobbs played Captain McLean in the original Rialto version of Teahouse of the August Moon from 1953-56. He also was featured in Billy Budd, Joan of Lorraine as well The Life of Reilly and The Russian People. Frequently portraying authority figures like doctors, lawyers and judges on TV he played Peter Ames in Secret Storm from 1954 to 1962 and had recurring roles on The F.B.I., The Odd Couple, Barney Miller, Knots Landing and Lou Grant.
He also guested on many series such as Perry Mason, The Joey Bishop Show, The Farmer's Daughter, Mister Ed, Donna Reed Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle, Good Morning World, The Big Valley, Bonanza, Marcus Welby, Mannix, Dan August, It Takes a Thief, Doris Day Show, Bridget Loves Bernie, The Mod Squad, The Rockford Files, Barnaby Jones, Starsky & Hutch, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mrs. Columbo, Rhoda, Kojak, Fish, Streets of San Francisco, All in the Family, Happy Days, M*A*S*H, The White Shadow, Remington Steele, The Dukes of Hazzard, Dynasty, Hart to Hart, St. Elsewhere, Gloria, Hill Street Blues, Dallas, One Day at a Time, Incredible Hulk, Little House on the Prairie, Quincy M.E., 9 to 5, Private Benjamin, Riptide, Crazy Like a Fox, Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life, Family Ties, Newhart, Hunter, The Colbys, The Paper Chase, The Bronx Zoo, Day By Day, Who's the Boss?, L.A. Law, Amen, Empty Nest, Princesses and True Colors.
While he probably was never a household name, I'm sure everyone has seen him in something. Especially in TV series from the '60s-80s. He retired from acting in 1992. He will be deeply missed for his character parts. Mr. Hobbs was 92.
Monday, January 17, 2011
2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Marathons; 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards Winners
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday so there are some TV marathons already underway for those of you have the day off. It's not as many marathons as say New Year's or Christmas, but still we have some notable ones. Probably the sitcom pick is TeenNick's That '70s Show marathon that is all-day today until 10pm. Or perhaps Hallmark Channel's The Golden Girls marathon from 6am-11am and again from 3-6pm? TV Land starts its Hot in Cleveland three-night event at 10pm tonight with a block of episodes, as the season premiere is Wednesday at 10. Drama wise, there is a CSI marathon on Spike TV from 9 to 5; an NCIS marathon until 9pm on USA Network and a Walker Texas Ranger 24-hour marathon on Sleuth. VH-1 has a Saturday Night Live, "Best of Marthon" (featuring Christopher Walken; Mike Meyers; Will Ferrell; Will Ferrell Vol. 2) starting at 2pm.
Centric has a Proud Family marathon that started this morning until 8pm tonight. Boomerang has a Scooby-Doo marathon from 12pm to 7pm. Probably the most disgrace of a marathon on this day is MTV's Jersey Shore marathon leading into a new episode on a special night & time at 9pm. And networks like TV One, TMC, History will actually air movies/specials about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Our friends at TVTango.com have a full list of marathons for you!
The 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards were given out last night. Here are the winners for the television portion:
BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
30 Rock (NBC)
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
The Big C (Showtime)
Glee (Fox)
Modern Family (ABC)
Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
WINNER: Glee (Fox)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Toni Collette, United States of Tara (Showtime)
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Tina Fey, 30 Rock (NBC)
Laura Linney, The Big C (Showtime)
Lea Michelle, Glee (Fox)
WINNER: Laura Linney, The Big C (Showtime).
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (NBC)
Steve Carell, The Office (NBC)
Thomas Jane, Hung (HBO)
Matthew Morrison, Glee (Fox)
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
WINNER: Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS).
BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Boardwalk Empire, (HBO)
Dexter (Showtime)
The Good Wife (CBS)
Mad Men (AMC)
The Walking Dead (AMC)
WINNER: Boardwalk Empire, HBO.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men (AMC)
Piper Perabo, Covert Affairs (USA Network)
Katey Sagal, Sons of Anarchy (FX)
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer (TNT)
WINNER: Katey Sagal, Sons of Anarchy (FX).
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Michael C. Hall, Dexter (Showtime)
Jon Hamm, Mad Men (AMC)
Hugh Laurie, House (Fox)
WINNER: Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Hope Davis, The Special Relationship (mini-series) (HBO)
Jane Lynch, Glee (Fox)
Kelly McDonald, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Julia Stiles, Dexter (Showtime)
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family (ABC)
WINNER: Jane Lynch, Glee (Fox)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Scott Caan, Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)
Chris Colfer, Glee (Fox)
Chris Noth, The Good Wife (CBS)
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family (ABC)
David Strathairn, Temple Grandhin (mini-series) (HBO)
WINNER: Chris Colfer, Glee (Fox).
View the FULL list of television winners and to discuss this.
Centric has a Proud Family marathon that started this morning until 8pm tonight. Boomerang has a Scooby-Doo marathon from 12pm to 7pm. Probably the most disgrace of a marathon on this day is MTV's Jersey Shore marathon leading into a new episode on a special night & time at 9pm. And networks like TV One, TMC, History will actually air movies/specials about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Our friends at TVTango.com have a full list of marathons for you!
The 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards were given out last night. Here are the winners for the television portion:
BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
30 Rock (NBC)
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
The Big C (Showtime)
Glee (Fox)
Modern Family (ABC)
Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
WINNER: Glee (Fox)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Toni Collette, United States of Tara (Showtime)
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Tina Fey, 30 Rock (NBC)
Laura Linney, The Big C (Showtime)
Lea Michelle, Glee (Fox)
WINNER: Laura Linney, The Big C (Showtime).
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock (NBC)
Steve Carell, The Office (NBC)
Thomas Jane, Hung (HBO)
Matthew Morrison, Glee (Fox)
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
WINNER: Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS).
BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Boardwalk Empire, (HBO)
Dexter (Showtime)
The Good Wife (CBS)
Mad Men (AMC)
The Walking Dead (AMC)
WINNER: Boardwalk Empire, HBO.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men (AMC)
Piper Perabo, Covert Affairs (USA Network)
Katey Sagal, Sons of Anarchy (FX)
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer (TNT)
WINNER: Katey Sagal, Sons of Anarchy (FX).
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Michael C. Hall, Dexter (Showtime)
Jon Hamm, Mad Men (AMC)
Hugh Laurie, House (Fox)
WINNER: Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Hope Davis, The Special Relationship (mini-series) (HBO)
Jane Lynch, Glee (Fox)
Kelly McDonald, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Julia Stiles, Dexter (Showtime)
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family (ABC)
WINNER: Jane Lynch, Glee (Fox)
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Scott Caan, Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)
Chris Colfer, Glee (Fox)
Chris Noth, The Good Wife (CBS)
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family (ABC)
David Strathairn, Temple Grandhin (mini-series) (HBO)
WINNER: Chris Colfer, Glee (Fox).
View the FULL list of television winners and to discuss this.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Week 17 TV Ratings and Analysis; How the Sitcoms Did
2010-11 Week 17 TV Ratings (first four nights averages, Mon-Thu):
Households: 1. CBS 6.6/10.6 rating/share; 2. ABC 5.1/8.1; 3. NBC 3.1/5.0; 4. Fox 3.1/4.7; 5. The CW 0.8/1.2
Total Viewers: 1. CBS 10.61 million; 2. ABC 8.13 million; 3. NBC 5.03 million; 4. Fox 4.97 million; 5. The CW 1.26 million.
Adults 18-49: 1. ABC 2.6/6.8 rating/share; 2. CBS 2.4/6.3; 3. NBC 1.7/4.7; Fox 1.6/4.1; 5. The CW 0.4/1.2
Week 17 (Jan. 10-16) Analysis: Week 17 will see NFL playoffs determine the winner, like previous week. Last week NBC had the primetime NFL game on Saturday and Fox had an overrun on Sunday, this week it was Fox with a primetime game on Saturday and CBS with an NFL overrun tonight. But for now, through the first four nights CBS has the lead in HH/viewers, with ABC in second. ABC leads the 18-49 race over CBS. NBC is in third everywhere and Fox is back in fourth. Last week, week 16, had CBS edge NFL-driven NBC for first in HH/viewers. CBS was however tied for third in 18-49 with ABC. NBC took home the 18-49 crown thanks to the Saturday NFL playoff game. Fox had a big NFL playoff overrun on Sunday, thus they were second in 18-49 for the week. Fox was third in HH/viewers, while ABC was fourth in HH/viewers but tied for third in 18-49.
Monday saw the broadcast networks take a back seat as ESPN had the College Football Championship game. ABC aired week two of The Bachelor and did 8.46 million and a 2.8 18-49 rating, which is off a tick from previous week's premiere. Surprised it didn't grow week-to-week but a tenth or two could have been lost due to the college football game. At 10pm ABC aired a new Castle and did 9.05 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, down from previous week. Perhaps more affected by the game than its lead-in. CBS was back to repeats with its comedies and Hawaii Five-0. At 8pm, a repeat of How I Met Your Mother started it off with 7.29 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, which is pretty good for a repeat these days. At 8:30, a repeat of Rules of Engagement did 6.63 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, good but usually it holds more from the lead-in. Two and a Half Men followed with a repeat of its own doing 10.27 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, good but lower than usual thanks to the game. At 9:30, Mike & Molly was a repeat too and did 8.59 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, solid but could have been a bit better. A repeat of Hawaii Five-0 at 10pm did 6.63 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, which is somewhat low for a CBS repeat. Fox preempted House for two new episodes of Lie To Me as 8pm did 5.48 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating, while the regular 9pm airing did similar with 5.43 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating. NBC was out of business with a repeat of Chuck doing 3.02 million and a 0.8 18-49 rating, but up a tick with previous week's repeat. From 9-11pm, NBC aired a repeat of The Cape premiere doing 3.57 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating. The question will be will it do better than The Event tomorrow night? The CW was next with a repeat of 90210 doing 880,000 total viewers and a 0.4 18-49 rating, on par from previous week in 18-49. Gossip Girl followed with a repeat registering just 800,00 viewers and a 0.4 18-49 rating, but up a lick from previous week.
Tuesday had CBS win big. CBS started with an all-new episode of NCIS and did a series best 21.93 million and a 4.5 18-49 rating. Unbelievable. NCIS: Los Angeles was next and new and did a great 18.13 million and a 3.7 18-49 rating. At 10pm, The Good Wife aired and did a solid 12.29 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, which still could be better. For ABC, No Ordinary Family was all-new in the 8pm hour doing 5.33 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, down from previous week. I guess NCIS caused that. At 9pm, a new V aired doing 5.77 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, which is off some from previous week. At 10, Detroit 1-8-7 was new too and did 5.05 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating for series lows again, which is a shame since it was probably its best episode yet. Fox had a repeat of Glee do 4.69 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, which was on par with previous week's repeat. Next Raising Hope and Running Wilde were preempted for a new episode of Million Dollar Money Drop again doing 5.12 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, which built from previous week by quite a lot. NBC did decent with The Biggest Loser doing 8.79 million and a 3.2 18-49 rating, basically on par with the season premiere the previous week. Parenthood was next and new doing 5.58 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, down a tad from previous week. The CW was in repeats with One Tree Hill doing 1.02 million and a 0.4 18-49 rating, which was on par with previous week, but Life UneXpected was worse at just 810,000 viewers and a 0.3 18-49 rating, but also on par with previous week.
Wednesday had an interruption in primetime by President Obama from 8:40pm-9:20pm ET that caused some havoc for the networks. In most markets, CBS started the night off with repeats of The Big Bang Theory and Rules of Engagement due to the Presidential Address from 8:40-9:20pm ET. The sitcoms did 5.8 million/1.5 18-49 rating and 5.33 million/1.4 18-49 rating, respectively. Live to Dance aired from 9:20-10:20pm ET doing just 6.71 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, down from previous week. Veteran drama Criminal Minds was preempted but The Defenders was all-new from 10:20-11:20pm ET doing only 6.81 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, for series lows. This was its last Wednesday airing. ABC was all-new with its Laugh On comedy block and had The Middle open the night with series highs of 10.09 million and a 3.0 18-49 rating. Better With You was preempted due to the Presidential Address from 8:40-9:20, but am abbreviated repeat of The Middle aired for 10 minutes doing 8.85 million and a 2.7 18-49 rating, which is awesome for a repeat. ABC aired Modern Family with a new episode from 9:20-9:51pm doing 11.12 million and a 4.2 18-49 rating, down from previous week due to the delayed start in East/Central. Cougar Town was also preempted, but a Modern Family repeat that was joined in progress did solid with 9.26 million and a 3.4 18-49 rating. At 10pm, the premiere of new drama Off the Map aired and did 7.57 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, which is OK but better than what ABC had been doing in this slot. NBC started off with an abbreviated repeat of Minute to Win It at 8pm doing 5.07 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, which was then followed by the Presidential Address. After that a new episode was joined-in-progress from 9:20-10pm, and did 4.85 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating, clearly affected by the address. Law & Order: SVU was next at 10pm and was all-new doing 8.39 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating, which was down from previous week. Fox had to preempt the scheduled two episodes of Human Target for a repeat of Raising Hope doing only 3.0 million and a 0.9 18-49 rating. That was followed by an abbreviated Kitchen Nightmares repeat, which continued after the Presidential Address after 9:20pm. The CW had more repeats, this time with Nikita starting it off at 8pm doing 2.03 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating. Wow, that is good! At 9pm a repeat of Hellcats did 1.44 million and a 0.4 18-49 rating, which was up a bit from previous week.
Thursday had ABC win the night again. ABC opened the night with an all-new Wipeout doing 10.64 million and a 3.7 18-49 rating, down a bit from previous week but still good! Winter wonderland! Then a new Grey's Anatomy was next with 12.15 million and a 4.3 18-49 rating, up a bit from previous week. At 10pm, Private Practice was preempted to give Off the Map some more sampling as the pilot encore did good with 5.87 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating. CBS opened with a repeat of The Big Bang Theory do great with 10.42 million and a 3.0 A18-49 rating. Then a new $#*! My Dad Says followed with 10.14 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, which is a winner this week due to its lead-in being a repeat and performed similar ratings to previous week (when the lead-in was NEW). Next, CSI was a repeat and did 9.71 million and a 2.0 18-49 rating, which is OK. A repeat of The Mentalist did 10.32 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, which is good but old skewing. Fox aired a new Million Dollar Money Drop at 8pm doing 5.64 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, which is up from previous week. A repeat of Bones at 9pm did 4.42 million and 1.3 18-49 rating, a bit higher than previous week. NBC was in repeats as Community did just 2.8 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. Then another episode did 2.44 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating. At 9pm The Office was also a repeat and did 3.28 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, which is down some from previous week. Another episode did 3.63 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, building nicely from lead-in. At 10, NBC went with 30 Rock doing only 2.81 million and a 1.3 18-49. Then another repeat did 2.48 million and 1.1 18-49 rating, typical low repeat ratings. The CW was next with a repeat of Vampire Diaries doing a 1.61 million and a 0.6 18-49 rating, up a bit with previous week... followed by a repeat of Nikita doing 1.5 million and a 0.5 18-49 rating, basically on par with previous week.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available as usual, but Friday had CBS win with their dramas. Saturday had Fox win big with the NFL Divisional Playoffs, but ABC did OK with Miss America.
Tonight ABC's regular Sunday of AFV, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters is all-new from 7-11pm. They will do well but perhaps lower than normal as NBC has the Golden Globes from 8-11. CBS has an NFL playoff overrun through 8pm leading into a new 60 Minutes at a special time of 8pm, followed by new episodes of Undercover Boss & CSI: Miami. Fox has new episodes of animation from 7:30-10pm, which includes the new timeslot for American Dad! at 7:30pm. CBS will win the night likely thanks to the NFL playoff overrun. NBC could be second in 18-49.
As for the week (week 17), with the NFL playoff game last night, Fox could challenge to win the week over CBS. I think CBS could still prevail in total viewers, though. It will be close. ABC and NBC will probably battle for third as NBC will get a Golden Globe boost. And for the coming week (week 18), has the return of you know what, American Idol.
Week 17 How the Sitcoms Did
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week 16 -- Jan. 3-9)
- The Simpsons (Fox) - A new episode at 8pm did 12.55 million and a huge 5.7 18-49 rating thanks to a HUGE direct NFL playoff overrun lead-in. Great numbers, but this is not normal for the show.
- Bob's Burgers (Fox) - The series premiered at 8:30pm and did 9.38 million and a 4.5 18-49 rating, which is great, but not telling what it will do since it had an NFL inflated lead-in. If it can hold most of the lead-in tonight, it should be OK.
- Family Guy (Fox) - A new episode at 9pm did 9.33 million and a 4.7 18-49 rating, which is solid and built from the lead-in, but that is because of the heavy DVR this show has. In live ratings the series dropped a tick from the lead-in.
- American Dad (Fox) - preempted
- The Cleveland Show (Fox) - The series now airs at 9:30pm and it did a solid 7.39 million and a 3.6 18-49 rating, not suffering from sophomore blues that it has had all season.
Monday Sitcoms
- How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A repeat did 7.29 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, which is solid.
- Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 6.63 million for a repeat and a 2.0 18-49 rating is good but usually the retention is better.
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 10.27 million for a repeat is excellent but its 2.4 18-49 rating is not a stand-out as that was lower than normal repeat ratings it does.
- Mike & Molly (CBS) - 8.59 million for a repeat and a 18-49 rating of 2.0, seems normal but could be better.
Tuesday Sitcoms
- Raising Hope (Fox) - preempted.
- Running Wilde (Fox) - preempted.
- The Middle (ABC) 2 episodes - A new episode of this sitcom did series best 10.09 million and a 3.0 18-49 rating, amazing. An abbreviated repeat from 8:30-8:40pm ET followed with 8.85 million and a 2.7 18-49 rating. That is still good.
- Better with You (ABC) - preempted.
- Modern Family (ABC) 2 episodes - A new episode from 9:20-9:51pm ET did 11.12 million and a 4.2 18-49 rating, it could have been better had it aired in its normal time. A repeat was joined-in-progress from 9:51-10pm and did very good with 9.26 million and a 3.4 18-49 rating.
- Cougar Town (ABC) - preempted.
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - This was scheduled due to the Presidential Address and did 5.8 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating. Nothing really to make of this.
- Rules of Engagement (CBS) - Same as above, doing 5.33 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating.
- Raising Hope (Fox) - Just like the previous two entries, did 3.0 million and only a 0.9 18-49 rating. It was just filler.
Thursday Sitcoms
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A repeat did 10.42 million and a 3.0 18-49 rating, which is great.
- S#*! My Dad Says (CBS) - A new showing did 10.14 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, on par with previous week even though its lead-in was a repeat. Good job.
- Community (NBC) 2 episodes - A repeat only mustered 2.8 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. A second repeat at 8:30 did 2.44 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating.
- 30 Rock (NBC) 2 episodes - Two repeats aired in the 10pm hour, with the first doing 2.81 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating and the second doing 2.48 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating. Not good.
- The Office (NBC) 2 episodes - A repeat of this show at 9pm did 3.28 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, off some from previous week. Then a repeat at 9:30pm did just 3.63 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, nice build from the lead-in at least.
- Outsourced (NBC) - preempted.
Friday Sitcoms
- None.
Saturday Sitcoms
- None.
Airing tonight (Sunday) are Fox's animated comedies from 7:30-10 with new episodes.
Summing it up. Modern Family, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, $#*! My Dad Says, The Middle were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as Rules of Engagement, Mike & Molly) or just plain old terrible (such as repeats of 30 Rock, Community).
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Digital Digest: Stingray - The Complete Series DVD Review; Simon & Simon - The Best of Season Two DVD Review
Snow, snow, everywhere snow, but always a lot to watch! It's a three-day weekend and some of you are a little snowed in or just freezing cold, so we'll get your weekend off to a good start with this week's edition of Digital Digest! We've got your news, a preview of what is coming up on Tuesday, and reviews of Stingray - The Complete Series and Simon & Simon - The Best of Season Two this week. We'll get on our way right now!
DIGITAL NEWS
Who's on first? No, I'm not trying to do my best imitation of Dustin Hoffman in the classic film Rain Man, but in that film, Hoffman was definitely doing his best imitation of one of the first "classic duos," Abbott and Costello. E1 Entertainment released The Abbott and Costello Show - The Complete Collector's Edition (see our review) about a year ago, but if you didn't want all of it in one big chunk, The Abbott and Costello Show - Who's On First?, a value-priced collection of six episodes, is coming on February 1. It comes at a $9.98 MSRP.
It's fresh off the press--The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is finally coming to completion on DVD! Just this week, Warner announced the release of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - The Complete Sixth Season on DVD! The final season, containing 23 episodes, comes to DVD on April 23 at a $29.98 MSRP. You can get it at an even better price, of course, if you pre-order it now at Amazon.com. This is yet another example of a series that seemed to be abandoned on DVD finally being completed, and hopefully we'll be seeing other series in this same boat coming to completion soon.
However, if you like series that appear to be abandoned being finished on DVD, sometimes you only have to wait until the next paragraph. Yet another series is coming to completion on DVD on April 12! On April 12, we'll see Dragnet 1970 - Season 4, which is the final season of what is arguably the most popular incarnation of the classic detective procedural drama. At a $34.93 MSRP (we really don't know where these bizarrely numbered prices come from), the set will contain all 26 episodes of the final season on a four disc set. No special features are known just yet, though the previous two releases from Shout! Factory did indeed include a handful of them. The DVD set is available for pre-order on Amazon.com.
Shout! Factory released The Larry Sanders Show - The Complete Series a few months ago, but for those who just want the third season of the series (the first two have already been released individually), The Larry Sanders Show - The Complete Third Season is on the horizon. It is set for release on April 26 at a $34.93 MSRP.
We've seen Car 54, Where Are You? - The Complete First Season go from the rumor mill to an actual announcement here in Digital Digest, but the most recent announcement is that the set will be delayed, but it is still indeed on the way. The premiere season will now be released on April 12 due to the studio needing some extra time to produce the set. The set is still not available to pre-order, but it looks like it is shaping up to be an excellent set when it is released.
Finally, we head to the rumor mill, courtesy of this tidbit. CBS Home Entertainment announced some time ago that the eleventh season of the classic series Hawaii Five-O will be coming sometime within 2011, and there is now a rumored (although this is an "in-the-know" rumor) release date of April 19. It is entirely possible that this date could be off by a bit, but as of now, this is the release date for the set.
DIGITAL BARGAINS
When we are aware of a good deal, we always like to pass it on to you, and this weekend, you don't even have to leave your home for it! Amazon.com has a sale going on many Sony DVD sets, promising to save "up to 61%" on many DVD sets, meaning that you can get some Sony DVD releases starting at under $8 a season! You can click here to see what is on sale, but act quickly, because the sale ends on Monday (January 17).
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (January 18) has a ton of releases from Mill Creek Home Entertainment, including 21 Jump Street - The Complete Fourth Season, My Two Dads - You Can Count on Me!, Simon & Simon - The Best of Season Two, Stingray - The Complete Series, and thirtysomething - Season 1, Volume 1. None of this is new to DVD (they are all best-of releases of previously released season sets, re-releases of out-of-print items, or, in the case of Stingray, an American release of something already released in Canada), but all come at a much lower price than their previously released counterparts. We have reviews of Stingray and Simon & Simon today in Digital Digest, and we should have a review of My Two Dads very soon.
As for releases from other studios, the battle between brothers Bobby and J.R. comes to an end (at least the original fourteen years of it) with Dallas - The Complete Final Season. You can read our review of this set here. Finally, Shout! Factory moves ahead with the series California Dreams, with California Dreams - Season 4, which is a Shout! Select title.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
At the height of the detective action dramas of the 1980s (which was undoubtedly strongly influenced by Stephen J. Cannell), many series came and went, but not all of them left as strong of a legacy as others. And yet, some were groundbreaking and entertaining, and even well-received by fans. One of these is the Stephen J. Cannell series Stingray, which ran for two seasons in the mid-80s on NBC. Ray--last name unknown--is a mysterious fellow. His identity is unknown, his occupation is unknown, and his motives are unknown. The only thing for certain is that he drives a vintage Corvette Stingray, will be there when he is needed most, and expects those accepting favors from him to return the favor by helping him out on a future journey (and they actually do come back in later episodes). Now, Mill Creek is releasing all 25 episodes of the series in Stingray - The Complete Series.
DVD Review - Stingray - The Complete Series
by skees53
Stingray - The Complete Series (Mill Creek, $14.98) is the story of a man of mystery. Ray drives a Corvette Stingray and will help fight crime in a time of need, but nobody knows exactly who he is or why he does what he does. Ray has the skills of MacGyver combined with the crime-fighting abilities of Crockett and Tubbs, has the ability to get himself in to tough situations and make it out, and all the while, he manages to do it with no traceable identity. The series, starring Nick Mancuso, ran from 1986 to 1987 on NBC.
The series begins with the two-part "Pilot" episode, where Mexican drug lord Tony Mendoza (played by a somewhat unrecognizable Gregory Sierra) has returned to the United States and seeks to get revenge on a prosecutor in a unique way, by reducing his mental capacity to that of a child. Now, it's up to Ray to find out who is engaging in this practice and put a stop to it. Ray has to go undercover with a fake Mexican wife to find an illegal drug harvesting operation in "Ancient Eyes." Mark-Paul Gosselaar has a minor role in "Below the Line," where a woman seeks her missing husband, an underwater diver. A police captain is framed for murder in "Sometimes You Gotta Sing the Blues," and Ray must help. In "Abnormal Psych," a college psychology professor is training killers, and Ray's undercover activities may put him in their trap. Ray goes undercover at a psychiatric facility in "Orange Blossom" and uncovers a bizarre plot by Russians to use patients to steal America's brightest minds. A smallpox scare is about to be unleashed in "Less Than the Eye Can See," and Ray has to stop it.
Marcia Strassman guest stars in "Gemini," where a murder is hitting every place in town, and his identity is a perfect match for Ray. Incompetent thieves mess with the wrong person in "Bring Me the Hand That Hit Me." Shannon Tweed guest stars in "Autumn," where a fantasy case becomes a real nightmare for Ray. Doug Savant guest stars in "Night Maneuvers," where a military academy student claims that he saw a fellow cadet commit murder. Jeff Conaway plays a drugged-up TV star in "Cry Wolf." John Amos guest stars in "Blood Money," where a principal of an urban high school is convinced that a full-fledged gang war is about to erupt--and calls upon Ray to help. Kareem-Abdul Jabbar also guest stars. Ray takes on the Russians once again in "Caper."
The episodes are unedited to an extent, but there are some issues with somewhat low running times on a few episodes and some music replacement. At first, it appeared that music was intact, but a little bit of it is changed. Of course, it is important to note that most of the music used in the series was created specifically for the series, and that music remains intact--meaning that most episodes do not suffer from any out of place music. Even in the cases where music WAS replaced, it seems that a better job was done with the replacement on this set than other Cannell series on DVD (such as Hunter). It is interesting to note that the Canadian release from VEI had a small number of songs intact that were not intact on this release, although other songs were replaced on the Canadian release. In any event, and I am almost hesitant to say this (because we all prefer to have original music intact), the music replacements in this series are not really a problem, and everything that is replaced is seamlessly replaced.
Disc 1:
1. "Pilot, Part 1" (47:03)
2. "Pilot, Part 2" (48:40)
3. "Ancient Eyes" (50:10)
4. "Ether" (49:35)
5. "Below the Line" (46:09)
Disc 2:
6. "Sometimes You Gotta Sing the Blues" (48:43)
7. "Abnormal Psych" (46:43)
8. "Orange Blossom" (49:24)
9. "Less Than The Eye Can See" (48:21)
10. "That Terrible Swift Sword" (47:39)
Disc 3:
11. "The Greeter" (49:06)
12. "Gemini" (48:06)
13. "Playback" (45:24)
14. "Bring Me the Hand That Hit Me" (48:19)
15. "Echoes" (46:58)
Disc 4:
16. "The First Time is Forever" (47:49)
17. "Autumn" (48:37)
18. "The Neniwa" (46:52)
19. "The Second Finest Man Who Ever Lived" (48:37)
20. "Night Maneuvers" (48:14)
Disc 5:
21. "Cry Wolf" (48:35)
22. "Blood Money" (48:00)
23. "Anytime, Anywhere" (47:47)
24. "Caper" (48:21)
25. "One Way Ticket to the End of the Line" (48:48)
This is a Mill Creek set, so it should come as no surprise what type of packaging we have: black paper sleeves inside of a double-thickness plastic case. This is really getting annoying. The cover art has a photo of Ray in front of his car and the series logo, and the back has a few publicity photos and some info about the series. The discs all contain five episodes each, and each disc has the series logo and a listing of episodes on the disc printed on the disc.
The menus on the set, like most other Mill Creek sets, are excellent. The main menu has video from the opening credits playing, along with an option for Play All and Episode Select. When you go to the Episode Select menu, you get a list of all of the episodes on the disc, while the theme song continues to play in the background. The menus are all animated throughout. There are plenty of chapters placed throughout the episodes at all of the appropriate places.
This series is one of the few Cannell series that I have seen that actually looks fine on DVD. The source is a little aged and not remastered, but generally speaking, there aren't any real issues of concern here. The audio isn't very complex, but it is definitely loud and clear, and doesn't really suffer any problems. Unfortunately, the set is lacking in regards to subtitles/closed-captioning.
There are no special features on this set. It would have been nice to have seen something on it, such as an interview with Mike Post. His role in the music on this series was very significant, as the series used a lot of music that he wrote just for the series. Perhaps some kind of history about the Stingray itself would be nice as well.
Overall, I'm satisfied with this set, and it has helped me discover a series that I can now say that I love. In fact, I think that this is one of the best Cannell series out there, and this is only my first time seeing the series. Anybody who is a fan of his work should pick up this set. There really is nothing to lose with the low MSRP. I am also happy to see that the quality of this set doesn't really cause much concern, as many other Cannell series from this era have had. Ray may have an unknown identity and occupation, but one thing is known: you should check this series out.
(4/5 stars)
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BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Rick and A.J. are the Simon brothers, but they don't really have a whole lot in common. Still, they make a great detective team in the classic 80s detective drama, Simon & Simon. Despite being opposites in almost every, they work well together and manage to get to the bottom of every single case that is handed to them. Shout! Factory previously released Simon & Simon - Season 2 in 2009, but for those who just want a little taste of the second season, check out our review of Mill Creek's value-priced selection of Simon & Simon - The Best of Season Two.
DVD Review - Simon & Simon - The Best of Season Two
by skees53
Simon & Simon - The Best of Season Two (Mill Creek, $9.98) is a collection of ten of the best episodes of the classic detective drama about brothers who are "more than brothers, they're best of friends" in a two disc set. Rick (Gerald McRaney) and AJ (Jameson Parker) may be polar opposites, but they get along together very well and make a living by finding missing persons, hunting down stolen loot, and doing whatever else is necessary to help those in need.
Rick and AJ get involved when a psychic sees murder in the future in "Guessing Game." Pat Buttram, Jackie Joseph, and Alan Hale all guest star in "Rough Rider Rides Again," where Rick and AJ help a childhood hero when he is accused of murder. In "Sometimes Dreams Come True," a dream of twin sisters disappearing comes true, and it is up to the Simon brothers to help. Rick and AJ's mother has a friend who insists she saw her dead husband alive in "The Last Time I Saw Michael." An ex-girlfriend of Rick asks her to look in to the disappearance of her husband (who subsequently turns up dead) in "Thin Air."
Lloyd Haynes guest stars in "Psyched Out," where an investigation puts Rick and AJ in a college psychological experiment. Rick and AJ may be in trouble with the state licensing board in the two hour episode "Pirate's Key." Rick and AJ are assigned to deliver a video game to Las Vegas in "It's Only a Game," which turns out to be a much bigger assignment that is more suited for them than it sounds. Finally, in "What's in a Gnome?," the Simon brothers investigate a case of amusement park vandalism.
The episodes appear to be unedited versions, just the same as they were on the Shout! Factory release. Runtimes for the episodes are as follows:
Disc 1:
"Guessing Game" (49:08)
"Rough Rider Rides Again" (49:17)
"Sometimes Dreams Come True" (49:13)
"The Last Time I Saw Michael" (49:13)
"Thin Air" (49:12)
Disc 2:
"Psyched Out" (49:12)
"Pirate's Key" (1:27:05)
"It's Only a Game" (49:13)
"What's in a Gnome?" (49:13)
The packaging on this set is actually a little bit different from other releases from Mill Creek. It still has the double-thick keepcase for the packaging, but there is one thing that it doesn't have (and this is going to make people happy): the black paper sleeves! There are actually two hubs inside on each side of the case to hold the discs. The cover art has a photo of Rick and AJ, and the back has a few snapshots from the episodes, along with a list of the episodes included on the set. The disc artwork is the same as the cover art, but also contains a list of the episodes on each disc. Each disc contains five episodes
The set contains very basic menus, with the main menu containing the series logo and a snapshot of Rick and AJ, with options of Play All and Episodes. The theme song plays in the background. Upon selecting Episodes, you get a listing of all of the episodes on the disc. There are chapters placed within the episodes, but there are only about two, which aren't nearly enough. One complaint that I have about this set is that when one episode ends, the next one begins playing right away. It seems that Mill Creek does this on a lot of their "best of" sets, and I can't understand why.
The video and audio quality on the set is on par with all of the previous releases, meaning that it is good enough, but not excellent. Still, I don't think many people will complain about it too much, as it looks about like any other action drama of the same era does on DVD when not much work is put into remastering. The audio is a little dull, and you may need to turn up the TV a bit to hear it clearly. The episodes are not closed-captioned, nor are they subtitled.
The set contains no special features, which is not unexpected, as this is only a best-of release. Still, it would be nice to see some special features on future season sets from Shout! Factory, which have been (for the most part) lacking in that area.
If you've never seen the series, this set will give you a good taste for it to see if you like it. The second season was where the series began to take on an identity, and these really are among the best of that season. I only recently discovered this series, but it is a nice and fun light-hearted detective drama somewhat in the same vein as Moonlighting. At under $10, it is certainly worth taking a gamble on. But if you're a fan of the series, and just want to own it on DVD, you should probably just pay a little more and go with Shout! Factory's Simon & Simon - Season 2, which contains all of season 2.
(4/5 stars)
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LOOKING AHEAD
Next week, we've got a review of Matlock - The Sixth Season and more in store for you. We hope to bring you some special articles in the upcoming weeks, although we've been getting DVDs for Digital Digest reviews in at such a steady pace that we've been unable to really get in to those articles. But stick with us, we've got some in the pipelines! Until next time, keep it digital!
DIGITAL NEWS
Who's on first? No, I'm not trying to do my best imitation of Dustin Hoffman in the classic film Rain Man, but in that film, Hoffman was definitely doing his best imitation of one of the first "classic duos," Abbott and Costello. E1 Entertainment released The Abbott and Costello Show - The Complete Collector's Edition (see our review) about a year ago, but if you didn't want all of it in one big chunk, The Abbott and Costello Show - Who's On First?, a value-priced collection of six episodes, is coming on February 1. It comes at a $9.98 MSRP.
It's fresh off the press--The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is finally coming to completion on DVD! Just this week, Warner announced the release of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air - The Complete Sixth Season on DVD! The final season, containing 23 episodes, comes to DVD on April 23 at a $29.98 MSRP. You can get it at an even better price, of course, if you pre-order it now at Amazon.com. This is yet another example of a series that seemed to be abandoned on DVD finally being completed, and hopefully we'll be seeing other series in this same boat coming to completion soon.
However, if you like series that appear to be abandoned being finished on DVD, sometimes you only have to wait until the next paragraph. Yet another series is coming to completion on DVD on April 12! On April 12, we'll see Dragnet 1970 - Season 4, which is the final season of what is arguably the most popular incarnation of the classic detective procedural drama. At a $34.93 MSRP (we really don't know where these bizarrely numbered prices come from), the set will contain all 26 episodes of the final season on a four disc set. No special features are known just yet, though the previous two releases from Shout! Factory did indeed include a handful of them. The DVD set is available for pre-order on Amazon.com.
Shout! Factory released The Larry Sanders Show - The Complete Series a few months ago, but for those who just want the third season of the series (the first two have already been released individually), The Larry Sanders Show - The Complete Third Season is on the horizon. It is set for release on April 26 at a $34.93 MSRP.
We've seen Car 54, Where Are You? - The Complete First Season go from the rumor mill to an actual announcement here in Digital Digest, but the most recent announcement is that the set will be delayed, but it is still indeed on the way. The premiere season will now be released on April 12 due to the studio needing some extra time to produce the set. The set is still not available to pre-order, but it looks like it is shaping up to be an excellent set when it is released.
Finally, we head to the rumor mill, courtesy of this tidbit. CBS Home Entertainment announced some time ago that the eleventh season of the classic series Hawaii Five-O will be coming sometime within 2011, and there is now a rumored (although this is an "in-the-know" rumor) release date of April 19. It is entirely possible that this date could be off by a bit, but as of now, this is the release date for the set.
DIGITAL BARGAINS
When we are aware of a good deal, we always like to pass it on to you, and this weekend, you don't even have to leave your home for it! Amazon.com has a sale going on many Sony DVD sets, promising to save "up to 61%" on many DVD sets, meaning that you can get some Sony DVD releases starting at under $8 a season! You can click here to see what is on sale, but act quickly, because the sale ends on Monday (January 17).
UPCOMING WEEK PREVIEW
Tuesday (January 18) has a ton of releases from Mill Creek Home Entertainment, including 21 Jump Street - The Complete Fourth Season, My Two Dads - You Can Count on Me!, Simon & Simon - The Best of Season Two, Stingray - The Complete Series, and thirtysomething - Season 1, Volume 1. None of this is new to DVD (they are all best-of releases of previously released season sets, re-releases of out-of-print items, or, in the case of Stingray, an American release of something already released in Canada), but all come at a much lower price than their previously released counterparts. We have reviews of Stingray and Simon & Simon today in Digital Digest, and we should have a review of My Two Dads very soon.
As for releases from other studios, the battle between brothers Bobby and J.R. comes to an end (at least the original fourteen years of it) with Dallas - The Complete Final Season. You can read our review of this set here. Finally, Shout! Factory moves ahead with the series California Dreams, with California Dreams - Season 4, which is a Shout! Select title.
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
At the height of the detective action dramas of the 1980s (which was undoubtedly strongly influenced by Stephen J. Cannell), many series came and went, but not all of them left as strong of a legacy as others. And yet, some were groundbreaking and entertaining, and even well-received by fans. One of these is the Stephen J. Cannell series Stingray, which ran for two seasons in the mid-80s on NBC. Ray--last name unknown--is a mysterious fellow. His identity is unknown, his occupation is unknown, and his motives are unknown. The only thing for certain is that he drives a vintage Corvette Stingray, will be there when he is needed most, and expects those accepting favors from him to return the favor by helping him out on a future journey (and they actually do come back in later episodes). Now, Mill Creek is releasing all 25 episodes of the series in Stingray - The Complete Series.
DVD Review - Stingray - The Complete Series
by skees53
Stingray - The Complete Series (Mill Creek, $14.98) is the story of a man of mystery. Ray drives a Corvette Stingray and will help fight crime in a time of need, but nobody knows exactly who he is or why he does what he does. Ray has the skills of MacGyver combined with the crime-fighting abilities of Crockett and Tubbs, has the ability to get himself in to tough situations and make it out, and all the while, he manages to do it with no traceable identity. The series, starring Nick Mancuso, ran from 1986 to 1987 on NBC.
The series begins with the two-part "Pilot" episode, where Mexican drug lord Tony Mendoza (played by a somewhat unrecognizable Gregory Sierra) has returned to the United States and seeks to get revenge on a prosecutor in a unique way, by reducing his mental capacity to that of a child. Now, it's up to Ray to find out who is engaging in this practice and put a stop to it. Ray has to go undercover with a fake Mexican wife to find an illegal drug harvesting operation in "Ancient Eyes." Mark-Paul Gosselaar has a minor role in "Below the Line," where a woman seeks her missing husband, an underwater diver. A police captain is framed for murder in "Sometimes You Gotta Sing the Blues," and Ray must help. In "Abnormal Psych," a college psychology professor is training killers, and Ray's undercover activities may put him in their trap. Ray goes undercover at a psychiatric facility in "Orange Blossom" and uncovers a bizarre plot by Russians to use patients to steal America's brightest minds. A smallpox scare is about to be unleashed in "Less Than the Eye Can See," and Ray has to stop it.
Marcia Strassman guest stars in "Gemini," where a murder is hitting every place in town, and his identity is a perfect match for Ray. Incompetent thieves mess with the wrong person in "Bring Me the Hand That Hit Me." Shannon Tweed guest stars in "Autumn," where a fantasy case becomes a real nightmare for Ray. Doug Savant guest stars in "Night Maneuvers," where a military academy student claims that he saw a fellow cadet commit murder. Jeff Conaway plays a drugged-up TV star in "Cry Wolf." John Amos guest stars in "Blood Money," where a principal of an urban high school is convinced that a full-fledged gang war is about to erupt--and calls upon Ray to help. Kareem-Abdul Jabbar also guest stars. Ray takes on the Russians once again in "Caper."
The episodes are unedited to an extent, but there are some issues with somewhat low running times on a few episodes and some music replacement. At first, it appeared that music was intact, but a little bit of it is changed. Of course, it is important to note that most of the music used in the series was created specifically for the series, and that music remains intact--meaning that most episodes do not suffer from any out of place music. Even in the cases where music WAS replaced, it seems that a better job was done with the replacement on this set than other Cannell series on DVD (such as Hunter). It is interesting to note that the Canadian release from VEI had a small number of songs intact that were not intact on this release, although other songs were replaced on the Canadian release. In any event, and I am almost hesitant to say this (because we all prefer to have original music intact), the music replacements in this series are not really a problem, and everything that is replaced is seamlessly replaced.
Disc 1:
1. "Pilot, Part 1" (47:03)
2. "Pilot, Part 2" (48:40)
3. "Ancient Eyes" (50:10)
4. "Ether" (49:35)
5. "Below the Line" (46:09)
Disc 2:
6. "Sometimes You Gotta Sing the Blues" (48:43)
7. "Abnormal Psych" (46:43)
8. "Orange Blossom" (49:24)
9. "Less Than The Eye Can See" (48:21)
10. "That Terrible Swift Sword" (47:39)
Disc 3:
11. "The Greeter" (49:06)
12. "Gemini" (48:06)
13. "Playback" (45:24)
14. "Bring Me the Hand That Hit Me" (48:19)
15. "Echoes" (46:58)
Disc 4:
16. "The First Time is Forever" (47:49)
17. "Autumn" (48:37)
18. "The Neniwa" (46:52)
19. "The Second Finest Man Who Ever Lived" (48:37)
20. "Night Maneuvers" (48:14)
Disc 5:
21. "Cry Wolf" (48:35)
22. "Blood Money" (48:00)
23. "Anytime, Anywhere" (47:47)
24. "Caper" (48:21)
25. "One Way Ticket to the End of the Line" (48:48)
This is a Mill Creek set, so it should come as no surprise what type of packaging we have: black paper sleeves inside of a double-thickness plastic case. This is really getting annoying. The cover art has a photo of Ray in front of his car and the series logo, and the back has a few publicity photos and some info about the series. The discs all contain five episodes each, and each disc has the series logo and a listing of episodes on the disc printed on the disc.
The menus on the set, like most other Mill Creek sets, are excellent. The main menu has video from the opening credits playing, along with an option for Play All and Episode Select. When you go to the Episode Select menu, you get a list of all of the episodes on the disc, while the theme song continues to play in the background. The menus are all animated throughout. There are plenty of chapters placed throughout the episodes at all of the appropriate places.
This series is one of the few Cannell series that I have seen that actually looks fine on DVD. The source is a little aged and not remastered, but generally speaking, there aren't any real issues of concern here. The audio isn't very complex, but it is definitely loud and clear, and doesn't really suffer any problems. Unfortunately, the set is lacking in regards to subtitles/closed-captioning.
There are no special features on this set. It would have been nice to have seen something on it, such as an interview with Mike Post. His role in the music on this series was very significant, as the series used a lot of music that he wrote just for the series. Perhaps some kind of history about the Stingray itself would be nice as well.
Overall, I'm satisfied with this set, and it has helped me discover a series that I can now say that I love. In fact, I think that this is one of the best Cannell series out there, and this is only my first time seeing the series. Anybody who is a fan of his work should pick up this set. There really is nothing to lose with the low MSRP. I am also happy to see that the quality of this set doesn't really cause much concern, as many other Cannell series from this era have had. Ray may have an unknown identity and occupation, but one thing is known: you should check this series out.
(4/5 stars)To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Stingray on TV.com
BLOG FEATURE REVIEW
Rick and A.J. are the Simon brothers, but they don't really have a whole lot in common. Still, they make a great detective team in the classic 80s detective drama, Simon & Simon. Despite being opposites in almost every, they work well together and manage to get to the bottom of every single case that is handed to them. Shout! Factory previously released Simon & Simon - Season 2 in 2009, but for those who just want a little taste of the second season, check out our review of Mill Creek's value-priced selection of Simon & Simon - The Best of Season Two.
DVD Review - Simon & Simon - The Best of Season Two
by skees53
Simon & Simon - The Best of Season Two (Mill Creek, $9.98) is a collection of ten of the best episodes of the classic detective drama about brothers who are "more than brothers, they're best of friends" in a two disc set. Rick (Gerald McRaney) and AJ (Jameson Parker) may be polar opposites, but they get along together very well and make a living by finding missing persons, hunting down stolen loot, and doing whatever else is necessary to help those in need.
Rick and AJ get involved when a psychic sees murder in the future in "Guessing Game." Pat Buttram, Jackie Joseph, and Alan Hale all guest star in "Rough Rider Rides Again," where Rick and AJ help a childhood hero when he is accused of murder. In "Sometimes Dreams Come True," a dream of twin sisters disappearing comes true, and it is up to the Simon brothers to help. Rick and AJ's mother has a friend who insists she saw her dead husband alive in "The Last Time I Saw Michael." An ex-girlfriend of Rick asks her to look in to the disappearance of her husband (who subsequently turns up dead) in "Thin Air."
Lloyd Haynes guest stars in "Psyched Out," where an investigation puts Rick and AJ in a college psychological experiment. Rick and AJ may be in trouble with the state licensing board in the two hour episode "Pirate's Key." Rick and AJ are assigned to deliver a video game to Las Vegas in "It's Only a Game," which turns out to be a much bigger assignment that is more suited for them than it sounds. Finally, in "What's in a Gnome?," the Simon brothers investigate a case of amusement park vandalism.
The episodes appear to be unedited versions, just the same as they were on the Shout! Factory release. Runtimes for the episodes are as follows:
Disc 1:
"Guessing Game" (49:08)
"Rough Rider Rides Again" (49:17)
"Sometimes Dreams Come True" (49:13)
"The Last Time I Saw Michael" (49:13)
"Thin Air" (49:12)
Disc 2:
"Psyched Out" (49:12)
"Pirate's Key" (1:27:05)
"It's Only a Game" (49:13)
"What's in a Gnome?" (49:13)
The packaging on this set is actually a little bit different from other releases from Mill Creek. It still has the double-thick keepcase for the packaging, but there is one thing that it doesn't have (and this is going to make people happy): the black paper sleeves! There are actually two hubs inside on each side of the case to hold the discs. The cover art has a photo of Rick and AJ, and the back has a few snapshots from the episodes, along with a list of the episodes included on the set. The disc artwork is the same as the cover art, but also contains a list of the episodes on each disc. Each disc contains five episodes
The set contains very basic menus, with the main menu containing the series logo and a snapshot of Rick and AJ, with options of Play All and Episodes. The theme song plays in the background. Upon selecting Episodes, you get a listing of all of the episodes on the disc. There are chapters placed within the episodes, but there are only about two, which aren't nearly enough. One complaint that I have about this set is that when one episode ends, the next one begins playing right away. It seems that Mill Creek does this on a lot of their "best of" sets, and I can't understand why.
The video and audio quality on the set is on par with all of the previous releases, meaning that it is good enough, but not excellent. Still, I don't think many people will complain about it too much, as it looks about like any other action drama of the same era does on DVD when not much work is put into remastering. The audio is a little dull, and you may need to turn up the TV a bit to hear it clearly. The episodes are not closed-captioned, nor are they subtitled.
The set contains no special features, which is not unexpected, as this is only a best-of release. Still, it would be nice to see some special features on future season sets from Shout! Factory, which have been (for the most part) lacking in that area.
If you've never seen the series, this set will give you a good taste for it to see if you like it. The second season was where the series began to take on an identity, and these really are among the best of that season. I only recently discovered this series, but it is a nice and fun light-hearted detective drama somewhat in the same vein as Moonlighting. At under $10, it is certainly worth taking a gamble on. But if you're a fan of the series, and just want to own it on DVD, you should probably just pay a little more and go with Shout! Factory's Simon & Simon - Season 2, which contains all of season 2.
(4/5 stars)To purchase this DVD, click below and help support SitcomsOnline.com:
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Related links:
SitcomsOnline.com DVD Reviews Page
Simon & Simon on TV.com
LOOKING AHEAD
Next week, we've got a review of Matlock - The Sixth Season and more in store for you. We hope to bring you some special articles in the upcoming weeks, although we've been getting DVDs for Digital Digest reviews in at such a steady pace that we've been unable to really get in to those articles. But stick with us, we've got some in the pipelines! Until next time, keep it digital!
Friday, January 14, 2011
TCA Winter 2011 Press Tour: CBS and The CW; Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of January 17, 2011)
We are on the final day of the TCA Winter 2011 press tour. CBS Entertainment is up today. That means CBS, The CW and Showtime. First up was an executive session with CBS with Nina Tassler. We didn't really learn anything new, though. Among the items were that Canadian drama Flashpoint still has 6 episodes to air, but will air in the summer. She mentioned the Charlie Sheen situation, with positive comments about him even. Tassler also gave her input on The Big Bang Theory vs. American Idol beginning next week. And finally, decisions on freshman series such as The Defenders and $#*! My Dad Says won't be made until May. Nothing new there.
Then there were panels with casts and producers of upcoming drama Chaos (premieres Friday, April 1 at 8), upcoming sitcom Mad Love (premieres Monday, Feb. 21 at 8:30), and Tuesday drama The Good Wife (Tuesdays at 10). After that it was time for some lunch before Showtime and The CW took the rest of the day. Showtime had an executive session immediately after lunch. Then they had five panels with the casts and producers of The Borgias, Shameless, Break, Californication and Episodes. The CW will end the day with a panel with upcoming reality series Shedding for the Wedding (premieres Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 9) with host Sara Rue and then a panel with the "Kick-Ass Women of The CW." Then immediately following that will be an all-star "kick-ass" cocktail reception.
It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars (but we won't cover movie stars like Tom Hanks or John Travolta, since they won't be talking about their past sitcoms likely), so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of Jan. 17-21, 2010, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Then there were panels with casts and producers of upcoming drama Chaos (premieres Friday, April 1 at 8), upcoming sitcom Mad Love (premieres Monday, Feb. 21 at 8:30), and Tuesday drama The Good Wife (Tuesdays at 10). After that it was time for some lunch before Showtime and The CW took the rest of the day. Showtime had an executive session immediately after lunch. Then they had five panels with the casts and producers of The Borgias, Shameless, Break, Californication and Episodes. The CW will end the day with a panel with upcoming reality series Shedding for the Wedding (premieres Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 9) with host Sara Rue and then a panel with the "Kick-Ass Women of The CW." Then immediately following that will be an all-star "kick-ass" cocktail reception.
It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars (but we won't cover movie stars like Tom Hanks or John Travolta, since they won't be talking about their past sitcoms likely), so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of Jan. 17-21, 2010, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! So get your DVR's (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!
Monday, January 17, 2011
- Matt LeBlanc (Friends/Joey/Episodes) - Watch Matt on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 1:07am on ABC.
- Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation/The Office) - Catch Rashida on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:37am on CBS.
- David Duchovny (Californication) - Watch David on LIVE! with Regis & Kelly, so check your listings.
- Steve Harvey (The Steve Harvey Show) - Catch Steve on The Mo'Nique Show on BET at 11pm.
- Betty White (The Golden Girls/Hot in Cleveland/Mary Tyler Moore Show) - It will be a busy day for Betty. Catch her on ABC's Good Morning America between 7-9am and then The View at 11am. Later she visits CBS's Late Show with David Letterman on CBS at 11:35pm.
- Ashton Kutcher (That '70s Show) - Watch Ashton on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC at 11:35pm.
- Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) - Catch Aubrey on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC at 11:35pm.
- Jennifer Lawrence (The Bill Engvall Show) - Jennifer visits Jimmy Kimmel Live at 1:07am on ABC.
- Bob Newhart (The Bob Newhart Show/Newhart) - The legend will be on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm PT-CT.
- Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) - Watch the funny lady on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC at 11:35pm. Parks and Recreation returns to NBC on Thursday, January 20 at 9:30 ET/PT.
- Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show) - Wilmer drops by Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 12:06am on ABC.
- Betty White (The Golden Girls/Hot in Cleveland/Mary Tyler Moore Show) - Betty continues to make the rounds this week on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on NBC at 12:35am.
- Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/One Day at a Time, Wendie Malick (Hot in Cleveland/Just Shoot Me), Jane Leeves (Hot in Cleveland/Frasier) - Watch the lovely trio of ladies on The View on ABC at 11:00am. Valerie will also appear on Good Morning America on ABC between 7-9am ET/PT. Valerie and Wendie will be on The Joy Behar Show on HLN at 9pm ET. Hot in Cleveland returns to TV Land at 10pm ET/PT.
- Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory/8 Simple Rules) - Watch the lovely Kaley on the Late Show with David Letterman on CBS at 11:35pm.
- David Duchovny (Californication) - Catch David on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on NBC at 12:35am.
- Ashton Kutcher (That '70s Show) - Watch Ashton on Good Morning America between 7-9am ET/PT and then on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on NBC at 12:35am.
- Marilu Henner (Taxi) - Marilu visits The View on ABC at 11:00am.
- Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) - Watch Amy on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check listings.
- Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) - Catch Nick on NBC's Today.
- David Duchovny (Californication) - Catch David on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon at 12:35am on NBC.
- Ashton Kutcher (That '70s Show) - Watch Ashton co-host with Kelly Ripa on LIVE! with Regis & Kelly, so check your listings.
- Suzanne Somers (Three's Company/Step by Step/She's the Sheriff) - Catch Suzanne on NBC's Today between 7-11am ET/PT and again on Saturday between 7-9am ET/PT.
- Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation - Watch Nick on The Martha Stewart Show on the Hallmark Channel at 10am.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
TCA Winter 2011 Press Tour: NBC; The Game's Season Premiere Sets Series Highs on BET
NBC is up today at the TCA Winter 2011 press tour. They are not having an executive session today due to the recent Comcast deal still pending. So we are really not getting any new info today. The day started off with an USA Network Character Breakfast. Then there were panels for Syfy series Being Human and Face Off. Then before NBC was up, Bravo's Platinum Hit, Mun2's I Love Jenni and Oxygen's The Glee Project were up. Panels later this afternoon will have NBC shows go up, as we see The Cape (Mondays at 9pm), Perfect Couples (premieres next Thursday at 8:30pm), America's Next Great Restaurant (premieres Wednesday, March 16), Harry's Law (premieres Monday at 10pm), and Community (Thursdays at 8pm). The day will conclude with a NBC Universal Evening Event party.
IF there is anything noteworthy from NBC's panels this afternoon, we will let you know, so stay with us!
BET's scripted night of programming broke ratings records as millions tuned in on Tuesday, January 11 to watch the hour long cable debut of sitcom The Game at 10:00 p.m. and the series premiere of Let's Stay Together at 11:00 p.m. The Game was the #1 ad-supported sitcom telecast in cable TV history, garnering 7.7 million total viewers and 4.87 coverage rating according to the Nielsen Company and was the #1 The Game telecast on broadcast and cable ever (beating its airings on The CW by miles). The premiere also ranks as the #2 telecast in BET history among viewers (behind BET Awards '09).
Let's Stay Together, a brand new scripted series on the network, ranked among the top 5 ad-supported sitcom premieres in cable TV history ever and was the #2 series telecast in BET history behind The Game, debuting to 4.4 million viewers among 2.7 million households with a 3.0 coverage rating on Tuesday, January 11 at 11:00 p.m.
Following BET Networks' successful syndicate acquisition in February 2009, the BET premiere of The Game picked up where things left off at the end of season three (over two years ago) with the show's main cast -- Coby Bell, Hosea Chanchez, Brittany Daniel, Pooch Hall, Tia Mowry and Wendy Raquel Robinson.
In addition to its incredible on-air performance, The Game had the highest amount of social media buzz of all other prime time television shows, according to Trendrr's Prime Time Television Activity Chart for Tuesday, January 11. At one point, commenting on The Game Facebook page averaged 893 likes per minute, and 750 comments per minute, after the question "What did you think about tonight's episode?" within the first 28 minutes after the post. The Game related topics dominated Twitter with 9 out of the top 10 trending topics 30 minutes into the program.
So why did The Game get such big ratings? The CW aired the series only in primetime once a week, while BET has been airing the series since February in all day parts with a lot of marathons, gaining new fans and airing it with similar style sitcoms. With the amount of networks available today, it is very hard to find an audience for a series airing just once a week. Comedies tend to repeat well and are perfect for marathon viewing. The previous high for The Game on The CW was 3 million viewers for the season two premiere, which was more than doubled in the BET premiere. Maybe more network sitcoms need to have their sitcoms air for marathons or daily afternoon airings to get a bigger audience in primetime. Original dramas on cable also are doing well with the marathon blocks and extra encores, such as ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars, which recently saw series highs for the return.
Both series will regularly air every Tuesday on BET at 10pm & 10:30pm, respectively.
IF there is anything noteworthy from NBC's panels this afternoon, we will let you know, so stay with us!
BET's scripted night of programming broke ratings records as millions tuned in on Tuesday, January 11 to watch the hour long cable debut of sitcom The Game at 10:00 p.m. and the series premiere of Let's Stay Together at 11:00 p.m. The Game was the #1 ad-supported sitcom telecast in cable TV history, garnering 7.7 million total viewers and 4.87 coverage rating according to the Nielsen Company and was the #1 The Game telecast on broadcast and cable ever (beating its airings on The CW by miles). The premiere also ranks as the #2 telecast in BET history among viewers (behind BET Awards '09).
Let's Stay Together, a brand new scripted series on the network, ranked among the top 5 ad-supported sitcom premieres in cable TV history ever and was the #2 series telecast in BET history behind The Game, debuting to 4.4 million viewers among 2.7 million households with a 3.0 coverage rating on Tuesday, January 11 at 11:00 p.m.
Following BET Networks' successful syndicate acquisition in February 2009, the BET premiere of The Game picked up where things left off at the end of season three (over two years ago) with the show's main cast -- Coby Bell, Hosea Chanchez, Brittany Daniel, Pooch Hall, Tia Mowry and Wendy Raquel Robinson.
In addition to its incredible on-air performance, The Game had the highest amount of social media buzz of all other prime time television shows, according to Trendrr's Prime Time Television Activity Chart for Tuesday, January 11. At one point, commenting on The Game Facebook page averaged 893 likes per minute, and 750 comments per minute, after the question "What did you think about tonight's episode?" within the first 28 minutes after the post. The Game related topics dominated Twitter with 9 out of the top 10 trending topics 30 minutes into the program.
So why did The Game get such big ratings? The CW aired the series only in primetime once a week, while BET has been airing the series since February in all day parts with a lot of marathons, gaining new fans and airing it with similar style sitcoms. With the amount of networks available today, it is very hard to find an audience for a series airing just once a week. Comedies tend to repeat well and are perfect for marathon viewing. The previous high for The Game on The CW was 3 million viewers for the season two premiere, which was more than doubled in the BET premiere. Maybe more network sitcoms need to have their sitcoms air for marathons or daily afternoon airings to get a bigger audience in primetime. Original dramas on cable also are doing well with the marathon blocks and extra encores, such as ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars, which recently saw series highs for the return.
Both series will regularly air every Tuesday on BET at 10pm & 10:30pm, respectively.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Antenna TV Cable Carriage Update; Remembering David Nelson
Antenna TV may have launched on Jan. 1 on over-the-air digital stations, but cable carriage is picking-up now. Since yesterday, Antenna TV and WGN America from Tribune Broadcasting Company was made available to Time Warner Cable East Region/NYC market digital customers on Channels 166 and 162, respectively. Time Warner Cable East Region/NYC market includes four New York City boroughs (Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn), Mt. Vernon, Hudson Valley (Orange, Sullivan, Ulster Counties and parts of Dutchess, Greene and Delaware Counties) and Bergen and Hudson Counties in New Jersey. This covers about 1.3 million homes.
Also, Comcast in the New York City/NJ/Philadelphia area will ALL add Antenna TV in about two weeks on Tuesday, Jan. 25! Most of those systems will carry the network on channel 252. Antenna TV is of course available over-the-air in these two markets (New York and Philadelphia) on channels 11.4 in NYC and 17.2 in Philadelphia, as you all know. One other note in this region is that all Cablevision systems in Connecticut will add Antenna TV on channel 114 on Wednesday, Jan. 26. No word yet on when Cablevision in NY/NJ will add the network.
What about other regions? Well Chicago, Houston, Seattle, Denver, Cleveland, Sacramento, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Milwaukee, Harrisburg, Greensboro, Memphis, New Orleans, Scranton, Springfield MO, Huntsville, Chattanooga, and Marquette MI markets have all already added Antenna TV to a cable system or two. Cities coming to cable soon will be Los Angeles, Dallas, Washington D.C., Miami, Portland, Indianapolis, Hartford/New Haven, Grand Rapids, Norfolk, Fresno and Odessa-Midland. But of course those markets all have Antenna TV available over-the-air!
The following markets will add Antenna TV over-the-air soon: St. Louis (March), Kansas City (March), Oklahoma City (May), Richmond (TBD), Des Moines (late January), and Davenport/Rock Island (TBD). Cable coverage for these areas are TBD, but Oklahoma City has reached an agreement with Cox to start carrying the network during the May launch on channel 247, while Des Moines has reached an agreement with Mediacom on channel 114 (but the start date is TBD).
Stay with us for further information and as always, keep checking the affiliates section on AntennaTV.TV! There will be a channel locator there very soon (via zip code search) for easier information.
David Nelson, who starred on his parents' popular sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, has died. He was battling complications of colon cancer and died Tuesday (January 11) at his home in Los Angeles. Nelson was the last remaining member of the Nelsons TV family, which included actor/bandleader Ozzie, his singer wife, Harriet Hilliard and his teen idol brother Rick. The show originated on radio in 1952 as Here Come the Nelsons, then ran for 320 episodes on television on ABC from 1952 to 1966 as The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet with some of the story lines taken from the stars' own lives. David Nelson also directed and produced numerous episodes of the show throughout its run. The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet was shot in the Nelson family home in the Hollywood foothills, which remains a popular attraction for visitors on Hollywood celebrity bus tours.
His other television credits included Hondo, The Love Boat, The D.A., and TV movies High School USA and A Family For Joe. Directing credits included Goodnight Beantown, Adam-12, O.K. Crackerby!, and Ozzie's Girls.
It is just too bad no major network airs Ozzie & Harriet and most episodes are not on DVD either. The Nelsons were a quintessential family. I loved the short tribute the feature film North did back in 1994 of the Nelson family with John Ritter, Faith Ford, Scarlett Johansson and Jesse Zeigler as the Nelson's (well that tribute also was a homage to other '50s sitcoms as well such as Leave it to Beaver, Donna Reed Show, Father Knows Best). Long live the Nelsons! He will deeply missed. Mr. Nelson was 74.
Also, Comcast in the New York City/NJ/Philadelphia area will ALL add Antenna TV in about two weeks on Tuesday, Jan. 25! Most of those systems will carry the network on channel 252. Antenna TV is of course available over-the-air in these two markets (New York and Philadelphia) on channels 11.4 in NYC and 17.2 in Philadelphia, as you all know. One other note in this region is that all Cablevision systems in Connecticut will add Antenna TV on channel 114 on Wednesday, Jan. 26. No word yet on when Cablevision in NY/NJ will add the network.
What about other regions? Well Chicago, Houston, Seattle, Denver, Cleveland, Sacramento, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Milwaukee, Harrisburg, Greensboro, Memphis, New Orleans, Scranton, Springfield MO, Huntsville, Chattanooga, and Marquette MI markets have all already added Antenna TV to a cable system or two. Cities coming to cable soon will be Los Angeles, Dallas, Washington D.C., Miami, Portland, Indianapolis, Hartford/New Haven, Grand Rapids, Norfolk, Fresno and Odessa-Midland. But of course those markets all have Antenna TV available over-the-air!
The following markets will add Antenna TV over-the-air soon: St. Louis (March), Kansas City (March), Oklahoma City (May), Richmond (TBD), Des Moines (late January), and Davenport/Rock Island (TBD). Cable coverage for these areas are TBD, but Oklahoma City has reached an agreement with Cox to start carrying the network during the May launch on channel 247, while Des Moines has reached an agreement with Mediacom on channel 114 (but the start date is TBD).
Stay with us for further information and as always, keep checking the affiliates section on AntennaTV.TV! There will be a channel locator there very soon (via zip code search) for easier information.
David Nelson, who starred on his parents' popular sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, has died. He was battling complications of colon cancer and died Tuesday (January 11) at his home in Los Angeles. Nelson was the last remaining member of the Nelsons TV family, which included actor/bandleader Ozzie, his singer wife, Harriet Hilliard and his teen idol brother Rick. The show originated on radio in 1952 as Here Come the Nelsons, then ran for 320 episodes on television on ABC from 1952 to 1966 as The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet with some of the story lines taken from the stars' own lives. David Nelson also directed and produced numerous episodes of the show throughout its run. The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet was shot in the Nelson family home in the Hollywood foothills, which remains a popular attraction for visitors on Hollywood celebrity bus tours.
His other television credits included Hondo, The Love Boat, The D.A., and TV movies High School USA and A Family For Joe. Directing credits included Goodnight Beantown, Adam-12, O.K. Crackerby!, and Ozzie's Girls.
It is just too bad no major network airs Ozzie & Harriet and most episodes are not on DVD either. The Nelsons were a quintessential family. I loved the short tribute the feature film North did back in 1994 of the Nelson family with John Ritter, Faith Ford, Scarlett Johansson and Jesse Zeigler as the Nelson's (well that tribute also was a homage to other '50s sitcoms as well such as Leave it to Beaver, Donna Reed Show, Father Knows Best). Long live the Nelsons! He will deeply missed. Mr. Nelson was 74.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
TCA Winter 2011 Press Tour: Fox; Me-TV Adds Affiliate in Wichita, KS
It's Fox's turn today at the TCA Winter 2011 Press Tour. They started the day with breakfast with the cast of freshman sitcom Raising Hope. The good news to start the day off was that Fox has picked-up a second season of the sitcom! The first season resumes airing starting Feb. 8. Following this announcement and meal, Fox had panels with cast and producers of the upcoming drama The Chicago Code (premieres Feb. 7 at 9pm) and American Idol (season premiere Jan. 19).
Then there was a Fox executive session. We learned that new family adventure-drama series Terra Nova will preview during a special two-night event Monday, May 23 at 9:00pm and Tuesday, May 24 at 9pm on Fox following the season finales of House and Glee. The season finales of The Chicago Code and the Fox sitcoms will probably wrap up the week before (or earlier). Terra Nova (from Steven Spielberg and starring Jason O'Mara) will then premiere in the fall as a regular series. Before that, Fox will also give us a sneak preview of an untitled Jamie Foxx/Affion Crockett Project. The series, a fast-paced, half-hour sketch-comedy series executive-produced by Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx and starring rising comedic talent Affion Crockett (The Boondocks), will air a sneak preview Thursday, March 31 in the 9:00pm hour following American Idol. The series will then premiere in its regular time period Thursday, June 9 at 9:00pm as a summer series following So You Think You Can Dance. In the vein of In Living Color, this project will offer a fresh take on pop culture, including spoofs of movie trailers, commercials, TV shows, music videos and celebrities, with a diverse cast made up of the very best new young comedians on the scene today. Additionally, some of the biggest names in Hollywood will be stopping by for a visit. Crockett, whose incisive web shorts have drawn a cult following, will also serve as a producer and writer. Among the other items announced were Mary Murphy returns as judge to Fox summer series So You Think You Can Dance. In other news, Kevin Reilly said that Running Wilde and The Good Guys won't be back, so they are canceled. He also said that Lone Star's remaining six episodes will be used somehow (perhaps late night on Saturdays?).
After a writing break, it was time for lunch with the new animated comedy Bob's Burgers (Sundays at 8:30pm). Following that, there will be three panels for upcoming series: adventure series Terra Nova (to debut with a special premiere on May 23-24) and mid-season comedies Traffic Light (premieres Tuesday, Feb. 8) and Breaking In (premieres Wednesday, April 6). Then it will be time to promote Glee's Super Bowl episode even more with a tailgate break. And finally the day ends this evening with an all-star party.
Tomorrow is a set visit day, so there will be no sessions or news. Come on back Thursday for NBC's turn at the TCA's then on Friday both CBS and The CW will end the tour.
Me-TV Network has added its fourth affiliate! In addition to Chicago, Milwaukee, and South Bend (which all launched nationally on Dec. 15), Me-TV Network has now added Wichita, KS to its family. The station is KCTU 43.2 and it was added on Friday (January 7). The station is owned by locally-owned by River City Broadcasters. This marks the first affiliate to bring Me-TV Network to the air that is not part of Weigl Broadcasting. KCTU replaced AMGTV, which was previously on 43.2. Me-TV Network airs classic TV series primarily from CBS Paramount (such as I Love Lucy, My Three Sons, Happy Days), with some offerings from 20th Century Fox (such as Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart Show) and independent producers (such as Dick Van Dyke Show).
More affiliates are still to come, so keep checking back!
Then there was a Fox executive session. We learned that new family adventure-drama series Terra Nova will preview during a special two-night event Monday, May 23 at 9:00pm and Tuesday, May 24 at 9pm on Fox following the season finales of House and Glee. The season finales of The Chicago Code and the Fox sitcoms will probably wrap up the week before (or earlier). Terra Nova (from Steven Spielberg and starring Jason O'Mara) will then premiere in the fall as a regular series. Before that, Fox will also give us a sneak preview of an untitled Jamie Foxx/Affion Crockett Project. The series, a fast-paced, half-hour sketch-comedy series executive-produced by Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx and starring rising comedic talent Affion Crockett (The Boondocks), will air a sneak preview Thursday, March 31 in the 9:00pm hour following American Idol. The series will then premiere in its regular time period Thursday, June 9 at 9:00pm as a summer series following So You Think You Can Dance. In the vein of In Living Color, this project will offer a fresh take on pop culture, including spoofs of movie trailers, commercials, TV shows, music videos and celebrities, with a diverse cast made up of the very best new young comedians on the scene today. Additionally, some of the biggest names in Hollywood will be stopping by for a visit. Crockett, whose incisive web shorts have drawn a cult following, will also serve as a producer and writer. Among the other items announced were Mary Murphy returns as judge to Fox summer series So You Think You Can Dance. In other news, Kevin Reilly said that Running Wilde and The Good Guys won't be back, so they are canceled. He also said that Lone Star's remaining six episodes will be used somehow (perhaps late night on Saturdays?).
After a writing break, it was time for lunch with the new animated comedy Bob's Burgers (Sundays at 8:30pm). Following that, there will be three panels for upcoming series: adventure series Terra Nova (to debut with a special premiere on May 23-24) and mid-season comedies Traffic Light (premieres Tuesday, Feb. 8) and Breaking In (premieres Wednesday, April 6). Then it will be time to promote Glee's Super Bowl episode even more with a tailgate break. And finally the day ends this evening with an all-star party.
Tomorrow is a set visit day, so there will be no sessions or news. Come on back Thursday for NBC's turn at the TCA's then on Friday both CBS and The CW will end the tour.
Me-TV Network has added its fourth affiliate! In addition to Chicago, Milwaukee, and South Bend (which all launched nationally on Dec. 15), Me-TV Network has now added Wichita, KS to its family. The station is KCTU 43.2 and it was added on Friday (January 7). The station is owned by locally-owned by River City Broadcasters. This marks the first affiliate to bring Me-TV Network to the air that is not part of Weigl Broadcasting. KCTU replaced AMGTV, which was previously on 43.2. Me-TV Network airs classic TV series primarily from CBS Paramount (such as I Love Lucy, My Three Sons, Happy Days), with some offerings from 20th Century Fox (such as Mary Tyler Moore, Bob Newhart Show) and independent producers (such as Dick Van Dyke Show).
More affiliates are still to come, so keep checking back!
Monday, January 10, 2011
TCA Winter 2011 Press Tour: ABC; First Ever Comedy Awards on Comedy Central
Today at the TCA Winter 2011 Press Tour the broadcast networks begin. Up today will be ABC. The schedule started after breakfast with an executive session with Ben Sherwood of ABC News, followed by an executive sessions with Paul Lee of ABC Entertainment. ABC News will produce more documentaries year-round for primetime, similar to series like Boston Med. On the entertainment side, we learned that ABC has given early pick-ups for the 2011-12 season for Castle, Cougar Town, Grey's Anatomy, The Middle, Modern Family and Private Practice. All of those are no-doubters for us. Desperate Housewives is not on this list yet due to contract negotiations going on for the cast, but it will come back we think, as it is one of the top shows still in 18-49. Brothers & Sisters is also likely for some sort of pick-up, but it depends on the rest of 2011 performance. Lee has "ambitions" on picking it up Decisions on freshman shows, like Detroit 1-8-7, won't be announced for another 2-3 months or at upfront. V only has 10 episodes this season because of "quality control" and it has paid off. Lee would also like to have two nights of comedy next season. He didn't specify if the second night would be an hour or a two-hour block. Pilot pick-ups so far are an untitled Shonda Rhimes crisis management project and comedies Man Up and Smothered. Casting and more still to come on these pilots. ABC is also working on an Incredible Hulk revival from Marvel in the next year or so.
After the executive session, there was a cocoa klatch with Winter Wipeout. Host John Henson, co-host Jill Wagner, showrunner Matt Kunitz and even Ballsy were on hand for casual conversation and a tasty, hot beverage. Winter Wipeout airs Thursdays at 8pm on ABC and is off to a fantastic start in the ratings. After that, there was an executive session with new ABC Family President Michael Riley. We learned that ABC Family has given new season orders to two of the network's hit series, The Secret Life of the American Teenager" which has been renewed for a fourth season, and Pretty Little Liars, which was picked-up for a second season. Both new seasons are slated to start airing sometime in summer 2011. Both series still have to finish their second halves of the current season, with Liars airing Mondays through March 21, then Secret Life returns March 28 for its last batch of episodes this season.
Following that, there were panels for ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars (airs Mondays at 8pm) and ABC's new tropical medical drama Off the Map, which premieres Wednesday at 10pm. Then it was off to lunch with Disney Junior with Gary Marsh (President, Disney Channels Worldwide) and Nancy Kanter (SVP, Disney Junior Worldwide) for casual conversation and a special performance by The Never Land Pirate Band.
Following the lunch break, there was an actual session with Gary Marsh of Disney Channels Worldwide. The new network Disney Junior launches on Monday, Feb. 14. That was followed by a panel with the cast and producers of the upcoming Disney Channel original movie Lemonade Mouth starring Bridgit Mendler, Adam Hicks, Hayley Kiyoko, Naomi Scott, Blake Michael, Nick Roux and Tisha
Campbell-Martin. The event concludes tonight with an Off the Map Mid-season Mixer where we are joined by the stars and showrunners of many of ABC's mid-season series for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres themed to Off the Map. The reason why there weren't any panels for upcoming sitcoms Mr. Sunshine and Happy Endings, drama Body of Proof, and reality series Secret Millionaire, was because they all had panels already at the TCA Summer 2010 press tour. Stay tuned tomorrow for an update from the Fox's day at the TCA press tour.
Comedy Central and MTV Networks, both divisions of Viacom, have tapped New York City to host The Comedy Awards, the first-ever multi-network, multi-platform, annual event dedicated to honoring and celebrating the world of comedy. A night for comedy of all kinds, The Comedy Awards will be taped at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom on Saturday, March 26 and will premiere on Sunday, April 10, 2011, simultaneously across MTV Networks' Comedy Central, Spike TV, TV Land, VH1 and Nick at Nite. All of these networks feature some sort of comedy.
Comedy elite including James Burrows, Billy Crystal, Will Ferrell, Whoopi Goldberg, Brad Grey, Seth MacFarlane, Adam McKay, Jimmy Miller, Jay Roach, Ray Romano, Rory Rosegarten, Phil Rosenthal and many more are among the first to join "The Comedy Awards" Board of Directors which will be responsible for selecting the nominees. The winners will be chosen by an invitation-only voting body comprised of 500-1000 members from the comedy community -- including writers, producers, performers and directors. The event will also feature several special awards that will include the voice of the fans through online voting at the event site thecomedyawards.com.
After the executive session, there was a cocoa klatch with Winter Wipeout. Host John Henson, co-host Jill Wagner, showrunner Matt Kunitz and even Ballsy were on hand for casual conversation and a tasty, hot beverage. Winter Wipeout airs Thursdays at 8pm on ABC and is off to a fantastic start in the ratings. After that, there was an executive session with new ABC Family President Michael Riley. We learned that ABC Family has given new season orders to two of the network's hit series, The Secret Life of the American Teenager" which has been renewed for a fourth season, and Pretty Little Liars, which was picked-up for a second season. Both new seasons are slated to start airing sometime in summer 2011. Both series still have to finish their second halves of the current season, with Liars airing Mondays through March 21, then Secret Life returns March 28 for its last batch of episodes this season.
Following that, there were panels for ABC Family's Pretty Little Liars (airs Mondays at 8pm) and ABC's new tropical medical drama Off the Map, which premieres Wednesday at 10pm. Then it was off to lunch with Disney Junior with Gary Marsh (President, Disney Channels Worldwide) and Nancy Kanter (SVP, Disney Junior Worldwide) for casual conversation and a special performance by The Never Land Pirate Band.
Following the lunch break, there was an actual session with Gary Marsh of Disney Channels Worldwide. The new network Disney Junior launches on Monday, Feb. 14. That was followed by a panel with the cast and producers of the upcoming Disney Channel original movie Lemonade Mouth starring Bridgit Mendler, Adam Hicks, Hayley Kiyoko, Naomi Scott, Blake Michael, Nick Roux and Tisha
Campbell-Martin. The event concludes tonight with an Off the Map Mid-season Mixer where we are joined by the stars and showrunners of many of ABC's mid-season series for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres themed to Off the Map. The reason why there weren't any panels for upcoming sitcoms Mr. Sunshine and Happy Endings, drama Body of Proof, and reality series Secret Millionaire, was because they all had panels already at the TCA Summer 2010 press tour. Stay tuned tomorrow for an update from the Fox's day at the TCA press tour.
Comedy Central and MTV Networks, both divisions of Viacom, have tapped New York City to host The Comedy Awards, the first-ever multi-network, multi-platform, annual event dedicated to honoring and celebrating the world of comedy. A night for comedy of all kinds, The Comedy Awards will be taped at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom on Saturday, March 26 and will premiere on Sunday, April 10, 2011, simultaneously across MTV Networks' Comedy Central, Spike TV, TV Land, VH1 and Nick at Nite. All of these networks feature some sort of comedy.
Comedy elite including James Burrows, Billy Crystal, Will Ferrell, Whoopi Goldberg, Brad Grey, Seth MacFarlane, Adam McKay, Jimmy Miller, Jay Roach, Ray Romano, Rory Rosegarten, Phil Rosenthal and many more are among the first to join "The Comedy Awards" Board of Directors which will be responsible for selecting the nominees. The winners will be chosen by an invitation-only voting body comprised of 500-1000 members from the comedy community -- including writers, producers, performers and directors. The event will also feature several special awards that will include the voice of the fans through online voting at the event site thecomedyawards.com.
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Week 16 TV Ratings and Analysis; How the Sitcoms Did
2010-11 Week 16 TV Ratings (first four nights averages, Mon-Thu):
Households: 1. CBS 6.9/11.2 rating/share; 2. ABC 5.1/8.4; 3. NBC 3.5/5.8; 4. Fox 3.0/4.7; 5. The CW 0.7/1.1
Total Viewers: 1. CBS 11.16 million; 2. ABC 8.28 million; 3. NBC 5.69 million; 4. Fox 4.73 million; 5. The CW 1.03 million.
Adults 18-49: 1. CBS 2.9/8.0 rating/share; 2. ABC 2.7/7.4; 3. NBC 1.9/5.4; Fox 1.4/3.9; 5. The CW 0.4/1.0
Week 16 (Jan. 3-9) Analysis: Week 16 sees the return of original episodes for the most part. Happy new year, indeed. Through the first four nights CBS has the lead across the board, with ABC close behind. NBC is in third and Fox back in fourth. Last week, week 15, had NBC edge CBS first in viewers (with CBS having more households) in the slowest week of the season. NBC also took home a first place 18-49 finish with two primetime NFL games. ABC was third in HH/viewers but fourth in in 18-49, while Fox was fourth in HH/viewers but third in 18-49.
Monday it was back to business with the start of the new year. ABC aired the season premiere of The Bachelor to solid numbers doing 9.04 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, which is off some from last season's premiere but still solid. Keep in mind this series grows week-to-week every week. At 10pm ABC aired a new Castle did 9.61 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, solid and up from its most recent episode but down from its fall average. CBS was new with its comedies and Hawaii Five-0. At 8pm, a new How I Met Your Mother started it off with 10.19 million and a 3.9 18-49 rating, which is great. At 8:30, a new Rules of Engagement did 9.76 million and a 3.4 18-49 rating, better than usual. Two and a Half Men followed with a new showing of its own doing 15.36 million and a 4.7 18-49 rating, which is great still. At 9:30, Mike & Molly was new too and did 12.39 million and a 3.7 18-49 rating, both solid. A new Hawaii Five-0 at 10pm did 11.0 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, which is what it is consistently doing now after the falling in the first half of fall. Fox started with a repeat of House doing 4.79 million and a 1.5 18-49 rating, which was up some from previous week's repeat, while a repeat of Lie To Me followed with 3.87 million and a 1.1 18-49 rating, also up some from previous week. NBC had a terrible Monday with a repeat of Chuck doing 2.54 million and a 0.7 18-49 rating, on par with previous week's repeat. From 9-11pm, NBC aired a repeat of The Biggest Loser: Where Are They Now? to just 2.74 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating. The CW was next with a repeat of 90210 doing 1.06 million and a 0.4 18-49 rating, up a bit from previous week. Gossip Girl followed with a repeat registering just 770,00 viewers and a 0.3 18-49 rating, basically on par with previous week.
Tuesday had NBC win in 18-49, but CBS overall. CBS started with the two-hour premiere of Live to Dance at 10.22 million and a 2.4 18-49 rating, which is OK. A repeat of NCIS closed the night with 10.34 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating. NCIS: Los Angeles and The Good Wife were preempted. For ABC, No Ordinary Family was all-new back in its original 8pm hour doing 6.75 million and a 1.9 18-49 rating, which is normal in recent weeks. At 9pm, the return of V was up from its spring finale (which was after a new LOST) doing 6.59 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating. It could be better, but this show is certainly being watched (even if it is other ways). At 10, Detroit 1-8-7 was new too and did 5.2 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating for series lows. Not a good sign after an OK fall. Fox had a repeat of Glee do 4.74 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, which was up from previous week's repeat. Next Raising Hope and Running Wilde were preempted for a new episode of Million Dollar Money Drop doing 3.82 million and a 1.3 18-49 rating, which isn't good. NBC was on top for the night in 18-49 thanks to the season premiere of The Biggest Loser doing 8.79 million and a 3.3 18-49 rating, down a lot from the premiere last year, though. Parenthood returned for its final few weeks on Tuesdays with 5.98 million and a 2.3 18-49 rating, up from its normal fall showings. The CW was in repeats with One Tree Hill below a million at 970,000 viewers and a 0.4 18-49 rating, which was up a bit from previous week, but Life UneXpected was worse at just 830,000 viewers and a 0.3 18-49 rating, up a tad though from previous week.
Wednesday had ABC and NBC battle, with CBS still a player in total viewers. CBS started the night off with the regular time period of Live to Dance at 7.65 million and a 1.8 18-49 rating, down from previous night and not a good sign for the coming weeks. Veteran drama Criminal Minds and newbie The Defenders were preempted for the 37th Annual People's Choice Awards which did 9.52 million and a 2.7 18-49 rating, solid but second lowest of all-time. ABC was all-new with its Laugh On comedy block and had The Middle open the night with 9.31 million and a 2.8 18-49 rating, which is great. Better With You was next with a new episode of its own doing 7.44 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating, sooner or later it will go untie its series high of 2.5 18-49 rating. At 9pm, ABC has Modern Family of course with a new episode doing 11.83 million and a 4.8 18-49 rating, which is superb and best among scripted series for the week. Cougar Town was next and did 6.57 million and a 2.8 rating, skewing very young as usual. At 10pm, the special Primetime: Extreme Weight Loss - What Really Happens? aired and did 4.39 million and a 1.6 18-49 rating. NBC aired a new Minute to Win It at 8pm doing 6.69 million and a 2.1 18-49 rating, which is OK. Then NBC aired two new episodes of Law & Order: SVU doing 10.6 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating from 9-11pm, which was its best showing in a while. As a reminder, Law & Order: Los Angeles will not return until February on NBC, but on Tuesdays at 10 now. Fox started off with a new Human Target at 6.18 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, followed by another new episode doing 6.49 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating. The show is OK at best, maybe a Friday move would have been better. The CW had more repeats, this time with Hellcats, with 8pm doing 1.03 million and a 0.4 18-49 rating, while 9pm did 810,000 viewers and a 0.3 18-49 rating. Both airings were down from previous week.
Thursday had ABC win the night thanks to a nice showing at 8pm. ABC opened the night with the season premiere of the Wipeout doing 11.69 million and a 3.8 18-49 rating, its best ever ratings in total viewers and second best in 18-49. Good move by airing a short winter edition! Then a new Grey's Anatomy was next with 11.64 million and a 4.2 18-49 rating, among the best in 18-49. At 10pm, Private Practice was also new doing 7.67 million and a 2.7 18-49 rating, which is solid. CBS opened with a new The Big Bang Theory doing 13.98 million and a 4.4 A18-49 rating, which is excellent. Then a new $#*! My Dad Says followed with 10.79 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, which could be better but still decent. Next, CSI was new and did 14.22 million and a 3.3 18-49 rating, up from usual. A new The Mentalist did 14.88 million and a 3.1 18-49 rating, which is great at 10pm. Fox aired a new Million Dollar Money Drop at 8pm doing only 4.59 million and a 1.4 18-49 rating, which is up a bit from Tuesday. A repeat of Bones at 9pm did only 3.37 million and 1.0 18-49 rating, lower than previous week. NBC was in repeats as Community did just 2.95 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, up a bit from previous week's prelim ratings. Then a repeat of 30 Rock did 3.16 million and 1.2 18-49 rating, also up a lick from previous week's prelim ratings. At 9pm The Office was also a repeat and did 4.0 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, which is on par with previous week's prelim ratings. Outsourced was next with a repeat as well doing 3.14 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, with the same trend as its lead-in. At 10, NBC went with more repeats, first another repeat of The Office did only 2.19 million and a 1.0 18-49. Then at 10:30pm a repeat of The Office did 2.3 million and 1.2 18-49 rating, on par with previous week's prelim ratings. The CW was next with a repeat of Vampire Diaries doing a 1.41 million and a 0.5 18-49 rating, up a bit with previous week's prelim ratings... followed by a repeat of Nikita doing 1.39 million and a 0.5 18-49 rating, also up a bit from previous week's prelim ratings.
Now, final numbers for Friday and Saturday are not available as usual, but Friday has Fox win with the Cotton Bowl with ABC second thanks to Primetime: What Would You Do? and 20/20. Saturday had NBC win big with the NFL Wildcard Playoffs.
Tonight ABC's regular Sunday of AFV, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters is all-new from 7-11pm. They will do well and could challenge for at least second place. NBC will have no more NFL and will premiere the drama The Cape from 9-11pm, which should do OK at best. CBS has a new 60 Minutes, followed by new episodes of CSI: Miami and Undercover Boss. Fox has an NFL Wildcard overrun leading into new episodes of animation from 8-10pm, which includes the premiere of Bob's Burgers. Fox will win the night, no doubt as a result. ABC could be second in 18-49, but ABC and CBS will battle. Look for NBC possibly in fourth again with no NFL.
As for the week (week 16), with the NFL wildcard game last night, NBC could challenge to win the week. I think CBS could still prevail, though. It will be close.ABC will probably be third with Fox in fourth, but it depends on the overrun tonight. And for the coming week (week 17), more shows return with all-new episodes and the series premiere of Off the Map.
Week 16 How the Sitcoms Did
Last Sunday Sitcoms (counts for week 15 -- Dec. 27-Jan. 2)
- The Simpsons (Fox) - A repeat at its normal time of 8pm did 6.24 million and a 2.7 18-49 rating, on par with previous week thanks to a direct NFL overrun lead-in again.
- The Cleveland Show (Fox) - A repeat did 4.93 million and a 2.2 18-49 rating, also on par with previous week.
- Family Guy (Fox) - A one-hour repeat at 9pm did 5.73 million and a 2.6 18-49 rating, which was up some from previous week thanks to the added half-hour.
- American Dad! (Fox) - preempted.
Monday Sitcoms
- How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - A new episode did 10.15 million and a 3.9 18-49 rating, which is excellent and up from the fall.
- Rules of Engagement (CBS) - 9.76 million for a new episode and a 3.4 18-49 rating was also above its norm from fall.
- Two and a Half Men (CBS) - 15.36 million for a new showing is excellent as is its 4.7 18-49 rating.
- Mike & Molly (CBS) - 12.39 million for a new episode and a 18-49 rating of 3.7 is great. Not a series high in 18-49 though.
Tuesday Sitcoms
- Raising Hope (Fox) - preempted.
- Running Wilde (Fox) - preempted.
- The Middle (ABC) - ABC Laugh on Wednesday was all-new. A new episode of this sitcom did 9.31 million and a 2.8 18-49 rating, which was close to series best numbers.
- Better with You (ABC) - A new episode did 7.44 million and a 2.5 18-49 rating, the latter ties a series high again.
- Modern Family (ABC) - A new episode at 9pm did 11.83 million and a 4.8 18-49 rating! The best among scripted series in 18-49 for the week.
- Cougar Town (ABC) - A new showing did 6.57 million and a 2.8 18-49 rating. Solid, but could be better still. Like I keep saying, this show is still doing fine.
Thursday Sitcoms
- The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - A new episode did 13.98 million and a 4.4 18-49 rating, which is great and third among scripted series for the week so far.
- S#*! My Dad Says (CBS) - A new showing did 10.79 million and a 2.9 18-49 rating, decent but could be better.
- Community (NBC) - A repeat only mustered 2.95 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, but that is actually up a bit from previous week.
- 30 Rock (NBC) - A repeat did just 3.16 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, bad but also up a tad from previous week.
- The Office (NBC) 3 episodes - A repeat of this show at 9pm did 4.0 million and a 1.7 18-49 rating, on par with previous week. Then later a repeat at 10pm did just 2.19 million and a 1.0 18-49 rating, while a repeat at 10:30pm did 2.3 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, on par with previous week.
- Outsourced (NBC) - A repeat in its 9:30 slot did 3.14 million and a 1.2 18-49 rating, on par with previous week.
Friday Sitcoms
- None.
Saturday Sitcoms
- None.
Airing tonight (Sunday) are Fox's animated comedies from 8-10 with new episodes.
Summing it up. New episodes of Modern Family, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly, Rules of Engagement, The Middle were impressive for the week. Everything else was OK (such as $#*! My Dad Says, Cougar Town) or just plain old terrible (such as repeats of The Office 10p, Community).
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Friday, August 28
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of August 24)
Friday, August 28
- Glen Powell (Chad Powers/Scream Queens) - Watch Glen on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- John Leguizamo (The Brothers Garcia) - John appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Donnell Rawlings (Twenties) - Donnell is a guest on a repeat of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen at 11:35pm on CBS.
- LaKeith Stanfield (Atlanta) - LaKeith appears on a repeat of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
- Laura Dern (F Is for Family/Enlightened) - Drew chats with the legendary Laura Dern on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/20/26 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27/26 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11/26 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)
04/11/26 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD)
04/21/26 - Famous Studios Champion Collection (Blu-ray) (DVD)
05/19/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (DVD)
05/19/26 - Looney Tunes Cartoons - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
06/16/26 - Difficult People - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
06/30/26 - Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
07/14/26 - The Office - The Complete Series - Superfan Extended Episodes (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Bill Dana Show - The Complete Series (DVD)
07/28/26 - I Love Lucy - The Complete Series - 75th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
07/28/26 - The Paper - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
08/25/26 - Perfect Strangers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/08/26 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 3 (Blu-ray)
09/22/26 - Bridget Loves Bernie - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/29/26 - The Quick Draw McGraw Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
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