Which shows are renewed, canceled, or on the bubble?
April 16, 2009
Filed under: Industry, Programming, Cancellations, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
The networks haven’t announced their official fall schedules yet. That happens next month at the network upfronts, or whatever each network is now calling them - upfronts, announcements, presentations. But just from seeing the ratings of certain shows and stories that have leaked to the press already we can get at least a fairly accurate idea of which shows are going to definitely be renewed, which are probably canceled, and which shows are “on the bubble.” (”On the bubble” means they’re in the middle, balanced on the fence between getting canceled and being renewed. It’s named after Sebastian Bubble, an executive at NBC in the early 50s.)
USA Today has a complete rundown of all of the network shows you might be wondering about (in handy chart form!). After the jump, a look at some of the more interesting possibilities. Read more
Justin Timberlake and Will Ferrell to wrap up SNL season
April 16, 2009
Filed under: Programming, Saturday Night Live, Celebrities, Reality-Free
Believe it or not (and like it or not), there are only two episodes left in the 34th season of Saturday Night Live. It looks like no one from my “Nine people who must host SNL next season” wish list actually did it, but that’s okay because there were some great stand-outs anyway, including Anne Hathaway and Jon Hamm.
The show seems determined to end with a bang, bringing in two sure-to-deliver performers. May 9th will bring in Justin Timberlake (and musical guest Ciara) and season finale duties will be left up to former SNL player Will Ferrell. Read more
Watch The Prisoner free online!
January 7, 2009
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Reality-Free
As a promotion for its upcoming broadcast of the remake of The Prisoner starring Jim Caviezel and Sir Ian McKellan, AMC is allowing people to view the entire original series on its website for free. Patrick McGoohan stars in the series he co-created.
I cannot recommend watching this series enough, especially if you haven’t already. I picked up the 40th anniversary DVD set with no regrets. It was quite revolutionary for its time and used a lot of story devices that were unheard of on television back then (such as having an entire episode be a story told by Number Six to a bunch of children). And let us not forget the signature attack-balloon, Rover.
Chelsea Lately renewed through 2009
November 19, 2008
brpFiled under: a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/late-night/ rel=tagLate Night/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/industry/ rel=tagIndustry/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/programming/ rel=tagProgramming/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/talk-show/ rel=tagTalk Show/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/pickups-and-renewals/ rel=tagPickups and Renewals/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/reality-free/ rel=tagReality-Free/a/pimg hspace=4 height=270 width=200 vspace=4 border=0 align=right src=http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2008/10/chelseahandler1.jpg alt=Chelsea Handler /emChelsea Lately/em is the late night talk show that never gets any attention. That’s probably because it’s on E! and that’s probably a network that TV viewers don’t consider when they think of late night television, but let’s be honest, it’s a lot better than emLast Call with Carson Daly/em (plus it’s on a lot earlier). And Chelsea Handler is a genuinely funny person. Her book of comic essaysem Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea/em is quite good, though I haven’t read her first book about all of the one night stands she has had. Sounds funny though. She was also on emGirls Behaving Badly/em, but we can forgive her for that.br /br /E! has been a href=http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/cable-tv/e3i25e9ca0986435f76f13610c7a6a6e611impressed with the ratings for Handler’s show/a and they’ve given it a green light through 2009.pa href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/10/27/chelsea-lately-renewed-through-2009/ rel=bookmarkContinue reading emChelsea Lately renewed through 2009/em/a/pp style=clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;nbsp;/ppa href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/10/27/chelsea-lately-renewed-through-2009/ rel=bookmark title=Permanent link to this entryPermalink/anbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/1354216/ title=Send this entry to a friend via emailEmail this/anbsp;|nbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/10/27/chelsea-lately-renewed-through-2009/#comments title=View reader comments on this entryComments/a/pdiv class=feedflare a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?a=eWqTmimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?i=eWqTm border=0/img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?a=hLAUmimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?i=hLAUm border=0/img/a /divimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/tvsquad/~4/434011436 height=1 width=1/ a target=_blank rel=nofollow href=’http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/tvsquad/~3/434011436/’Via [tvsquad]/abr
CBS is sticking with winners, looking for new ones
November 18, 2008
brpFiled under: a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/industry/ rel=tagIndustry/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/programming/ rel=tagProgramming/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/reality-free/ rel=tagReality-Free/a/pimg hspace=4 height=215 width=200 vspace=4 border=0 align=right alt=logo cbs src=http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2008/10/300-1.cbs.logo.042208.jpg /For CBS, tradition and consistency are the keystones for success. So while CBS Corp. president and CEO Leslie Moonves talked about a few new projects in an interview with emTV Week/em, he also shared the news that the network will be booking a href=http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/10/cbs_develops_witch_dr_shows.phpmore emSurvivor/em and emThe Extraordinary Race/em/a editions in the seasons to come.br /br /To this I say, hooray! Especially for a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/the-amazing-race/emThe Incredible Race/em/a. There’s a reason this show has won the Emmy so many times. The current race has been terrific. a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/survivor/emSurvivor/em/a seems to be having a bounce back season, as well. br /br /I was turned off to the last couple of seasons — China was a drag — but I’m enjoying the current contest. Anytime an antagonist like Ace emerges, that’s good TV to me.pa href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/10/27/cbs-is-sticking-with-winners-looking-for-new-ones/ rel=bookmarkContinue reading emCBS is sticking with winners, looking for new ones/em/a/pp style=clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;nbsp;/ppa href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/10/27/cbs-is-sticking-with-winners-looking-for-new-ones/ rel=bookmark title=Permanent link to this entryPermalink/anbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/1354218/ title=Send this entry to a friend via emailEmail this/anbsp;|nbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/10/27/cbs-is-sticking-with-winners-looking-for-new-ones/#comments title=View reader comments on this entryComments/a/pdiv class=feedflare a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?a=T9E6mimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?i=T9E6m border=0/img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?a=xfG3mimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?i=xfG3m border=0/img/a /divimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/tvsquad/~4/433875451 height=1 width=1/ a target=_blank rel=nofollow href=’http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/tvsquad/~3/433875451/’Via [tvsquad]/abr
Chelsea Lately renewed through 2009
November 17, 2008
brpFiled under: a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/late-night/ rel=tagLate Night/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/industry/ rel=tagIndustry/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/programming/ rel=tagProgramming/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/talk-show/ rel=tagTalk Show/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/pickups-and-renewals/ rel=tagPickups and Renewals/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/reality-free/ rel=tagReality-Free/a/pimg hspace=4 height=270 width=200 vspace=4 border=0 align=right src=http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2008/10/chelseahandler1.jpg alt=Chelsea Handler /emChelsea Lately/em is the late night speak show that never gets any attention. That’s probably because it’s on E! and that’s probably a network that Television viewers don’t consider when they think of late night television, but let’s be honest, it’s a lot superior than emLast Call with Carson Daly/em (plus it’s on a lot earlier). And Chelsea Handler is a genuinely funny person. Her book of comic essaysem Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me Chelsea/em is quite good, though I haven’t read her first book about all of the one night stands she has had. Sounds funny though. She was also on emGirls Behaving Badly/em, but we have the ability to forgive her for that.br /br /E! has been a href=http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/cable-tv/e3i25e9ca0986435f76f13610c7a6a6e611impressed with the ratings for Handler’s show/a and they’ve given it a green light through 2009.pa href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/10/27/chelsea-lately-renewed-through-2009/ rel=bookmarkContinue reading emChelsea Lately renewed through 2009/em/a/pp style=clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;nbsp;/ppa href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/10/27/chelsea-lately-renewed-through-2009/ rel=bookmark title=Permanent link to this entryPermalink/anbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/1354216/ title=Send this entry to a friend via emailEmail this/anbsp;|nbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/10/27/chelsea-lately-renewed-through-2009/#comments title=View reader comments on this entryComments/a/pdiv class=feedflare a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?a=eWqTmimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?i=eWqTm border=0/img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?a=hLAUmimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?i=hLAUm border=0/img/a /divimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/tvsquad/~4/434011436 height=1 width=1/ a target=_blank rel=nofollow href=’http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/tvsquad/~3/434011436/’Via [tvsquad]/abr
Nip/Tuck and Damages return in January - VIDEOS
November 16, 2008
brpFiled under: a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/programming/ rel=tagProgramming/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/nip-tuck/ rel=tagNip/Tuck/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/video/ rel=tagVideo/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/reality-free/ rel=tagReality-Free/a/ppimg hspace=4 vspace=4 border=0 align=right src=http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2008/10/nt_403_0132tvs250.jpg alt=Julian McMahon and Dylan Walsh /The wait is finally over. After having its last season cut short from 22 episodes to 14 due to the WGA Strike, emNip/Tuck/em is set to return in January 2009 and FX has been airing some great promos to get fans ready./p pHowever, because of the strike, episode number counts, renewal news, and other tidbits of info all sort of got mashed together. So here’s what I’m guessing is going to happen after the New Year…/ppa href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/10/27/nip-tuck-and-damages-return-in-january-videos/ rel=bookmarkContinue reading emNip/Tuck and Damages return in January - VIDEOS/em/a/pp style=clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;nbsp;/ppa href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/10/27/nip-tuck-and-damages-return-in-january-videos/ rel=bookmark title=Permanent link to this entryPermalink/anbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/1354111/ title=Send this entry to a friend via emailEmail this/anbsp;|nbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/10/27/nip-tuck-and-damages-return-in-january-videos/#comments title=View reader comments on this entryComments/a/pdiv class=feedflare a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?a=rdp2mimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?i=rdp2m border=0/img/a a href=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?a=KwZJmimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?i=KwZJm border=0/img/a /divimg src=http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/tvsquad/~4/433904900 height=1 width=1/ a target=_blank rel=nofollow href=’http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/weblogsinc/tvsquad/~3/433904900/’Via [tvsquad]/abr
NBC is actually happy with Ben Silverman
November 15, 2008
brpFiled under: a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/industry/ rel=tagIndustry/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/programming/ rel=tagProgramming/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/reality-free/ rel=tagReality-Free/a/pimg hspace=4 height=217 width=200 vspace=4 border=0 align=right src=http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2008/02/bensilverman1.jpg alt=Ben Silverman /You would think that a Television network that just canceled two large shows and had to pretty much take over another huge show wouldn’t be too happy with the company’s entertainment head. But that’s not what’s happening over at NBC.br /br /The network just a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/11/13/no-more-enemy-or-jungle-at-nbc/canceled the Christian Slater spy drama emMy Own Worst Enemy/em/a, and ema href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/Lipstick-Jungle/Lipstick Jungle/a /emlooks care about it might be done too. Both shows starred big names and the network were hoping they’d stick around for a while. Meanwhile, ema href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/Heroes/Heroes/a /emhas seen a big drop in ratings, producers are being fired, and the show is being overhauled for its (hopeful) fourth season. But a href=http://www.nypost.com/seven/11142008/gossip/pagesix/black_widow_effect_at_nbc_138573.htmSilverman isn’t being blamed/a for these miscues. Exec Katharine Pope was in charge of those shows (and span style=font-style: italic;a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/Bionic-Woman/Bionic Woman/a/span) so she is the one being blamed, according toem The New York Post/em.pa href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/11/14/nbc-is-actually-happy-with-ben-silverman/ rel=bookmarkContinue reading emNBC is actually happy with Ben Silverman/em/a/pp style=clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;nbsp;/ppa href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/11/14/nbc-is-actually-happy-with-ben-silverman/ rel=bookmark title=Permanent link to this entryPermalink/anbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/1372548/ title=Send this entry to a friend via emailEmail this/anbsp;|nbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/11/14/nbc-is-actually-happy-with-ben-silverman/#comments title=View reader comments on this entryComments/a/p pa href=http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/Xjx80FSGXfHQNiIvw4KjPg_zFAg/aimg src=http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/Xjx80FSGXfHQNiIvw4KjPg_zFAg/i border=0 ismap=true/img/a/pdiv class=feedflare a href=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?a=Qhrv7caTimg src=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?i=Qhrv7caT border=0/img/a a href=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?a=gMLYsSnDimg src=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?i=gMLYsSnD border=0/img/a /divimg src=http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/tvsquad/~4/ZecVPYawLrs height=1 width=1/ a target=_blank rel=nofollow href=’http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/tvsquad/~3/ZecVPYawLrs/’Via [tvsquad]/abr
Thor is going animated
November 14, 2008
brpFiled under: a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/programming/ rel=tagProgramming/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/pickups-and-renewals/ rel=tagPickups and Renewals/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/reality-free/ rel=tagReality-Free/a/pimg hspace=4 height=282 width=200 vspace=4 border=0 align=right alt=The Avengers src=http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2008/10/avengersmovienewcartoon.jpg /After the emThor /emmovie is released in 2010, Marvel will be doing a follow-up by a href=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3ifc7bb2290700c27fc1d763a69e831c37releasing an animated emThor/em series on television/a. The series doesn’t yet have a channel where it will be broadcast, but given the big Marvel hoopla nowadays, it probably won’t be a problem to find one.br /br /Granted, Thor isn’t one of Marvel’s top tier, like Spider-Man or the X-Men, but he’s easily in the second tier. Given Marvel’s current strategy of a shared universe of movies leading to span style=font-style: italic;The Avengers/span motion picture, the character will only get more popular over time.br /br /To me, the classic Marvel cartoon remains the Spider-Man one from the 60’s, but Marvel had a bunch of other cartoons in the 60’s of the original Avengers characters, including Thor, based on the Kirby comics of the time. They each had some memorable, albeit brief, opening jingles. After the jump, I’ve included the one for Thor. Sing it! Cross the Rainbow Bridge of Asgard…pa href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/11/14/thor-is-going-animated/ rel=bookmarkContinue reading emThor is going animated/em/a/pp style=clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;nbsp;/ppa href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/11/14/thor-is-going-animated/ rel=bookmark title=Permanent link to this entryPermalink/anbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/1372496/ title=Send this entry to a friend via emailEmail this/anbsp;|nbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/11/14/thor-is-going-animated/#comments title=View reader comments on this entryComments/a/p pa href=http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/AQILn6RcBvF8VqIIfIq7w4H-S4Y/aimg src=http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/AQILn6RcBvF8VqIIfIq7w4H-S4Y/i border=0 ismap=true/img/a/pdiv class=feedflare a href=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?a=p2EKQHcwimg src=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?i=p2EKQHcw border=0/img/a a href=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?a=80WAAhHbimg src=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?i=80WAAhHb border=0/img/a /divimg src=http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/tvsquad/~4/m5w6CbUvIRk height=1 width=1/ a target=_blank rel=nofollow href=’http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/tvsquad/~3/m5w6CbUvIRk/’Via [tvsquad]/abr
Finally, Mad TV is getting the boot
November 13, 2008
brpFiled under: a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/industry/ rel=tagIndustry/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/programming/ rel=tagProgramming/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/cancellations/ rel=tagCancellations/a, a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/category/reality-free/ rel=tagReality-Free/a/pimg hspace=4 height=155 width=200 vspace=4 border=0 align=right alt=Mad Television src=http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tvsquad.com/media/2008/11/madtv.jpg /After 14 years on the air, a href=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117995723.html?categoryid=14amp;cs=1Fox has finally decided to pull the plug on emMad TV/em/a. I can’t say I was an overwhelming fan but I did watch one or two of their early shows and got a chuckle out of it. The sudden revitalization of emSNL/em’s popularity was probably the final nail in that coffin (thank you, Tina Fey).br /br /Let me eulogize for a moment. Others have tried to take on the emSaturday Night Live/em juggernaut through the years and failed much more swiftly. This show lasted 14 years against it. Pretty impressive, if you ask me. It also helped launch the careers of several comedians/actors, including Alex Borstein, Orlando Jones and Artie Lange.br /br /While I don’t think emMad TV/em was the worst show on television, it wasn’t the best either. It amazes me that this show lasted 14 years on Fox while emFirefly/em was canceled before the first season finished broadcasting.p style=clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;nbsp;/ppa href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/11/12/finally-mad-tv-is-getting-the-boot/ rel=bookmark title=Permanent link to this entryPermalink/anbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/forward/1370432/ title=Send this entry to a friend via emailEmail this/anbsp;|nbsp;|nbsp;a href=http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/11/12/finally-mad-tv-is-getting-the-boot/#comments title=View reader comments on this entryComments/a/p pa href=http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/045ZNRFxwU1wXRnzUK1a2BdfS7s/aimg src=http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/045ZNRFxwU1wXRnzUK1a2BdfS7s/i border=0 ismap=true/img/a/pdiv class=feedflare a href=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?a=Q8Sh5a2gimg src=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?i=Q8Sh5a2g border=0/img/a a href=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?a=xAJSsBEWimg src=http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/weblogsinc/tvsquad?i=xAJSsBEW border=0/img/a /divimg src=http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/tvsquad/~4/jjopUC5IOnU height=1 width=1/ a target=_blank rel=nofollow href=’http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/tvsquad/~3/jjopUC5IOnU/’Via [tvsquad]/abr
