The New Season
“Veronica Mars”
Veronica's appealing, but Buffy's really a tough act to follow
By Tim Goodman San Francisco Chronicle Oct. 3, 2006

For anyone who took the wildly charming, pop culture roller-coaster ride known as "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" in the olden days of television, there was a truism you knew deep down in your soul -- the show was for the young and the young at heart, catered to disaffected and intelligent TV watchers, and reveled, for years, in a misunderstood brilliance that attracted a cult and not much more.

"Veronica Mars," entering its third season on the CW tonight (9 ET/PT), has many of the hallmarks of "Buffy," but suffers from a kind of version 2.0 downgrade because part of the charm of "Buffy" was its originality, and "Veronica," as smart and sassy as it is, will forever be seen as a cousin, if not a copy.

That's not entirely a bad thing, but it does leave you with a kind of been-to-this-genre-before jadedness. And yet, if you haven't completely lost your taste for a little youthful drama (as opposed to, say, "House," or "Law & Order") then "Veronica Mars" fills a certain nostalgic void. How many times can you find an immensely talented young woman like Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy) and now Kristen Bell (Veronica) who is 80 percent of the reason you watch in the first place (or why the show is successful)?

For her part, Bell is both outstanding and irresistible but, despite the mutual appreciation society between "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon and "Veronica" creator Rob Thomas, the fact is that "Buffy," at least to this point, is the gold standard in this limited genre and still the better show. Part of that may rest with the premise -- high school (and then college) girl slays vampires and other evil beings. There's a fantastical element that viewers went with (and the writers played with) that allowed a greater disconnect from reality (and thus any comparisons rooted in other familiar shows on the schedule).

In "Veronica Mars," Bell plays the title character who, first in high school and this season in college, becomes a crack private investigator and crime solver. Her father is her mentor and rock, her boyfriend loving but flawed, her friends equally fast-talking and hip -- the similarities to Buffy go on and on. Smart, sassy, good looking (but almost always oblivious to that power), eternally the outsider, both characters are instantly likable. But since Veronica is rooted in reality -- no vampires or living dead anywhere in the fictional town of Neptune -- the show wherein she displays her biting tongue and impressive detective skills gets cut infinitely less slack. What hurts "Veronica Mars" is the milieu in which she's cast. Somewhere between "Monk" and "Scooby-Doo" is the feel of the mysteries presented in the series (not so much the actual whodunit, which can be convoluted, but the route taken to the solving of the crime). So maybe it's a problem of gravitas.

Then again, the mysteries at hand are not really why anyone would watch "Veronica Mars." Bell is the reason you watch. And the way Thomas and his writers are able to make her a girl-power heroine with enough pop-culture asides and cutting remarks to not make the whole thing feel corny. Certainly Bell can take viewers through a half season before they desire something more meaty from the ensemble or the story -- she's that good.

But the problem with cult shows that eagerly desire (and certainly need) a larger audience, is that if said available audience (heretofore watching something else, presumably) gets wind of all the hype (and there's been lots of it for "Veronica Mars"), its expectations may be too high. For all of its wondrous charms and agreeable reasons for watching, the fact is that after Bell and a smattering of quote-worthy dialogue, "Veronica Mars" probably doesn't have enough dramatic heft to break out of its own cult status. That doesn't make it unworthy of attention, but leaves it somewhat shy of greatness.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/10/03/DDGPOLFNVM1.DTL

Amazing how the BB ratings have fallen over the years. I wonder what the SB audience looks like.

The New Season
"Friday Night Lights" shine(s)
By Aaron Barnhart Kansas City Star in his blog “TV Barn”

“Friday Night Lights,” (airing 8 PM ET/PT Tuesday on NBC), is about a small town in Texas that's consumed by high school football. What makes this show so surprisingly watchable is how it plays the townfolk off their team.

Most sports dramas are all about Our Boys Vs. Their Boys, coach against coach. Indeed, right now there's an elaborate Nike ad campaign running on TV that plays off those clichés. Every commercial ends with the slogan, “Football Is Everything,” and unlike almost everything else on the tube, that's not meant ironically. “Friday Night Lights” asks: What if you had to live that slogan 24/7?

Based on the true-life Buzz Bissinger book that also inspired a movie, this show plays like a documentary. It's a study of Dillon, a (fictional) community obsessed with just one thing. Go out to eat, attend a book club, try to shop and there they are -- the faithful. The fans. The family members of your boys, who are hoping a moment of glory will change all their lives forever. If there's anyone in Dillon who doesn't have an opinion about the team, we don't see or hear from them.

Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) has just rolled into Dillon High on a wave of great expectations. He's softer-edged than the coach in Bissinger's book, who callously pulls the names of his seniors off the bulletin board at season's end and throws them into the trash. If they wanted that kind of coach for TV, they wouldn't have cast Chandler. He loves his wife (Connie Britton, equally appealing) and his brainy daughter (Aimee Teegarden) and seems to have time for them even during football season. And he cares about his kids.

I've seen two episodes of “Friday Night Lights” and so far, it is mostly about these relationships, and much less about the drama of game time. I can't say enough how “Friday Night Lights” defied my expectations for what a TV show about football would be. A lot of this has to do with the way it was filmed. There's a jumpy, washed-out look and feel to it, not unlike what you see on FX's “The Shield” or “Rescue Me,” which makes sense since NBC's head programmer is Kevin Reilly, who used to hold the same job at FX as those signature shows were being developed.

But what if most people tuning in are expecting a more conventional show about sports? The expectations of the people of Dillon, Texas, are one thing -- those of NBC's audience another.

http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/2006/10/fall_tv_friday_.html#more

The New Season
''Studio 60'' Again
By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog

Maybe this is the late hour and the caffeine talking -- although, based on some conversations with other viewers this morning, I doubt it. Your thoughts?

http://blogs.ohio.com/beacon_tv/

My thoughts are that Rich needs to lay off the late night caffeine. Good Heavens man, give it a chance before you start predicting it's going off the rails. :rolleyes: It could be that the sketches aren't very good on purpose. And that's what Matt Perry's expression is supposed to convey.

This is the type of densely textured show that's going to need a few weeks to hit its stride. Patience will be rewarded; Sorkin won't let us down.

I hope you are right, archiguy. But I am tending to agree with Rich on this one.

I am certainly going to give it as much time as it needs, but sadly it already has fallen from the must-see-at-once category for me.

''Studio 60'' Again
By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog

I fear the wheels are falling off the bus with this one.

After last night's show I agree with Rich, and Fred.

Let's hope Rich and I are wrong, RemyM.

The New Season
Couric Slides To Third Place
By Allison Romano Broadcasting & Cable 10/3/2006

In her fourth week as anchor of CBS Evening News, Katie Couric fell to third place in overall audience in the network evening news race, although she held onto a piece of the lead in the key news demo.

For the week of Sept. 25 to 29, NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams led the pack with 8.17 million viewers, followed by ABC World News with Charles Gibson's 7.56 million viewers. CBS was third with an average 7.49 million viewers.

In the adults 25 to 54 demographic, NBC and CBS were tied with 2.1 ratings/9 shares, while ABC registered a 2.0/9.

After opening to huge ratings in early September -- including 13.6 million viewers on her debut night Sept. 5 --Couric's numbers have settled down considerably as regular news viewers get into their viewing routines. In the last two weeks, NBC's Williams has reclaimed his spot as the most-watched newscast, although the margin over ABC and CBS has been tight.

CBS notes that Couric's performance is still well-ahead of the broadcast's ratings a year ago, particularly in the demo. In the last three weeks, Couric has averaged 7.7 million viewers, up from 6.8 million for the same period a year ago. In the 25 to 54 news demo, Evening News is averaging a 2.1/9, up from a 1.7/7 a year ago.

For the same three week period (Sept. 11 to Sept. 29, 2006) Williams is averaging 8.1 million viewers and a 2.1/9 in the demo, while Gibson is pacing with 7.5 million viewers and a 2.0/9.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6377502

Last week’s complete network average prime-time results (with demographic averages) are now at the bottom of RATINGS NEWS the first post in this thread.

I couldn't disagree more.

The critics do tend to travel in packs, and some of them, it appears to me, write to impress each other rather than to inform the audience.

But buzz to me always heightens my interest...as does reverse buzz.

...

Sorry you didn't enjoy this season of "The Closer". I thought the show just got better and better.

On the other hand, I don't disagree with your basic premise: too many shows get critical acclaim but don't really -- to me at least -- deliver. I guess we just disagree on what shows are worth watching.

(And in the inrerest of full disclosure I finally got around to watching "Justice" last night. It got almost no buzz -- and not many viewers either -- but I found it wonderful, if generally predictable, entertainment. Watched six episodes back-to-back. We are all allowed a few cheesy shows, I hope.)

one thing that critical buzz tends to do is convince me to try something I may not have watched otherwise. At the end of the day you can make your own decision about a show but if you chose your viewing based simply on a plot synopsis and the lead cast, you would probably miss out on lots of good under-the-radar shows. Veronica Mars seems to be a prime example of that and Buffy would probably have tanked if it hadn't been supported by word of mouth. After all, the overall concept was totally stupid.

Critic buzz about James Woods in Shark convinced me to watch that last week. The premise of another lawyer show didn't really excite me but I thought it was great. The critics got that spot on. James Woods is fantastically entertaining. Studio 60 being another example this season - but I'm not totally sold on that yet.

I agree with The Closer. I thought the first season was okay but the second was a big imrovement. Sharper, funnier and much more interesting for all the characters.

Justice was my first viewing casualty. It was extremly polished and slick but the characters were very empty. A bit of a wasted role for Victor Garber.

I hope you are right, archiguy. But I am tending to agree with Rich on this one.

I am certainly going to give it as much time as it needs, but sadly it already has fallen from the must-see-at-once category for me.

I'm with you on this one fredfa. It started out promising, but things are not looking so rosy anymore. Of course, given that everything I remain impressed with usually gets the axe, maybe this non-endorsement will have a reverse effect.

Last week’s updated top 10 prime-time program ratings are now toward the bottom of RATINGS NEWS -- the first post in this thread.

The New Season
New Shows Nielsens: Week Two

Rank Program Viewers In Millions
6 NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL 16.94
9 UGLY BETTY 16.32
15 SHARK 14.64
22 HEROES 14.10
24 BROTHERS & SISTERS 13.46
28 SUNDAY NIGHT NFL PRE-KICK 11.78
30 HELP ME HELP YOU 11.48
31 JERICHO 11.47
33 STUDIO 6 10.83
37 SIX DEGREES 10.15
41 FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 3 9.68
42 SMITH 9.67
48 CLASS, THE 8.48
51 STANDOFF 7.95
55 SAT NIGHT FOOTBALL 7.75
60 JUSTICE 7.05
63 MEN IN TREES 6.92
65 VANISHED 6.47
67-tie KIDNAPPED 6.34
69 TIL DEATH SP-10/1 8:30P 6.31
70 FOOTBALL NT AMERICA PT 2 6.27
71 SAT NIGHT FTBL PRE-GAME 5.95
73 TIL DEATH 5.72
80 HEROES 9/26 4.86
96 GIRLFRIENDS 2.74
97 GAME, THE 2.60
100 ALL OF US 2.30
101 RUNAWAY 2.18
102 RUNAWAY-9/26 1.65

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data, ABC TV

Cable Nielsens
ESPN Wins Big With Football Coverage
By Anne Becker Broadcasting & Cable 10/3/2006

Football, football and more football helped ESPN handily win the basic cable ratings game last week. The network averaged 3.54 million total viewers during prime for the week ending Oct. 1, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Sept. 25's Falcons/Saints game at 8:30 p.m. was the week's most viewed program, with a huge 15 million total viewers. College football on Thurs. night, Sept. 28, was the week's fifth most viewed basic cable showing with 4.07 million viewers.

Coming in second for the week was USA with 2.47 million viewers in prime on always strong wrestling and Law & Order: SVU numbers. Non ad-supported Disney took third with 2.38 million viewers. The network's Oct. 1 Halloweentown movie was the week's second most-viewed program with 4.61 million total viewers. TNT, Nick at Nite followed with 1.81 million and 1.40 million total viewers in prime, respectively.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6377722

I was critical of Vanished after the pilot, but it has done nothing but get better since. The mystery is quite well done, especially after last night's "shocker" at the end. I hope Fox has the dignity (after Reunion last year) to give the show 13 episodes, with an early warning about cancellation so the writers can wrap everything up at the end of the 13th episode.

The Sunday NFL HD schedules are now at the top of the first post.

The New Season
“Studio 60”
By Tim Goodman San Francisco Chronicle in his TV blog “The Bastard Machine”

“…I watched "Studio 60" tonight. You know what? I love that show. The ratings are good, not great. I'll know more when the overnights come in for Ep. 3. But I can't shake the feeling that the series will eventually not matter to the heartland, and possibly beyond. That's the danger with an industry show. Every episode I watch, I think Aaron Sorkin has written it for me. I keep thinking, "Somebody in Dayton is going to think this is too self-important for its own good." I hope I'm wrong about that. But I'm probably not. Sorkin loves television. He has a keen eye for how it works from conception to cancellation. And it seems, in these first three episodes, that he's lining up and assassinating old nemeses, old issues, past grudges, flaws in the system, stereotypical but true executives - you name it. Then it hit me. Maybe he's ticking off all his targets in the first few episodes precisely because he wants to get them in before the show goes up in flames. Brilliant!

Yes. And more.

Long may the show live. And why shouldn't one man be allowed to take entertainment and the business of entertainment seriously? I mean, it's only the most powerful medium on the planet, the drug of the nation, why does he have to treat it like it's drastically less important than it really is? I've read the comments about how it seems "Studio 60" doesn't work as well as "West Wing" because the latter had gravitas and the former is merely about the TV industry. To which I say - if the government was run as ruthlessly as the TV business, if politics had the kind of instant accountability to the people that the TV industry has to viewers, we'd have a better ruling class. Sayeth Omar: No doubt.

Anyway, I love the series. I'll watch every episode until they kill it….”

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/indexn?blogid=24

The Business of TV
Appeals Court Stays TiVo Injunction vs. Dish
MultiChannel News 10/3/2006

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit granted a request by EchoStar Communications to stay a permanent injunction imposed by the U.S. District Court to prevent the direct-broadcast satellite provider from making, using, offering for sale or selling in the United States the digital-video-recorder products involved in the case.

The U.S. District Court decision was handed down Aug. 18, but EchoStar appealed it.

TiVo originally sued EchoStar in January 2004, alleging that Dish violated its “time warp” patent.

“We are confident that the jury's decision in TiVo's favor will be upheld once the Federal Circuit has the opportunity to review the entire record in this case,” the DVR vendor said in a prepared statement. “It is important to note that most injunctions in patent cases are stayed pending appeal, and the appeal itself will be decided on a totally different standard of review.”

http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleid=CA6377771

The Business of TV
EchoStar Gets Breathing Room in TiVo Case
By Glen Dickson Broadcasting & Cable 10/3/2006

EchoStar customers can continue using their digital video recorder (DVR)-equipped set-tops for the foreseeable future, or at least as long as it takes EchoStar to appeal a court ruling against it in the satellite operator's long-running patent-dispute with DVR supplier TiVo.

On Monday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit granted EchoStar's request to stay an injunction issued against it on August 17 by a U.S. District Court, pending EchoStar's appeal. That injunction, issued by Texas-based U.S. District Court Judge David Folsom, finalized an earlier court ruling that EchoStar had infringed on TiVo's time-shifting patents and called for EchoStar to shut down its DVR service within 30 days and pay TiVo $89.6 million in damages. EchoStar quickly secured a stay of Folsom's order from the U.S. Court of Appeals, and Monday's ruling upholds that stay for the length of EchoStar's appeal.

“We are pleased the Federal Court found that EchoStar has a 'substantial case on the merits' and blocked the Texas decision for the duration of the appeal," declared EchoStar in a statement. "This action by the Federal Court reinforces our belief that the Texas court made significant errors during the trial process and we look forward to complete vindication of our position. As a result of the Court action, our customers will not be disrupted and all of our DVR models will continue to be available through the EchoStar distribution system.”

For its part, TiVo remains confident that it will ultimately be vindicated.

"We are confident that the jury's decision in TiVo's favor will be upheld once the Federal Circuit has the opportunity to review the entire record in this case," said TiVo in a statement. "It is important to note that most injunctions in patent cases are stayed pending appeal, and the appeal itself will be decided on a totally different standard of review."

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6377781.html?display=Breaking+News

About Studio 60, it seems like every critic wants to convince themselves the show is not going to make it. They are all saying the same thing, great show but the heartland doesn't get it. They all sound like a bunch of elitists to me who all spin the same story from talking points faxed to them each day. I get it and I'm watching it and I'm in heartland. Who knows why people are not watching it? I don't think it is because we are not smart enough to "get it".

Fred, I still read everyday! Keep up the great work!

Chuck

Has anyone seen numbers for the Christmas episode and s2 premiere of Doctor Who?

Critic’s Notebook
More ''Little People. Big World''
By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog

We recently put a piece about ''Little People, Big World,'' on the cover of our weekly TV supplement. I'm also posting the text here, not least because what I wrote was largely inspired by all the ''LPBW'' comments posted here on the blog. So thank you for that. And here's the column:

It's easy to think of television as CSI and Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and House and Deal or No Deal. In other words, high-profile shows on the major broadcast networks.

But, based on my e-mail and comments on my blog, plenty of people base their viewing happiness on things like ABC Family's Wildfire and Discovery Kids' Flight 29 Down and TLC's Little People, Big World. They may not be must viewing in your house, but they are in others.

That's especially true of Little People, Big World, which begins its second season at 8 p.m. Saturday on The Learning Channel. Weeks after posting a notice about the second season on my blog, I was still getting euphoric comments from fans. One said it had "the coolest family 2 watch on tv."

It is the Roloffs, an Oregon family consisting of husband-and-wife Matt and Amy, each 4 feet tall, and their four children, only one of whom is a little person.

The hook to the show is seeing how little people cope with daily life. That includes everything from driving a car to being part of the little-people community to how it feels to be 16 and shorter than your much younger brother.

But once that gets people to tune in for the first time, there's a better reason to stay: The Roloffs are very much like other families.

Sometimes things are good, sometimes not. Sometimes the children behave, sometimes not. When the family plans a special getaway to mark the 16th birthdays of the non-identical twins, it includes family quarrels, the youngest son's longing to play with the older boys, Amy trying to make sure her children all get the attention they need and issues of behavior that will be familiar to any adult who has had to deal with a teenager.

This gets to what makes Little People, Big World so good. Matters of size are never forgotten, but neither are they constantly pushed to the foreground.

Unlike some reality shows desperate to create constant drama, this show has no problem showing the family just going about a day -- even if the biggest things on the day are a struggle with some grocery bags and a little teasing at dinner.

http://blogs.ohio.com/beacon_tv/

About Studio 60, it seems like every critic wants to convince themselves the show is not going to make it. They are all saying the same thing, great show but the heartland doesn't get it. They all sound like a bunch of elitists to me who all spin the same story from talking points faxed to them each day. I get it and I'm watching it and I'm in heartland. Who knows why people are not watching it? I don't think it is because we are not smart enough to "get it".

Fred, I still read everyday! Keep up the great work!

Chuck


Thanks for the kind words, Chuck.

But I think the critics are split on "Studio 60". (Read the Tim Goodman piece I posted a little earlier as one example.)

But they do read the ratings, which have been less than NBC hoped, and trending downward.

Personally, Studio 60 was the show I most anticipated this fall. I really liked the pilot, was somewhat disappointed in episode two, and far more dismayed by number three.

I can't quite put my finger on what is bothering me, but it has something to do with the characters. They seem almost cartoon-like to me, not real at all.

Look, no matter what your political beliefs (and President Barlet and staff would have hard a hard time getting my vote, not that it matters) "West Wing" brought out fully nuanced characters.

What we have seen so far -- and I know it is only three episodes -- is a slimy, ass-covering, almost pathetic goof who runs the network, a group of not terribly interesting losers who put on the show, a holier-than-thou drug abuser (obviously Sorkin's alter-ego) and Matthew Perry who seems incapable of making any rational decision without the Bradley Whitford telling him what to do.

I want to love this show. I need a show I can't wait to see. A West Wing or an NYPD Blue or an American Dreams or a Sex In The City. Something that makes me laugh and think and enjoy watching. So far Studio 60 just doesn't seem like it will fill the bill for me.

To get back to your point (finally!) Chuck, I don't think Middle America is too dumb to get it. I think it is just the reverse: viewers are too smart to be sucked in to a series which, so far at least, has given them plastic characters, unbelievable storylines and no one to root for.

In my mind Heldenfels had it right: a network chief exposed for an 8-year-old DUI big news? Not on this planet. Especially not when a top producer of a major show had just been hired after a drug bust.

And the head of the Fort Wayne station makes top network execs quake? Maybe back in the day. Today there is no way.

Maybe Sorkin needs a number of episodes to introduce us to all his characters. I'll keep watching, and hoping he finds them before we lose interest.

There is simply no comparison between these three episodes and with the first few episodes of "West Wing". We quickly got to know Josh, Sam, Toby, Leo, C.J. and the entire staff. And (unless we found their politics so abhorrent we couldn't stand to watch) we generally liked them. We enjoyed their quirks and their failings and their humanness.

I just don't see any humanity in Studio 60 yet. Perry's trying to get back at people he thinks abandoned him years earlier. Whitford would rather be directing a movie. The network honcho would rather not have Amanda Peet foisted on him. So who do we care about -- and why?

Be that as it may, I'll continue to post stories by critics I agree with and those who love the show. Studio 60 is better than a whole lot of other programs, at least in my mind. But for me it has been a major disappointment so far.

End of rant. Sorry to have gotten to carried away.

The New`Season
'Lost' returns in fine form despite flaws
By Robert Bianco USA Today

The best is back.

Not quite at its best, mind you. I prefer Lost when it's less claustrophobic and more optimistic than it is in Wednesday's much-anticipated third-season premiere. But whether you love this episode or not (and some assuredly will), there is just something about the show's sweep, reach and audacity that lifts Lost so far above the run-of-the-mill norm, it might as well be on its own island.

If you doubt that claim, all you have to do is watch the astounding opening segment of this episode, written by Lost co-creators Damon Lindelof and J.J. Abrams. In one eye-popping five-minute stretch, they and director Jack Bender encapsulate the show's signature style and appeal: the contrast of beautiful scenery with hideous events, the note of tension that plays under even the most seemingly benign behavior, the images that seem to be one thing and turn out to be another, and the characters who cry out for further exploration.

Though there are many characters worth exploring, most of them will have to wait for another week. Tonight's tightly focused outing stays centered on Jack (Matthew Fox), Sawyer (Josh Holloway) and Kate (Evangeline Lilly), who are being held captive by Henry Gale (Michael Emerson) and The Others — which is where we left them at the end of last season.

Separated from each other, the captives respond in ways fans have come to expect. Jack is aggressive and proactive, determined to fix the situation as quickly as he can. Sawyer is insolent. And Kate, who has gone through a bad stretch, is defeated.

As if they were trapped in a particularly intense episode of The Prisoner, or maybe Planet of the Apes, the three captives face a bizarre array of tasks and punishments as they are set upon by captors whose behavior seems inexplicable. Secrets are revealed, escape plans are made, but the overriding tone is one of despair.

Though all three endure physical torments, the torment of memory is reserved for Jack, the show's nominal hero and our surrogate on the island. At a low point in his island stint, Jack flashes back to a low point in his life: his divorce from his wife (Julie Bowen) and his conflict with his father (John Terry).

With so few characters on display and so little interaction with the rest of the island, tonight's premiere may be smaller in scale and more scenically confined than some would like. The advantage, though, is that you ease back into the show without needing to remember exactly where you left off.

And where was that? When last we saw them, Michael had retrieved Walt from The Others — his reward for leading Jack, Kate and Sawyer into a trap — and the two of them headed off the island. Hurley had been sent back to camp to warn the castaways to keep their distance; Sayid, Jin and Sun were exploring uncharted island territory; and Locke, Eko and Desmond were dealing with the consequences of destroying the hatch, their fates still up in the air.

Even with so many castaways sidelined, this is a fine start for a great series, yet it does raise red flags. After a season where he seemed to be outsmarted at every turn, it would be nice to see Jack win one again for the team. Yes, we want him to be a fully drawn human with flaws, but he's in danger of becoming all flaw and no hero.

What's more, while myth and fantasy are a large part of Lost's appeal, the writers have to be careful not to let the intricacies of the myth overwhelm the show. The don't-go-there template is not X-Files; it's Alias, a series that became so entranced by its puzzle and its villains that it let the main characters vanish behind them.

We're not headed down that road yet. But even the best shows have to be wary of what's ahead, and ready to step back.

When a show is this good, we can't afford to let it get lost.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/reviews/2006-10-03-lost-review_x.htm

End of rant. Sorry to have gotten to carried away.

And a good rant it was. It mimics my feelings on this show pretty closely. OMG fredfa, you've come to the dark side.

The New`Season
Second verse, same as the first
By Ed Bark former Dallas Morning News TV critic at his website unclebarky.com

CBS again took the prime-time crown in total viewers, ABC prevailed with 18-to-49-year-olds and NBC showed the most year-to-year improvement in Week 2 (Sept. 25-Oct. 1) of the new fall season.

That made for the same picture as opening week, although two new big splashes changed the terrain on Monday and Thursday nights.

Last Thursday's premiere of ABC's Ugly Betty ranked ninth in total viewers and tied for 15th among advertiser-coveted 18-to-49-year-olds. And NBC's Sept. 25 launch of Heroes placed eighth with younger viewers.

The season-to-date ratings show NBC making significant strides from a year ago. The Peacock network is up 13 percent in total viewers and 18 percent with 18-to-49-year-olds. So far It's the only network to show gains in both categories.

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

http://www.unclebarky.com/reviews.html

And a good rant it was. It mimics my feelings on this show pretty closely. OMG fredfa, you've come to the dark side.I agree with both of you. This is a show that had a lot of cast and crew promise, but has so far really disappointed. Maybe if I didn't know that they could all do so much better, I wouldn't be so critical, but...... I also wonder how much Matthew Perry's reported off-screen difficulties have to do with the tempo of the show and the interaction of actors?

The New`Season
Back To Basics
By Marc Berman in MediaWeek Magazine

I hate to speak negatively about a show I have been touting for years, but CW made a mistake bringing back WB staple 7th Heaven. Although even a diluted performance for this feel-good family drama (4.19 million viewers and a 1.5/4 among adults 18-49 for its 11th season-opener on Sept. 25, according to Nielsen Media Research data) is still better than a lot of what the new network is offering, one look at the almost childless Camden clan and one gets the feeling the house is depressingly half empty. While you could say the situation mirrors real life (the kids get older; they leave for lives of their own), it this really a scenario worth playing out?

Jessica Biel and Barry Watson (who is trying to breathe life into struggling ABC drama What About Brian) are, of course, long gone. But the absence of David Gallagher as Simon and Mackenzie Rosman as teenage Ruthie (who was shipped off to boarding school in Scotland) leaves only married Lucy (Beverley Mitchell) and the two worst kid actors in the history of television, Nikolas and Lorenzo Brino, as twins Sam and David. Just like the almost mute Chris and Tracy Partridge on The Partridge Family and Little House on the Prairie's Carrie Ingalls, the most dialogue you can give those two is a few sentences per show. And it's painful watching them get through it.

What was once a house filled with the sounds of siblings is now sadly reminiscent, in a reverse way, to when the children on The Waltons were left to struggle on their own. Without the parents and grandparents in the ninth, and final season, this show should have been put to rest. Even with seven children, the house seemed eerily empty.

It is hard sometimes for a viewer to let go of his favorite series. I know I sometimes criticize the networks for canceling well-regarded shows when the audience is not large enough to warrant a larger shelf life. But there are times when the networks need to intervene, to cut the apron strings and free viewers from their dependency. 7th Heaven is is need of some serious snipping. Who will exit next, Happy the dog?

Elsewhere, like so many other viewers last season, I gave up ABC's increasingly sloppy Desperate Housewives for HBO's The Sopranos (which, by the way, will not be returning until at least March 2007, as it finishes its final season. Now there's a show that knows when to stop.) While it's unlikely the occupants of Wisteria Lane will ever recapture the magic of that freshman year, I will say that setting up a murder mystery for the four leading ladies to ponder all season is a step in the right direction.

As for former lead-out Grey's Anatomy, which is beating CBS' competing CSI on Thursday, I still don't get what all the fuss is about. Isn't this show really nothing more than a serialized soap disguising itself as a medical drama?

One veteran show I am starting to enjoy again is CBS' Two and a Half Men, which became increasingly unrealistic last season as Charlie Sheen's character slept with a new woman in almost every episode. It seems as if this season, they are making Sheen's character less of a playboy, perhaps a bit more mature. And I have always liked Jon Cryer in his role as prime time's most convincing fussbudget since Tony Randall on The Odd Couple. I do have one suggestion: Give us more of Conchata Ferrell (who I still fondly remember as the hooker on short-lived sitcom gem The Hot L Baltimore) and Holland Taylor.

I am also enjoying Two and a Half Men lead-out The New Adventures of Old Christine, thanks to the best physical comedienne on TV today, Julia Louis-Dreyfus. But the sitcom would be better if it dropped her painfully bland TV hubby. They have absolutely no chemistry together.

Despite this welcome abundance of original scripted programming options, two shows I still can't get enough of are ABC's Dancing With the Stars and CBS' Survivor: Cook Island. Although reality tends to get buried in the summer months when the networks overload the schedules with it, just the right amount of nonscripted options will always have a place in the regular season.

Wednesday Premieres

8 PM ET/PT 20 Good Years - NBC (Series Premiere) HD
9 PM ET/PT Lost - ABC HD
10 PM ET/PT The Nine - ABC (Series Premiere) HD

The New Season
“The Nine”
After a Bank Robbery Ends, the Real Drama Begins
By Alessandra Stanley The New York Times Oct. 4, 2006

The best love stories grow out of a chance encounter. And thrillers are most intriguing when carefully planned crimes crumble into random acts of violence.

“The Nine,” an ABC drama that begins tonight, has a bit of both. A bank heist in Los Angeles goes awry and something terrible happens. Once the siege is over, the nine hostages, most of them strangers, emerge sharing secrets and unexpected bonds.

And while “The Nine” was clearly inspired by ABC’s “Lost,” and looks a lot like a slew of other new “Lost”- alikes, including “Smith” and “Heroes,” this version is less far-fetched and more grown-up. There is nothing supernatural behind the mystery, and there is no deep-rooted government conspiracy lurking behind seemingly mundane events. But suspense builds, personalities strengthen and change, and “The Nine” takes on a life of its own.

Viewers are not told much at all about what happened inside the bank once the robbers seize control. “It will all be over in five minutes,” is what one of two bank robbers tells employees and customers after overpowering a security guard. The next thing on screen are the words “52 hours later.” Slivers of information are doled out in fleeting, jagged flashbacks filmed in washed-out shades of indigo, with lots of time-lapse photography.

But inside that sleek veneer of artsy cinematography, there is a cornier, old-fashioned core.

A little like old World War II movies where a platoon served as a crucible for an idealized cross-section of America — the softhearted tough guy from Brooklyn, the standoffish bookworm, the fast-talking card shark, et al. — a bank robbery in “The Nine” throws together an array of contemporary archetypes. They include Nick (Tim Daly), an insubordinate detective with a gambling problem; Kathryn (Kim Raver), a career-obsessed prosecutor; Jeremy (Scott Wolf), a hotshot Jewish surgeon; Franny (Camille Guaty), a sexy Hispanic bank teller; and Egan (John Billingsley), a meek, depressed office worker. They have almost nothing in common, except the fellowship of danger.

People react differently at gunpoint. Egan performs a rash, heroic act, while competent, self-assured Jeremy does something so despicable under the same circumstances that his girlfriend, Lizzie (Jessica Collins), cannot look him in the eye after their rescue. What he did, or failed to do, is not divulged in the premiere, but it must have been unforgivable. “It was a moment, Lizzie, a moment,” Jeremy pleads after the danger has passed. “Does it have to mean everything?”

And once the crisis ebbs, people emerge markedly altered. Lizzie is a vegetarian, but she makes herself a bacon-and-egg breakfast the morning after. Kathryn, a cool, superthin assistant district attorney who prides herself on being tough and all business (she talks shop even when stripped down to her black lace underwear and in bed with her boss), suddenly goes soft. Back at work, she refuses to coerce a witness who is scared to testify. And she also seems less interested in her boss than a fellow hostage.

Felicia (Dana Davis), the ebullient teenage daughter of Malcolm (Chi McBride), the bank manager, is so disturbed by the experience she blocks it out completely, telling police and her mother that she has no memory of the robbery. And one of the robbers appears to have developed reverse Stockholm syndrome; he identifies with his hostages.

This year, suspense is the new forensics: instead of grisly crimes that are neatly wrapped up by episode’s end, many of the new dramas stretch the plot through an entire season, holding viewers’ attention by withholding a denouement and ending each episode with a cliffhanger.

It’s a formula that worked spectacularly well for “24” and “Lost,” but those hit series succeeded in part because they stood out as exceptions to the rule. “Lost” found a cult following, particularly among younger viewers who take an obsessive interest in the show’s more minuscule clues, a blogger’s version of Talmudic exegesis. “24” uses a real-time countdown gimmick and high-tech gadgetry as bait. The ending is always certain — Jack Bauer saves the world from a dastardly terrorist plot — but the 24-hour manhunts pile on enough “Perils of Pauline” twists to keep viewers hooked and buying the DVD’s.

Not many people have time and energy to commit themselves to yet another series that requires weekly loyalty and close attention. And there are so many catastrophes to choose from this season, from nuclear Armageddon on “Jericho” to genetic mutation on “Heroes.”

“The Nine” is content with a robbery, and its unintended consequences. It’s a disaster movie about how one moment in the wrong place at the wrong time can transform the most ordinary life. It’s worth watching, even more than once.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/04/arts/television/04stan.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=television&pagewanted=print

The New Season
Weekly Nielsen Notebook
'Ugly Betty' sitting pretty
By Gary Levin USA Today Oct. 4, 2006

•Very pretty. ABC's Ugly Betty showed signs of becoming the season's first breakout hit:
With no lead-in support, the 8 p.m. ET/PT series opened with 16.3 million viewers Thursday, the most-watched of any debut series, and finished a close second to Survivor.

•Heroic. Heroes also scored Monday with 14.1 million viewers — NBC's biggest series premiere — building off its Deal or No Deal lead-in. Less impressive: Ted Danson's ABC comedy Help Me Help You (11.5 million), which finished third and flubbed too much of its Dancing With the Stars lead-in.

•CSI showdown. At 9, CSI (23.8 million) edged out Grey's Anatomy (23.5 million) and narrowed Grey's lead among young-adult viewers to 19%, from 43% a week earlier. Grey's slipped by 2 million viewers, while CSI gained 1.2 million.

•It's criminal. CBS' steady achiever Criminal Minds hit a series-high 16.5 million viewers Wednesday, ranking first for the night.

•Week 2 falloffs. Danger signs for new series The Class, Six Degrees and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, each down 19% vs. their week-earlier premieres. Better: Smith (down 12%), Brothers & Sisters (—14%), Jericho (—2%) and Shark (—1%). A 10% drop is considered typical.

•CW slowdown. After a strong start for America's Next Top Model, Gilmore Girls (4.5 million) and Smallville (5 million) posted or tied their worst starts yet. The season premieres of resurrected 7th Heaven (4.2 million) and Sunday transplants Everybody Hates Chris (2.4 million) and Girlfriends (2.7 million) hit series lows. Sunday's The Game premiere scored 2.6 million.

•Monday madness. ESPN's Monday Night Football (15 million viewers) beat all broadcast networks that night, marking another record for the cable network. It was the No. 2 cable telecast ever, behind CNN's 1993 NAFTA debate between Ross Perot and Al Gore.

•Cable newbies. Showtime's dark Dexter (603,000 viewers) and E!'s House of Carters (811,000) premiered modestly Sunday but improved on recent series averages.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-10-03-nielsen-analysis_x.htm

Personally, Studio 60 was the show I most anticipated this fall. I really liked the pilot, was somewhat disappointed in episode two, and far more dismayed by number three.

I can't quite put my finger on what is bothering me, but it has something to do with the characters. They seem almost cartoon-like to me, not real at all.

I couldn't agree more.
Also, watching Bradley Whitford makes me think that Josh left politics to go into the TV business, he feels like the same person.

I couldn't agree more.
Also, watching Bradley Whitford makes me think that Josh left politics to go into the TV business, he feels like the same person.Oh so true, but I still like him. :)

I had noted awhile back that I thought Studio 60 while possibly being very well written, would not play well with a large enough audience, and that seems to becoming the reality per the ratings.

OTOH, Friday Night Lights, a show I have purposely avoided reading the reviews about, instead relying on my remembrance on the film of the same name, I think has the potential to be the best new show of the year, and, as a bonus, should play well to a much larger audience. I really think NBC has a winner here, but like flint350 and others here, my endorsement usually means the kiss-of-death more often than not lately.

I don't know, Jim.

Based on the reviews, which finally convinced me to watch FNL, I expected it to be a bit less about football. OTOH, I too found it to be a marvelous program.

But were I NBC, I might have made it something akin to one of those cable shows and bought a 13-week committment.

I am not sure how they are going to milk 24 episodes, but I'll be happy to see them try.

I don't know, Jim.

Based on the reviews, which finally convinced me to watch FNL, I expected it to be a bit less about football. OTOH, I too found it to be a marvelous program.

But were I NBC, I might have made it something akin to one of those cable shows and bought a 13-week committment.

I am not sure how they are going to milk 24 episodes, but I'll be happy to see them try.
It's only the first episode, and like you, I would hope, and I expect that it will be, much deeper than just about about football. There's already the genesis for some great storylines for some of these characters, I just hope it doesn't go soap opera style.

The TV Column
The Week’s Winners and Losers
Viewers Pick and Choose Their Thursday Must-Sees
By Lisa de Moraes Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, October 4, 2006; C07

Four of last week's top 10 programs were jammed onto the same night: Thursday. The top two -- CBS's "CSI" and ABC's "Grey's Anatomy -- both crowded into the 9 p.m. time slot, and No. 7-ranked "Survivor: Cook Islands" and No. 9-ranked "Ugly Betty" had to share 8 p.m. Is this any way to run a business?

Here's a look at the week's happy and dopey:

WINNERS

"Ugly Betty." Ugly: the new hot. Thursday's unveiling, watched by more than 16 million viewers, is the best start for any new series so far this season. It's also ABC's best Thursday-at-8 number with a scripted show in more than a decade.

"Heroes." Monday's premiere delivered NBC's biggest audience for any fall drama in five years -- about 14 million viewers.

"ER." Doddering NBC doc drama crushed its Thursday freshman competition, ABC's "Six Degrees" and CBS's "Shark," among young viewers. To do so, "ER" had to build on its lame "Deal or No Deal" lead-in by 91 percent.

Barbara Walters. Babs sheds croc tears with widow of Croc Hunter and young women especially lap it up, turning the "20/20" special into ABC's biggest newsmag audience since May '05.

"America's Funniest Home Videos." ABC's 17-year-old series opened with its biggest season-debut audience in four years -- nearly 9 million viewers.

"CSIs." All three shows in the CBS body-parts franchise landed in last week's Top 10.

LOSERS

"Celebrity Duets." By the time Fox's latest singing competition crawled to a close on Friday, all but 3.6 million Americans had ceased to care. It was the least watched original broadcast on a Big Four network last week. This one won't be back.

"Lost" clip job. Last year ABC ran a "Lost" clip job leading into the second-season debut; it clocked more than 15 million viewers. This year, ABC ran the clip job a full week before the "Lost" season-opener and it attracted only 9 million viewers.

The CW. They took the best of the WB and the best of UPN and put them together . . . and snagged slightly fewer viewers than either defunct network had last year in the same week. Dissecting CW's week: "Gilmore Girls" opened down 28 percent compared with last year's debut, "7th Heaven" was down 23 percent, "Smallville" was down 16 percent, "Supernatural" was down 31 percent and CW's Sunday didn't open. Bright spots? "America's Next Top Model" . . . and "Smackdown!"

Freshman time-slot slackers. This year three freshman series air after the top three shows on television: "Six Degrees" (follows "Grey's Anatomy"), "Shark" (follows "CSI") and "Brothers & Sisters" (follows "Desperate Housewives"). Despite their privileged backgrounds, spunky self-starter "Ugly Betty" beat all three last week in total audience, while spunky self-starter "Heroes" beat two of the three among younger viewers.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/03/AR2006100301346_pf.html

The New Season
'Lost' returns; 'The Nine' premieres
By Ellen Gray Philadelphia Daily News Wed, Oct. 04, 2006

You could say that Alexander Graham Bell's the guy who made it possible for J.J. Abrams to be producing three ABC shows filming in three different places: "Six Degrees" in New York, "What About Brian" in Los Angeles and "Lost" - you may have heard of it - in Hawaii.

"I spend most of my time on conference calls like this," Abrams told reporters yesterday afternoon, noting that the spread of time zones means there are "20 hours during the day you can be having a conference call with someone."

"Lost" returns to a changed TV landscape tonight (9 PM ET/PT, ABC), one replete with serialized dramas featuring large and frequently diverse casts, shows that owe their very existence to the success of the show Abrams and fellow executive producer Damon Lindelof cooked up on relatively short notice a couple of seasons ago.

And Abrams, while acknowledging that it's unlikely that every single one of these other shows will make it through the season, isn't about to complain.

After struggling on both "Felicity" and "Alias" with networks - the WB and ABC, specifically - that demanded that storylines wrap up in a single episode, "it just makes me laugh" when people ask if there are now too many serials, he said.

"It was just so patently verboten to do serialized storytelling that the idea that there might be too many serialized dramas is just ironic to me," he said.

And while even Abrams describes "Alias" as "convoluted," "Lost," he insisted, isn't off-limits to newbies, even if some people might give you the impression that it's necessary to have seen the first two seasons "and maybe read a book or two" to prepare.

"While it's nice to understand what's going on in broad strokes, it's not a show you can't get into" after two seasons, said the producer, who co-wrote tonight's season opener with Lindelof and hopes to direct an episode later this season, having already canceled plans to begin prepping for one yesterday in Hawaii because of the demands of his other two shows.

Since his return from directing "Mission Impossible III," Abrams' involvement with "Lost" "has been more peripheral," he said, quick to credit Lindelof and fellow executive producer Carlton Cuse with the heavy lifting on "Lost."

"There isn't anything that I felt this show was missing that I wanted to put back in. It was just that selfishly I missed getting my hands dirty," he said.

"I simply miss playing with those pieces... Writing the first episode with Damon was an absolute joy, getting to write those characters again."

Introducing 'The Nine'

It's been fun this fall seeing writers and directors try to solve the "Lost" problem, taking large groups of people and bringing them together without actually crashing a plane on a mysterious, off-the-radar island.

It's not as easy as it sounds.

One of the most intriguing answers to that puzzle comes from ABC's "The Nine," which premieres tonight after "Lost."

No island. No hatch. No glistening sand, either.

Just nine survivors of a 52-hour hostage crisis, dealing with the aftermath of a bank robbery that went terribly wrong.

If the cast looks as familiar as the tellers at your local bank, it's because you've probably seen a lot of them - some quite recently - including "Everwood's" Scott Wolf, "24's" Kim Raver and Lourdes Benedicto, "Prison Break's" John Billingsley, "Boston Public's" Chi McBride and Dana Davis, "Kitchen Confidential's" Owain Yeoman, and of course, "Wings" (and "Sopranos") veteran Tim Daly.

The presence of some household faces proves only momentarily distracting, though, as "The Nine" quickly establishes that what we don't see in the pilot is far more important than what (or who) we do.

I'm not sure how easy it's going to be for "The Nine" to hold on to both the mystery of what went on in those 52 hours and the connections between the survivors.

But then two years ago, I wouldn't necessarily have bet that so many of those "Lost" boys and girls would still be on that island today.

And this time, at least, there's not a polar bear in sight.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//15673574.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

The New Season
For NBC, a big payout for taking risks
Up 18 percent in 18-49s in the first two weeks
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Oct. 04, 2006

At first glance, ABC is the big surprise network after two weeks in the new season, having held onto No. 1 in adults 18-49 without the annual fall boost it typically got from "Monday Night Football," which has moved to ESPN.

But the real surprise this season is NBC.

Coming off two straight fourth-place finishes, the network is up 18 percent in adult 18-49 viewers, averaging a 3.9 rating and 11 share for the first two weeks, compared with a 3.3/9 last year, and tying it with CBS for second behind ABC’s 4.2/12. Indeed, NBC is the only network showing gains in the demo.

NBC is also up 19 percent in adults 18-34, from a 2.7/8 to a 3.2/10, and 15 percent in 25-54s, from a 3.9/9 to a 4.5/11.

It's done so by taking more chances with its new shows after several seasons where it took few if any chances.

The only two NBC shows that returned for a second season, "My Name is Earl" and "Deal or No Deal," were risk-takers, one a single-camera comedy shot like an independent film and the other a game show debuting five years after the game show boom ended.

Among this season's new shows, "Sunday Night Football," facing already strong competition from ABC, CBS and Fox, is well ahead of last year’s average for ABC’s "Monday Night Football." And NBC has doubled its Sunday night average from last year, from a 2.8 to a 5.6.

NBC paid a huge amount for those rights, at the risk that the network would do only modestly better on Sunday night while losing money, as ABC had done for years with "MNF."

NBC's new dramas are among the most creative new shows of any network.

"Heroes," a drama about a group of people who find out they have special powers, sounds more suited for NBC sister network Sci Fi, but it has found a surprisingly broad audience on Monday night.

In the show’s first two outings at 9 p.m., it has bettered last year’s timeslot average by 43 percent, averaging a 5.7.

Even "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," the highly anticipated Aaron Sorkin drama, though stumbling, is still doing better than all of NBC’s new dramas last year. Though it's lost nearly a third of its 18-49 audience since its debut, the show's 4.3 average is more than a point higher than "Surface," "E-Ring" or "Inconceivable" managed in 2005, and all were canceled.

Even Wednesday’s "Kidnapped," NBC’s only struggling new show, is ahead of "Inconceivable" and "E-Ring’s" first two weeks.

Things could get even better.

NBC still has three new shows joining the schedule, with "Friday Night Lights" premiering last night, "Twenty Good Years" tonight and "30 Rock" next week. "Friday" and "Rock" have gotten good buzz, which means NBC’s schedule could get a further lift over the next few weeks.

If they too do well in the ratings, NBC could well finish fourth quarter in second place behind ABC, an achievement on any terms but especially so against so many forecasts that it would again hold down third place ahead of Fox.

Meanwhile, in broadcast ratings for the week ended Oct. 1

Among adults 18-49, ABC was first with an average rating of 4.0 and a share of 11, with CBS in second at 3.9/11, NBC a close third with 3.7/11, Fox in fourth with 2.6/11 and Univision filling out the top five at 1.7/6. The CW had 1.5/4, Telemundo at 0.4/1, Telefutura at 0.3/1 and Azteca at 0.1/0.

Among adults 18-34, ABC led with 3.4 and a share of 11, NBC followed with 3.1/10 and CBS was in third with 2.7/9. Fox had 2.5/8 and Univision came in fifth with 1.8/6, followed by the CW at 1.6/5, Telemundo and Telefutura tied at 0.4/1 and Azteca bringing up the rear with 0.1/0.

Among adults 25-54, CBS remained strong with an average rating of 5.0, followed by ABC at 4.7, NBC at 4.4, and Fox at 2.7. Univision came in at 1.6, followed by the CW at 1.4, Telemundo at 0.4, Telefutura at 0.3 and Azteca at 0.1.

Top five (18-49s): 1. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” 9.5; 2. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” 8.6; 3. CBS’s “CSI” 8.0; 4. NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” 6.7; 5. NBC’s “ER” 6.1

Top five (total viewers): 1. CBS’s “CSI” 23.77 million; 2. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” 23.48 million; 3. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” 21.42 million; 4. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” 17.91 million; 5. CBS’s “CSI:Miami” 17.79 million.

Bottom five (18-49s): Tie-94. CBS’s “The Class” and Fox’s “Justice Special” 1.0; Tie-96. CW’s “Everybody Hates Chris” and CW’s “All of Us” 0.9; Tie-98. CW’s “Runaway-Monday” and CW’s “Runaway-Tuesday” 0.7

Bottom five (total viewers): 95. CW’s “Everybody Hates Chris” 2.44 million; 96. CW’s “America’s Next Top Model-Encore” 2.43 million; 97. CW’s “All of Us” 2.30 million; 98. CW’s “Runaway-Monday” 2.18 million; 99. CW’s “Runaway-Tuesday” 1.65 million

Show on the rise: “Ugly Betty,” ABC, Thursday, 8 p.m. “Betty” is proving that the telenovela concept can translate across languages when handled by talented writers and producers like Selma Hayek. It’s the most-watched new show of this season.

Show on the decline: “Six Degrees,” ABC, Thursday, 10 p.m. The ensemble drama fell 12 places in the rankings in total viewers to 36th with 10.15 million tuning in, a marked decrease from last week’s 12.15 million, losing more than half its “Grey’s Anatomy” lead-in. Among 18-49s, the program was down from a 5.4 rating to a 4.1.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_7688.asp

The New Season
Fox Slates 24's Return
By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable 10/4/2006

Fox has slated the return of new Emmy darling 24 for Jan.14-15, when the network will launch the show’s sixth season with its customary four hours over two nights.

The show, which won five Emmys including Outstanding Drama and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Kiefer Sutherland, will kick off Sunday night, Jan.14 from 8-10 p.m., as well as the following night from 8-10.

The show will then slot into its regular Monday 9 p.m. time period beginning the following Monday, Jan. 22 and is scheduled to run uninterrupted into May.

The network has posted a trailer for the new season (well, the trailer beings in 20 days) and will begin promoting the show during Game Three of the World Series on Tuesday night, Oct. 24.

Trailer link: http://www.24trailer.com/

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/

The New Season
CBS Does the Sitcom Shuffle
By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable 10/4/2006

CBS has predictably shuffled its Monday night schedule, flipping comedies The Class and How I Met Your Mother in the 8 p.m. hour.With Mother now leading off the night, CBS now returns to the schedule it originally presented to advertisers in May.

The network had second-guessed itself and decided to lead Mondays off with the freshman comedy to begin the season, but The Class has not performed up to the network’s liking, this week averaging just a 2.7 rating/8 share in the adult 18-49 demo.

CBS has also reportedly given a full-season order to sophomore comedy The New Adventures of Old Christine, while ABC has decided to hold off on the scheduled October 17 launch of Knight of Prosperity.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/

The New Season
Aaron Sorkin: The Shyamalan of TV
By James Poniewozik Time Magazine television critic in Time’s “Tuned In” blog

As a professional snobby, elitist critic, I am not in the habit of saying that the masses are right. But I make an exception when they agree with me, and they seem to have come around to my side on the massively overrated Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the new self-aggrandizement vehicle from The West Wing's masterwriter, Aaron Sorkin.

Let's run the numbers (from Nielsen Media Research, by way of Marc Berman's Programming Insider column at Mediaweek): The show's first week drew 13.41 million viewers; week 2, 10.83 million; last night, 9.05 million. And every single week, a large chunk of the audience tuned away from the show in its second half hour.

Ironically, last night's episode focused on the second episode of Studio 60--the fictional late-night comedy within the show, in the process of being saved by Matt Albie (Matthew Perry) and Danny Tripp (Bradley Whitford)--and the percentage of viewers it would have to keep from its previous week. If it didn't "retain," in the TV biz term, 90 percent, heads were going to roll. On the show--thanks, we see, to the superhuman efforts of Sorkin stand-in Albie--the sketch comedy gets a boffo rating, 109 percent of its premiere under the new head duo. In real life... ahem. By my calculator, week 2 retained just over 80 percent of the week 1 audience; week 3 kept just under 84 percent of that reduced number.

Now, I'm not saying heads are going to roll in Sorkinville. NBC has a substantial commitment to the show and would waste millions of dollars by bailing on it early. And Studio 60 has good demographics; if its audience proves to be a rich as The West Wing's, the extra ad dollars they will draw could keep the show on much longer, even indefinitely. In the end, I don't know or care; I'm a critic, and my job is to decide whether a show is good, not how many ducats it will earn for General Electric. But I suspect--or at least I hope--the two are related here: that audiences have tuned away from a show they had high hopes for (as I did) because they can sense its inherent bogusness.

We know from NBC executives that Sorkin wrote the first several scripts of Studio 60 well in advance (to head off the problems of late scripts that plagued The West Wing). It would be cruel to imagine that Sorkin wrote the "retention" storyline anticipating that Studio 60, the real-life show, would at this point be basking in the afterglow of growing ratings. And yet you have to imagine it, if only because the rest of the show is so transparently self-congratulatory.

Let's start with the premise: Albie is a brilliant, politically minded writer; he was fired as a Studio 60 writer by the network four years ago; now the network, in a bind, has come crawling back to him to save their bacon; which he does, by single-handedly writing the show at a punishing pace; but not without interference from focus-grouping, craven suits who are proven wrong by his genius writing and ratings triumph. Sorkin, in real life, is a brilliant, politically minded writer; he is a notorious workaholic who essentially wrote The West Wing single-handedly; he was forced off The West Wing after four years; now, NBC, in fourth place, has bet on his heavily promoted show to save it; and, well... do the math. Whatever "flaws" Studio 60 loads Albie up with (He works too hard! He can be snippy to his staff! He was kind of a bad boyfriend!), he's such a clear author surrogate he might as well be called Sorkie McAaronson.

On his blog The Bastard Machine, Tim Goodman, the outstanding TV critic for The San Francisco Chronicle, with whom I agree more often than is healthy, asked about Sorkin and Studio 60: "Why shouldn't one man be allowed to take entertainment and the business of entertainment seriously?" Well, he should. He just can't get away with taking Aaron Sorkin that seriously. From reading fans' and critics' blogs the past few weeks, I think even some of his West Wing stalwarts agree; I have never gotten such a powerful sense of viewers willing themselves to like a show despite the evidence of their eyes.

Studio 60's main ratings problem may be that it's a TV show about a TV show, often too inside-baseball a topic for mass audiences. But the show also gets much of the baseball wrong. Sorkin portrays TV, outdatedly, as a vast wasteland, despite the evidence of Lost, Battlestar Galactica, House, The Office, and most FX and HBO series, just for starters. (A weird criticism, anyway, coming from a man who's had three high-profile network TV shows inside a decade.) And he has a tin ear for the kinds of TV scandals the public cares about: we've been asked to believe that political talk radio would be abuzz for a week about the new producers of a sketch show and that people would care one lick about the eight-year-old DUI arrest of a network president. (Tina Fey's superior inside-sketch-comedy sitcom, 30 Rock--of which I've just seen a second episode--understands that viewers follow the scandals of TV stars, not showrunners and suits.)

And then there's the funny: Sorkin is not a late-night comedy writer, nor should he have to be, but if he's going to put the show's sketches front-and-center--and, more important, if his show depends on you believing his heroes are talented--then he kind of has to, um, make you laugh. The glimpses of the show-within-a-show we saw last night (a "Pimp My Trike" sketch, a golf sketch, a, um, bear joke) were nearly as bad as episode 2's climactic Pirates of Penzance musical number, which failed both as comedy and as narrative. (I defy anyone to tell me what an "intellectual reach-around" means, other than that Sorkin needed a line that both rhymed and showed that Matt Albie was brainy and edgy, whether the lyric made sense or not.)

Maybe the best comparison for Studio 60 is not to any TV show but to M. Night Shyamalan's The Lady in the Water, from last summer. A prodigiously workaholic writer, Shyamalan reached the level where he could, like Sorkin, get more or less complete creative control of his work, and Lady showed where complete creative control can sometimes get you. Lady was a hokey farrago of a fantasy, involving a water nymph out to save mankind, but its crowning achievement was a storyline in which Shyamalan himself played a writer who was destined to pen a book so wise that it would change the course of history. Lady stunk of arrogance and self-congratulation, and audiences picked up on the scent.

TV series have one big advantage over movies: they can get better, and Studio 60 could. I wouldn't waste this kind of attention on a flat-out bad show, and there is just enough that's very, very right with Studio 60 to make the rest of it maddening. When they're doing anything but writing comedy, Sorkin's characters are hilarious--last night, Tripp got off a zinger, telling a staff writer that it's not exactly brave to write Bush jokes when the president's approval ratings are "down to seven guys in Tupelo." Sorkin is still masterly at laying plot bombs and detonating them at the right moment, as when Albie discovered that his partner was responsible for a focus-group question that asked if Albie's first show was "patriotic" enough; Tripp reveals that he did it to make Albie prove that he would write the show like he wanted even in the face of network polling and pressure. Sorkin is still an artist; if only he would use his palette for something other than airbrushing his self-portrait.

And one more thing, to be absolutely fair. Even though Sorkin ended episode 3 with a musical montage of Albie and his crew, flushed with their ratings success, Albie turns to Tripp and tells him that they shouldn't get too comfortable: as writers, he says, they should know that a story like this has only one place to go, and that's down.

Hand it to Sorkin: he got one detail right.

http://time.blogs.com/tuned_in/

TV Sports
On ice: Hurricanes against the Sabres
New NHL hockey season begins in Raleigh
By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Oct 4, 2006

Tonight the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Carolina Hurricanes, host the Buffalo Sabres as the NHL season kicks off at 7 p.m.

Also beginning tonight is a new era for the former Outdoor Life Network, which gets its second name change in the past few years. The NHL carrier is going from OLN to Versus, in the hope that the rebranding will distinguish the network as a general sports channel rather than a niche outdoor channel.

Will it work? Who knows. The network is still years away from being any sort of competition for current cable sports leader ESPN, if that’s possible at all. When then-OLN began repositioning more than a year ago, media people said the Comcast-owned network could perhaps be competitive with ESPN2 inside five years. Comcast said that wasn't its goal despite chasing major sports deals of the sort ESPN usually carries.

But OLN remained outside the top 40 among the major demographics in primetime.

Still, the NHL did help it to respectable ratings gains over last year in primetime. OLN was up 131 percent during second quarter among adults 18-49, fueled by the higher-rated playoffs, and 16 percent in first quarter, according to Nielsen numbers crunched by Turner Networks.

It will be interesting to see if Versus, in its second year of carrying hockey, can maintain those gains now that the excitement generated by the post-lockout changes has died down. It will air a second game, Dallas at Colorado, at 10 p.m. tonight.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_7689.asp

The ratings news for "Friday Night Lights" is not good.

Tuesday’s prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted just under the HD Football listings near the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Weak premiere for 'Friday Night Lights'
New NBC sports drama pulls a 2.7 in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer

NBC’s “Friday Night Lights” got plenty of critical kudos, landing on most lists of the season’s best new shows. But viewers were not as enamored with the show as critics.

“Lights’” debut last night at 8 p.m. averaged a 2.7 rating among adults 18-49, according to Nielsen overnights, finishing third in its timeslot. It was well behind ABC’s competing “Dancing with the Stars,” at 4.9, and CBS’s “NCIS,” at 4.0.

“Lights” averaged just 7.2 million total viewers, though it did stay relatively stable from its first to its second half hour, avoiding the second-half dip that has plagued new shows like “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” “Brothers & Sisters” and “Six Degrees.”

“Lights,” based on the book and movie of the same name, chronicles high school football in Texas. It’s possible that some viewers dismissed the show as teenybopper drivel simply because of its high school focus, but it’s also possible that “Lights” could dip even further in the coming weeks.

Fox did not air “House,” the usual timeslot winner, last night because of the baseball playoffs. It will return in a few weeks.

As for Tuesday’s other new series, CBS’s “Smith” dipped to a series-low 2.8 in 18-49s and 8.4 million total viewers, behind ABC’s “Boston Legal” in the 10 p.m. timeslot.

ABC’s new comedy “Help Me Help You,” airing at 9:30 p.m. after “Stars,” fell 14 percent from last week’s premiere, from a 3.6 to a 3.1.

ABC still won the night but barely, averaging a 4.1 rating and 11 share, followed by NBC at a 4.0/11. CBS was third at 3.6/10, Fox fourth at 2.5/7, the CW fifth at 1.7/5, and Univision sixth at 1.6/5. Fast national ratings measure timeslot and not program data, so estimates for Fox’s live baseball coverage are approximate and may change when final ratings are released later today.

At 8 p.m., ABC’s “Stars” led at 4.9, followed by CBS’s “NCIS” at 4.0, NBC’s “Lights” at 2.7, Fox’s American League divisional series between the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers at 2.1, CW’s “Gilmore Girls” at 2.0, and Univision’s “La Fea Mas Bella” at 1.9.

At 9 p.m., ABC led with “Stars” (5.7) and “Help” (3.1) at 4.4, followed by NBC’s “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” at 4.2, CBS’s “The Unit” at 4.1, Fox’s baseball at 2.9, the premiere of Univision’s “Mundo de Fieras” at 1.7, and the CW’s “Veronica Mars” debut at 1.4. That matched “Mars’” second-best rating ever in 18-49s.

At 10 p.m., NBC marched ahead with “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” at 5.2, followed by ABC’s “Legal” at 2.9, CBS’s “Smith” at 2.8 and the second hour of “Fieras” down to a 1.3.

Among households, ABC led with a 9.5/15, followed by CBS at 7.8/12, NBC at 7.5/12, Fox at 5.1/8, CW at 2.7/4, and Univision at 2.2/4.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_7716.asp

The New Season
“Kidnapped”
My First Plea - Save Kidnapped
by Jon Hein in TV Guide

We're a couple of weeks into the new season, so naturally it's time to beg for a new series to be saved.

This year's hard luck case is...Kidnapped.

Kidnapped airs Wednesday nights at 10pm on NBC. The pilot was very good. The second episode was even better.

And no one is watching. Why?

Competition: CSI: NY and The Nine

This crime thriller is battling a show too dark to see and a new series too painful to watch. Shouldn't be a problem here.

Lead In: The Biggest Loser

A news magazine or sappy soap should follow Caroline Rhea's 2-hour weight loss reality show. It's a tough transition from scales of weight to the scales of street justice. The good news: Lost makes its return this week, so the perfect audience is ripe for the taking.

Hype: It's not Heroes or Deal or No Deal

The mighty PR machine at NBC needs to crank it up here. You've got a creepy Timothy Hutton, a messed up Dana Delany, an angry Delroy Lindo, a mysterious Jeremy Sisto, plus the streets of Manhattan. Who could ask for anything more?

There's a good show here. It can be saved. Tune in Wednesdays at 10 to make a difference.

http://community.tvguide.com/forum.jspa?forumID=800006183

( Jon Hein is the creator of the popular website jumptheshark.com)


I agree. I love this show. It has gotten better from the first to the second episode. The line about CSI: New York being too dark for anyone to see it was funny. I have both setup as season passes on the dvr so there's no problem with me missing either one.

adios to FNL, Smith and Studio 60.

I didn't watch any of them, but i'm not surprised.

The New Season
"Lost" in the promise of "The Nine"
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” Oct. 4, 2006

Tellers and customers bustle around a bank on a Friday; a long weekend beckons, and everyone wants to finish up business and be gone.

It doesn’t work out that way on “The Nine” (9:01 p.m. Wednesday, WLS-Ch. 7). Two gunmen burst into the bank and tell everyone their robbery will be “over in five minutes.” But nine hostages don’t exit the bank for 52 hours — not the kind of weekend any of them had in mind.

After an extraordinarily effective opening, “The Nine” leaves what happened during those hours up in the air. After less than 15 minutes, we see stunned hostages as they’re led from the bank to safety. What transpired during that lost time, and the emotional fallout of those mysterious events, will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Is it wrong to derive enjoyment from the fear and stress of others? It’s impossible not to with the crackling “Nine,” which draws you into the stories of these disparate people with the bravura flair of vintage “24.”

And “The Nine” is far from the only new drama to build on the subtext of “24,” which taps into our fears about safety and security. Seemingly normal situations spin out of control every night of the week these days: On “Kidnapped” a high schooler is snatched in broad daylight; a field trip on “Jericho” is interrupted by nuclear war; and on “Runaway,” a suburban family has to go on the lam. “The Nine” implies that even attempting to deposit a paycheck can go terribly wrong.

“The Nine” doesn’t imply that the outcome of a life-threatening scenario is all bad, however. The series’ most intriguing character, the nebbishy Egan Foote (John Billingsley), emerges from the crisis with a far more positive outlook on life. Foote’s wife catches him tossing ugly shirts out of his closet, and her attempt to browbeat him fails to wipe the look of surprised optimism from his face.

We don’t know why things turn chilly between a young doctor (Scott Wolf) and his girlfriend, but the implication is that what happened in the bank — what the doctor did or failed to do — does not bode well for the future of the couple.

And that’s the clever hook of this series; instead of putting a ticking clock in the corner and spending a season inside the bank wondering how the crisis will turn out, “The Nine” takes the gamble that we’ll want to know what happens to these people — a teller, a lawyer, a cop, the bank manager — once they’re out of imminent danger. “Lost” has the hatch; “The Nine” has those 52 hours.

A hole at the center, if you will, is not the only trait that “The Nine” shares with “Lost,” which returns with its third season 8 p.m. Wednesday. Presumably, information about that missing time will be doled out via flashbacks; there are a few brief ones in the premiere of “The Nine.” But the producers, who include “Without a Trace” creator Hank Steinberg, would do well to avoid the flashback-related pitfalls that bedeviled “Lost’s” second season.

The truth is, what had been “Lost’s” stroke of genius in Season 1 could, in the end, become that show’s albatross. In each episode of the island show, we usually get a flashback to the previous life of a crash survivor; at their best, those scenes illuminated not only the characters but the philosophical questions at the heart of the show.

Yet by the end of Season 2, those trips through the past had become maddeningly repetitive. At some point, the “Lost” flashbacks went from being evocative and informative to being, in too many cases, frustratingly redundant filler.

Still, “Lost” was able to spin its characters’ stories for a season before starting to repeat itself. Will “The Nine” get that far? Though it has an almost flawless pilot, and one of the best casts of the season (Kim Raver, Tim Daly, Chi McBride, Billingsley), how long will the writers be able to tease out the mysteries of those 52 hours without driving viewers mad?

Only time will tell.

http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/

The New Season
“Battlestar Galactica”
Even in the darkest times, 'Battlestar Galactica' is out of this world
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” Oct. 4, 2006

A baby screams as his mother is taken by armed men in the middle of the night. A prisoner, one eye gouged out, huddles in a dank corner of a bare cell.

Men and women clad in gray, ragged clothing, their faces tight with anxiety, mill around the entrance to a prison, hoping for news of a loved one, while in a ramshackle rebel outpost, a man who thinks he has nothing to live for straps on a vest full of explosives.

These aren’t scenes from the evening news. They’re images from the season premiere of “Battlestar Galactica” (8 p.m. Friday, Sci Fi), which, in its third season, provides a unpredictable, fascinating take on events dominating real-world headlines.

In the opening episodes, which by turns evoke Vichy France, Vietnam and Iraq, the Cylons (human-looking machines who attempted to wipe out the human race at the start of the series) debate tactics regarding control of the ragged, rebellious population of New Caprica - the 50,000 or so people who are the remnants of the human race - while the humans consider plots of their own.

“The majority of Cylons think the slaughter of humanity was a mistake,” one anguished Cylon says. Another recommends subduing the humans “by any means necessary.”

The humans, for their part, think about adopting resistance tactics that might get some of their fellow New Capricans killed. And those men taking the screaming mother away in the night - they’re part of a human police force who’ve decided to work for the Cylons.

Ronald D. Moore, executive producer of “Battlestar Galactica,” says his favorite scene in the powerful 2-hour season opener is between Gaius Baltar, the reviled Marshal Pétain of New Caprica, and Laura Roslin, his political nemesis and resistance sympathizer.

“Going into that scene, I think there’s an assumption of whose side you’re on,” Moore says. “But when he starts challenging her on the morality of suicide bombing ..... it throws her off stride, and I think it throws the audience off stride too. I think, for a moment, you’re really not sure where you’re supposed to go emotionally in that scene and I think that’s a great place to take an audience.”

That’s been “Battlestar Galactica’s” strength from the beginning - using believable characters to explore personal morality and political choices, while avoiding predictable polemics or easy resolutions. Though the first part of the season has echoes of the situation in Iraq, the debates among the humans and the Cylons are universal to any conflict - what tactics are legitimate in a fight over core beliefs? Are any methods acceptable? In the end, what is worth fighting for?

“We were aware of the [Iraq] parallels and wanted to play it as truthfully as we could, given the situation,” Moore says. “But at the same time, we’re always a little more interested in watching how our characters respond to a situation more than we are in delineating a certain political idea about the situation."

“We really should not pretend that there is a good answer and an easy way out and we’re going to tell it to you in 44 minutes,” Moore says.

In fact, unlike “The Path to 9/11” and “Over There,” which attempted to depict real situations through scripted drama and endured criticism as a result, Moore says “Battlestar Galactica” has more freedom to examine difficult issues, given its outer-space settings.

When attempting to portray real events, he says, “suddenly you don’t have the freedom to examine the themes and issues and really delve into the bigger questions, because you get sidetracked into these arguments about what actually happened and what was actually said. And it becomes a really fraught and difficult situation to dramatize.

“If you take it out of that and put it science fiction… you can start playing around with the pieces more and get to the dramatic heart of what you’re trying to tell,” he says.

The core story of the third season is, at first, quite dark and wrenching, but there are signs of hope; Commander Adama, leader of the military, forms an important bond with Sharon, a Cylon aboard his ship. And surely the fact that one of the Cylons’ greatest desires is to know what love is means that peace - or at least coexistence - might one day be possible.

“There’s always a conversation with [Sci Fi] about how dark the show is, and [whether] is it completely bleak. ... But I really don’t have a nihilistic view of the world, so it’s kind of easy to argue that that’s not the case and point to aspects of the show that are hopeful, like Sharon and other characters,” Moore notes.

Still, in an effort to draw an even larger audience for the drama and to cement the loyalty of the 2.3 million regular viewers of “Battlestar Galactica,” which won a prestigious Peabody Award for broadcast excellence earlier this year, various NBC Universal portals and SciFi.com are offering the refresher episode “The Story So Far,” which also airs on Sci Fi at 4 p.m. Friday. And a series of 10 Webisodes about the New Caprica resistance movement has attracted more than 3.5 million viewers in the last month.

“I think we’d like to see the numbers tick up,” Moore says. “Our numbers are OK and good for basic cable, and Sci Fi’s been happy with them. But we’d certainly like to boost them up.”

“That’s the big challenge for the show, to reach out and get the audience who are not used to watching Sci Fi Channel. The audience that rolls their eyes as soon as you say, `Have you tried “Battlestar Galactica”?’ - those are the people that would like it. The people watching `The Shield’ and `The Sopranos’ would like this show.”

For much more from Moore, see this interview.
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2006/10/battlestar_gala.html

http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/

The New Season
“Knights” Gets Pushed Back Possibly Many, Many Nights
By Scott Collins Los Angeles Times Staff Writer in the Channel Island TV Industry blog

Viewers awaiting ABC’s comedy “The Knights of Prosperity” — at one time widely known as “Let’s Rob Mick Jagger” — will have to extend their patience. The network is pushing back the Oct. 17 premiere by a number of weeks, possibly until January.

But unlike many series facing such delays, “Knights” isn’t mired in creative or financial trouble, producers and network officials say. ABC has spent so much time promoting fall dramas such as “Ugly Betty” and “Six Degrees” that “Knights” — starring Donal Logue as the leader of a band of would-be celebrity heist thieves — was getting “a little bit lost in the shuffle,” said executive producer Rob Burnett.

ABC hopes to give the show a much bigger promotional push in midseason. As a sign of confidence in Burnett and fellow writer-producer Jon Beckerman, the network already has ordered scripts nine more episodes, in addition to the original 13 episodes requisitioned in May (episodes 10 and 11 are now shooting).

Jagger, who filmed several scenes for the pilot, hasn’t returned for additional work but numerous other celebrities will crop up in guest roles for subsequent episodes, with Ray Romano, Kelly Ripa, Sting, Regis Philbin and even Sally Jessy Raphael either signed or in negotiations.

“We feel it’s so good, it deserves to have a strong launch,” ABC Entertainment chief Steve McPherson said of “Knights.”

“The TV lineup now is incredibly crowded,” he added. “You really need to focus, you need to spend money and you need to surround the audience with these openings.”

As a result of the switch, “Knights” will lose the popular contest “Dancing With the Stars” as its lead-in, because “Dancing” will end its season next month. But McPherson said it was possible “Knights” would remain in its original 9 p.m. Tuesdays slot. He’s looking at other days and times as well.

The producers say they don’t mind the delay, as long as it eventually means a bigger spotlight for their show.

“ABC had other priorities going into the fall,” Burnett said in a phone interview Tuesday. “We could not be happier about this decision.”

Of course, none of this guarantees that “Knights” will prove a success. The environment for any type of network comedy, let alone one with an atypical premise about a motley band of robbers, has proven especially challenging in recent years.

“It’s hard to launch any kind of show, and it seems that there are fewer comedies on the air than ever,” Beckerman noted. “But we tried to come up with a show that has a little different concept.” Burnett cited the hit movie “Old School” as an example of the kind of comedic tone they hoped to establish.

McPherson, who took over ABC after the network spent years in the ratings cellar, said that spirit was what originally attracted him to “Knights.”

“We as a network made our way back by taking chances on things,” he said.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-channel4oct04,0,1703597.story?coll=cl-tv-features

The New Season
"Knights" to midseason: Bad omen or smart move?
By Aaron Barnhart Kansas City Star in his blog “TV Barn” Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Scott Collins is reporting on his blog that ABC is moving TV Barn's favorite new comedy of the season, "The Knights of Prosperity," starring Donal Logue and authored by Letterman producers Rob Burnett and Jon Beckerman, to a midseason date to be determined later. The reason? By rolling it out in mid-October, as it had planned, the network feared the show would get "a little bit lost in the shuffle," according to Burnett. ABC is making all the right noises, too, calling "Knights" a show "so good, it deserves to have a strong launch."

So, are they blowing smoke?

Well, I have seen the second episode of "Knights" and its reworked pilot. What can I say? They rocked. The pilot now moves along faster (it also makes one key adjustment in the opening sequence; in the original pilot it ended with Logue's sad-sack character putting on a happy face; in the reshoot, he looks every bit the beaten-down wage slave he is). And the second ep moves the storyline along significantly without sacrificing the silliness that made the pilot so appealing.

Conclusion: ABC is placing a legitimate bet that "Knights" can break out in midseason. (It also ordered the back nine episodes for a full season, at least in script form.) And who knows? Maybe with a few months off, ABC can get it out of the way of another show scheduled to air at 8 p.m. Tuesdays in January ... "American Idol."

http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/

If you want to stay away from all possible spoilers, skip this post.

The New Season
Stranded? Don't be
Here are 10 things to remember about 'Lost' this season
By Hal Boedeker Orlando Sentinel Television Critic his "TV Guy" blog October 4, 2006

Television's most-complicated mystery returns tonight. ABC's Lost has driven away many viewers with dragged-out plots. Other viewers cannot get enough of the show's strange island and the plane-crash passengers stranded there.

Should you stay, or should you go? ABC didn't provide critics with the third-season premiere, which airs at 9 PM ET/PT on ABC. But here are 10 things -- spoiler alert -- to remember about Lost this season:

1 You won't have to suffer through repeats. ABC will present six episodes in the fall, then will offer the 16 others starting in February. Day Break, a thriller with Taye Diggs, will take the Lost time slot Nov. 15.

2 This season will concentrate on the Others, the mysterious band that kidnapped Jack (Matthew Fox), Kate (Evangeline Lilly) and Sawyer (Josh Holloway) in last season's finale. Michael Emerson, who plays Others leader Henry Gale, becomes a series regular.

3 Kate will decide whether she wants Jack or Sawyer. An ABC synopsis suggests that Sawyer has the edge. Bummer.

4 Jack will have other options. ABC says of Jack: "Romance looms on the horizon as Jack's interests veer toward a mysterious new woman, whose motives might be questionable." She'll fit right in on Lost.

5 At least three newcomers join the show. They are Elizabeth Mitchell, who was soulful on ER; Kiele Sanchez, who was the best thing about the short-lived Related; and Rodrigo Santoro, a Brazilian heartthrob.

6 Some life-and-death answers come quickly. The series will reveal what happened to Locke (Terry O'Quinn), Mr. Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick) after the hatch imploded. ABC's synopsis suggests Locke is still with us, and producers have said they won't kill Desmond.

7 Lost won't lose track of the personal dramas. You'll learn more about the pregnancy of Sun (Yunjin Kim). Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) will struggle to stay clean.

8 Expect familiar faces to return. Michael (Harold Perrineau), that dastardly traitor, and his son, Walt (Malcolm David Kelley), will reappear.

9 The major mysteries remain. What of that electromagnetic light show? The phone call in the outside world? Producers supposedly are in no hurry to explain them. We might learn more at midseason. Or not. This is Lost, after all.

10 Can the show recapture the buzz it had in its first season? That's the biggest mystery of all. Lost is still a great show, but the next-day water-cooler conversations fell off in the second season.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/tv/orl-livlost_tvst100406oct04,0,2809242,print.story?coll=orl-caltvtop

The New Season
What Do You Think?

OK, the new shows have (mostly) premiered now, so what do you think?

Do you have a favorite new show or two?

What has been the biggest disappointment?

Keepers:
Heroes
Men in Trees

On the Bubble:
Shark
Friday Night Lights
Studio 60

Yet to be seen
30 Rock
The Nine

Will probably dump
Brothers and Sisters - especially when Medium returns

Never got around to sampling
Six Degrees - probably never will
Jericho - catch up on marathons or off network

The New Season
What Do You Think?

OK, the new shows have (mostly) premiered now, so what do you think?

Do you have a favorite new show or two?

What has been the biggest disappointment?

I like Vanished, but as others have stated about their tastes: this could be the kiss of death. & I admit it is not "ohmigosh, you gotta watch this one" good either.

Justice / Shark : so far so good. I'll tune in again, but I'm not sure If I'll continue to watch both.

Ugly Betty: I hope other folks watch this> I flipped back to this one during Earl & the Office & liked it. I'll definitely watch when those to are in re-runs
This counts as a happy surprise. The premise didn't intrigue me at all.

Jericho: counts as my disappointment so far. I liked the premise, but it's one strike away from being out.

The New Season
Kidnapped To Wrap After 13 Episodes
By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable 10/4/2006

After a sluggish start this fall, NBC will wrap up Kidnapped after the original order of 13 episodes.

And multiple sources with knowledge of the situation say NBC could decide on where (and if) the remaining 10 episodes will air as soon as Thursday. An NBC spokesperson declined to comment.

The critically-acclaimed drama, which airs its third episode Wednesday night at 10 p.m., opened two weeks ago with a 2.8 rating/8 share in the adult

18-49 demo, and then fell to just a 2.2/6 for its second airing last Wednesday.

Wednesday night's ratings news was not expected to be any better for the show, which faces increased timeslot competition from the debut of ABC's much-hyped The Nine as well as Fox's baseball coverage featuring the popular New York Yankees.

The heavily-serialized Kidnapped, which follows the disappearance of the son of a wealthy New York family, was one of NBC's big hopes for a fall season that has been a mix of surprisingly strong (Heroes) and disappointingly modest (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) launches.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6378212

The New Season
What Do You Think?

OK, the new shows have (mostly) premiered now, so what do you think?

Gave up and deleted 'Smith,' 'Talk Show with Spike Ferenstein' and 'Shark' after both shows spent weeks in my DVR without any incentive for me to watch them. 'Studio 60,' 'Sunday Night Football' (essentially the ESPN football game moved to another network) and 'Heroes' are the only two new shows I'm really watching, everything else is returning shows in different time slots ('Law & Order' on Fridays, 'L&O: Criminal Intent' on Tuesdays, 'Amazing Race' on Sundays, etc.). If you knew how near-impossible it is to get me attached to any network TV show (I've never seen 'Lost,' 'Veronica Mars,' 'House' and a dozen other must-see shows) the fact that two new shows are on my must-watch list is a sign of how well-stocked with good stuff this season is. :)

The New Season
Kidnapped To Wrap After 13 Episodes
By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable 10/4/2006

After a sluggish start this fall, NBC will wrap up Kidnapped after the original order of 13 episodes.

And multiple sources with knowledge of the situation say NBC could decide on where (and if) the remaining 10 episodes will air as soon as Thursday. An NBC spokesperson declined to comment.

The critically-acclaimed drama, which airs its third episode Wednesday night at 10 p.m., opened two weeks ago with a 2.8 rating/8 share in the adult

18-49 demo, and then fell to just a 2.2/6 for its second airing last Wednesday.

Wednesday night's ratings news was not expected to be any better for the show, which faces increased timeslot competition from the debut of ABC's much-hyped The Nine as well as Fox's baseball coverage featuring the popular New York Yankees.

The heavily-serialized Kidnapped, which follows the disappearance of the son of a wealthy New York family, was one of NBC's big hopes for a fall season that has been a mix of surprisingly strong (Heroes) and disappointingly modest (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) launches.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6378212
Is there any word if the story will be completed? I hope so, I've always felt this would have been better as a mini-series and 13 eps would do it just about right. I fear that we will be left hanging though if those 13 are already in the can.

How did VM fair??????

How did VM fair??????


From today's Marc Berman "Programming Insider", Dave:

"...The CW’s Veronica Mars limped out of the gate with a disappointing (and, of course, last-place) 2.4/ 4 in the overnights, 3.27 million viewers and a 1.4/ 4 among adults 18-49 at 9 p.m. Although comparatively that was a vast improvement over year-ago failed occupant Sex, Love & Secrets (Overnights: 1.5/ 2; Viewers: 1.40 million; A18-49: 0.6/ 1 on Oct. 4, 2005), keep in mind three things:

1. Retention for Veronica Mars from lead-in Gilmore Girls (Overnights: #5, 4.0/ 6; Viewers: #5, 4.71 million; A18-49: #5, 2.0/ 6 at 8 p.m.) was just 60 percent in the overnights, 69 percent in total viewers and 70 percent among adults 18-49.

2. Sex, Love & Secrets on the year-ago evening led out of a repeat of America’s Next Top Model.

3. Veronica Mars opened season two on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2005 (out of America’s Next Top Model) with a similarly disappointing 2.5/ 4 in the overnights, 3.29 million viewers and a 1.3/ 3 among adults 18-49.

To the countless Veronica Mars groupies reading this column: the ratings are not terrible. But they could, and should, be much better...."

The New Season
More Nielsen Numbers From Week 2
CABLE (total viewers)
1. Monday Night Football (Falcons-Saints/ESPN) -- 15.0
2. Halloweentown (Disney) -- 4.6
3. WWE Raw (2nd hr., Mon./USA) -- 4.5
4. WWE Raw (1st hr., Mon./USA) -- 4.3
5. Thursday Night College Football (ESPN) -- 4.07
6. Monday Night Countdown (ESPN) -- 4.06
7. SpongeBob SquarePants (Sat., Nick) -- 4.03
8. Flavor of Love 2 (VH1) -- 3.99
9. Nip/Tuck (FX) -- 3.92
10. SpongeBob SquarePants (Sun., Nick) -- 3.86

AFRICAN-AMERICANS
1. Grey's Anatomy -- 2.4
2. Dancing with the Stars performance -- 2.14
3. CSI: Miami -- 2.13
4. Ugly Betty -- 2.10
5. Sunday Night Football -- 2.08
6. Law & Order: SVU (NBC) -- 2.01
7. CSI: NY -- 2.002
8. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation -- 1.998
9. America's Next Top Model (CW) -- 1.979
10. Without a Trace (CBS) -- 1.8

HISPANICS (Spanish language)
Note: All programs are on Univision
1. Barrera de Amor, M-F -- 4.4
2. Fea Mas Bella, M-F -- 4.2
3. Ver Para Creer, Tues. -- 3.1
4. Aqui y Ahora, Thu. -- 3.0
5. Heridas de Amor, M-F -- 2.8
6. Cristina, Mon. --- 2.701
7. Casos Vida R: Ed, Fri. -- 2.667
8. Don Francisco Presenta, Wed. -- 2.6
9. Sabado Gigante, Sat. -- 2.2
10. Cantando por Suenolll, Sun. -- 2.1

HISPANICS (English language)
1. Ugly Betty -- 1.3 mil.
2. Grey's Anatomy -- 1.2 mil.
3. Dancing with the Stars performance -- 1.12 mil.
4. Desperate Housewives -- 1.118 mil.
5. The Simpsons (Fox) -- 1.117 mil.
6. Family Guy (Fox) -- 1.088 mil.
7. Friday Night Smackdown! (CW) -- 1.041 mil.
8. The War at Home (Fox) -- 1 mil.
9. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation -- 899,000
10. 20/20 Special Edition (ABC) -- 884,000

• Ratings courtesy Nielsen Media Research. Ratings information is taken from fast national data,

http://www.unclebarky.com/reviews.html

The New Season
Fox Shuffling Post-Baseball Lineup
By Jim Benson Broadcasting & Cable 10/4/2006

Fox is believed to be close to announcing several post-baseball season scheduling moves impacting Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights.

According to sources, Vanished would move from 9 p.m. Monday--after Prison Break--to 8 p.m. Friday starting Oct. 27, replacing Nanny 911, which would be benched.

Meanwhile, Justice, now airing 9 p.m. Wednesday, would take the Vanished spot on Monday starting Oct. 23.

Fox would have several weeks to figure out how to replace the Bones lead-out.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6378215

Thanks, Fred. I thought it was a pretty good episode and hoped it did better. I must admit I DVR'd it though, there is just so much on this year. :)

Vanished to Fridays at 8..hmmm. If the ratings hold (around 5-6 mill viewers), I think Fox will let this run through to the end of the season with a conclusion.

Why oh why didn't they try this with Reunion, Tru Calling (canceled after 6 episodes into season 2) and Point Pleasant? We would've at least been able to see the end of these stories.

The New Season
What Do You Think?

OK, the new shows have (mostly) premiered now, so what do you think?

Do you have a favorite new show or two?

What has been the biggest disappointment?

I have not seen most of the new shows, but the few that I have seen are:

Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip - have been enjoying, but not as good as I expected, the girlfriend does not enjoy the show though.
Help Me Help You - both myself and the girlfriend really have enjoyed this show so far.
‘Til Death - ok show, not as good as I expected, the girlfriend has really liked it so far though.
Football Night In America - Out of all of the football shows (CBS, FOX, ESPN, NBC) this is by far my least favorite highlight show so far this season and I find myself switching the channel often when it is on.
Sunday Night Football - Seems very similar to MNF last year due to a lot of the same people that have moved from ABC to NBC, I prefer SNF to MNF on ESPN this year, MNF on ESPN has been underwhelming so far.

Yet to debut, but looking forward to:

30 Rock
Twenty Good Years

The New Season
What Do You Think?

OK, the new shows have (mostly) premiered now, so what do you think?

Do you have a favorite new show or two?

What has been the biggest disappointment?

Winners for me (I won't miss them):
Heroes
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Jericho
Kidnapped
Friday Night Lights

Losers (No desire to watch them for one reason or another)
Vanished
Happy Hour
Justice
Smith
Desire
Fashion House
Ugly Betty
Shark
Six Degrees
Men in Trees
Brothers and Sisters
Runaway
The Class

My own favorites of the new shows:
Ugly Betty
Friday Night Lights
Shark
Men In Trees
Justice

Still recording, but....
Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip
Six Degrees

Looking Forward to...
30 Rock
The Nine
Twenty Good Years

Recorded but not yet viewed:
Brothers & Sisters

Recorded but why bother viewing?:
Kidnapped

No Thanks
The new Fox comedies
Vanished
Jericho
The Class
Smith
The MNTV telenovas
Runaway

My take on the new shows this season is that while I enjoy most of them, there are none that I would really miss if they are cancelled. While I will continue watching most, I will no longer invest myself until Season 2. :)

The biggest disappointment with new shows so far is Studio 60. I still think it has promise, but the first episodes have tried to pack too much into them, but hopefully that will change as characters evolve.

The surprise so far has been Men In Trees which I find myself liking even though I don't like the main star. :)

The only ones I've given up on so far are Ugly Betty (after only 5 minutes, just not my cup of tea), Desire, and Fashion House. I don't watch half-hour sitcoms, so those don't count one way or the other. I generally try some of those in rerun, but even then, the only one I've watched regularly is 2.5 Men.

The only other returning shows that have been a surprise so far are Prison Break (I think it's lost something, but I can't put my finger on it) and ER (back to more of it's original form, though it's now on the bedroom DVR list).

The New Season
“Grey’s Anatomy”
Dr. McSteamy scrubs in as cast regular
By Ann Oldenburg USA Today

Has everyone stopped drooling?

In the final seconds of last week's Grey's Anatomy, viewers gasped when Adonis-like actor Eric Dane walked out of a bathroom barely wearing a towel and aptly living up to his nickname "McSteamy."

The scene instantly turned Dane, who plays Dr. Mark Sloan on ABC's hit show, into the talk of television.

"The response has been overwhelming," says Dane, who is married to Rebecca Gayheart from Fox's Vanished. He adds, "My wife liked it."

Grey's is off to a strong third-season start. The premiere drew 25.4 million viewers, and last week's episode drew 23.3 million. The third installment, "Sometimes a Fantasy," airs tonight at 9 ET/PT with Dane now a regular cast member.

"I get to talk," he assures.

Most recently seen in X-Men: The Last Stand, Dane says it took six takes to get the sexy scene right. "I was there for like seven hours that day," he says. "It was a brand-new towel, and it did not want to stay."

Although he was afraid the towel would drop while the cameras were rolling, Dane says he wasn't actually naked. His underwear was cut and double-stuck to his skin to make it appear as though he had nothing on under the towel. He artfully showed some hip.

It was more than skin that caused viewers to catch a breath; the scene was another turn in a double love triangle. Dane emerged during an emotional moment between Dr. Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) and wife Addison (Kate Walsh) discussing their crumbling marriage, a union doomed by his affair, prompted by her cheating some time ago — with Dane's character, Derek's former best friend.

Dempsey, who remained fully clothed in the scene, "was really funny," Dane says. "He kept asking me when my calendar was coming out."

To get those six-pack abs, Dane, 33, says he "eats right" and goes to the gym three or four times a week to work with a trainer.

"The scene was pretty jaw-dropping," says Sarah McLaughlin, a TV comedy writer and blogger at ivillage.com's TV Cocktail. "Everyone's talking about it."

McLaughlin's jaw isn't the only one that dropped. Even the writer responsible for the scene, Krista Vernoff, says on Grey Matter, the show's writers' blog at abc.com, that she, too, was surprised.

"I wrote it. And still, when I first watched the cut, my jaw dropped with giddy surprise when I saw him emerge from that bathroom. Love me my McSteamy."

More than 800 comments have been posted in response to Vernoff's blog posting. Words viewers often used: "loved" and "gasped," along with mentions of "yum" and "holy cow."

And some complained their DVRs cut off just as Dane entered, causing them to miss his hot scene. ABC says the episode officially was booked until 10:02 p.m., although some local cable carriers might not have updated the guide information from the usual 10:01.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-10-04-mcsteamy-returns_x.htm

The New Season
Wednesday TV: ''Dancing,'' ''Lost''
By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog

''Dancing With the Stars'' shocker: Vivica A. Fox gets the boot while Stumbling Sara Evans not only survives but avoids the bottom two. (Monique Coleman was the other one in the two.) ..

Just watched the opening scene from ''Lost.'' Very cool. Welcome back....

Continued after watching the whole episode: OK, it took about five minutes for me to start having doubts -- starting with why we hadn't seen that cool scene of the village in the jungle before, since it feels as if we've seen huge views of the island.

Similarly, throughout the episode I was thinking that there hadn't been a single ''Lost'' that told us so much. The Others now have a clearer shape, and a nasty one it could be. Especially liked Sawyer being stuck in that glorified Skinner box, and that as part of the larger notion that Jack, Kate and Sawyer are all being experimented with in different ways.

But, at the end of the show, it was like the Beatles' ''I'm Looking Through You'': ''I thought I knew you, what did I know?'' With J.J. Abrams involved again, this felt kind of ''Alias''-like to me, and ''Alias'' was awash in nonsense presented as revelation.

And of course I'll be back next week.

http://blogs.ohio.com/beacon_tv/

From today's Marc Berman "Programming Insider", Dave:

1. Retention for Veronica Mars from lead-in Gilmore Girls (Overnights: #5, 4.0/ 6; Viewers: #5, 4.71 million; A18-49: #5, 2.0/ 6 at 8 p.m.) was just 60 percent in the overnights, 69 percent in total viewers and 70 percent among adults 18-49.



The thing that really annoys me about the way these "retention" ratings are presented, is that the implication is that VM must somehow be "defective." IOW, There's no accounting for the folks that did not watch GG but tuned in for VM ... live without skipping commercials. ;)

Is there any word if the story (Kidnapped) will be completed? I hope so, I've always felt this would have been better as a mini-series and 13 eps would do it just about right. I fear that we will be left hanging though if those 13 are already in the can.

I doubt 13 are in the can, but 5 or 6 are probably in there for sure. They may have to do some re-editing on those, but I suspect they'll now change direction quickly to resolve the story in 13 action-packed episodes. The filler is gone; this should be a good ride 'till the end.

[QUOTE=keenan]I had noted awhile back that I thought Studio 60 while possibly being very well written, would not play well with a large enough audience, and that seems to becoming the reality per the ratings.

I agree. The show is well written and acted; but who really cares about the basic concept?

The TV Column
Friday Night Lights': Game Subject to Blackout

By Lisa de Moraes Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, October 5, 2006; C07

NBC's "Friday Night Lights" performed like the '76 Buccaneers in its premiere Tuesday night.

Yes, that bad.

Despite the fact that critics hailed the new drama as

(a) extraordinary in just about every conceivable way,

(b) great in the way of art with a single obsessive creator who doesn't have to consult with a committee and has months or years to go back and agonize over line breaks and the color red,

and

(c) [a] rewardingly seasoned new drama series that's practically indistinguishable from the acclaimed feature film, except that it's better,

all but 7.17 million viewers gave it a pass -- about as many as watched Meredith Vieira's second day on the "Today" show.

Anyway, that makes "Friday Night Lights" the worst ratings performance for any series premiere in the official 2006-07 TV season. True, Fox's new sitcom "Happy Hour" opened with just 6.965 million viewers but it debuted before the season officially started on Sept. 18. But, if you're not a stickler and want "Happy Hour" added to the mix, then "Friday Night Lights" is still the worst drama-series premiere this season, ratings-wise.

Even more embarrassing, NBC's football drama got crushed by the pantywaist ballroom dancers of ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," which copped more than 18 million viewers Tuesday night.

NBC noted that its football drama finished first in its 8 p.m. hour among young men. But, in truth, more 18-to-34-year-old males were attracted to the combo of ABC's ballroom dancing and the CW's "Gilmore Girls."

In its review, trade paper Variety, which tends to review TV shows based not only on aesthetics but also on commercial viability, speculated that " 'Friday Night Lights' ultimately feels like one of those family programs middle America and conservatives pine for that too few of them actually bother to watch -- a portrait of decent, God-fearing folks wringing joy from America's game as an escape from their hardscrabble lives."

In an Internet poll about the show, one viewer (who gave "Friday Night Lights" a 10 out of 10) dismissed this review, saying, "That sentiment is why 'Friday Night Lights' will be a huge hit! America (middle or otherwise) is sick of crap TV!!"

Sorry, pookie.

• • • • • • • • • • •

CBS is flip-flopping its first two sitcoms on Monday night, returning them to the time slots for which they were originally intended.

One of the first things eager young network suits-in-training learn in Television 101 is that returning sitcoms are scheduled on the hour and new sitcoms on the half-hour. Older sitcoms presumably have survived to become older because they are popular (unless they were part of a devil's bargain the network got stuck with in order to hang on to a hit sitcom, but they don't learn that until the second semester, when they study " 'Cosby' and 'A Different World': Anatomy of TV Blackmail").

Freshman sitcoms, on the other hand, are like hothouse flowers -- they need protection. Older sitcoms are scheduled at 8 and 9 p.m. so as to create a protected "hammock" on the half-hour for a new sitcom.

So, in May, no one batted an eye when CBS announced its new comedy "The Class" -- about a group of white twentysomethings who are bound together by virtue of the fact they were in the same third-grade class -- would air Mondays at 8:30 p.m., between returning "How I Met Your Mother" at 8 and "Two and a Half Men" at 9.

So far so good.

But then, the CBS suits started to believe their own hype. "The Class" was the show that was going to bring back the sitcom; it was, after all, from one of the guys who did "Friends." And if anybody knows how to do a show about a bunch of crazy white kids, it's the guys who did "Friends." Quicker than you can say "comedy is dead," CBS changed its mind and announced it was going to swap time slots on "How I Met Your Mother" and "The Class" -- even though the cast of "The Class" included at least one promising show killer -- Next-Door Neighbor Lawyer Bimbo Chick from "Joey." And yes, there are some actors who are considered show killers. Paula Marshall comes to mind.

Premiere Week, it looked like CBS might do okay with this Hail Mary pass. "The Class" opened with about 10.5 million viewers, and "HIMYM" followed, also with 10.5 million viewers. Last week, the second of the new season, things still didn't look too bad; "The Class" clocked 8.5 million and "HIMYM" 9.1 million.

This past Monday, however, TV 101 caught up with CBS: "The Class" averaged 7.9 million viewers and "HIMYM" more than 9 million.

So it's back to school for CBS, starting this coming Monday.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/04/AR2006100401981_pf.html

The New Season
An aquarium, a Stephen King novel, a 'Repo Man' reference: It must be 'Lost'
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” Oct. 5, 2006

“Lost” doled out a few new clues in its Wednesday season premiere: We learned that Ben, the character formerly known as “Henry Gale,” is not gentle at all.

(Stop reading here if you haven't seen the season premiere of "Lost" yet and don't want to know more.)

As the leader of “Lost’s” Others, Ben (Gale was just a pseudonym swiped from “The Wizard of Oz”) not only terrorized the crash survivors last season, he and his gloomy gang captured Jack, Sawyer and Kate as Season 2 closed.

Wednesday’s season opener found Jack in a cell in an underwater facility, where an Other named Juliet attempted to befriend him – and revealed that the group apparently had compiled a thick dossier on the doctor.

Meanwhile Kate went on a forced date that resembled a “Survivor” reward – a nice, hot shower, followed by breakfast on the beach. The catch: Ben was serving the coffee, and told her the next two weeks of her captivity wouldn’t be so fun.

He wasn’t kidding. After coffee and eggs, a distressed but quiet Kate was put into an outdoor cell near Sawyer.

“I requested that cage,” Sawyer told Kate when she arrived at her new digs.

The attempt at jocularity was a welcome relief from an intense season premiere, which gave fans plenty to chew on The biggest question: Is the mysterious Dharma Initiative still going or, as Juliet said, did it peter out “a long time ago”? All those cells and monitoring systems that Jack, Kate and Sawyer saw (and which were glimpsed during Season 2’s visits to various Dharma “stations”) seem to indicate that whole lot of weird experimentation was going on at some point, and might still be underway.

What is Juliet’s deal, anyway? Is she just playing mind games with Jack or does she have an agenda of her own?

One thing is clear: The “Lost” producers have a whole lot of love for Stephen King (not to mention the movie "Repo Man," which was mentioned a couple of times). The opening scene of the season had a book club at Juliet’s house discussing a King novel – but they could have been “Lost” fans and dissenters dissecting the show.

“It’s not even literature, it’s popcorn,” one book club member sneered. “There’s no metaphor, it’s by-the-numbers religious hokum pokum. It’s science fiction.”

Whatever else that guy thought, his flame-fest was interrupted by a loud noise that Juliet and her guests thought was an earthquake. It turns out it was a jet crashing on the island.

An island that had, as it happens, a tidy village of small houses occupied by not just Juliet but Ethan, Ben and Goodwin; fans of the show will remember Ethan and Goodwin as characters from previous seasons.

Soon enough, Ben appeared to dispatch members of the settlement to the plane’s two crash sites.

Is that settlement still there? What connection does it have to the Dharma Initiative? What drugs did those Others give Kate, Sawyer and Jack given and why?

And where the heck is Desmond, brutha?

In any case, we learned that Juliet and Ben and their band of helpers have access to the outside world, thanks to the fact that Juliet obtained the autopsy report for Jack’s dad, whose body he was taking home when the plane crashed. At least, she said she had the report. She also said that Jack’s ex-wife, whom he spent the episode obsessing about, was “very happy.”

But who knows, that could have been a lie, although in the flashbacks, Sarah appeared to be quite happy to be permanently split from Jack, who showed a deeply unsavory obsessive side – he couldn’t bear not knowing who Sarah’s new boyfriend was after their split.

“Let it go” – that was the message Jack kept getting (he even thought he heard that message through an intercom in his cell). But perhaps -- as with “Lost” when it’s firing on all cylinders -- there was another meaning to those flashbacks from his past: Maybe Jack’s stubbornness has steered him wrong in the past, but it might serve him well in coming weeks as he fights against Juliet and Ben’s mind games.

Then again, next week’s episode might flip that theory on its head. In any event, the season premiere was a typically enjoyable dose of mindbending “Lost” invention, and surely more clues and mysteries will be doled out for fans to discuss, dissect and dis in coming months.

Personally, I can’t wait for more. Too bad we won’t have much to savor until next year; only six episodes of “Lost” air before the show takes a break until February. But once it returns, it’ll air without interruption until May.

http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/

Like:
- Heroes

On the bubble:
- Jericho (getting slightly better)
- Studio 60 (biggest disappointment, and getting worse)

Dislike:
- 'til Death
- Happy Hour

Waiting for:
- 30 Rock

Wednesday’s prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted just under the HD Football listings near the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.

Lucas moves from movies to TV...

http://www.variety.com/VR1117951284.html

David

TV Sports
From TV Deal to Schedule, the NHL Has Work to Do

Helene Elliott Los Angeles Times staff writer October 5, 2006

A year after returning from a labor dispute and a canceled season, the NHL is fighting the perception that it is a niche sport. Saddled with TV ratings lower than those for NASCAR and poker, and selling a sport whose players are overwhelmingly white to countries that are increasingly diverse, the NHL must find new ways to win fans' hearts and sponsors' dollars.

Its past efforts have failed spectacularly, particularly at clarifying its rules and dispelling the myth that its players are toothless Canadian lumberjacks. After allowing the game to stagnate for a decade, the NHL last season introduced rules that sped up play and boosted scoring, giving it a good product to sell. Its sales methods, however, have had all the impact of a whisper at a rock concert.

Television drives every league, and the NHL's vehicle is a go-kart carrying it on the road to ruin.

A year ago, with its season about to start and ESPN refusing to pay big bucks to renew its rights deal, a desperate NHL aligned itself with OLN, now known as Versus when it's mentioned at all. Either side can end that agreement after this season.

If the NHL is serious about becoming a major player, it must flee Versus, crawl over broken glass if need be, and beg ESPN to take it back.

Like it or not, ESPN is ingrained in our sports culture. NHL executives were furious that under the previous deal, ESPN cut its NHL coverage after it added the NBA. However, a profit-sharing deal with the NHL would give ESPN incentive to restore hockey to prominence.

"ESPN provides the sort of Good Housekeeping stamp of approval," said Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon and a hockey fan. The NHL, he said, "would be better off finding a working partnership between themselves and ESPN. If it were my decision, and not knowing the reason, this league needs as many symbolic attachments to maintain their position as a major professional sport."

Versus' appeal had three prongs: It was willing to give the NHL lots of airtime, it was willing to pay a rights fee, and it was there. It hasn't grown fast enough to give the NHL the exposure it needs, having only recently extended its reach to 70 million homes, 20 million fewer than ESPN and ESPN2. Nor has Versus created a distinct identity that separates it from its competitors in the cable universe.

"If we were going to grow, we needed to do something different," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in defending the deal. "While we gave up some distribution, the coverage was phenomenal. They will continue to grow over time and we think as a result, people will see better coverage of hockey."

Bettman said Versus has committed extensive resources and money to its growth, but its exclusive coverage of the Ducks-Oilers Western Conference final series last spring was unavailable in much of Orange County, a severe blow to the Ducks.

Brian Burke, the Ducks' general manager, compared the NHL's alliance with Versus to its deal with a then-young ESPN2. But ESPN2 had the support of its parent and a familiar name; it also faced less competition than Versus does now.

"I think they've done a nice job with our product," Burke said of Versus. "The carriage issue is another issue, and we've made it clear that's paramount to us."

Improving the quality and content of telecasts is one issue the league has addressed.

It's banking on the growth of high-definition TV, which Bettman said will be "like throwing a light switch" because of its detail and wider format. Also, John Shannon, the NHL's senior vice president of broadcasting and former executive producer of "Hockey Night in Canada," has educated production personnel about the art of hockey broadcasting. That should help: From a lifetime around the game, Canadian TV crews can usually anticipate and capture plays better than their American counterparts, making Canadian telecasts superior.

Bettman also said 75 features will be aired on local and national TV, offering insights into players whose features are obscured by helmets and pads.

"We are going to market and promote our players in ways we didn't do before because now we have the cooperation of the players," he said, referring to the new labor agreement. "The game on ice, our financial stability, all these things will enable us to do things we never did before."

Next, the NHL must deal with its schedule.

For the second straight season, teams will play eight games against each division foe but won't face a division in the opposite conference. Pacific teams didn't play the Atlantic Division last season, missing Sidney Crosby and a big drawing card in the New York Rangers. This season they won't see Boston, Buffalo, Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto, a travesty that cheats fans.

"I would like to see us play every team in the other conference at least once a year," said Cliff Fletcher, who has been involved in club management since 1969 and is the Phoenix Coyotes' senior executive vice president of hockey operations. "This year there's three of the Original Six teams that we won't play either in their building or our building. I think it's important. I hope that's addressed."

Next, the NHL should determine whether 30 teams is the right number and whether those teams are in the right places. The Penguins' difficulty in getting a new arena in Pittsburgh spawned speculation they might move to Hamilton, Canada, and long-term prospects are unclear for several Sunbelt teams. The strong Canadian dollar might help reverse the southward migration of franchises.

The lone constant in NHL history is its unerring knack for self-destruction. It seemed poised for a boom after the Rangers' 1994 Stanley Cup triumph but killed the buzz when it locked players out the subsequent season and settled for a disastrous labor deal. It allowed dull defense-oriented tactics to rob the game of its speed and skill. One more mistake and Bettman will be remembered as the man who made the NHL irrelevant.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-sp-elliott5oct05,0,5913205,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

Critic’s Notebook
“Battlestar Galactica” transcends sci-fi genre
By Charlie McCollum San Jose Mercury News Oct. 5, 2006

There's no question that ``Battlestar Galactica'' gives good escapism. The writers can really spin a yarn, the battle scenes have a lot of kick, and the individual episodes have the look of mini-feature films.

But while it could have settled for being a popcorn space thriller -- like the late 1970s show it's based on -- ``Battlestar,'' which returns for its third season Friday (10 p.m., Sci Fi), has a depth to it that makes it one of TV's most invigorating and intellectually stimulating series.

Perhaps the most prestigious awards in television are the Peabodys, given out each year by a panel of critics, academics and broadcast executives to the very best programs, whether news, documentary or entertainment. Last April, the list included Martin Scorsese's ``No Direction Home -- Bob Dylan,'' outstanding coverage of Hurricane Katrina -- and ``Battlestar Galactica.''

`` `Battlestar Galactica' is not just another apocalyptic vision of the future but an intense drama that poses provocative questions regarding religion, politics, sex and what it truly means to be `human,' '' the judges said.

The panel certainly got it right.

Like the very best science fiction -- whether literature, film or television -- ``Battlestar'' uses its vision of the future as an allegory for our present. It creates challenging, post-Sept. 11 parables that reflect current events, ranging from the roots and nature of terrorism to religious extremism. It dabbles in the use (and misuse) of religion in politics, torture and ethics in warfare and how much freedom people are willing to sacrifice to be ``safe.'' It has given more consideration to the war in Iraq and its impact on the American way of life than any other TV series.

Of course, ``Battlestar'' never mentions Iraq and Afghanistan or America's cultural schism. The references slide in with considerable subtlety, with the show's writers making the startling assumption that their audience will ``get it.'' The religious references are most often oblique, and certainly never ham-handed.

At times, this series boldly (and literally) goes where no sci-fi show has gone before.

That boldness extends to its storytelling, as well. During its first two seasons, and a 2003 miniseries, the story has focused on the search by some 50,000 survivors of a devastating attack on their planet for a perhaps mythical lost colony called Earth. All the while, they have had to elude their enemies, the Cylons, who may be ``alien'' but look human.

But in last season's finale, the producers -- Ronald D. Moore and David Eick -- threw viewers a curve by jump-shifting a year into the future with many of the survivors clinging to life on New Caprica, a barren planet run in name only by the humans and ruled in reality by the Cylons. A handful of the top military leaders managed to escape aboard Galactica and another starship, the Pegasus, and are now plotting a rescue from space.

That's where the series picks up Friday, and the first few episodes are just as gripping as the show's past work, whether set aboard the spaceships or on New Caprica, where the survivors are deciding between collaboration or revolution. The major characters -- Adm. William Adama (Edward James Olmos), President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), an array of Cylon leaders -- have continued to evolve, adding even more shades of gray. On both sides, the intriguing debates about tactics and strategies continue to rage.

No offense meant to Olmos and the other men on ``Battlestar'' -- particularly Dean Stockwell, who scene-steals as a sleazy, venal Cylon leader -- but one of the best things about the series is the way the women tend to dominate.

McDonnell has created a rich, complex portrait of a true civil servant trying to do good -- and often failing tragically. The strongest hero may be Sharon Valerii (Grace Park), a Cylon turned human supporter, and if it isn't her, it's Kara ``Starbuck'' Thrace (Katee Sackhoff). As played by Tricia Helfer, Number Six, one of the Cylon leaders, is a truly memorable (and very sexy) sci-fi figure. And Lucy Lawless was a marvelous addition last season as D'Anna, a muck-raking journalist who turned out to be Cylon.

The end product of all these splendid parts is a sci-fi series you can appreciate and enjoy even if space operas aren't normally your first viewing choice. ``Battlestar Galactica'' is provocative television that transcends its genre.

Remote controls

• In fairness to ABC's new ``Brothers & Sisters,'' which I slammed a couple of columns back, the show's second episode was more coherent than its opening hour and at least modestly engaging. This Sunday's installment (10 p.m., Ch. 7) shows even more improvement, suggesting that some measure of artistic order has been restored. I'm still not convinced the show is ever going to make my must-see list -- for one thing, I'm still not buying the Calista Flockhart character -- but I'm not totally writing it off.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/television/15683865.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

TV Sports
Vet Summerall Broadcast Fox's Cotton Bowl
By John Consoli Media Week Oct. 5, 2006

Veteran sports broadcaster Pat Summerall will return to the broadcast booth to call the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic on Monday, Jan. 1, on Fox.

The Cotton Bowl is located in Dallas, where Summerall resides. Summerall called the 1965 Cotton Bowl and was the analyst for the 1966 game. Both of those telecasts were on CBS. Fox has aired the Cotton Bowl for the past 8 years.

Summerall, 76, began his broadcasting career in 1961 after a career in the National Football League. He has called 15 Super Bowls on network television, more than any announcer, and teamed with John Madden for 22 seasons, the final 8 at Fox Sports, where they were the network's lead NFL broadcast team. He last called an NFL game for ESPN in 2004.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003221002

The New Season
Can 'Studio 60' and '30 Rock' Save 'SNL'?
Late-Night Comedy Show's Premiere Gets Slight Ratings Bump
By Claire Atkinson Advertising Age October 05, 2006

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Are "Studio 60" and "30 Rock" helping NBC revive "Saturday Night Live," the show those two prime-time programs are based on? Ratings data just released today show a slightly improved picture for the long-running comedy-sketch show.

The "SNL" series premiere Sept. 30, hosted by comedian Dane Cook, drew 6.7 million viewers compared to 6.6 million who tuned in for last year's premiere on Oct. 1. In the 18- to 49-year-old demo, "SNL" also got a slightly higher rating, a 3.2 compared to last year's 3.1.

Art imitates life

That's good news for NBC. And that also happens to mirror the storyline on "Studio 60" last Monday night, when the fictional NBS entertainment president congratulated the staff on a ratings uptick. "Studio 60" is one of two shows that portrays life on the set of an "SNL"-like show. The other show, "30 Rock," is executive produced by "SNL" creator Lorne Michaels and is set to make its debut Oct. 11.

In real life, NBC has struggled with the late-night comedy show, which averaged around 6 million viewers last season, the lowest in its storied history. According to a report in The New York Times last month, NBC has imposed "massive budget cuts" on the series, leading to the firing of vets such as Chris Parnell and Horatio Sanz. Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch had already quit to work on "30 Rock."

Big web plans

According to an NBC executive, the network has big plans for the "SNL" website and is planning to give viewers the chance to go behind-the-scenes as the show is being produced. Exploiting "SNL" video is a key goal for NBC after it was unable to capitalize when the show's famed "Lazy Sunday" skit rocketed around the web.

NBC's lawyers demanded the video be removed from sites such as YouTube.com for copyright reasons. The "SNL" website now plays host to a huge archive of segments. This week gossip site Gawker circulated a video apearing on YouTube.com of NBC anchorman Brian Williams on "SNL's" "Weekend Update" segment, though links to it have since become inactive. The video can still be seen on "SNL's" website.

"Studio 60" has taken something of a tumble from its first outing. The show, which premiered to 13.4 million viewers, dropped to 8.9 million in its third week. The 18- to 49-year-old demographic rating was 3.4, down from the premiere, which was 5.0. The critically acclaimed series, penned by Aaron Sorkin ("West Wing"), follows the trials of a group of TV executives who battle affiliates, advertisers and focus-group data to put on a cutting-edge comedy show.

http://adage.com/print?article_id=112300

New shows that I like:

Kidnapped
Brothers and Sisters

That's the only one that I've added to an already full dvr. I tried to add The Nine last night but couldn't b/c of the recording of CSI: NY and Kidnapped at the same time.

So far,

Keepers.

Men In Trees
Brothers and Sisters
Friday Night Lights
Kidnapped(it's a shame this has been canceled as I think it has by far, the best production values and storyline of any of the new shows)

Strong Maybes
Studio 60
Ugly Betty
Heroes
Jericho(both Heroes and Jericho simply for the fun value ala Surface-certainly neither would be considered strong, intelligent dramas)
Shark(I'm hoping this one improves if only because I think Woods can be great here, but so far, it's nothing special)

Weak Maybes
Smith(the characters here are just too distant to make any connection with-it has a somewhat "cold" feel to it-I don't really care what happens with these people, but it is a nice production)
Six Degrees
The Nine(both The Nine and Six Degrees will require more time and as a side note, I think ABC is going overboard with the "what happened-what's going to happen with these people type show", Lost is starting to wear on me as it is)

Not Really Much Chance At All
Vanished
Standoff
Justice

So far,

Keepers.

Men In Trees
Brothers and Sisters
Friday Night Lights
Kidnapped(it's a shame this has been canceled as I think it has by far, the best production values and storyline of any of the new shows)

Strong Maybes
Studio 60
Ugly Betty
Heroes
Jericho(both Heroes and Jericho simply for the fun value ala Surface-certainly neither would be considered strong, intelligent dramas)
Shark(I'm hoping this one improves if only because I think Woods can be great here, but so far, it's nothing special)

Weak Maybes
Smith(the characters here are just too distant to make any connection with-it has a somewhat "cold" feel to it-I don't really care what happens with these people, but it is a nice production)
Six Degrees
The Nine(both The Nine and Six Degrees will require more time and as a side note, I think ABC is going overboard with the "what happened-what's going to happen with these people type show", Lost is starting to wear on me as it is)

Not Really Much Chance At All
Vanished
Standoff
Justice


I didn't know Kidnapped was canceled.

Back about 30 posts, Antonio (16347) is the Kidnapping story. It is not officially cancalled yet, but NBC apparently has cut the order to 13 episodes...and will shut down production after they are completed.

...The Nine(both The Nine and Six Degrees will require more time and as a side note, I think ABC is going overboard with the "what happened-what's going to happen with these people type show", Lost is starting to wear on me as it is)...

I agree, and if they want us to care what happens, how about making something actually happen at least once in a while instead of continually adding new possibilities about what might happen.

Back about 30 posts, Antonio (16347) is the Kidnapping story. It is not officially cancalled yet, but NBC apparently has cut the order to 13 episodes...and will shut down production after they are completed.
Six of one, half a dozen of the other. :D

So far,

Keepers.

Men In Trees

Weak Maybes
Smith(the characters here are just too distant to make any connection with-it has a somewhat "cold" feel to it-I don't really care what happens with these people, but it is a nice production)

when you are introduced to the main characters and one of them shoots two guys dead for fun I find it hard to empathise with them. None of the main cast have any redeeming features, I find it hard to believe the network would believe people would stick with characters who are clearly just bad guys and nothing else, for 22 episodes.

Thief was far better, even if it was a bit darker and less slick. Even TBag on Prison Break is more endearing than the characters on Smith!

And based on the fact that Men in Trees is on a lot of keeper lists (including mine) I predict that will be cancelled next. :)

Networks traditonally don't announce cancellations, anyway. They just quietly note "schedule changes".

It will be interesting to see what is placed in the "Kidnapped" slot.

I agree, and if they want us to care what happens, how about making something actually happen at least once in a while instead of continually adding new possibilities about what might happen.
I like "Lost", but about halfway through last season I pretty much gave up on paying much attention to the detailed minutia in the show and just watch for the looks and sound, and the hope that "something" will happen.

As Rakesh.S notes in the "Lost", and I agree, ABC needs to be very careful with this show as it's highly unlikely to pick up many new viewers--it would make far less sense to them that it does to current viewers--and start giving viewers a few "okay, now I understand" moments, other wise I think they may see some erosion of viewer numbers.

Networks traditonally don't announce cancellations, anyway. They just quietly note "schedule changes".

It will be interesting to see what is placed in the "Kidnapped" slot.
Isn't the Black Donnellys(sp?) out there somewhere? I've forgotten what it's even about.

The New Season
FOX and CW Shake Things Up
By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable 10/5/2006

As previously reported, Fox is shaking up its lineup after the conclusion of the baseball playoffs, and will make changes to its schedule on four different nights. The CW is also making some big changes by swapping their Sunday and Monday schedules.

To begin with Fox, the new moves include the launch of the network’s latest unscripted show, The Rich List, a quiz show hosted by English TV personality Eamonn Holmes that will air Wednesdays at 9, replacing the relocated Justice.

Fox will also flip its Tuesday night schedule, in which House returns to 9, pushing Standoff up to lead off the night.

Two rookie dramas will be on the move, as Justice shifts to Mondays at 9 out of Prison Break, while Vanished gets banished to Fridays at 8.

Fox also says that rookie comedies ‘Til Death and Happy Hour will return to the schedule on Thursday nights at 8, leading into The O.C., which returns November 2.

With the changes, Nanny 911 goes to the bench from its Friday at 9 timeslot.

Fox’s new schedule following baseball:

Mondays, beginning October 23:
8:00-9:00 PM PRISON BREAK
9:00-10:00 PM JUSTICE (New slot)

Tuesdays, beginning October 31:
8:00-9:00 PM STANDOFF (New slot)
9:00-10:00 PM HOUSE (New slot)

Wednesdays, beginning November 1:
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:0010:00 PM THE RICH LIST (New series)

Thursdays, beginning November 2:
8:00-8:30 PM ‘TIL DEATH
8:30-9:00 PM HAPPY HOUR
9:00-10:00 PM THE O.C.

Friday, October 20:
8:00-10:00 PM TRADING SPOUSES: MEET YOUR NEW MOMMY

Fridays, beginning October 27:
8:00-9:00 PM VANISHED (New slot)
9:00-10:00 PM TRADING SPOUSES: MEET YOUR NEW MOMMY (New slot)

And in CW news....

In an effort to pump life back into one of its best young assets, Everybody Hates Chris, as well as its entire comedy block, the new CW network will swap its Sunday and Monday schedules beginning October 9.

Beginning that Monday, Chris, All of Us, Girlfriends and rookie The Game will move to Mondays from 8-10.The network will re-air each of the shows’ season premieres that night, and then return to new episodes the following Monday.

Beginning Sunday, October 15, the network will use an encore of its returning power America’s Top Model to kick off the night at 7, followed by 7th Heaven and rookie drama, Runaway.

The CW’s New Monday Schedule, Effective October 9
8:00-8:30 PM EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS
8:30-9:00 PM ALL OF US
9:00-9:30 PM GIRLFRIENDS
9:30-10:00 PM THE GAME

The CW’s New Sunday Schedule, Effective October 15
7:00-8:00 PM AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL (encore)
8:00-9:00 PM 7TH HEAVEN
9:00-10:00 PM RUNAWAY

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6378513

Networks traditonally don't announce cancellations, anyway. They just quietly note "schedule changes".

Or the ever-popular "such and such a show is going on hiatus". :)

It will be interesting to see what is placed in the "Kidnapped" slot.

I hope they keep it there for it's now-limited run of 13 eps. As long as they're going to continue production (I'm assuming they probably already have 5 or 6 in the can), it makes sense that they'd keep it on the schedule somewhere so that people can find it. I hope they don't move it; it's currently in a "DVR-able" slot for me.

Jim---
(from tv.com)

The Black Donnellys follows the exploits of four young, working-class Irish brothers. Their involvement in organized crime in New York City will put their life at risk and they will do anything to protect each other from the hostility between them and the others New York families who want their territory. The series is produced by NBC Universal Television Studio in association with Blackfriars Bridge

Pilot:Jimmy's plan to help his brother Kevin out of gambling debt with a truckload of stolen designer shirts backfires, forcing the two to kidnap local mob boss Sal Minnetta's nephew Louie. When Sal's right-hand-man Nicky Cottero decides to take the matters into his own hands, it's up to Tommy, the brainy one of the Donnelly brothers, to choose between fighting for his family and life as an honest man.
Airs: Thursday January 4, 2007

http://www.tv.com/the-black-donnellys/show/49534/summary.html

Jim---
(from tv.com)

The Black Donnellys follows the exploits of four young, working-class Irish brothers. Their involvement in organized crime in New York City will put their life at risk and they will do anything to protect each other from the hostility between them and the others New York families who want their territory. The series is produced by NBC Universal Television Studio in association with Blackfriars Bridge


Sounds awfully similar to Showtime's outstanding drama "Brotherhood", without the political angle.

...I hope they keep it there for it's now-limited run of 13 eps. As long as they're going to continue production (I'm assuming they probably already have 5 or 6 in the can), it makes sense that they'd keep it on the schedule somewhere so that people can find it. I hope they don't move it; it's currently in a "DVR-able" slot for me.

I can't imagine NBC wouldn't at least banish it to Friday -- or maybe even Saturday if it hasn't got enought Dateline "sexual predator" shows in the can.

Especially during the November sweep the network just can't take the awful ratings.

Jim---
(from tv.com)

The Black Donnellys follows the exploits of four young, working-class Irish brothers. Their involvement in organized crime in New York City will put their life at risk and they will do anything to protect each other from the hostility between them and the others New York families who want their territory. The series is produced by NBC Universal Television Studio in association with Blackfriars Bridge

Pilot:Jimmy's plan to help his brother Kevin out of gambling debt with a truckload of stolen designer shirts backfires, forcing the two to kidnap local mob boss Sal Minnetta's nephew Louie. When Sal's right-hand-man Nicky Cottero decides to take the matters into his own hands, it's up to Tommy, the brainy one of the Donnelly brothers, to choose between fighting for his family and life as an honest man.
Airs: Thursday January 4, 2007

http://www.tv.com/the-black-donnellys/show/49534/summary.html
mmm..something tells me Showtime's Brotherhood is probably the better show, but bring it on, I'll definitely give it a look.

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
'Lost' sails, 'The Nine' slips in its wake
Returning ABC hit series draws a 7.5 in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Oct. 5, 2006

Lost” remains a huge hit for ABC, but the “The Nine” may not be.

The season premiere of “Lost” averaged a strong 7.5 adults 18-49 rating last night, according to Nielsen overnights, matching last spring’s finale average. But “The Nine,” the highly touted new drama leading out of “Lost” at 10 p.m., lost 38 percent of that lead-in for a 4.6 rating and finished second in its timeslot, behind CBS’s “CSI: NY.”

By comparison, last year the premiere of “Invasion” lost 29 percent of “Lost’s” audience in their season premieres. But “Invasion” dipped well below that as the season went on, and was canceled after one year.

“Lost” averaged 18.5 million total viewers and “Nine” averaged 11.96 million.

It’s too early to write off “Nine,” especially with the show making loads of critics’ top five lists for the new season. The show seemed to be very compatible in subject matter to “Lost,” both of them character-driven dramas, yet its 4.6 does not rank among the top five premieres for the new season.

It will be interesting to see in coming weeks if “Nine” can build its audience through buzz and promotion. The second half of the show dipped from a 4.9 to a 4.3, but all but two new hour-long shows this season have seen similar, and many steeper, drops.

ABC was still an easy winner on the night, averaging a 5.5 rating and 15 share in adults 18-49. CBS ranked second at 4.1/11, followed by Fox at 3.0/8, NBC at 2.2/6, the CW at 2.1/6 and Univision at 1.7/4.

At 8 p.m., ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” results show averaged a 4.4, followed by CBS’s “Jericho” at 3.4, Fox’s “Bones” and CW’s “America’s Next Top Model” at 2.7, Univision’s “La Fea Mas Bella” at 1.8, and NBC’s “Friday Night Lights” pilot rerun at 1.7.

At 9 p.m., “Lost” led at 7.5, followed by CBS’s “Criminal Minds” at 4.1, Fox’s “House” rerun at 3.3, NBC’s “Biggest Loser” at 2.9, Univision’s “Mundo de Fieras” at 1.7, and CW’s “One Tree Hill” at 1.4.

At 10 p.m., CBS’s “CSI: NY” led at 4.9, followed by “Nine” at 4.6, NBC’s “Kidnapped” at 2.0 and Univision’s “Don Francisco Presenta” at 1.6.

Among households, ABC also led at 10.1/16, followed by CBS at 8.9/14, Fox at 5.5/8, NBC at 3.9/6, CW at 2.9/4 and Univision at 2.1/3.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_7748.asp

Thank Fred. I must have read over the story about the cancelation of Kidnapped. I will probably remove it from the dvr and put The Nine in it's place. However, the story posted above that shows The Nine lost 38% of the Lost lead in audience doesn't bode to well and it maybe gone by the end of this year.

Thank Fred. I must have read over the story about the cancelation of Kidnapped. I will probably remove it from the dvr and put The Nine in it's place. However, the story posted above that shows The Nine lost 38% of the Lost lead in audience doesn't bode to well and it maybe gone by the end of this year.

My recommendation is to keep 'Kidnapped'. It's been reduced to a "midiseries" of 13 episodes, so all the filler will be gone and it should be quite an action-packed ride to the finish. And, for Heaven's sake, it's got Dana Delaney. ;)

So is it time for the Cancelled and On the Fence list of shows to go up in Post #2?

Wouldn't it be nice if Dana Delaney got into a hit show?

She is marvelous -- even an appearance on the almost forgotten "Related" was spectacular last season.

So is it time for the Cancelled and On the Fence list of shows to go up in Post #2?


I sure is. I'll have to get to it in the next few days.

Wouldn't it be nice if Dana Delaney got into a hit show?

She is marvelous -- even an appearance on the almost forgotten "Related" was spectacular last season.

Fred, if you were watching the best show on TV, Battlestar Galactica, you would have seen her in another terrific guest starring role last year (she played a terrorist!). :)

Wait a minute, are you telling me that "Shark" isn't the best show on TV?

Who knew? :)

when you are introduced to the main characters and one of them shoots two guys dead for fun I find it hard to empathise with them. None of the main cast have any redeeming features, I find it hard to believe the network would believe people would stick with characters who are clearly just bad guys and nothing else, for 22 episodes.

Thief was far better, even if it was a bit darker and less slick. Even TBag on Prison Break is more endearing than the characters on Smith!

And based on the fact that Men in Trees is on a lot of keeper lists (including mine) I predict that will be cancelled next. :)
That's pretty much how I feel, in fact, I might even get into the show a little more if the cops started dropping these people like flies. For instance, it would more interesting to see Jeff go down at the hands of the big dude instead of Jeff taking him out just like he did his friends.

And yeah, Thief puts Smith to shame on just about all counts.

I can't imagine NBC wouldn't at least banish it to Friday -- or maybe even Saturday if it hasn't got enought Dateline "sexual predator" shows in the can.

Especially during the November sweep the network just can't take the awful ratings.
Hopefully they won't put it on USA, or something else that is equally crappy as far as PQ/sound goes. This is a really nicely photographed show, it deserves to be seen in HD.

What are ABC's plans for the next run of "Dancing with the Stars"? Will there be another one in the spring, or do we have to wait until September 2007?

It's (still) one of ABC's hits and I doubt they want to run it into the ground as what befell "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?".

I believe they plan to start a new edition just in time for the February sweep, humdinger70.

I believe they plan to start a new edition just in time for the February sweep, humdinger70.

Ah yes, good old sweeps weeks! Makes good sense, you want the bucks, gotta bring in the ratings, and DWTS certainly does that!

I do wonder if any scheduling conflicts (due to having two long runs of live shows) might keep one or more of the principal regulars (Tom, Samantha, Carrie Ann, Len, Bruno and Harold) off the show and force them to hire a replacement.

I would bet that being on a hit of the magnitude of DWTS will make all potential scheduling conflicts magically disappear.

TV Notebook
Farrah Fawcett Faces Cancer Battle
Farrah's friends speak out as the beloved "Angel" faces a health crisis.
(Entertainment Tonight)

ET confirms reports that FARRAH FAWCETT is battling cancer, and last night the stars were shocked as they found out the news.

"I love Farrah, I had no idea," TORI SPELLING said. "Our thoughts are with her, wishing her the best and a speedy recovery."

Funnyman ROBIN WILLIAMS put on a serious face as he wished Farrah well. "I send you much love and I say a prayer, too," he said.

Actress FRAN DRESCHER speaks from experience as she offers both advice and kind words.

"As a cancer survivor, I just hope they caught it early enough, because early detection equals survival," she said. "I think that's why we all have to be our own best friends and be better partners with our physicians and know what the early signs are and get all the cancer screening tests that are available."

The "Charlie's Angels" star released a statement to ET, saying, "Please respect my privacy at this challenging time."

The 59-year-old actress was last seen on the big screen in 2004 in 'The Cookout' and has guest-starred on numerous TV shows in the past decade, including "Ally McBeal," "The Guardian," and "Spin City."

http://www.etonline.com/celebrities/news/37362/index.html

TV Notebook
Big Day Set To Debut
By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable 10/5/2006

ABC is bringing rookie comedy Big Day off the bench and will debut the sitcom on Tuesday, November 28 at 9 p.m. ET. The timeslot was originally supposed to be home to Knights Of Prosperity, which has been shelved.

Big Day was originally scheduled to air Thursdays at 8, but the network subsequently decided to pull both it and Notes from the Underbelly off of the schedule at the beginning of the season.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6378659.html?display=Breaking+News

TV Notebook
Big Day Set To Debut
"BIG DAY" TO PREMIERE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28 ON THE ABC TELEVISION NETWORK
(ABC News Release)

"Big Day," a new romantic comedy about life in the wild wedding lane, will premiere TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28 (9:00-9:30 p.m., ET) on ABC, the Network announced today.

"Big Day" follows a very special day in a young couple's life, their wedding day... but tells the stories you don't see on the wedding video -- the father who sits his daughter down on the morning of her big day and tells her he really doesn't think she should marry this guy; the bitter bridesmaid older sister who sleeps with the best man and accidentally drinks his contact lenses, which he left in a glass of water on the nightstand, blinding him for the rest of the proceedings; the groomsman who's secretly in love with the groom; the tightly wound mother of the bride who intimidates the nervous wedding planner into changing the salad (the bride's choice, Caesar, is just so tacky!).

"Big Day" stars Marla Sokoloff (ABC's "The Practice") as Alice and Josh Cooke as Danny - the blushing bride and groom -- Wendie Malick ("Just Shoot Me") as Jane, Kurt Fuller ("Anger Management") as Steve, Miriam Shor as Becca, Stephen Rannazzisi as Skobo and the hilariously nervous Stephnie Weir (FOX's "Mad TV") as Lorna.

Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa are creators and executive producers. Matthew Carlson is executive producer. "Big Day" is a production of Sony Pictures Television.

"Big Day" is broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format with 5.1-channel surround sound and Spanish subtitles via secondary closed captioning.

TV Notebook
A Full Order of Heroes for NBC
By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable 10/5/2006

NBC has predictably given a full-season order to rookie drama Heroes, one of the few breakout hits of the new fall season.

The drama, which follows the lives of regular people who discover they have superpowers, is averaging a 5.7 rating/14 share in adults 18-49 and 13.5 total viewers. It regularly wins its Monday 9 p.m. time slot.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6378657.html

What Do You Think?

Well, I've been lurking in this forum for several months but it finally took a simple question to get me to respond. :)

Favorites:
Heroes
Shark
Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip

Watching But Won't Be Too Upset When They Go
Men In Trees
Justice

Recorded But Not Watched Yet
Jericho
The Nine
Kidnapped

Looking Forward to...
30 Rock

No Time To Watch and No Way To Record
Friday Night Lights

No Way
Ugly Betty
Til Death - Didn't even like the commercials
Vanished
The Class
Smith
The MNTV telenovas - Makes you wish the WB was back.
Runaway

// Scott A

TV Notebook
A Full Order of Heroes for NBC
By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable 10/5/2006

NBC has predictably given a full-season order to rookie drama Heroes, one of the few breakout hits of the new fall season.

The drama, which follows the lives of regular people who discover they have superpowers, is averaging a 5.7 rating/14 share in adults 18-49 and 13.5 total viewers. It regularly wins its Monday 9 p.m. time slot.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6378657.html

I've been watching this show and it's not bad but it could go south fast like surface did. I would have preferred to have ST60 at the Heros time slot. I think CSI Miami is part of the reason why ST60 losses some of its audience.

ScottA -- welcome and I'll try to think up new questions to get you to post more often!

So is it time for the Cancelled and On the Fence list of shows to go up in Post #2?


The lists have now been established at the top of Post #2.

TV Notebook
No Rush for HD
WWE Testing Hi-Def, but No Upgrade Plans Are in Works at USA
By James Hibberd TVWeek.com in the HDTV Newsletter

Despite signs to the contrary, a marriage of wrestling and USA Network in high definition isn't going to happen anytime soon.

Last month World Wrestling Entertainment excited some HD-loving fans by announcing it was going to conduct its first high-definition test. This week, Universal HD declared it was taking steps to become a more stand-alone channel that's less dependent on parent company content (UHD runs shows from NBC Universal-owned USA, which televises WWE's "Raw").

But according to WWE and USA, neither side has plans for an imminent upgrade.

"We do not have a platform to provide HD to consumers, so there's no rush to go HD," said WWE spokesman Gary Davis. "We have been keeping an eye on the technology, as a lot of people are. We want to be prepared, so we want to know how we might have to do camera angles and procedurally what we might have to do different."

USA President Bonnie Hammer said going HD could take away some of the "magic" of wrestling.
The complete story is here:
http://www.tvweek.com/page.cms?pageId=324

HDTV Notebook
UHD Shifts Brand Focus
Net to Emphasize Movies and Sports

By James Hibberd TVWeek.com in the HDTV Newsletter

After two years operating as a catch-all network for the library of its corporate parent NBC Universal, high-definition network Universal HD is taking steps to forge its own distinct brand.

Starting this month, UHD will increase its programming focus on the two biggest drivers of HD viewership: movies and sports.

Replays of Universal library content such as "Knight Rider" and "The Equalizer" will be reduced in favor of a more robust theatrical slate that includes non-Universal Pictures titles.

For the fourth quarter, UHD has acquired films such as "Bram Stroker's Dracula," "About a Boy," "Smokey and the Bandit," "Meet Joe Black" and the "Back to the Future" trilogy.

"There will be less older series and more movies on the air," said Dan Harrison, who as senior VP of emerging networks at NBC Universal runs UHD. "We want to move beyond being one of the NBC cable networks and for UHD to get its own brand, and movies and sports is a very logical way to do that."

The network launched as Bravo HD+ in 2003, then was rebranded UHD in 2004, when NBC Universal realized that a unique channel has a greater value for cable operators and could be used to promote HD content from USA and Sci Fi Channel as well as Bravo.

Though UHD has been strictly devoted to airing content in 1080i, the channel has been criticized by some HD fans as being a bit of a vague hodgepodge of Universal content—reruns of the "The Equalizer" mixed with "Battlestar Galactica" mixed with the umpteenth showing of "The Frighteners."

Mr. Harrison said that from NBC Universal's point of view, being a hi-def channel was itself enough to distinguish UHD.

The complete story is here:

http://www.tvweek.com/page.cms?pageId=322

HDTV Notebook
Dan Rather on hold at HDNet
Delayed from October until after the elections

By Ed Bark former Dallas Morning News TV critic at his website unclebarky.com 10/05/06

Dan Rather Reports will still be coming soon to Mark Cuban's HDNet. Just not as soon.

"We are moving Dan back to after the elections so there won't be as much going on," Cuban said in an email Thursday.

The weekly "completely uncensored" news program originally was slated for an October start. Rather and Cuban officially broke the news to TV critics at a July 11th dual press conference in Pasadena, CA.

Cuban, who also owns the Dallas Mavericks, said he was happy to free the former CBS News warhorse "from the ratings-driven and limited depth confines of broadcast television."

The one-hour program will originate from New York, where the soon to be 75-year-old Rather has been assembling a staff.

"Hard news needs backers who won't back down. Mark Cuban is such a leader," Rather said in a news release touting his new program. It was a not so veiled shot at CBS, where he spent more than 40 years until a "Memogate" scandal tied to President Bush's Texas Air National Guard service led to his resignation earlier this year.
Ed Bark

http://www.unclebarky.com/abovethefold.html

The New Season
Networks shuffle:
"Kidnapped,'' "7th Heaven,'' "Vanished,'' "Justice'' and more
By Charlie McCollum San Jose Mercury News in his blog Thursday, October 05, 2006

Ah, it's the time of the TV year that drives viewers -- and those of us who get paid to keep track of these things -- absolutely nuts. Just a month into the new TV season, the schedule shuffles are now underway in earnest:

• Starting next week, two of CBS's Monday comedies -- "The Class'' and "How I Met Your Mother'' -- will switch time periods. "Class'' -- now at 8:30 p.m. -- was struggling, badly, at 8 p.m. and CBS figured "Mother'' -- which is doing fine in Season 2 -- will do better in the leadoff slot.

• The CW is pulling off a wholesale shift as its entire Sunday night comedy lineup headed by "Everybody Hates Chris'' moves to Monday as of next week. All the sitcoms will repeat their Oct. 1 season premieres, which almost no one watched. The former CW Monday lineup of dramas will move to Sunday with "7th Heaven'' (with Stephen Collins, trying to figure out the new CW schedule in above photo) airing at 8 p.m. and the new "Runaway'' showing at 9.

• Enjoy NBC's good but viewer-deprived "Kidnapped'' (10 p.m. Wednesday) while you can. The network has cut off production on the show at 13 episodes and could pull it at any moment. If the series gets the ax quickly, expect either "Medium'' or "Crossing Jordan'' to come in off the bench, rather than waiting around until mid-season.

• Starting Oct. 23, Fox's "Justice'' -- which might be a hit but not in its current 9 p.m. Wednesday time slot -- will shift to Mondays at 9 p.m. behind "Prison Break.'' It replaces "Vanished'' which will move to 8 p.m. Friday on Oct. 27. (Both new series are off the air for a while because of the baseball playoffs.) While Fox has committed to 13 episodes of the almost-impenetrable "Vanished,'' expect the show to ... well, vanish ... after that. The producers have been quoted as saying some of the main ''mysteries'' about Sarah Collins' disappearance will be resolved by then.

• ABC has postponed the Oct. 17 debut of its highly-regarded "Knights of Prosperity.'' The network still likes the comedy but feels a later start will allow for more promotion. In addition, "Dancing With the Stars'' has been putting up big Nielsen numbers as a 90-minute show on Tuesdays so why mess with success?

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/charlie_mccollum/index.html

The New Season
“Battlestar Gallactica”
Moral dilemmas pulled into 'Battlestar' galaxy and more
By Joanna Weiss Boston Globe Staff October 5, 2006

I find myself proselytizing more for "Battlestar Galactica" than any other show, with good reason. Yes, the series, which launches its third season tomorrow , has been wildly successful for the Sci Fi Channel. But given how far it surpasses nearly everything else on TV, I'm hoping a mainstream audience will follow.

That it hasn't could reflect a fear that the show's plotlines are too complex ( in truth, "Battlestar" is easier to follow than "Lost"). It could be the lingering memory of the campy 1970s series, even though this new incarnation is completely -- almost shockingly -- dark. It could be a fear that if you're not a science fiction nut , the show won't speak to you.

But the secret to "Battlestar ," as one of my colleagues keeps saying, is not to think of it as science fiction. This is a show about religion, politics, parent-child relationships, and the moral dilemmas of insurgency. Consider it a workplace drama where the business is armed resistance.

And see it as a sharp and pointed exploration of modern times. Yes, TV today is filled with post-9/11 reflections, but most come as wish-fulfillment: unassailable heroes, embodied by the likes of Kiefer Sutherland and Dennis Haysbert, conquering black-hearted enemies. These shows can make you cheer if you need escape, but they won't make you think.

"Battlestar," in contrast, aims to unsettle us. The enemy here is a race of machines called Cylons who were created by humans, then rebelled. They are driven by religious fundamentalism, obsessed with reproduction, and exceedingly hard to kill. For the last two seasons, they tried to destroy humankind. Now, they're aiming for peaceful coexistence, even if they have to use deadly force to make it happen.

That was how last spring's season finale acknowledged a looming problem -- that the series' endless-chase story line threatened to feel repetitive -- and dispensed with it brilliantly. Suddenly, the action skipped a year into the future, when humans had returned to mundane life on a barely hospitable planet. The Cylons returned in force and took over the government, hoping that the humans would warm to their good will. The ground rules had changed; this was suddenly a story about occupation.

Tomorrow's two-hour season premiere begins four months later, as a resistance movement simmers on the ground. The humans' military ships, which had fled from the planet when the Cylons appeared, are plotting to rescue the people they left behind. Admiral Adama (Edward James Olmos) is wrestling with his guilt.

I'm hesitant to reveal too much more, because the twists and surprises are worth their while. Suffice it to say that this show, unlike far too many serials, doesn't forget its past. The characters -- in particular, Gaius Baltar (the devilishly smarmy James Callis ) and Ellen Tigh (Kate Vernon ) -- are impeccably true to themselves and their flaws. Apollo (Jamie Bamber) has gotten convincingly fat and convincingly soft. The story line involving Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff ), held captive by a Cylon bent on winning her love, rings least true, but I'm willing to give it time.

These first two hours are stocked with references to the war on terror: suicide bombings, unexplained detentions, torture (and official denial of its existence), the question of whether benevolent occupation is truly possible. A scene of a nighttime raid is shot in grainy-green night vision that conjures war footage from Iraq. But while the elements are there, ``Battlestar" is less an allegory about current events than a rumination on how we might view things if tables were turned.

The production values, as usual, are cinematic. The acting is strong -- particularly from Olmos, who practically mutters his lines, taking dialogue that threatens to be trite and managing to make it sound profound. When one character asks how he knows he can trust her, Olmos responds, ``I don't. That's what trust is."

In context, it's perfect. And perfectly relevant, too.

http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2006/10/05/moral_dilemmas_pulled_into_battlestar_galaxy/

The New Season
“Battlestar Gallactica”
Far from Earth, 'Battlestar Galactica' continues to strike close to home
By Melanie McFarland Seattle Post-Intelligencer TV Critic Friday, October 6, 2006

When last we saw "Battlestar Galactica," the last known humans in the universe, less than 40,000 of them, had been living for a year in tents and shacks on a cold, dingy planet called New Caprica. Admiral William Adama (Edward James Olmos) and his son, Commander Lee "Apollo" Adama (Jamie Bamber), orbited above them on the warships Galactica and Pegasus, each manned with skeleton crews. The military was far from fighting shape; reflecting this, Apollo packed on a beer gut.

Then the genocidal Cylons suddenly appeared, leading the Adamas to abandon their charges. Planetside, the survivors looked on in horror as robots marched through their cities, enemy fighters zooming overhead.

Humanity was, in a word, frakked.

To a person who has never seen "Battlestar Galactica," all of this probably sounds absolutely ridiculous. Cylons? Frakked? The title? C'mon.

Those anticipating "Battlestar Galactica's" two-hour third season premiere would tell non-believers that the joke is on them.

There are benefits to getting it. "Battlestar" isn't just another Sci Fi Channel trifle. Heavy-duty acting and harsh social and political commentary over the first two seasons cemented its reputation as serious drama.

In our so-called golden age of drama, filled with ambitious series people aren't avidly watching, "Battlestar" is a show people plan their Friday nights around. Its fan base is devoted, obsessive even, but relatively small: the second season averaged 2.3 million viewers. Fervent initiation through DVD exposure might grow the audience, though.

"Galactica's" DVD releases lend themselves to addictive gorging. You can't watch just one.

Revisiting a New Caprica (population 39,192 and plummeting) pinned down by a Cylon occupation is even more compelling. Citizens are detained without charge for months on end, gruesomely tortured and in some cases, disappeared. Kara "Starbuck" Thrace (Katee Sackhoff) has an especially twisted jailer, Leoben (Callum Keith Rennie), who redefines the concept of fatal attraction.

In response, Tyrol (Aaron Douglas), Tigh (Michael Hogan) and Starbuck's husband, Anders (Michael Trucco), have formed a rebellion secretly headed by the former Colonial President Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell). Their raids escalate when volunteers blow themselves up near high-profile targets.

It's relentlessly grim, with familiar characters orchestrating suicide bombings and planning to string up collaborators. And two hours simply aren't enough.

"Galactica" immediately amps up the political parallels this season as the Cylons discuss how brutal they should be to put down the human insurgency.

The usage of that term is no coincidence. "That's the phrase that we use to apply to all the violence taking place in this part of the world that we're so neck deep in," co-executive producer David Eick said earlier this week in a conference call. "It's that old adage: One person's freedom fighter is another person's terrorist. It all depends on what your frame of reference is, and on what side of the ledger you're on.

"The nature of how we interpret the actions of our characters is, for sure, informed by what's going on in Iraq. ... But I think we also relate to these actions in a different way because, ironically, yes, that's the way this country was born too. So what does it really mean to be an insurgent?"

Asking such a question out loud and on the record in 2003 would have invited accusations of terrorist appeasement, even treason on the most extreme end of the political spectrum. In "Galactica's" corner of the universe, it's a natural evolution of an epic survivor's tale.

Maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves. For the those who haven't seen "Galactica," each show begins with a precise, chilly explanation: The Cylons were created by man. They rebelled. They evolved. There are many copies.

And they have a plan.

The nature of that plan is still unfolding, but Eick and series creator Ronald D. Moore know how this all ends. We're not there yet, but the stakes are increasingly interesting. If the first season was about looking at the darker sides of humanity, and the second was about, in Eick's words, "strange bedfellows," with enemies turning into allies, the third embraces the trickier task of getting viewers to better understand the Cylons.

"You've seen how these human beings can be darker and perhaps more unforgivable in ways that you don't normally do with protagonists," Eick said. "Let's see how these antagonists, whom we generally assume nothing but the worst from, have their own sympathies, have ways in which they're not exactly perfect. ... The heart of the show has always been about, in a way, how the humans and Cylons are so eerily alike. I think what we're saying with the first half of season three is, not so fast."

Intelligently executing bold ideas like this has earned "Galactica" the reputation as one of TV's top series. A George Foster Peabody Award and a spot on AFI Program of the Year list for 2005 backs that rep.

To an average fan, a main hook (besides the intergalactic dogfights and explosions) is the series' intense examinations of what humanity really is -- how the idea of it can augment or poison our capacity for compassion, empathy and serving the greater good.

Whatever that may be.

Because in "Galactica," the idea of what is "good" or "human" is malleable. A Cylon infiltrator, Sharon "Boomer" Valerii (Grace Park), has become the most sympathetic, humane character on the show. A peace movement was made to look traitorous, run by a Cylon copy of Number Six (Tricia Helfer).

And when she was president, Roslin banned abortion, claimed a mandate from the gods and tried to steal an election. Sound familiar? Except ... her decisions were correct. Gaius Baltar (James Callis) legitimately wrested the presidency from her, but when faced with the responsibility, he turned to booze, drugs and whores.

You can look at the moral as a conservative lesson -- or admire the way it turns our political story line on its ear.

Sympathy for these mechanical demons won't be easy to come by. Led by D'Anna (Lucy Lawless), Brother Cavil (Dean Stockwell) and copies of Six and Boomer, the Cylons justify the occupation by saying it's God's will. Along with the clash of species, conflicting religions is key to "Galactica." The humans worship gods modeled on the Greek pantheon, while the Cylons are monotheistic zealots.

"Fear is a key article of faith, as I understand it," Cavil observes, "so perhaps it's time to instill a little more fear in the people's hearts and minds."

That they do. And the trade-off is compelling, heart-in-your-throat stories that make "Galactica" more relevant and biting than it has ever been.

Upcoming chapters don't hint at much in the way of lighter moments, but the cast and characters have earned enough of our faith so we stick with them through the bleak points.

Humanity may be hurting, but "Battlestar Galactica" has returned in sharp, fighting form.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/printer2/index.asp?ploc=t&refer=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/287715_tv06.html

OK, let's all be adults and not make lots of political comments about this story.

Cable TV Notebook
Challenges for Fox News as it turns 10
By Paul J. Gough The Hollywood Reporter Oct. 6, 2006

NEW YORK -- After nine years of steady growth, Fox News Channel arrives at its 10th birthday Saturday with a few growing pains that will challenge it in its second decade.

There is no question that the Fox News Channel has exceeded all expectations since it signed on Oct. 7, 1996, long before the nation had heard of Monica Lewinsky, blogs, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton or Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Fox News executives remember the laughter and the barbs when plans for the channel were announced by News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch and Fox News CEO Roger Ailes. They recall being ignored by CNN, the longtime leader in cable news, and derided by others in the TV news business.

"This was a mountain that couldn't be climbed," said anchor Shepard Smith, who has been with the channel since it began. It took less than seven years for Fox News to overtake CNN, in the process becoming a part of the national conversation and frequently becoming a lightning rod for partisan passions on both sides of the aisle.

"We came on at the right time, there were a lot of big stories, the competition totally ignored us," senior vp programming Bill Shine said. "We literally sneaked up on them, we hired some very good journalists and shot past our competition."

Not even the channel's undisputed star, Bill O'Reilly, host of "The O'Reilly Factor," could foresee what was coming when he started his primetime show in 1996, then known as "The O'Reilly Report."

"I didn't think about it that way," O'Reilly said. "I thought we'd do a show that would succeed, but that was all I knew and was focused on."

During the past 10 years, Fox News has become a highly influential news source among the power elite in Washington. It has been cheered and jeered for its tagline of "We report. You decide" and for calling itself "fair and balanced."

"We gave journalism a V8 moment where they had to slap their foreheads and say, 'Oh my God, maybe we haven't been covering both sides on some things, maybe we have been a little myopic and East Coast-oriented in some of the views and issues," Ailes said. "The fact that the American people rallied to the Fox News Channel, I think, made many people realize how out of touch with the country some, particularly the New York Times, are."

A list of the top programs in cable news in any daypart shows how dominant Fox News Channel is with such hits as "O'Reilly," "Hannity & Colmes," "On the Record With Greta Van Susteren," all in the wheelhouse of cable primetime where CNN and "Larry King Live" once reigned with no competition. And throughout the rest of the day with such anchors as Smith, Brit Hume and Neil Cavuto, Fox News remains by far the leader in cable news, and a top 10 network in all of cable.

But in recent months, the straight line has been heading south, with the channel posting declines in total viewers and the key adults 25-54 news demographic for 12 months in a row. The network has been the subject of a renewed round of criticism for what some view as its partisan bias toward Republican politicians and conservative causes. It most recently flared up during last month's sit-down interview with former President Bill Clinton by Fox anchor Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday," during which Clinton said he felt Wallace had done a "conservative hit job on him" when questioned about his administration's efforts to hunt down Osama bin Laden.

Ailes and other Fox News executives believe the channel's recent ratings drops are temporary, driven in large measure to its comparisons with the heavy news cycle in 2005.

"Except for maybe the stock market I can't think of a more cyclical business than the news business," Shine said. With the South Asia tsunami to the death of Pope John Paul II, through the London transit bombings and Hurricane Katrina, Shine said last year "was an unbelievable year for news and on a comparative basis, 2006 can't be compared to 2005."

But others aren't so sure. Some cultural observers think Fox News' declines might be reflective of a larger shift in the national mood.

"The political climate of America has become disillusioned with what conservatives stand for, and since Fox is suspected, considered to be the conservative network, it's only natural that some of those viewers will chip away," said Matthew Felling, media director of the Washington-based Center for Media and Public Affairs. Felling believes that Fox News will remain No. 1 in cable TV anyway, particularly if Congress shifts to the Democrats' control this fall.

"Like (Rush) Limbaugh loved the Clinton years, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity need a foil to combat every day," Felling said. "The villains of (Democratic National Committee chairman) Howard Dean and (Democratic congressman) John Murtha aren't holding up."

Ailes points to Clinton's tirade against Fox News to show that they're not afraid of criticism.

"Where are they attacking us? They're doing it on Fox News. We give access to those who criticize us," Ailes said. "We don't pull the plug. We don't edit the tape. We don't give a damn. But other outfits wouldn't even book you if they knew you would criticize them."

Regardless of the reason for the decline, Ailes isn't resting on his laurels, and he insists on his employees doing the same. His early morning meetings are legendary for his intensity in discussing things ranging from the state of world affairs to sizing up the competition. At Wednesday night's 10th anniversary bash -- which took over a half a block of West 48th Street adjacent to Fox News' headquarters -- Ailes cast Fox News as still being a a come-from-behind network. He said the next 10 years have begun for the "startup" that is Fox News.

"You ain't seen nothin' yet," Ailes assured when addressing the party crowd.

Beyond the immediate ratings challenges are the fact that the first of its carriage agreements with cable and satellite providers are beginning to come up for renewal as early as this month. First off is Cablevision, which notoriously plays hardball with channels over carriage fees. No agreement has been reached, and Fox News took out newspaper ads in affected areas surrounding New York City warning that FNC could be pulled if a new agreement isn't reached. Fox reportedly wants $1 per subscriber, a substantial increase from its current agreement but also what they say is in line with its position.

"All we're looking for is fair market value," Ailes said. "The last five years we've been in the top 10 and often in the top five of cable networks in the country. To continue to try to pay us as if we're a startup without any standing is insulting."

Ailes said he's looking to help offset the costs of newsgathering and boost its international reporting, which he said is outstanding but they don't have enough correspondents. And he won't rule out additional changes on and off the air to keep the network on top. The scrappy underdog mentality has served it well, insiders say, as has Ailes' unwavering confidence.

"What's different about Fox is the management," said Van Susteren, who joined Fox News in 2002 after 10 years with CNN. "They're supportive, you do your work without interference and worrying about constantly changing bosses. ... Our marching orders (are) to do the best damn job you can," she said.

Shine said about 300 people have been with Fox News since the beginning, a retention that he calls amazing. And he knows why.

"First, Roger is a great boss and a great guy to work for, and having the ability to work with him is something that you never want to pass up," Shine said. "Number two,cq it's a great company, and it's a great organization. The dirty little secret about Fox News is that it's fun."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/business/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003221429

The New Season
“Battlestar Gallactica”
The best of both worlds
By Diane Werts Newsday Staff Writer October 6, 2006

Insurgents are on the march, because freedom isn't. Displaced people who feel they have no say in their fates are plotting terrorist acts. They're out to disrupt their oppressive rulers, who've vowed to bring God to them by "any means necessary." We're told that "desperate people take desperate measures," and besides, it's a time of war, with "no boundaries." Mass arrests? Brutal torture? Summary execution? "Some things you just don't do," warns one underling, "even in war."

Let's get topical, shall we? Not that "Battlestar Galactica" has ever shied away from that, not in its acclaimed Sci Fi incarnation as TV's smartest, boldest, most real-world savvy drama series. But the third season starts tonight by getting especially in-your-face. The opposing sides may play a bit more mixed than their strict contemporary parallels - the humans are the terrorists, their cyborg Cylon wannabes the god-spreading tyrants, and both are too seized by zeal to step back from depravity - but that's all the more reason to admire this drama's exhilarating desire to grab us by the lapels and shake us up.

Tonight's two-hour return plunges us into the seething stakes on New Caprica, the planet on which humans fleeing the nuke-happy Cylons finally chose to settle at the end of last season, only to see the Cylons swoop in and take over anyway. Galactica and its allied ships, led by wary commander Adama (Edward James Olmos), went their own way from the settlers, who, left to their own wiles, aren't doing so well. They can only hope Adama will fly back with firepower to end the vicious circle of suicide bombings and horrific retaliation.

But physical menace is hardly the only oppression. The human-looking Cylons play with people's heads, getting inside them with siren songs of love, unkillable as their assembly-line manufacture might indicate. Feisty flyer Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff), held hostage by the smitten Leoben model (Callum Keith Rennie), finds ever-fresh ways to murder her unwanted lover man, who simply regenerates for yet another woo. Various versions of the supposedly devout Brother Cavil (Dean Stockwell) are having their way with both beat-up rebel Tigh (Michael Hogan) and his wayward wife, Ellen (Kate Vernon).

The female Cylons are even more rousing. Six (Tricia Helfer) keeps haunting the head of foppish human leader Baltar (James Callis), while ruthless D'Anna (Lucy Lawless) is beginning to get a human jones herself. And Sharon (Grace Park), at least the introspective version of her who's imprisoned on Galactica, has become a sort of philosophic shoulder for the brooding Adama, whom an earlier Sharon attempted to assassinate.

Sound like a lot to keep track of? The who's-whos are much less important here than what's happening rightthisminute, which blazes across the screen with a fury exponentially higher than that of other life-or-death chronicles. Thanks to stakes-packed scripts and fiercely edgy filming, "Galactica" crackles with urgency even when its characters are blowing off steam or cuddling a kid. Adama has to decide what to do while knowing he's "risking the lives of the entire human race," or the 40,000 or so left to represent it.

For all the ground tonight's extended season premiere covers - we haven't summarized the half of it - the next three weeks delve deeper. (Episodes run weekly through Dec. 15 with one pre-emption.) In coming back together, the humans have plenty of time to stew and recriminate over how things went down. Resources are stretched, revenge is taken, new alliances forged among both humans and Cylons.

All of this reverberates through characters who couldn't be more vibrant examples of pulsing, throbbing life on the razor's edge of death. "Galactica" is so beautifully designed, shot, edited and acted that you can practically smell and taste its emotional validity. Even the pseudo-swearing and ersatz ethnic epithets add to the teeming fervor of it all.

Show-runner Ronald D. Moore reimagined "Galactica" from ABC's original 1970s family-friendly effects romp into a darker, more adult rumination on how we define ourselves. The Cylons can look human. The humans can act like robots. And there's meaty drama in the middle ground. The Sharon who allies with the humans is married to one, and their "lost" baby becomes crucial this third season. Members of both species find their attempts to understand the "other" can be viewed as betrayal. There's still bang-up action and conspicuous sex, but the real story lies in the meaning of being civilized. These fictional characters speak to our current cultural debates with an immediacy both damning and invigorating.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. The Peabody-winning drama is more of a relevant rush than ever. The third season premieres tonight on Sci Fi, 9-11 PM ET ("The Story So Far" recaps the first two seasons from 5-6 PM ET.)

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/ny-ettel4918694oct06,0,3776095,print.story?coll=ny-television-headlines

TV DVD Notebook
'Lost' and 'Seinfeld' sets big winners at TV DVD Awards”
By Greg Hernandez Los Angeles Daily News Staff Writer Oct. 5, 2006

CENTURY CITY - DVD sets of the fifth and sixth seasons of "Seinfeld," packed with commentaries and deleted scenes, was awarded with best of show honors Wednesday evening at the third annual TV DVD Awards.

The classic sitcom, released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, was also named best 1990s series during a nostalgic evening that honored DVD sets of television shows that aired in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s as well as the current decade.

"We're so proud of the work that we did on this DVD," said Laurie James, director of television marketing for Sony's DVD division.

James told the audience at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel that the seventh season will be out next month featuring the Soup Nazi episode as well as the show when George's fiancee drops dead after licking too many wedding invitation envelopes.

Meanwhile, "Lost," which had its third season premiere on ABC Wednesday night, was the other multiple winner with awards for the best 2000s series and best bonus materials.

"I was very lucky to have worked on 'Lost.' It's a great show and I think the bonus materials are second to none," said David Naylor, producer of the bonus materials for "Lost" and for "Remington Steele," which won for best 1980s series (seasons four and five).

The awards were determined by online voting. Other winners Wednesday were: season two of "The Bob Newhart Show" (best 1970s series), season two of "The Munsters" (best 1960s series), season one of "Superman" (best 1950s series), season seven of "The Simpsons" (best animated series), seasons one and two of "Dinosaurs" (best children's series), "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (best reality series), "Project Runway" (best variety series), "Adventures of Brisco County" (best one hit wonder), "From the Earth to the Moom" (best miniseries), season one of "Dr. Who" (best British TV series) and "Ken Burns' American Lives" (best TV documentary).

Actress Charlene Tilton, best known for portraying Lucy Ewing on the long-running prime time soap "Dallas" co-hosted the evening along with event organizer T.K. Arnold of Home Media Retailing magazine. Tilton's first scene on "Dallas" was shown before she was introduced, looking remarkably like her younger self more than 25 years later.

"That was filmed when dinosaurs roamed the Earth," Tilton joked before adding that it would have been nice to have received a share of the DVD profits or at least some complimentary DVDs.

"Can I at least have one copy of seasons five and six?" she yelled to Warner Bros. reps in the audience. "I went to buy it at Tower Records and the guy behind the cover says, 'Is this you on the cover? Don't they give it to you?'"

The TV DVD Conference runs through Friday.

http://dailynews.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?articleId=4443602&siteId=200

A few thoughts:

The first act (about 13 minutes) of the third season opener of BSG is available on Sci Fi (its kind of hidden). - Click here (http://video.scifi.com/player.html?dlid=30611), click Battlestar Galactica, scroll to the bottom of the list and click "First Look".

I watched it. My decision to stop watching hasn't changed. It was not very good. It's really quite amazing just how much this show has changed from its excellent mini and first seasons.

The Black Donnellys

An awesome pilot, it needs a little work in terms of pace and writing, but direction, premise and acting was all top-notch.

Thanks, Russ!

The New Season
“Survivor”
Segregated Teams Turn Out to Be Temporary
By Bill Carter The New York Times October 5, 2006

So much for the racial showdown on “Survivor.” The hit CBS reality series reverted to its standard match-up of two ethnically diverse tribes last week, ending a heated debate about the ethics of dividing the show’s contestants by race.

None of the negative comments about the racially based format seem to have damaged the series, which has continued to post strong ratings this season, winning its Thursday night time period every week it has been on.

The show started this season with four tribes: one black, one white, one Asian-American, one Hispanic-American. Mark Burnett, the executive producer, said that because the show is taped long in advance of its broadcast, he knew all along that the widely criticized racial competition would end just three weeks into the season. He said that the experiment revealed more about the show’s critics than about racial stereotypes.

“Honestly I think the viewers saw through the journalistic slants on this,” Mr. Burnett said in a telephone interview. “I knew people would never judge each other by skin color. Some journalists should be ashamed of themselves for what they wrote about this. And some editors should also be ashamed of themselves for the headlines they put on some of these stories.”

One in particular that galled him, he said, was a headline he saw in several places: “GM pulls ads from ‘Survivor.’ ” Mr. Burnett acknowledged that General Motors, which had been a sponsor of the series, had withdrawn advertising on “Survivor.” But that was done, he said, “months and months before anyone knew what the format of the next series would be.”

On last week’s show the groups simply redivided in a kind of schoolyard pick-’em process, with leaders being chosen from a hat and then selecting members of their future teams. Mr. Burnett said that had been planned from the beginning. It was an inevitable move because it brought the show back to its standard two-team makeup, instead of a more unwieldy four-team format.

The decision to remix the groups led to further criticism that the racial division had been nothing more than a ratings gimmick that the show abandoned as quickly as possible. Mr. Burnett scoffed at that appraisal, saying that the same people who criticized the show for using the racial element “now look like they would have been happier if there had been a war between the races on the show.”

He continued to defend the idea as a way to bring more racial diversity into “Survivor,” with many races widely represented, in contrast to the mostly white casts the show had in earlier editions.

“First of all, I would never have done anything to offend people, either in our audience or among the advertisers,” Mr. Burnett said. He called the show “a leadership test” that came down to a simple challenge: “How do you get rid of people and then get them to thank you for it by voting to give you a million dollars?”

He argued that with the ratings staying strong, he was proving that viewers would commit just as much to a racially mixed cast as to a “big Caucasian cast with a sprinkling of other ethnic groups.”

The ratings have been mainly on par with the same three weeks of last September’s edition, averaging about 17.5 million viewers, with a slight increase in viewers ages 18 to 49, the prime selling category for many advertisers. It was the No. 7 show on television last week, according to Nielsen Media Research.

“I’m thrilled with the ratings,” Mr. Burnett said, emphasizing that his show had won its time period last week even with the addition of “Ugly Betty” on ABC, a show that made a big splash with critics and performed extremely well in the ratings.

“We’re in our 13th season, and we’re up 5 percent in the 18-to-49 audience,” Mr. Burnett said, including as seasons the two separate editions of “Survivor” that have run over the last six years.

The next edition of the show is about to start production (at a location Mr. Burnett would not reveal). He said the format would be tweaked again. “We always have variations on the theme,” he said. But it will probably not be divided again along racial lines.

“We’ve done gender and age and random picks,” he said. “We’re just doing things to keep it interesting.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/05/arts/television/05surv.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=television&pagewanted=print

The New Season
As baseball continues, Fox shifts its prime-time lineup
By Martin Miller Los Angeles Times Staff Writer October 6, 2006

In what is becoming as much an autumn ritual for Fox television as its broadcast of Major League Baseball's postseason, the network announced Thursday that it's reshuffling its fall prime-time lineup and substituting in some new players.

The network, which finished last season No. 1 among adults 18 to 49, is moving a pair of its new dramatic shows — "Justice" and "Vanished" — to different nights. And it's also trading 9 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tuesday time slots between its third new dramatic series, "Standoff," with its current hit show "House."

"Justice," Jerry Bruckheimer's show about criminal defense lawyers, is getting a vote of confidence despite mediocre ratings by moving from Wednesday to Monday, beginning Oct. 23. The new show should also benefit from a robust lead-in from "Prison Break."

"We think there's a show here in 'Justice,' " said Preston Beckman, Fox's scheduling chief. "We need to give it a chance to grow an audience and there's a lot of upside on Mondays."

Meanwhile, the ratings-challenged drama "Vanished," which already killed off its leading man played by actor Gale Harold after just seven episodes, may have an even tougher time remaining visible as it travels from Mondays to Friday nights starting Oct. 27. And finally, Fox will bench "Nanny 911," for now at least, and introduce "The Rich List," based on a British quiz show where teams compete against each other to complete lists for prizes, on Nov. 1.

All the moves come amid an almost perennial ratings struggle the network endures largely as a result of the disruptive scheduling force brought on by the baseball postseason. In addition to lackluster ratings for its three new dramatic series, Fox has enjoyed few laughs with its pair of comedies, "Happy Hour" and the heavily promoted " 'Til Death." None of the shows has, as the entertainment-business saying goes, found much audience "traction."

Although Beckman and other Fox executives aren't overjoyed with the uninspired fall showing, particularly by the new programs, they aren't ready to mash any panic buttons.

Shows such as "House" and "Prison Break" continue to do well and the fall ratings troubles have become an accepted part of managing Fox's annual broadcast of the major league postseason. And, at the end of the television season, the network will almost certainly still be crowned the demographic ratings winner — thanks again to the powerhouses of "American Idol," "House" and "24."

"I was joking earlier this week that there have been a lot of obits written for Fox over the past two or three years," Beckman said. "But when the dust settles, we're probably going to be in first place."

The scenario is something of a rerun for Fox.

The network once waited until after baseball was over to unveil its shows, a move that proved detrimental to new programming, said Beckman. Since then, Fox has learned it's better to launch new shows early and then use the break provided by baseball to reevaluate the time slot, even the creative direction, of certain shows. Indeed, rumors persist that " 'Til Death," which will return with new episodes Nov. 2, is undergoing creative changes.

"We play our own game," Beckman said. "We've figured out how to schedule around baseball, but what that does is create this appearance of not looking as strong as the other guys."

"House" once limped along in the ratings until it was paired with "American Idol." Last week, the show starring Hugh Laurie finished ninth in the coveted 18-49 demographic. Similarly, analysts believe Fox is wisely assessing where to reposition some of its new shows in hopes of giving them a needed ratings boost.

"It's really like a chess match," said Laura Caraccioli-Davis of ad buyer Starcom USA. "They can move around shows as they need to and they're just lying in wait to see where to do it. They're smart because they have the trump cards with 'American Idol' and '24.' "

"The O.C.," which opens its fourth season Nov. 2 in the 9 p.m. Thursday slot, will likely plug the leak caused by the Simon Cowell flop "Celebrity Duets." Regarding "Duets," Beckman said: "We needed to fill a void on Thursdays and we took a shot. Honestly, it hasn't worked out."

Although "The O.C." has lost its initial ratings luster, Fox executives are confident it will hold its core audience on one of television's toughest nights.

But whether Fox's artillery is enough to rescue its new shows, especially its comedies, is another question. "They have a lot riding on their comedy block," Caraccioli-Davis said. "But I think advertisers don't have as much faith in that Thursday night lineup as they once did."

In the meantime, as the baseball postseason unfolds, Fox executives will be cheering for a ratings bonanza — a Dodgers-New York Yankees World Series that goes seven games.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-fox6oct06,0,6985694,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

The New Season
Stumbling, CW revamps its primetime
Swapping Mondays and Sundays to bolster ratings
By Kevin Downey MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Oct 6, 2006

When it was first announced, media people saw the CW network as merging the best of the WB and the UPN. But as its fall launch got closer, a grimmer realization set in: The new network could well struggle to even match their ratings.

Two weeks into its launch, the CW is indeed struggling, with ratings below those of both UPN and the WB in most demographics this time last year. The CW lineup of African-American comedies on Sunday night, brought over from UPN, and old WB teen fair Monday through Thursday, isn't working.

Perhaps more interesting, it's the old WB shows that are hurting most.

Come Monday, in the first of what could be a string of changes, the CW is moving the black comedies from Sunday, where they underperformed in their debuts, to Monday night, where they had long been a staple on the old UPN. "Everybody Hates Chris" will lead off the night at 8.

In turn, “Seventh Heaven” and the new “Runaway” will shift from Monday to Sunday, with "America’s Next Top Model” reruns leading off the night. The night had begun with "Chris."

“This can only help them,” says Jordan Breslow, director of broadcast research at MediaCom. “‘Chris’ at 7 p.m. on Sunday was too early. But at 8 p.m. on Monday, people are ready to sit down for some family viewing. 'Seventh Heaven' will work. People will find it."

Longer term, the CW will move to replace at least several former WB shows.

In hindsight, those shows were already sagging from age, and media people believe the CW erred on the side of caution by sticking by them rather than risking a lineup heavy on new shows. One is “Seventh Heaven,” now in its 11th season.

“You’re seeing some natural declines,” says MediaVest vice president and group research director John Spiropoulos. “That would account for about 30 percent to 50 percent of the declines we’re seeing.”

By contrast to the old WB shows, several of the UPN shows are doing just fine in the 18-34 demographic.

Wrestling on Friday is pulling the exact rating it had on UPN. And despite disappointing ratings for the black comedies, Sunday ratings are comparable to the low ratings the WB had last season, thanks to a “Model” rerun. UPN didn’t have weekend programs.

The CW’s Thursday, with former WB shows “Smallville” and “Supernatural,” has averaged a 1.5 rating, compared to a 1.7 rating on the WB last year. UPN comedies averaged a 1.9 on the nightlast season.

The CW’s Wednesday is up compared to both UPN and WB on the strength of “Model,” based on Nielsen Media Research ratings for the season through Sunday.

The CW has made a point of saying ratings for regularly scheduled shows, not including repeats, are up from what UPN and the WB had pulled. And it also notes that its Tuesday rating has doubled since the beginning of the season now that “Gilmore Girls” and “Veronica Mars” have premiered.

Apart from its sagging shows, the CW is suffering from lingering viewer confusion over the merger. Some number of former UPN and WB viewers haven’t yet found the CW, says Spiropoulos. In two-thirds of the country the CW is on a different channel than UPN was, and in one-third the country the CW isn’t on the former WB channel.

“In some of the major markets, we’re seeing relatively stable ratings,” he says. “I think what they need to do right now is look at this on a market-by-market basis and do a marketing push where there are declines.”

The CW is also suffering from a lack of buzz, the result of launching only two new shows, “Runaway” and “The Game,” says Breslow.

“There was nothing drawing viewers in,” he says. “With the new season, all the other networks are publicizing new shows. Because of that, people want to see these shows. And once there, the networks can promote the rest of their lineups.”

The CW will debut a couple of new programs in midseason, probably around January. The drama “Hidden Palms” is from “Dawson’s Creek” creator Kevin Williamson. The network will also debut reality show “The Search for the Next Pussycat Doll.” And former WB shows “Beauty and the Geek” and “Reba” are set to return.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_7749.asp

The New Season
The Big Question on 'Lost': Where'd the Audience Go?
By Lisa de Moraes Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, October 6, 2006; C07

Despite ABC's promise of more action and no reruns, a sizable chunk of viewers appear to have lost interest in "Lost."

Don't get seduced by the 18.8 million "Lost" drew for the debut of its third season on Wednesday -- that was about 5 million fewer viewers than the second-season opener. That's not what ABC hoped for.

The network noted that this season's first episode picked up where last season left off, and grew ratings-wise. But by the end of last season, "Lost" had misplaced nearly 6 million of the viewers who'd watched the season starter, and ABC suits were acknowledging they'd mishandled the show, letting too many reruns and plodding, head-scratching story lines drive away fans.

And let's not forget that last season's "Lost" finale, which clocked under 18 million viewers, faced the biggest "American Idol" finale ever, attracting more than 36 million viewers. This Wednesday, the season debut of "Lost" only faced a "House" rerun on Fox.

"You'll find a lot more happens this year in every episode than happened in all the episodes last year," show exec producer J.J. Abrams promised gushing TV critics in a phone call this week, while the show's other exec producers had promised Entertainment Weekly there would be much more "romance and action" this season.

And yet, yesterday morning, the raging debates on various "Lost" Web chats included the following (we cleaned up the typos for your reading convenience):

(a) which Stephen King novel Juliet and her book club were reading

(b) whether Juliet's name really was Juliet, given that she was heard being called Julie at least once, although, as one chatter noted, "upon re-listening it's hard to tell if [Benry] actually said 'Julia' instead of 'Juliette' but placed very little emphasis on the 'ette,' it could sound like an 'a' instead," adding, "I think this is gonna be one of those things that will be much debated and will divide the fandom."

and, our personal fave

(c) if an actress on the show appears to have had breast implants, does that mean the character also had breast implants and "if we are to assume that the character has breast implants are we to assume she got them ON the island or has she arrived on the island after having lived in the modern world?"

There was also a certain amount of Internet navel-gazing as to whether Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" "might have been an influence for this quasi-society that The Others have built and whether or not some of the technology that might be part of the Dharma Initiative acts as a visual forcefield to protect it from intruders . . . even radar."

• • • • • • • • • • •

This Monday is Do-Over Night on new CW, when the network rebroadcasts the first episodes of each of its Sunday black-cast comedies -- the episodes virtually nobody saw.

In the new TV season's first act of contrition, the CW has moved all of those sitcoms -- "Everybody Hates Chris," "All of Us," "Girlfriends" and new "The Game" -- to Monday night, where UPN, one of the two former mini-networks merged to form CW, had success with black-cast sitcoms.

New episodes of these series will begin airing Oct. 16.

The CW's Monday lineup -- the former WB's so-over "7th Heaven" and new barely watched "Runaway" -- are being moved to Sunday starting at 8 p.m. And instead of airing in Sunday's best time period -- 9-10 p.m. -- the "America's Next Top Model" rerun will be moved to the worst -- Sunday at 7, where the lollipops will duke it out with a slew of football overruns and pregame shows.

CW suits came to their senses after last Sunday's series debuts, when "Everybody Hates Chris," with guest star Whoopi Goldberg, suffered its smallest audience ever for an original episode -- 2.4 million viewers -- after which the rest of the sitcoms did only slightly better. The next night, "7th Heaven" logged about 4 million viewers, after which "Runaway" plunged to 1.9 million.

Flip-flopping the lineups should leave CW with just one lousy night, instead of the current two.

• • • • • • • • • • •

NBC has placed a full-season order on "Heroes," its new self-starting Monday show.

"Heroes" is the No. 1 new series of the season among young adults, tied with ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" but without "Bros. & Sis' " cushy post-"Desperate Housewives" time slot. "Heroes" is averaging about 13.5 million viewers overall.

Meanwhile, NBC says it will edit a scene in the pilot episode of the drama series about a bunch of young people who discover they have super powers. This after Emerson, maker of the In-Sink-Erator garbage disposal, sued the network over the episode, in which Indestructo Cheerleader Girl plunges her hand into the whirring disposal, grinding up her fingers, only to have them regenerate in seconds.

Apparently General Electric-owned NBC Universal couldn't find one of its own disposals for the bit, and the In-Sink-Erator brand name is pretty easy to spot in the shot, unless you covered your eyes when she jammed her hand down the thing, as we did.

An Emerson rep told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which first reported the suit, that it was a "trademark thing." The suit claims the scene suggests the In-Sink-Erator will cause debilitating and severe injuries, including loss of fingers, if you shove your fingers into it while it's operating. Which is what my mother always told me.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/05/AR2006100501678_pf.html

"You'll find a lot more happens this year in every episode than happened in all the episodes last year," show exec producer J.J. Abrams promised gushing TV critics in a phone call this week

so I assume he's not counting the first exciting installment. Unless watching 3 people in 3 separate rooms just standing around, counts as something happening in the Abrams mind?

The New Season
''Kitchen!''
By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog

Another good episode of ''The Office'' last night, especially in the detail it has given its characters and their relationships.

I love the direction taken with Dwight and Angela -- before, during and after Dwight's unsuccessful coup attempt. Michael, Dwight and the M&M's offered a remarkable moment -- have we ever seen Michael look so knowingly mean? -- topped when Michael revealed his knowledge of Dwight's betrayal.

I've been thinking, too, about what Jan's shopping habits mean; is her misery -- whether fundamental or from real feeling about losing Michael -- so deep that she's desperately seeking new earrings? (And what is the deal with Dwight and breakfast food?)

Then there's Stanley's acidic reaction to Dwight's seeming promotion, and Pam's wardrobe dilemma, and Jim's struggle to fit into an office as odd as his old one. Once again, it shows that while Michael's domain is full of specific weirdness, it's working in any office that can be toxic and dispiriting, not just working for Michael. And Creed!

After the disappointments of ''Survivor'' and ''Grey's,'' ''The Office'' sent me to bed on a happy TV note.

Disappointments: ''Grey's Anatomy,'' ''Survivor''

On ''Grey's,'' I liked the whole dating competition between McDreamy and McVet, and Kate Walsh as Addison is world class. But who couldn't guess that the guy with the seizures was going to seize as soon as he held the baby? And shouldn't someone have looked at the foster kid's abdomen a lot sooner, given how many times she said she had been hit?

Would they really let Izzie wait outside all day and into the night? Even more important, as I have said before, are we all supposed to forget that SHE KILLED A GUY? Institutional memory seems to be failing everyone associated with the series. Nor did I like Bailey being such a softie, and O'Malley's reluctance to have Callie live with him. Considering this guy's history, he should have been delighted to have her move in -- and in the malicious little corner of his heart, he would have liked the idea of having a hot roommate with Meredith just down the hall. So, all in all, not a great episode from a show that made us expect at least momentary greatness.

I was also thinking, before ''Survivor'' began, that it needed to be great or I might not come back in a week. After all, there are multiple options in the time slot. Fresh, engaging options. And ''Survivor'' remains blah -- blah challenges, blah interaction. The wipeout of J.P. at Tribal Council was impressive (especially when the final words showed how thoroughly people had turned on him), especially when he was so astonished about it. But the run-up to that moment was more like a stroll. Next week, I may be watching ''Ugly Betty'' or the NBC comedies in real time, and saving ''Survivor'' for the DVR.

http://blogs.ohio.com/beacon_tv/

The New Season
Changes at NBC and CBS?
By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable 10/6/2006

One day after Fox, the CW and ABC all announced moves, Friday could bring changes at NBC and CBS, as rumors swirled late Thursday that changes were afoot for Kidnapped and Smith.

NBC is said to be close to moving struggling drama Kidnapped to Saturday nights, where it will finish its 13-episode run.Sources said Sony may put together a “catch-up” episode to re-launch the show on the new night within the next couple weeks.

In addition, CBS was said to be mulling cancellation for Smith, a rookie drama from John Wells that has not performed up to the network’s expectations.

Neither NBC or CBS would comment on Thursday.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6378736

Meanwhile, NBC says it will edit a scene in the pilot episode of the drama series about a bunch of young people who discover they have super powers. This after Emerson, maker of the In-Sink-Erator garbage disposal, sued the network over the episode, in which Indestructo Cheerleader Girl plunges her hand into the whirring disposal, grinding up her fingers, only to have them regenerate in seconds.

Apparently General Electric-owned NBC Universal couldn't find one of its own disposals for the bit, and the In-Sink-Erator brand name is pretty easy to spot in the shot, unless you covered your eyes when she jammed her hand down the thing, as we did.

An Emerson rep told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which first reported the suit, that it was a "trademark thing." The suit claims the scene suggests the In-Sink-Erator will cause debilitating and severe injuries, including loss of fingers, if you shove your fingers into it while it's operating. Which is what my mother always told me.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/05/AR2006100501678_pf.html
Okay, I'm confused, is Emerson saying it's trademark infringement, or that is okay to stick your hand in their brand garbage disposal...??

The New Season
Feed the Machine: "Chris" on the move; Thursdays at 8: Ugly.

By Tim Goodman San Francisco Chronicle in his TV blog “The Bastard Machine”

So much for "Everybody Hates Chris" being unforgivably easy to watch this season. Having shed its freshman year death slot on Thursdays at 8 p.m. and settled this sophomore season into Sundays at 7 p.m. - perfect DVR potential - well, forget it. The CW has announced in its infinite wisdom that it will be flipping Sundays and Mondays effective Oct 9. That means that "Chris," "All of Us," "Girlfriends" and "The Game" now air Mondays from 8 to 10. The CW will be rerunning the season premieres - essentially pressing the "reset" button on the whole thing.

"7th Heaven" and "Runaway" move to Sundays, with an encore presentation of "America's Next Top Model" kicking things off at 7 p.m.

Translation: The CW panicked. And now "Chris" goes up against CBS's much more popular "How I Met Your Mother" (which CBS just announced was moving to 8 p.m. and flip-flopping times with "The Class," which has been a non-starter at 8 p.m. - "The Class" now airs at 8:30 p.m., but presumably won't be much funnier because of it). "Chris" also faces off against "Prison Break," "Deal or No Deal" and "Wife Swap," each capable of kicking his skinny little ass no matter how bad they are.

Sooooooo. Thanks CW. And the upshot of all of this is that, had CBS left "The Class" on at 8 p.m., viewers would have caught a DVR break. "Chris" at 8 and "Mother" at 8:30 would have been a nice combo from different channels. But no.

Not that television ever gives viewers much of a break. It's really not a nice-guy business. Counterprogramming does not have a conscience. Take Thursdays at 8 p.m. You've got "Ugly Betty" - which looks like a potential hit - going against "Survivor" and the comedy combo of "My Name Is Earl" and "The Office." Thank God that Fox has tanked on Thursdays, doing everyone a favor. Even the CW with "Smallville" is a player. It's just not fair. I've settled on "Earl" and "Office" (I had already seen Thursday's "Ugly Betty" episode and will be checking back to see its creative arc in future weeks...)

Led by the formidable opinions of Mrs. Cranky Pants, my house also chooses "Grey's Anatomy" over "CSI" and then we skip most everything else and play TiVo catch up. Or something. I thought "Six Degrees" was way overrated and "Shark," well, I've seen it a 100 times and it's only been on three. Go figure.

Sometime next week in The Chronicle, I'll run a column on all the shows I've given up on and the only ones I've got on the DVR. Some of you have asked for such a thing and, as always, the aim is to please (as long as it's not too difficult). Next Wednesday, in fact, we get the last two fall premieres - "30 Rock" and "20 Good Years." Let the winnowing process begin thereafter.

Lastly, anybody going counterintuitive on us and picking "Smallville" and "Supernatural" from 8 to 10? It would be a distinct minority, no doubt, but I'd be curious. And it would make Dawn Ostroff's day (she heads the CW).

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/indexn?blogid=24

The New Season
“Battlestar Galactica”
Battling back
By Scott D. Pierce Salt Lake City Deseret Morning News Oct. 6, 2006

"Battlestar Galactica" isn't just the best sci fi show on TV, it's one of the best shows, period.

If the science-fiction label has kept you from watching, the show is much more about people than it is about hardware, even though the concept — humans fleeing after an attack by robotic Cylons that nearly wiped them out — is certainly science fiction.

"All the key people ... were of the mind that the world didn't need another space opera," said executive producer David Eick. "There was already 'Star Trek' and all its imitators and all of its spin-offs. And why do another show about a ship in outer space unless there was some way of introducing something to that subgenre?"

So they took the failed '70s "Battlestar Galactica" series, which devolved into silliness about alien gambling casinos and monkeys in robot-dog suits, and turned it into something more closely akin to classic science fiction in the vein of Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury — "allegorical socio-political commentary."

"Somehow that felt like it has been lost in contemporary TV sci fi. ... So it really wasn't so much coming up with a new idea as it was going back to an old one, which is — let's use science fiction as the prism or the smokescreen that it was intended to be to discuss and to investigate the issues of the day," Eick said.

As the third season begins tonight (8 and 10 PM ET/PT, Sci Fi), the allegory is stark. Most of what remains of the human race is on a planet now occupied by the Cylons. And we're rooting for characters who are committing terrorist acts against their occupiers, while various members of the resistance are being tortured to extract information.

James Callis, who plays the nominal human president, Gaius Baltar, said shooting the occupation scenes "hit us very hard." Mary McDonnell (former President Laura Roslin) called it a "humbling experience" to deal with the echoes of Iraq and didn't run away from those comparisons.

"I think that's a good thing, because I think we've got to clearly identify that possibility within ourselves, given the circumstances for us to understand what's going on," McDonnell said. "The only way to solve it is to come to some kind of understanding with it. So, to me, it's a very brave and beautiful act on the part of David and (executive producer) Ron (Moore) and the whole team."

This is by no means a ripped-from-the-headlines show, however — it's exploring themes without trying to beat anyone over the head with a political agenda. As Eick correctly pointed out, "Galactica" has been criticized by some for being too right-wing in its storytelling.

He also hinted at some big changes this season, notably that the show is "moving toward the Cylon point of view." (Reportedly, the humans will have a chance to commit their own act of genocide against the Cylons, just as the Cylons nearly wiped out the humans.)

"Really, the motivation for a lot of what you're seeing just has to do with the fact that there's an obligation to evolve the show itself conceptually past the point of — 'Holy smokes! There's the Cylons! Make a run for it!' You can juice that concept so much before it just becomes repetitive. Or, worse, you so successfully outrun, outgun and destroy and escape from the Cylons that they become a paper tiger and it doesn't matter when they show up. So it's a real trick to say to yourself, 'OK, that worked well, let's stop doing that."'

As the show continues, it will be less about Cylons chasing down the humans.

"It sort of evolves into more of a race for a common goal and the reason why both sides are after it is part of what we spend the first half of the season exploring."

http://www.desnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650196388,00.html

The Business of TV
Sales of TV on DVD rising
Hourlong dramas with extras are big sellers
By Greg Hernandez Los Angeles Daily News Staff Writer Oct. 6, 2006

CENTURY CITY - The DVD market may be flat overall, but sales of television shows are outpacing last year's by nearly 20 percent with past seasons of current hits such as "Grey's Anatomy" and "Lost" doing especially well, according to figures released Thursday at the fourth annual TV DVD Conference.

The entertainment industry has been releasing an average of 12 boxed sets per week over the past two years, mixing current broadcast and cable channel hits with older series from past decades.

Added to the mix is such special-event television programming as Disney's "High School Musical," which is the year's top-selling disc so far.

"People are willing to pay high prices for the convenience and opportunity to watch shows uninterrupted," said Judith McCourt, market research director of Home Media Retailing, which presented the conference.

McCourt projects that the TV DVD segment will approach $3 billion in sales in 2006. The overall DVD market reached $16 billion in sales last year.

So far, such popular recording devices as TiVo have not eaten into the TV DVD market since the packaged shows come in complete seasons with loads of bonus materials that help drive up sales, especially of one-hour dramas, which are responsible for nearly half of the year's TV title sales.

"For the last three years, this has been a very hot marketplace," said Ralph Tribbey, editor of DVD Release Report. "But we must at some point begin to see this market level off."

There was much discussion Thursday over what impact the digital downloading of popular shows to watch on a computer or on an iPod and other handheld devices will have on TV DVD titles. Various digital downloading business models have been introduced this year, including one on iTunes, with shows being offered either for free (with commercials) or commercial-free for a small price.

So far in 2006, a little less than 1 percent of all television content is being acquired through digital downloading, but that is widely expected to grow significantly in the coming years.

"Expect downloading to expand by 10-12 percent by next year," said music and movie industry analyst Russ Crupnick of The NPD Group. "I'd expect that to at least double and possible triple."

But Crupnick, who gave a state-of-the-market report to attendees, said consumer attitudes toward TV on DVD continues to be "very positive," especially with shows that have the "water-cooler effect" such as "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy" and "The Sopranos."

"You have the water-cooler effect on Monday, then go to Best Buy or Amazon.com on Tuesday," Crupnick said.

But the major studios are determined not to be left behind when it comes to digital downloading, even as they try to figure out how not to cannibalize their DVD sales.

"We don't actually believe that we are going to see suffering in our DVD content," Michael Arrieta of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment said during a panel discussion. "We think (digital) will add to the pie. We're hoping to grow the pie, but not at the expense of packaged DVDs."

Arrieta called the digital element an "ecosystem" that is still in the very early stages of development.

He said that right now, "there's still a lot of charm in packaged media."

"It's not something that is going to suddenly take over, it's going to take some time.

"Everyone is not going to suddenly ... go digital."

TOPS FOR TV ON DVD

Here are the 10 top-selling TV DVD titles so far in 2006:
1. "High School Musical"
2. "Grey's Anatomy (Season One)"
3. "Lost: The Complete Second Season"
4. "Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes"
5. "Family Guy Vol. 3 Season 4 - Part 1"
6. "Grey's Anatomy: Season Two"
7. "Tom and Jerry's Greatest Chases"
8. "Five People You Meet in Heaven"
9. "24: Season One"
10. "The Office: Season One"

(Source: Nielson VideoScan)

http://www.dailynews.com/business/ci_4448473

The New Season
The Big Question on 'Lost': Where'd the Audience Go?
By Lisa de Moraes Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, October 6, 2006; C07

"You'll find a lot more happens this year in every episode than happened in all the episodes last year," show exec producer J.J. Abrams promised gushing TV critics in a phone call this week, while the show's other exec producers had promised Entertainment Weekly there would be much more "romance and action" this season.

This reminds of the local carsalesmen and their commericals. "You want more air conditioning, we got it right here. You want more radio, we got it right here. No other dealership in town can match our"..............

And yet, yesterday morning, the raging debates on various "Lost" Web chats included the following (we cleaned up the typos for your reading convenience):

and, our personal fave

(c) if an actress on the show appears to have had breast implants, does that mean the character also had breast implants and "if we are to assume that the character has breast implants are we to assume she got them ON the island or has she arrived on the island after having lived in the modern world?"

This is funny. Some of these "Lost" fans have seem to have gotten lost at where Reality Road meets It's just a TV show Road. ;)

I also forgot to add in my previous post that the much maligned "The Game" on the CW is also one of the new shows that I've added to the dvr.

Thursday’s prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted just under the HD Football listings near the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.

The Business of TV
Roger Ailes discusses changes on horizon at Fox News sing
By Paul Gough The Hollywood Reporter Oct. 6, 2006

NEW YORK -- As Fox News Channel prepared to celebrate its 10th anniversary Saturday, Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes sat down with The Hollywood Reporter TV reporter Paul J. Gough for a wide-ranging interview about the all-news channel he birthed and the impact Fox News has had on journalism and American culture.

The Hollywood Reporter: Where will Fox News be in 10 years?
Roger Ailes: I think we're going to continue to grow and be the dominant news source in the country as we develop more international news. We've probably been the most-attacked news source and yet it hasn't affected us negatively. Maybe it'd driven our ratings up not down, because the American people don't trust who's attacking us. The people are very smart, they are not stupid. They turn on the set, they see what they see. If they like it or trust it or believe in it they'll watch it. If they think it's baloney or if they're getting horse-fed or tipped or pushed, they figure that out. I have a lot of confidence in the American people, and I think that's reflected in our product.

THR: Fox News Channel has had nine years of growth, though that has stopped in recent months. What do you think is happening?
Ailes: We're in a temporary holding pattern with everybody else in cable news, waiting for the next major event to push us up again. ... I think people are slightly disoriented in the media world and trying to come down on what are the real things that matter. What I truly believe is that Fox News is one of the things that really matter. In the end, we've been consistently ahead of our competitors, we have been probably the major startup phenomenon of the cable industry, we have changed the dialogue about news and information and we have probably the most-watched news source in the country on a consistent basis.

THR: How do you think the next year or so will go?
Ailes: As we stabilize our relationships with cable operators going forward we're going to be fine. We just have to continue doing an excellent job of covering the news. Our journalism is wildly underrated because we're late to the party and a lot of journalists were already in the canoe and they're spending all their time smacking our fingers with the paddles trying to keep us out of the canoe.

THR: You've been having a public fight with cable operator Cablevision in New York over the looming end of your carriage agreement on Sunday. How are those talks going?
Ailes: So far, we've been somewhat disappointed but have great hope that things are going to work out and they're going to realize the value of the company and it's all going to go forward without it being a mess for anybody.

THR: Would you pull the channel on Sunday?
Ailes: We're not going to set a deadline, we're not going to say one way or the other. I would just characterize that as an option, of course. One thing I know for certain, our viewers want us to be on, and we've got an awful lot of fans in New York and New Jersey. We know for a fact that they would be extremely unhappy not to have us on. All we're looking for is fair market value. In the last five years we've been in the top 10, and often in the top five of cable networks in the country, and to continue to try to pay us as if we're a startup without any standing is insulting.

THR: WIll this be a bellwether for all the other agreements with major cable operators that will be coming up for renewal in the next few years?
Ailes: I think everybody's watching this to make sure it is going to work out. We're optimistic that it will work out and that we'll all move on to happy lives.

THR: The criticism of Fox News seems to have turned up a notch with the recent Bill Clinton-Chris Wallace confrontation on "Fox News Sunday." Are you surprised by the reaction to that interview?
Ailes: I think it's part of a strategy, a political strategy apparently. It's easier to find an enemy than it is to find a solution to problems. I think it's just politics. I think the public sees through that kind of stuff, they don't pay much attention to it. They don't care. It's good entertainment but they don't (care).

THR: What is the status of the Fox Business Channel? You've been looking at launching a spinoff for some time.
Ailes: You've got to get the distribution to make it viable. We don't have that done yet. On the other hand, we've hired (former CNBC host) Alexis Glick and we've begun meetings to discuss it. There's a four-step process. Step No. 1 is to ignore the question and pretend you don't know what anybody's talking about, which we did for a long time. Step No. 2 is to put people in a room and think about what would happen if. Step No. 3 is to announce and actually go into preproduction and startup mode. The fourth step would be to launch it. We're in Step 2 now, we were in Step 1 for a long time. But we haven't set a deadline for launch, nor have we committed to launch.

THR: Do you see opportunity there? You once ran CNBC so you know what makes it tick.
Ailes: I think there is an opportunity there. CNBC does pretty well. They're sitting there with 0.2 (household rating). They do reasonably well financially. I think there's more room for business news. We've proven that with the Fox News Channel. There are 30 business shows on television and the top five are on Fox News.

THR: What about MyNetworkTV? You oversee that new broadcast channel. It's had a slow start since its Sept. 5 premiere.
Ailes: It's doing less than we thought and hoped it would because we didn't spend enough money on marketing. We had $5 million nationally. Some shows launch with a $50 million budget. What we found about our product is that everybody who's seen it, likes it. It focus-groups (tests) very well. We think the production is excellent. (Twentieth Television programming president) Paul Buccieri did a terrific job of shepherding it through. (Twentieth Television President) Bob Cook did an excellent job of getting the clearances. But we had to launch in the middle of the new upfront season, with all the other shows on all the other networks, so now we've got to go back and reinforce the marketing and stay with it. In some markets -- like New York -- it's doing pretty well. We're putting out shoulder down and just driving this thing home.

THR: Are you going to stick with the telenovela format?
Ailes: Like everything else in life, you stick with it as long as you possibly can. I am not known as a guy who cuts out and runs very often. So I would say yes, we're committed to it but we're trying to improve it all the time. We're developing new scripts, we're still in production. We believe there's an audience for it and we believe everyone who has seen it likes. It's trying to get eyeballs to the product. That's really it, to redouble our efforts on the marketing side.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003221426

TV Notebook
Shatner is ABC's 'Money' man
By Nellie Andreeva The Hollywood Reporter Oct. 06, 2006

Emmy winner William Shatner has been tapped to host "Show Me the Money," a new game show series for ABC.

ABC has given a seven-episode order to the one-hour project from Endemol USA.

"Money," executive produced by Mike Nichols, will feature contestants answering trivia questions for the chance to win millions while also facing the risk of losing everything they have accumulated.

"Bill was the guy we wanted from Day 1 to host 'Show Me the Money,' " Endemol USA president David Goldberg said. "In addition to being an instantly recognizable entertainer to audiences of all ages, Bill's got a naturally warm and witty presence that is simply perfect for the material."


Endemol also has another game show, "Set for Life," waiting in the wings at ABC. "Set," which was picked up to series in May, is hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

Shatner, probably best known for originating the role of Captain James T. Kirk in the original "Star Trek" TV series, has won two Emmys for his role as Denny Crane on ABC's "The Practice" and its spinoff, "Boston Legal."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003221517

TV Sports
Michaels an adaptable guy in his new capacity at NBC
By Jay Posner San Diego Union-Tribune October 6, 2006

OK, Al Michaels is asked, Hank Williams Jr. or Pink?

“It used to be Hank Williams. Now it's Pink. I'm a man of the moment,” Michaels said, laughing.

Not to mention a man who knows who's signing his paycheck. And for the first time in 30 years, that is not someone at ABC. Michaels, the voice of “Monday Night Football” for the past 20 years, is now at NBC calling “Sunday Night Football,” where instead of Williams singing “All My Rowdy Friends Are Here for Monday Night,” the telecasts open with Pink's “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night.”

Said Michaels: “I hope Pink has as long a run as Hank has had.”

That seems unlikely, given that Williams began opening “MNF” in 1989 and is still going today, even though “MNF” this year switched from ABC to ESPN after 36 seasons. Michaels originally agreed to make the same switch but then decided he'd rather join several of his friends – including analyst John Madden, producer Fred Gaudelli and director Drew Esocoff – at NBC.

“It's very comfortable,” Michaels said the other day by phone. “It's about as smooth as it could be when you pick up and move into a new home and you're trying to figure out where the furniture is.”

And, even to the surprise of Michaels himself, he has yet to confuse his new home with the place where he started in 1976.

“I have to think every time I start to mention those three letters that it's 'N' instead of 'A,' ” Michaels said. “I'm amazed I've done eight games and I've yet to blow it. It's going to come some day.”

Maybe even Sunday night, when NBC carries the Chargers-Steelers game (5:15 p.m.), the network's first NFL game at Qualcomm Stadium since Super Bowl XXXII in January 1998. But it will feel familiar to Michaels & Co., who were at the Q on the same weekend last year to watch the same teams ... on a Monday night.

Actually, most of it feels familiar to everyone involved. The music and graphics are different, but as Michaels said, the crew is “not trying to do too much, not saying we're going to reinvent the wheel. Dick (Ebersol, NBC Universal Sports chairman and CEO) brought us all over because he liked what he saw.”

If there's any other change, Gaudelli said, it's that NBC “has really tried to ... dive into a couple of major stories from the Sunday games.” Cris Collinsworth often will appear on screen from the studio in New York to discuss issues with Michaels and Madden.

Reacquiring the NFL appears to be a success for NBC, which has posted an average rating for its first five games 9 percent higher than ABC's first five games last season. Now what NBC could use is a competitive game. On paper the network was supposed to have all the best games this season, but it hasn't worked out that way.

“We got all the great matchups,” Gaudelli said. “You never know how the game is going to turn out. The last three have been somewhat disappointing in terms of competitive football.”

It's nothing a game like last year's Steelers-Chargers contest wouldn't fix. That one wasn't decided until the final seconds.

“We could really use one of those games,” Gaudelli said.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061006/news_1s6media.html

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Strong second airing for ABC's 'Betty'
Drops just 10 percent in 18-49s from premiere
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Oct. 6, 2006

In her second outing, “Ugly Betty” lured back most of last week’s audience and managed to top CBS’s “Survivor” among households. She also helped ABC to its third straight Thursday night victory among adults 18-49, though the network does seem to have a problem at 10 p.m.

“Betty” averaged a 4.4 rating in adults 18-49 last night, according to Nielsen overnights, down only 10 percent from last week’s 4.9 rating for its premiere. Equally important, the 8 p.m. “Betty” once again rose in its second half hour leading into “Grey’s Anatomy,” jumping 26 percent from a 3.9 to a 4.9 and finishing a point behind “Survivor.”

“Betty” bettered “Survivor” among households, though barely, with a 9.5 to the latter’s 9.4. The ABC show drew 14.2 million total viewers, also down from last week’s 16.1 million but still the fifth-most-watched show on competitive Thursday night.

“Betty” may bounce up and down a bit over the next few weeks, simply because the hour is so competitive. This week, for example, NBC’s 8 p.m. comedies were up over the previous week and “Survivor” was down. Viewers may switch between the shows depending on the weekly plotline, knowing that some of the shows are also available for free download at the networks’ web sites or on-demand if the live version is missed.

But while “Betty” is sitting pretty, ABC’s “Six Degrees” looks more and more like a sinker. The show dropped more than half of its “Grey’s” lead-in among 18-49s, falling 11 percent from last week’s 4.4 to a 3.9. And it dipped 23 percent from its first to its second half hour, from a 4.4 to a 3.4.

Plus, among total viewers, it finished a distant third in the timeslot with 9.65 million to CBS’s 13.76 million for “Shark” and NBC’s 14.62 million for “ER.”

“Shark” was also down from last week in 18-49s, from a 4.2 to a series-low 3.8.

Elsewhere, ABC’s “Grey’s” bounced back ahead of CBS’s “CSI” in total viewers for the second time in three outings, with 22.46 million to the latter’s 21.22 million.

For the night, ABC led with a 5.8 rating and 15 share in 18-49s, followed by CBS at 5.5/15, NBC at 4.4/12, Fox and the CW tied at 1.8/5, and Univision at 1.5/4. As a reminder, fast nationals are based on timeslot, not program, data, and Fox carried live baseball last night. As a result, its ratings will likely changed when final numbers are released later today.

At 8 p.m., “Survivor” led with a 5.6, followed by “Betty” at 4.4, NBC’s “My Name is Earl” (4.0, its best rating of the season) and “The Office” (4.1, the third time it’s beaten “Earl) at a 4.0, CW’s “Smallville” at 2.0, Univision’s “La Fea Mas Bella” at 1.7, and Fox’s New York Mets-Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game at 1.5.

At 9 p.m., “Grey’s” led for the third straight week with a 9.2, edging “CSI’s” 7.2. NBC’s “Deal or No Deal” was third at 3.2, followed by Fox’s baseball at 1.9, Univision’s “Mundo de Fieras” at 1.6, and CW’s “Supernatural” at 1.5.

At 10 p.m., NBC’s “ER” led at 6.0, followed by ABC’s “Degrees” at 3.9, CBS’s “Shark” at 3.8, Fox’s baseball at 2.0, and Univision’s “Aqui y Ahora” at 1.3.

Among households, CBS edged ABC, 10.7/17 to 10.3/16. NBC was third at 7.2/11, Fox fourth at 4.1/7, the CW fifth at 2.4/4, and Univision sixth at 1.5/4.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_7773.asp

TV Notebook
Kidnapped Shift Confirmed
By Jim Benson Broadcasting & Cable 10/6/2006

NBC will replace its struggling Kidnapped at 10 p.m. this Wednesday with Dateline NBC and shift the serialized suspense drama to 9 p.m. Saturday starting Oct. 21.

Once all 13 episodes of Kidnapped air on Saturdays, Dateline is expected to move back to Saturdays, where it is currently the only original airing on a low-rated night of repeats. Kidnapped had generated some early buzz but not much in the way of ratings on Wednesdays against stiff competition and behind The Biggest Loser, which has shed some ratings pounds this year. That spurred rumors of its move and the likelihood that NBC will burn off the remaining episodes of the expensive drama.

NBC aired a rerun of its first episode at 10 p.m. Saturday, where it matched the demo performance of the original. The network has scheduled a Nascar race in prime time on Oct. 14.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6378795.html?display=Breaking+News

Fred

I think there might have been a typo on the overnights from Thursday. The text in the article states Grey's Anatomy pulled a 9.2/13 among the 18-49 crowd...it should probably say 9.2/23, right?

It's sad to see Kidnapped go the way it has. I was really hoping it would succeed. I can't help but think that any lead in other than "The Biggest Loser" would have helped considerably. Just two totally incompatible shows.

TV Notebook
Kidnapped Shift Confirmed
By Jim Benson Broadcasting & Cable 10/6/2006

NBC will replace its struggling Kidnapped at 10 p.m. this Wednesday with Dateline NBC and shift the serialized suspense drama to 9 p.m. Saturday starting Oct. 21.

Once all 13 episodes of Kidnapped air on Saturdays, Dateline is expected to move back to Saturdays, where it is currently the only original airing on a low-rated night of repeats. Kidnapped had generated some early buzz but not much in the way of ratings on Wednesdays against stiff competition and behind The Biggest Loser, which has shed some ratings pounds this year. That spurred rumors of its move and the likelihood that NBC will burn off the remaining episodes of the expensive drama.

NBC aired a rerun of its first episode at 10 p.m. Saturday, where it matched the demo performance of the original. The network has scheduled a Nascar race in prime time on Oct. 14.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6378795.html?display=Breaking+News
LOL isn't Saturday Night the name of the burial ground where the elephants go to die that nobody can ever find? ;)

LOL isn't Saturday Night the name of the burial ground where the elephants go to die that nobody can ever find? ;)

close, but I thnk you're thinking of Saturday Night Live. :D

Smith pulled from schedule

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15159165/

Smith pulled from schedule

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15159165/
I didn't think this one was going to make it.

Since Fred's not online,

Looks like it's back to movies for Ray Liotta

CBS pulls plug on ‘Smith,’ making crime drama first fall show to get ax

From Associated Press
Updated: 2:58 p.m. ET Oct. 6, 2006

NEW YORK - Here’s something Ray Liotta won’t be putting on their resumes: stars of the first new TV show to bite the dust this fall.

“Smith,” the Tuesday night CBS drama with Liotta leading a band of high-stakes thieves, is off the schedule, the network said Friday. It will be replaced temporarily by reruns of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and “Criminal Minds.”

Networks don’t like to use the word “cancel” — it sounds so messy — but the show’s producers have been given no promise that it will return.

Its last episode had only 8.4 million viewers on Tuesday, according to Nielsen Media Research. It faced tough competition in the time slot from NBC’s “Law & Order: SVU” and ABC’s “Boston Legal.”

Meanwhile, NBC announced the sort-of cancellation of its Wednesday night serial comedy “Kidnapped,” which stars Jeremy Sisto. NBC gambled by putting the show in the time slot held for a long time by “Law & Order,” and it failed miserably.

“Kidnapped” will be moved to the television purgatory of Saturday nights, starting Oct. 21. Its producers have been told to wrap up the serialized drama’s story lines by the end of the show’s 13-episode order, NBC said.

Networks have been wrestling with how to satisfy fans who’ve gotten involved in serialized dramas when the ratings are poor enough for the show to be canceled.

Fox has put its new comedy “Happy Hour” on hiatus, but insists it will return.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15159165/
‘Smith’ is first fall show to get ax - TELEVISION - MSNBC.com

Meanwhile, NBC announced the sort-of cancellation of its Wednesday night serial comedy “Kidnapped,” which stars Jeremy Sisto. NBC gambled by putting the show in the time slot held for a long time by “Law & Order,” and it failed miserably.




Maybe that's why nobody tuned into Kidnapped, thinking it was pretty callous to portray such an event into comedy. Have to say though, I didn't laugh much. ;)

Fred

I think there might have been a typo on the overnights from Thursday. The text in the article states Grey's Anatomy pulled a 9.2/13 among the 18-49 crowd...it should probably say 9.2/23, right?...


good catch, bphisig!

Mr Berman desn't make quite as many typos as I do, but he has his moments.

Update: I have seen the same "typo" in a Hollywood Reporter story, so I would assume the blame should be aimed at Nielsen. (Sorry Marc!)

Do networks save money by pulling/ cancelling shows in Oct ?

Why would networks think viewers want to invest any time in a show with a continuous plot line, when it could be gone in the first few weeks ?

Thanks for keeping the thread up to date, cherry ghost and keenan!

Maybe that's why nobody tuned into Kidnapped, thinking it was pretty callous to portray such an event into comedy. Have to say though, I didn't laugh much. ;)

or it could be that NBC think it's actually a comedy because they haven't actually watched it either! MSNBC seem to think so.

Critic’s Notebook
TV news you can use
'Smith' is gone, 'Heroes' gets a full season
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” October 06, 2006

The new TV season is only a few weeks old, and already the networks are starting to shuffle their lineups and otherwise shake things up:

• The CW has shifted its two entire nights of programming: The network’s comedy block will now air on Mondays, and the former Monday lineup moves to Sundays. This Monday on WGN-Ch. 9, the CW will re-air the season premieres of “Everybody Hates Chris” at 7 p.m., followed by “All of Us,” “Girlfriends” and “The Game.”

• As of Oct. 15, Sundays on the CW will consist of an “America’s Next Top Model” repeat at 6 p.m., followed by new episodes of “Seventh Heaven” and “Runaway.”

• CBS has also shifted its Monday lineup: “How I Met Your Mother” will now air at 7 p.m. on WBBM-Ch. 2, and new comedy “The Class” will follow. The unfortunate upshot of this change is that “Everybody Hates Chris” and “Mother” will now air against each other.

• Thanks to low ratings, NBC’s “Kidnapped” has been exiled to Saturdays as of Oct. 21. According to news reports, the drama will wrap up its central mystery in a total of 13 episodes. “Kidnapped’s” Wednesday spot will be taken over by “Dateline NBC” as of Oct. 11.

• Speaking of NBC shows, “Heroes” has been picked up for a full season. Everyone but me can rejoice now.

• “Smith,” the heist drama starring Ray Liotta, is history. Its spot is being taken over by repeats of “CSI” and “Criminal Minds” for the time being.

• Fox has announced that “24” will return with its usual two-night premiere Jan. 14-15 of next year (just to whip fans into an early frenzy, a snippet of the suspense-o-rama goes online at www.24trailer.com on Oct. 24).

• In far less interesting news, “The O.C.” returns Nov. 2 (does anyone else think that they should just continue what they started last season and kill off the rest of the cast, one by one, as the new season progresses? Except Ryan. He may live). Here’s how much Fox cares about this show; it’s pairing “The O.C.” with returning debacles “’Til Death” and “Happy Hour.” That’s love. And that’s a sign that Fox has completely given up on Thursdays -- for now. I wonder if it's preparing the way for a Thursday "American Idol" invasion, as has been rumored?

• When other Fox shows return from the baseball break, they’ll be shuffled around as well. As of Oct. 23, “Justice” moves to Mondays. That week, “Vanished” (from which star Gale Harold was vanished abruptly when his character was killed off) moves to a Friday death slot. Starting Oct. 31, “Standoff” and “House” switch spots, and “House” returns to its previous 8 p.m. Tuesday berth.

• Speaking of “House,” Hugh Laurie hosts “Saturday Night Live” Oct. 28.

• Dr. Bashir in the hizzouse! When “24” returns, Alexander Siddig, Dr. Bashir on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” will be part of the cast, along with D.B. Woodside, who’ll be back as Wayne Palmer. Also returning are Mary Lynn Rajskub as Chloe, Roger Cross as Curtis Manning and James Morrison as Bill Buchanan. Eric Balfour returns as contract worker Milo Pressman and Carlos Rota is back as Chloe’s ex-husband Morris.

Other members of the cast: Regina King as lawyer “Sandra Palmer” (Wayne’s wife, perhaps? Just a guess); presidential advisors Karen Hayes (Jayne Atkinson) and Thomas Lennox (Peter MacNicol); James Cromwell snagged the prize part of Phillip Bauer, Jack Bauer’s “estranged” dad (is there any family member Jack is not estranged from?); Kal Penn, Harry Lennix and David Hunt round out the cast. By the way, last July Kim Raver told TV critics that she might be back on Season 6 of “24,” but I wouldn’t count on seeing her Audrey Raines too much, since Raver has a starring role on ABC’s “The Nine.”

When Season 6 of “24” starts, 20 months will have elapsed since Jack Bauer was put on a slow boat to China.

http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/

Do networks save money by pulling/ cancelling shows in Oct ?

Why would networks think viewers want to invest any time in a show with a continuous plot line, when it could be gone in the first few weeks ?

Networks have already committed whatever money they have to the first episodes of their shows (13 in the case of Kidnapped). So that money is gone.

What they hope to do is stop the ratings bleeding -- so that the season averages, which have been very close in recent years, don't get permanently scarred by one or two real trukeys.

As for your second question, it was a major topic of discussion at this summer Television Critics Tour. All the networks promised to bring serialized shows to some conclusion, even if the ratings tanked.

I think NBC moving Kidnapped to Saturdays (rather than just pulling it entirely) is the Peacock's reaction to the debate.

I think NBC moving Kidnapped to Saturdays (rather than just pulling it entirely) is the Peacock's reaction to the debate.

And as someone who enjoyed the first couple of eps, for that I am grateful (especially since NBC Universal kept it on their flagship channel in HD).

TV Q&A
Ask Matt
(from the Ask (TV Critic) Matt (Roush) column at TVGuide.com
By Matt Roush TVGuide.com TV Critic Oct. 6, 2006

Question: How do you feel about all of the recent rule changes on Project Runway? On one hand, I'm glad to see all four contestants go on to the finals, but on the other, it's sort of a cop-out. The judges say three out of the four designs in last week's episode were bad, but everybody wins. Huh? Likewise, I'm not sure how I feel about the previous episode, where contestants who'd been kicked off could suddenly come back for a second shot. Maybe if the show had done one change but not the other, I wouldn't feel irritated. Since when did Project Runway — part of the fun of which has always been the surprising ruthlessness of the eliminations — suddenly start to feel like a Little League that doesn't want to damage someone's self-esteem by declaring a winner? I mean, heck, if we're gonna change the rules, why not just bring back audience favorites like Kayne and give them a shot at the finals, too?— Don C.

Matt Roush: I'm still a huge fan of Project Runway, but I absolutely hated the fact that they let all four finalists go on to Fashion Week. They kicked one player out this season for breaking the rules, then they go and deliver this twist, breaking all precedent? Both Michael and Jeffrey blew the penultimate challenge big time by not designing an outfit that expressed their "signature" style (whatever you might think of it). The only explanation I can think of for keeping them both in is that the show desperately wanted both in the finals, for whatever reason. If Laura or Uli had bombed, I bet either would have been sent packing. I'll still watch, but I feel much less invested in the outcome of the finale, since I feel it was compromised. I didn't mind the earlier twist as much, in part because neither Angela nor Vincent had a chance of making it through. But I do think that these recent decisions have lessened the value of Heidi's "You're out," because now it seems to mean, "Well, maybe not entirely out."

Question: I'm a fan of Without a Trace, and for the second week in a row, it was delayed for Sunday football. When I heard CBS had moved Trace to Sundays, I figured this would happen. What would you think if CBS were to bump, or at least reschedule, 60 Minutes and replace it with reruns or something else that they could cut as time dictated? I'm sure I'm not the only frustrated viewer who would prefer that shows start on the hour. The chances of someone tuning in on the hour and then changing the channel because the show isn't on yet would, I believe, take away many potential viewers. (Not to mention the frustration of trying to record it at the correct time!) Also, while we're on the subject of Without a Trace, why aren't they releasing any seasons after Season 1 on DVD in the U.S.? (Other regions have Seasons 2 and 3, at least.)— K.S.

Matt Roush: As always, I haven't a clue about the DVD situation — it's not my area of expertise. As for the Sunday overrun situation: That's a definite downside to the show's relocation, but one that regular viewers of CBS Sunday programming have dealt with for years. Fox has fixed its problem on Sundays by extending its postgame show (or leaning on cartoon repeats that can be joined midstream with little fuss) so that The Simpsons and the rest of the original lineup can run intact and on schedule. CBS doesn't have that luxury, with a night full of hourlong franchises. I suppose 60 Minutes could be trimmed some nights, but that show isn't as flexible (or disposable) as Dateline NBC, plus it's still a highly prestigious and profitable show for the network. My advice to fans of 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race, Cold Case and Without a Trace is to watch them live when you can, and when you must record, add at least 30 minutes to an hour of overrun time to capture the entire show. Not a perfect system, but so be it. (That's how I dealt with it last Sunday, when duty called on me to watch ABC in real time. Well, once The Amazing Race was over.)

Question: Any theories as to why Kidnapped is faring so poorly? I find it to be an interesting show that is well acted and fairly intelligent. Do you think it's just the serial nature of the show that is turning people away, or do you think viewers see it as another Vanished (which I find unwatchable)? Would NBC have done better to hold it till mid-season and show it uninterrupted, à la 24? And what do you think are its chances of lasting the season? I can't see it picking up viewers unless NBC repeats it on Saturday for new viewers to catch up. Or am I assuming too much when I think viewers won't tune in to a serial show midstream?— Olivia J.

Matt Roush: It's always hard to explain why a show doesn't take off, but the best I can come up with in the case of Kidnapped is that it's a victim of serial overkill this season (too many for people to commit to), and that the premise itself didn't seem unusual enough (unlike more grandiose concepts like Heroes and Jericho) to draw a crowd. More than most, this seems like a movie or miniseries stretched out to fill an entire season. The show itself is better than that, in large part due to a first-rate cast. It's miles beyond Vanished in terms of quality and coherence, at least so far. I'm not sure holding it to mid-season would have made a difference, since the show barely even opened and appears to continue to slip. The fear of repeats has little to do with it at this stage of things. I'd be surprised to see Kidnapped still holding down that Wednesday time period during the November sweeps. (Welcome back, Law & Order?) What this means in terms of the producers being able to wrap up the story remains to be seen. (Michael Ausiello reports this week that the producers have already been given orders to wrap it up in 13 episodes, which would at least give some closure to what fans there are out there.) The networks have promised to deal with this issue more responsibly than in past seasons (with quick fades like Reunion and Heist), and this will be a good test case to see how they deal with the situation this season.

Question: As a fan of Gale Harold, I was shocked by the ending of this week's Vanished. It seemed that he was killed. Can you please tell me what's going on? I can't believe the producers would write him out of the story, since he is the main reason many of us watch. — Andrea M.

Matt Roush: Oh, he's a goner, all right. Why do you think Eddie Cibrian was brought on mere minutes before Gale Harold took a bunch of bullets to the chest? This was one of the worst-kept secrets of the young season. I'm not sure how to address this without seeming rude to a fan, but the bottom line is that Harold just wasn't working out as the lead of a suspense drama. He was miscast, and, frankly, looked miserable in the role. Honestly, I couldn't discern much difference in his demeanor, alive or dead. (And I had no real problems with him back in his Queer as Folk days.) I had to laugh at his famous final words to the senator: "But there's something else...." How hokey. I'm certain this desperate measure will alienate anyone who has been watching the show for Harold alone. But since the number of viewers has been getting punier by the week, as the story gets increasingly ludicrous, I imagine all issues involving Vanished will be rendered moot by the new year. For more on the story, here's Michael Ausiello's interview with executive producer Josh Berman:
http://community.tvguide.com/thread.jspa?threadID=700008082

Question: I just watched the first episode of Dexter, and boy, was I pleasantly surprised! I was hoping for it to be decent, but it by far exceeds decent. Since I am currently reading the second book in the series and just recently finished the first, it is still very fresh in my mind. I can tell that the show is just going to get better since they are sticking pretty closely to the book. How many episodes have you seen so far? Do you think Showtime is finally going to get the credit it deserves for putting on some of the best programs on TV over the past year or so? — Joshua B.

Matt Roush: Showtime is enjoying much more critical and media credit these days than it used to get, for shows like Weeds, Brotherhood, Sleeper Cell and now this. Whether that translates into ratings among the network's subscribers is another story. Certainly, the channel deserves a boost for such aggressive and provocative programming. As for Dexter: I've seen three episodes so far, and I'm desperately waiting for more to arrive. The main serialized plot does seem to be sticking quite close to the original (and very enjoyable) debut novel, Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay, although it seems to me that Dexter is killing more victims than he did in the book, in part to fulfill the needs of a weekly series. I'm loving it, but I'm not sure I'd use the word "decent" to describe this creepily fascinating show.

Question: What the frak happened to MI-5? Two weeks of outstanding shows and suddenly A&E yanks it in favor of awful CSI: Miami reruns? Is the show too smart for Yanks?— Lynne

Matt Roush: It's not that the show's too smart for us. It's that it's too good for A&E in its current state of affairs (which has next to nothing to do with arts, let alone entertainment, anymore). I can't count the number of e-mails I got about this, even after filing a Dispatch last Friday when I first caught wind that A&E was jerking around MI-5 fans yet again. Here's the deal, according to my A&E contact (I have yet to see an actual release confirming this): The remaining eight episodes of the season will be run off as a marathon on Saturday, Oct. 21, from 11 am to 7 pm/ET. I would suggest you set your recorders now, as I can't imagine A&E will be rebroadcasting them anytime soon. And I haven't a clue what this portends for MI-5's next season, currently airing in Britain (where it's known as Spooks). A&E has been a coproducer on this show from the beginning, but now that the network appears to have given up on it (and on any semblance of artistic credibility), I don't know what hurdles will be involved for another network (most appropriately, BBC America) to come to its rescue. I guess we'll have to wait and see. Getting MI-5 away from A&E could be the best thing that ever happened to it, or at least to its fans.

Question: Is it my imagination, or is Jonathan on Survivor: Cook Islands the same person who was on the show The Naked Truth with Téa Leoni? I think he played the part of Nick Columbus. On Survivor, they list him as a writer. I haven't watched enough to see if they ever mentioned him also being an actor.— Bryant

Matt Roush: As of this writing, Jonathan Penner is still being billed as a writer, and no one's recognized (or at least discussed on air) him also being an actor. You're right about his role in The Naked Truth, and he was also in the original version of the CBS comedy Grapevine, among other scattered credits. If you look him up, you'll find a few producer and writer credits. But it seems to me the main thing he's written where Survivor is concerned is a rewrite of his résumé. The guy should at least be identified as an actor/writer. Seems a bit dishonest.

Question: I thoroughly enjoy your column, but I feel the need to rant about something. I just saw the ratings for this Monday night, and they made me sick. I cannot believe that more people watched the second hour of The Bachelor than Studio 60! This almost sickens me. The Bachelor is a show about nothing more than a bunch of women throwing themselves at a man to get some cash. At least Flavor of Love has its funny moments (though I still refuse to watch). Studio 60 is a smart, character- and dialogue-driven show. What the heck is going on?— Jeffrey H.

Matt Roush: Oh, I know. Isn't it tragic? (And the truly bitter irony is that Studio 60's episode ended in triumph, with the show-within-the-show learning its ratings improved from week to week. Would that the actual series were so lucky.) I'm usually OK with mindless guilty pleasures as counterprogramming, but the fact that there's any life left in this ridiculous Bachelor franchise is appalling enough, without the added insult of it actually upstaging Studio 60 for a week. If last season's feeble also-ran, What About Brian, somehow manages to outdraw Studio 60 next week, that will be the last straw. The only consolation here is that NBC can still sell the quality (as in upscale demos) of Studio 60's audience, if not the size. I hope that will be enough to keep it around for a while. Read on to see more Studio 60 fans rallying to the show's defense.

Question: I just have to write and disagree with both your and TaMara's evaluation of the musical "Cold Open" from Studio 60's second episode. Since I grew up listening to Gilbert and Sullivan, when Matt and Danny said the name W.S. Gilbert, I was elated. I also assumed that we'd never get to see the sketch itself because it couldn't possibly be as good as promised, and I was, in my opinion, proved wrong on the second part. When it was finished, I actually clapped. Then I put the episode on disc and gave it to my mother, who was involved with a G&S musical-theater group during my childhood, and she thought it was fantastic. It may be that G&S is an acquired, or just very specific, taste, and I certainly don't watch SNL enough anymore to know how well the skit would have fit in there. But they've already referred to Lorne Michaels and SNL within Studio 60, making it clear that while Aaron Sorkin's show may be a "parody" of SNL, the show-within-a-show is not actually meant to be SNL. And in G&S terms, "We'll be the very model of a modern network TV show" was perfect. — Leilani

Matt Roush: Hey, don't confuse my views with the letters I print here. In my answer, I may have noted there were others in my office and elsewhere who agreed with TaMara, but I kind of liked the song myself, and felt it was very much in keeping with the kind of show the fictional Studio 60 is meant to be.

Here's another view on Studio 60-vs-Saturday Night Live, courtesy of Brenda: "I find Studio 60 one of the most watchable hours on TV this fall, a show I look forward to as soon as it's over! It is my opinion that after watching this week's SNL season opener, with no laughs produced whatsoever, Lorne Michaels should be taking careful notes. SNL has turned into an unwatchable, humorless show whose value seems highly inflated and based on what it used to be. Studio 60's cast seems to have chemistry, which is something SNL sorely needs. The 'Cold Open' sketch was hilarious, poking fun at its former/current management's problems, creating topical humor sorely needed on SNL. Lorne Michaels seems very afraid to push that envelope these days. I'm waiting for 30 Rock to get Tina Fey's take on the situation. What did you think of the SNL season opener? Did you think Dane Cook was funny? Did the Weekend Update work for you? Sadly, none of these elements worked for me, and I am choosing to catch up on my sleep this Saturday night. I think it's time SNL hung it up."

I don't remember cracking a grin during the entire first hour of Saturday Night Live's opener, which is all I made it through (up to Weekend Update, which also left me cold). Dane Cook in particular fell flat. I didn't like his HBO show, and I don't get him here, either. Talk about overrated. That monologue was enough to give a viewer flop sweat. True incident: When I turned the show off, I thought I was recording it. When I woke up Sunday, I learned the DVR didn't capture it after all, so I missed the last half hour. I can't tell you how happy that made me.

Question: Is this a great TV season or what? I'm loving Heroes, Ugly Betty, Help Me Help You, Men in Trees and even The Class. Who would have thought I would ever watch something on CBS? These, along with old favorites, make up for a really busy week. However, of all the new shows, the one I'm most surprised to like is Brothers & Sisters. How great is the cast? Sure, the premise has been done a million times, but man, it's such a delight seeing such great actors on the small screen. Last Sunday's scene between Sally Field and her troubled younger son was heartbreaking. The entire cast is on fire. However, I'm worried that the overall tone (which is very dark and depressing) plus the time slot (is it really a good companion for the soapy and hilarious Desperate Housewives?) will be its demise. This is not the typical show that watercooler talk is made of. What do you think? Can a show like this thrive, or does its future look even darker than its story lines?— Luis

Matt Roush: First off, kudos for the infectious optimism of your love for TV. Even though there are shows on your list I'm not nearly as fond of, I love that you love them so much. Case in point: Brothers & Sisters, a show that I feel has yet to live up to the promise of its terrific cast (at least the women, anyway; the guys are pretty much drips so far). The show has been a bit of a positive surprise, ratings-wise, in its first two weeks, doing better than I would have imagined, although it's far from a Grey's Anatomy-level blockbuster and bleeds quite a bit of its Desperate Housewives lead-in audience. I would think those who are sticking around have a deep love for soap opera, and don't mind that it's so much more glum, whiny and (face it) ordinary in its intrigues than Housewives is. It's certainly not the disaster it was rumored to be over the summer, but I don't find it particularly entertaining, distinctive or moving (in the manner of a classic Herskovitz-Zwick drama like Once and Again or thirtysomething). Still, I'm keeping an eye on it, and if the numbers hold up, you shouldn't have to worry about its fate any time soon.

http://www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Columnists/Ask-Matt/default.aspx

Networks have already committed whatever money they have to the first episodes of their shows (13 in the case of Kidnapped). So that money is gone.

What they hope to do is stop the ratings bleeding -- so that the season averages, which have been very close in recent years, don't get permanently scarred by one or two real trukeys.

As for your second question, it was a major topic of discussion at this summer Television Critics Tour. All the networks promised to bring serialized shows to some conclusion, even if the ratings tanked.

I think NBC moving Kidnapped to Saturdays (rather than just pulling it entirely) is the Peacock's reaction to the debate.

Thanks fredfa

Critic’s Notebook
A Kinder Cancellation
Kidnapped Goes Gentle Into That Good Saturday Night
By James Poniewozik Time Magazine television critic in Time’s “Tuned In” blog Friday, Oct. 6, 2006

Saturday night, Elton John and Bernie Taupin once told us, is all right for fighting. Unless you're a TV show; moving to Saturday means it's time to give up the fight. This is the fate of Kidnapped. Shortly after NBC announced that the much-touted, little-watched new serial would end after a run of 13 episodes, the network today said the show will move to Saturdays at 9 p.m. E.T., starting October 21. (With Fox's Justice and Happy Hour on mere "hiatus," that means you won your office TV death pool if you picked Kidnapped.)

If there's a silver lining to this situation, it's that it may herald an era of kinder, gentler cancellation, at least for certain shows. With the vast number of serial dramas this season (shows that continue their plot from episode to episode, a la Lost and 24), TV executives were worried about viewer backlash if new series were cancelled without a chance to resolve their stories. Why would anyone ever start watching a show, they reasoned, if there was a better-than-even chance of getting engrossed in a mystery that would never be revealed?

With Kidnapped, NBC has decided to placate its remaining fans, and thus protect the chances of future serials, by moving the show where it can do the least damage, to Saturdays, and giving it a baker's dozen episodes to finish its story. With the exception of Fox, the broadcast networks have basically given up new programming on Saturday. Now the night has a new role: a hospice for terminal serials.

As for Kidnapped star Jeremy Sisto? I'm sure his former Six Feet Under sib Rachel Griffiths can always use a new brother.

http://time.blogs.com/tuned_in/

Critic’s Notebook
TV news you can use
'Smith' is gone, 'Heroes' gets a full season
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” October 06, 2006



• Thanks to low ratings, NBC’s “Kidnapped” has been exiled to Saturdays as of Oct. 21. According to news reports, the drama will wrap up its central mystery in a total of 13 episodes. “Kidnapped’s” Wednesday spot will be taken over by “Dateline NBC” as of Oct. 11.


Has this been confirmed?

I have seen several stories which say the producers have been told to wrap the story up in 13 (rather than 22 or 24) episodes. If they weren't going to do that, I would assume NBC would just have jettisoned the show completely.

With Kidnapped, NBC has decided to placate its remaining fans, and thus protect the chances of future serials, by moving the show where it can do the least damage, to Saturdays, and giving it a baker's dozen episodes to finish its story.

It would be pretty funny (but almost impossible) if somehow moving it to Saturday not only increases it's ratings but starts making the Saturday timeslot actually worthwhile again.

I have seen several stories which say the producers have been told to wrap the story up in 13 (rather than 22 or 24) episodes. If they weren't going to do that, I would assume NBC would just have jettisoned the show completely.
Good to know, thanks.

Best thing? Seeing all the Deadwood actors showing up. It's not a show but I've enjoyed seeing them.

Moved up higher: Jericho - it's growing on me.

Holding: Men in Trees

Has me wondering: Studio 60 - but I like Amanda Peet, Chandler, and Josh...well you know who I mean.

Off the radar - nothing so far, anything that's already been canned never caught my eye anyway.

Has me wondering: Studio 60 - but I like Amanda Peet, Chandler, and Josh...well you know who I mean.Me too, but I actually thought this weeks episode was pretty good, or maybe I was just paying more attention. :)

The clumsy connecting to the heartland / Christians "okay we checked that box this week" pieces seem poorly done to me. Those audiences don't want to be pandered to, they just don't want to be insulted.

I'm also have a real hard time caring about the tribulations of network honchos (or is that honchettes?)...oh it's rough at the top trying to entertain the peasants.

But I'm still giving it a chance.

What are ABC's plans for the next run of "Dancing with the Stars"? Will there be another one in the spring, or do we have to wait until September 2007?I believe they plan to start a new edition just in time for the February sweep, humdinger70.Starting in March and ending in May sweeps would make more sense to spread it out more.

TV Notebook
Fall Schedule Shuffle Begins
By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable 10/9/2006 (Additional reporting by Jim Benson)

Despite a modest showing in Friday Night Lights' rookie outing, NBC is tentatively planning to back the show with a triple-header on Sunday night, Oct. 22, when its Sunday Night Football franchise takes a scheduled break during the World Series.

NBC will air the first three episodes of the football drama back to back from 8 to 11 p.m. ET, with additional airings on NBC and sister cable networks Bravo and USA.

The Tuesday 8 p.m. premiere of the high school football show, based on the book and movie of the same name, averaged a third-place 2.7 rating/8 share in the adult 18-49 demo in a highly competitive time slot against ABC's red-hot Dancing With the Stars, CBS' steady NCIS and Fox's coverage of a Yankees-Tigers playoff baseball game.

As NBC sought to salvage its new drama, pieces began to fall in place last week on all the networks' schedules.

CBS pulled new drama Smith after three weeks, replacing it with a rerun of CSI Tuesday, Oct. 10 and with encores of Criminal Minds the following two weeks. There has been no decision yet about which series will permanently replace Smith. It had steadily declined, from a 3.6 rating/10 share in adults 18-49 to a 3.3/9 and a 2.8/8 its third week.

The network also is looking to protect underperforming rookie sitcom The Class on Mondays, flipping it with sophomore How I Met Your Mother, which will now lead off the night at 8.

Fox is shaking up its schedule on four nights. The network's latest unscripted show, The Rich List, a quiz show hosted by English TV personality Eamonn Holmes, is slated to air Wednesdays at 9, replacing the relocated Justice.

Fox will flip its Tuesday-night schedule after the World Series, returning House to 9 and pushing Standoff up to lead off the night. Justice shifts to Mondays at 9 out of Prison Break, and Vanished gets banished to Fridays at 8.

Its rookie comedies 'Til Death and Happy Hour will return to the schedule on Thursday nights at 8, leading into The O.C., which returns Nov. 2 after baseball. With the changes, Nanny 911 goes to the bench from its Friday 9 p.m. time slot.

With Kidnapped off to a sluggish start, NBC will wrap up the serialized drama's storyline in the 13 episodes of the original order. Dateline NBC moves from Saturdays into Kidnapped's Wednesday 10 p.m. berth until the episodes run out, and the drama will move to 9 p.m. Saturday starting on Oct. 21.

ABC has decided to postpone the planned Oct. 17 launch of Knights of Prosperity indefinitely and will leave Dancing With the Stars at 90 minutes on Tuesdays.

On Tuesday, Nov. 28, ABC will bring rookie comedy Big Day off the bench for a 9 p.m. debut. It was originally scheduled to air Thursdays at 8, but the network decided to pull both it and Notes From the Underbelly off the schedule at the beginning of the season for Ugly Betty. Now it will be used to help boost Help Me Help You.

And The CW, in an effort to pump life back into Everybody Hates Chris, is swapping its Sunday and Monday schedules beginning Oct. 9. The network will re-air each of its comedies' season premieres on its new night and then return to new episodes the following week—in direct competition with sitcoms on CW co-owner CBS.

Beginning Sunday, Oct. 15, CW will use an encore of its returning power America's Top Model to kick off the night at 7, followed by 7th Heaven and rookie drama Runaway.—

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6378988

TV Notebook
Winners and Losers
Early results for the season's new shows
By Stephen Battaglio TV Guide

Fumble! You can bet that was one of the many football clichés that rang through the halls of NBC's competitors when the ratings for the premiere of Friday Night Lights came in. Despite rave reviews and a promotional blitz (couldn't resist), the new series about Texas high-school football drew 7.2 million viewers and finished behind ABC's Dancing with the Stars and CBS' NCIS in the 18-to-49 demographic that advertisers care about most.

But every network has got some issues to deal with as new shows continue to roll out this fall. Here's an early run through the ratings winners and losers so far.

Winners

Heroes: Sci-fi fans have turned this into what looks like a breakout hit. Even though the show dropped more than two million viewers from its premiere, it was still very strong with younger viewers, especially men aged 18 to 49. The key now will be to keep pleasing the type of rabid but fickle fans that such genre shows can attract.

Jericho: The Biz didn't believe this show — about life in a small town after a nuclear holocaust — had any chance of surviving. But its ratings mushroomed in the second week, which is always a good sign, and made CBS competitive on Wednesdays at 8 for the first time since Bill Paley left this mortal coil.

Brothers & Sisters: Despite having the stench of failure all summer (cast changes, new executive producer, reshoots), this soapy drama is doing a better job of holding on to its Desperate Housewives lead-in than Boston Legal did, and that's the bar ABC execs are using to measure its success.

Losers

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: NBC execs can talk all they want about upscale viewers who are tuning in to the new drama from Aaron Sorkin. But it doesn't matter how much money they have if the ratings continue to decline. This show has lost viewers in every half hour it's been on the air.

Kidnapping shows: Both NBC's Kidnapped and Fox's Vanished couldn't even get people in the door for their season-long yarns about missing people. You won't see anyone try this concept again soon. We think.

'Til Death: Fox was asking a lot of its new Brad Garrett sitcom to have it open in the very competitive 8 pm/Thursday time slot against CBS' Survivor, NBC's My Name Is Earl and ABC's Ugly Betty, which rode into the hour with a lot of preseason buzz. But Fox is being patient. Insiders say 'Til Death (and Happy Hour) will be back in November after baseball coverage is over. Hey, you can afford to be patient when you've got American Idol coming back...

Smith: We were dazzled by the cast in the pilot episode, but likable villains are a tough sell these days, even if John Wells is writing their dialogue. This CBS drama (became) the first new show to get yanked.

http://tvguide.com/News-Views/Columnists/The-Biz/default.aspx

TV Notebook
Televisory: Updated:
"Kidnapped" dumped on Saturdays, Fox revamps; "Heroes" gets 22
By Tim Goodman San Francisco Chronicle in his TV blog “The Bastard Machine”

Though NBC had previously hinted that "Kidnapped" - a fine serialized drama that failed to launch - would be cut to 15 episodes and would have some kind of resolution built in to the conclusion, the network took the unusual step Friday of announcing that it would bump "Kidnapped" to Saturday nights.

It might as well have said, "We dragged it out back and shot it dead. Here's a map to its shallow grave."

Saturday nights are a graveyard for television. There's a reason the networks don't program that night with new shows - nobody watches. So now NBC is replacing the series with "Dateline NBC" and "Kidnapped" gets the 9 p.m. graveyard shift. Ah, but not next Saturday. That spot is already commited to the "NASCAR Nextel Cup Bank of America 500." So if you want to watch "Kidnapped," your next episode is Oct. 21. (Same day A&E burns off "MI-5." It's like some kind of weird "Bring Out Yer Dead" day.)

In other news, Fox announced that, post baseball, it would move "Justice" to Monday's at 9 p.m., starting Oct. 23. That's the old "Vanished" slot. "Vanished" is on the move as well, post-baseball. It will now air Friday's at 8 p.m., starting Oct. 27.

That puts "Justice" up against "Heroes" and "Vanished" up against "Ghost Whisperer" and the returning "Crossing Jordan." Good luck to both.

For those of you juggling serialized dramas this year - and that would pretty much be all of us - NBC has give you a safe harbor by announcing that "Heroes" has been picked up for a full 22 episode order. So if you're worried a show you love - complicated mysteries, unanswered questions - might get "Kidnapped" from the schedule before answers can be given, at least you know that "Heroes" is not going to be one of them.

Then again, what a full season pick up usually means to TV writers is this: "Oh, thank God, we don't have to come up with an ending." You can bet the "Heroes" writers are already hatching plans about stretching out or delaying any "reveals." Not to be cynical.

Other networks should put up or shut-up right now, too. If they had the audacity (read: balls) to back a boatload of serialized dramas, they ought to do wary viewers a favor and show some unflagging loyalty. Otherwise, unsure what's going to happen, more viewers are going to opt out. It's already happening. The trend can only be reversed one way: Put your mouth where your money is, and say you're standing by Show X for the full 22.

"Heroes" leads into "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." And not enough of the audience is hanging around. I'd say "Heroes" is a bad lead-in - completely incompatible, but that ship has sailed. Now Aaron Sorkin is in a tough spot. NBC has re-upped (and raved about) the series in front of his. And no doubt Sorkin's phone did not ring today with news of the pick-up. (Well, you can bet it did, in the form of some back-channel heads up and/or maybe a pep talk from NBC.) But now every slip in audience share for "Studio 60" is damning. The show needs to move.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/indexn?blogid=24

Friday’s network prime-time ratings are now just under the HD football listings at the top of RATINGS NEWS (the first post in this thread).

How soon do cablenet ratings come out? Specifically, for SciFi's Battlestar Galactica, which in my opinion was the blockbuster season premier of the fall season, easily blowing away anything else.

How soon do cablenet ratings come out? Specifically, for SciFi's Battlestar Galactica, which in my opinion was the blockbuster season premier of the fall season, easily blowing away anything else.
If the ratings were high, they'll throw out a press release rather quickly. However, ratings should be known by Tuesday/Wednesday of next week at the latest via sources.

I can't imagine it being very high though, was the episode any better than the first act which was viewable online? If it wasn't I can imagine a lot of people clicking their remotes at that first commercial break.

Oh how much I yearn for those excellent early mini and season 1 episodes, when the show was more about substance, was thought provoking, interesting and dramatic, not a show stuck in neutral, content with using shock over substance.

TV Notebook
Dressler's Last Play: NFL Network Talks
By R. Thomas Umstead MultiChannel News 10/9/2006

Fred Dressler may be retiring Jan. 1, but he will strap on his negotiating helmet at least one more time.

NFL Network is hoping to convince the lame duck executive to complete a distribution deal with the company he works for, Time Warner Cable, before the network's package of live Thursday and Saturday night National Football League games launches on Thanksgiving night.

Time Warner Cable executives confirmed talks with the football network, which currently counts 33 million subscribers, about a carriage deal that would include the network's eight live regular-season game telecasts.

NFL Network officials have insisted that the service be offered on an analog basic tier, while Time Warner wants to put the service on its $5-per-month sports tier.

“We would like to reach an agreement with Fred before he leaves,” said NFL Network spokesman Seth Palansky. “We think that's a nice feather in his cap after 30 years of [negotiating] and we think that it'll be a nice baton toss to Ms. Witmer and begin a nice, long relationship with Time Warner.”

Dressler seems to have caught the pass. “I told the NFL Network that I was here until the end of the year,” he said. “If they wanted to get a deal done that was enough time.”

The network hopes to put pressure on the operators through a new multimedia ad campaign with DirecTv Inc., which has a long-term carriage deal with the network. The campaign encourages consumers to switch from cable to DirecTV to get the games.

In addition, the network last week launched a Web site (www.iwantmynflnetwork.com) which allows consumers to e-mail their cable networks to demand NFL Network.

Time Warner Cable has its own Web site, www.NFLgetreal.com, which allows consumers to register their vote to place the NFL Network in a sports package.

http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleid=CA6378998

I can't imagine it being very high though, was the episode any better than the first act which was viewable online? If it wasn't I can imagine a lot of people clicking their remotes at that first commercial break.


It was without a doubt, the BEST Opening season Episode this Year on any TV Show.

Oh how much I yearn for those excellent early mini and season 1 episodes, when the show was more about substance, was thought provoking, interesting and dramatic, not a show stuck in neutral, content with using shock over substance.

Ummm........ if it being "about substance, thought provoking, interesting, and dramatic" are truly the attributes you're looking for, I suggest you watch the entire 2-hour premiere (BSG). ;)

It rocked rather hard, I think most would agree.

If the ratings were high, they'll throw out a press release rather quickly. However, ratings should be known by Tuesday/Wednesday of next week at the latest via sources.

I can't imagine it being very high though, was the episode any better than the first act which was viewable online? If it wasn't I can imagine a lot of people clicking their remotes at that first commercial break.

Oh how much I yearn for those excellent early mini and season 1 episodes, when the show was more about substance, was thought provoking, interesting and dramatic, not a show stuck in neutral, content with using shock over substance.
I'm only interested in the ratings as compared to other BG premiers and other cable TV shows, I know they won't be anything like Big 4 ratings, and that's fine.

As far as content, that goes to personal opinion, but I don't see how any more topical, relevant content mixed with fictional drama could have been squeezed into the 2 hr episode of Battlestar Galactica that aired last night, So much going on that it literally demands more than one viewing to absorb it all.

The cable ratings are released Tuesday, Jim.

I only have access to the top 40 shows, so if BG makes it, I'll post them for you.

Thanks. :)

A movie library in your living room (http://news.com.com/2102-1041_3-6123704.html?tag=st.util.print)

I think I'll wait until the price comes down, bgooch!

On September 29th Doctor Who on Sci-fi had a 1.1 rating for The Christmas Invasion and a 1.0 rating for New Earth. That's right around how it was doing at the end of season one's run. We'll see if being paired with Sci-Fi's critical darling Battlestar Galactica gives it a boost this week.

It looks like Sinclair's in the news again.

As you know, the company is famous for trying to get compensation for carrying its stations' digital signals. Now it appears there's a battle brewing over Sinclair's analog signals, as well -- and one cable operator is suing:

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061007/NEWS01/610070348/1001/NEWS

The Business of TV
Operators Balk at Station Bundling
By Allison Romano Broadcasting & Cable 10/9/2006

Two of the country's largest cable companies, Mediacom and Time Warner Cable, are bracing for possible showdowns with major TV-station groups over carriage of local broadcast stations.

Mediacom, the country's eighth-largest system operator, filed an antitrust lawsuit Oct. 6 against Sinclair Broadcast Group, alleging that Sinclair is demanding compensation for a bundle of its stations in 16 markets, rather than individual deals.

“We believe this all-or-nothing scheme violates antitrust law,” Mediacom CEO Rocco Commisso says in a statement.

Sinclair has been among the most outspoken about its desire to get cash in return for carriage of its stations.

Meanwhile, in a less antagonistic situation, Time Warner Cable, the No. 2 cable company, and station owner Pappas Telecasting are haggling over carriage of Pappas-owned stations in four markets.

Pappas is seeking analog carriage for two digital stations, a CW affiliate in Yuma, Ariz., and a MyNetworkTV outlet in El Paso, Texas. So far, Time Warner is offering the stations on its digital tier but wants some compensation for the widely distributed analog package. The cable operator is facing similar demands from other station owners, including Clear Channel, that operate CW and MNT affiliates on their multicast channels and want widespread cable delivery, which Time Warner is resisting.

A Time Warner spokesman says talks are progressing and the company is “hopeful and expects to reach an agreement” with Pappas.

And while Mediacom awaits a response from Sinclair, it faces much higher stakes. About half of Mediacom subscribers live in markets where Sinclair owns or operates affiliates, and a disruption of service would be more widespread.

The cable company first revealed the wrangling with Sinclair in an SEC filing in late September. According to Mediacom, Sinclair said it would notify the cable operator on or before Oct. 15 of its intent to terminate retransmission of its stations on Dec. 1. Sinclair typically negotiates its carriage deals on a monthly basis. Mediacom has long-term carriage deals with more than 42 station owners that operate in its markets.

Sinclair executives did not return calls for comment.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6378991

TV Notebook
“Star Trek”
There Are No Small Parts, Only Long Memories
By Thomas Vinciguerra The New York Times October 8, 2006

Bruce Hyde, a professor of communications studies at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota, seems like a perfectly respectable fellow. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Southern California. A specialist in interpersonal and small-group communication, he is a former chairman of St. Cloud’s department of theater, film studies and dance.

But there was a time when Professor Hyde, 65, wore a yellow velour tunic, wielded a phaser pistol and single-handedly manipulated the annihilating forces of matter and antimatter.

That was four decades ago, when he played Lt. Kevin Riley in the original “Star Trek” series. “A colleague told me he was clicking through his TV the other day and came across one of my episodes,” Professor Hyde said. “The show just keeps going on.”

When the U.S.S. Enterprise first blasted off in 1966, only its principal characters — William Shatner’s Capt. James T. Kirk, Leonard Nimoy’s Mr. Spock and DeForest Kelley’s Dr. Bones McCoy among them — might have expected devoted fans. But as Trekkies observe the show’s 40th anniversary this year, they are celebrating not just the stars but also the background actors who manned the starship’s controls, beamed down to alien planets and, if they played red-shirted security guards, often got torn apart by a monster or dematerialized by a Klingon.

One of them is Sean Kenney, who played the French Canadian Lieutenant DePaul in the episodes “Arena” and “A Taste of Armageddon,” and Capt. Christopher Pike in “The Menagerie.” In the first role he simply operated the helm; in the second he sat immobile and silent in an automated wheelchair. Yet at the official 40th-anniversary “Star Trek” convention in Las Vegas in August he did a brisk business in autographs, photos and reminiscences.

Now a commercial photographer in Century City, Calif., Mr. Kenney said, “I’ll be at some function, and someone will say, ‘Didn’t you do “Star Trek”?’ ”

No officer gets overlooked. Sean Morgan, 65, deals in financial services and life insurance and lives in Kalispell, Mont. In the role of Lieutenant O’Neil in “The Return of the Archons” and “The Tholian Web,” he spoke exactly 63 words. He has been an object of fans’ fascination ever since — especially at Star Trek conventions.

“I get out of my car, go in, and all these Trekkies know my name and the character I played,” Mr. Morgan said, recalling his first such gathering. “That was a little freaky.”

Rusty Meek, a former “Star Trek” first assistant director, said all that multiple casting was deliberate, an attempt to convey the impression of a community in space. “Generally we had the same extras back so we had some continuity,” he said.

John Kuehner, 45, a fan in Lakewood, Ohio, said he appreciated the effort. “It gave the show depth,” he said, “especially when you’ve seen it dozens of times. You say to yourself, ‘Hey, I remember him.’ ”

So aside from playing O’Neil, Sean Morgan was a crewman named Harper in “Balance of Terror” and also in “The Ultimate Computer,” in which he was zapped while wearing a red shirt. “I saw Joe D’Agosta” — the casting director — “later that day and said, ‘Thanks a hell of a lot,’ ” he said.

Even a single appearance could confer immortality. In “The Apple,” Celeste Yarnall — a veteran of movies like “Live a Little, Love a Little,” with Elvis Presley — was the only one of five red-uniformed Enterprise security guards to survive on planet Gamma Trianguli VI. Today, when not practicing holistic health care for animals, she attends conventions and enthusiastically recalls her role. “I was one of the first female crew members to beam down, carry a weapon and be one of the guys,” she said. “I wasn’t just a secretary. I was a full-fledged member of the team.”

William Blackburn parlayed a job standing in for DeForest Kelley during lighting adjustments into approximately 60 on-camera appearances, usually on the bridge. Though he was identified by name only once, legions of Trekkies know him as Mr. Hadley.

“When you were called by a name, you automatically became a cast member and got extra money, even if you had no lines,” said Charles Washburn, a former second assistant director.

Thus William Shatner called his stand-in, Eddie Paskey, Mr. Leslie, after his own daughter. Generally playing a security guard, Mr. Paskey can be seen in all but a handful of the show’s 79 episodes. “I was lucky,” Mr. Paskey said. “Gregg Peters, the first assistant director, put me at Scotty’s station at the bridge. From there I would get little bits and pieces of screen time.”

Mr. Paskey, now 66 and retired, is perhaps the most beloved of the show’s minor characters. Star Trek Communicator magazine once declared him “King of the Redshirts.” One of his devotees has built an eight-inch action figure of him. A Web site called “The Comprehensive Lt. Leslie Star Trek Archives” (hometown.aol.com/led4acs/LeslieArchives.html) offers screen grabs of his episodes. A shot from “The Enemy Within,” for instance, depicts him frozen and unconscious. The caption reads, “I like Paskey’s minimalist approach to playing this scene.”

Mr. Paskey said, laughing, “I guess the more exposure I get, the better off I am.”

Not all Enterprise alumni feel similarly. John Winston played Transporter Chief Kyle in more than a dozen episodes. He was tortured by an evil parallel-universe Mr. Spock in “Mirror, Mirror.” He rescued Captain Kirk from the clutches of the Doomsday Machine in the episode of the same name. He even served chicken soup to a 20th-century Air Force guard in “Tomorrow Is Yesterday.” But despite all that, and a cameo in the film “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” the show means little to him.

“I liked the cast and crew,” said Mr. Winston, 78, a London-born actor. “But there was nothing to build on with that character. What could you have done with three or four lines? I got paid for it, and I forgot about it.”

He’s not the only one. Bill Blackburn is a year younger than Mr. Winston. Besides playing Hadley, he did some voice work (“I said, ‘Warp Factor 5, Captain’ ”) and was stuffed into a White Rabbit costume in the episode “Shore Leave.” After “Star Trek,” he became a costume archivist at Warner Brothers. A former professional ice skater, he spends four days a week at a rink in Burbank. He has cut ties with most of his old co-workers. “Yesterday was yesterday,” he explained. “I live today and tomorrow.”

Barbara Baldavin, who played Angela Martine, a phaser specialist and communications officer in three episodes, concurs. “I get fan mail all the time, and I don’t know why,” she said. “I’m pushing 70 now, and I’m in pretty good shape. But these guys have got to know that I’m not the same person I was 40 years ago. I’m not this hot little chick they’re thinking of. That’s why I don’t go to conventions. I don’t want to disillusion them.”

Mr. Winston and Mr. Paskey, at least, have no such qualms. They both recently appeared in “Star Trek: New Voyages,” a fan-produced, Web-based series that depicts the continuing exploits of the Enterprise. Mr. Paskey portrayed Admiral Leslie, his signature character’s own white-haired father — complete with red shirt.

Such dedication, Sean Morgan suggests, speaks volumes. “I’ve always believed that we made the show,” he said, chuckling. “Without me, Shatner would have been nothing.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/arts/television/08vinc.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=television&pagewanted=print

The New Season
'Betty,' 'Heroes' look like early winners
By Rick Kushman Sacramento Bee TV Columnist

The new TV season is a couple of weeks old now, and we're starting to get a read on the good and bad ratings performances of the new shows.

The new series that have an instant spark appear to be NBC's "Heroes," ABC's "Ugly Betty" and, probably, CBS' "Shark."

The early losers look like NBC's "Kidnapped" and "Friday Night Lights" -- unfortunately, shows that are, respectively, very good and outstanding -- CBS' "The Class," most of Fox's new series and, probably, the general gamble on tons of serialized shows.

"Betty" was the highest- premiering new series, drawing 16.1 million viewers. Among rookies, it was followed by ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" (with 15.7 million, then 14.9 million viewers over two weeks), CBS' "Shark" (14.8 million, then 14.2 million) and "Heroes" (14.3 million, then 12.6 million).

So far, "Betty," which leads off on Thursdays, and "Heroes," in a 9 p.m. Monday slot, qualify as success stories, partly because they don't get much help from lead-ins. "Shark" airs Thursdays on CBS after "CSI," the top-rated show last week. But it's also in a tough time slot against "ER" (nationally, and even worse in Sacramento, against "Grey's Anatomy"), and it's holding pretty steady, which is a good sign.

"Brothers & Sisters," however, is in a slightly less competitive slot at 10 p.m. Sundays, and it airs after ABC's "Desperate Housewives," so it is expected to do well, at least for a while.

Actually, many of the ratings stories fall into the categories of too-early-to-tell -- including the entire new CW network -- and almost all these results have to be taken with some caution.

Early-season ratings often are a result of promotional efforts, good or bad lead-ins and time-slot competition. Viewers still are settling in, deciding which shows to commit to. Plus, audience makeup -- including the age and income of viewers -- plays a big role in a show's survival.

For instance, NBC's terrific "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" has generated less-than- spectacular numbers; over three Monday nights, it's gone from 13.4 million viewers to about 9 million.

But the people who like it really, really like it. It's the third-highest recorded show of the week on TiVo after "CSI" and "Grey's Anatomy," and it's the only new series to make TiVo's top 10 requests for a season pass (when viewers program their recorders to catch every new episode of a series).

Plus, the audience -- as is often the case with an Aaron Sorkin-written show -- is affluent. Apparently, people who make money like good writing.

The other complicated story is the new CW. You'd think combining two networks going after the same young audience would mean a ratings boost, but it's been hit-and-miss across the lineup, though the one clear success is "America's Next Top Self-Absorbed Skinny Freak," wait, I mean "Next Top Model."

As for the rest, many shows jumped channels, and viewers are still finding them. In Sacramento, the CW is on Channel 31, which was the UPN station. So old WB shows such as "Gilmore Girls," "Smallville," "Supernatural" and "One Tree Hill" moved from Channel 58.

In any case, the CW says it's doing well with its target audience -- women ages 18-34 -- and we'll get a better read in a couple of months when the network starts canceling shows. One clear candidate is "Runaway," which drew a grim 1.95 million viewers this week.

Two other new shows with potential are "Jericho," which is averaging about 11.5 million viewers as CBS' lead-off show on Wednesdays; and ABC's "Men in Trees," which is holding its own on Fridays.

The list of apparent losers is longer. It includes "Kidnapped" (it drew only 6.3 million viewers in its second week) and "Friday Night Lights" (which premiered with just 7.2 million viewers). However, expect NBC to be patient with "Friday Night Lights" because it's a high- quality series, has a deadly Tuesday time slot and has drawn universal praise.

Among other new shows not doing particularly well, there is "The Class" (which dropped from 10.5 million to 8 million viewers in three showings and earned a time switch from 7 to 7:30 on Monday nights in Sacramento), CBS' "Smith" (11 million to 8.3 million in three weeks) and ABC's "Six Degrees" (12.6 million to 10.8 million viewers in two weeks).

"Six Degrees' " ratings sound good until you consider its lead-in, "Grey's Anatomy," drew 23.5 million people last week, and "Degrees" lost nearly 13 million of them.

Fox also fell into the losing category with all its new shows this season. The network has already pulled "Happy Hour" and "Justice" -- though "Justice" will likely return when baseball playoffs are over -- and "Standoff" (8.1 million viewers despite a healthy lead-in from "House"), "Vanished" (6.4 million) and "'Til Death" (5.75 million) all look to be in trouble.

Many of shows doing poorly are serials -- including "Kidnapped," "Smith," "Six Degrees," "Vanished" and "Runaway" -- and networks don't figure viewers will jump in midway, so those are your candidates to get canceled early. But "early" is the key word, and this is just a snapshot of where things stand at the start of a long season.

http://www.sacbee.com/127/v-print/story/34020.html

The New Season
Two Parts Silly, One Part Solemn
Several of Fall's New Comedy Offerings Take a Turn for the Dramatic
By Marc D. Allan Special to The Washington Post Sunday, October 8, 2006; Y05

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll wonder what the heck's going on: This year, comedy and drama are being combined like never before, and it's getting harder to tell which is which.

The concept of the "dramedy" has been around for decades. Over the past few seasons alone, many shows that traditionally would be called dramas -- "Desperate Housewives," "Gilmore Girls" and "Boston Legal," just to name a few -- have blurred the line between drama and comedy.

But this season, comedies are striking back -- not with "special episodes" designed to ramp up the tension and the ratings, but with storylines based on dramatic premises.

For instance, the ABC comedy "Big Day," slated to premiere next month, deals with all the theatrics of one couple's wedding day -- the doubts, the personality clashes, the last-minute disasters.

"This is serious, hard drama, all played for ridiculous laughs," said executive producer Josh Goldsmith.

Other new fall shows more subtly include dramatic themes to generate comedy. In "30 Rock," Tina Fey's character, Liz Lemon, must deal with a humorless new boss (played by Alec Baldwin) who's bent on changing her show. "Help Me Help You" mines group therapy for humor. And "The Class" brings together a group of late-twentysomethings whose lives haven't turned out the way they expected.

"We really wanted to do a show where that's the hook -- you're compelled to watch next week," said David Crane, a creator of "The Class." "You want to know what's going to happen. It's going to be funny, but it isn't just, 'All right, it's funny and you're done.'"

Crane used that formula to great effect on "Friends," which he also helped create. "There's an emotional investment that you don't always find in a half-hour," he said. "And that's really important to us."

Actually, that's been important to most of TV's greatest sitcoms, such as "All in the Family," "M*A*S*H," "Cheers" and "Friends." Matthew Perry, who's making the transition from comedy ("Friends") to drama ("Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"), said comedy doesn't need drama to succeed. What comedy needs, he said, "is the reality that's coming out of real situations."

You can see that in shows such as "How I Met Your Mother," which ended its first season in May with a decidedly dramatic moment -- Marshall (Jason Segel) sitting on a step, crying because Lily (Alyson Hannigan) left him. Not many laughs there, but the situation did create a connection between the characters and the audience.

"I cherish that we're allowed to experience real emotions on the show, which is rare for a half-hour comedy," Hannigan said. "Do I want to cry every week? No, but it's nice to be able to make 'em laugh and cry."

Hannigan doesn't see the show turning dramatic, but she expects the trend toward realistic situations to continue. "People cry and people have emotions in their life. It's not always joke, joke, setup, joke, setup, joke. And there's so much heart to this show. It's inevitable -- we're gonna cry."

Reality remains the benchmark for "Entourage," the HBO series that picks over Hollywood angst to create close-to-the-bone comedy. Its third season ended in August with budding superstar actor Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) firing his agent, Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven), for botching a movie deal. During the season, Ari also found himself in blistering -- but funny -- negotiations to end his relationship with a longtime business partner. Viewers could laugh, but they also felt the tension.

Writer-producer Brian Burns said no mandate exists to make the show more dramatic. But if there's drama, it stems from reality.

"It's certainly a comedy, and we try to make real-life situations funny," Burns said. "At the same time, at the core of our show, the number one rule is, is it real?"

Veteran comic actor Jere Burns, one of the stars of "Help Me Help You," said he's seen reality seep into the scripts he's read. He suggests the inspiration is the work of Christopher Guest ("Best in Show," "A Mighty Wind") and Larry David ("Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Seinfeld"), whose sensibilities are heavy on improvisation and take real situations to comic extremes.

"Reality can be funny, or reality can be dramatic," he said. "But I think these days, really funny is really real. I don't think the big, goofy 'Three's Company' comedy sells anymore. I don't think that 'fake TV funny' is particularly funny."

The trend began with "Sex and the City," said Silvio Horta, executive producer of ABC's "Ugly Betty," a show that combines comedy and drama. "Sex in the City" "was positioned as a comedy, but the comedy works because the situations are very real and played straight," Horta said. "There's a tremendous resonance there for people."

Kim Fleary, executive vice president of comedy development for the new CW network, said she can't pinpoint any particular societal shift that's caused writers to make their comedies more dramatic. "I think it's very cyclical," she said.

Or it just might be that, in a time when everything from music and videos to computer software is being combined into "mash-ups," this is the right moment for comedy and drama to become one.

"Maybe it's because everything's a hybrid of everything," said Tina Fey, the former "Saturday Night Live" writer-performer who created and stars in "30 Rock."

"If 'Desperate Housewives' is a dramedy, maybe all the genres are just melding into realiramatromedycom."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/04/AR2006100400117_pf.html

Critic’s Notebook
'Nightline' shining bright, sans Koppel
By Gail Shister Philadelphia Inquirer Columnist Sun, Oct. 08, 2006

There is life after Ted Koppel at Nightline.

Despite Armageddon-like predictions from news purists, Nightline not only has survived but has grown and prospered since Koppel, 65, left ABC in November and started a documentary unit for Discovery Channel.

Much of the reason for that success is that the new Nightline bears virtually no resemblance to the show Koppel launched in 1980.

Call it Nightline Lite. Less filling, more popular.

Instead of one topic each night, there are three. Three anchors, too: Terry Moran, Cynthia McFadden and Martin Bashir. It's based in New York, not Washington. And the executive producer is a Brit.

With its faster pace and younger look, Nightline is averaging 3.8 million total viewers in '06, up 2 percent over the same period last year, according to Nielsen Media Research. During that same span, David Letterman's CBS Late Show, No. 2, is down 11 percent, and Jay Leno's No. 1 Tonight on NBC is down 5 percent.

Over the summer, Nightline even beat Letterman four times in seven weeks, although three of those wins were against Late Show repeats.

In the most recent ratings (week of Sept. 25), Nightline was up 15 percent in total viewers and 12 percent among advertiser-friendly 25- to 54-year-old viewers - compared with the same week in '05 under Koppel.

Nightline boss James Goldston isn't popping open any Dom Perignon just yet.

"I take it all with a pinch of salt, really," says Goldston, a veteran of England's BBC and ITV networks. "Ratings are ratings. They go up, but they can go down again."

Goldston labels Nightline "a work in progress. It's early. I'm pleased that we're up, but it's not enough. We have a long way to go before I'm satisfied with what we're doing. Probably nothing would satisfy me."

Nightline's opening story runs about nine minutes, followed by a five-minute piece and a short "Sign of the Times" segment.

Not everyone loves the new format.

"In many cases, you lose the nuance and the opportunity to really chew on something," says Alex S. Jones, director of Harvard's Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. "You only get the headlines."

To Goldston, nine minutes in TV time "is a big, in-depth examination of a story. It's often enough. We can move on."

As for the increase in more demographically desirable younger viewers, Goldston downplays that, too. He denies that he's programming the show to attract a less-gray audience.

"We don't target younger viewers. That's a fool's errand. We concentrate on telling good and important stories in an effective way... . More people are watching the show because it's a good show."

Many Nightline stories fit Koppel's old-school mold - live reports from Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, interviews with current and former world leaders.

Occasionally, one topic warrants a full broadcast. Recent examples include a day in the life of Sen. Hillary Clinton and a piece on mothers of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq.

There's plenty of puffier fare, however. Charm school for guys. Very expensive cell phones. Grey's Anatomy and the Broadway musical Tarzan. A piece on Lost is in the works.

Some find the last three troubling because Grey's and Lost are on ABC, and Disney, ABC's owner, produced Tarzan. Focusing on productions within the family can give the appearance of a conflict of interest. "It really undermines their credibility," says Harvard's Jones. "It looks so promotional. It debases a news program if it looks like your news space is for sale, especially if it's serving your own purposes."

Jones says such stories wouldn't have appeared on the watch of Koppel, whom he labels "an iconic figure." Current staffers don't have his clout, he says.

Anchor Moran, a former White House correspondent who has mastered the art of spin, says story selections always generate "pretty good discussions and even arguments internally."

Whatever those discussions are, "I should respect my colleagues and maintain that confidence," he says.

Former Nightline e.p. Leroy Sievers, now a producer for Discovery Channel and a commentator for National Public Radio, feels no such constraints.

"Is it a mix I'm comfortable with? No. On the other hand, they went to Guantanamo and Afghanistan. It's the show ABC wanted, and clearly there's an audience for it. I give them credit for what they've done even though it's not the show we would have done."

Rick Kaplan, Nightline e.p. from 1984 to '89 and former president of CNN and MSNBC, defends his alma mater's choices.

"If a show gets a reputation that all it's doing is flacking for its network, it's going to die. Nightline doesn't have that reputation. Everybody's very sensitive about that."

The Grey's Anatomy piece, which aired March 20 and focused on networks' attempts to diversify casts, "was actually quite clever," in Kaplan's view. "I would have done it on the old Nightline, too."

Many argue that Nightline was badly in need of a transfusion. Toward the end of his landmark run, Koppel worked only three days a week and taped his shows earlier in the day.

Since the new Nightline is live, Goldston can ditch the night's lineup at the last moment for a more pressing story. That's what happened Sept. 14, when news broke about the E. coli virus being found in spinach.

Koppel even appeared on Nightline July 11 with a live report from Guantanamo Bay. Goldston won't say whether the two have spoken about the show: "Any conversations I've had with him are private ones."

Others might disagree, but to Goldston, Nightline is still "a blue-chip, journalistic show."

To Moran, it's "one of the great institutions" in the profession.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//15694975.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

Critic’s Notebook
Eye of the Leopard: Must-See TV
By Ed Bark former Dallas Morning News TV critic at his website unclebarky.com

See spots run in National Geographic Channel's stunning Eye of the Leopard.

Premiering Sunday night (Oct. 8) at 8 central, 9 eastern, this two-hour tale documents the first three years of Legadema the leopard. Destined to be another of her species' "ultimate predators," she's just a bite-sized, wide-eyed kid until those instincts firmly and inevitably take hold. Filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert expertly capture her maturation in the wilds of Mombo, billed by narrator Jeremy Irons as "Africa's Garden of Eden."

From a purely picturesque standpoint that's true. Otherwise its inhabitants are constantly endangered in a kill-or-be-killed proving ground. Growing up fast is essential, although Legadema does succumb to sentiment in what proves to be the film's signature scene.

As a two-year-old, she impulsively pounces on an adult baboon, killing it softly. But then Legadema discovers a baby clinging to its mother's bosom. She tenderly takes it high into a tree, nuzzling and licking the little fella while also taking time to feast on its mother. It's incredible up-close footage, with Legadema essentially acting as though she's King Kong with a blonde. Narrrator Irons says it's the last instance of Legadema being "torn between being a predator and an inquisitive cub."

We also see the sleek, sneaky nature of the leopard, an anti-social animal that spends most of its time in hiding. They're also astonishing tree climbers, capable of toting twice their weight into the upper reaches of their safest lair.

The evolving love-hate relationship between Legadema and her mother is also a key plot ingredient. Moms initially are very protective of their young. But as time goes by, they're more determined to guard their territory and their kills. So a growing kid had best not mess with mother's nature.

Narrator Irons adds letter-perfect intonation to the picture-perfect footage, making Eye of the Leopard an instant classic of the genre. Its stars are at high-risk, though. We learn at film's end that more than 2,000 leopards are hunted and killed each year. The slaughterers then mount them as trophies in what truly should be seen as a capital crime most foul.

Grade: A

http://www.unclebarky.com/reviews.html

On September 29th Doctor Who on Sci-fi had a 1.1 rating for The Christmas Invasion and a 1.0 rating for New Earth. That's right around how it was doing at the end of season one's run. We'll see if being paired with Sci-Fi's critical darling Battlestar Galactica gives it a boost this week.

I'm disappointed New Earth lost viewers from Christmas Invasion but Christmas Invasion was already an hour and a half of Doctor Who. New Earth also was pretty slow going. Hopefull it got a boost on Friday from a BSG lead-in, it may help that Friday's episode was really good.

The New Season
No big new hits
(but some shows do well)
By Mark Washburn Charlotte Observer

We've seen enough.

Enough to know how the new season is going, that is.

Among new shows this year, there is yet to be a single breakout hit like "Lost" or "Desperate Housewives," but many are faring well.

• "Ugly Betty" (8 p.m. Thursdays, ABC) debuted at No. 6 in the Nielsen Media Research household ratings, an unusually strong performance for a freshman show with no network lead-in.

• "Shark" (10 p.m. Thursdays, CBS), in a tough time period against NBC's "ER," is cruising along well, though it saw some audience drop in its second week. ABC's "Six Degrees" serial, the third entry in the Thursday 10 p.m. race, was helped to a strong debut with the crushing lead-in of "Grey's Anatomy," but faltered some in its second week.

• Lead-in "Desperate Housewives" gave a strong launch to the well-cast but dramatically uneven "Brothers & Sisters" (10 p.m. Sundays, ABC), which also saw erosion in viewers its second week.

• Strong debut numbers were achieved by the oddball serial "Heroes" (9 p.m. Mondays, NBC) and the Ted Danson comedy "Help Me Help You" (9:30 p.m. Tuesdays).

• "Jericho" (8 p.m. Wednesdays, CBS) held steady in audience for three weeks, despite its depressing premise about the survivors of nuclear war. Aaron Sorkin's quick-paced "Studio 60" (10 p.m. Mondays, NBC) lost audience in its second week, ranking it in the mid-range of new shows.

• Both the heist drama "Smith" (10 p.m. Tuesdays, CBS) and the comedy "The Class" (8 p.m. Monday, CBS) are showing erosion in viewers, though neither is in the endangered range yet. (Smith was cancelled Friday, after this story went to press.)

• "Standoff" (9 p.m. Tuesdays, Fox) is holding steady in audience and is that network's fourth highest-rated show (behind "House," "Prison Break" and "Bones").

In the ratings shallows are:

• "Men in Trees" (9 p.m. Fridays, ABC), the quirky Anne Heche romantic comedy languishing in a distant timeslot.

• "Justice" (9 p.m. Wednesdays, Fox), though it is holding up against "Lost" and "Criminal Minds."

• "Kidnapped" (10 p.m. Wednesdays, NBC), shutting down production after 13 episodes, and its thematic sister "Vanished" (moving from Mondays to a deadly 8 p.m. Friday time slot Oct. 27).

• Brad Garrett's "Til Death" (8 p.m. Thursdays, Fox), though it is holding steady against the intimidating "Survivor."

• Dead on arrival are "The Game" (8:30 p.m. Sunday, CW), "Celebrity Duets" (vanishing after the baseball championships on Fox) and "Runaway" (9 p.m. Mondays, CW). Fox's "Happy Hour" lasted about as long as an average apple martini, having already evaporated from the schedule, though it's returning after baseball.

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/entertainment/television/15701140.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

The New Season
Holding out hope for '30 Rock'
By Mark McGuire Albany Times Union staff writer Oct. 8, 2006

I want to root for "30 Rock" (8 PM ET/PT Wednesday, NBC). I want it to be an appointment comedy, capturing the inherent intelligence of star-creator Tina Fey, the former head scribe and "Weekend Update" anchor at "Saturday Night Live."

In a season filled with bright shows vying for my time -- a happy change from years past -- "30 Rock" might live up to high expectations. But this NBC comedy, set behind the scenes of a fictional NBC show very much akin to "SNL," has not met that threshold. I'm just not sold yet.

Perhaps it was the uneven quality of the pilot, a single-camera/no-laugh-track affair. Maybe it's Tracy Morgan's obnoxious persona as Tracy Jordan, an unbalanced movie star who suggests the late-'90s Martin Lawrence. His character's introduction bogs down the middle third of the opening episode.

Maybe I'm overreacting to the hype surrounding the show. There's a lot to like here, and the reworked pilot improves on the version sent to critics in the spring. But considering the wattage of the talent involved -- including Alec Baldwin, who's deliciously evil as an NBC suit -- "like" is not enough. I'm looking for love.

Fey plays Liz Lemon, the high-octane show runner of "The Girly Show." Her life is soon upended by the arrival of brutally quick-witted General Electric executive Jack Donaghy (Baldwin), whose success in promoting GE's trivection oven has earned him a promotion. (Yes, GE, the owner of NBC, does have a trivection oven -- but I don't think the show is going to stoop to naked synergistic product placement.)

"I'm the new vice president of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming," Donaghy tells Lemon.

"That sounds like you program microwave ovens," she replies. A pause.

"I like you," Donaghy says. "You have the boldness of a much younger woman."

Please: more Baldwin, less Morgan.

As you've probably heard, "30 Rock" and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" (10 p.m. Mondays) are both new NBC shows set behind the scenes at a fictitious late-night sketch comedy show. The shows are smart, helmed by two of the best writers in TV, Fey and Aaron Sorkin ("Studio 60").

As Lorne Michaels, "Saturday Night Live" creator and "30 Rock" executive producer, said this summer: "They are the hour show, and they have a '60' in it, and we're the half-hour show, and we have '30' in it."

There are other differences, in terms of tone and quality. Sorkin has already used "Studio 60" to take some shots at the industry. Fey cuts even closer at times, since the fictional boss she takes on in her fictional show is a stand-in for her real boss on her real show. (Read that twice if you have to -- it makes sense. I'll wait.)

"We were saying at some point, 'Maybe Alec will want my character to ... go through the NBC executive training process or something,' " Fey said this summer. "But only if it's funny."

Baldwin steals the pilot episode from the frazzled Fey, the overamplified Morgan and Jane Krakowski ("Ally McBeal"), who plays Jenna DeCarlo, the star of "The Girly Show." Rachel Dratch, another "SNL" veteran, was originally cast in the DeCarlo role; Dratch will play various parts in the series.

Fey and Dratch decided to abandon "Saturday Night Live" for this project. "If you're asking if I'm happy about it, no," said Michaels. "But I think it was time for Tina to do her own show. ... Anything that makes for another good show on television, I think, is a good thing."

And "30 Rock" is a good thing. A great thing? It's not there yet. But I have hope.

http://timesunion.com/AspStories/storyprint.asp?StoryID=523156

Next weekend's preliminary HD football schedule has been added to the top of the first post in the thread.

Next weekend's preliminary HD football schedule has been added to the top of the first post in the thread.

Fred, the preliminary CBS games for next week Oct 15 are:

Houston Texans vs. Dallas Cowboys 1:00 PM
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers 4:15 PM
Miami Dolphins vs. N.Y. Jets 4:15 PM

Also, the is a college game on ESPN on Sun Oct 15

Boise State Broncos vs. New Mexico State Aggies 8:00 PM

Thanks Rusty! I'll incorporate them into the schedule.

A long and detailed story on the 10-year anniversary of Fox News Channel – and how it has changed the TV news business -- ran today in the LA Times. Rather than run it in its entirety here, you can access it at:

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-cafoxnews8oct08,0,303536,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

The New Season
A new wrinkle: Sitcoms starring older men
By Gail Pennington St. Louis Post-Dispatch Television Critic Sunday, Oct. 08 2006

There's something unusual about some of this fall's new sitcom stars. They
don't look like the cast of "Friends." They're gray-haired, balding or both.
They don't even fit into the demographic group prized by advertisers. Instead,
they are -- shhh! -- over 50.

Jeffrey Tambor, 62, and John Lithgow, who turns 61 this month, star in NBC's
"Twenty Good Years," about two longtime friends determined to get the most out
of life. Ted Danson, who will be 59 in December, stars in CBS' "Help Me Help
You," playing a shrink suffering through a midlife crisis.

Mature male leads aren't uncommon in TV dramas. The three editions of "CSI"
feature William Petersen, 53; Gary Sinise, 51; and David Caruso, 50.

Victor Garber, 57, went straight from ABC's "Alias" to Fox's new "Justice."
James Woods, 59, is the marquee name in CBS' "Shark"; ditto Ray Liotta, 51, in
CBS' "Smith."

But comedies, courting viewers 18 to 49 or, even better, 18 to 34, have aimed
younger and younger, especially since "Friends" hit big. Each network wanted
its own comedy about beautiful twentysomethings hanging out at a coffeehouse,
and the worst possible slam against a new show was that it might "skew old."

The networks blame advertisers and their perception that older viewers are set
in their ways -- and, thus, unlikely to buy new products. Some experts trace
that belief back to the birth of television, when anyone over 50 had been
shaped by the Great Depression and was likely to be unusually thrifty.

Clearly, that's not the case today, when 50 is the new 30 and the 50-plus crowd
has plenty of disposable income and little tendency to squirrel it away. But ad
buyers, whose job is to advise clients on where to place their advertising
dollars, have been slow to come around to the evolution.

This season, though, sitcoms proudly display some wrinkles. Shows about groups
of young pals (CBS' "The Class," Fox's "Happy Hour") haven't disappeared, but
so many would-be "Friends" clones have come and gone in the past decade that
even the networks seem bored with them.

"That ground had been covered so much over the last few years that a lot of the
situations and the material and the jokes were beaten into the ground," says
Eric Gold, an executive producer of "Twenty Good Years."

"There weren't a lot of fresh areas to mine with everybody being
twentysomething. We wanted a show that reflected society a little bit more and
had characters that were more real as to what's really going on out there."

Tom Werner, whose credits include "The Cosby Show" and "Roseanne," is also an
executive producer of "Twenty Good Years," and he says the point isn't age;
it's humor.

"When we talk about funny people, there are a lot of people in their 20s who
don't have the experience to know how to handle comedy," he says. "There was a
reason 'Golden Girls' worked, because when you looked at those talented people,
they were all wonderful comedians."

The creators of "Help Me Help You" talk first about Danson as the former star
of two long-running sitcom hits, "Cheers" and "Becker," and thus an easy sell
to any network.

That said, "this character is going through a midlife crisis, so it feels more
real if it's someone who is not 34," executive producer Jennifer Konner says.

"This show doesn't feel like the most average show, and … we represent a lot of
different age groups," she says, adding that she hopes the show will appeal to
different age groups as well.

Werner also insists he isn't worried that "Twenty Good Years" will appeal only
to an older audience.

"I've shown this to my children, and I have a teenage child who loved it," he
says. "The theme of it, which is that you have to grab life and live each day
fully, is very relatable. Now, obviously, the main characters are not
thirtysomething. But I consider that to be a virtue."

By having older characters, Gold says, "We actually find that the show appeals
universally over all demographics."

Danson quips: "It's not how old the people are. And I think being shallow is
ageless, really. Don't you?"

"Twenty Good Years" isn't really about age, says Tambor. In real life, he has a
son, almost 2, who was born four days before his uncle, Tambor's grandson.

"Most people are not doing what they are supposed to be doing, and they are
going, 'You know, I wish I had another chance. I wish I could live my dream,'"
Tambor says. "I think most people can relate to that."

Lithgow says he might be 60, but "I feel like about 34. That's my strange
self-delusion, which is why I'm such a fool."

Tambor says: "I can't believe that I'm 62. I think it's a mistake."

Tambor is mostly bald; Lithgow and Danson have let their hair go gray, and
Danson says he no longer worries about covering the bald spot that became
tabloid fodder during "Cheers."

"I'm out of the closet," he says. "It's very nice not to sit around with a
bunch of ladies with silver things in my hair getting dye jobs. I'm happy to be
gray."

But neither sitcom is taking a "Golden Girls" chance by having an entire cast
of 50-plus stars.

"Twenty Good Years" has equipped Lithgow with a pregnant daughter (Heather
Burns) and Tambor with a slacker son (Jake Sandvig), both very much in the
under-30 demographic.

"They're also keeping us very, very young," Lithgow says. "They're going to
keep us totally alive and on our toes."

Danson's "Help Me" therapy group offers a range of ages, including baby-faced
Charlie Finn.

"Clearly it's smart to surround yourself with young, funny people," Danson says.

If older men are staging a sitcom comeback, the same can't be said for older
women. Julia Louis-Dreyfus might call herself "Old Christine," but she's really
only 45. And nobody yet has brought up the idea of remaking "Golden Girls" for
a new generation.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/columnists.nsf/gailpennington/story/D884262FAF4F3772862571FF00781D54?OpenDocument

The New Season
Will It Rock?
'30 Rock,' NBC's 'SNL' sendup, digs in its own back yard to find humor
By Dave Walker New Orleans Times-Picayune TV columnist

The sales pitch for "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" and "30 Rock" is that they're both just TV shows about workplaces.

Both are set within a TV show that very much resembles "Saturday Night Live," which still very much airs on NBC, same as drama "60" and comedy "30."

So why not set one or maybe both in, say, the regional office of a paper-supply company?

Never mind. That would never work.

Point is, if workplace issues are so universal, why do either or both have to be creative barnacles on one of their network's motherships?

Write what you know is the reason, at least for "30," which is written by, produced by and starred in by Tina Fey, former head writer of and "Weekend Update" anchor on "Saturday Night Live."

"It's like every other workplace, except with no boundaries and you're there together all the time and there's a tremendous amount of swearing," Fey said, during a midsummer meeting with TV critics in Los Angeles. "A workplace that is a little more visually interesting and a little more dangerous than a regular workplace.

"I do know those people and how they operate, and so that was sort of the only reason for choosing it."

The relentless "SNL" cycle of production drama is also appealing to storytellers, added Lorne Michaels, the show's Gene Roddenberry and still, after more than 30 years (minus a mid-run sabbatical), its day-to-day overseer.

In fact, the weekly start-from-scratch countdown clock, which automatically resets after every new episode, is already a theme that's been explored by "Studio 60."

"The process of the show is a very exciting, very intense experience," said Michaels, who also met the press because he's also co-producing "30 Rock."

"Clearly, if I'd figured out how to do it well or it was down pat, I wouldn't still be there. You go through the week each week and you don't know, until it goes on, what it's going to be like.

"And then the next week . . . there's another show to be done."

Both shows also invest heavy screen time in the ominous and apparently never-nurturing presence of corporate executives in the creative mix.

Steven Weber is incredible as palpably evil network exec Jack Rudolph in "Studio 60."

In "30 Rock," Alec Baldwin, who has hosted "SNL" 12 times, plays a goofier version of the same kind of bully, who sees TV "content" as his upper-floors colleagues might see toasters.

"Obviously, Alec's character represents the corporate side of things," Fey said. "The way it will play out in this show is it will be used to show my character's sort of immaturity and ignorance of the real world and how things work. And he's going to be educating her about the harsh realities of the real business world."

Michaels added that "SNL" is unique in that it's based in 30 Rockefeller Center, the New York City corporate headquarters for both NBC as well as its parent company, GE, as opposed to the dramas and sitcoms that are mostly based on the West Coast, and a continent divided from the suits with whom Michaels and the "SNL" regulars must share elevators.

"We work at 30 Rock, which is sort of the belly of the beast," he said. "And corporate life is all around us, as opposed to being on a studio lot or in an environment which is just straight show business.

"They're in the halls as well as we are."

That proximity also sets up obvious juxtapositions of varying levels of corporate culture.

Since "30 Rock" is a sitcom, it's Baldwin's character who suggests that a character apparently based on Martin Lawrence back in his publicly-unhinged days join the cast of the show-within-a-show that Fey's character is producing.

Tracy Morgan, also formerly of "SNL," got the Lawrence part, and is featured in NBC promos for the show acting crazy in the street while wearing only underwear.

"Oh, it's fun," Morgan said. "It's like 'Alice in Wonderland.' I'm not really like that, but being able to run down the street with your drawers on and stuff is fun."

A reporter asked Morgan if he knows Lawrence.

"No, but I know my uncle Rick," Morgan said. "He did it first.

"I mean Martin didn't corner the market on meltdowns. My uncle Rick, he didn't have no drawers on at all. So he was really the Evel Knievel of dudes like that.

http://www.nola.com/living/t-p/walker/index.ssf?/base/living-0/116011269129240.xml&coll=1

The New Season
Two New NBC Comedies
Difference between 'Twenty,' '30' more than 10
By Joanne Weintraub Milwaukee Journal Sentinel TV critic

Both of NBC's new Wednesday comedies have numbers in their titles, but it's easy to remember which is which: "30 Rock" rocks, while watching "Twenty Good Years" feels like a long prison sentence.

Unlike still another NBC numerical newcomer, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," which takes place behind the scenes at a sketch comedy show on a fictitious network, "30 Rock," created by and starring Tina Fey ("Saturday Night Live"), merrily mocks all things Peacock.

The title refers to 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NBC's midtown Manhattan address.

NBC tour groups regularly schlep through the offices of "The Girlie Show," the "SNL"-esque sketch comedy of which Liz Lemon (Fey) is producer and head writer.

Fey even sticks her tongue out at General Electric, NBC's corporate parent, by making Liz's obnoxious new boss, Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin), the executive in charge of "East Coast programming and microwave ovens."

Jack is a wonderful comic creation, crafty and crazed at the same time, and he's given an especially sly spin by Baldwin, who plays him like a sexier and slightly more benign version of the barracuda boss in "Glengarry Glen Ross."

If Jack drives Liz crazy, he alternately charms and terrifies "The Girlie Show's" insecure star, Jenna Maroney, played with delicious abandon by Jane Krakowski ("Ally McBeal").

(Krakowski replaces a miscast Rachel Dratch from "SNL," who was unconvincing in the original pilot as Jenna and serves the show better in an assortment of broadly comic character roles.)

What terrifies Jenna most about Jack is his impulsive hiring of Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan, "SNL") as her new co-star.

Despite his name, Tracy has less in common with Morgan - who plays him with twice the energy and confidence he displayed on the real "SNL" - than with Martin Lawrence, whose gonzo off-screen behavior Morgan wickedly parodies.

Fey treats her own character something like a Jerry Seinfeld or a Bob Newhart, the frazzled observer of the more flamboyant personalities around her.

Even the less prominent characters, including Pete (Scott Adsit), Liz's seen-it-all lieutenant, and Toofer (Keith Powell), an African-American Harvard grad who one of the other writers claims is afraid of black people, are nicely drawn.

Fey doesn't miss a chance to send up contemporary video culture.

When fur actually flies during a "Girlie Show" sketch called "The Cat Lady," the footage immediately shows up on YouTube.

Exasperated when Tracy demands no-holds-barred sketches, Liz says tartly: "This isn't HBO, it's TV."

But the hipness wouldn't matter much if the material weren't so witty and the direction (by "Scrubs" veteran Adam Bernstein) and editing so quick and deft.

Combine all that with a terrific cast and you've got the season's best new comedy.

Old, not in a good way

"Twenty Good Years" may not be the year's worst comedy, but it's close.

As lumbering as its Wednesday-night neighbor is light on its feet, it's also so dully old-fashioned it might as well be in black and white.

The premise isn't a bad one. Two great comic actors, John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor, play John and Jeffrey, best friends who've reached retirement age.

Deciding, as John puts it, that they've got 20 good years left, they set out on a series of adventures.

But the writing is so pedestrian and Lithgow so monotonously loud and emphatic - declaiming every line as if he were "3rd Rock from the Sun's" Harry Solomon doing Shakespeare - that the result is painful.

Tambor is reduced to little more than a straight man, a reluctant Ethel to Lithgow's hellbent Lucy. And if you saw his maniacally funny performance as twin brothers on the now-defunct "Arrested Development," you'll know just what a waste that is.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=510332&format=print

This Week’s Premieres

Monday, Oct. 9
10 PM ET/PT What About Brian - ABC HD

Wednesday, Oct. 11
8:30 PM ET/PT 30 Rock - NBC (Series Premiere) HD

Friday, Oct. 13
8 PM ET/PT 1 vs 100 - NBC

TV Sports
Commentary
Just show us the damn game!
By Phil Muchnick New York Post Oct. 8, 2006

So I was watching the last half-inning of Dodgers-Mets on Fox, Thursday ... Check that. I was watching the fans in Shea watching - every postseason Fox figures that rather than the game, we prefer to watch people watching the game - when it struck me:

All of these networks, no matter how different they may look and sound, are essentially the same; they work off a copy of the same stupefying plan. They all do whatever it takes - spend a ton of money and energy - to prevent us from watching the game.

It's an indisputable fact: Among ESPN/ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox not one them has clearly established itself as the one that actually let's you watch the game.

It's crazy. The easiest and most reputation-rewarding game plan and none want any part of it.

Wednesday, as you likely by now know, ESPN might've been better able to show the Dodgers' game-tying rally had Tim Robbins not been in the booth to promote his new movie. But two nights earlier, on Monday Night Football, ESPN, by design, was even worse.

In Packers-Eagles, early second quarter, ESPN what it couldn't have better hoped for: The road team, a big underdog, was winning, 3-0.

But then, as a matter of pre-production planning (and because ESPN's goal is to get you to watch the next thing so that when the next thing arrives it can exploit it to sell you the next thing), ESPN cut to a live, at-home chat with Ravens' QB Steve McNair.

While McNair had nothing much to say, it didn't matter. ESPN dropped everything, including an unexpectedly close game, because McNair and the Ravens would play the Broncos on ESPN next Monday night.

But why would a network want millions of Americans to recognize it as the one that actually allows them to watch the games? Who would want such a reputation?

Instead, the race is run to be the network that can do its best - and the most - to be the worst. It's crazy.

http://www.nypost.com/php/pfriendly/print.php?url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/10082006/sports/just_show_us_the_damn_game__sports_phil_mushnick.htm

The New Season
“30 Rock”
Fey: Even if '30 Rock' fails, it's still a win-win situation
By Cindy Pearlman Chicago Sun-Times October 8, 2006

She might not be the "Weekend Update" anchor on "Saturday Night Live" anymore, but that doesn't mean Tina Fey can't still see the punch line in every life experience. Take her daughter Alice's recent 1-year-old birthday. "We just had a small family birthday party for her because they say, 'Don't overwhelm the baby.' ... OK, the truth is I rented out the club Butter. We had 1,000 people," she jokes.

Maybe that also was a way to pass on the word that Fey's new NBC sitcom "30 Rock" debuts on Wednesday. She also has a role -- playing her "Weekend Update" anchor -- in the new Robin Williams film, "Man of the Year," opening Friday.

1. Your new series is about the behind-the-scenes workings of a TV series -- the same basic plot as another NBC series, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." How many swear words did you utter when you heard there were two shows about basically the same thing?

The thing is, I swear so much all of the time. Hearing this news wouldn't interrupt the constant flow of my swearing. It probably was just a normal swearing lunch. I had friends come up to me after they heard about the other show and say, "Tina, my God! I'm so sorry you won't be able to do your show." I hadn't heard a word at the time that I wasn't doing my show. But on the same day the news broke, I got a call saying, "We're still going to shoot your pilot. NBC believes in both shows."

2. So what do you think of the other show?

I TiVo'd the other show last night. It looks really funny, and Bradley Whitford is cute. But the two shows are really from different genres. We're a comedy and they're a drama. I think in tone they're different. Of course, old people will still be confused. Your grandma will be confused. Just look for Alec Baldwin. If you find Alec Baldwin then you know you've found us.

3. Was it tough to leave "SNL" after being the head writer and Weekend Update anchor? And has something happened in the news lately where you wished you were still behind that desk?

It was a risk. But it was an appropriate time for me to leave "SNL." I felt like a senior who needed to graduate. I loved the show, but I also wanted to do a prime-time half hour. If it doesn't work, I'll go home and see my kid. It's a win-win situation. As for missing Weekend Update, it's tough because I will see something on the news and I'll say, "Hmmmm." But sometimes with "SNL," we'd be off the whole summer and then Martha Stewart got arrested. I was like, "Damn."

4. What was it like to work with Robin Williams in "Man of the Year?"

Amy [Poehler] and I did one really fun day with Robin Williams. We were in our own studio at "SNL." I think the only thing that would have made it easier would have been doing it in my own bed.

5. What do think was your best "SNL" sketch?

I wrote a sketch called "Census" about a census taker played by Christopher Walken. I loved that sketch because Walken was just brilliant. I think that entire show with him hosting was one of our best in the history of "SNL."

http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/pearlman/87015,SHO-Sunday-fiveq08.article

Critic’s Notebook
'Shat' happens
By Ed Bark former Dallas Morning News TV critic at his website unclebarky.com

ABC has tabbed William Shatner to host a new prime-time quiz called Show Me the Money.

"More than anything, we were looking for a great showman," says David Goldberg, whose Endemol USA also produces NBC's Deal or No Deal. "And in addition to being an instantly recognizable entertainer to audiences of all ages, Bill's got a naturally warm and witty presence that is simply perfect for the material."

Yeah, sorta like Bob Saget, who will be hosting Endemol's upcoming 1 vs 100 big-money game show for NBC. Fox is also game to go with The Rich List, a British import to be hosted by a bloke named Eamonn Holmes.

1 vs 100 premieres next Friday and Rich List gets crackin' on Nov. 1. ABC doesn't have a start date yet for Shatner's latest epic, in which players must answer trivia questions to win cash. But wait a sec, "they also must contend with a never-before-seen mechanism that can cut contestants' winnings to nothing or instantly catapult them into the millions."

Say what? But no matter. Whenever and wherever "Shat" hits the fans, we'll be watching.

http://www.unclebarky.com/abovethefold.html

The New Season
“30 Rock”, “Twenty Good Years”
'30 Rock' rules
By Rob Owen Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TV Editor Sunday, October 08, 2006

Already this fall, NBC's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" has peered behind the scenes at a "Saturday Night Live"-like sketch comedy show, but it's done so as a drama. "30 Rock" (8 p.m. Wednesday) is the half-hour comedy take on roughly the same subject. Tonally, it's a completely different show.

Where "Studio 60" takes a scathing and indignant tone toward television, "30 Rock" offers a more sarcastic, less hackles-raised critique. It's also funnier and goofier.

Tina Fey created and stars in "30 Rock" as Liz Lemon, head writer for "The Girlie Show." She's best friends with star Jenna (Jane Krakowski) and she's frequently annoyed by an NBC page (Jack McBrayer), a Clay Aiken look/sound-alike.

But she doesn't know the nightmare to come until she meets her new boss, Jack Donaghy (perfectly pompous Alec Baldwin), the new vice president of East Coast Television and Microwave Programming for NBC Universal-GE-Kmart.

"We own Kmart now?" asks "Girlie Show" producer Pete (Scott Adsit).

"No, so why do you dress like we do?" Jack replies, staring squarely at Liz.

To date, Jack's greatest achievement is creation of GE's Trivection Oven (a real GE product). Now he's preparing to conquer the world of TV after renovating his new office, which was pretty swanky to begin with.

"Sometimes you have to change things that are perfectly good just to make them your own," Jack says, bringing to mind myriad instances of new network presidents who canceled shows they were not involved in putting on the air ("Remember WENN" on AMC, "Dead Like Me" on Showtime, etc.).

Jack's new idea is to add Martin Lawrence-like actor Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) to "The Girlie Show" to boost its male viewership. Jordan has a history of crackpot antics, including a sprint down a California freeway in his underwear, screaming "I am a Jedi" at passing motorists.

Liz meets with Tracy in hopes of talking him out of the gig, but luckily for viewers, he ends up with the job. "30 Rock" is amusing enough before Morgan makes his entrance, but it's much funnier after his arrival. An unpredictable loose cannon, Tracy Jordan is prone to spouting crazy conspiracy theories and is bound to make Liz's life miserable. Hopefully that will make for more fresh, funny episodes in the weeks to come.

'Twenty Good Years'

Viewers who like their comedy broad, loud and silly might take a liking to this "Odd Couple"-like sitcom. Otherwise, change the channel after "30 Rock."

John Lithgow repeats his "3rd Rock from the Sun" performance in "Twenty Good Years" (8:30 p.m. Wednesday), only this time he's an arrogant, boorish human instead of an alien. But he still shouts his dialogue in a vain attempt to make the line readings funnier.

Lithgow stars as John Mason, a self-absorbed doctor who realizes he and more tentative friend Jeffrey (Jeffrey Tambor, "Arrested Development") probably only have 20 good years left in their lives. He declares that they must make the best of them.

"The day you were born was the greatest day of my life," John tells his daughter (Heather Burns), beginning a crescendo that ends in shouting. "But that was ONE DAY!"

By the end of the premiere episode, Lithgow wears nothing but a Speedo and Jeffrey dumps his controlling girlfriend (guest star Judith Light, a welcome presence ??? it might be fun to see her blow back at Lithgow's bluster if her character ever returns).

It's a relief to see NBC get beyond its twentysomething sitcom myopia with this willingness to put on a show with AARP-age stars, but it's hard to see how the network can get 10 good episodes out of a concept as uninspired as "Twenty Good Years."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06281/727765-237.stm

No matter which side of the retransmission fence you sit, you simply can't accuse of Sinclair of negotiating "in good faith".

From The Des Moines Register, Oct 7, 2006:

Documents allege that "Sinclair has conspired with an unnamed direct broadcast satellite company" to cover its potential advertising losses from the dispute with Mediacom, including "monetary and/or other consideration ... for each Mediacom subscriber that switches" to satellite.

The New Season
In TV Land This Season:
A Few Happy Surprises but No Breakthrough Hits
By Bill Carter The New York Times October 9, 2006

Three weeks into the new network television season, three new shows are giving early signs of being winners: “Heroes” on NBC, “Jericho” on CBS and “Ugly Betty” on ABC. And some scheduling moves have worked brilliantly, like ABC’s shift of “Grey’s Anatomy,” now television’s hottest show, to Thursday night.

But on the down side for the networks, several new shows have already been dropped from schedules and many new series have wasted huge audiences from the hit shows that precede them. Those include three new entries on ABC, which still has reason to worry that it may never find companion shows to capitalize on three smash hits — “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost” — it introduced two years ago.

One ABC hopeful, “Six Degrees,” has been driving viewers away in thundering herds, bleeding more than 13 million viewers from “Grey’s Anatomy” last week.

For all the networks, which spent hundreds of millions choosing, developing and promoting more than 20 new shows this fall, several trends are apparent: the list of happy surprises is relatively short, while the list of breakthrough smash hits is so far written in invisible ink. Viewers seem cool to the widespread presumption this season that they would want more suspenseful serial dramas along the lines of “24” and “Lost.” And they apparently remain chilled to the bone about the prospect of new comedy.

The Fox network had virtually nothing good happen with any of the shows it introduced; CBS has found scant interest so far for its expensive new sit-com, “The Class,” even though it is the creation of David Crane of “Friends” fame; and the new CW network, the combination of the old WB and UPN, has found viewers seemingly unaware that most of its shows are even on.

NBC is the only network showing overall growth from last season, bolstered by “Heroes” and the addition of N.F.L. football on Sunday nights. ABC has countered with the shrewdest scheduling gambit of the fall, its relocation of “Grey’s Anatomy” to Thursday night, where it has moved past the former titan, “CSI,” making ABC a new power on the most important night of the week.

ABC has also squeezed as much ratings juice as possible out of its reality hit, “Dancing With the Stars,” by using it 2.5 hours every week — while also filling several other hours with repeats of “Grey’s.” And a preseason decision to dump two comedies and insert what looks like a possible new hit, “Ugly Betty,” on Thursday at 8, looks canny so far.

But not all the scheduling maneuvers have worked. CBS and NBC have already jettisoned a couple of dramas they had high hopes for, “Smith” and “Kidnapped,” while several other well-regarded new entries, especially “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” and “Friday Night Lights” on NBC, and “The Nine” on ABC, have given program executives cause for further stomach-churning.

The most positive story of the season so far is “Heroes,” a tale of a disparate group of young people with sudden special powers, which has won a tough time period, Monday from 9 to 10, in its first two tries.

“Jericho,” about a Midwestern town that has apparently become an outpost after a nuclear conflagration, has helped CBS to some improved ratings on Wednesdays at 8, where it has struggled for years.

And “Ugly Betty,” a take-off on Hispanic telenovelas about a young woman with no fashion sense working in the world of New York fashion magazines, has taken on tough opponents on Thursday at 8 and done well, though some erosion in its second week may be cause for concern.

Small erosion is generally acceptable, though, especially when some shows have seen en masse defections among viewers, sometimes even as the show is in progress.

ABC has seen that with “Six Degrees.” But the story was only slightly less alarming last week when “Lost” returned to the ABC schedule, still strong, though 25 percent off its premiere of last season.

That was scary enough for ABC, which has a plan to displace “Lost” for three months after just six new episodes this season. But the new, heavily promoted series ABC chose to slot behind “Lost,” a drama about the aftermath of a bank robbery called “The Nine,” managed to lose 40 percent of the “Lost” audience. That figure was significantly worse than the first showing of last year’s “Invasion,” which did so poorly in holding on to the “Lost” viewers than ABC was eventually forced to cancel it.

So far, a third new ABC 10 p.m. entry, “Brothers & Sisters” on Sunday night, has squandered only slightly less of the audience it inherits from “Desperate Housewives.” The 10 p.m. challenge for ABC will remain closely watched this season.

NBC has the season’s most closely watched 10 p.m. show, the new Aaron Sorkin drama, “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” The series, which has won widespread praise for its backstage portrait of a late-night sketch comedy show, has seen its ratings slide each week so far. But it remains a favorite with NBC, both because of its quality and because it is already attracting the most educated and affluent audience on television.

That is a trademark of NBC shows (its comedy “The Office” is second in that category) and a strong factor in its advertising sales. Kevin Reilly, the president of NBC Entertainment, said “Studio 60” had to “begin to settle in” and the network hoped to see it stabilize over the next few weeks. “There is a core audience that loves it,” he said.

Mr. Reilly said he was hoping for the same from another critically praised NBC drama, “Friday Night Lights,” which got off to a tepid ratings start in a tough time period last week. He said NBC’s overall expectation for the season was to “get the network moving in the right direction.”

CBS would have preferred its new Thursday at 10 show, “Shark,” to pick up where the old occupant there, “Without a Trace” — now on Sundays — left off. But “Shark” has also frittered away much of the “CSI” audience it inherits. An old war horse, “ER” on NBC, has proved too much for both of the new series on ABC and CBS on Thursdays at 10, despite the massively larger audiences those networks attract at 9 p.m.

As for Fox, it has done little to enhance its standing this fall, though once again the network is largely getting a pass from the widespread criticism another network might face for a lackluster roster of new entries. That is because Fox’s two midseason saviors, “24,” and especially “American Idol,” are waiting in the wings.

No such champion is in the bullpen for the CW network, which introduced only two new shows this month, to no real interest, and saw many of its returning series — except for the popular “America’s Next Top Model” — fall short of their previous performances on the WB and UPN.

Viewers have been resistant to many of the high-concept shows the networks tried this season — shows about disappearing political wives, kidnapped children, strangers with intersecting lives, hostages in a bank and a family on the run from the law. Preston Beckman, chief scheduler for the Fox network, said, “It’s one thing to do a noisy show, it’s another for that show to be sustainable.”

Still, at least those three new hourlong shows have made promising debuts. New half-hour comedies, however, continue to struggle to find a pulse. NBC will introduce two this week, “30 Rock” and “Twenty Good Years.” But none of the four already on the air have made much of an impression. ABC postponed the start of three scheduled comedies and has competed for the first three weeks of the season with just a single half-hour comedy, “Help Me Help You,” on its entire schedule.

Reluctant to rely heavily on comedy, where will the networks turn to replace the shows that fall by the wayside? Apparently, to game shows. Inspired by the success last season of “Deal or No Deal” on NBC, ABC, Fox, and NBC all have prime-time game shows ready to add to their schedules.

None is expected to challenge “Grey’s Anatomy” for prime-time pre-eminence.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/09/business/media/09network.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

The New Season
Good News: MyNetworkTV Ratings Stable
Bad News: They are VERY low
By Michele Greppi Television Week

MyNetworkTV's pair of prime-time telenovelas showed signs of ratings stability, and perhaps even growth, in their fourth week on the air.

"Desire" and "Fashion House" maintained their ratings among total viewers, adults 25 to 54, and women 18 to 49 for the week of Sept. 25, according to data from Nielsen Media Research.

In households, "Desire" and "Fashion House" averaged a 0.6 rating and a 1 share. In the preferred prime-time demo of 18 to 49, both novelas averaged a 0.3 rating/1 share.

In addition, both shows increased their women 18 to 34 ratings week to week. "Desire" was up 33 percent to a .4 rating, and "Fashion House" was up 25 percent to a .5 rating.

A rating represents the percentage of all TV homes in a measured area that are tuned to a program. The share represents the percentage of sets that are in use that are tuned to a program.

http://www.tvweek.com/article.cms?articleId=30634

The New Season
The Network News Race
Couric's 3rd Place Seat Drawing Strength From NBC's Viewers
By John Consoli MediaWeek Oct. 9, 2006

The CBS Evening News may have fallen back into third place again among viewers and slipped in its demo ratings following a bump up when Katie Couric debuted as anchor on Sept. 5, but the newscast has held onto a serious chunk of viewers drawn away from NBC's Nightly News and, to a lesser extent, ABC's World News Tonight.

For the week ending Sept. 29, the CBS Evening News telecast averaged 7.1 million viewers 18-plus, 800,000 more than it did the same week last year, while NBC averaged 7.8 million viewers, 1.1 million less than the same week last year, according to Nielsen Media Research data. ABC averaged 7.2 million viewers, 700,000 fewer than last year. While some of that can be attributed to the fact that the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was being reported during that time last year, it is still evident that the Couric newscast has made a lasting dent in the evening news viewer totals of the competing networks.

Couric has also brought in more younger viewers. During the week ended Sept. 29, her telecast drew 1.9 million adults 18-49, the same as ABC and 100,000 more than NBC. Last year during the same week, CBS drew 1.4 million viewers in the demo, while NBC drew 2.4 million and ABC 2 million. That means CBS is up 500,000, while NBC and ABC are down a combined 500,000. Couric also drew about 200,00 more viewers in the 18-34 demo, while NBC came up 200,000 shy, and ABC lost about 80,000. CBS, which was ranked third last season at this point among adults 25-54, is now first in the demo.

Media buyers are watching the evening news race carefully, but believe true viewing patterns with Couric in the mix will not be firmly established until later in fourth quarter. “Until viewing patterns are more settled and evident, it will be hard to draw any firm conclusions,” said John Rash, chief broadcast negotiator for Campbell Mithun. “And CBS may continue to experiment with the on-air format, so we’ll have to wait and see.”

Brad Adgate, Horizon Media senior vp, director of research, said despite the shifts of viewers from newscast to newscast, it is becoming evident that few new viewers have begun watching. The numbers bear that out, with viewership among the 18-plus audience actually declining compared to last year. For the week ending Sept. 29, a combined 22 million viewers watched all three newscasts each night vs. 22.6 million last year.

“There is a finite number of viewers who watch the evening news telecasts, so any viewers CBS wants to get will probably come from the other networks,” Adgate said, who added that Couric’s impact on CBS News will come in places beyond the evening telecast. “Her real future will be as the face across all CBS News platforms, not the linear face on the CBS Evening News. She is a news personality and people are not watching the evening news to see personalities.”

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003222156

The New Season
Rich and Young Season-to-date
After two weeks, ABC leads in affluent households
(medialifemagazine.com)

In the prized demographic of rich young people who can buy lots of stuff, ABC is the No. 1 network, at least for the first two weeks of the new TV season running Sept. 18 through Oct. 1.

Among adults 18-49 with an annual household income of at least $100,000, ABC averaged a 4.43 rating in the first two weeks, with NBC, the traditional leader in this demo, second at 4.12 and CBS third with 3.41, according to Nielsen.

Fox, with the premieres of “24” and “American Idol” still months away, was last at 1.93.

This is obviously a desirable demographic for advertisers, who will pay a premium to reach such viewers.

ABC’s Sunday night accounted for three of the five top-rated shows for the rich young demographic – No. 1 "Desperate Housewives," with an 11.12 rating; No. 2 "Brothers & Sisters," with a 7.5; and No. 4 "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," with a 6.19 rating.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/cat_index_31.asp

The New Season
CBS Ups Order
”Christine, “The Unit” get full season pickups

Hollywood trade papers report CBS has picked up the nine-episode “back order” for both “The New Adventures of Old Christine” and “The Unit”.

There will now be 22 episodes of each show this season.

The Business of TV
Cablevision to Go Private? (Again)
Dolan Family Offers $19 Billion in Bid to Take Cablevision Private
By Andrew Ross Sorkin The New York Times Oct. 9, 2006

One of New York’s most powerful families, the Dolans, made a $19.2 billion leveraged bid yesterday to buy out the public shareholders of its cable television empire, Cablevision Systems, which also includes Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers.

The offer comes a year and a half after the Dolan family, a sometimes fractious dynasty whose feuds have often spilled into public view and who have used their cable systems to fuel their political interests, proposed breaking the company in two. The family wanted to take over the lucrative cable systems but was forced to withdraw the plan when it met resistance from an independent committee of the company’s directors.

The Dolans’ latest bid — worth almost 15 percent more than the previous offer — comes amid a sweeping trend among some of the nation’s biggest family-controlled companies to take themselves private. In July, HCA, the hospital company, agreed to be sold for $33 billion to a group led by the family of Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader. And in August, Kinder Morgan, the gas pipeline company, agreed to be sold for $15 billion to a group led by Richard D. Kinder, the company’s founder.

The move to become private is being driven by Wall Street’s willingness to finance billions of dollars in debt that are needed to back these huge leveraged buyouts. The trend is also a reaction, in part, by management and boards to increasing scrutiny from investors to meet quarterly expectations and to pass frequent regulatory examinations.

Last month, for example, Cablevision suffered the embarrassment of having to acknowledge that it had granted stock options to a vice chairman after he had died while making it appear as if they were granted when he was still alive.

In a letter to Cablevision’s board proposing the family’s takeover bid, Charles F. Dolan, the company’s 79-year-old founder, and his son, James L. Dolan, the chief executive of Cablevision, wrote: “We continue to feel that succeeding in this fiercely competitive environment requires a long-term, entrepreneurial management perspective that is not constrained by the public markets’ constant focus on short-term results.”

They added, “We are convinced that private ownership is highly desirable, and we are willing to assume the risks of full ownership.”

Just last year, the Dolans were feuding with one another in the boardroom, with James Dolan voting against his father over the fate of a satellite business that was ultimately sold. Now it appears that the Dolans are in agreement over the future of the company.

Since the Dolans already control the properties involved, the proposed transaction probably would not be felt in any immediate way by Cablevision subscribers or by fans of the Knicks and the Rangers. Nor would it be likely to make much difference to the fate of Madison Square Garden, which developers want to tear down and rebuild one block west, on Ninth Avenue; the Dolans have supported that plan. If anything, cable subscribers or ticket-buyers could possibly be asked to pay higher prices to offset the copious amount of money that the Dolan family plans to raise for the transaction.

Despite the increasing trend in management-led buyouts, some investors have become skeptical of them, questioning whether management is representing themselves or shareholders. Indeed, virtually every recent management-led buyout this year has drawn a series of shareholder lawsuits, with the plaintiffs wondering why executives felt they could not adequately wring out costs and create efficiencies until they were no longer doing so on behalf of shareholders. If the Dolans are successful, their actions will no doubt be subject to similar scrutiny.

At Cablevision, based in Bethpage, N.Y., a special committee of independent directors is expected to be formed to review the bid. And if last year’s showdown between the family and the directors over its prior takeover proposal is any indication, the independent directors will probably press the family to raise its bid.

The current bid differs substantially from its proposal last year, which sought to buy out the shareholders in the cable systems and put all of its other entertainment assets — Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Knicks, the Rangers and several cable channels — into a separate public company. People close to Cablevision’s board said that the board had been uncomfortable with the valuations and complexities of the two proposed entities and had sought a higher offer before the family withdrew the plan.

Since the Dolans withdrew their offer, shares of Cablevision have rallied, as have the stocks of competitors. Cablevision’s board also paid a $10 a share dividend to shareholders.

Under the new offer, the Dolans would pay $27 a share, which represents about a 17 percent premium over the average trading price for the past 10 days and a 11.3 percent premium on the 52-week high closing price of the stock. Of the $19.2 billion purchase price, the Dolans would pay $7.9 billion in cash and assume the rest as debt.

The previous offer was $21 a share for the Cablevision cable systems company and $12.50 a share for a stake in Rainbow Media Holdings, its cable networks company that includes American Movie Classics, Independent Film Channel and Women’s Entertainment, for a total bid of $33.50 a share. Today’s bid of $27 has an implied value of $37 after factoring in the $10 premium.

It is possible that the Dolans’ proposal could put Cablevision in play. The company has long been viewed as a takeover target for Time Warner because of the natural fit with that company’s cable business in and around New York. At the time of the Dolans’ last offer for Cablevision, James S. Chanos, whose fund, Kynikos Associates, bets on companies’ stocks declining, said, “It was never a serious offer; it was an attempt to flush out another buyer.”

Still, the Dolans own 22.5 percent of Cablevision and have 74 percent voting power, so they would have to consent to any takeover. And they made it very clear yesterday that they were not putting the company up for sale.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/09/business/09cable.html?pagewanted=print

TV Notebook
Continuity at “ET”
Hart keeping 'best' job with new 'ET' deal
(The Hollywood Reporter) Oct. 09, 2006

Mary Hart has signed a new multiyear contract to continue anchoring CBS Paramount Domestic Television's syndicated newsmagazine "Entertainment Tonight."

Hart began her 25th season as anchor of the top-rated newsmagazine Sept. 5. She was named co-host of "ET" on Aug. 9, 1982 -- less than two months after joining the show as a correspondent on June 24 of that year.

"At this point, 'ET' and Mary Hart are synonymous," CBS Television Distribution Group CEO Roger King said. "She is as enthusiastic today as she was 25 years ago when she joined 'ET' and created a television icon together. Mary is one of the premier talents of our business."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/brief_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003222558

Sunday’s network prime-time ratings are now just under the HD football listings at the top of RATINGS NEWS (the first post in this thread).

The New Season
Current Cancellation Odds

The latest odds on the next series to be cancelled (this week) from brilliantbutcancelled.com’s Death Watch ’06:

1. Men In Trees ABC 3-1
2. The Knights of Prosperity (not aired yet) ABC 7-1
3. Ugly Betty ABC 12-1
4. The Class CBS 13-1
5. Help Me Help You ABC 14-1
6. Jericho CBS 20-1
7. Vanished Fox 20-1
8. Justice Fox 29-1
9. Standoff Fox 36-1
10. Brothers & Sisters ABC 38-1

http://www.brilliantbutcancelled.com/deathwatch/

The New Season
Expensive Fall Series Off to Inauspicious Start
By A.J. Frutkin Media Week Oct. 9, 2006

CBS’ cancellation of its crime series Smith last week didn’t surprise many in Hollywood, but it certainly set much of the TV production community on edge. After all, it isn’t the only big-budget drama to under-perform this fall. Among the others are NBC’s Friday Night Lights, Kidnapped and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip; Fox’s Vanished; and ABC’s Six Degrees.

Executives throughout the industry said if these shows fail to find an audience, the 2006-07 season may be one of the costliest in recent memory.

It wasn’t that long ago when the average price tag for a first-year drama hovered at a hefty $1.7 million per episode. Now, most total up to $3 million. And when they cost more, they really cost more. A representative for Disney’s Touchstone TV said its two-hour pilot for Lost set them back $12 million. Meanwhile, NBC confirmed that the pilots for Kidnapped and Studio 60 amounted to nearly $7 million each.

But despite these spiraling costs, the networks, by and large, are sticking with their faltering shows this fall. Reports surfaced last week that while NBC would not be ordering the back nine episodes of Kidnapped, it was committed to airing the series’ first 13. Fox’s Vanished, which had aired Mondays following Prison Break, will switch to Fridays at 8 p.m. as of Oct. 23, while Justice moves to Mondays (for other moves last week, see At Deadlines on p. 3).

One of the reasons networks may be standing by their shows longer this season is that in order to manage higher production costs, they’ve had to order fewer replacement series.

“I think the networks have been a little leaner in terms of the number of shows they’ve ordered,” said Barry Jossen, executive vp of production for Touchstone TV. “And that creates a need to stick with the shows they have until the shows they did order are ready to run.”

With so much programming being offered digitally this season, networks also may be holding back on cancellations with the hope that viewers find their series on other platforms. “People are watching shows off their DVRs, on the networks’ own Web sites, or they’re downloading them off iTunes,” said Brad Adgate, senior vp, director of research at Horizon Media. “So I think the networks may be waiting for viewers to catch up with a series before they yank them off the air.”

But with many of the fall’s new shows being told in a serialized format, catching up—even on digital platforms—can be confusing. “If you miss the pilot or first two episodes, you miss the whole thread of the story,” noted Steve Sternberg, executive vp of audience analysis at Magna Global. “And it’s tough to keep viewers at that point, let alone attract new ones.”

Indeed, one of the lessons that programmers already have learned this early in the season is that the marketplace for serialized dramas may be saturated. “There are only so many hours per night that any single viewer can commit to TV,” said Dana Walden, president of 20th Century Fox TV. “And for many viewers who already have committed to 24, Prison Break, Lost or Desperate Housewives, there’s just a limited amount of room to commit to new shows the way you need to commit to these serialized dramas.”

Just as important is the notion that throwing money at the screen doesn’t guarantee viewers. “I think the season serves as a reminder that quantity does not equal quality,” said Marc Graboff, west coast president of NBC Universal TV.

“No matter how many more action scenes, or explosions, or cast members you have, it doesn’t necessarily deliver you a hit, said Graboff. “It’s still all about the writing.”

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/networktv/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003222158

The New Season
Current Cancellation Odds

The latest odds on the next series to be cancelled (this week) from brilliantbutcancelled.com’s Death Watch ’06:

thanks to Fredfa's continuous updates I correctly predicted Smith and Kidnapped last week! :D It would seem the majority of the Deatwatch players don't have much idea what's going on. Men in Trees doesn't seem to be in imminent danger and Ugly Betty is just ridiculously placed.

I still haven't won a damn iPod yet though.

TV Sports
The Saturday Ratings Answer?
Basketball Coverage Might Follow ABC's Saturday Football
By John Consoli Media Week Oct. 9, 2006

The considerable ratings success of Saturday night college football on ABC has some executives at the network considering a move to continue airing live sports programming in that daypart once the college football season ends. Among the possibilities—telecasts of the National Basketball Association or NCAA basketball.

While no executives would discuss such a move on the record, sources at both ABC and ESPN, which are sharing college football games this season, said such a move is doable, although there would be some wrinkles that would need to be ironed out.

Airing NBA games essentially in prime time on Saturdays would either require going back to the league to acquire additional rights, or working out an arrangement to give up some weeknight rights in exchange. There also could be some issues with regional sports networks that hold the local Saturday rights.

NBA Commissioner David Stern has said discussions with the league have yet to take place, adding that while obstacles do exist, he would be amenable to negotiations if ABC/ESPN moved forward with plans.

Likewise, ABC entertainment president Stephen McPherson said the situation has not been discussed, but he did not rule out the possibility. ABC and ESPN insiders, however, think the possibility of sports in the Saturday 8-11 p.m. time period in January is real.

Under the current college football pact, ESPN is paying ABC for the Saturday night time period each week, but sells the ad time, sources said. While airing NBA games on Saturday might be a challenge, it’s much easier to shift the start times on college basketball games, as it is with college football games.

Media buyers, citing the dearth of TV viewers watching scripted shows on Saturday nights, are enthusiastic about ABC continuing to air live sports programming in that slot.

“Offering something different on the night will make it stand out, and while sports is not a new genre, creating a year-round sports franchise on [broadcast network TV] on Saturday nights would be something different,” said Steve Grubbs, CEO of PHD USA.

John Muszynski, CEO of Starcom USA, and Larry Novenstern, executive vp, director of national electronic media at Optimedia, agreed that basketball would work on the night as long as the games were quality matchups. “And it would have to be priced right. College football on ABC is priced reasonably. They would have to do the same with basketball,” said Novenstern.

Muszynski said if ABC offers great matchups, advertisers would “find the money” for live, prime-time sports programming, despite having allocated their ad dollars during the upfronts.
ABC’s Saturday night college football telecasts are drawing about 3.6 million more viewers this fall than scripted shows and movies drew during a last fall (8.6 million vs. 5.0 million), according to Nielsen Media Research data.

Ratings among men 18-34 are up 200 percent (3.7 from a 1.2) from last year. Among men 18-49, ratings are up 140 percent (4.1 from a 1.7) and for men 25-54, they’re up 140 percent (4.6 from a 1.9).

The games also have drawn not only significantly more men, but also more young female viewers. Among women 18-34, ratings are up 42 percent to a 2.0 from a 1.4 last fall.

And college football on ABC is bringing new men to the time period. For example, Fox, which previously won the night among male demos with its Saturday block of Cops and America’s Most Wanted, is up 12 percent with men 18-34 from 8 to 10 p.m.

“Up until this season, no one has come up with an answer to how to successfully program Saturday nights,” Muszynski said. “Event sports programming could be a way of solving that problem.”

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003222157

The New Season
Replacement for “Smith”?
“3 Lbs.” could weigh in early on CBS
By Nellie Andreeva The Hollywood Reporter Oct. 9, 2006

CBS is looking to bring the midseason drama "3 Lbs." earlier than expected, sources said.

The network has ordered four additional scripts of the medical drama starring Stanley Tucci and is considering launching the series next month.

The move comes amid a soft start for CBS' freshman series, especially the drama "Smith," which was pulled off the schedule Friday after three airings.

"3 Lbs.," from creator Peter Ocko and CBS Paramount Network TV, centers on the relationship between a rising-star brain surgeon (Mark Feuerstein) and the brilliant but unpredictable surgeon (Tucci) he works under.

The show already is in production on its midseason order. CBS is said to be very pleased with the episodes produced so far but is waiting to see more cuts before making a final decision about a November launch.

As of Friday night, "Smith," from Warner Bros. TV and studio-based John Wells Prods., was still in production.

For the next three weeks, CBS will run repeats of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Criminal Minds" in the Tuesday 10 p.m. slot.

"Smith" was one of the highest-profile and most expensive new series this fall, boasting Wells as a creator/executive producer and a cast that includes Ray Liotta, Virginia Madsen, Amy Smart and Simon Baker.

After a weak start, "Smith" kept sliding in the ratings, most recently averaging 8.4 million viewers 2.8/8 among adults 18-49.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003221879

The Business of TV
Schleiff to Rejuvinate Hallmark
By Anthony Crupi Media Week Oct. 9, 2006

Former Court TV chief Henry Schleiff said he has two major items on the docket as he moves into his new digs at Hallmark Channel: Renewing carriage with three major operators and taking some of the gray out of the network’s demo draw.

Schleiff, who on Oct. 4 was named president and CEO of Hallmark parent Crown Media Holdings, said he’ll push for rate increases as he negotiates new carriage agreements with Comcast, Time Warner Cable and DirecTV, which are all set to expire on or before Dec. 31, 2007. Analysts estimate that Hallmark presently charges operators a mere six cents per subscriber for carriage.

“We’re a very cost-effective partner to cable operators because our license fees are so small,” agreed Schleiff. And while he didn’t reveal his target number, Schleiff said that in addition to more cash, he would be looking to nail down more favorable channel positioning for what he characterized as a top-10 network. (Hallmark ended the third quarter ninth among ad-supported cable nets in total prime-time viewers and was up 13 percent year-over-year in its target demo, adults 25-54.)

While Schleiff said that operators value Hallmark’s audience because “they are the ones who pay the cable operator’s bill, unlike the other 45 or 50 networks the operator is carrying that appeal to the 18-49 demo,” he plans to lower the median viewer age, which is about 59. “We need to bring [it] down to the middle of that 25-54 range,” Schleiff said. “In the next two to three years, Hallmark will be &hellipone of very few nets that target the sweet spot of that group.”

Having built up a substantially younger demo during his Court TV tenure, Schleiff said he’ll make a number of programming changes to appeal to cash-rich Baby Boomers. Along with more original programming aimed at women, he will introduce unscripted fare.

Schleiff also said that he wants to see a much more robust approach in terms of cross-promoting the network at the 4,000 Hallmark Gold Crown retail outlets. “Up until now, Hallmark has totally underused the stores as a vehicle to promote the network,” Schleiff said. “There’s nothing more compelling than a point-of-purchase pitch.”

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/cabletv/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003222153

TV Q&A
Ask Matt
(from the Ask (TV Critic) Matt (Roush) column at TVGuide.com
By Matt Roush TVGuide.com TV Critic

Question: I have a question regarding The Office. I am totally hooked, and I must admit my No. 1 draw is the Jim-Pam romance. Not having Jim and Pam interacting is one thing (torture!), but not having Jim in the Scranton branch at all is really changing the dynamic of the show, and I really miss his interactions with everyone. In many ways, he's the most "normal" character, so he's critical — and hilarious! I always hear writers and producers talk about trying new things. But do you think sometimes the writers care more about keeping things fresh for themselves instead of what the viewers want? I understand (as much as it pains me) not wanting to bring Jim and Pam together too soon, but having him in a different location? And adding lots more characters to water things down? Not sure how that's a "win-win-win."— Jill

Matt Roush: For the time being, I find Jim's situation quite poignant and even interesting. By all rights, he should be thrilled to be away from those idiots (with the exception, of course, of Pam) in Scranton. And yet, you can tell in all of his interactions with his new coworkers that the wacky old crew is always on his mind. Even Michael and Dwight. So basically, I'd argue that this isn't merely the producers being self-indulgent or creating change for the sake of change. It's a bold twist with many ramifications down the line. Still, I'd be lying if I didn't admit I hope his homecoming will happen sooner than later. (Don't hold your breath.) It's just not the same without him.

Question: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is one of the best shows on TV right now, so shouldn't NBC consider moving it so it won't be destroyed by CSI: Miami? My suggestion would be to replace ER when it exits mid-season. This way, Studio 60 would therefore get to go up against another newcomer, Shark. Then they could move The Black Donnellys to Mondays at 10 pm/ET, where it might get a better lead-in, since Deal or No Deal does much better on Mondays than on Thursdays. It makes perfect sense, no?— Jeff F.

Matt Roush: Ah, the joys of being a backseat amateur programmer. The sad fact is, there are almost no safe time periods anymore, especially in the 10 pm/ET hour. But given that neither Shark nor Six Degrees is anywhere near a blockbuster, ER's Thursday slot might in fact be a better fit for Studio 60 (hard to imagine The Black Donnellys succeeding there). I also wonder if there isn't a 9 pm/ET weeknight slot that might work better, cradling Studio 60 in a hammock of sorts. (NBC had originally scheduled the show on Thursdays at 9 pm/ET, before ABC moved Grey's Anatomy there.) I'm beginning to think that wherever Studio 60 ends up airing — I haven't heard they're shopping for a new time period quite yet — NBC is going to have to regard it as a prestige boutique item, attracting advertisers with the quality (in terms of income and education) of its audience rather than its size. It doesn't look like it's got much potential as a ratings blockbuster.

Question: I'm officially starting to worry. My top favorite shows of the new season are being stomped in the ratings! Kidnapped and Friday Night Lights both premiered with really bad numbers, Studio 60 has lost a third of its premiere numbers, and it's only three episodes into the season. If The Nine doesn't premiere with good numbers, I'm really gonna be depressed. Plus Veronica Mars' third-season premiere wasn't spectacular. (Is 70 percent retention really that bad?) I have this bad feeling that some of my favorite shows won't make it to November sweeps, let alone finish the season. Please tell me there is a silver lining somewhere!— Jonathan H.

Matt Roush: It has been a discouraging few weeks, with several notable exceptions (the strong opening for Ugly Betty in particular), but the best spin I can put on the situation at this early stage of the game is that the networks can't cancel everything. There is certainly cause for concern regarding Kidnapped (although NBC seems committed to airing at least a full 13-episode arc, though maybe not during sweeps), but I'm betting NBC tries to nurture Friday Night Lights for at least the short term (the show scored well with male viewers, who aren't easy to attract). Still, what a heartbreaker that this fine show took such a direct hit. I also think NBC has too much invested in Studio 60 to abandon it anytime soon. Its overall ratings aren't good, but its demos are strong. And the good news for Veronica is that the CW has bigger problems elsewhere (on Sundays and Mondays, which, according to Variety, are headed for a switcheroo). As you noted, the real story will be which shows are invited to the November-sweeps party. When shows are sidelined that early, it's almost always the beginning of the end.

Question: I have heard rumors that FX is going to push back airing the next season of The Shield in order to premiere their new show Dirt instead. It's bad enough having to wait until January to see one of the best shows on television today, but now possibly having to wait until March is just plain wrong. Please put my fears to rest and tell me The Shield is still airing in January.— Charlie

Matt Roush: Sorry, Charlie, but I just looked into the situation, and it appears that Dirt will get the January launch date, pushing The Shield back until March or so. I'm not quite sure why FX can't present and promote more than one series at a time, especially if the highly anticipated return of The Shield could help deliver eyeballs to Dirt. But the network does tend to focus its brilliant marketing campaigns on one signature drama at a time, and with The Shield being closer to the end of its run than the beginning, FX needs to give something else a shot.

Question: I realize that you had a problem with Gilmore Girls last year, what with Rory leaving Yale, Luke's daughter appearing, Lorelei turning into a doormat, and the subsequent rift between Luke and Lorelei. However, I feel that you're giving up on the show this season without giving it a chance. Gilmore Girls, even without the Palladinos, is still one of the best written and most intelligent shows on television. It just so happens that most of the story lines you and everyone else had problems with were also realistic. Sometimes kids take a semester off to reexamine things, and sometimes unexpected things happen in your personal life that shake you up. Lorelei's letting Luke have his way about April was a normal reaction — you do what you think is right to make your relationship work. To say Gilmore Girls jumped that shark is rash and premature. And for a well-respected critic to suddenly use that phrase when previously refusing to do so seems a bit suspicious, particularly when the magazine you work for has purchased the website that started that phrase. I must say I am disappointed in your assessment of the show. I used to respect your opinion, but now I must wonder if you, too, have become a pawn of corporate media.— Rachel

Matt Roush: Oh, give it a rest. Without even getting into how much I resent these last implications, which couldn't be further from the truth (I noted at the time that I only used the "shark" phrase reluctantly), I feel I have stated my mixed feelings about this show as honestly as possible, with plenty of regret. I don't enjoy not enjoying this show, and I don't know where you got the impression I was giving up on it. It's still on my weekly menu, out of duty if nothing else. And every week I find plenty to enjoy in the characters and in the dialogue, although even at its best, the babble can get a bit precious and tiresome. (When T.J. showed up to help Luke fix the diner, I thought my teeth would fall out, he puts them so on edge.) I loved watching Lorelai throw Rory-san an Asian extravaganza at home, with all that dessert sushi. Just like old times, although I knew the Christopher thing ("You slept with Dad?") would blow up in their faces. The scenes in which Luke and Lorelai awkwardly met in public (it's inevitable in a small town) were appropriately painful and sad. But what's really sad to me is how the show's creator painted these terrific characters into such an unpleasant situation. You can rationalize it all you want, but I don't buy how or why she did it. It's that simple. Now I'm off to go revel in the spoils of being a pawn of corporate media. As soon as I can figure out how.

Question: What happened to Reno 911? I saw about three episodes during the summer and have not been able to find it on the schedule since then. Is it ever coming back?— Ann

Matt Roush: For some reason, this show fell off my radar this summer (I blame a very busy TV summer), but according to my records, seven episodes aired in July and August, and seven more are scheduled to air in April to round out the fourth season. Even better news: Comedy Central has OK'd a fifth season. Those crazy cops are back in business.

Question: So "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Prison Break" has finally lost me as a viewer. The treasure hunt was bad enough, but now they've pointlessly killed two more characters. It seems each time someone dies on the show, everyone shrugs and moves on with their lives. No one's death has had any significance. Not even Westmoreland's — if he'd lived, they'd still be after the money. The VP-turned-president's brother didn't die, but the lawyer-girlfriend did, and Lincoln just grit his teeth while Michael shrugged. Senator Tancredi was just getting interesting. He was a character who did effect change, good and bad. Now the good FBI agent is a bad guy, Tancredi lost her dad, and Lincoln is again going out to save L.J. It's bad enough that this year's premiere didn't pick up where the last episode left off. (In the writers' room: "Hey, how do we get them to get away from the cop cars at the bottom of the hill?" "We fast-forward about 10 minutes and have them all running through the woods." "Brilliant!") Part of the problem is that whatever comeuppance is planned for the VP and the rest of that gang, it'll never be enough. A better story line would've been to have this FBI guy catch everyone, or get close to it, only to stumble onto the conspiracy. Vanished could have been great, but the big conspiracy aspect, and the upside-down 9, and the bad guys talking to the senator in the elevator, and on and on were all just too silly. Fox has now lost me completely until 24 returns. How would you have fixed these shows?— Keith

Matt Roush: Some things, sadly, are just beyond fixing. Vanished being one of them. (And if Fox does actually move it, as expected, to Fridays, it really will vanish.) Vanished seems already way past the point of credible return, even with the audacious decision to kill the series lead after only a handful of episodes. Prison Break's situation is trickier, having morphed from a jailbreak caper to a chase-thriller melodrama that continually tests logic. (Like freeing L.J. isn't an obvious trap to lure Lincoln back into the open? Whatever.) Long-term conspiracy thrillers are among the hardest things to execute (just look at The X-Files), and neither of these shows has been able to master it well. It's always been the weakest aspect of Prison Break. I can't think of any quick fixes, but turning Agent Mahone into a heavily medicated psycho vigilante probably isn't the way I would have gone. The primary recommendation I'd make is to put Wentworth Miller back at the heart of the show. He got a bit lost during this endless treasure hunt. And while you are annoyed at how pointless the deaths have been lately (I'm not sure I agree: a high body count was built into this season), I'd welcome a massacre any old time to simplify the show a bit. Finally, try not to get whiplash as you move to the next question.

Question: First, let me say that I'm enjoying Prison Break more this season than last season. This season seems to suffer less from the pacing problems that last season did and has less credulity-stretching moments (although there's always at least one an episode). I think focusing on the getaway after the escape was an elegant transition for a show that could have had trouble coming up with a second season. This leads into my question. As a reader pointed out, there are a number of shows such as Kidnapped that would seem to have problems sustaining the story line over the long term. Why even bother? Obviously there's an optimum series length for syndication, but why not have a series that's planned to last for only one or two seasons? This happens a lot more in Britain. Why can't we have some more short series, or long-length miniseries? Especially if it lets producers experiment more.— Jeff

Matt Roush: The answer, as usual, boils down to economics. We may be getting to a point where a season-length, stand-alone, weekly one-shot miniseries gets a green light, with no thought given to sequels or future seasons. But network TV is a greedy, hungry place, and any successful premise is unlikely to be retired after one go-round, even if it would make creative sense to do so. American TV also tends to demand more episodes per season than the British model (and please don't ask me to explain the whys and wherefores of the British system). It is also a fact that the cost of making weekly TV is not sufficiently covered by network license fees, and the studios look toward syndication, cable and nowadays DVD sales to cover the deficit. I agree that as networks continue to try to think outside the box, they'll need to explore new types of storytelling that may require rethinking how many episodes, and even how many seasons, some series are meant to run. I'm just not sure we're there yet.

Question: I'm really enjoying NBC's Heroes for its creative concept and thrilling plot twists. For those reasons I will stick with this show. I only wish a program headed in such interesting directions, obviously paying close attention to plot and character details, would take equal care to write smarter, thought-provoking dialogue and to find a visual style that communicates a clear point of view. It's strange to me that the plot twists have compelled my continued commitment, while the look, sound and feel leave me needing more. I'm finding the opposite to be true of Kidnapped and Justice — a mesmerizing style with quick, smart dialogue but with completely formulaic plot execution. If I had to choose, I'd take content over style, but this interestingly odd pairing of creative storytelling and bad execution makes me appreciate the few shows that have accomplished both: Alias, The West Wing (in early seasons) and Lost, to name a few.— Stacey L.

Matt Roush: Well put. You really put your finger on my own problems with Heroes: some fascinating material and exceptional plot twists (wait until you see how tonight's episode ends!) hampered by fuzzy execution, and I couldn't agree more about the clunky dialogue. (On the other hand, you also get it right that neither Kidnapped nor Justice can overcome generic material, no matter how slickly they're produced.) Now settle in for what I've found to be a fascinating debate over the relative merits of two of the season's most unexpected success stories: Heroes and Jericho. The divergent views on each are possibly more enjoyable than the shows themselves.

Question: Reading your column and other recent reactions, I just couldn't help but feel stumped. How on earth can people be rallying behind Heroes so much? Like you, I am going to keep watching to see if it improves, but I've got to agree with you that the show seems so poorly conceived. The acting is stiff (the artist and his girlfriend especially), and the writing is very bad and extremely pretentious. The nurse speaking to the cabbie about "destinies and feeling extraordinary" was awful and would have been completely laughed at in a beginning screenwriting class. Many of the characters are unlikable at this point, and although the end twist was clever, the twist regarding the man in glasses seems so "been there, done that" to me. Basically, I agree with you, and I think it's crazy that so many people are reacting positively to the show.— Adam

Matt Roush: Even though I'm not totally on board with this show yet, I have to say I'm encouraged that it popped with viewers. I want shows like this to succeed, even when flawed. (And it's already so much more interesting than last season's Surface could have ever been.)

But I've been waiting for someone to come to the defense of CBS' Jericho, whose early success completely baffles me. So here's this from Tammie, who's also not exactly a Heroes fan: "I have to comment on your recent column, 'Cult Curiosity,' especially in regards to Heroes and Jericho. Jericho may not be a fun show to watch, but I find it infinitely more believable and watchable than that utterly terrible Heroes. I find the Heroes love (which I'm not accusing you of) I've seen everywhere this week to be incomprehensible. It had about the subtlety of a sledgehammer. The end of the second episode of Jericho, by contrast, with the pushpins being placed in the map to mark all the explosions, and ending with just the image of the hand going back to the pin container over and over and not showing where they were being placed, was one of the best scenes I've seen on television in a long time. That is how you build suspense, and how you create emotion in your audience. If that scene had been on Heroes, you would've had a character giving some preachy dialogue all the while, and probably a character telling you exactly which cities were bombed, what that's going to mean and how that makes them feel. Heroes treats the audience like they're 3-year-olds. Skeet Ulrich might not be the best main actor, but he's believable, and the rest of the cast is good enough to help back him up. I saw some mention of suspending belief about what Skeet's character can do, and I tend to agree. I would just add that they have been purposefully vague about where he's been, so I'm willing to go with it for now. Heroes is lucky to have one or two good actors in a sea of mediocre ones. I have minor quibbles with Jericho, but Heroes is an unbelievable mess from start to finish, and I think it is an insult to any true genre fan. And this might be upsetting to hear, but I would bet most of the people who love Heroes would tell you that they just don't get Battlestar Galactica, and really, isn't that the show that people who love good TV should be encouraging?"

I'm not even opening that door, except to say that I imagine there's a pretty healthy overlap among Heroes and Battlestar fans. (You don't even have to ask which I feel is the superior show.) Three episodes in, I still find Jericho to be awfully dreary, with precious few compelling characters to draw me back into this downbeat world. But as with Heroes, I am encouraged, even amazed, that a sizable audience tuned in to give Jericho a shot, rewarding CBS for trying something different.

And finally, this from Darrell, who takes the exact opposite view from Tammie: "I just wanted to agree with you on Jericho. My curiosity got the best of me, and I was convinced it would be a great idea, but after watching the second episode I have changed my mind. A past reader used the term 'suspend our disbelief' to describe watching it, and I wholeheartedly agree. I'll give it a few more episodes to try to get a hold, but you just can't mix family drama and a nuclear attack. As for Heroes, something told me that this show could possibly be this year's Invasion, and after watching the pilot I am hooked. It by far is my favorite new show of the season."

My final thought: All of this reminds me of the early buzz surrounding Invasion, Threshold and Surface a year ago, but with one big difference: There's an excellent chance one or both of these shows will be around for a long time to come, to stimulate even more debate. That's good news in a season that hasn't been especially promising for fans of new, quality TV.

http://tvguide.com/News-Views/Columnists/Ask-Matt/default.aspx

The New Season
Replacement for “Smith”?
“3 Lbs.” could weigh in early on CBS
By Nellie Andreeva The Hollywood Reporter Oct. 9, 2006

CBS is looking to bring the midseason drama "3 Lbs." earlier than expected, sources said.

The network has ordered four additional scripts of the medical drama starring Stanley Tucci and is considering launching the series next month.

The move comes amid a soft start for CBS' freshman series, especially the drama "Smith," which was pulled off the schedule Friday after three airings.

"3 Lbs.," from creator Peter Ocko and CBS Paramount Network TV, centers on the relationship between a rising-star brain surgeon (Mark Feuerstein) and the brilliant but unpredictable surgeon (Tucci) he works under.

The show already is in production on its midseason order. CBS is said to be very pleased with the episodes produced so far but is waiting to see more cuts before making a final decision about a November launch.

As of Friday night, "Smith," from Warner Bros. TV and studio-based John Wells Prods., was still in production.

For the next three weeks, CBS will run repeats of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Criminal Minds" in the Tuesday 10 p.m. slot.

"Smith" was one of the highest-profile and most expensive new series this fall, boasting Wells as a creator/executive producer and a cast that includes Ray Liotta, Virginia Madsen, Amy Smart and Simon Baker.

After a weak start, "Smith" kept sliding in the ratings, most recently averaging 8.4 million viewers 2.8/8 among adults 18-49.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003221879

I'll predict right now that any show with Tucci and Feuerstein with its stars will not bode any better than one starring Liotta and Madsden. Not that its a true measure of a show's chances of success, but neither Murder One nor Hello Miami were anything to write home about. Both are better off starring in Hollywood movies, IMO.

Critic’s Notebook
"Smith" dead, "Lost" loses
It's apocalypse now
By Tim Goodman San Francisco Chronicle in his TV blog “The Bastard Machine”

First let it be reiterated throughout the land, so-called "star vehicles" rarely work. And though "Smith" wasn't a star vehicle in the strictest sense, it had a damn fine cast headed by Ray Liotta and Virginia Madsen. But it was a serial. And after saying it was going to happen long before it happened, TV has finally become a serial killer.

"Smith" is dead. "Kidnapped" has been stolen from its timeslot and dumped on Saturday night - TV's graveyard. Other serials are in real trouble, ratings-wise. And "Lost," the show that essentially set off this industry wide love affair with the genre - where one story is told over the course of 22 episodes and demands viewer loyalty - was itself off by 5 million viewers when Season 3 debuted on Wednesday.

Five million viewers is a lot of blood on the floor. ABC can spin that how it wants - possibly saying there's just more good shows demanding more attention from viewers and a fall-off is a natural occurence - but that still leaves the network down 5 mil. Period.

Now, one of the reasons that "Lost" has taken a dive - despite the not-very-well-publicized comments from the producers that they would answer more questions this season - some people are just tired of too much mythology and not enough answers. And so they gave up. Secondly, see the above paragraph. It's true: More and better - that's the TV landscape. Now, there's not many network shows in this genre that are better than "Lost," but it was just a matter of time before some people gave up the ghost and quit or got sidetracked by another serial drama.

What that means: Bad things. All around. I mean, it's not a definitive death knell, but it wouldn't be too surprising to say that the beginning of the end has started. If "Lost" is losing viewers and "Smith" is dead and "Kidnapped" and others are drifting hopelessly, what more proof does the industry need? The overkill is killing viewers.

And now it looks like a good move by ABC at the time - one meant to appease loyal "Lost" fans - could really backfire: The network is going to take "Lost" off the schedule after seven episodes and replace it with ANOTHER serialized drama, "Day Break." Initially, that was meant to cut way back on those annoying "Lost" reruns that fans complained about. With "Day Break" - a pretty good little thriller with Taye Diggs playing a cop caught in a sort of "Groundhog Day" loop - airing for 13 weeks, it would allow "Lost" to return and run uninterrupted.

Now? What if 5 million more people don't come back?

Could be a great time to launch a sitcom. Just to ease the burden. In fact, ABC is going to do just that in November. It's called "Big Day." And it's a serialized sitcom.

Lord help us.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/indexn?blogid=24

TV Notebook
Evening News Remains in Third Place
By Allison Romano Broadcasting & Cable 10/9/2006

While Katie Couric has helped CBS improve the performance of its Evening News broadcast since taking over as anchor in early Sept., last week the program remained its usual third-place position in the network news race.

CBS Evening News with Katie Couric averaged 7.04 million viewers for the week of Oct. 2, according to preliminary ratings from Nielsen Media Research. That put CBS in third behind NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams (8.56 million viewers) and ABC World News with Charles Gibson (7.97 million viewers).

The newscasts finished in the same order two weeks ago.

CBS' audience is up 8% from the same week a year ago, while NBC was off 2% and ABC dropped 3%.

NBC and ABC were tied last week for no. 1 in the key 25 to 54 demographic with 2.2 ratings. CBS averaged a 1.9, which is also an improvement from a year ago, up 19%. NBC and ABC were off single digits in the demo.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6379394

TV Notebook
The future of NewsCorp

If you are interested in what Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes have to say about Fox, DirecTV, MyNetwork TV, Fox News Channel, a proposed new Fox Business Channel and other matters, here is a transcript of a lengthy Financial Times interview:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/5b77af92-548c-11db-901f-0000779e2340.html

TV Sports
NBC’s “SNF” 9% ahead of last year’s “MNF”
"NBC SNF" Averaging 18 Million Viewers Through Six Games


(NBC News Release) October 9, 2006

NEW YORK – Oct. 9, 2006 – Through six games, "NBC Sunday Night Football" is averaging 18 million viewers, up nine percent from ABC's "MNF" average through six games in 2005, according to fast national data from Nielsen Media Research. Last night's "NBC Sunday Night Football" game featuring the San Diego Chargers 23-13 defeat of the Pittsburgh Steelers, averaged 15.1 million viewers (-4%, 15.7 million on ABC in 2005) and drew a 9.6 household rating and 15 share (8:21-11:32 p.m. ET).

Compared to the comparable Sunday night on NBC in 2005, last night's "NBC Sunday Night Football" game rated 27 percent higher in total viewers (15.1 million vs. 11.9 million), 25 percent higher in households (9.6 vs. 7.7), and 78 percent higher in Adults 18-49 (6.4 vs. 3.6).

Last night's "SNF" game rated two percent higher in Adults 18-49 than the comparable "MNF" game last year (6.4 vs. 6.3). Every "NBC SNF" game has rated higher than the respective "MNF" game in the key A18-49 demographic.

"NBC Sunday Night Football" Week Five Top Ten Metered Markets
1. Pittsburgh: 46.0/61
*2. San Diego: 27.5/42
(t) 3. Denver: 15.4/23
(t) 3. Cincinnati: 15.4/22
5. Norfolk: 14.8/20
6. Las Vegas: 13.8/21
7. Baltimore: 13.7/20
(t) 8. Cleveland: 13.6/20
(t) 8. Indianapolis: 13.6/20
10. Charlotte: 13.3/19
*Note: in San Diego, NBC's Steelers-Chargers matchup outrated the NLDS Cardinals-Padres deciding Game 4 by 64 percent (16.8/26).

I'll predict right now that any show with Tucci and Feuerstein with its stars will not bode any better than one starring Liotta and Madsden. Not that its a true measure of a show's chances of success, but neither Murder One nor Hello Miami were anything to write home about. Both are better off starring in Hollywood movies, IMO.

Ray Liotta and Virginia Madsen are B-list hollywood stars IMO. They mean nothing in terms of "star power."

Liotta had one decent movie -- Goodfellas. Ever since then he's been doing Steven Seagal type stuff, or very minor roles.

Same thing with James Woods -- he's a decent actor, but B-list like Liotta.

He wasn't at all bad in "Field of Dreams", RakeshS.

But I agree neither he nor Madsen are A-list movie stars.

Woods is a lot closer to an A-list actor, in my mind.

And who can forget how the Geena Davis show tanked last year? Though with the horrible writing and production problems, it would be hard to blame her.

I'll predict right now that any show with Tucci and Feuerstein with its stars will not bode any better than one starring Liotta and Madsden. Not that its a true measure of a show's chances of success, but neither Murder One nor Hello Miami were anything to write home about. Both are better off starring in Hollywood movies, IMO.


You might be right, but if the shows has believable characters viewers could actually root for, they will stand a better chance of succeeding.

It is hard for me to believe that any network executive signed off on the premise of "Smith". But, obviously, a lot of them did.

He wasn't at all bad in "Field of Dreams", RakeshS.

But I agree neither he nor Madsen are A-list movie stars.

Woods is a lot closer to an A-list actor, in my mind.

And who can forget how the Geena Davis show tanked last year? Though with the horrible writing and production problems, it would be hard to blame her.

Commander in Chief busted out of the gate and was doing well, until it was plagued by production problems, as you mentioned. ABC lost a potential longterm hit there, for sure.

If you are in the Chicago area, or will be on Thursday night, this could be of interest:

Critic’s Notebook
Calling all 'Wire' fans
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” October 09, 2006

Calling "The Wire" critically acclaimed is like saying the Bears are having a pretty good season -- it’s an understatement, to say the least.

David Simon, creator of "The Wire," which the Financial Times recently called "the best television show ever broadcast in America," comes to Northwestern University’s Block Cinema 8 p.m. Thursday for a Q&A session about his Baltimore-set show, the fourth season of which is airing Sundays on HBO.

The event is free, but no advance tickets are available, so Wire-heads should get there early.

Block Cinema is at 40 Arts Circle Dr., Evanston; phone 847-491-4000.

http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/

Fred,

I have to agree with you on all accounts, so much depends on scripts and writing. All too often we, and network executives, look simply at the "star" quality and forget that even good actors like Geena can't keep a badly written show from faltering.

That said, I'm not sure Ray and Virginia can pull off even a fairly well written show as I beleive their acting abilities are limited. However, I believe James has the talent and just needs the vehicle to go with it.

You are especially right when you say that we have to "care" about the characters. I find that is true in books, as well as movies and TV shows. Sometimes though the "star" factor can get in the way ala Tom Cruise and others. Then too, some really great stars seem to simply method act their way through some projects, especially in their later years, and it shows in the end result.

To be sure, some of this is the Director's fault for trying to make an actor into something he or she is not. Sometimes the actor simply needs the money and doesn't really put forth the effort. I look at some of the spaghetti westerns and wonder why they were so successful, even years later, and I put it right on the fact that we cared about the character, even those with little dialog (like Clint).

Of course, in the world of TV, timing plays a major roll. Putting a show up against a powerhouse can backfire so easily, yet decision makers do it all the time. I'm sure revenue plays a big roll, but all too often I think egos get in the way of rational decisions. We, the viewers, get stuck having to decide between 2 or more favorite shows, or a new show that has promise. With 4 3/4 networks ( I count CW as 1/2 and MNTV as 1/4 :) ), there area lot of decisions that have to be made. Dual-tuner DVRs make those choices easier, but if I have to chose between a show I've already invested 3-4 years in, I'm not likely to chuck it all for something new.

I can't help but think that if a show like Lost had the DVD of the previous season come out sooner than a week before the premier of the new season, it would help boost the amount of viewers who tune in for the regular broadcast.

There honestly isn't much point of just jumping in to a show like Lost at the beginning of the third season without having seen a majority of the previous episodes. I think a lot of people out there would rather catch up by watching DVD than some 1 hour clip show. With just a week or two between the season 2 DVD release and the premier of season 3, aren't they preventing some people from tuning into the new season? There has to be a decent amount of people out there who are just saying "screw it, I'll wait for it on DVD."

Just my thoughts.

Critic’s Notebook
"Smith" dead, "Lost" loses
It's apocalypse now
By Tim Goodman San Francisco Chronicle in his TV blog “The Bastard Machine”

Five million viewers is a lot of blood on the floor. ABC can spin that how it wants - possibly saying there's just more good shows demanding more attention from viewers and a fall-off is a natural occurence - but that still leaves the network down 5 mil. Period.

Now, one of the reasons that "Lost" has taken a dive - despite the not-very-well-publicized comments from the producers that they would answer more questions this season - some people are just tired of too much mythology and not enough answers. And so they gave up. Secondly, see the above paragraph. It's true: More and better - that's the TV landscape. Now, there's not many network shows in this genre that are better than "Lost," but it was just a matter of time before some people gave up the ghost and quit or got sidetracked by another serial drama.

What that means: Bad things. All around. I mean, it's not a definitive death knell, but it wouldn't be too surprising to say that the beginning of the end has started. If "Lost" is losing viewers and "Smith" is dead and "Kidnapped" and others are drifting hopelessly, what more proof does the industry need? The overkill is killing viewers.

And now it looks like a good move by ABC at the time - one meant to appease loyal "Lost" fans - could really backfire: The network is going to take "Lost" off the schedule after seven episodes and replace it with ANOTHER serialized drama, "Day Break." Initially, that was meant to cut way back on those annoying "Lost" reruns that fans complained about. With "Day Break" - a pretty good little thriller with Taye Diggs playing a cop caught in a sort of "Groundhog Day" loop - airing for 13 weeks, it would allow "Lost" to return and run uninterrupted.

Now? What if 5 million more people don't come back?

Could be a great time to launch a sitcom. Just to ease the burden. In fact, ABC is going to do just that in November. It's called "Big Day." And it's a serialized sitcom.

Lord help us.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/indexn?blogid=24

The New Season
'30 Rock,' '20 Good Years' and the soul of sitcoms
And a sweet show (really!) from Mr. T
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” October 09, 2006

A battle is raging over the soul of the American sitcom, and the two very different comedies premiering Wednesday, “Twenty Good Years” and “30 Rock,” are proof that the conflict is far from over.

Networks are still relying on traditional laugh-track comedies, and they certainly can work: “The New Adventures of Old Christine” and “How I Met Your Mother” are proof of that. But both of those shows feature smart writing, endearing characters and terrific actors. “Twenty Good Years” (8:30 PM ET/PT. Wednesday, NBC) has one part of that formula right.

Jeffrey Tambor (“Arrested Development”) and John Lithgow (“Third Rock From the Sun”) play lifelong friends who realize that they’ve let the humdrum duties of everyday life stop them from Really Living, and they take a vow to do just that until their hips give out.

“Twenty Good Years” is based on the premise these two comedy warhorses can make just about anything work, but this tired vehicle proves too much -- or rather, too little -- for even them. The writers may have spared us the expected Viagra jokes in the first episode, but nearly every other gag falls flat; even Lithgow’s almost heroic hamminess can’t save the day.

Despite the lame tone, a laugh track is slathered all over “Twenty Good Years” like fake-tan lotion on a Hollywood starlet. Let’s all say it together: Death to screechy laugh tracks!

That philosophy probably animated some of the creative energy behind “30 Rock,” a single-camera, laugh-track free comedy from Tina Fey (“Saturday Night Live”).

Despite its pedigree, however, “30 Rock” (8 p.m. ET/PT Wednesday, NBC) is less than the sum of its parts, and, as an entry in the single-camera comedy sweepstakes, it fails to show either the inspired inventiveness of “Arrested Development” or provide the surprisingly perceptive character studies of “The Office.”

Like the new Aaron Sorkin drama “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” “30 Rock” concerns the backstage drama at a sketch-comedy show.

But, weirdly, when a new cast member, the unpredictable star Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan), arrives, there appear to be only two other featured performers on “The Girlie Show,” a comedy-variety show. Are we supposed to believe that such things still exist on prime time, weekday TV, as appears to be the case here? Or, if “Girlie” is a “Saturday Night Live”-type show, how does it get by with only three performers? Something about this show-within-the-show just doesn’t make sense.

But that’s not “30 Rock’s” biggest problem: The show, in which Fey stars as head writer Liz Lemon, can’t decide if it’s a broad comedy in which a tube of hemorrhoid cream forms the basis of a gag, or if it’s a “lite” version of HBO’s “The Larry Sanders Show,” the sophisticated backstage drama that still sets the standard for incisive showbiz comedy.

Lemon runs around for most of the first two episodes placating her paranoid “Girlie” star, Jenna (Jane Krakowski), and fending off witless suggestions from network executive Jack Donaghy, whose motto is “sometimes you have to change things that are perfectly good just to make them your own.”

Fey no doubt has plenty of anti-network ire stored up from her years as head writer of “Saturday Night Live,” but if “30 Rock” is going to mock lame comedy ideas, it should dial back its tendency to hit the viewer over the head with jokes and telegraph punchlines.

There are grin-inducing lines -- a writer for “The Girlie Show” loved Jordan’s movies, “Who Dat Ninja” and “Black Cop, White Cop” -- but they’re subtle and fairly sparse. And its hard to have much sympathy for Lemon’s plight, since she takes off and leaves her cast and writers to fend for themselves on the day that the live show airs. What head writer would do that and keep her job?

The bright spot here is Alec Baldwin as Donaghy, a midlevel executive whose previous triumph was in selling truckloads of “tri-vection” ovens (the reason he forces Lemon to hire Jordan is, Donaghy says, because the show is “missing that third kind of heat”). Nobody does a deadpan line reading like Baldwin, and he alone is reason to check out this work in progress and hope that Fey gets the time she’ll need to make this hodge-podge live up to its potential.

Let’s cut the jibber-jabber and highlight one new show that knows exactly what it is. “I Pity the Fool” (10 PM ET Wednesday, TV Land) is Mr. T’s new venture into the genre of “reali-T,” and on his show, Mr. T uses his patented, energetic brand of motivation and problem-solving to help families and businesses in trouble. It’s a surprisingly sweet and gently diverting bit of fluff, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

And it’s even, at times, funny

http://tempo.typepad.com/entertainment_tv/

Cable Nielsen Notebook
Welcome Return for “Battlestar Galactica”
#1 Cable Series for the Night
(Sci Fi News Release)

'BATTLESTAR' SEASON 3 PREMIERE LEADS SCI FI TO TRIPLE-DIGIT RATINGS GAINS
'SCI FI Friday' Reasserts Dominance

New York, NY - October 9, 2006 - Building on the summer ratings heat that brought SCI FI more than 15 million new viewers via its original series 'Eureka,' 'Who Wants to Be A Superhero?' and 'ECW,' the Channel kicked off the fall with the hotly-anticipated season 3 premiere of 'Battlestar Galactica' (October 6, 9-11pm ET/PT). In the face of stiff competition, the two-hour opener was the #1 cable series of the night.

And in combination with its lead-ins, 'Heroes' (rebroadcast @ 7pm) and 'Doctor Who' (new episode at 8pm), SCI FI reasserted its dominance on Friday nights, with triple-digit demo increases vs. 4Q05.

The 'Galactica' season 3 premiere delivered a 1.8 HH rating with 2.2 million total viewers (P2+) - out-delivering its season 2.5 average in total viewers (+2%), P25-54 (+7%) and P18-49 (1.4 million, +4%).

SCI FI's 7pm-11pm SCI FI Friday lineup averaged a 1.4 HH rating, 1.7 million total viewers (P2+), 1.2 million P25-54s and 1.0 million P18-49s. Compared to the same time period last year (4Q05), this reflects increases of:
+93% in P2+
+75% in HH Ratings
+120% in P25-54
+134% in P18-49

If you think the networks pander to the 18-49 demo NOW, just wait until January…..

Nielsen Notebook
College Viewing to Join Nielsen Sample
By Michele Greppi Television Week October 9, 2006

Nielsen families' college kids living away from home will be included in all National People Meter audience estimates starting Jan. 29, 2007, Nielsen Media Research said Monday.

In the first stage of the Extended Home measurement program, viewing by sample students in their dorm rooms or off-campus apartments will be treated as if it were coming from an additional set within their families' sample homes.

Viewing will be included for students attending traditional colleges and universities as well as trade schools, culinary institutes and other higher educational facilities.

"This Extended Home measurement, together with the Anywhere Anytime Media Measurement (A2/M2) initiatives we announced earlier this year, demonstrates our ongoing commitment to measure television viewing wherever it occurs," said Sara Erichson, general manager of national services for the company.

"We want full measurement of everyone who is watching television and this is a significant first step towards achieving that goal," Jack Wakshlag, chief research officer for Turner Broadcasting, said.

"College students are an important audience for Turner and many other programmers. We will now have a more complete record of their viewing in Nielsen's estimates, and I look forward to working with Nielsen to find ways to include viewing across non-traditional television platforms as well."

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=10872

The New York Times Obituary
Elizabeth Allen, 77
Stage Star Known for Memorable TV Line “Away We Go”

By Dennis Hevesi The New York Times October 9, 2006

Elizabeth Allen, a leading actress on Broadway and in movies who got her start as the “Away we go!” girl on “The Jackie Gleason Show” in the 1950’s, died Sept. 19 in Fishkill, N.Y. She was 77.

The cause was kidney failure, her sister-in-law, Marion Gillease, said.

Ms. Allen played major roles in five Broadway shows and in six movies, appeared on numerous television shows, including “Kojak” and “Mannix,” and sang at the Stork Club in New York. She was twice nominated for Tony Awards: in 1962 for best featured actress in a musical in “The Gay Life,” and in 1965 for best actress in a musical in “Do I Hear a Waltz?”

Elizabeth Ellen Gillease was born on Jan. 25, 1929, in Jersey City, the daughter of Viola and Joseph Gillease. Her marriage in 1953 to a German baron, Karl von Vietinghoff-Scheel, ended in divorce. She left no immediate survivors.

As a teenager, Ms. Gillease, a tall, willowy brunette, was noticed by a photographer as she walked on Madison Avenue. That led to a five-year career as a fashion model. In 1953, she tried out for a bit part on the Gleason show and was chosen instead to introduce the program with what became its trademark proclamation, “And away we go!”

While on the Gleason show, Ms. Allen also worked as a costume designer for a production of “Hamlet” by the Helen Hayes Equity Group. One day, Ms. Allen recalled, Ms. Hayes noticed that she unwaveringly would watch every rehearsal and said to her, “I think you’re in the wrong end of the business.” Ms. Allen began playing roles with the company’s national touring troupe.

Her big break came on a Saturday night in October 1957. While working in an industrial show in Detroit, Ms. Allen received a phone call asking her to return to New York to read for the role of Juliet in the Peter Ustinov comedy “Romanoff and Juliet.” The show was scheduled to open in five days, but there had been difficulty with the actress cast as Juliet. Ms. Allen had been recommended by Jack Manning, the director of the Hayes touring troupe.

She flew to New York on a Sunday and read for Mr. Ustinov and the producer David Merrick on Monday. Wherever she went during the next three days, including while her hair was being dyed red, she was trailed by someone helping her memorize the script. On Thursday night, the show opened.

Ms. Allen’s Broadway roles and television appearances led to her Hollywood career. Among other major film roles, she played in “Diamond Head” with Charlton Heston, in “Donovan’s Reef” with John Wayne and in “From the Terrace” with Paul Newman.

In 1965, Ms. Allen received her best-actress Tony nomination for the role of Leona Samish in Richard Rodgers’s musical “Do I Hear a Waltz?,” about an American secretary seeking, but not quite finding, romance while on vacation in Venice.

“I hated being remembered as the ‘Away we go!’ girl,” Ms. Allen once said. “Now I love it, because so many people liked it. It’s flattering.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/09/arts/09allen-obit.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=obituaries&pagewanted=print

Cable Nielsen Notebook
Welcome Return for “Battlestar Galactica”
#1 Cable Series for the Night
(Sci Fi News Release)

'BATTLESTAR' SEASON 3 PREMIERE LEADS SCI FI TO TRIPLE-DIGIT RATINGS GAINS
'SCI FI Friday' Reasserts Dominance
Some perspective is probably in order:

Season 2 premiere
3.1M viewers
? A18-49
2.1M A25-54

Thanks Russ.

I feared some hanky-panky with the numbers since the press release only mentioned a comparison with the same time period last year.

3.1 million viewers down to 1.7 million is a gigantic drop-off.

(What was all that noise I’ve been making about how we are in the “Golden Age of TV”?)

TV Notebook
“Baywatch” Is Back
By Jim Benson Broadcasting & Cable 10/9/2006

Litton Entertainment and FremantleMedia North America will begin stripping reruns of Baywatch to stations starting in fall 2007.

All 109 hour-long episodes of the babes on the beach series will be offered for a three-year term on a straight barter basis.

Episodes will be available to broadcasters for use on both analog and digital tiers.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6379494

Just to clarify, 3.1M was the average for the season 2 premiere. The season 3 premiere averaged 2.2M.

The 1.7M figure is the line-up of shows from 7-11PM (Heroes, Who, and BSG).

Back in July of 2005 from 8PM to 11PM (SG-1, SG-A, BSG) the rating averages were as follows:

2.8M viewers
1.9M A25-54

It's not entirely a fair comparison since it's not including the 7PM hour, but you can estimate that on your own.

I personally think separating the networks three big shows (SG-1, SG-A and BSG) was a big mistake.

The New Season
“Law & Order: Criminal Intent”:
NBC bets against the “House”
By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Oct 10, 2006

“Law & Order: Criminal Intent” suffered greatly opposite “Desperate Housewives” for the past two years, with its adults 18-49 rating dipping nearly 30 percent. Even a cast shakeup did nothing to revive the show.

But this season “CI” has become one of NBC’s more pleasant surprises. Switched to a new Tuesday 9 p.m. timeslot, away from “Housewives” and paired with “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” at 10 p.m., the Dick Wolf show has bounced back up.

Last week “CI” won its timeslot with a 4.2 rating, up 31 percent over last season’s 3.2 average. The show also beat older-skewing “The Unit” on CBS among adults 25-54 and helped NBC challenge ABC for No. 1 on Tuesday night last week in both demos, despite disappointing ratings for the new series “Friday Night Lights.”

In addition to the timeslot shift, “CI” has also made yet more cast changes, and they could account for part of the bump. Annabelle Sciorra, who played Chris Noth’s partner, left and was replaced by Julianne Nicholson, one of the few good things about Wolf’s canceled spring 2006 drama “Conviction.” She already has chemistry with Noth.

“CI” also added Eric Bogosian to the cast as the new captain and dropped two other minor actors.

Tonight’s episode focuses on the murder of a New York firefighter who helped break up a hate crime. Nina Siemaszko guest stars as the firefighter’s wife, and Noth and Nicholson end up themselves brawling with the department.

Though “CI” has steadily built audience over the past three weeks, its biggest challenge comes at the end of the month, when Fox’s “House” returns from its baseball hiatus and moves from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays. If it doesn’t dip below 4.0, NBC should be quite happy.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_7775.asp

The New Season
Can Telcos Really Survive?
Liberty Media chief: Telecoms could take big hit in cable wars
By Leslie Cauley USA Today

NEW YORK — John Malone, the chairman of Liberty Media, says the coming cable-phone wars could turn out to be a bloodbath for AT&T and Verizon.

"Cable guys right now have a huge advantage," Malone told USA TODAY.

AT&T and Verizon are spending a bundle to recreate the wheel (cable TV) he says. If they're lucky, he adds, they'll wind up as the fourth provider in any given market — behind the cable incumbent and satellite carriers DirecTV and EchoStar's Dish Network.

He also says cable TV, unlike the new video technology being adopted by AT&T, is "mature" and understood, meaning it has few technical bugs.

And forget about trying to launch a surprise attack on cable. AT&T and Verizon must dig trenches to get their broadband networks built, he notes.

"Cable guys know where they're coming a year in advance," Malone says, "And they are well positioned to respond."

Connected to cable

It's no surprise that Malone supports cable. He helped to create and shape the industry, primarily at Tele-Communications Inc. which was the No. 1 cable operator in 1999 when he sold it to AT&T.

But Malone, who began his career as an engineer, says that cable operators — unlike phone companies — "only have to make expenditures as demand shows up."

Cable operators aren't taking any chances. They're racing to add voice to their service bundles. Some of the bigger cable operators also plan to offer wireless.

AT&T and Verizon are using vastly different technical solutions to get them into the video game.

AT&T, based in San Antonio, is using IPTV, short for "Internet Protocol TV." The technology has been used successfully for years in small deployments. But nobody has ever tried to scale an IPTV system for many customers.

Standing in lines

The problem? Nobody knows how IPTV will hold up under the strain of millions of simultaneous users.

That includes AT&T, which plans to launch its IPTV product — sold under the U-verse brand name — to 15 to 20 markets later this year.

Verizon is running fiber-optic lines straight to the home, giving it almost unlimited speed — 100 megabits per second or more — and capacity. (In the digital world, capacity is directly related to "data rates," or speed.)

Malone says both plans have advantages and pitfalls.

AT&T, he notes, is saving money by running broadband over its copper phone lines, which are being upgraded with digital subscriber line technology to make them high-performance. The network is expected to top out at about 40 megabits per second.

Malone says DSL isn't sufficient to handle "heavy video," particularly high-definition television, which eats up a lot of capacity. For that reason, primarily, he thinks AT&T could find itself in a tough spot once HDTV takes off.

DSL "makes AT&T competitive against cable for high-speed data" customers, Malone says. "But it doesn't get them into video in a meaningful way."

He also says the DSL plan will force AT&T to hang on to its 100-year-old copper network, which is "expensive to maintain."

Those costs are increasing as consumers continue to dump local phone service in favor of VoIP and wireless.

Chris Rice, executive vice president of network, planning and engineering for AT&T, says its DSL technology has plenty of capacity for video. He adds that AT&T can install other equipment to effectively double the speed — to 80 megabits per second — if it needs to later.

"We have all the bandwidth we need," he says flatly.

Rice also doesn't think AT&T's copper network is a problem. "Maybe he just doesn't understand how phone networks operate, or are maintained," he says.

Verizon's plan also has soft spots, Malone says.

On a positive note, he says Verizon's fiber-to-the home approach "is technically superior," in that it will leave Verizon with unlimited capacity and blinding speeds.

Who needs speed?

But he also thinks a lot of that muscle isn't worth the cost.

"It's like having an American car that can go 200 miles per hour when the speed limit is 65," he says. "You can sell those cars, because people have big egos, but it really doesn't matter."

In a statement prepared for USA TODAY, Verizon said: "We firmly believe speed, capacity and rich interactive services are killer capabilities that customers will increasingly demand and will find ways to use. In the final analysis, the market will decide the outcome."

Time is another critical issue, Malone says.

If Verizon hews to its plan, it will have to rewire every customer in its territory. That could take decades.

Malone says he hopes AT&T and Verizon stick it out.

"They haven't made any meaningful dent" in the video business, he says. "But I hope they do. They're great customers."

http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2006-10-09-malone-usat_x.htm

Canon to debut ultra-thin SED TV display technology in 2008

Oct 9, 2006 8:00 AM

Mass production of ultra-thin SED TV displays will begin in early 2008, Canon announced last week.

Canon and Toshiba created a joint venture in 2004 to produce surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED) panels. SEDs are thinner and consume less energy than LCD and plasma display panels — the technologies most commonly used for the current generation of flat-panel televisions.

Because of the steeply falling prices of flat panel TV sets, there had been some doubt whether SED technology would be commercially viable in the turbulent global TV marketplace; however, Kazunori Fukuma, president of the joint venture SED, said last week that SED production would start by the end of next year, with full-scale output beginning in 2008.

Last March, Canon and Toshiba delayed the launch of SED technology by more than a year to improve the cost competitiveness of the technology. Since then, analysts have expressed doubts that SED could survive in an environment of constant price erosion and exploding production capacity of competitive technologies.

http://broadcastengineering.com/products/canon_sed_tv_2008/