View Full Version : Hot Off The Press! The Latest Television News and Info
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
steverobertson
10-03-06, 01:05 PM
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
archiguy
10-03-06, 01:23 PM
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.
VisionOn
10-03-06, 02:22 PM
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.
flint350
10-03-06, 03:11 PM
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
Rakesh.S
10-03-06, 05:13 PM
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
SnakeEyes
10-03-06, 09:20 PM
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
flint350
10-03-06, 10:05 PM
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
DoubleDAZ
10-03-06, 10:13 PM
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.
DoubleDAZ
10-04-06, 09:17 AM
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.
Rakesh.S
10-04-06, 01:00 PM
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?
Al Shing
10-04-06, 07:18 PM
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
dad1153
10-04-06, 09:14 PM
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.
DoubleDAZ
10-04-06, 09:43 PM
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
DoubleDAZ
10-04-06, 10:17 PM
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. :)
Rakesh.S
10-04-06, 10:21 PM