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TV Review
'Sullivan & Son'
By Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The humor in TBS's Pittsburgh-set barroom sitcom "Sullivan & Son" alternates between broad-as-a-barn stereotypes and politically incorrect specific. That's an odd mix. But with a diverse cast of characters that includes several scene-stealing sitcom veterans, "Sullivan" is certainly more watchable than TBS's earlier summer effort, the desultory "Men at Work."

Debuting at 10 p.m. Thursday, "Sullivan & Son" begins as Steve Sullivan (former Pittsburgher Steve Byrne) returns home to Pittsburgh from New York, where he works as a corporate attorney. His girlfriend of eight months is in tow -- literally and figuratively. Ashley is a snobby caricature who can't open her mouth without insulting Steve's hometown. She complains there's no Starbucks in his old neighborhood and complains again when her coffee costs only $1.

"Coffee's supposed to cost $4. That's how you know it's good," she reasons. Clearly Ashley is smothering Steve with talk of marriage and his career prospects. But that's not enough to signal she's wrong for him so the premiere episode, written by Mr. Byrne and executive producer Rob Long ("Cheers"), goes for the same joke over and over.

"I want to be around people who are sophisticated, who are plugged in, who eat Ethiopian food but aren't Ethiopian," she says. Taken on their own, each bit of Ashley-is-a-snob evidence is funny, but slathered one on top of each other, it's a bit much. We get it, she's not a Yinzer!

Of course, some Pittsburgh viewers might complain none of the show's supposed Pittsburghers are true Yinzers either. None of the characters speak with a Pittsburgh accent (there's no talk of going "dahntahn") but the show's politically incorrect tone and blue collar vibe make up for this deficiency.

The pilot works its way up to the proposition that Steve will move back home and take over Sullivan & Son, the family bar run by his father, Jack (Dan Lauria, "The Wonder Years"), who is ready to retire and sell the bar to fund his retirement with Steve's mom, Ok Cha (Jodi Long, "All-American Girl").

Along the way, viewers meet the bar's regulars, including slutty DMV clerk Carol (Christine Ebersole, "The Cavanaughs") and gruff, a-little-bit-racist Hank (Brian Doyle Murray, "Groundhog Day").

It's Hank who gets the most politically incorrect showcase in the "Sullivan" premiere when he offers a toast to Jack that manages to offend a multitude of racial, ethnic and religious groups in the course of praising the aging barkeeper for managing to bring them all together at Sullivan & Son (imagine a South Side corner bar).

This moment is both the most shocking and the most honest. Hank doesn't mean to be gleefully offensive. He just is. The show seems to be on Hank's side -- stick-in-the-mud Ashley condemns his "hate speech" -- but the writers don't completely let him off the hook. When he suggests the bar's diverse denizens are united to "keep the Mexicans out," the camera zooms in on two Hispanic regulars who are already there.

"I thought you were Indians," ignorant Hank says.

"Sullivan & Son" makes a game effort to get regional details right and mostly succeeds with a WDVE sticker on the jukebox, characters clad in Penguins gear and even an accurate Allegheny County Health Department logo in episode two. But the miscues also stand out, like when a cop refers to "the 79," inspired, no doubt by Southern Californians' tendency to put "the" before any Interstate number ("the 405," "the 10," etc.).

"Sullivan & Son" is no instant TV classic, but its reinterpretation of a place where everyone knows your name is outrageous enough to bear watching.

http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/ae/tv-radio/tuned-in-sullivan-son-644759/

TV Notes
Hulu To Stream UK's Foul-Mouthed Comedy 'The Thick of It' Uncensored
By Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter - Jul. 18, 2012

Hulu’s expansion into the originals space continues with the five-year-old service’s first international co-production.

In its bid to have value outside of the streaming repeats business, Hulu has inked a deal with the BBC to co-produce the fourth season of Armando Iannucci's foul-mouthed political U.K. comedy The Thick of It. Beginning July 29, Hulu and Hulu Plus will become the exclusive U.S. destination for viewers looking for the first three seasons as well as the series’ two specials that had been released between seasons. Additionally, Hulu will air the fourth season day-and-date with the U.K. broadcast, which will run before the series returns to BBC America, where it is bleeped, early next year.

"I very quickly became obsessed with this show, and it is exactly the kind of show Hulu viewers will love," said Hulu SVP of content Andy Forssell, who has been vocal about Hulu’s desire to have “beloved” rather than “beliked” shows as he’s courting cult-like audiences. (As he told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview earlier this year, a little-watched darling like Community, which Hulu acquired for digital syndication, is more appealing to the company than a mass-appeal hit like Two and a Half Men.)

Added BBC Worldwide Americas EVP sales and co-productions Matt Forde of the acclaimed series that takes a satirical look at the inner workings of British government: “We are excited to have partnered with Hulu for the co-production of the fourth season of The Thick of It and to make the entire show available to their users. With the hilarious satirical storylines, the series is ideal for Hulu’s audience which enjoys cutting-edge comedy television.”

The Thick of It marks Hulu's latest foray into the U.K.'s community of cult favorites. The company has inked exclusive pacts for Channel 4's Misfits, the BBC's Rev. and Whites. This series, a BBC in-house production in association with Hulu that follows the buffoonish goings-on in the fictional Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship (DoSAC), is written by Tony Roche, Simon Blackwell, Ian Martin, Will Smith, Roger Drew andSean Gray, with additional material written byDavid Quantick, Dan Gaster, Georgia Pritchett and Rob Colley. Adam Tandy will serve as a producer, with Freeland and Forssell on board as EPs.

The news comes just days after Forsell announced Hulu would become home to Larry King’s new talk show, Larry King Now, which airs nightly half-hour installments on the site. Both projects join a growing cadre of Hulu originals, including Richard Linklater's Up to Speed with tour guide Timothy “Speed” Levitch, a Morgan Spurlock docuseries entitled A Day in the Life and a political campaign dramedy called Battleground.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hulu-stream-uks-foul-mouthed-351169

TV/Business Notes
Denied Nickelodeon, DirecTV’s Youngest Clients Find Substitutes
By Brian Stelter, The New York Times - Jul. 19, 2012

Threats of television programming blackouts have become begrudgingly accepted by adults who know what these financial fights are all about.

But children accustomed to their daily dose of SpongeBob SquarePants are proving to be a bit more restless.

For the second week, Nickelodeon and its two smaller siblings Nick Jr. and Nicktoons, owned by Viacom, have disappeared from DirecTV’s lineup, affecting would-be viewers across the country.

The two companies have not been able to agree on the amount of money that Viacom should receive from DirecTV for a bundle of its channels, including Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central.

For the Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, the Hub and Sprout, it is the equivalent of a baby boom after a hurricane or a snowstorm. After all, while adults may have 500 channels at home, children only have a handful to choose from.

“The first two days were rough on my toddler,” Mary Pedone Howard wrote on the Facebook wall for Viacom, where hundreds have posted angry rants against the company (and against DirecTV). Now, though, when it is TV time, she said her daughter asks for the Disney Channel instead. “Leave it to a 3-year-old to show mom that adaptation is a great thing,” she wrote.

It will take months to determine whether there are long-term effects to this “forced sampling,” as another irritated parent, Brian Chisholm, called it on Facebook.

First, the blackout has to end, and on Wednesday, there was no new sign of light. On Wednesday afternoon Derek Chang, an executive vice president of DirecTV, said that “we’re exchanging ideas” with Viacom in “multiple calls every day.” But Denise Denson, his counterpart at Viacom, said in a telephone interview a few minutes later that the two companies were at an impasse. Her daily calls with Mr. Chang, she said, are short and insubstantial. “We don’t see an end in sight to the blackout,” she said.

Blackouts of cable channels are rare, and when they do happen, they tend to be resolved within hours, not days.

“I’ve never seen a situation like this. The outage has lasted so long and it’s so broad,” said Sandy Wax, the president of Sprout, a channel for children backed by NBCUniversal and the Public Broadcasting Service. DirecTV made Sprout, which was already available to most of its subscribers, available to all after the blackout started.

“We don’t relish this happening to anyone,” Ms. Wax said in an interview. But “the idea that more customers are going to be able to sample us,” she admitted, “that’s a positive for us.”

She added, “Hopefully they’ll come back after all the dust settles.”

About 2.5 million people are typically watching Viacom’s children’s channels at any given time, according to Nielsen. The flagship Nickelodeon started to see a drop-off in viewership late last year, causing alarm at the highest levels of Viacom. The reasons for the declines continue to be debated, with some citing a lack of new hit shows and others blaming the Web streaming of shows like “SpongeBob SquarePants.” But it is clear that the dispute with DirecTV has deepened the channel’s ratings decline.

On July 10, the day before the blackout started, 1.76 million viewers were watching Nick during the day, according to Nielsen. On July 11, that average dropped to 1.23 million, a drop of 30 percent overnight. DirecTV distributes TV to about 20 percent of the households in America that pay for cable or satellite TV.

The Disney Channel, which had already been gaining on Nickelodeon, seemingly picked up some of the disappearing audience, though it is hard to draw a direct connection between the DirecTV blackout and the Disney gains.

“Disney has been gaining share, anyway,” Todd Juenger, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Company, wrote in a note to investors on Tuesday. “Certainly some percentage of kids (and moms/decision makers) will get hooked on Disney programming and stay with it.”

In the first six months of the year, the Disney Channel had about 1.64 million viewers at any given time. In the first five days of the DirecTV blackout of Viacom programming, it had about 2.27 million viewers.

Smaller channels for children have seen sharp gains, as well. The Hub, a relatively small player in the space co-owned by Discovery Communications and Hasbro, had about 88,000 viewers at any given time earlier this year, and about 159,000 viewers since the blackout took effect. Sprout had about 153,000 viewers before the blackout, and about 264,000 since.

A few days after the blackout began, DirecTV announced carriage of another channel for children, Disney Junior. Representatives for Disney declined interview requests on Wednesday. But they were more than happy to share ratings data about the success of their channels.

Mr. Chang, too, noted in an interview that “Disney is obviously gaining quite a bit from Nick.” DirecTV has helped, by replacing Nickelodeon in its lineup with interactive links to alternative channels for children. “A lot of viewers are saying, ‘I found stuff I didn’t know existed, and this is great,’ ” Mr. Chang said.

Ms. Denson of Viacom said she was not surprised that Nickelodeon and the other channels had sagged in recent days. “In the short term, we will endure ratings issues,” she said. “But in the long term, DirecTV will endure long-term asset loss from customers leaving or customers never coming on in the first place.”

Maybe, maybe not. In the meantime, just try explaining a corporate spat to a 5-year-old.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/19/business/media/dispute-with-directv-aids-viacoms-rivals-in-childrens-programming.html?_r=1&ref=media

Let them eat cake! Other than "Futurama" and "The Daily Show," I'm not missing a thing. Good riddance to the rest of the Viacom (MTV) trash.

It amazes me how Leslie Nielsen is remembered only as a comedy actor now. Until Airplane Hollywood only saw him as a leading man type. It took the Zuckers a lot of arm twisting to get the studio to go along with their choice of Nielsen in that role and the only way they got him was to have him play the character as straight leading man dead pane comedy (and geniusly too!) which he and then Barbara Billingsly (with her "jive talking") stole the movie. I remember sitting in the theatre watching Nielsen's performance in Airplane and not believing what I was seeing. We had never seen this side of him on screen. Didn't know he could even play it! I don't think Nielsen played another straight man leading man character ever again going on to the Police Squad series/movies. Point is, he had a really good run as a leading man BEFORE Airplane. Where do people think his leading man persona during the "dating" scenes with Priscilla Pressely came from in the first Police Squad movie? That is what sold that whole sequence.

The man was multi-talented. Too bad he is typecast as just a comedy actor. His body of work proves much more. Forbidden Planet being just one small piece.

What I found off-putting was their decision not to cast Marilu Henner - the person on whom the show was based, ferpetesake - as the star [of 'Unforgetable']. What were they thinking? She's a terrific actress and is still a good looking woman. But they felt they needed someone younger and hotter for the demo I suppose.

The other advantage to casting Marilu is she never, ever forgets her lines. In any event, if they had cast her instead, this procedural-hater would probably have tuned in just to see the "real deal" do what she does.

He was the nicest man you'd ever want to meet as well. I spotted him in a bar once when he was in Charlotte to do one of those celebrity golf tournaments and he bought me a beer! (which automatically gets you on my "favorite people" list ). He told me 'Police Squad' was the most fun he'd ever had in the business but "America just wasn't ready for it." (his exact words).

Then the next day he beaned one of my buddies with a golf ball. True story.

He skippered a celebrity softball team I played on. He spent more time chatting with fans than paying attention to the game, which was funny. We pretended to be upset at an umpire call.. that caught his attention and he ran out to do a mock "screaming match" with the ump ...who was baffled as nothing had really happened. He's kicking dirt and throwing stuff and everybody is howling.

Afterwards, he posed for photos with all these old ladies who came to see him. Had a fart-sound device palmed in his hand. He'd stand next to them, smile and squeeze that fart machine. Got the strangest looks from the women who were trying hard to pretend they didn't hear it. G o l d e n. Loved him.

It was known in Hollywood he was a great joker. Loved practical jokes and was the life of the party. The moguls on the other hand knew he could deliver as a serious actor and they didn't want to mess that up and fought at every turn to keep him in that role. He was a true comedic genus and there is no telling how many great performances we missed over the years because of his leading man looks and performances. But once the public got to see his comedic side, there was no turning back. I am glad we got to see both sides of the man. He sure has a body of work that is outstanding in anyone's book.

I was never a fan of slapstick comedies, but for some reason, I've always loved Leslie's films, thought he and they were hilarious. Just something about that guy.

WEDNESDAY's fast affiliate overnight prime-time ratings -and what they mean- have been posted on Analyst Marc Berman's Media Insight's Blog

Nielsen Overnights (18-49)
Fox wins fourth straight night with ‘Dance’
Averages a 1.8 in 18-49s, down 10 percent from last week
By Toni Fitzgerald, Media Life Magazine - Jul. 19, 2012

Fox won its fourth straight night with a big helping of "So You Think You Can Dance."

"Dance" wasn't the night's highest-rated show, but it did give the network the night's most consistent performance.

"Dance" averaged a 1.8 adults 18-49 rating from 8 to 10 p.m., according to Nielsen, down 10 percent from last week.

The decline was likely from the increase in competition. CBS's "Big Brother" made its Wednesday debut yesterday, and it finished in a tie for first on the night with NBC's "America's Got Talent."

"Brother" and "Talent" averaged a 1.9 apiece at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., respectively, though both represented season lows for the shows.

Fox was first for the night among 18-49s with a 1.8 average overnight rating and a 6 share. Univision was second at 1.5/5, CBS third at 1.4/4, NBC fourth at 1.3/4, ABC fifth at 1.2/4, Telemundo sixth at 0.6/2 and CW seventh at 0.3/1.

As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback, which includes shows replayed before 3 a.m. the night before. Seven-day DVR data won't be available for several weeks. Forty-four percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.

CBS started the night in the lead with a 1.9 at 8 p.m. for "Brother," followed by Fox with a 1.8 for "Dance." Univision was third with a 1.3 for "Por Ella Soy Eva," NBC fourth with a 0.9 for reruns of "Betty White's Off Their Rockers" and "Up All Night," ABC fifth with a 0.8 for repeats of "The Middle" and "Suburgatory," Telemundo sixth with a 0.6 for "Una Maid en Manhattan" (0.7) and "Rosa Diamante" (0.5), and CW seventh with a 0.3 for a repeat of "America's Next Top Model."

NBC moved to first at 9 p.m. with a 1.9 for "Talent," while Fox remained second with a 1.8 for more "Dance." ABC and Univision tied for third at 1.5, ABC for repeats of "Modern Family" and Univision for "Abismo de Pasion," with CBS fifth with a 1.0 for a repeat of "Criminal Minds," Telemundo sixth with a 0.5 for "Corazon Valiente" and CW seventh with a 0.3 for more "Top Model."

Univision led at 10 p.m. with a 1.7 for "La Que No Podia Amar," with ABC second with a 1.2 for "Final Witness." CBS and NBC tied for third at 1.1, CBS for a repeat of "CSI" and NBC for a rerun of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," and Telemundo was fifth with a 0.8 for "Pablo Escobar: El Patron del Mal."

Among households, CBS finished first for the night with a 3.6 average overnight rating and a 6 share. NBC was second at 3.4/6, Fox third at 3.1/5, ABC fourth at 2.6/4, Univision fifth at 1.9/3, Telemundo sixth at 0.9/2 and CW seventh at 0.6/1.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/fox-wins-fourth-straight-night-with-dance/

TV Notes
Sorkin cleaning the "Newsroom"
Head scribe dumping writers
By Soo Youn, TheDaily.com - Jul. 19, 2012

Aaron Sorkin has been doing press all week defending his critically-panned HBO show, “The Newsroom,” but behind the scenes he's cleaning house.

Most of the writers on the cable drama about a Keith Olbermann-type television news demagogue have been fired, sources with knowledge of the show told The Daily. "They're not coming back, except for Sorkin's ex-girlfriend [Corinne Kinsbury]," one source said. [Sorkin is currently dating "Sex and the City" actress Kristin Davis.]

The show was renewed early for a second season and it's unclear how many writers will replace the departing staff.

In the mostly collaborative world of TV, Sorkin is famously known for penning most the scripts himself, and "The Newsroom" had a smaller writers' room than most TV shows with less than 10 credited writers. It's not uncommon on other TV series run by powerful showrunners to turn over staff.

"Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner is known to replace scripters every season, sometimes right after they turn in an episode.

“I create these shows so that I can write them,” Sorkin told Vanity Fair in the May issue. “I’m not an empire builder. I’m not interested in just producing. All I want to do is write. I came up as a playwright — writing is something you do by yourself in a room."

“That said, I couldn’t possibly write the show without that room full of people. I go in there, and we kick around ideas. I’m writing about all kinds of things I don’t know anything about. So they do research for me,” the Oscar-winner added.

A rep for HBO told The Daily, "Every year each show reassesses the needs of its writing staffs. This process is nothing out of the ordinary."

http://www.thedaily.com/page/2012/07/19/071912-ent-sorkin-newsroom/

TV Notes
Fred Willard dropped from 'Market Warriors' following arrest
By Will Morley, EW.com's 'Inside TV' Blog - Jul. 19, 2012

Fred Willard will no longer be part of Market Warriors following his arrest on suspicion of a lewd public act Wednesday night, the producers confirmed Thursday. In an official statement dictated to EW, Boston public television station WGBH said:

“Given the unfortunate news reported today, effective immediately Fred Willard no longer will be involved with the Market Warriors series.”

All previous and un-aired episodes featuring Willard’s narration will now be redubbed by Antiques Roadshow host Mark L. Walberg.

Willard, 72, is best known for his deadpan delivery in numerous Christopher Guest comedies including Best in Show and for his Emmy nominated appearances on TV’s Modern Family.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/07/19/fred-willard-dropped-from-market-warriors-following-arrest/

TV Notes
Al Franken’s ‘SNL’ partner dies
By Ciny Clark, USA Today - Jul. 19, 2012

Remember the Saturday Night Live "Coneheads" skit with Dan Aykroyd? And Bill Murray as "Nick the Lounge Singer"?

Tom Davis, the man who co-wrote many of SNL's classic skits with Al Franken, died on Thursday in New York. He was 59.

His wife, Mimi Raleigh, says he died of throat and neck cancer at his home in the Hudson Valley, north of New York City, reports the AP. He was diagnosed in 2009.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2012/07/al-frankens-snl-partner-dies/1

Emmy Notes
'Mad Men' and 'American Horror Story' Lead as Big 4 Networks Shut Out in Drama Race
By Tim Molloy, TheWrap.com - Jul. 19, 2012

Emmy favorite "Mad Men" and grisly new series "American Horror Story" led the Emmy nominations with 17 each Thursday as cable and PBS shut out the broadcast networks in the Outstanding Drama Series race for the first time in Emmy history.

"Boardwalk Empire," "Breaking Bad," "Downton Abbey," "Game of Thrones," "Homeland" and "Mad Men" were nominated for the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy. AMC's "Mad Men," a four-time winner in the category, would set a record with a fifth win.

The Outstanding Comedy Series nominees were "The Big Bang Theory," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Girls," "Modern Family," "30 Rock" and "Veep."

Showtime's new "Homeland" joined the drama category for the first time, as did PBS' "Downton Abbey," which moved over from the movie or miniseries category, where it competed last year. "Breaking Bad" returned to the category after not airing in the eligibility period last year. They bumped "Dexter" and "The Good Wife," which were nominated last year. (Another drama nominated last year, "Friday Night Lights," ended its run with that season.)

The exit of CBS' "The Good Wife" from this year's nominees made it a cable and public television sweep of the drama category.

FX's "American Horror Story," like "Abbey," benefited from choosing its category wisely. It could have entered as a drama, but instead competed as a movie or miniseries -- even though it will return for a second season. "American Horror Story" was nominated for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie along with HBO's "Game Change" and "Hemingway & Gellhorn," History's "Hatfields & McCoys," BBC America's "Luther" and PBS's "Sherlock: A Scandal In Belgravia (Masterpiece)."

"Glee," "Parks and Recreation" and "The Office" were all bumped from the comedy category after being nominated last year. "Curb," which didn't air in the eligibility period last year, returned. Two other HBO shows, the new "Girls" and "Veep," which aired back-to-back last season, also joined the category. That meant HBO owned half of the entries in the comedy race.

Cable's dominating the drama category and half of the comedy category continued a long trend of Emmy voters favoring premium cable networks over the networks. HBO had the most nods this year with 81, followed by CBS with 60 and PBS with 58.

"Girls" creator and star Lena Dunham landed a nomination for best lead comedic actress, as did Julia Louis-Dreyfus for "Veep." Zooey Deschanel was another new addition to the category for Fox's "New Girl." Returning nominees included Amy Poehler ("Parks") and past winners Tina Fey ("30 Rock") and Edie Falco ("Nurse Jackie.")

In one of the biggest shakeups, NBC's "The Voice" bumped "American Idol" from the Outstanding Reality-Competition Program category -- which CBS's "The Amazing Race" wins almost every year.

Among other surprises were the posthumous supporting dramatic actress nod for Kathryn Joosten for her portrayal of the ornery Mrs. McCluskey on ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and Don Cheadle's outstanding comedic actor nomination for his work as a morally flexible management consultant on Showtime's new "House of Lies."

Joining Cheadle in the lead comedic actor category were returning nominees Larry David ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), Louis C.K. (FX's "Louie") and past winner Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock.") Jon Cryer, a past winner in the supporting actor category for CBS's "Two and a Half Men," was nominated for lead this time around.

"Homeland" star Claire Danes picked up a nomination in the dramatic lead actress category, as did Michelle Dockery for "Downton Abbey." They joined previous nominees Kathy Bates (NBC's "Harry's Law"), Elisabeth Moss ("Mad Men") and past winners Glenn Close (FX's "Damages") and Julianna Margulies ("The Good Wife").

"Homeland" star Damian Lewis and "Downton Abbey" star Hugh Bonneville were newcomers to the lead dramatic actor category. They joined three-time "Breaking Bad" winner Bryan Cranston, as well as Steve Buscemi ("Boardwalk Empire"), Michael C. Hall ("Dexter") and Jon Hamm ("Mad Men.")

Two "Breaking Bad" stars broke into the supporting categories for the first time: Anna Gunn was nominated for best supporting dramatic actress and Giancarlo Esposito was nominated as best supporting dramatic actor.

"Scandal" star Kerry Washington and Emmys host Jimmy Kimmel announced the 64th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards nominees Thursday morning, along with Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Chairman-CEO Bruce Rosenblum.

Kimmel, dressed in pajamas, filled in for "Parks and Recreation" star Nick Offerman, who had been scheduled to announce the nominees with Washington. That meant Kimmel was on hand when his own show, "Jimmy Kimmel Live," was nominated for the first time as Outstanding Variety Series.

Kimmel jokingly explained Offerman's absence to "Good Morning America": "They said he had a travel problem of some kind. Which usually means drugs."

In fact, Offerman's plans were disrupted by heavy rain on the East Coast.

http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/emmys-nominations-2012-mad-men-homeland-breaking-bad-downton-abbey-boardwalk-empire

* * * *

Emmy Notes
'Mad Men,' 'American Horror Story' Tie for Most Nominations

"American Horror Story" and "Mad Men" tied for the most Emmy nominations Thursday with 17 each. Here's a list of the most-nominated shows.

17 Nominations
"American Horror Story"
"Mad Men"

16 Nominations
"Downton Abbey"
"Hatfields & McCoys"

15 Nominations
"Hemingway & Gellhorn"

14 Nominations
"Modern Family"
"Saturday Night Live"

13 Nominations
"Breaking Bad"
"Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (Masterpiece)"
"30 Rock"

12 Nominations
"Boardwalk Empire"
"Game Change"

11 Nominations
"Game of Thrones"

9 Nominations
"Homeland"

http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/emmys-nominations-2012-mad-men-homeland-breaking-bad-downton-abbey-boardwalk-empire

Emmy Notes
Emmy Nominations 2012: Full List
By ABCNews.com - Jul. 19, 2012

The nominations for the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards were announced in Los Angeles this morning. Read on to see if your favorite shows made the cut:

Best Comedy Series

"The Big Bang Theory"
"Curb Your Enthusiasm"
"Girls"
"Modern Family"
"30 Rock"
"Veep"

Best Actress in a Comedy Series

Zooey Deschanel, "New Girl"
Lena Dunham, "Girls"
Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"
Tina Fey, "30 Rock"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"
Melissa McCarthy, "Mike & Molly"
Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation"

Best Actor in a Comedy Series

Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"
Don Cheadle, "House of Lies"
Louis C.K., "Louie"
Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men"
Larry David, "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory"

Supporting Actor, Comedy Series

Ed O'Neill, "Modern Family"
Jesse Tyler Ferguson, "Modern Family"
Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"
Max Greenfield, "New Girl"
Bill Hader, "Saturday Night Live"

Supporting Actress, Comedy Series

Mayim Bialik, "The Big Bang Theory"
Kathryn Joosten, "Desperate Housewives"
Julie Bowen, "Modern Family"
Sofia Vergara, "Modern Family"
Merritt Wever, "Nurse Jackie"
Kristen Wiig, "Saturday Night Live"

Best Drama Series

"Boardwalk Empire"
"Breaking Bad"
"Downton Abbey"
"Game of Thrones"
"Homeland"
"Mad Men"

Best Actress in a Drama Series

Kathy Bates, "Harry's Law"
Glenn Close, "Damages"
Claire Danes, "Homeland"
Michelle Dockery, "Downton Abbey"
Julianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"
Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men"

Best Actor in a Drama Series

Hugh Bonneville, "Downton Abbey"
Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire"
Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"
Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"
Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"
Damian Lewis, "Homeland"

Supporting Actor, Drama Series

Aaron Paul, "Breaking Bad"
Giancarlo Esposito, "Breaking Bad"
Brendan Coyle, "Downton Abbey"
Peter Dinklage, "Game of Thrones"
Jared Harris, "Mad Men"

Supporting Actress, Drama Series

Anna Gunn, "Breaking Bad"
Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey"
Joanne Froggatt, "Downton Abbey"
Archie Panjabi, "The Good Wife"
Christina Hendricks, "Mad Men"

Best Miniseries or Movie

"American Horror Story"
"Game Change"
"Hatfields & McCoys"
"Hemingway & Gellhorn"
"Luther"
"Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (Masterpiece)"

Best Actress Miniseries or Movie

Connie Britton, "American Horror Story"
Ashey Judd, "Missing"
Nicole Kidman, "Hemingway & Gellhorn"
Julianne Moore, "Game Change"
Emma Thompson, "The Song Of Lunch (Masterpiece)"

Best Actor in a Miniseries or Movie

Kevin Costner, "Hatfields & McCoys"
Benedict Cumberbatch, "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (Masterpiece)"
Idris Elba, "Luther"
Woody Harrelson, "Game Change"
Clive Owen, "Hemingway & Gellhorn"
Bill Paxton, "Hatfields & McCoys"

Supporting Actor, Miniseries or Movie

Denis O'Hare, "American Horror Story"
Ed Harris, "Game Change"
Tom Berenger, "Hatfields & McCoys"
David Strathairn, "Hemingway & Gellhorn"
Martin Freeman, "Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia (Masterpiece)"

Supporting Actress, Miniseries or Movie

Frances Conroy, "American Horror Story"
Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story"
Sarah Paulson, "Game Change"
Mare Winningham, "Hatfields & McCoys"
Judy Davis, "Page Eight (Masterpiece)"

Outstanding Animated Program

"American Dad!"
"Bob's Burgers "
"Futurama "
"The Penguins Of Madagascar: The Return Of The Revenge Of Dr. Blowhole"
"The Simpsons"

Outstanding Host: Reality-Competition Program

Tom Bergeron, "Dancing With the Stars"
Cat Deeley, "So You Think You Can Dance"
Phil Keoghan, "The Amazing Race"
Ryan Seacrest, "American Idol"
Betty White, "Betty White's Off Their Rockers"

Reality-Competition Program

"The Amazing Race"'
"Dancing with the Stars"
"Project Runway"
"So You Think You Can Dance"
"Top Chef"
"The Voice"

Reality Program

"Antiques Roadshow"
"Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution"
"MythBusters"
"Undercover Boss"
"Who Do You Think You Are?"

Variety Series

"The Colbert Report"
"The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"
"Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
"Late Night With Jimmy Fallon"
"Real Time With Bill Maher"
"Saturday Night Live"

Children's Program

"Degrassi"
"Good Luck Charlie"
"iCarly"
"Victorious"
"Wizards Of Waverly Place"

The 64th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be presented Sept. 23 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/emmy-nominations-2012-full-list/story?id=16806210

American Horror Story was a mini-series? The hell?

They got a lot right, and there's some wrong, like no Southland and no Community, but how in the hell does Hugh Laurie not get nominated for House? I'm not even a huge House fan (seen some episodes), but he's never won an Emmy, and now he's not even nominated when the series is over? Seriously? Wow...

^^^ Look at the nominated shows in the 'Best Drama' category, and then look at the other nominees in 'Best Mini-Series'; that's why "American Horror Story's" producers chose to submit their show as a mini-series.

This season was terrible, that's why. Martin Sheen never won for The West Wing. It's an extremely tough category to break into. Unlike, apparently, Best Comedy, where the most money wins. Warner Bros. bought nearly every nomination. No Parks & Rec, Community, or Louie is a joke.

Critic's Notes
Bianculli's Best Bets
By David Bianculli, TVWorthWatching.com - Jul. 20, 2012

2012 BRITISH OPEN GOLF
ESPN, 5:00 a.m. ET
After one day of competition, the name of Tiger Woods is on the first page of the leader board at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. That simple fact means a larger audience for today’s coverage of Round 2, which is televised live in the wee hours of the morning, and replayed at 3 p.m. ET for those who can’t abide the time-zone time shift.

DIRTY HARRY
AMC, 6:00 p.m. ET
AMC presents a double feature of movies featuring Clint Eastwood’s iconic “Dirty Harry” Callahan. First up: This 1971 titular showcase, followed at 8:15 p.m. ET by 1973’s Magnum Force. Eastwood fans should feel very fortunate, considering what a slow TV night this is. So the question is: Are you an Eastwood fan, and do you feel fortunate? Or, to put it Harry’s way: Do you feel lucky, punk? Well, do you?

MOYERS & COMPANY
Public Television, Check local listings
This weekend’s installment features journalist Chris Hedges, who discusses out-of-the-way places where people are trapped in cycles of endless despair. And I never even was asked to sign a release form. Moyers & Company airs from Friday to Sunday on local public TV stations; to find it in your local area, click HERE.

BATMAN BEGINS
FX, 8:00 p.m. ET
At the stroke of midnight, the third Batman movie directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale hit theaters nationwide. For those who aren’t going tonight, one of TV’s alternatives is this first Nolan Caped Crusader effort, detailing the origin of the so-called Dark Knight.

THE DARK KNIGHT
TNT, 8:00 p.m. ET
Holy conflict, Batman! On the very day The Dark Knight Rises opens in theaters, and at the same exact time the first film in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy is shown on another cable network, TNT presents the second film in the series. This one, from 2008 – and the one that captured one of the final performances by Heath Ledger, as a very making Joker. Christian Bale stars.

http://www.tvworthwatching.com/

Business Notes
Fight with DirecTV creates headaches for Viacom on Madison Avenue
By Joe Flint, Los Angeles Times - Jul. 20, 2012

With its ratings in free fall because its programming is no longer available on DirecTV, Viacom's kids channel Nickelodeon is having to provide frustrated advertisers extra commercials to make up for its shrinking audience.

“I’d be lying to you if I said clients haven’t contacted us and said what’s our game plan,” said Shelly Hirsch, CEO Beacon Media, an advertising firm that specializes in children’s TV and has almost 50 clients on the network. “I wish this thing settles quickly; we do a lot of business with Nickelodeon.”

Since DirecTV stopped carrying Nickelodeon in its roughly 20 million homes July 10, ratings have dropped more than 20%. Last weekend was particularly brutal as Nickelodeon's total day audience was down 56% on Friday, 44% on Saturday and 45% on Sunday.

“It’s not surprising that the ratings are down given the size of DirecTV," said Denise Denson, Viacom's executive vice president of content distribution.

Typically advertising is sold with a ratings guarantee and when the guarantee isn't met than the network provides additional advertising or so-called make-goods to cover the gap between what was promised and what was delivered. That doesn't mean there are more commercials on a network that are in make-good mode. Networks usually hold some commercial inventory back for such situations.

One thing working in Nickelodeon’s favor on Madison Avenue is that its biggest rival Disney Channel doesn’t carry advertising. While other channels such as Cartoon Network, Hub and Sprout could pick off some advertising, none have the power of Nickelodeon with or without DirecTV.

“I don’t think people will pull the panic button unless this goes on for two weeks,” said Jason Maltby, a media buyer with Mindshare.

Because Nickelodeon has such a niche audience, it is easy to determine which channels are picking up disgruntled DirecTV subscribers. Besides Disney Channel and Disney Jr. The Hub, Cartoon Network and Sprout have all seen their numbers grow.

Viacom’s other channels including MTV, Comedy Central and VH1 are also taking hits in their ratings but it is too soon to determine if ratings growth at other outlets can be attributed to the DirecTV spat.

“It’s not as easy to say MTV’s ratings are down and this channel got that audience,” Maltby said.

At the moment, DirecTV and Viacom are not negotiating a new deal. On Wednesday afternoon, Viacom said it was walking away from talks with DirecTV charging that the satellite broadcaster had rejected numerous proposals and was not interested in making a deal.

DirecTV countered that it was prepared to accept an offer earlier in the week when at the last moment Viacom attempted to broaden the deal by including distribution of its premium movie channel Epix.

Viacom responded that it has offered deals to DirecTV with and without Epix.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-madisonave-20120719,0,1753423.story

TV Notes
Hearst TV, Time Warner Cable End Viewer Blackout
"Unnecessary" 10 day stalemate between broadcaster and cable operator over
By Michael Malone, Broadcasting & Cable - Jul. 19, 2012

Hearst Television and Time Warner Cable have worked out a retransmission consent deal and ended their blackout. The Hearst Television stations pulled their signals from Time Warner Cable systems at midnight on July 10.

"We appreciate the support and patience of our viewers, advertisers and local communities served by our stations, and we regret the inconvenience they've experienced over the past 10 days," said Hearst Television President and CEO David Barrett. "This process has been an important step to insure the ongoing vitality of our local TV service in communities across the country."

Hearst's affected stations included KITV Honolulu, WCVB Boston and WLKY Louisville.

"We have reached a long-term agreement with Hearst Television and our customers can expect their signals to be restored to our cable systems shortly," said TWC in a statement. "We thank our customers for their patience and their willingness to stick with us through another unnecessary broadcaster blackout."

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/487486-Hearst_TV_Time_Warner_Cable_End_Viewer_Blackout.php

Critic's (Emmy) Notes
Can Broadcast Networks Ever Compete Again in the Emmys?
By Josef Adalian, Vulture.com (New York Magazine) - Jul. 18, 2012

A lot of TV fans were happy about today's Emmy nominations, including us here at Vulture HQ. So many good shows getting big kudos! But for some who work at the big broadcast networks, the initial assessment of which shows got honored was a bit less enthusiastic. Emmy voters dissed the works of ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox in spectacular fashion, shutting out the Big Four in the best drama series category, and virtually ignoring them in the drama acting categories. And while monster hits Modern Family and The Big Bang Theory got healthy Emmy love, the comedy categories were also heavy on shows with relatively small audiences (30 Rock, Parks and Recreation). How small did Emmy go? If you combined the same-day audiences for all six nominated series in the best drama category this year, you'd still have fewer viewers than watched a typical episode of CBS's NCIS.

No wonder several network suits we rang up Thursday were quick to lament the increasing niche-ification of Emmy — and predict a viewer revolt when the kudocast airs on ABC in September. "My first reaction was, 'This could be the lowest-rated Emmys ever,'" one network veteran told Vulture. "It made me think of the year before [1997’s] Titanic, when indie films co-opted the Academy Awards and the ratings plunged."

The Emmy ratings are a one-night problem for one network, of course. And while there are many very small shows with very small audiences in the running, the TV Academy at least had the good sense to give tons of nominations to History's Hatfields and McCoys, which drew over 17 million viewers and will at least make the normally dull-as-dirt movies and minis categories reasonably exciting. (Plus, a bonus for Emmy-night partygoers: a History base featuring vittles and fiddle music!) ABC can also counter the low star-wattage for this year's nominees by making this year's show the Modern Family Emmys, using its massively popular (and heavily nominated) TV family to lure viewers mystified over why they missed the fact that Joe Biden was starring in an HBO comedy. Host Jimmy Kimmel could also make a big difference: He's proven adept at convincing his celebrity pals to come out and play with him, and there's no reason to think he won't be able to enlist them to help liven up September's proceedings.

But what about the notion that Emmys are increasingly only for smaller shows, and cable ones at that? Sure, a couple of very big series got showered with Emmy love — Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory, Saturday Night Live — but overall, the most honored nominees were more likely to be found on critics' top ten lists than on Nielsen's top ten. Or twenty. Or 40. That's left no room for shows that in past years very likely would've gotten at least a modest amount of Emmy notice: Community, The Middle, Person of Interest, Happy Endings, Smash. (And yes, we know: Some of those shows are modestly rated by network standards. But compared to what did get nominated, they're practically megahits.) "It's certainly become crystal clear that there's a complete bifurcation between popular shows and prestige shows," one network programmer vented to Vulture. "It's unfortunate, because it suggests you can't do 22 episodes and be considered a quality show anymore, which is bulls***."

Another broadcaster says it's not a matter of network shows somehow not being seen as "good enough," but rather that the shows on cable are simply designed to be bigger and more daring, because that's the mandate of the networks on which they air. "We're in a different business," the exec says. "We have restrictions on what we can do and a different business model than cable. We have to do 22 episodes; they do 13 [or in the case of HBO, 10]. The Emmys reward shows which aren't constrained by the broadcast model." Rather than complaining about the TV Academy rightly honoring the very good shows on cable (or PBS), broadcasters should simply demand the chance to play in their own league. "We should have broadcast and cable categories," he says. "It would level the playing field, because there will always be a bias toward short-order series that push the envelopes, and shows which have movie stars and those who won't do broadcast television."

It's not as if broadcasters are just waking up to this disparity. A few years ago, the Paley Center for Media began discussions with broadcasters about the notion of launching an alternative Emmys to honor a wider range of programs. For various reasons, the idea didn't take flight — perhaps because, despite their annual lament over being snubbed, most network execs ultimately don't really care whether the shows they produce get Emmy nominations. They'll take the bigger ratings, thank you.

http://www.vulture.com/2012/07/can-networks-ever-compete-again-in-the-emmys.html

TV Notes
'Revenge' Casts Jennifer Jason Leigh as Emily's Mother
By Philiana Ng, The Hollywood Reporter's 'Live Feed' Blog - Jul. 19, 2012

Revenge is about to get Thorne-y.

ABC's primetime soap has cast a key role in the upcoming sophomore season, landing Jennifer Jason Leigh as Emily's (aka Amanda Clarke) mother, The Hollywood Reporter confirms, who was presumed to be dead. The character will be recurring.

Leigh, who recently appeared in multiple episodes of Showtime's Weeds, is best known for starring in 1982's The Fast Times at Ridgemont High as Stacy. She has Kill Your Darlings and The Moment in the pipeline.

Leigh joins previously cast Barry Sloane, who will play the mysterious Ethan, who has connections to Emily's past.

Revenge moves to its new Sunday time slot this fall.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/revenge-jennifer-jason-leigh-casting-352016

Emmy Notes
David E. Kelley On ‘Harry’s Law’s Nominations And Cancellation
By Nellie Andreeva, Deadline.com - Jul. 19, 2012

Series cancelled before their time rarely fare well at the Emmys in their last go-around. But NBC’s Harry’s Law defied the odds, landing two noms for its second and final season — the same as last year. Star Kathy Bates earned her second nom in the best actress in a drama series category, and Jean Smart was nominated in the guest actress field for her recurring role as D.A. Roseanna Remmick. David E. Kelley’s legal dramedy was nominated in the same categories last year, winning for guest actor (Paul McCrane). Emmy winner Kelley said he didn’t have any expectations going into Emmy season. “Once you out of sight, you tend to go out of mind,” he said. Nevertheless, “we knew we had first-class actress in Kathy Bates, and Jean Smart had a terrific turn. We just adore Kathy and still feel that she deserved better with the show.”

Bates proved her chops with two Emmy noms today, including a guest-starring nod for her her turn as Charlie Harper’s ghost on Two And A Half Men. “I’m thrilled and honored most particularly about Harry’s Law which has been near and dear to my heart and I miss so much already,” said the actress, who shared her sadness over the cancellation of the series back in May.

Harry’s Law was a TV rarity — a series with a sixtysomething woman as the lead. It faced an uphill battle from the get-go, launching in midseason 2011 with no promotion, Kelley said. “They didn’t think the show had any chance but surprisingly, we did catch on in our first year and over the two-year run, we were (NBC’s) No. 1-No. 2 scripted series (in total viewers),” he said. While very soft in the 18-49 demo, Harry’s Law drew audiences. This past season that led to the cancellation, it was NBC’s second most-watched drama series with 8.8 million viewers, just a smidgen behind Smash, which had a Super Bowl-boosted launch and NBC’s biggest series, The Voice, as a lead-in. With those numbers, “we did hold out some hope that, on a network that does not have a whole lot of success, we may have a chance, but it didn’t work out at the end,” Kelley said. “They loved the show but said they couldn’t monetize it because the viewers were too old. The fact that they would say that was scary, the idea that they can’t monetize 8-9 million viewers gave me a pause.” Because he loved the experience working on the show, Kelley wanted to keep going and pondered starting a “fight to change the nature of the business.” But being a storyteller at heart, Kelley ultimately chose to move on and is now working on his new series, TNT’s medical drama Monday Mornings, which was picked up to series the same week Harry’s Law was cancelled. The cancellation struck a chord with fans who still mourn the loss of their show. Even this morning I received a “Please help bring back Harry’s Law!” email from a fan, one of hundreds I’ve gotten since May. My item about the cancellation of Harry’s Law has become one of Deadline’s top stories ever, gathering some 900 comments to date and counting, virtually all lamenting the show’s demise.

Kelley said that the fans’ reaction to the cancellation has been gratifying. “If you you go out, it’s better to go out loved,” he said. And despite NBC’s axing of his show, Kelley says he doesn’t hold a grudge and respects new NBC topper Bob Greenblatt. Kelley’s move to TNT for Monday Mornings, hiss first cable series, does not mean a move away from broadcast, he said. “I still love broadcast TV; I started off on LA Law, so I have strong feelings for NBC and want to be part of its resurrection if that happens.”

http://www.deadline.com/2012/07/emmy-nominations-2012-harrys-law-david-e-kelley-cancellations/

You're right. The competition is stiff, but it does suck that that's allowed.
Even if the season wasn't great, from what I saw, he was still great on it. I guess I just wanted him to win it after being nominated so many times and not getting it. Don't get me wrong, people like Cranston and Lewis clearly deserve it as well, but damn it...Laurie was fantastic as House. If we start going into past Emmy snubs, you know the usual The Wire and BSG notes would have to come out.

Makes sense to me. AHS was an insular 12 ep story, and now it's done. it makes more sense than Luther which is just a television show with a short episode order or Missing which was just a serialized television show with no support to give it a longer run.

ABC didn't list the full Emmy nominations. Community was nominated for a writing award, this is the complete list:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/emmys/la-et-st-emmy-nominations-2012-list-20120718,0,521498.htmlstory

WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES

Chris McKenna, "Community" - for Remedial Chaos Theory
Lena Dunham, "Girls"
Louis C.K., "Louie"
Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation"
Michael Schur, "Parks and Recreation"
Edited by VisionOn - 7/20/12 at 1:31am

I'm a little shocked. I thought AHS was awful. Did people actually like it?