Hot Off The Press: The Latest TV News and Information - Page 2791

Critic's Notes
Bianculli's Best Bets
By David Bianculli, TVWorthWatching.com - Nov. 29, 2012

THE BIG BANG THEORY
CBS, 8:00 p.m. ET
There’s a lot going on in tonight’s new episode, and the lot in question is a college parking lot. The university at which Sheldon (Jim Parsons) works has taken away his parking spot, and given it to Wolowitz (Simon Helberg). My advice to Howard: Curb your enthusiasm.

30 ROCK
NBC, 8:00 p.m. ET
Tonight’s new episode is called “Mazel Tov, Dummies!” – which may be a hint about the content, since it’s supposed to be about the sudden wedding of Liz (Tina Fey) and Criss (James Marsden). It also features Liz’s ex-boyfriend Dennis, played by Dean Winters, who’s been playing Mayhem in those insurance commercials. So, I’m guessing, the show’s title is a line of dialogue from Dennis himself.

TWO AND A HALF MEN
CBS, 8:30 p.m. ET
Angus T. Jones, by being captured on video begging people not to watch his sitcom because it’s “filth,” has guaranteed the biggest bump in free-publicity viewership for Two and a Half Men since Charlie Sheen left in a whirlwind of misbehavior and Ashton Kutcher joined the cast. Tonight’s episode does have one thing going for it besides controversy: the return of former recurring player April Bowlby, who played Kandi, the sizzlingly hot actress girlfriend, and eventually second wife, of Jon Cryer’s Alan. She hasn’t appeared on Men since 2007, but Kandi is back tonight, and, once again, has Alan in her sights. Meanwhile, TVWW contributor Noel Holston has Two and a Half Men in his sights. Check out his take on the Jones furor in The Grassy Noel.

GLEE
Fox, 9:00 p.m. ET
It’s Thanksgiving on Glee, arriving a week later. It’s also Sectionals time again – and this year, the New Directions team has a new direction: They’re doing one production number “Gangnam Style,” in what surely will be the best Glee number ever sung in Korean.

PARKS AND RECREATION
NBC, 9:31 p.m. ET
There are more reasons for Leslie (Amy Poehler) to resent the neighboring Eagleton tonight: Architects from that community are submitting designs for Leslie’s latest park. And they’re good, which has Leslie more than a little envious and angry.

http://www.tvworthwatching.com/

TV Notes
'Emily Owens, M.D.' Canceled by The CW
By Philiana Ng and Michael O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter's 'Live Feed' Blog - Nov. 28, 2012

The CW's freshman medical drama Emily Owens, M.D. will not be getting a full-season pickup.

Emily Owens, which wraps production on its initial order next week, will have all 13 episodes aired on the network. The CW had ordered additional scripts in October.

After the lowest-rated premiere of the fall season, Emily Owens never grabbed the attention of this season's two other new CW series Arrow and Beauty and the Beast. And though its season average of a low 0.4 rating among adults 18-49 is matched by other network series (90210, Gossip Girl), it never had their DVR growth.

Season-to-date, Emily Owens was improving an extremely low tenth of a point with each original episode. That makes it the smallest grower across scripted television.

Arrow and Beauty and the Beast both have received full-season orders. The network will launch 1980s-set The Carrie Diaries in January.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/emily-owens-canceled-395320

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TV Notes
MTV Cancels 'Inbetweeners'
By Philiana Ng, The Hollywood Reporter's 'Live Feed' Blog - Nov. 28, 2012

MTV is not moving forward with another season of The Inbetweeners.

"While we won’t be moving forward with another season of The Inbetweeners, we enjoyed working with the show's creators and such a talented, funny cast," a MTV spokesperson said in a statement.

Actor Zack Pearlman, who played Jay Cartwright, wrote on his blog Wednesday afternoon: "This was a crazy experience, but one that I will always be able to look back at and smile knowing that we did a fantastic job."

Inbetweeners was a remake of the popular British series of the same name, centered on the misadventures of four high school friends as they navigate the transition into adulthood. The half-hour series premiered in August to nearly 1 million viewers, before finishing its 12-episode order earlier this month to a little more than 600,000.

The news comes after Lifetime and WB Network veteran Susanne Daniels was appointed president of programming Nov. 12, replacing programming chief David Janollari.

Brad Kopeland penned the U.S. version of Inbetweeners, serving as showrunner and executive producer alongside Iain Morris, Damon Beesley and Aaron Kaplan.

For its part, MTV is bringing back scripted properties Teen Wolf and Awkward, while rookie series Underemployed is in the middle of its first-season run.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/mtv-cancels-inbetweeners-395288

TV Notes
'Malibu Country,' 'Last Man Standing' get extra episodes
By James Hibberd, EW.com's 'Inside TV' Blog - Nov. 28, 2012

Two Friday night ABC comedies are getting some extra episodes.

Freshman series Malibu Country and sophomore sitcom Last Man Standing just received pickups for five extra episodes each.

The duo represent ABC’s effort to establish a comedy block on TV’s toughest night. Though neither are doing gangbusters in the key adults 18-49 demographic, in the few weeks since they debuted both have had some success. Tim Allen’s Standing is top-rated show at 8 p.m. in the demo, while Reba McEntire’s Malibu is statistically ranked as the most-watched freshman comedy this season (8.7 million viewers). They have also helped support reality series Shark Tank at 9 p.m.

Been a busy day for deciding the fate of TV shows. CW cancelled Emily Owens, Fox euthanized Mob Doctor and MTV tossed Inbetweeners.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/11/28/malibu-country-last-man-standing/

TV Review
‘Panic 9-1-1,’ close calls, too close
Turns out the folks who are in so much danger escape unharmed
By Tom Conroy, Media Life Magazine

Sometimes it's impossible to give a critical opinion of a TV show without spoiling the ending.

A&E's new documentary series "Panic 9-1-1" re-creates some potentially horrible crimes using the original audio tape of the 911 calls made by the potential victims. The inherent suspense of the audio is enhanced by grainy black-and-white reenactments showing the cowering potential victims and menacing potential murderers.

If the stories ended in the callers' death, they would be depressing, leaving us feeling like ghoulish voyeurs. If the callers survived, the happy ending would be uplifting, but the show would feel like a bit of a cheat.

So here's the spoiler: "Panic 9-1-1" is uplifting, but it feels like a bit of a cheat.

The three true stories presented in the premiere, which airs this Thursday, Nov. 29, at 10 p.m., all feature innocent people stalked by dangerous, apparently deranged men. After some grueling minutes in which we're sure we're soon going to hear the callers' futile pleas for mercy, they all escape or are rescued.

Each of the stories in the premiere is given an eerie title taken from a line spoken during the 911 call. The first segment is titled "He Goes, 'Too Bad, We're Stuck Together.' "

That line was spoken by a man who broke into the apartment of a single mother named Monique Silva in San Jose, Calif., in 1993. We learn that he had been stalking her for two months before attacking her in the middle of the night.

Frighteningly, the criminal spent minutes poking through her belongings, giving Silva time to barricade herself in a closet with her son. She tells the 911 operator that she has a gun, but the operator advises her to put it down so that she isn't mistaken for a criminal when the police arrive.

The call lasted eight minutes, but it feels longer. When the attacker finds Silva, we hear him say, "I'm going to get nasty with you for a while," and then we hear prolonged screaming.

The dimly lit reenactment footage adds to the suspense, as does the fact that we see interviews with the 911 operator and with Silva's sister but not with Silva herself until the very end.

Once we learn that Silva is OK, the guilt that would accompany listening to some sort of reality snuff tape goes away, but viewers will feel misled as much as relieved.

That opening segment serves as its own sort of spoiler for the two segments that follow: Now that we know the callers might not die, the suspense is reduced.

But they still grab our attention. In the second segment, a store manager calls while he and five customers hide from a mentally unbalanced would-be Marine with a semi-automatic rifle.

In the third, a woman on a farm in Oklahoma speaks to the operator while an intoxicated or insane man tries to break into her house, with the closest responders 35 miles away. She tells the operator that she is holding a shotgun and is ready to use it. The segment's title is "I'm Going to Shoot Him Graveyard Dead."

All of the segments keep us guessing until the end. One family member even refers to a caller in the past tense, even though we learn at the end that she is alive.

Viewers will naturally resent being manipulated, a sentiment that shades toward being disappointed that the good guys survived.

The episode has some documentary interest. The single mother shares her insights about moving on after trauma, and the shotgun-wielding woman turns out to be more complex than one might expect. But the socially redeeming value is minimal.

Even though this guilty pleasure tries to reduce the guilt, it still outweighs the pleasure.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/panic-9-1-1-close-calls-too-close/

TV Notes
AMC to launch Thursday night reality-programming block
By Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times - Nov. 27, 2012

AMC, the network that helped turn Sunday into a night of appointment television with its shows "Mad Men," "Breaking Bad," and "The Walking Dead," will attempt to do the same for Thursdays. The network plans to launch a new night of original unscripted programming on Feb. 14, the Times has learned.

The 90-minute block is to kick off at 9 p.m. with the return of Kevin Smith's "Comic Book Men," followed by the premiere of two unscripted series that tap into the mania for shows about dangerous, obscure or otherwise offbeat occupations. Set for 9:30 p.m., "Immortalized" is a taxidermy competition show in which experienced craftsman face off against lesser-known "rogue artists." It's to be followed at 10 p.m. by "Freakshow," which centers on former music producer Todd Ray and his Venice Beach museum of curiosities.

The new additions are aimed squarely at the 10 million or so viewers who tune in to "The Walking Dead" on Sundays, making it the highest-rated drama in basic-cable history among adults 18-49.

"We think that both are really engaging and edgy and could be enjoyed by a wide audience, but we also saw an opportunity, a sweet spot if you will, with 'The Walking Dead' audience," Joel Stillerman, AMC’s executive vice president of original programming, production and digital content, said in an email.

The network’s expansion into guy-centric reality TV is to continue later in 2013 with the premiere of "Owner's Manual," an unscripted series in which Ed Sanders of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"and Marcus Hunt of HGTV’s "Hammer Heads" will attempt to operate high-tech gadgetry (think fighter jets and submarines), one guided only by his wits, one going by the book.

"Every adult in this country falls into one of two categories. You either read the owner's manual before you put something together, or you don't," Stillerman said.

Thursday will also be the destination for the network’s other reality shows, "The Pitch" and "Small-Town Security," when they return for their second seasons next year.

AMC certainly isn't the first cable network primarily known for its scripted fare to diversify with reality programming -- or vice versa, as is the case with History. Nor is it the first outlet to expand its schedule beyond the logjam of Sunday nights. HBO took a risk by airing its scripted shows "Enlightened" and "Bored to Death" on Mondays last year.

As for the particular decision to focus on Thursday, Stillerman said that, given the stiff competition throughout the week, the night "makes a lot of sense from a scheduling and business point of view," and called it "an opportunity to offer viewers a true block of programs that support one another creatively."

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/showtracker/la-et-st-amc-thursday-night-reality-progamming-20121127,0,5645531.story

 

Maybe that didn't come out right. I meant Krebs was more memorable than Gilligan.

 

Or at least more worth remembering. 

What a sportsnight:

NFL Network saints @ falcons -- 2 division rivals that really hate each other (falcons fans egged the saints bus yesterday) / drew brees vs matt ryan / falcons fighting for #1 seed & saints a wildcard.

ESPN louisville @ rutgers -- NJ in the house....rutgers tony sopranos favorite team if they win goes to the orange bowl....rutgers in the orange ?? whats next rose ?? the pizza & connoli will be goin tonight.

TNT spurs @ heat -- parker/duncan vs lebron.

U gotta luv sportz !!

Shouldn't that be Willy Maynard "Dusty" Gilligan-Krebs?

[Gad, I typed "Gillian" instead of "Gilligan" there.]

Gotta love more my Olevia 747i that has split-screen and PIP options galore so I can watch two of these at the same time (with one flipping to the third whenever either one goes to commercial).

TV Notes
Before You Mock the Idea of Jeff Zucker Running CNN ...
By Josef Adalian, Vulture.com (New York Magazine) - Nov. 28, 2012

During his decade overseeing NBC (and later parent company NBCUniversal), Jeff Zucker never warmed to Hollywood, and Hollywood most decidedly never warmed to him. It's no shock, then, that yesterday's multiple reports suggesting Zucker is moments away from being named the head of CNN Worldwide were met with a mix of bemusement and borderline contempt from the entertainment types who've dealt extensively with him before: showrunners, actors, and, yes, the reporters who cover television. Time Magazine TV critic James Poniewozik kicked off the inevitable Twitter meme #ZuckerCNNShows with "Emeril 360." That prompted a flood of Zucker mockery from other industry types: Modern Family co-creator Steve Levitan ("Super-Sized Wolf Blitzer"), actors Rob Lowe ("The Situation Room with The Situation") and Chad Lowe (!) ("Leno Presents"), CBS program planning chief Kelly Kahl ("Bashir Factor"), and TV Guide's Damian Holbrook (“Anderson Cooper's Father of the Pride Parade”). (This writer may have contributed one or two titles to the fun as well.)

Zucker is the man who brought America The Jay Leno Show, supersized sitcoms, and, most disastrously, Ben Silverman. Sure, symptoms of the Peacock's demise were present even before he took over, as powerhouses Friends and ER were nearing the ends of their runs. But there's simply no getting around the fact that he oversaw NBC's deep descent to also-ran status, and then proved himself totally incapable of reversing its decline. Of course those who know him or felt professionally scarred by his choices would question the wisdom of putting him in charge of reviving a channel that once billed itself, sans irony, as the World's Most Important Network. And yet, even for those of us who will never forgive Zucker for cynically (and stupidly) knifing Conan O'Brien in the back or for axing Southland, it's worth putting aside the bitterness for a moment to acknowledge another truth about the man: Before he ruined NBC's entertainment division, Zucker was rightfully known as something of a news wunderkind. Putting him in charge of an organization that’s core mission is live, breaking news kind of makes sense.

First, in case your knowledge of Jeffrey Adam Zucker begins with his decision to put Fear Factor on the air, a quick biographical note: At the age of 26, just a few years after graduating from Harvard, Zucker was tapped to run NBC's storied Today show, which at the time (late 1991) was regularly lagging behind ABC's Good Morning America in the ratings. He had great story sense, was a fierce competitor for guests, and also innovated by reviving the street-side crowds via Today's glass-enclosed studio and morphing news and entertainment with the show's much-copied concert series. All this amped up the energy level of the morning daypart, and Today quickly became competitive with GMA; by 1996, the show took over the No. 1 spot in the ratings and held on to the lead until this past spring — an astonishing sixteen-year winning streak. Zucker doesn't get all the credit of that: Anchors Matt Lauer, Bryant Gumbel, and Katie Couric played a big part, as have Zucker's successors. But Zucker created the DNA for the modern Today juggernaut. He built that. And when he ran the show on a day-to-day basis in the nineties, Today was truly Must-See TV for news consumers. Zucker's notoriously short attention span (Hollywood types hated the fact that he would often multitask during pitch meetings) made him ideally suited to shepherd a live two- (and ultimately three- and four-) hour broadcast.

And yet, while Zucker's relations with Hollywood talent were, to put it charitably, awful, his rapport with newsies was just the opposite. I wrote this about Zucker in Variety back in 2000, on the day he was officially named head of NBC Entertainment: "If there's one thing Zucker's known for, it's his incredible skill negotiating the notoriously rocky landscape of egos and paranoia that is a network news division." Indeed, unlike the horrendous way NBC handled Ann Curry's recent exit from Today, Zucker flawlessly executed the transition from Bryant Gumbel to Matt Lauer. He got along so well with Katie Couric, whose ascent at Today coincided with his own, that when she decided to launch a daytime talk show, she partnered with Zucker again, making him executive producer. (We doubt Conan will suddenly opt to work for Zucker again at CNN.) While it probably wouldn't be hard to find some NBC News alumni who don't think much of Zucker, for the most part, he was revered and respected by those who worked for him at that division. And it's not just Today that benefited from Zucker's news expertise. Zucker engineered the transition from Tom Brokaw to Brian Williams at NBC Nightly News in 2004, helping maintain the broadcast's dominance in the ratings. And what’s more, MSNBC transformed itself from also-ran to credible Fox News alternative during Zucker's run as head of parent company NBCUniversal. MSNBC chief Phil Griffin (and dearly departed Keith Olbermann) obviously get much of the credit for the latter turnaround. But if Zucker gets the blame for Ben Silverman, he deserves the glory for letting Griffin get in touch with his inner leftie.

Of course, none of this means Zucker is a sure thing to turn around CNN. The gimmicks and tricks that worked so well in morning TV might not play at an organization that, despite being a relatively young 32 years old, is known for the sort of vicious internal politics and Byzantine bureaucracy one usually associates with the Kremlin. Zucker was used to being the man at NBCUniversal; at CNN, he'll answer to executives at TimeWarner. Plus, if Zucker decides to run the news channel the way he oversaw NBC Entertainment, by "managing for (profit) margins," you can expect loud howls of protests from CNN insiders and news purists who'll howl if he replaces CNN's investigative unit with, say, News or No News with Howie Mandel.

But even if his success is hardly assured, the idea of Jeff Zucker running a proud but deeply troubled news organization like CNN isn't a joke. Who knows: If Zucker can rekindle some of the manic energy and unconventional thinking that made him a 26-year-old news phenom at the dawn of the Clinton era, CNN might actually stand a chance of being relevant once more. Let's just pray he doesn't decide to supersize Wolf Blitzer.

http://www.vulture.com/2012/11/jeff-zucker-cnn-not-a-bad-idea.html

TV Review
‘American Chainsaw,’ sawing wood
National Geographic offers up a snoozer of a reality show
By Tom Conroy, Media Life Magazine

As if we needed one more bit of evidence that reality TV is running out of ideas, we now have two shows about people who sculpt using chainsaws: CMT's "Chainsaw Gang," which premiered two weeks ago, and National Geographic's "American Chainsaw," premiering this Thursday, Nov. 29, at 10 p.m.

Although a small company that makes chainsaw sculptures is unusual, the show does its best to portray the goings-on as being basically the same as those on most other shows set in workplaces where things are made. The familiarity breeds tedium.

The company in question is run by a former truck driver who calls himself "the Machine Jesse Green." In the premiere episode, he and his crew are hired by Lori, who owns a witchcraft store in Salem, Mass., to create a dragon sculpture.

The process is presented using the worn-out template perfected by dozens of previous workplace reality shows: The team gets the assignment, they argue over details, a subordinate faces some mild hazing, a setback emerges and is surmounted, and, finally, the client loves the finished product.

In this episode, Missi, who handles the finishing on Jesse's sculptures, says she wants to step up and contribute more creatively; Jesse says it's hard for him to let his workers make major decisions.

Jesse lets Missi close the deal with Lori. Missi promises that the finished sculpture will be able to hold a large crystal ball in its mouth. Upon hearing this, Jesse tells Missi it's impossible, adding, "I would like to wring your neck."

We don't see him say that line, so it's possible it was added in post-production to provide a little extra drama.

The editing and music suggest that Missi ultimately triumphs in this story line. What we see onscreen suggests more or less the opposite. If this is subtle irony, it's too subtle.

Jesse's father, a former electrician who now works for him, tries to figure out a way to have smoke come out of the dragon's nostrils. This story line simply fizzles out.

At another point, Jesse's father and another co-worker watch in amusement as Brett, a young assistant, struggles with sweeping up some sawdust. To avoid spoilers, we won't say what happens next, but if the footage were on anyone's home camera, it would be too boring to keep.

We also see a scene in which Jesse climbs up on a pile of huge logs to saw off the piece he'll use to make the dragon. He assures us that he might get crushed if the logs shift. Like most such reality-TV warnings, this one turns out to be overly pessimistic.

Throughout, Jesse keeps pointing out things that Lori seems to have predicted when she read his tarot cards. He tries hard to convince us that he cares whether this is true.

When the producers were pitching this show, they probably described Jesse as a natural, which means he's completely unnatural. Talking to the camera, he over-emotes like a Food Network host describing America's 10 most outrageous sandwiches.

Jesse's excitement only underscores how little excitement most viewers will be experiencing. "American Chainsaw" is dull.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/american-chainsaw-sawing-wood/

TV Notes
FX sets January premieres for 'Justified,' 'Archer,' 'Anger Management' & more
By Alan Sepinwall, HitFix.com - Nov. 28, 2012

Raylan Givens, Sterling Archer and whatever fake last name Charlie Sheen is using this week will all be back on FX in January. And "Justified," "Archer" and "Anger Management" will be joined by new shows "Legit" and, eventually, "The Americans."

Season 4 of "Justified" will debut on Tuesday, January 8 at 10 p.m. Stories this season will include Raylan Givens investigating a cold case that ties back to his childhood and his father's criminal past, and Boyd Crowder dealing with the arrival of a charismatic Pentecostal preacher.

"Archer" will begin its own fourth season on Thursday, January 17 at 10 p.m. The animated spy comedy will be preceded by the return of Sheen's "Anger Management," beginning a "back 90"(*) pick-up, airing Thursdays at 9:30, and lead into the premiere of "Legit," a new comedy starring Australian comedian Jim Jefferies as a fictionalized version of himself, living with roommates played by Dan Bakkedahl and DJ Qualls. "Legit" will air at 10:30.

(*) "Anger Management," in case you forgot, is produced under the same model as Tyler Perry's TBS sitcoms: 10 episodes were produced at a cheaper rate than an average sitcom, and if they hit a certain ratings threshold (which they did), FX automatically has to order 90 more, which will be produced on an accelerated schedule for, again, much less money than "Two and a Half Men" costs.

"Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell" will also return with a new batch of episodes on January 17 at 11 p.m., as FX recently renewed both that show and "BrandX with Russell Brand."

"The Americans," a period spy drama starring Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as KGB agents undercover in Reagan-era America, will also be debuting in January, but no date has been set yet, other than that it will be later than the shows announced today.

http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/fx-sets-january-premieres-for-justified-archer-anger-management-more

Technology Notes
Sony Takes its First Step in Offering 4K Ultra HD Content in The Home
By Carolyn Giardina, The Hollywood Reporter - Nov. 29, 2012

Sony Electronics plans to offer a bonus to those who purchase its new $25,000 84-inch 4K LED TV.

Owners of this 4K—or “Ultra HD” as it is now being called—television in the U.S. will receive a loaned Ultra HD video player, which is a hard-disc server that connects to the TV and will come pre-loaded with 4K resolution movies and short form videos. It also includes a Sony Xperia Tablet S, which serves as a remote control through an app.

Pre-loaded onto the player will be 10 features—a combination of new releases and restored classics—offered in 4K. They are The Amazing Spiderman, Total Recall (2012), The Karate Kid (2010), Salt, Battle Los Angeles, The Other Guys, Bad Teacher, That’s My Boy, Taxi Driver and The Bridge on the River Kwai.

In addition, the player comes pre-loaded with 4K video shorts, including Red Bull Media House’s The Athlete Machine: Red Bull Kluge and four acoustic performances of songs from Red Bull Records’ Heaven’s Basement’s new record, Filthy Empire.

Sony plans to update the players periodically with new titles.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sony-takes-first-step-offering-395393

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)
Very merry Wednesday for Christmas specials
ABC's 'Charlie Brown' draws a 2.9 in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald, Media Life Magazine - Nov. 29, 2012

Viewers were feeling the Christmas spirit last night.

Holiday specials on ABC and NBC were up compared to last year, and “Charlie Brown Christmas” even boosted ABC into a tie for first place with Fox on the night.

“Brown” averaged a 2.9 adults 18-49 rating at 8 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, up 4 percent over a 2.8 last year and becoming the top-rated holiday special so far this season.

NBC’s “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” hit a four-year high with a 2.1 in the same hour, up 11 percent over a 1.9 last year.

And lead-out “SNL Christmas” drew a 2.7, NBC’s second-highest rating in the slot this season behind an episode of “The Voice” three weeks ago.

ABC also had the night’s highest-rated show, “Modern Family,” which drew a 4.7 at 9 p.m.

Elsewhere last night, Fox’s “The X Factor” jumped 27 percent over last week’s episode, which drew low ratings on the night before Thanksgiving.

“Factor” averaged a 2.8.

CBS’s entire lineup was also up versus last week, with veteran reality show “Survivor” up the most, 17 percent, to a 2.7.

Fox and ABC tied for first on the night with a 2.8 18-49 rating and 8 share apiece. CBS was a close third with a 2.7/7. NBC finished fourth with a 2.5/7, Univision was fifth with a 1.6/4, the CW was sixth with a 1.0/3, and Telemundo was seventh with a 0.5/1.

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-six percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.

“Charlie” won its 8 p.m. timeslot for ABC with a 2.9. “Survivor” and “Factor” tied for second with a 2.7 apiece. NBC’s “Rockefeller” was fourth with a 2.1, Univision’s “Por Ella Soy Eva” was fifth with a 1.8, the CW’s “Arrow” was sixth with a 1.2, and Telemundo’s “Rosa Diamonte” was seventh with a 0.5.

At 9 p.m. ABC led again with a 3.6 for “Family” (4.7) and “Suburgatory” (2.9). Fox’s “Factor” was second with a 3.0, CBS’s “Criminal Minds” was third with a 2.9, NBC’s “SNL” was fourth with a 2.8, Univision’s “Amores Verdaderos” was fifth with a 1.7, the CW’s “Supernatural” was sixth with a 0.9, and Telemundo’s “Corazon Valiente” was seventh with a 0.5.

CBS jumped into first at 10 p.m. with a 2.6 for “CSI.” NBC was second with a 2.5 for “SNL,” followed by ABC in third with a 1.8 for “Nashville,” even to its most recent episode. Univision’s “Amor Bravio” was fourth with a 1.4, and Telemundo was fifth with a 0.5 for "Pablo Escobar: El Patron del Mal" (0.6) and "El Rostro de la Venganza" (0.4).

Among households CBS led the night with a 7.4 rating and 12 share. NBC was second at 2.9/8, Fox third at 4.7/7, ABC fourth at 4.6/7, Univision fifth at 2.0/3, the CW sixth at 1.8/3 and Telemundo seventh at 0.7/1.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/very-merry-wednesday-for-christmas-specials/

TV Notes
Jeff Zucker Named Head of CNN
By Tim Molloy, TheWrap.com - Nov. 29, 2012

Former NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker has been named the new head of CNN Worldwide, where he will try to bring a ratings boost to a network widely praised for its newsgathering but not for capturing audiences' attention.

Phil Kent, chairman and CEO of CNN parent company Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., announced Zucker's hiring Thursday morning. The announcement was expected after several news reports earlier this week. He replaces succeeds Jim Walton, who has headed CNN Worldwide since 2003.

Zucker will begin in January. He will lead 23 news and information businesses that include CNN/U.S., CNN International, CNN.com and HLN and reach more than 2 billion people in some 200 countries around the world.

But his most daunting job may be gaining viewers for CNN's flagship network, which has fallen behind opinionated rivals like Fox News and MSNBC as it aspires to avoid falling into a left- or right-wing ideology.

Zucker's first statement suggested he would emphasize solid reporting over ratings grabs.

"Outside of my family and the Miami Dolphins, there is nothing I am as passionate about as journalism," he said. "I spent the most rewarding years of my career as a journalist, and it’s where I look forward to spending many more. I am grateful to Phil Kent for this opportunity, and I’m excited to return to daily newsgathering and compelling storytelling in a place that values those above all else."

Zucker, who rose to head of NBCUniversal after 25 years with the company, left at the end of 2010 as Comcast completed its acquisition of it. Though NBC fell to fourth place in the ratings during Zucker's time at the top, the company's cable properties flourished.

At CNN, Zucker will again manage a large portfolio of channels even as he tries to puff up the most visible one.

The former executive producer of "Today," now executive produces Katie Couric's daytime talk show "Katie." The two worked together for years on "Today."

“Jeff’s experience as a news executive is unmatched for its breadth and success,” said Kent. “He built and sustained the number-one brand in morning news, and under his watch NBC’s signature news programming set a standard for quality and professionalism. As a programmer, a brand-builder and a leader, he will bring energy and new thinking to CNN. I couldn’t be happier to welcome him or more excited about what he’ll accomplish here."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sony-takes-first-step-offering-395393

 

Excellent! Can't wait for Justified!

Boy, Greg Popovich really p!ssed on our wheaties tonight, he sent all the starters home including parker/duncan/ginobili/ all the hosses.

And yet the game's still close early. I don't know if that says more about the Spurs or more about Miami.

Stern may be getting carried away though, saying that the team will face sanctions for resting their players. I know it's a nationally televised game, but the team should be allowed to do what it wants with their players.

I'm on the fence about the sanctions, you are right it's his team and he's the one coaching and trying to get the max out of the team, but on the other hand, we the fans are the ones who pay the salaries and I don't know, it's kind of iffy.

I can see that. I'm guessing that when those fans in Miami bought tickets they didn't expect to see Nando De Colo starting for the Spurs. They probably had the same reaction I had...who the hell is Nando De Colo?

These program directors are genuises. What an innovating idea for a channel to add more reality programming. Thats unheard of for this day and age.

^^^ Let me guess, not a Kevin Smith fan?

Critic's Notes
Bianculli's Best Bets
By David Bianculli, TVWorthWatching.com - Nov. 30, 2012

LAND OF THE DEAD
AMC, 8:00 p.m. ET
On a night when the TV schedule is so dead, why not spend prime time with the undead? Or, at least, with dead men walking. This 2005 zombie movie is one of the more recent genre efforts by George A. Romero, who revived the zombies, so to speak, with his classic low-budget feature, Night of the Living Dead. This one stars Dennis Hopper and The Mentalist star Simon Baker.

THE LOCKET
TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET
Whenever things on TV are really slow, I turn for relief to Turner Classic Movies, where there’s almost always something worth watching. And presto: Tonight, TCM leads off prime time with this little-seen 1946 drama, about a woman (Laraine Day) whose horrid behavior towards men – one man in particular – may or may not be explained, and excused, by her schizophrenia.

THE DESCENDANTS
HBO Signature, 9:00 p.m. ET
I saw this 2011 movie in the theater, and just saw it again when it premiered on cable – and now, I’m afraid, it’s another movie I may have to add to my “spider-web” list, of films that ensnare me every time they’re televised. George Clooney stars as a husband and father who finds his marriage is about to change, along with his assessment of it. Stealing this Alexander Payne film is Shailene Woodley, who appears not to be acting, but simply captured on film.

DRACULA'S DAUGHTER
TCM, 9:45 p.m. ET
This early vampire film – made in 1936, only five years after Bela Lugosi’s landmark Dracula – stars Gloria Holden as Countess Marya Zeleska, a forerunner of more modern vampires in that she’s portrayed somewhat sympathetically – and basically bisexually. You’re welcome.

HUNTED
Cinemax, 10:00 p.m. ET
I was a bit premature last week, identifying that week's episode as the penultimate one of the season. Tonight, with Melissa George’s Sam finding important information about her own past, actually is the season’s next-to-last installment – and I’m pleased to report that Cinemax already has given the green light to a second season of this Frank Spotnitz spy series. Good news. Good move.

http://www.tvworthwatching.com/

TV Notes
CBS Orders ‘Under The Dome’ Series From Steven Spielberg & Stephen King
Neal Baer To Run, Niels Arden Oplev To Direct
By Nellie Andreeva, Deadline.com - Nov. 29, 2012

In a departure from its signature drama procedurals, CBS has given a 13-episode straight-to-series order to Steven Spielberg and Stephen King‘s Under The Dome, a drama based on King’s bestselling 2009 novel, which will be produced by Spielberg’s Amblin Television. The series will air next summer and will mark CBS’ biggest effort with original scripted fare in the off-season in years with Under The Dome and Unforgettable.

Under The Dome tells the story of a small New England town suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an enormous transparent dome. The town’s inhabitants must deal with surviving the post-apocalyptic conditions while searching for answers to what this barrier is, where it came from and if and when it will go away. I hear the project’s writer Brian K. Vaughan (Lost) kept the general conceit and many of the characters from the book but also introduced new characters as regulars and tweaked some details and backstory for the existing ones. I hear King has blessed all the changes. As for the book’s much-talked-about ending, which has divided King fans, I hear the series won’t follow it, and as in success, CBS would like to do another season.

CBS landed Under The Dome in turnaround. The supernatural thriller was originally set up at pay cable sibling Showtime in August 2011. When Amblin sensed the project was not moving forward at Showtime, they asked the network to release it and took it out to the broadcast networks. In an effort to keep the show in the family, Showtime entertainment president David Nevins, who liked the project despite feeling it was not right for Showtime, recommended it to his CBS counterpart Nina Tassler, who was interested. The network subsequently laid the show off at CBS TV Studios, which will produce it with Amblin; attached veteran Neal Baer, who is under an overall deal at CBS Studios, as showrunner; and brought in original The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo helmer Niels Arden Oplev to direct the first episode. The network has history with Oplev — in his U.S. debut, he directed the pilot of the CBS procedural Unforgettable, which coincidentally will be Under The Dome‘s companion on the CBS summer schedule unless the network changes its plans. “This is a great novel coming to the television screen with outstanding auspices and in-season production values to create a summer programming event,” Tassler said.

In further corporate synergy, CBS and sibling Simon & Schuster, whose Scribner imprint published the book in November 2009, will cross-promote the TV series and book in advance of the show’s summer launch with the April 2013 rerelease of trade paperback and electronic editions from its Pocket Books imprint. In addition to the CBS broadcast, Under The Dome will have a multi-platform window available for each episode shortly after the network airing.

Under The Dome has been a passion project for DreamWorks’ Stacey Snider, who nabbed the rights to King’s novel shortly after it was published to strong reviews. She is executive producing the series with Spielberg, King, Baer, Vaughn, Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank. Under The Dome will be distributed domestically by CBS TV Distribution and worldwide by CBS Studios International. Amblin is with WME; King and Baer with Paradigm; Vaughan with Verve; and Oplev with ICM Partners.

http://www.deadline.com/2012/11/cbs-orders-under-the-dome-series-from-steven-spielberg-neal-baer-to-run-niels-arden-oplev-to-direct/

TV Notes
Nickelodeon Greenlights Spinoff of 'iCarly,' 'Victorious'
By Kimberly Nordyke, The Hollywood Reporter's 'Live Feed' Blog - Nov. 29, 2012

Nickelodeon has picked up Sam & Cat, a spinoff of its popular series iCarly and Victorious.

The news comes on the heels of Sunday's iCarly series finale, which drew 6.4 million total viewers.

Sam & Cat, from creator/executive producer Dan Schneider, stars Jennette McCurdy (iCarly’s Sam Puckett) and Ariana Grande (Victorious’ Cat Valentine) reprising their roles from the two shows. The new series see their characters as unlikely roommates who become teen entrepreneurs by starting their own after-school babysitting business.

Nickelodeon has ordered 20 episodes, with production set to begin in January in Los Angeles for a 2013 premiere. The network announced the pilot order in August.

“Jennette and Ariana are adored by our audience, and it’s great to unite these talented actresses in this hilarious new comedy from Dan Schneider," said Russell Hicks, president of content development and production at Nickelodeon. “This show promises to deliver on what our audience loves most about these two favorite characters: laugh-out-loud humor and non-stop adventure.”

McCurdy also just wrapped production on Nickelodeon’s original TV movie Swindle, while Grande is starring as Snow White at the Pasadena Playhouse in a presentation of A Snow White Christmas alongside Neil Patrick Harris and Charlene Tilton.

In addition to iCarly and Victorious, Schneider also created and executive produced Zoey 101, The Amanda Show and Drake & Josh.

ICarly ran for six seasons, while Victorious finishes out its run next year.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/icarly-victorious-spinoff-sam-cat-395824

HDTV Notes
Dreaming of a Blu-ray Christmas
By David Kehr, The New York Times

As Blu-ray players continue to drop in price and rise in popularity, many distributors are returning to their libraries to create newly restored and remastered editions of enduring classics and popular favorites. The price tag on some of this year’s gift box collections may seem a bit stiff, but per title, the sets can still represent a genuine bargain, particularly given the heavy discounts available at online retailers. (All prices given below are the manufacturer’s suggested retail; in most cases you’ll be able to find markdowns of 30 to 40 percent.) And a well-produced Blu-ray, like Sony’s new edition of “Lawrence of Arabia,” offers a quality of sound and image that none of the streaming services — with their highly compressed digital files — can come close to matching.

Only the seasonal selection seems a bit slim this year, as if the studios were finally running out of holiday-themed movies to reissue. (Here’s a vote for one forgotten title: Joseph Kane’s 1945 film “The Cheaters,” a Republic release.) While chestnuts like “White Christmas” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” remain available, I’ve reached back a little to recommend some less familiar titles from years past.

Seasonal

‘ARTHUR CHRISTMAS’ Lost in last year’s crush of theatrical releases, this fable from the British studio Aardman Animation — in which Santa’s hapless youngest son (James McAvoy) struggles to deliver an overlooked present — gets another chance on home video. (Sony, 3-D Blu-ray/Blu-ray/DVD combo, $55.99; Blu-ray/DVD combo, $40.99; DVD, $30.99; PG.)

‘THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL’ Michael Caine as Scrooge surrounded by an all-felt cast in Brian Henson’s 1992 adaptation of the classic Dickens story. (Disney, Blu-ray, $26.50; DVD, $19.99; G.)

‘THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS’ Tim Burton’s 1993 vision of a goth Christmas, rendered in stop-motion animation by the director Henry Selick (“Coraline”). (Disney, 3-D Blu-ray/Blu-ray/DVD combo, $49.99; Blu-ray/DVD combo, $40.99; DVD, $29.99; PG.)

‘PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES’ John Hughes’s 1987 comedy, in which a reluctant Steve Martin teams up with an overbearing John Candy in a desperate attempt to get home for Thanksgiving, gets a high-definition upgrade. (Paramount, Blu-ray, $22.98; previously issued DVD, $12.98; R.)

‘REMEMBER THE NIGHT’ A public prosecutor (Fred MacMurray) takes a woman accused of shoplifting (Barbara Stanwyck) home to his family in Indiana for the holidays in Mitchell Leisen’s moving 1940 realization of a script by Preston Sturges. (TCM/Universal, DVD, $19.98; not rated.)

‘ “THE SANTA CLAUSE” 3-MOVIE COLLECTION’ Tim Allen stars in a trilogy of films (1994, 2002, 2006) about a driven single father (Mr. Allen) who discovers new meaning in life when he’s tapped to become the new Santa Claus. (Disney, Blu-ray, $49.99; DVD, $39.99; various ratings.)

‘TCM GREATEST CLASSIC FILMS COLLECTION: HOLIDAY’ Pick up this four-film collection for Ernst Lubitsch’s 1940 masterpiece, “Shop Around the Corner,” with James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan, and consider the three other films — Peter Godfrey’s 1945 “Christmas in Connecticut”; the 1938 MGM adaptation of “A Christmas Carol”; and Roy Del Ruth’s 1947 “It Happened on Fifth Avenue” — as free bonuses. (Warner Home Video, DVD, $27.92; not rated.)

New Releases

‘THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN’ Andrew Garfield plays the melancholy superhero in Marc Webb’s new mounting of the Marvel Comics franchise. (Marvel/Sony, 3-D Blu-ray/Blu-ray/DVD combo, $55.99; Blu-ray/DVD combo, $40.99; DVD, $30.99; PG-13.)

‘THE BOURNE LEGACY’ Another 10-year-old franchise gets a fresh start in Tony Gilroy’s film, with Jeremy Renner as a new undercover operative on the run. (Universal, Blu-ray/DVD combo, $34.98; DVD, $29.98; PG-13.)

‘BRAVE’ The adventures of a rebellious princess in early Scotland, in an animated film from Pixar. (Pixar/Disney, 3-D Blu-ray/Blu-ray/DVD combo, $49.99; Blu-ray/DVD combo, $39.99; DVD, $29.99; PG.)

‘THE DARK KNIGHT RISES’ The latest iteration of Batman, played by Christian Bale under the direction of Christopher Nolan, comes to the end of its three-movie life cycle. (Warner Home Video, Blu-ray/DVD combo, $35.99; DVD, $29.98; PG-13. “The Dark Knight Trilogy,” including “Batman Begins,” “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” Blu-ray, $52.99; DVD, $38.99; PG-13.)

‘MAGIC MIKE’ Steven Soderbergh’s sleeper hit stars Channing Tatum as a male stripper in a film based on the actor’s own early job history. (Warner Home Video, Blu-ray/DVD combo, $35.99; DVD, $28.98; R.)

‘MEN IN BLACK 3’ Ten years after their last outing, Agents J and K (Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones) are back fighting aliens, still under the direction of Barry Sonnenfeld. (Sony, 3-D Blu-ray/Blu-ray/DVD combo, $55.99; Blu-ray/DVD combo, $40.99; DVD, $30.99; PG-13.)

‘TED’ A 35-year-old man (Mark Wahlberg) lives with his best friend from childhood: a teddy bear come to foulmouthed life. Seth MacFarlane of “Family Guy” directed. (Universal, Blu-ray/DVD combo, $34.98; DVD, $29.98, R.)

Repackaged Favorites

‘BLADE RUNNER’ All five versions of Ridley Scott’s dystopian fantasy of 1982, fitted out with still more supplementary material. (Warner Home Video, Blu-ray four-disc collector’s edition, $64.99; Blu-ray, $34.99; R.)

‘BOND 50: THE COMPLETE 22 FILM COLLECTION’ All the Bond films from Eon Productions — featuring Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig — packaged in one box with scads of bonus material. (MGM, Blu-ray, $299.99; DVD $199.99; various ratings.)

‘GUYS AND DOLLS’ Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s film of the Frank Loesser musical, starring Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando, restored and remastered for high definition. (Warner Home Video, Blu-ray, $34.99; not rated.)

‘INDIANA JONES: THE COMPLETE ADVENTURES’ All four films in the action-adventure series directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by George Lucas, three of them on Blu-ray for the first time. There’s a fifth disc of supplements. (Paramount, $99.98; PG-13.)

‘LAWRENCE OF ARABIA’ A superb new high-def transfer of the 1962 David Lean desert adventure, available both as a stand-alone and as a deluxe gift edition with a book and a separate disc of supplementary material. (Sony, Blu-ray four-disc collector’s edition, $95.99; Blu-ray, $26.99; PG.)

‘SUNSET BOULEVARD’ A much-needed high-def do-over for the 1950 Billy Wilder film, with Gloria Swanson as a 50-year-old former star who dares to have sexual feelings for a younger man (William Holden). (Paramount, Blu-ray, $26.98; not rated.)

For Cinephiles

‘ALFRED HITCHCOCK: THE MASTERPIECE COLLECTION’ Uneven transfer quality mars this collection of 15 films by one of the greatest artists of the medium, many in their Blu-ray debut. (Universal, Blu-ray, $299.98; not rated.)

‘HEAVEN’S GATE’ A thorough restoration of Michael Cimino’s sprawling 1980 western, presented in a 216-minute cut approved by the director. (Criterion Collection, Blu-ray, $49.95; DVD, $39.95; not rated.)

‘MARY PICKFORD RAGS AND RICHES COLLECTION’ Hollywood’s first female superstar in three representative silent features —“The Poor Little Rich Girl” (1917), “The Hoodlum” (1919) and “Sparrows” (1926) — presented with new orchestral scores. (Milestone, Blu-ray, $39.95; DVD, $34.95; not rated.)

‘DIE NIBELUNGEN’ Fritz Lang’s two-part, four-hour adaptation of the epic poem that inspired Wagner’s “Ring” cycle, here in a superb recent restoration and accompanied by a new recording of Gottfried Huppertz’s original 1924 score. (Kino Lorber, Blu-ray, $39.95; not rated.)

‘THE OTTO PREMINGER COLLECTION’ Three controversial films from this director’s late period — “Hurry Sundown” (1967),“Skidoo” (1968) and “Such Good Friends” (1971) — now remastered for Blu-ray. (Olive, Blu-ray, $69.95; R.)

‘VITAPHONE VARIETIES VOLUME 2’ Thirty-five early sound shorts, produced between 1927 and 1931, many filmed in the Warner Brothers Brooklyn studios, that preserve the essence of American vaudeville with performers like Edgar Bergen, Fred Allen and the Yacht Club Boys. (Warner Archive Collection, DVD, $29.95; not rated.)

‘WE CAN’T GO HOME AGAIN’ The last major work of Nicholas Ray (“Rebel Without a Cause”), made with students at the State University of New York, Binghamton, presented here in a reconstruction of its Cannes festival premiere version from 1973. (Oscilloscope, Blu-ray, $34.99; DVD, $29.99; not rated.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/23/movies/homevideo/a-dvd-gift-guide-for-the-holidays.html?ref=television

Emmy/Critic's Notes
Do freshman TV shows have the class to win?
By Amy Dawes, Los Angeles Times

When it comes to recognizing top-form television, the Golden Globes are often a bellwether. Last year, for example, a riveting new drama called "Homeland" figured prominently in the Globe nominations in January -- and then went on to sweep the Emmy Awards in September. The timing of the Globes means the voters -- members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. -- are the first to weigh in after each new fall season, so their picks can be worth keeping an eye on.

Looking for the next "Homeland," we offer up some newcomers that stand a chance of breaking through to award recognition, with an assessment of their pros and cons by Los Angeles Times television critic Mary McNamara.

'Girls' (HBO)

This critics' darling -- writer-producer-star Lena Dunham's intimate, frank and endearingly funny look at the missteps and miseries of artsy young New Yorkers -- premiered early enough to land three Emmy nominations, so we're betting it also shows up at the Globes. But not everyone is bowled over.

Assessment: "This show seemed to promise an unvarnished look at young women on their own, but all they talked about was their boyfriends. I found that limiting and irritating," McNamara says. "The performances were good, but the women didn't interest me at the end of the day."

'The Newsroom' (HBO)

When it premiered last summer in the thick of an election year and took on the failings of a media culture that had helped polarize the nation, this invigorating Aaron Sorkin-penned drama, starring Jeff Daniels as a cable news anchor, proved to be divisive on its own. For its followers, though, it is head and shoulders above the rest.

Assessment: "For me it wasn't great TV because it was so blatantly political that the characters felt manipulated to send a message," says McNamara. "Everyone got het up over whether Sorkin should be allowed to trumpet his ideas, and the show almost got lost in the ruckus."

'Nashville' (ABC)

This nighttime soap set in the country music capital takes unusual care to get the musical performances right and present a realistic look at record industry pressures. Maybe that's because it's guided by a pair of Oscar winners, screenwriter Callie Khouri and music producer T Bone Burnett. It also stars the luminous Connie Britton ("Friday Night Lights"), who performs her own musical numbers. "'Nashville' is big, bold, wildly ambitious and great fun," says McNamara in her review, praising its "moments of bare-naked and universal truths." It's hands-down the best reviewed of the new network dramas, but in a weak season that isn't saying much. Some see it as succumbing to the same generic slickness that makes commercial pop music so dispiriting.

Assessment: "It's kind of the agreed-upon front-runner," says McNamara. "I would expect to see Connie Britton in the awards mix."

'Last Resort' (ABC)

This puzzle-plot military conspiracy thriller about a nuclear submarine crew that goes rogue was canceled this month due to waning ratings, but not before star Andre Braugher, right, had made a mighty impression as Capt. Marcus Chaplin, who makes the fateful decision to defy orders. Its powerful pilot episode captured plenty of attention and made it the second best-reviewed show of the new season, after "Nashville." "One of the few new shows worth getting excited about," according to Time magazine reviewer James Poniewozik, who praised the same "thrilling action premise" that others found ridiculous.

Assessment: "Andre Braugher is amazing and will probably get a nomination," says McNamara. "He's the one person on the planet who could make that premise work."

'The Mindy Project' (FOX)

It may indeed be a "project," still finding its way after a half-dozen episodes, but this fast-paced and ingratiating romp has been dubbed by some critics "the best new comedy of the season." Created by and starring Mindy Kaling ("The Office"), it's set in a medical practice where physician Mindy spars with her co-workers (including the wryly reliable Chris Messina, left, as Dr. Danny Castellano) as she struggles to keep the listing ship of her love life afloat.

Assessment: "It's actually more revolutionary than 'Girls,'" says McNamara. "Because here's this brown-skinned, oversize woman playing it like she's a sex goddess. She's an interesting mix of arrogance and insecurity, and she's pulling it off on network television, as opposed to HBO, which gives you all this freedom."

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/goldenglobes/la-en-freshman-tv-globes-pictures,0,7349443.photogallery

And once again the CE industry is way ahead of what the public wants and what the providers can deliver, same as with 3D. Gotta pimp those features though.