Steve McPherson-related stories
Posted Sep 2nd 2009 6:01PM by Jonathan Toomey
Filed under: Grey's Anatomy, Celebrities, Casting, Reality-Free
If only it were permanent. (Commence booing and hissing at your leisure.)
Turns out that Meredith Grey's temporary departure from Grey's Anatomy this coming sixth season (Ellen Pompeo is going out on maternity leave) won't be the only character taking leave from the halls of Seattle Grace. Katherine Heigl's chock-full-o'-cancer Izzie Stevens will be going MIA for a few episodes as well.
If you're like me, the how and why doesn't really matter because this is just delightful news (my dislike for Heigl and her outbursts is no secret), but the details and spoilers are after the jump if you really want to know.
Continue reading Katherine Heigl is leaving Grey's Anatomy!!! (just not permanently)
Posted Aug 8th 2009 5:55PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Industry, Grey's Anatomy, Dancing With The Stars, TCA Press Tour, Reality-Free
ABC president Steve McPherson just finished holding court at his network's executive session. Not much in the way of news came up, but when an astute critic -- namely me -- brought up Katherine Heigl's latest foot-in-mouth incident, McPherson didn't mince words.
He called the
Grey's star's remarks -- where she complained on several talk shows about
her 17-hour first day back on the set, a day that supposedly was created to accommodate her promotional schedule for
The Ugly Truth -- "unfortunate." He continued: "It is what it is. People are going to choose to behave the way they behave." He felt especially bad for the show's behind-the-scenes crew, who also put in those long hours without complaint; "It's really hard for the people busting their tails every day to hear that (from Heigl)." He later said that "I'm not going to try to explain someone else's behavior," and repeated the word "unfortunate" once again.
Continue reading ABC exec calls Heigl's latest remarks "unfortunate" - TCA Report
Posted May 19th 2009 8:33AM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, Other Reality Shows, Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Industry, Programming, Desperate Housewives, Lost, Scrubs, Grey's Anatomy, Dancing With The Stars, Cancellations, Pickups and Renewals, Upfronts, Casting
Yesterday, we gave you a preview of ABC's upcoming fall
comedies and
dramas. Today, we got the official lowdown on the network's 2009-2010 schedule during its upfront presentation.
As expected, the network picked up a number of new shows and stuck with some of its most solid performers.
Returning: Lost (Update: Lost will be back, but exactly where and on what night has not been determined.)
, Castle, Scrubs, Better Off Ted, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Ugly Betty, Dancing With the Stars, 20/20, Supernanny, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters,
The Bachelor.
Wife Swap, True Beauty,
America's Funniest Home VideosGone:
Samantha Who?,
Cupid,
The Unusuals,
In the Motherhood,
According to JimNew: Cougar Town,
Hank,
The Middle,
Modern Family,
Flash Forward,
Eastwick,
Shark Tank, The ForgottenNew for Mid-Season: V,
Happy Town,
The Deep End
Watch this space for more details on the new shows and comments from ABC execs...
More on the schedule, comments and some details on the new shows after the jump.
Continue reading The Upfronts: ABC
Posted Jul 18th 2008 10:34AM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Industry, Desperate Housewives, TCA Press Tour, Reality-Free
Thanks to Marc Cherry and Shonda Rhimes, the ABC show-runner panel was a good way to start the afternoon. Unfortunately, things went downhill from there, as the panels for
Dirty Sexy Money, Private Practice, and Desperate Housewives were surprisingly dull, especially considering the fact that Cherry and Rhimes returned for the
DH and
Practice panels, respectively.
Even something Cherry said that seemed like it would be news -- that he's going to end
DH after the seventh season -- turned out to be old hat, as he
announced the very same thing at the Winter 2007 tour. "Yeah, I've made the decision that after seven years, I will probably keel over in a hump and die," he said. "I love my baby, you know. I love working with these gals, but the idea of letting anyone else take the show from me kind of makes me sad and sick to my stomach."
Continue reading Desperate Housewives panel: Five years older, and surprisingly dull - TCA Report
Posted Jul 16th 2008 6:25PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Industry, Lost, Scrubs, Grey's Anatomy, TCA Press Tour, Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, Reality-Free
After
Jimmy Kimmel left the room, ABC Entertainment Steve McPherson got on with the business of facing the press at his executive session. I kicked it off with a question about
Scrubs, following up on
what Bill Lawrence told me in May about a possible "next generation" ninth season.
"We do think there's an opportunity after (this eighth season)," said McPherson. "If any or all the cast is a part of that, I think there's a growth (opportunity) there. It's a show that, despite being moved around into like 17 time periods and really never being given the marketing support, has really performed unbelievably well on NBC." He went on to say that they hope "it won't be a one-season situation."
Other than that, most of the conversation revolved around the network's returning shows, which makes sense, since the network is only debuting a few new shows (none of which had pilots that the network thought were suitable for preview) this fall.
Continue reading ABC president: We're prioritizing returning shows, and Heigl is staying - TCA Report
Posted May 22nd 2008 2:19PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Industry, Scrubs, Interviews, Celebrities, Reality-Free
As I found out
when I first spoke to Bill Lawrence last year, it doesn't take much to get the creator of
Scrubs going. All it might take is a quick question and he'll go off on a monologue that is not only funny, but has a lot of good information as well.
That's what I got from him when I spoke to him earlier this week. Yes, we went over what happened with NBC after the writers' strike and how his show was able to make the shift to ABC. But, since he already
spoke about that at length, we talked more about why NBC treated the show like it did, what creative shifts he's going to make to the show this year (expect to see less baby and relationship stuff this year, and more of the medical drama and comedy that got people hooked on the show). And, of course, he also dropped the mini-bombshell that I posted about earlier in the week,
that there might be a ninth, "next generation" season of Scrubs.
I'll warn you right now, this is a long transcript, which is why we're splitting it into three parts. But it's got a lot of good information, and if you're patient, you'll find some interesting spoilers about what's going to happen next year on the show (production on eighth season should be wrapped up by August, according to Lawrence). So, buckle up and enjoy the ride...
Continue reading Bill Lawrence of Scrubs: The TV Squad Interview
Posted May 20th 2008 10:21AM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Industry, Scrubs, Interviews, Casting, Reality-Free
I finally got a chance to speak with
Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence yesterday, and, as you'd expect, he had plenty to say about departing NBC. In addition to the circumstances behind the show's move from NBC to ABC, Lawrence also talked about NBC's treatment of the show and why he thinks it stuck around for so long, despite that treatment.
But he also dropped a bit of a bomb: next season may not be the show's final season. And if there is ninth season of
Scrubs, it likely will continue without him or Zach Braff on board.
More after the jump.
Continue reading There might be a ninth season of Scrubs, says Bill Lawrence
Posted May 13th 2008 9:07AM by Jane Boursaw
Filed under: Industry, Programming, Cancellations, Pickups and Renewals, Upfronts, Reality-Free
ABC released its 2008-09 prime-time schedule this morning during a press conference call conducted by Steve McPherson, president of ABC Entertainment. I listened in and got the rundown:
Returning: Boston Legal, Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives, Dirty Sexy Money, Eli Stone, Grey's Anatomy, Lost (Midseason)
, Private Practice, Pushing Daisies, Ugly Betty, According to Jim (Midseason)
, Samantha Who?, America's Funniest Home Videos, The Bachelor (Midseason)
, Dancing With The Stars, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Supernanny, Wife Swap, Saturday Night College Football, Primetime: What Would You Do? Out: October Road, Notes from the Underbelly, Men in Trees, Big Shots, Carpoolers, Cashmere Mafia, Cavemen, Miss/Guided, Women's Murder Club, Oprah's Big Give
New: Life on Mars, The Goode Family (Midseason)
, Scrubs (Midseason)
, Opportunity Knocks, Untitled Ashton Kutcher/Tyra Banks Project (Midseason)
Continue reading The Upfronts: ABC
Posted Mar 20th 2008 10:23AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Industry, Programming, Jericho, Pickups and Renewals
This is disheartening. ABC has been looking to Lifetime
as a new home for Men in Trees and October Road. Both dramatic series have not as yet been picked up for next year, and now this report makes it clear they are both skating on thin ice. The powers that be at Lifetime were given copies of both shows to review and chose not to pick up either of them. They basically threw the ball back to ABC, forcing the network to decide the fate of these two shows.
Continue reading Lifetime nixes ABC's October Road and Men in Trees
Posted Nov 11th 2007 11:36AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Industry, Programming, Web, Celebrities
What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.
- Will the writers strike boost DVD sales?
- Could Winona Ryder be Spock's mom in the new Star Trek movie?
- George Clooney got into a heated argument with ... Fabio?!
- NBC's "Green Week" reminds someone of something CBS did years ago with Elizabeth Taylor's perfume. [via TV Guidance]
- Ex-New York Daily News critic David Bianculli has launched a new TV blog.
- Mark Cuban thinks Bill O'Reilly is a moron.
- Meanwhile, NBC chief Ben Silverman thinks ABC chief Steve McPherson is a moron.
Posted May 15th 2007 3:24PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Celebrities, Cancellations
Even before this morning's presentation
of the 2007-08 ABC fall schedule, George Lopez knew that his show wasn't going to be on it. That's because ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson, gave him the bad news over the weekend. Apparently, McPherson and ABC thought
George Lopez was going to be a money loser if it got picked it up for another season. Lopez isn't buying it,
as he told the LA Times today.
He not only told the newspaper that he should have gotten one more season to tie up some loose threads, but that his show outperformed other shows, like
Notes from the Underbelly, that got renewed. "TV just became really, really white again," he told the
Times.
Continue reading George Lopez blasts ABC for cancelling his show
Posted May 15th 2007 10:00AM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Industry, Programming, Upfronts
ABC released its 2007-08 prime-time schedule this morning during a press conference conducted by Steve McPherson, president of ABC Entertainment, which I attended by phone. The changes in brief:
Returning:
Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, October Road, Notes from the Underbelly, Men In Trees, Brothers & Sisters, Wife Swap, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Desperate Housewives, The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars, Lost, Supernanny, America's Funniest Home Videos, Boston Legal, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, 20/20, Primetime (specials and special series)
Out:
The Nine, Six Degrees, The Great American Dream Vote, Show Me The Money, Day Break, In Case of Emergency, The Knights of Prosperity, What About Brian, George Lopez, According to Jim (maybe... finally!)
New:
Big Shots, Carpoolers, Cashmere Mafia, Eli Stone, Dirty Sexy Money, Cavemen, Miss/Guided, Private Practice, Pushing Daisies, Sam I Am, Women's Murder Club, Oprah's Big Give
Moving:
Men In Trees moves from Thursdays at 10 to Fridays at 8.
Notes from the Underbelly and
October Road (along with
Cashmere Mafia) will premiere when
Dancing with the Stars and
The Bachelor end their seasons.
Lost will begin airing in February and show no repeats, in a Wednesday time slot that's still to be determined.
Detailed descriptions of the new shows (and some notes on the schedule) after the jump.
Continue reading The Upfronts: ABC
Posted May 14th 2007 1:03PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Grey's Anatomy, Pickups and Renewals
In the "big surprise" department, we have this item: ABC has made the shocking move
to pick up the Kate Walsh-fronted spin-off of Grey's Anatomy, tentatively titled
Private Practice.
According to the New York Post, the show may get a new title (ya think?), and the network was very happy with the ratings for the
Grey's episode that introduced the spin-off, despite
the mixed reaction from the show's fans.
Of course, our snideness comes from the fact that we already knew the show was going to be picked up, for many reasons. Heck, even Walsh knew, as she got a "you're in pretty good shape" from ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson
last week on the Ellen show.
Posted May 10th 2007 3:38PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Industry, OpEd, Daytime, Video, Grey's Anatomy, Celebrities, Talk Show, Pickups and Renewals
On today's edition of
Ellen, Ellen DeGeneres decided to take it upon herself to find out if
Private Practice,
the working title of the Grey's Anatomy spin-off starring Kate Walsh, is going to be picked up for the fall. With her guest, Walsh, looking on a bit sheepishly, DeGeneres decided to call ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson and ask him to cut the suspense and tell Kate and the audience whether the show was getting picked up.
For his part, McPherson was a good sport, and ended up telling Ellen and everyone that Kate is in "pretty good shape," meaning that the show's almost assured of a pick-up. Once Kate got on the phone to say hello to McPherson, the executive uttered a line that was at once funny and painful for him to say -- "This is going to be an interesting contract negotiation" -- meaning that the lovely and leggy Walsh might be in for a very good payday pretty soon. Video is after the jump.
[via
the TV addict]
Continue reading Kate Walsh finds out if Grey's spin-off is being picked up ... on the Ellen show - VIDEO
Posted Jan 15th 2007 10:35AM by Joel Keller
Filed under: ABC, Industry, OpEd, TCA Press Tour
The first session of yesterday's ABC presentation started bright and early at 9 AM with a Q&A with network president Steve McPherson. He was cheekily introduced with a video showing the rehearsals of a "new cast member" of
Dancing with the Stars. It turned out to be McPherson, at a scene that looked like it came from either a previous press tour or an upfront presentation. Everyone laughed but me, mainly because I wasn't grizzled enough of a TV veteran to get the inside joke.
Anyway, some of the information he gave at the Q&A after the jump.
Continue reading ABC pres admits there were too many serials - TCA Report
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Scrubs season nine -- An early look
