TVSquad

Josh Friedman, the creator behind Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, is now getting behind another movie franchise to bring to ABC. This time it's Charlie's Angels. Okay, this one started as a television franchise then moved to the movies and now is moving back to TV. Well, you get the idea.

Also involved would be Leonard Goldberg, who worked with Aaron Spelling to produce the original series, and Drew Barrymore, who produced and starred in the movie versions. My guess is that this new version would something like Charlie's Angels: The Next Generation. Will John Forsythe return as the voice of Charlie? I hope so.

Revival-mania continues strong on network television. Success has been a mixed bag. For every Battlestar Galactica there are several Bionic Womans. A new version of Charlie's Angels certainly has a shot in today's market and the movies did well. Aaron Spelling tried to revive the franchise in '88 and that didn't work. Now could be a better time. What do you think?

Here are the new TV DVDs, in stores tomorrow.

I don't care how much controversy there is, why would anyone want to buy the Jon & Kate Plus 8 DVDs? Would you really want to sit around a year or two or five from now and watch the episodes again? Why?

There's a new Route 66 DVD set out, Season 3, Volume 1, but if you got the Season 3 collector's set from Best Buy or Critic's Choice, they've issued a recall.

• Charlie's Angels - Season 4
• The Donna Reed Show - Season 2
• Hotel - Season 1
• Jon & Kate Plus 8 - Season 4, Vol. 2
• The Lucy Show - Season 1

(S02E05) Hmm...something was off about this episode of Pushing Daisies for me. Maybe it was the emphasis on Emerson, a character I like, but not my favorite, but this show really only hooked me with Ned's story.

Between the Chinese dumplings and the fruit pies, I was having major munchies. I'm kicking myself for not having ordered steamed dumplings with my Happy Family combination dish earlier this evening. I also loved Ned's line in the opening narration about investing in a pie shop when "...Carbohydrates had fallen completely out of fashion." How true!

Stephen Root's appearance as Dwight Dixon, a friend of Ned's parents, opened a world of possibilities. At one point, I thought he might be the pie-maker's father, but the last scene seems to dispel that notion. What's with the pistol on the front seat?

Feel like reliving your childhood, but just can't find the time? Sony Pictures wants to help. The company is partnering with MySpace to create a Minisode Network that will show brief versions of classic television episodes.

Each minisode will run from 3.5 to five minutes in length. These won't be sets of random clips. Each minisode will tell a complete story. Which is to say, most 22 or 42 minute television episodes you watch probably have a whole lot of fat that could be trimmed without getting in the way of storytelling.

Programs will include Charlie's Angels, T.J. Hooker, and other content from Sony's television library. Interestingly, the project was already in the works when Sony executives saw the popular Seven-Minute Sopranos clip on YouTube.

An interesting article over at CNET about Nielsen's planned video on demand ratings which are set to begin in December. As the cable companies continue to offer more options to subscribers, there needs to be some way to measure who is watching what in order to manage the advertising. There is already a system in place that tries to fill the void, but it has its problems. For one, the cable companies have control over the numbers, which obviously presents a huge conflict of interest. Of course, on the other hand, we are talking about Nielsen here, so if you want to toss out the usual arguments about their shortcomings, I'll understand.

It's good to see more interest in the video on demand services as I've been really impressed with the selection Comcast is offering. My favorite features at the moment are the growing list of network shows, FEARnet, and Tube Time, which currently features both Soap and Charlie's Angels.

[ via lost remote ]

We have a channel for golfers, one for soap fans, and even one that is all reality tv all the time, so why not an outlet for horror fans? Seeing the recent growth in the horror market, Comcast has decided to do just that. But this isn't just some run of the mill obscure cable channel. FEARnet is a "multiplatform network". Customers will be able to view content from three different platforms. The video on demand component will feature 200 movies over the course of the first year, at around 70 hours a month. Those movies will be free to Comcast digital subscribers. And I thought the Charlie's Angels section on TubeTime was good.

The online companion, FEARnet.com, will have 9 movies and 200 shorts that stream for free. In addition, there will be 50 downloadable movies available for rent or purchase. The site will also have news, reviews, and some community features. One of those that sounds interesting is the interactive database. Users, or victims as fearnet calls them, will also have the ability to chat with other members while they watch the movies. Sure, you could do it with IM, but it's good that they are trying something new. And finally, mobile.FEARnet.com will have news, reviews, and polls all designed with the tiny screens in mind. There are also plans to add ringtones and other goodies in the future. It's all very niche market, but since I find myself in that particular niche, I'm all for the idea. The various sites and services will all go live on Halloween.