merlin-related stories
Posted Aug 24th 2009 8:07AM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Watercooler Talk, Reality-Free
I'm not sure if NBC plans on showing the second season of
Merlin. I've been wondering why NBC has been doubling up on episodes the last several weeks. Is it just to burn the show off during the summer because they have no intention of bringing it back next season? (It has already been
renewed for a second season in the UK.) Or is Sunday night during the summer just a convenient night to double up on episodes?
Anyway, what did you think of the season finale?
Posted Aug 23rd 2009 4:02PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, a tribute to Don Hewitt, then new episodes of Big Brother and There Goes The Neighborhood.
- NBC has two new episodes of Merlin starting at 7, followed by Miss Universe 2009.
- At 7:30, Disney has a new Hannah Montana.
- At 8, ABC has the finale of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, then new episodes of Shark Tank and Defying Gravity.
- ESPN has the Red Sox/Yankees game at 8.
- ESPN2 has the Little League World Series at 8.
- At 8:30, Disney has a new Jonas.
- At 9, Lifetime has a new Drop Dead Diva, followed by a new Army Wives.
- History Channel has the season finale of Ice Road Truckers at 9, then two new episodes of Pawn Stars.
- There's a new Iron Chef America on Food Network at 9.
- Also at 9: HBO has a new True Blood, then new episodes of Hung and Entourage.
- At 10, AMC has a new Mad Men.
- HGTV has a new Design Star at 10.
- Comedy Central has Patton Oswalt: My Weakness Is Strong at 10.
- At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
Posted Aug 17th 2009 8:10AM by John Scott Lewinski
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, Other Reality Shows, Cancellations, Ratings
It's not really possible that every summer premiere on the great
American broadcast TV schedule crashed and burned, is it?
But, out of all the original programs that premiered on the major networks after the completion of the fall 2008 season, not a single one got traction.
According to
analysis reports, you can take your pick from any of the following shows:
Defying Gravity,
The Superstars,
The Listener,
Mental,
The Philanthropist,
Hitched or Ditched,
Merlin and
Great American Road Trip. All of them bombed -- each hovering just above a one market share.
In fact, you don't need numbers to prove that the fall crop crapped out. Ask your friend what his/her favorite summer replacement show was. You'll be waiting awhile.
Continue reading Entire summer TV schedule declared a failure
Posted Aug 16th 2009 4:00PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
- TCM has Elvis Presley movie all night.
- At 7, CBS has a new Michael Vick interview on 60 Minutes.
- NBC has two new episodes of Merlin at 7.
- The CW has a new Easy Money at 7.
- Retro TV has Airwolf at 7, followed by the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries and two episodes of the original Mike Hammer.
- At 8, ABC has a new Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, then new episodes of Shark Tank and Defying Gravity.
- CBS has a new Big Brother at 8, followed by a new There Goes The Neighborhood.
- There's a new Challenge on Food Network at 8.
- ESPN2 has Little League Baseball at 8.
- Also at 8: Disney has a new Sonny with a Chance, followed by a new Jonas.
- At 9, Lifetime has a new Drop Dead Diva, then a new Army Wives.
- HBO has a new True Blood at 9, then new episodes of Hung and Entourage.
- A&E has two new episodes of Gene Simmons' Family Jewels at 9.
- History Channel has a new Ice Road Truckers at 9, followed by a new Pawn Stars.
- At 10, AMC has the season premiere of Mad Men.
- At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
Posted Aug 2nd 2009 4:00PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
Shark Week stars on Discovery Channel today.- Travel Channel has a Man vs. Food marathon all night.
- At 7, NBC has a new Dateline, followed by a new Merlin and the conclusion of The Storm.
- At 8, ABC has Ty's British Adventure, then the series premiere of Defying Gravity.
- CBS has a new Big Brother at 8.
- At 8:30, Disney has a new Jonas.
- At 9, USA has a new Law and Order: CI, then a new In Plain Sight.
- Food Network has the season finale of Next Food Network Star at 9, followed by a new The Best Thing I Ever Ate.
- Lifetime has a new Drop Dead Diva at 9, then a new Army Wives.
- A&E has two new episodes of Gene Simmons' Family Jewels at 9.
- There's a new Ice Road Truckers on History Channel at 9, followed by two new episodes of Pawn Stars.
- G4 has a new Web Soup at 9.
- Also at 9: HBO has a new True Blood, then new episodes of Hung and Entourage.
- At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken.
- At midnight, Cartoon Network has a new Squidbillies.
- At 12:30am, Cartoon Network has a new Mighty Boosh.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
Posted Jul 26th 2009 4:04PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
- Discovery has a Cronkite Remembers marathon all night.
- At 7, NBC has a new Dateline, followed by a new Merlin and the miniseries The Storm.
- The CW has a new Easy Money at 7.
- At 7:30, Disney has a new Hannah Montana.
- At 8, CBS has a new Big Brother.
- TCM has High Noon at 8.
- Food Network has a new Challenge at 8, then new episodes of Next Food Network Star and Extreme Cuisine with Jeff Corwin.
- At 9, PBS has a new Masterpiece Mystery!
- USA has a new Law and Order: CI at 9, then a new In Plain Sight.
- HBO has a new True Blood at 9, then new episodes of Hung and Entourage.
- There's a new Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime at 9, followed by a new Army Wives.
- A&E has two new episodes of Gene Simmons' Family Jewels at 9, then two new episodes of Hammertime.
- History Channel has a new Ice Road Truckers at 9, followed by two new episodes of Pawn Stars.
- Also at 9: G4 has a new Web Soup.
- At 11:30, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken.
- At 12:30, Cartoon Network has a new Mighty Boosh.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
Posted Jul 19th 2009 4:04PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
Nickelodeon has a marathon of new SpongeBob SquarePants episodes starting at 7.- At 7, CBS has That's The Way It Was: Remembering Walter Cronkite, then a new Big Brother.
- The CW has a new Valentine at 7.
- At 8, NBC has a new Merlin, followed by the conclusion of Meteor.
- ABC Family has the movie Labor Pains at 8.
- Discovery has a new Deadliest Catch at 8.
- TCM has An American in Paris at 8.
- At 9, PBS has a new Masterpiece Mystery!
- There's a new Law and Order: CI on USA at 9, then a new In Plain Sight.
- HBO has a new True Blood at 9, followed by new episodes of Hung and Entourage.
- ESPN has the ESPY Awards at 9.
- Lifetime has a new Drop Dead Diva at 9, followed by a new Army Wives.
- Food Network has a new Next Food Network Star at 9, then the season premiere of Ace of Cakes.
- A&E has two new episodes of Gene Simmons' Family Jewels at 9, then two new episodes of Hammertime.
- Also at 9: History Channel has a new Ice Road Truckers, followed by the series premiere of Pawn Stars (two episodes).
- At 10, HGTV has the season premiere of Design Star.
- At 12:15am, Cartoon Network has a new Squidbillies.
- At 1am, Cartoon Network has a new Mighty Boosh.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
Posted Jul 12th 2009 4:00PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
At 7, The CW has a new Valentine.- At 8, CBS has a new Big Brother.
- NBC has a new Merlin at 8, then the miniseries Meteor.
- Food Network has a new Challenge at 8, then new episodes of Next Food Network Star and Iron Chef America.
- At 9, PBS has a new Masterpiece Mystery.
- USA has a new Law and Order: CI at 9, followed by a new In Plain Sight.
- Lifetime has the series premiere of Drop Dead Diva at 9, followed by a new Army Wives.
- A&E has two new episodes of Gene Simmons' Family Jewels at 9, then two new episodes of Hammertime.
- History Channel has a new Ice Road Truckers at 9, followed by a new Expedition Africa.
- Also at 9: HBO has a new True Blood, followed by a new Hung and the season premiere of Entourage.
- At 1AM, Cartoon Network has a new Mighty Boosh.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
Posted Jul 5th 2009 4:07PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
Bravo has a Law and Order: CI marathon all night.- At 7:30, ABC has a new Just For Laughs.
- At 8, NBC has a new Merlin.
- FOX repeats the Michael Jackson episode of The Simpsons at 8.
- There's a new Hannah Montana on Disney at 8, then new episodes of Sonny with a Chance and Jonas.
- At 9, PBS has a new Masterpiece Mystery!
- History Channel has a new Ice Road Truckers at 9, followed by a new Expedition Africa.
- Food Network has a new Next Food Network Star at 9, then a new Iron Chef America.
- G4 has a new Web Soup at 9.
- At 10, Lifetime has a new Army Wives.
- At midnight, Cartoon Network has a new Squidbillies.
- At 1AM, Cartoon Network has a new Mighty Boosh.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
Posted Jun 28th 2009 4:00PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
At 7, NBC has a new Dateline, then a new Merlin.
- The CW has a new episode of Valentine at 7.
- At 7:30, ABC has a new Just For Laughs.
- At 8, USA has two new episodes of Law and Order: CI, followed by a new In Plain Sight.
- Food Network has a new Challenge at 8, then new episodes of Next Food Network Star and Iron Chef America.
- At 8:45, Disney has a new Jonas.
- At 9, ABC has the continuation of the miniseries Impact.
- PBS has a new Masterpiece Mystery at 9.
- A&E has two new episodes of Gene Simmons' Family Jewels at 9, followed by a new Hammertime.
- Nickelodeon has a new Nick News at 9.
- Also at 9: HBO has a new True Blood, then the series premiere of Hung.
- At 10, Lifetime Movie Network has Killer Hair.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
Posted Jun 22nd 2009 2:04PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, Watercooler Talk, Reality-Free
So...who watched
Merlin last night? Is it fair or unfair to say that this was a Harry Potter-ish version of the classic tale (or, at the very least, the reason this ran on BBC and now on NBC is because of the success of the Potter books)? It's the younger years of Merlin. What did everyone think of it?
Posted Jun 21st 2009 4:02PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Programming, What To Watch Tonight, Reality-Free
At 7, ABC has a new Just For Laughs.- At 8, NBC has the two-hour series premiere of Merlin.
- Food Network has a new Challenge at 8, then new episodes of Next Food Network Star and The Best Thing I Ever Ate.
- Nickelodeon has the movie Mr. Troop Mom at 8.
- At 9, ABC has part one of the miniseries Impact.
- PBS has as new Masterpiece Mystery!
- USA has a new Law and Order: CI at 9, then a new In Plain Sight.
- HBO has a new True Blood at 9.
- A&E has a new Gene Simmons' Family Jewels at 9, followed by a new Hammertime.
- History Channel has a new Ice Road Truckers at 9, then a new Expedition Africa.
- Sci-Fi has the movie Rise of the Gargoyles at 9.
- Also at 9: WE has a new Bridezillas at 9.
- At 10, Lifetime has a new Army Wives.
- HGTV has the season finale of HGTV's $250,000 Challenge at 10.
- At midnight, Cartoon Network has a new Squidbillies.
Check your
local TV listings for more.
Posted Jun 3rd 2009 6:03PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: OpEd, Celebrities, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Reality-Free
Anthony Stewart Head, who played the character of Rupert Giles on
Buffy the Vampire Slayer a long, long time ago, has hinted that the British spin-off
Ripper (which would star the character of Giles) is
not outside the realm of possibility.
Granted, there are a few pitfalls in the way. Creator Joss Whedon is busy with his series
Dollhouse and his upcoming movie
Cabin in the Woods. Plus there may be some confusion regarding the character if they get that
Whedon-less Buffy movie made.
There is definitely still life left in the
Buffy franchise (look at all the successful series and movies out there involving vampires with a female protagonist). I'm sorry Joss didn't use that Eliza Dushku contract to make a series about the character of Faith rather than
Dollhouse, although I understand his creative need to spread his wings. In my mind, there is only a matter of time before they make a feature film that is a direct spin-off from the television series that involves Joss Whedon and doesn't suck. Fingers crossed.
Posted May 26th 2009 8:02PM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Programming, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
While the second season launch of
Merlin is set to debut on BBC One this fall, in the UK, we're still waiting for the first season on NBC in the US. Finally, it's coming to NBC starting June 21 with a two-hour debut. Considering this went from a winter premiere in the states to a summer debut now doesn't make me feel NBC has a lot of faith in it.
Or maybe NBC is actually seeing
Merlin as a quality scripted summer program and truly embracing a twelve-month programming schedule. The shorter thirteen-episode run fits better in the three-month season between seasons. So maybe that second season will make it to NBC in summer 2010? Or at least BBC America if NBC loses faith in it completely.
Continue reading Merlin season two coming this fall, while season one hits the US in June
Posted Mar 13th 2009 11:02AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Industry, Programming, OpEd, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
NBC is showing a set of
international low-budget science-fiction television shows this summer. The network is also moving some of its season finales to June to help Conan O'Brien with his initial ratings when he takes over for Leno on June 1st.
I've heard lukewarm reviews about the BBC's
Merlin (a show
I've already written about) and I'm glad to get the opportunity to watch it and judge for myself.
The Listener is a Canadian production about a telepathic paramedic. NBC is definitely taking a page from the Sci Fi Channel by having a couple of science fiction disaster mini-series to fill some summer programming space with
The Storm and
Meteor.
I just wonder if the WGA strike had something to do with their choice of programming. It is a lot cheaper to license an international program (particularly when you don't even need to use subtitles) than try to create original programming, particularly if your only goal is to fill timeslots.
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