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Posted Jan 19th 2007 12:15PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Everybody Hates Chris, The CW, TCA Press Tour
At the CW executive session, the lime-green-and-white clad helpers passed out a number of press releases. Among them was the announcement that
Everybody Hates Chris is getting a full-season order for the 2007-08 season.
"Producing one great episode after another, this is a show that we want viewers to associate with the CW. We couldn't be happier to bring it back for another season."
After switching days with
7th Heaven --
Chris now airs Mondays at 8 PM -- the network must have seen evidence that the show was improving, or at least a steady performer. The presence of executive producer Chris Rock probably helped.
By the way, the women are wearing white suits with green shirts, while the men are wearing green blazers, and white shirts and pants. I think the women got the better of the deal. Either way, if they serve mint juleps at the party tonight, I'll know they've taken the "green" thing too far.
Posted Nov 27th 2006 8:34PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Sci-Fi/Supernatural Shows, NBC, OpEd, BBC, Heroes, Pickups and Renewals
You know that a series has become a hit in America when British TV starts clamoring for it. But its especially interesting when the stuffy, government-run BBC picks up a show. So, to US fans, the news that
Heroes will start airing on BBC Two in 2007 is a bit of a surprise; this seemed like a show that was more suitable for one of the independent channels over there, like ITV.
But the Beeb likes what it sees in what has become the highest-rated new show on American TV. "Heroes is a fresh and imaginative take on the superhero theme and features amazing special effects – BBC Two is the perfect home for such an intriguing, intelligent and irresistible drama," Sue Deeks, the network's head of series acquisition said in
a press release. It only holds the over-the-air rights to the show; SciFi UK owns the cable, pay TV, and satellite rights.
By the way, for those who think the BBC is all high-culture, other shows on
Two include
Family Guy and a British version of
The Apprentice. So
Heroes should fit right in.
Posted Nov 13th 2006 7:44PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, NBC, OpEd, NYTVF, Pickups and Renewals
Our friends at the
New York Television Festival gleefully sent us a press release today announcing that the rights to one of the pilots that showed at the festival in September -- and was
covered like a blanket by TVS -- has been picked up by a major network.
Split the Difference, which won both the comedy competition and the
TV Guide Audience Award, is the first scripted pilot to be picked up in the two-year history of the festival, as well as the first to be picked up by a major network. It's a mockumentary-style comedy that revolves around the rivalry-filled and phony world of making television commercials.
I thought it was by far the funniest pilot in the comedy competition, but that the mockumentary format would have to change so it didn't look like
The Office at an advertising firm. Good to see we'll get a chance to see how this show gets developed. You can see the full press release after the jump. And you can still see the pilot
on MSN.
Continue reading NBCU picks up comedy winner from the NY Television Festival
Posted Sep 29th 2006 1:07PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, CBS, Programming, The Amazing Race, Pickups and Renewals
In 2000, did anyone imagine that CBS, of all networks, would have not one but two respected and critically-acclaiemd reality series that would have seasons totalling in the double-digits? Not at that time; back then CBS was the fuddy-duddy network, and reality was best left to cable networks like MTV.
Of course, with
Survivor and
The Amazing Race, CBS is now considered to have the gold standard of reality shows. So it's no big surprise to hear that the network
has greenlighted an 11th season of
Race. It's getting good ratings in its new family-friendly Sunday timeslot, and it's won just about every reality-show Emmy that could be given out. So this was a no-brainer. Wonder what gimmick they're going to come up with for season 11?
Posted Aug 8th 2006 3:36PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Other Comedy Shows, Talent, Industry, Programming, Celebrities, Comedy Central
Jon Stewart is becoming quite the mogul, isn't he? Not only does his production company, Busboy Productions, crank out the gigantic hit show
The Colbert Report four nights a week, but Comedy Central also has a first-look development deal with the company. This means that whatever pilot script Jon and company develop, CC gets the first shot at it.
It looks like they like what Jon's been producing, as
word comes that they've picked up a pilot for a fictional comedy called
Three Strikes, which takes place in the world of minor-league baseball. So, if this gets made into a series, are we going to rename the network Jon Stewart's Comedy Central? I wonder how the boys from
South Park would feel about that?
Posted Feb 28th 2006 4:38PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: FOX, Showtime, Premium Cable, Industry, Programming, Arrested Development
Rumors are rampant that
Arrested
Development has been picked up by Showtime for a 26-episode order. Page Six in the
New York Post floated that story this morning, in fact (which was
replayed on Salon.com).
However, that's all they
are right now: rumors. Fellow Squadder Ryan j Budke found out from his source at Showtime, who is close to the
negotiations, that they are still in talks about the show and nothing is official yet. There may be an official
announcement later in the week, but that's about the only information we've been given.
Don't worry: if word
comes out that
AD has been officially picked up, we'll have it for you.
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