renewal-related stories
Posted Mar 21st 2010 2:00PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, OpEd, Celebrities, Pickups and Renewals
Fox continues it's love affair with Gordon Ramsay, despite the
failure of 'Cookalong Live.' This week, for example,
Fox renewed 'Kitchen Nightmares' for a third season, and you know that
'Hell's Kitchen' is coming back, so Fox and Ramsay are getting along like peanut butter and jelly.
Continue reading Fox Orders a Third Season of 'Kitchen Nightmares'
Posted Mar 20th 2010 11:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Industry, OpEd, Daytime, Pickups and Renewals, Ratings, Reality-Free
If you been keeping track of the daytime ratings, you probably noticed that
'Days of Our Lives' has been on an upswing. NBC noticed. In fact, after a shaky year in which the threat of cancellation hung over their necks like the Sword of Damocles,
'Days of Our Lives' has been renewed for another year.
That means that this November, NBC and 'Days' will be able to celebrate 45 years on the air. In making the announcement, Marc Graboff, Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, said, "'Days of our Lives' continues to be a favorite of the daytime audience and we are thrilled to keep it going through its 45th season. 'Days' has shown year-to-year increases in key female demographics and remains both relevant and fresh creatively."
Continue reading NBC Renews 'Days of Our Lives'
Posted Mar 8th 2010 5:28PM by Mike Moody
Filed under: Industry, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free, Fringe
Fox's recent decision to
renew 'Fringe' for a third season came as a surprise to some, but it probably wasn't a shock to most fans. The Thursday night sci-fi show isn't exactly a ratings blockbuster, but there are other factors keeping
'Fringe' in play, including its devoted fan base and its excellent pedigree (the show is produced by the in-demand J.J. Abrams and supergeeks of the moment Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman).
Despite delivering some truly thrilling episodes this season, 'Fringe' continues to slip in the ratings. Surprisingly, Fox doesn't seem too concerned about the show's low Nielsen rankings. According to TVbytheNumbers.com, Fox has
picked up 'Fringe' for a full 22-episodes. Not 9, not 13, but a full 22!
That's quite a show of faith from the network known for greenlighting great sci-fi shows ('
Firefly,' '
The Sarah Connor Chronicles') only to strangle them with inept scheduling before laying them out on the chopping block.
Continue reading Fox Orders a Full 22-Episode Third Season of 'Fringe'
Posted Mar 4th 2010 9:45PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Industry, Programming, Smallville, Pickups and Renewals, Ratings, Reality-Free
In a move that surprises very few, The CW has decided that
'Smallville' will
get a tenth season next year. God willing, it's the last one and Clark finally wears the tights and cape at the end of it.
Truthfully, the show's quality has improved in the last two years. The teen angst factor has gone down in favor of the geek factor. The increased ratings reflect this improvement, added to the change of the broadcast night (because Friday night is geek night on television).
To The CW: here is some free, unsolicited advice. Ten years is a good number, but the tenth year should be the show's last. If it continues, then have Clark don the costume at the end of the season and either spin-off a 'Superman' movie series or create a sequel television series called 'Metropolis.' Don't call it 'Superman' if it's a television series. That's the kiss of death.
Posted Feb 22nd 2010 9:00AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
It looks like ABC Family is heading for that awkward phase of high school and college-based dramas with
'Greek,' according to
The Hollywood Reporter: the fourth year. This is when your freshmen are seniors and you have to figure out what to do with them, and your show, if you make it to five. Of course, you have a little bit of flexibility with college, as many students take longer than four years to graduate, and there's always post-graduate work.
But all of that's a problem for 2011. Right now, the cast and crew of 'Greek' can celebrate that with this fourth season pick-up, they will become the longest running original series currently on the air at ABC Family.
The other side of the coin is that it was only a 10-episode pick-up. The first two seasons ran 22 episodes each, while the third hit 20.
Continue reading ABC Family Heading Back to College for a Fourth Season of 'Greek'
Posted Feb 10th 2010 2:00PM by Joel Keller
Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Pickups and Renewals
Late last year, when people were caterwauling over the baseness of ABC's
'Conveyor Belt of Love', a show that was often lumped into the same we're-going-to-hell-in-a-handbasket category was the Alphabet Net's summer series
'Dating in the Dark.'
The comparison was a bit unfair. Not that 'Dark' was Shakespeare or anything, but at least it had the faint patina of being part scuzzy dating reality show,
part social experiment. Would these people who got to really like each other in a pitch-black room still like each other when the lights were turned on? The surprise of the show's first season was that, no matter what you hear on
those sickening eHarmony commercials, both men
and women have the capacity to be shallow as hell.
The good news is that we'll be seeing more of that this summer, as word comes from Variety that ABC has ordered
six more episodes of 'Dating in the Dark.'Continue reading More 'Dating in the Dark' for ABC
Posted Jan 29th 2010 11:45PM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free, Parks and Recreation
There hasn't been much to cheer about coming from NBC of late, unless you consider the upcoming Winter Olympics worth jumping up and down about, or you've been happy about
Chuck's return. The Leno-Conan business has just been nasty, the resolution bungled and the prospects for new product unexciting.
But late Friday night something happened at the Peacock that is worth getting psyched about.
NBC gave Parks and Recreation a season three renewal.
Like CBS's vote of confidence
renewal for How I Met Your Mother earlier this week, this was a great move by NBC and a sign that somebody at 30 Rock -- the real NBC, not the Alec Baldwin/Tina Fey version -- sees quality and has rewarded it.
Continue reading NBC gives Parks and Recreation an early renewal
Posted Jan 26th 2010 10:35AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, How I Met Your Mother, Pickups and Renewals, Ratings, Reality-Free
If you have ever worried that
How I Met Your Mother might be canceled by CBS before the identity of "mother" is revealed, this bit of news should bring you great relief.
CBS has renewed How I Met Your Mother for a sixth season. I give all fans of the comedy permission to join me now in a hearty "Hooray!"
In all seriousness, this is great news. Two years ago, a renewal for
HIMYM wasn't a sure thing. The decision wasn't made until well into the spring. So, clearly, CBS has a new attitude about the
Carter Bays-Craig Thomas creation, not to mention liking their work enough to give
Bays-Thomas a rich new contract and the opportunity to make another sitcom.
Continue reading No suspense this year: How I Met Your Mother is renewed
Posted Jan 15th 2010 10:00AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: OpEd, Pickups and Renewals, NCIS, Reality-Free
This should come as no surprise to anybody who's been following the current television season.
CBS has renewed The Good Wife and NCIS: LA for second seasons. Both shows are part of a solid Tuesday night lineup for CBS, amassing strong Nielsen ratings and even better numbers in total viewers, holding much of the audience from the
NCIS lead in. All that adds up to a winning formula, and thus, CBS wasn't going to break up a good thing.
As for the quality of the two shows, they both deserved renewal. They've improved as the season has progressed, especially
The Good Wife. What started out as a good premise has morphed into a very compelling legal drama with a lingering subplot – exactly what did Alicia's husband do to warrant the wrath of the enemies that have put him in prison? It's also a terrific set of actors and a star-turn by Julianna Margulies.
Continue reading CBS renews NCIS: Los Angeles and The Good Wife
Posted Jan 14th 2010 2:55PM by Bob Sassone
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Industry, Programming, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
There seems to be just an onslaught of TV news coming out these days, eh? Even if you don't count any of the Leno/Conan/
Tonight Show stuff.
TNT has just announced that they have given a green light to a second season of
Men of a Certain Age. The exact order is for 10 episodes, though I guess that could be increased at some point. The show has been getting good ratings (averaging 4.5 million viewers a week) and it's a genuinely good show. More serious than you thought it was going to be but also with some humor. Maybe it's because I'm in my mid-40s too but I find the show quite different than anything else on TV right now, and I'm happy to see a second season.
Posted Dec 22nd 2009 6:15PM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
Comedy Central
has announced that
The Sarah Silverman Program will begin its third season and
Important Things with Demetri Martin will begin its second season this coming February. It looks like Sarah Silverman's show made it
despite the budget cuts.
Silverman's show was hilarious in its first season. The second season wasn't quite as good. The entire concept around her character gets grating over time (I find the same is true of her stand-up). The conclusion is that Sarah Silverman is best in small doses. Having a character that is so self-absorbed and unrecognizing of her own mistakes only works for characters like
Master Shake. Of course if she actually learned a lesson, then the show would be over.
Having not seen any episodes of Demetri Martin's show, I cannot comment. I did enjoy his appearance on
Flight of the Conchords (I still hum "Doggy Bounce" sometimes). How do you feel about the return of these shows?
Posted Dec 3rd 2009 10:26AM by Jonathan Toomey
Filed under: Pickups and Renewals, Ratings, Reality-Free, Sons of Anarchy
Right on the tail of
Kurt Sutter assuring fans that there would be a third season of Sons of Anarchy, FX has confirmed it -- the motorcycle drama will return in September 2010.
Another bright spot for the show? The series' second season finale, "
Na Triobloidi," smashed the show's previous ratings record to make it the most watched
Sons episode to date.
4.33 million total viewers tuned in and from that total, 2.99 million were in the coveted Adults 18-49 demographic. Men 18-49 chalked up 1.92 million viewers. With those numbers, the show secured the crown for the top scripted drama series during the season's 13-week run in the Tuesday 10 p.m. timeslot in average delivery of the Men 18-49 demo.
One other point worth noting -- Sutter signed a two-year deal to continue as executive producer and showrunner. So, unless something goes terribly wrong, there's a good chance
Sons of Anarchy will have a fourth season in its future as well.
Posted Nov 24th 2009 10:02AM by Allison Waldman
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, OpEd, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
USA Network is losing
Monk this year, but it's not about to let
Psych go. The adventures of Shawn and Gus will continue.
USA announced today that Psych is coming back for season five, with 16 new episodes ordered up.
This, my friends, is a no-brainer.
Psych is one of USA's more reliable hours, a comedy-mystery series that has a loyal following. This past summer season -- which will soon be completed in the winter when the second half of the episodes air beginning in late January (the date hasn't been confirmed yet) -- the show performed especially well in younger demographics.
Continue reading USA orders more Psych
Posted Oct 30th 2009 9:33AM by Brad Trechak
Filed under: Programming, OpEd, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
The Fox network cannot risk pissing off Seth MacFarlane. If they do, they run a good chance of suddenly finding most of their entire Sunday night line-up sucking eggs. At least, that's one possible reason for the renewal of
American Dad for a sixth season. That pickup gives MacFarlane the renewal trifecta for Sunday nights.
Actually, of MacFarlane's three series,
American Dad is the best one (although I'm finding
The Cleveland Show inching closer to first place). As opposed to
Family Guy, the storytelling is more linear than the other two and the jokes actually have some relevance to the plot or characters (I'm on Team
South Park regarding that "feud").
The Cleveland Show is also better at linear storytelling and jokes than its predecessor, but it's still not up to the standards of
American Dad. Sadly,
American Dad will likely live in the shadow of
Family Guy and
The Cleveland Show for years to come. At least MacFarlane has three chances with Fox to keep on working.
Posted Oct 25th 2009 9:03AM by Jason Hughes
Filed under: Other Drama Shows, OpEd, Pickups and Renewals, Reality-Free
It looks like HBO is so in love with Gabriel Byrne's turn as Dr. Paul Weston that they're willing to go into uncharted territory with him. While the Isreali series
BeTipul, on which it was based, only went two seasons,
HBO has ordered a third round of In Treatment.
This is significant because the series remained incredibly faithful to the original series through both of its first two seasons. For this new third season, the writers will have to create all new patients, stories and drama for our beleaguered psychotherapist. Gabriel Byrne is already attached to continue his role, of course. It wouldn't be a show without him. I hope they can secure Dianne Wiest again as Paul's mentor and therapist, Gina.
Continue reading HBO booking a third season of In Treatment
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