The TV Zone

(Getty)

Herewith the line-up, gang.

And go to the jump for show description.

Quickie (quickie) analysis: Courteney Cox! Rebecca Romijn! Reiko Aylesworth! Sonya Walger! Elizabeth Mitchell! And Patricia Heaton!

You go, girls.

Oh, and Kelsey Grammer too.

DAY TIME SERIES

MONDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars” (two-hours)
10:00 p.m. “Castle”

TUESDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Shark Tank”
9:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show”
10:00 p.m. “The Forgotten”

WEDNESDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Hank”
8:30 p.m. “The Middle”
9:00 p.m. “Modern Family”
9:30 p.m. “Cougar Town”
10:00 p.m. “Eastwick”

THURSDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Flash Forward”
9:00 p.m. “Grey’s Anatomy”
10:00 p.m. “Private Practice”

FRIDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Supernanny”
9:00 p.m. “Ugly Betty”
10:00 p.m. “20/20”

SATURDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Saturday Night College Football”

SUNDAY: 7:00 p.m. “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
8:00 p.m. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
9:00 p.m. “Desperate Housewives”
10:00 p.m. “Brothers & Sisters”

Continue reading "ABC: The Line-Up" »

Major departure at ABC News: Roger Goodman is going.

This follows a week or so after the exit of "20/20's" Bob Brown...

Goodman is easily one of the best known directors in television news, and probably the best known - someone who has piloted so many broadcasts over so many years that it's difficult to think of ABC News without him. He most recently directed the Oscars - which got pretty good reviews, overall - but that almost seemed like a hobby to someone like this. His many accomplishments over the years included his work at "World News Tonight" - back when it was known as "World News Tonight" while Peter Jennings ran the show. What does a "director" on a news program do, you reasonably ask? He or she sets the pace, tone, look, and a thousand other little details - beyond basic editorial content - that make a program fundamentally what it is. Goodman was (and is - he's just moving on) one of the best. Big loss for ABC News, and someone whose link to the past there is increasingly rare.

Also of note: Bob Brown has left too. Bob Brown - who helped make "20/20" one of the enduring franchises in television news.

I imagine these departures are unrelated, but still...

Please head to the jump for Goodman's memo; it was posted on TV Newser earlier today.

Continue reading "Roger Goodman Leaves ABC News" »

Reeg...

ABC...

Yup, the gang's all here.

ABC said it's all coming back - but don't get too excited. Only for an eleven-episode tournament.

"Regis is back in ABC primetime! Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the smash hit “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” comes back to ABC this summer for a special two-week event. 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' premieres SUNDAY, AUGUST 9 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET) and will air for 11 nights, Sunday-Thursday at 8:00 p.m., with the finale on SUNDAY, AUGUST 23 (8:00-9:00 p.m., ET)."

What's smart about this? Many things, if not a million...

1.) Reeg is great, and with all due respect to Meredith, still the one...

2.) August is a dead zone anyway...

3.) ABC launched "Mill" back at the turn of the century in August...

4.) Reeg is great...sorry, already mentioned that.

5.) The idea of a "tournament" should generate a lot of attention - blogs if not the press.

6.) A whole new "generation" of viewers might even come to the show - although hard to believe nine-year-olds will get too excited...

7.) "Slumdog" still resonates.

8.) The show - "Mill" - still had some life before a brazenly desperate ABC (and yes, Michael Eisner) banged out six weekly editions and pretty much destroyed the franchise outright.

(Pix: AP)

Here's the release we've all been waiting for - official word on the return of "The Bachelorette!"

It's here...the release that is...and soooo much more. Here are da basics...

That Mike Judge animated we've heard so much about..."The Goodes?" Mark your calenders: May 27.

And (almost forgot...how quickly we DO forget!): "The Bachelorbabe?" May 18, with a whopping two hour starter, in which Jillian will scope out a bunch of desperate dudes...

Please head south to the jump for the full release...YES!

(And that pix, courtesy ABC, is - in fact - of The Goodes...)

Continue reading "ABC Summer Fun " »

Over, mid-May

Step right up, folks. We got 'em right here - ABC finale dates.

Of note - "Lost" ends May 14, and "Grey's Anatomy" the following night, when we will all sit around the glowing electronic hearth to say goodbye to Izzy Stevens...

Your dates...

Thursday, May 21
8:00-10:00 p.m. "Ugly Betty"

I know, I know: Launching a new TV series on network television in March can be like throwing a rock at the moon and hoping to hit one of the craters...

But, it's been done -- launching the series, not throwing the rock. I have high hopes for "Castle." This seems -- at least the pilot indicated as much -- like a pretty good show, or at least a reasonably entertaining one, or at least a charming one, or at least NOT A TERRIBLE ONE LIKE SO MANY OTHER SHOWS.

My sense, too, is that Nathan Fillion is due. Honestly, I don't think "Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog" is gonna turn into a series anytime soon. Like, ever. So, my sense is that this has got to work for Nathan, who is a very good actor...

( "Horrible's..Blog?" That on-line "movie" produced by TV genius -- a genius, except for "Dollhouse" -- Joss Whedon, and his brothers, Zack and Jed, when they didn't have anything better to do during the strike. Neil Patrick Harris starred, and so did Fillion, and Felicia Day, and Simon Helberg. If you haven't seen it, I've posted it on the jump, but it got a lot of buzz last year.)

Check it out on the jump...

(Pix: AP)

Continue reading ""Castle:" Will This Be Nathan Fillion's Lucky #? " »

A very ominous development for "Ugly Betty" late yesterday: ABC will yank the show in late March to make way for a Thursday night comedy block. "Betty" will be back, and in the same time period - ABC promises - but this still doesn't look good for the once-high-flying-now-treetop-skimming dramedy.

The new Thursday shows: "In the Motherhood," with Cheryl Hines and Megan Mullally, and "Samantha Who" at 8:30, starting March 26.

(Also: a new Wednesday block - "Scrubs" and "Better Off Ted," that comedy with Portia de Rossi. It starts the 18th.)

This is ominous for "Betty" because it's been no secret that ABC has been worried about the soft numbers; "Betty" is just one more victim of the '07-'08 strike - a show that soared before and flopped after. It's also an ominous development for NYC TV production because "Bet" is now based here.

You recognize the name "In the Motherhood?" Good for you! You spend a lot of time online. This is kind of an interesting development, TV-wise, because it's already carved out some shelf space on the Web, and was created by advertising agency giant, MindShare. In fact, watch the clip below for a sense of what it's like - mothers talking about kids, marriage, etc., while every now and then the camera flits across some product for the hands or the hair. (The Web version stars Jenny McCarthy.) But ... it includes product placement for stuff like shampoo (Suave). NBC, of course, has blazed this trail already (in fact, p.p. has been part of network programming since the dawn of time) but this is at a somewhat more elevated level. Though I have to think about this, my sense is that those shows with a mega-strong product motive ("Knight Rider" as an example) are usually dreadful. There may be an exception - I just can't think of it.

Here's the first full episode of "Motherhood" from the online series - the ABC one will be recast and rewritten, and last for (duh) 22 minutes and not seven. Otherwise, unclear how different the ABC version will be; Hines is one of TV's truly sublime comediennes, so I can't imagine it'll be horrific (I hope...) The jump has the details straight from the ABC release ...

Continue reading ""Betty" Bopped" »

Remember "The Superstars"?

ABC's Sunday-afternoon '70s "sports" show virtually invented the genre of "trash sports," not to mention "Battle of the Network Stars" and every other celeb/jock/reality show since. On it, pro athletes of the day competed with each other in sports to which they might not be naturally suited. (Commentators included Reggie Jackson and O.J. Simpson.)

The point of this nostalgic digression is that ABC has just announced it will bring back a brand- spankin'-new 2009 version of the show this summer. The network didn't say which athletes will be there, so we'll have to hold our collective breath until they do. Who would you

Continue reading "'The Superstars' Coming Back" »

We are surely about to witness a strange, strange January, and as evidence - this from ABC: "Homeland Security USA."

Read this logline for the newbie that arrives Jan. 6 at 8:

"Every day the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security patrol more than 100,000 miles of America’s borders. This territory includes airports, seaports, land borders, international mail centers, the open seas, mountains, deserts and even cyberspace. Now viewers will get an unprecedented look at the work of these men and women while they use the newest technology to safeguard our country and enforce our laws, in “Homeland Security USA,” which debuts with the episode “This is Your Car on Drugs."

I'm informed that it's based on an Aussie hit, and will be produced by Arnold "Big Brother" Shapiro.

No further comment.

Bad news in TV and everywhere else seems to come in "threes" and that was the magic number in Century City yesterday too: ABC has whacked "Eli Stone" and "Dirty Sexy Money," and the end of "Pushing Daisies" now appears to be a foregone conclusion.

That's the word out of the west coast trades, and no reason not to believe it. Both "Eli" and "DSM" - good shows in their own unique ways - were so-called "reboots," or holdovers from the strike-ruined '07 season, and ABC brought them back despite so-so numbers on the assumption they never had a chance to get sampled ("Eli," as a mid-season entry, had a somewhat different story, but the idea was generally the same - that viewers were so discombobulated by the strike schedules that they didn't know up from down, so bring back shows to give them a fresh start.)

ABC also formalized some other decisions - "Scrubs" will come back, or be "re-introduced," on Jan. 6, and then get a regular time slot on Jan. 20. And as expected, "Life on Mars" will move to the post-"Lost" timeslot on Jan. 28. "Private Practice" will move to the post-"Grey's Anatomy" catbird seat on Jan. 8.

Good news for the good "Mars?" Maybe - "Lost" is a better companion. But ABC only ordered an extra four episodes.

Are you the last human being on the planet Earth who doesn't know about that Katie Holmes cameo in tonight's "Eli Stone?" No - I am, only because I've studiously, strenuously, assiduously stayed away from any mention of stunt casting on primetime shows this season (other than O on "30 Rock") if only because stunt casting is so incredibly tiresome. But ABC has promoted this so relentlessly, so breathlessly, so insanely that I've finally thrown in the towel.

Mrs. Tom Cruise is on tonight's "Eli Stone."

There. So noted.

There have been a few good clips out there that offer a glimpse of this curious Stone apparition, but this one is the best I found.

Here's the first look at Charlie Gibson's interview with Sarah Palin, which'll be all over ABC's air in just about half an hour. It is (of course) the big get of the week, and in this clip, Charlie asks her about her preparedness for the job, and what she means by the words "God's plan..." Worth a look...

Nathan Fillion fans - you know who you are and why you are - will be very pleased to learn that he's landed a big series commitment from ABC, which announced a handful of '08 pickups yesterday, as reported on TVtattle.com.

Perrineau - he needs no intro - will be in a comedy/cop procedural called "The Unusuals" (also previously announced.) It'll be set in NYC, and check out the descrip on the jump.

Alyssa Milano and Beau Bridges are coming to ABC, too.

Fillion - of "Firefly" and of course "Lost" fame - will headline a show called "Castle," and here's what the press release says about it:

“'Castle' is a comedic crime procedural about a famous mystery novelist, Nick Castle, who is bored with his own success. When a real-world copycat murderer starts staging scenes from Nick’s novels, Nick is teamed up with NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic] and the challenge gets his blood pumping as he steps in to help solve the crime. Nick and Beckett’s styles instantly clash and sparks begin to fly, leading both to danger and a hint of romance. Nick is kept grounded by his Broadway diva mother, quick-witted teenage daughter and his long-suffering ex-wife… who happens to be his editor. "

Please head on down to the ol' jump for the rest of the new series descriptions, via ABC:

Continue reading "Nathan Fillion, Harold Perrineau, Gets Series" »

That's what she'll be telling Robin Roberts on Tuesday's "GMA." Here are some quotes, gratis "GMA:"

"I'm clear," the star of "Samantha Who?" said. "Absolutely 100 percent clear and clean. ... They got everything out so I'm definitely not going to die from breast cancer."

Here's the rest of "GMA's" late afternoon presser:

"Applegate, who started getting mammograms six years ago after she turned 30, said the cancer was found through the second of two MRI tests as a follow-up from a biopsy she had last year.

During the interview she laughs about her reaction to the initial diagnosis, but perhaps only to offset the fear she felt then.

"'I was so mad and I -- I just remember I was -- I was just shaking'," she says."

Blink and you might not even know that ABC just announced a new fall schedule about ... oh ... 35 minutes ago. It looks the same ... smells the same ... largely IS the same as the one that appeared last fall. 'Tis no huge surprise: ABC was in good shape then and is in good shape now, and when "good" is the dominant flavor of your prime-time fortunes, then there's little reason to change.

And speaking of "good," there's a new Mike Judge animated joining the schedule, tilted "The Goode Family." Also (as expected), "Scrubs" will join up sometime midseason.

The most intriguing thing here? A new Tyra Banks beauty pageant -- no details -- that joins up midseason, too.

Otherwise, there are no surprises with this schedule. "Boston Legal" will return -- that was reported last week. The new David E. Kelley show, "Life on Mars" is here too (absent Kelley.)

But why go on. Here's the lineup, with the network's capsule descriptions of new shows to follow ...

MONDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars”
9:30 p.m. “Samantha Who?”
10:00 p.m. “Boston Legal”

TUESDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Opportunity Knocks”
9:00 p.m. “DWTS" results.
10:00 p.m. “Eli Stone”

WEDNESDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Pushing Daisies”
9:00 p.m. “Private Practice”
10:00 p.m. “Dirty Sexy Money”

THURSDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Ugly Betty”
9:00 p.m. “Grey’s Anatomy”
10:00 p.m. “Life on Mars”

FRIDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Wife Swap”
9:00 p.m. “Supernanny”
10:00 p.m. “20/20”

SATURDAY: 8:00 p.m. “Saturday Night College Football”

SUNDAY: 7:00 p.m. “AFHV"
8:00 p.m. “ExMa: HE"
9:00 p.m. “Desperate Housewives”
10:00 p.m. “Brothers & Sisters”

And...the newbies...

"Opportunity Knocks" (reality/game):

"Our mobile team will arrive at 'Anywhere, America' in a semi-truck that is full of flat screen TVs, new furniture and big cash prizes that the family can win right there. We will take the action of a game show directly into our contestants’ homes, setting up shop in a family’s front lawn."

"Life on Mars":
"The series revolves around Sam Tyler, a modern-day police detective who, after a car crash, mysteriously finds himself transported back to 1973 and still working as a detective."

"The Goode Family":

"The Goode Family is obsessed with doing the 'right' thing, whether it’s environmentally, politically or socially. Unfortunately their efforts often have unintended comic consequences."

"Ashton Kutcher/Tyra Banks" reality show:

"A beauty pageant unlike any you’ve ever seen, from executive producers Ashton Kutcher and Tyra Banks."

(Photo: Of You Know Who. Courtesy, Time.)