The TV Zone

We've got the CW fall dates, and please head to the jump for 'em.

Most in early September...and of special interest, "Melrose Place." That arrives Sept. 8 at 9, following the "90210" second season launch...But "Smallville" not till late in the month (25), while "GG" is up to bat on the 14th.

Continue reading ""Melrose Place:" September 8 " »

...leaving the show.

In the world of "One Tree Hill," that's not big news, that's cataclysmic news.

That's a tsunami of news...that's...I'm running out of cliches. Help me here...

But this is what's so curious about this news: CMM announced it on Youtube.

I wonder what kind of morning they're having over at the CW?

The clip is all over the Web now, but better late than never: This features CMM - Lucas Scott and pretty much THE lede on the show - telling fans that he's outtathere. It doesn't look like idle chatter either. He's serious.

BTW, Buddy TV and other sites have speculated that he's leaving, too. Here's Buddy TV's account from a few weeks ago:

'Last week The CW renewed One Tree Hill for another season but rumors quickly started swirling that Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton were leaving the show. Since then, Hilarie Burton has posted a video message to her fans where she clearly implies her exit is already a done deal. Fans of the show made their voices heard. What percentage of One Tree Hill's audience are specifically Leyton fans? In our poll asking “Would you watch OTH without Chad and Peyton?” a devastating 43% vowed not to. Other fans have taken a wait and see approach or even approved."

Good news for a bunch of CW series. Here are the '09 fall pickups...

“Gossip Girl,” “One Tree Hill,” “90210,” “America’s Next Top Model,” “Smallville” and “Supernatural.”

Any surprises in this list? No surprises. But what about "Priveleged" and "Reaper," back next week?

And....and...and...

"Everybody Hates Chris?"

Meanwhile, here's a fresh promo for "GG," back mid-March. It's entitled "Basstalk." Amusing, for Bassfans..

The "Reaper" has landed. The CW just handed it Tuesdays at 8, starting March 3. (I do believe the March 3 was previously announced, but a question as to where it would go.)

And....what happens to "90210?" Moves to 9 p.m. on that night.

Please head to the jump for the full CW mid-seasoner. The other bit 'o news - the season finale of "Privileged" will air Feb. 24 - that's a Tuesday BTW.

And check out the clip...

Continue reading ""Reaper:" Tuesdays at 8...and Clip" »

Fear is real, real, REAL - I tell you. Really real, whenever I look at my checking account.

But I'm wondering whether the CW's "13 Fear is Real" is real scary or real bad? (Bows tonight, at 8.)

I swear, I don't know. I watched some of the clips at TCA last summer, and found them highly amusing - no doubt made particularly amusing by the fact all the contestants were screaming so loudly. Were they scared or merely drunk? It was all like some nutty combo of "Blair Witch Hunt" and "Ghost Hunters: The Big Easy" edition.

Anyway, an experiment. Here's a nice clip from my friends at the CW. I've posted it without even watching. This way, we can all watch together and decide whether to waste our time with this tonight.

Call this exercise a critical group grope. Here goes. If really really bad, please don't blame the messenger...

I've taken a very quick gander at the CW's winter lineup, just announced, and nothing seems too outta place. Oh, yes - there will be a "repurpose" hour of "90210" but that's not really news.

The Big Thing (TBT): "Reaper" will be back March 17 (a Tuesday) at 9. Meanwhile, a new reality show "13 - Fear is For Real" (think "Survivor"-Meets-"Blair Witch") will launch Jan. 7.

( "Thirteen people compete to “stay alive” as they face their deepest fears in an all-out elimination competition and scare-fest. Pitted against each other in situations straight from the horror movies, the 13 will face shocking surprises, psychological scares and lots of “beware of the dark” moments...")

Head on down to the jump for the full schedule...

Continue reading ""Reaper" Back Next March" »

"Jericho" is officially a cat, and by my count is now up to three lives (six to go!) In this intriguing development - just reported by Broadcasting & Cable - the CW will drop its Sunday lineup and install a movie night instead. And as lead-in to this movie? Repeats of "Jericho." I was just told that the B&C; piece is accurate and that the CW will have access to the first and second seasons, but that there are no plans "at this point" to produce fresh ones. My hunch? This is a stop-gap measure to get CW through the rest of this year and into next, when it'll announce a new Sunday line-up; but who knows? If "J" does OK, what's to stop the web from ordering a fresh batch? (Money may be one reason; expensive show and the general idea in TVland these days is to not pour money down rat holes.)

Oh praise be. Hallelujah.

"Melrose Place" is coming back.

Don't know how, don't know when. Only know that the CW - the remake network! - has now officially confirmed, after what seems like a decade of speculation, that in fact one of TV's singular prime-time soaps will get a do-over.

Repeat: "Melrose Place" is coming back.

"Melrose Place": Good Lord, was there ever a soapier prime-time soap? It's as if Darren Star said to himself, "well, I already did THAT on 'Beverly Hills,' but I'm pretty sure I never blew up half a block of apartment buildings as an act of insanity and domestic terrorism."

It's almost as if he anticipated "24" or maybe even "Prison Break" with "Melrose."

I don't need to tell you what all this means, other than the fact that brain-toasted TV writers with far too much time on their hands can now speculate about who will make cameos, or maybe even jump-start their idled careers on the new version. I can already hear the questions at the January press tour...

"Ummm, Dawn, there have been reports that Tom Calabro may join 'Melrose Place.' Could you comment?"

Ah, modern-day journalism. And, because I am the practitioner of such journalism, let us begin. Who will be back?

Honestly, any remake of "Melrose" has to begin with Amanda - Heather Locklear - and Peter (Jack Wagner.) Has to. No avoiding this. My sense is that poor Heather is in no position right now to discuss a role that would come to eerily parallel her real-life one. Wagner (he's in "B&B;")? Why not?

A reminder: Peter and Amanda faked their own deaths...

I do like the odds of Calabro's return; Doc Mancini hasn't been doing too much the past few years, or frankly much of anything TV-related since "Melrose" split in '99; I see a definite come-back. Josie Bissett has gone on to "The Secret Life of the American Teenager;" I do believe Jane Mancini survived, but don't hold me to that.

Let's see. Who else? I think we can fairly easily rule out Marcia Cross (Kimberley Shaw) and Doug Savant (Matt Fielding). Their characters died during the run, and unless they're brought back from the dead - always a possibility with "Melrose" - I doubt we'll be seeing them. A shame: Think of the extraordinary cross-promotional possibilities with "Desperate Housewives."

Grant Show (Tom)? Yeah, I think he survived, but don't hold me to that either. Billy Campbell - Andrew Shue - did as well, but I think we can and probably should rule him out. Shue's spent a career trying to expunge the "Melrose" run from his resume; moved to Europe, played pro soccer, and eventually founded ClubMom in NYC.

But I can hear Dawn on the phone now: "Please Andrew...just one quick cameo. I'll give a huge donation to 'Mom..."

Now click on the vid below, and relive the glories of "Melrose" over sixty seconds...

All that press! All that hype! All that EVERYTHING!!!

You'd think people would tune in just to see what all the hyperventilating was about, and they did.

A total of 4.9 million watched the two-hour premiere last night, which is a good number, but not a great number - and I wouldn't be shocked, shocked, if the launch of "Model" tonight hits four million plus too.

Another factoid to keep in mind: Nearly 8 MILLION tuned in to Steven Bochco's much much MUCH less hyped "Raising the Bar" on TNT. How un-hyped was that show? I do believe Your's Truly was the only one who wrote anything on it when Bochco was first working on it, and was also the only one who actually gave it a good review. (Pretty much the entire critical community held its nose.) But I digress,,,

Why didn't "90210" do better? Beats me. I've given up trying to figure this stuff out...

But "90210" did very well among the viewers CW wanted for this; here are the relevant quotes/numbers from the hot-off-the-presses release:

The show was "the highest rated telecast of any scripted show EVER for The CW among adults 18-34 (3.0/9), women 18-34 (4.3/12), adults 18-49 (2.6/7) and women 18-49 (3.6/9), according to preliminary live plus same day Nielsen ratings for Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008. Encore of 90210 debut airs tomorrow, Sept. 4 (8:00-10:00p.m. ET)

"On the strength of the two-hour 90210, The CW was the #1 network on Tuesday night in all key demographics, including adults 18-34 (3.0/9), women 18-34 (4.3/12), men 18-34 (1.8/6), adults 18-49 (2.6/7), women 18-49 (3.6/9), persons 12-34 (2.7/8), females 12-34 (3.7/11), teens (1.7/6), female teens (2.1/7).

How's that for an endorsement? Really: Not a disaster. And it wasn't. Of course, there will be some critics out there, some viewers, too, who'll grouse that "it's not as good as the original," or "it's lame," or "it's cliched," or whatever. We have it in our genes: We are simply predisposed to hate that which is not what we want it to be or thought it would be or long ago decided what it should be. Me? I thought it would be utterly silly tripe, and when it displayed just the slightest heartbeat, the slightest sense of intelligence, and shrewdness, I figured: Hey, this'll actually work, and it did. Here's my review, if you care to read, and in the cold cruel light of morning, I wouldn't change it. I'm not entirely sure the adult storylines work - teens who watch will just be turned off, or see the Harry/Debbie Wilson story as a drag - little or big roadblocks en route to the stories they do care about. (Josh Schwartz somehow managed to fold the Sandy/Kirsten Cohen storylines into "The O.C." without too much trouble, but the Wilsons still don't feel quite right here; I'm not entirely sure why.)

In any event ... CW needed to do one thing last night. It needed to mount a show without destroying it in the process. I did just that. Will this thing last ten years? The larger question: Will the CW?

TVtattle.com has found - and posted - what I'm pretty certain is the very first look at the new, re-engineered (for new and re-engineered fans of) "Beverly Hills 90210." This is more than a straight promo - a little bit part promo, part trailer, part advertorial. It runs about two and a half minutes, but gives a pretty clear indication of what to expect.

[What's "90210," you ask and why should anyone care? HA HA!! Ho ho, hee hee..oh that's a good one. Very dry wit you are in possession of, as Yoda might put it...]

It's deja vu all over again: Jennie Garth has joined the CW re-make of "Beverly Hills 90210," which is expected to get a pick-up this week, probably as a companion to "Gossip Girl."

Now this IS a surprise since she's the only original cast member who seems to want anything to do with the re-make; she's reprising an older and even wiser Kelly Taylor (who else?) and will only be on set part-time; she'll do a handful of episodes but not appear in every one. She'll apparently play a guidance counselor at West Bev Hills High.

What about the other core folk? Honestly, with Garth/Kelly aboard the remake is gonna HAVE to deal now with the question of "whatever happened to..."

Really: Whatever happened to Valerie or Donna? I don't recall how the show wrapped nearly a decade ago, so for all any of us know, they're still out there, in TV limbo, awaiting "character/arc resolution." Or, will the rest of the old front-line eight pull a Clooney and say no way, ever. A shame because it's not as if they're headlining major motion pictures these days. Tiffani Thiessen's (she's 34 now!) biggest post Valerie role was (I suppose) "Good Morning, Miami." Tori Spelling (Donna) was in "Smallville" a spell. Dylan - there is only one Dylan and that would be Luke Perry - was in "Oz." Jason Priestley's done a ton of stuff, but he hasn't been hugely discriminating (as "Love Monkey" proves.)

Let's see...ah yes, of course: Shannen Doherty, who lives in the tabs, was in "Charmed" its full run. Ian Ziering? "Biker Mice from Mars."

I rest my case.

Now, CW's turn at pick-up roulette: Four dramas will return next season, and...one major unscripted. But why keep you waiting any longer: Here's the list: "Gossip Girl,” “One Tree Hill,” “Smallville,” and “Supernatural.” “Everybody Hates Chris?” Of course it will be back and as you may also be aware, "Chris" will join Nick at Nite's lineup too ( a sign you've really made it.) The reality show back? “America’s Next Top Model,” natch. .

Back April 21, with five new.

Now...the CW's turn for new show return announcements. As expected, most stuff back mid to late April. Here's the list: "The Game," March 23 (9 episodes); "One Tree Hill," April 14 (6); "Smallville," April 17 (5); "Gossip Girl," April 21 (5); "Reaper," April 21 (5), and..."Supernatural," April 24 (4).

Also..."Everybody Hates Chris" has 12 remaining that'll start March 3, while "Aliens in America" has eight left. Per CW, those'll air March 2-23, and April 27-May 18.