What are you watching this summer?

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Brent
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Re: What are you watching this Fall?

#181 Postby Brent » Mon Oct 22, 2007 2:27 pm

WOW, this didn't take long!

CBS PULLS THE TRIGGER: 'AMAZING RACE' IN, 'VIVA' OUT
By Brian Ford Sullivan (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- "Viva Laughlin's" luck has run out while "The Amazing Race" is getting an early return date.

The 12th season of the Emmy-award winning reality series is set to roll out on Sunday, November 4 at 8:00/7:00c. A repeat of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" will fill said hour on October 28, sending "Viva" home after just two episodes.

"Viva's" 1.2 adults 18-49 rating last night marked the worst first-run series performance on the network since "Armed & Famous's" final broadcast on 1/24/07 (1.4 rating).

It's not clear how many "Viva" installments will remain on the shelf.

Hugh Jackman, John Palermo, Bob Lowry, Paul Telegdy and Peter Bowker were the executive producers of the series, which came from Bob Lowry Productions, BBC Worldwide Productions and Seed Productions in association with CBS Paramount Network Television and Sony Pictures Television.

Ratings for last night:

Fast National ratings for Sunday, Oct. 21, 2007

A winner-take-all game in the American League Championship Series -- with some football thrown in for good measure -- brought a ratings victory to FOX Sunday night.

FOX averaged an 11.1 rating/17 share in primetime, easily beating second-place ABC, which came in at 8.2/13. CBS was third in households at 6.7/10, but NBC, 6.6/10, had a slight edge in total viewers. The CW was way off the pace at 1.0/1.

The adults 18-49 crown also went to FOX, which drew a 6.4 rating in the advertisers' favorite demographic. ABC, 4.9, finished second, followed by NBC at 4.2. CBS averaged 2.1 and The CW a meager 0.5.

Late-ending NFL coverage and the post-game show "The OT" averaged 10.8/18 for FOX at 7 p.m. CBS earned a 7.5/13 with "60 Minutes." ABC came in third with "America's Funniest Home Videos," 5.2/9. "Football Night in America" put NBC in fourth, while The CW went with "CW Now" and an "Aliens in America" repeat.

FOX stayed on top at 8 p.m., getting an 11.1/17 from Game 7 of the ALCS between the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians. ABC moved up to second with "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," 8.4/13. NBC's "Sunday Night Football" drew a 7.4/11. "Viva Laughlin" had little to sing about in its time-period debut on CBS, managing only a 4.5/7. The CW's "Life Is Wild" trailed.

At 9 p.m., "Desperate Housewives," 11.3/16, gave ABC the lead in households. FOX, however, had more viewers with its baseball coverage, which scored an 11.2/16. NBC's NFL game, 7.6/11, narrowly beat CBS' "Cold Case" for third. An "America's Next Top Model" rerun posted a 1.1/2 for The CW.

FOX regained the lead at 10 p.m. with the ALCS, 11.2/18. "Brothers & Sisters," 8.1/13, was second for ABC, followed by CBS' "Shark," 7.3/11, and NBC's football game, 7.2/11.
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Re: What are you watching this Fall?

#182 Postby Pburgh » Mon Oct 22, 2007 2:51 pm

The funniest part in DH was the serving of the "crabcakes" and the look on Edie's face as they were being served to all those infested.
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Re: What are you watching this Fall?

#183 Postby Miss Mary » Mon Oct 22, 2007 5:51 pm

Good episode! I enjoyed Lynette and Tom's scenes. They remain, the most grounded normal family on that street! The quad love affair - Victor/Gabby, Carlos/Edie - needs to move along. But I have to ask - is Victor that dumb that he didn't know what the comb was meant for? LOL! He is Mayor......and Susan. I am beyond tired of her antics. Good for Mike, for putting her in her place, for this fiasco anyway. Julie has always had more sense than her mother here. God help that baby on the way! Speaking of which, how funny were those Orson scooter scenes? Back and forth, etc. Of course I wanted to remind him, be careful - someone might run over you! ie, Mike Delfino.....

I like the new guys. How nice to have a new family to counter balance the secrets in Katherine's house!
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Re: What are you watching this Fall?

#184 Postby Brent » Tue Oct 23, 2007 12:44 pm

OMG... I cannot wait for this DH episode on November 4th. :lol: The costumes are hilarious.

http://bp3.blogger.com/_RrObyQ3XzcY/Rx0 ... ives06.jpg

Ratings for last night... NBC Monday continues to slip and FOX is just DEAD!

and this just in... Pushing Daisies has gotten a full season and ABC has pulled Boston Legal tonight for a special on the California wildfires.

Fast National ratings for Monday, Oct. 22, 2007.

A dramatic episode of "Dancing with the Stars," featuring a fainting Marie Osmond, helped ABC to another easy Monday win.

Overall, ABC averaged a 10.6 rating/16 share, far ahead of the 7.9/12 for CBS. NBC had a 4.9/7 to come in a distant third, followed by FOX's 4.5/7 and the not-a-factor 1.6/2 for The CW.

ABC earned a 4.6 rating among adults 18-49, taking a narrow win in the key demographic over the 4.1 rating for CBS. NBC's 3.4 rating and the 2.5 rating for FOX followed. The CW had a 1.0 rating.

At 8 p.m., ABC got a 13.4/20 for the first hour of "Dancing with the Stars." CBS was second with the 5.6/8 averaged between "How I Met Your Mother" and "The Big Bang Theory." FOX's "Prison Break" nipped the 4.4/7 for "Chuck" on NBC. The CW had a 1.7 average between "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Aliens in America."

ABC stayed in first at 9 p.m. with "Dancing" (14.0/20) and "Samantha Who" (9.6/14). CBS remained second with "Two and a Half Men" and "Rules of Engagement," while NBC's "Heroes" had a lower-than-normal 6.3/10 for third. FOX's "K-Ville" did a 4.2/6 and held off "Girlfriends" on The CW.

It was an easy 10 p.m. win for CBS, with "CSI: Miami" delivering a 10.4/17, between than ABC's "The Bachelor," which had a 6.6/11 to outdistance the 4.0/6 for NBC's "Journeyman."
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Re: What are you watching this Fall?

#185 Postby lurkey » Wed Oct 24, 2007 9:28 am

More episodes of Moonlight have been requested by CBS
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Re: What are you watching this Fall?

#186 Postby Brent » Wed Oct 24, 2007 5:06 pm

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- ABC is bringing back "Notes from the Underbelly" and "October Road" in time for November sweeps while "Men in Trees" and "20/20" are getting new homes.

In addition, "Dancing With the Stars" spin-off "Dance War" is set to launch on Monday, January 7 at 8:00/7:00c as part of a revitalized Monday lineup.

Season two of "Road" will kick off on Thursday, November 22 at 10:00/9:00c following an all-new "Grey's Anatomy." The series will then settle into its regular Monday, 10:00/9:00c home on November 26.

"Samantha Who?" will also slide to 9:00/8:00c on November 26, making room for "Notes" at 9:30/8:30c.

Then in January, look for the aforementioned "Dance War" to assume the 8:00/7:00c hour. Various holiday specials will fill the slot in December.

Meanwhile, "Men in Trees" and "20/20" will trade time periods effective next week (November 2).

To review, here's a breakdown of the changes:

Friday, November 2
8:00/7:00c - "Men in Trees" (New Time Slot)
9:00/8:00c - "Women's Murder Club"
10:00/9:00c - "20/20" (New Time Slot)

Thursday, November 22
8:00/7:00c - "Ugly Betty"
9:00/8:00c - "Grey's Anatomy"
10:00/9:00c - "October Road" (Season Premiere - Special Night)

Monday, November 26
8:00/7:00c - "Dancing With the Stars" (Season Finale, Part 1)
9:00/8:00c - "Samantha Who?" (New Time Slot)
9:30/8:30c - "Notes from the Underbelly" (Season Premiere)
10:00/9:00c - "October Road" (Time Period Premiere)

Monday, January 7
8:00/7:00c - "Dance War" (Series Premiere)
9:00/8:00c - "Samantha Who?"
9:30/8:30c - "Notes from the Underbelly"
10:00/9:00c - "October Road"

Other notes: Tomorrow's Grey's will re-air Friday at 8.

on November 5th, DWTS will run 105 minutes with Samantha Who? from 9:45-10:15.
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Re: What are you watching this Fall?

#187 Postby lurkey » Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:39 am

Fox orders 11 more episodes of Back to You.
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Re: What are you watching this Fall?

#188 Postby Brent » Thu Oct 25, 2007 12:52 pm

Well for the first time I thought Private Practice was awesome last night, and so was Dirty Sexy Money. I found Pushing Daisies to be a weak episode. Not bad, just not as great as the first three.

Ratings held up quite well for ABC and CBS despite being against the World Series. Phenonemon's premiere on NBC was significantly below Deal or No Deal last week, while Bionic Woman continues to freefall. I'm surprised it has not stabilized yet. Not helping matters is the fact it's not airing next week. It's also bringing down Life which is holding more of it's lead-in than DSM out of PP, but PP is considerably stronger. The CW was a mixed bag, America's Next Top Model did well but Gossip Girl continues to squander the lead-in.

Tonight: Grey's is new with a Halloween episode while CSI is a repeat.

Fast National ratings for Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007

Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday was a blowout win for the Boston Red Sox -- and a pretty big victory for FOX too.

FOX averaged a 10.5 rating/17 share for the night (with the live broadcast, those numbers may change some), easily beating CBS, 7.8/12, for the top spot. ABC finished third at 6.8/11. NBC, 4.9/8, came in fourth, and The CW trailed with a 2.5/4.

The adults 18-49 lead also went to FOX, which drew a 5.6 rating in the demographic. That was two points better than second-place ABC, 3.6. CBS took third at 3.4, followed by NBC, 2.9, and The CW, 1.8.

The World Series earned a 9.9/16 for FOX at 8 p.m., topping ABC's "Pushing Daisies," 6.2/10, by a wide margin. The premiere of "Phenomenon" on NBC delivered a 5.2/8. CBS' "Kid Nation" was fourth, beating out "America's Next Top Model," 3.2/5, on The CW.

FOX's baseball coverage improved to 11.3/17 at 9 p.m. CBS moved up to second with "Criminal Minds," 9.5/14, while "Private Practice" scored an 8.1/12 for ABC. "Bionic Woman" managed only a 4.8/7 for NBC. The CW went with "Gossip Girl."

At 10 p.m., the World Series dipped a bit to 10.3/17 as the Sox routed the Colorado Rockies, 13-1. "CSI: NY" posted an 8.8/14 to put CBS in second. "Dirty Sexy Money" averaged 6.0/10 for ABC, topping "Life" on NBC.
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Re: What are you watching this Fall?

#189 Postby Brent » Fri Oct 26, 2007 2:53 pm

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- The CW's "Reaper" and ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money" have both received script extensions, keeping their respective seats warm while the potential WGA strike is sorted out.

The pick-ups, for three scripts each, leave only a handful of newcomers without any movement on said front: "Aliens in America" and "Life Is Wild" on The CW and "Big Shots," "Cavemen" and "Women's Murder Club" on ABC.

Nevertheless, industry insiders suggest "Aliens" co-producers CBS Paramount Network Television and Warner Bros. Television will keep the show in production in anticipation of an order for additional episodes by the CW.

Full season ordered were previously announced for "Pushing Daisies," "Private Practice," "The Big Bang Theory," "Gossip Girl" and "Back to You" while additional script commitments have been confirmed for "Samantha Who?," "Carpoolers," "Cane," "Moonlight," "K-Ville," "Chuck," "Journeyman," "Bionic Woman" and "Life."

WMC should be getting at least some new scripts requested soon because of it's great ratings on Fridays.

Fast National ratings for Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007

Game 2 of the World Series didn't get quite the ratings of Wednesday's opener, thanks mostly to increased competition. But FOX still won the night.

FOX averaged a 10.1 rating/16 share in primetime (those numbers may change some due to the live broadcast). CBS finished second in households at 8.7/14, but ABC, 8.2/13, had a few more total viewers. NBC's 5.1/8 was good enough for fourth, and The CW trailed with a 1.7/3.

In the adults 18-49 demographic, FOX's 4.8 rating led the way, narrowly beating ABC's 4.6. CBS, 3.9, edged NBC, 3.8, for third, and The CW was well off the pace at 1.1.

The World Series pregame and the start of Game 2 scored an 8.9/14 for FOX at 8 p.m. CBS, however, had the most total viewers for the hour with "Survivor: China," 8.6/13. "Ugly Betty" drew a 6.8/11 for ABC. NBC was fourth with "My Name Is Earl" and "30 Rock." The CW got a 2.8/4 from "Smallville."

ABC moved to the lead at 9 p.m. with "Grey's Anatomy," the night's top show at 12.1/18. The World Series improved to 10.8/17 on FOX. CBS aired a "CSI" repeat but still pulled down a solid 9.4/14. "The Office," 5.2/8, and the season premiere of "Scrubs," 4.2/6, kept NBC in fourth, ahead of "Supernatural" on The CW.

At 10 p.m., the World Series game reclaimed the top spot with a 10.7/17. "Without a Trace," 8.3/14, took second for CBS. "ER" posted a 6.0/10 for NBC, beating out ABC's "Big Shots" for third.

and speaking of Grey's... Dr. Hahn is now a permanent cast member! She's replacing Burke.
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#190 Postby Miss Mary » Mon Oct 29, 2007 5:39 am

DH was great, once again. I think this might have been the first episode where you saw nearly every cast member, even if it was only for a moment or two, you had wives, spouses, Scavo kids, neighbors (elderly too), gardeners, gay sons (love when Andrew shows up and 9 out of 10 times, with sage advice, how'd he get so smart? Living on the streets maybe?), preggo wayward daughters (can't stand Nicole!), ex-MIL's, etc. We had everyone but one or two, Julie and Dylan.....and let's see who else.....Victor! Conveniently at an out of town conference of some sort. LOL Speaking of which, Gabby sure hasn't moved into Victor's place has she? Now I know he was out of town but her house on Wisteria Lane sure looks lived in - even down to many candles, all lit for that homey effect. LOL

Most of all, I'm enjoying the new neighbors - a lot. I hope they're keepers! Let's just hope there isn't any criminal behavior in their past. I'd hate to find out they're ax murderers or something.

Lynette's nic for Katherine was the best quote of the night - Katherine the Arrogant.....loved it!
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Re:

#191 Postby Brent » Mon Oct 29, 2007 3:00 pm

Miss Mary wrote:DH was great, once again. I think this might have been the first episode where you saw nearly every cast member, even if it was only for a moment or two, you had wives, spouses, Scavo kids, neighbors (elderly too), gardeners, gay sons (love when Andrew shows up and 9 out of 10 times, with sage advice, how'd he get so smart? Living on the streets maybe?), preggo wayward daughters (can't stand Nicole!), ex-MIL's, etc. We had everyone but one or two, Julie and Dylan.....and let's see who else.....Victor! Conveniently at an out of town conference of some sort. LOL Speaking of which, Gabby sure hasn't moved into Victor's place has she? Now I know he was out of town but her house on Wisteria Lane sure looks lived in - even down to many candles, all lit for that homey effect. LOL

Most of all, I'm enjoying the new neighbors - a lot. I hope they're keepers! Let's just hope there isn't any criminal behavior in their past. I'd hate to find out they're ax murderers or something.

Lynette's nic for Katherine was the best quote of the night - Katherine the Arrogant.....loved it!


I loved it too. There were tons of great quotes but my favorite I think was "that way your friends will know your balls belong to me". Oh, Edie. :roflmao:

Also loved "petulant sock puppet" and "cram it Phyllis!"

Can't wait for next week! Halloween! :slime:

ABC was up considerably over last week despite facing the World Series.


Fast National ratings for Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007.

See Sox. See Rox. See Sox and Rox on FOX. See Sox box Rox on FOX. Sorry FOX. No more Sox.

The Boston Red Sox completed a four-game World Series sweep on Sunday, leaving FOX with a nightly win, but also three more days of repeats instead of baseball.

Overall, FOX averaged a 10.8 rating/17 share for the night, far ahead of the 8.6/14 for ABC or CBS' 7.3/11. NBC (3.2/5) and The CW (0.8/1) were hardly factors.

FOX also did a 6.0 rating among adults 18-49, beating ABC's 5.0 rating in the key demographic. CBS had a 2.6 rating, followed by the 1.7 rating for NBC. The CW's 0.4 rating was just silly.

In the 8 p.m. hour, CBS's "60 Minutes" and FOX's baseball tied with an 8.6/15. ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" was a respectable third, with NBC a distance fourth with NFL post-game. On The CW, "CW Now" and an "Aliens in America" repeat did a 0.6/1.

Baseball boosted FOX to an 11.5/18 in the 8 p.m. hour, while ABC moved up to second with an 8.5/13 for "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." CBS' "CSI" repeat did far better than the recently cancelled "Viva Laughlin," with a 6.2/10. NBC's broadcast of "The Bourne Supremacy" was fourth. The CW's "Life Is Wild" had a 0.8/1, pulling in over a million viewers!

In a close 9 p.m. race, FOX's baseball had a 12.2/18, with ABC's "Desperate Housewives" close behind with an 11.8/17. CBS' "Cold Case" was third with a 7.5/11, not quite twice the 4.0/6 for NBC's movie. The CW's "America's Next Top Model" repeat was fifth.

ABC won the 10 p.m. hour with an 8.8/14 for "Brothers & Sisters." CBS' "Shark" had a 6.8/11 for second. "Dateline NBC" was third.

New article on the strike which everyone seems convinced will happen on Thursday. :(

What's odd about this season -- but not surprising, in light of a development I'll get to in a second -- is how few cancellations there have been. Fox pulled the plug on "Nashville," CW dumped "Online Nation," and CBS axed "Viva Laughlin" (it'll be replaced with a new season of "Amazing Race" starting this Sunday), but that's it. Meanwhile, almost every new show, from fairly successful ones like ABC's "Samantha Who" to struggling ones like CBS' "Cane," have gotten orders for more scripts.

The reason for this period of relative patience and nurturing is the threat of a strike by the Writers Guild of America, whose contract with the movie and TV studios lapses on Wednesday night. Without going too much into the mind-numbing details of it, the main issue is about how writers are compensated for works that get sold on DVD, via iTunes and all the other distribution platforms to be discovered in the future as the business changes. There's been a lot of saber-rattling from both sides, and a writer's strike -- the first in nearly 20 years -- could begin as early as Thursday, so the networks have been stockpiling scripts and trying to avoid canceling scripted shows since there could be a shortage depending on how long a strike lasts.

If it happens and goes on a while, all these full-season orders won't mean much; once the scripts run out, production on sitcoms and dramas will have to shut down, so prepare yourself for nothing but repeats and reality TV. Sigh...

http://blog.nj.com/alltv/2007/10/all_tv ... e_mia.html
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Re: What are you watching this Fall?

#192 Postby Brent » Tue Oct 30, 2007 1:16 pm

'Samantha' gets full-season pickup
By Nellie Andreeva

Oct 31, 2007

ABC handed out a full-season pickup to the comedy "Samantha Who?"

The back-nine order Tuesday morning followed a strong third showing for "Samantha" on Monday night when the comedy starring Christina Applegate scored its best rating to date -- 4.9/11 among adults 18-49.

With its strong start behind "Dancing With the Stars," "Samantha" solidified its position as the top-rated new comedy and as ABC's first breakout comedy hit in years.

The series, from ABC Studios, took a big step toward a full-season pickup last week, when it received an order for six additional scripts.

"Samantha," which stars Applegate as a woman with amnesia, joins ABC's dramas "Private Practice" and "Pushing Daisies," which also have full-season pickups.
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Re: What are you watching this Fall?

#193 Postby Pburgh » Tue Oct 30, 2007 1:39 pm

I think Christina Applegate is hilarious. I like this show.
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Re: What are you watching this Fall?

#194 Postby Brent » Tue Oct 30, 2007 2:01 pm

Pburgh wrote:I think Christina Applegate is hilarious. I like this show.


I do too! I love it. Glad to see a SITCOM as the top-rated new show this season!

It's moving to 9pm on November 26th when DWTS ends. Notes from the Underbelly will air at 9:30.
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Re: What are you watching this Fall?

#195 Postby Brent » Tue Oct 30, 2007 8:20 pm

New strike article. 27 hours and counting... :( This is must read, it pretty much details every show. In the short term it'll be late night and talk shows. Primetime shows are detailed, new shows will be hit harder, it also talks about Lost and 24, both of which have at best half the episodes for the season filmed(24 is even further behind due to the delays on the creative front).

Writers strike reality sets in
A dark latenight ahead?
By VARIETY STAFF

While the networks have been repeating the mantra that "screens will not go black," it won’t take long for TV viewers to see the impact of a Writers Guild of America strike.

The canaries in TV’s creative coal mine are latenight hosts such as David Letterman and Jay Leno, whose monologues and sketches are dependent on union writers. If history is any guide, both shows will almost instantly go dark, as would "Saturday Night Live." Comedy Central’s latenight stalwarts "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" are also guild-repped under a deal inked earlier this year.

Primetime comedy and drama series will feel the pinch immediately, though the on-air effect will be delayed at least a few weeks for most shows as they air completed segs. Cruelest blows will hit the frosh crop of shows that are just starting to get a toehold with viewers, including ABC’s "Private Practice," "Pushing Daisies" and "Samantha Who" and CBS’ "The Big Bang Theory."

In general, most nets will have four or five filmed episodes of most of their shows on hand as of Nov. 1. In addition, most shows have anywhere from one to five scripts that have been written but not yet shot.

"A lot depends on whether we can shoot these other episodes," one insider said.

Even if actors agree to film those episodes, scribes won’t be available to do rewrites or make changes based on network notes.

Most likely, original episodes will start disappearing by early December or January.

It’s no mystery what will fill the timeslots now occupied by WGA-repped skeins; Net execs say they’re just not exactly sure how they’ll sked all of the reality and news programs they’ve been bulking up on during the past year.

"Do we have a schedule, per se? No," said one webhead. "Do we have a lot of options? Yes."

Of all the webs, Fox is sitting pretty with "American Idol" slated to return for the second half of the season, ensuring at least one net will have the lights fully turned on in the event of a work stoppage. CBS last week cued up a new season of "The Amazing Race," to plug the Sunday-night hole left by the fast fade of "Viva Laughlin."

Suits said they can’t make final calls on how to spread out their programming resources until a strike is actually called. What’s more, scenarios will change depending on whether the work stoppage looks to be a short-lived event or a months-long ordeal.

With sweeps far less important than they used to be, some networks could air a few repeats of shows in November to keep a reservoir of originals until late January or February.

As for what viewers will see, "The most likely outcome is more news and more reality," said NBC U entertainment co-chairman Ben Silverman.

Another exec said network TV skeds would start looking like the summer, with more reality shows, extra newsmags and some repeats. There will also be originals, though for how long remains unclear.

Some shows are better off than others.

CW laffer "Everybody Hates Chris," for example, has actually wrapped production on a full 22-episode season. Other CW Monday comedies are also far ahead in production, which means the net could keep originals on the air through February.

Most nets have multiple schedules at the ready: one in case of a two-month strike, another in the event of a four-month strike and so on.

"Those decisions are ready to go," one webhead said. "It’s so much more manageable this time around. In 1988, everything was scripted programming. But now there’s so much alternative programming, at least we have a pad."

And in many cases, writers were looking to add a bit of a cliffhanger, tie up some loose ends or at least make a big splash in that seg, in case it turns into a de facto season ender.

On "Pushing Daisies," for example, exec producer Bryan Fuller said he was racing to finish the show’s ninth episode, which winds down a major character arc that threads through episodes seven and eight as well. Much of the show’s mythology is advanced in those segs, including a big character reveal.

"There’s such a scramble to get as much work as possible done," Fuller said.

They’re breathing a little easier on "Prison Break," the Fox drama that traditionally splits its seasons in half, with a midyear cliffhanger that helps bridge the gap between January (when the show takes a break) and April, when it returns.

In case there is a strike, that midyear cliffhanger could easily double as a season finale if need be, said exec producer Matt Olmstead.

"We have our episodes through 13 written," Olmstead said. "That’s our traditional break, anyway. So at least we won’t be cutting out mid-storyline if a strike happens."

Then there’s "Lost." Fans have been waiting patiently for the show’s February launch and the promise of 16 uninterrupted episodes. That pledge, of course, will be shortened if only eight episodes are ready to go this year. But rather than wait to pair them with the other eight, ABC will still air what it has, as scheduled.

"It’s better to come on with some season then no season," one insider said. "If there’s a strike, we’ll need scripted programming."

Fox will face a similar decision with "24," which usually is far ahead of schedule but this year is playing catch-up due to creative problems early in the season.

Some shows are so far ahead of production, they would seemingly be less impacted immediately. Such is the case with animated series -- a genre not on the air during the 1988 strike -- which, due to the production process, is written as much as a year ahead. But "The Simpsons" exec producer Al Jean said it may still be hampered by a strike.

"The Simpsons" has recorded 21 of 22 episodes for this year’s batch, but "recorded doesn’t mean they’re done," he said. "They still need rewriting."

While the last strike helped birth unscripted skeins such as "Cops" and "America’s Most Wanted," 20 years later the reality genre has fully matured. Webheads have been stockpiling reality shows like crazy and will be ready to go with literally dozens of concepts.

With a strike looking to be pretty much a fait accompli at this point, network execs are resigned to the fact that things are about to get hairy -- and no one knows how it’ll shake out.

"We are as prepared as anyone, but that’s really only good for so much," one broadcast topper said.

From a financial standpoint, network execs are at least in a better position than their studio counterparts. The nets may see their ratings and revenue go south as they replace scripted fare with repeats and reality shows, but their costs will decline, too. Sliding in a reality show that costs $900,000 per episode in place of a $3 million-per-seg drama will help soothe the sting of a strike.

That said, "We really don’t want this to happen because of the macroeconomic issues facing our community," Silverman said. "It’s disturbing and upsetting that it seems to be becoming a foregone conclusion."

More immediately, NBC News anchor Brian Williams or thesp Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson -- both of whom are set to host "Saturday Night Live" in the next few weeks -- could be among the first casualties of a WGA walkout.

Most of the sketches for this week’s planned Williams-hosted edition of "Saturday Night Live" have been written, so the show could go on --assuming Williams doesn’t object to crossing a picket line.

But a strike in the next few days would almost certainly cancel the Nov. 10 episode of "SNL," slated to be hosted by Johnson.

How Monday-Friday latenight skeins carry on the wake of a scribe walkout likely depends largely on each host.

"Dave (will be) supportive of writers, as he was the last time," said Robert Morton, the former Letterman producer who was at the helm of NBC’s "Late Night With David Letterman" during the 1988 WGA strike.

Morton, noting that Letterman and his "Late Show" colleagues are also WGA members, said the hosts will be hard-pressed to continue with business as usual.

"I think they have to show support for their writing staffs," said the producer, who now heads Panamort Prods. "Even if they want to go back, they have to give their writers due respect."
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Brent
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Re: What are you watching this Fall?

#196 Postby Brent » Tue Oct 30, 2007 8:27 pm

The emerging consensus is that WGA leaders won't start a strike until next week at the earliest -- even though the town's been fretting in recent days that scribes could walk out at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, when the current contract expires.

Both sides resumed negotiations Tuesday after a three-day break as the town became utterly enveloped by fears of a strike hitting as early as this week. Those concerns have been fanned by a variety of troubling signals -- continued combative rhetoric from both sides, lack of progress at the bargaining table, battles over guild strike rules, the Teamsters' pledge not to cross picket lines, and strike preparations by the WGA.

A writers strike could mean boom time for the network's news divisions as they ratchet up production to fill holes in primetime.

While no directive has been given from above, ABC News' longform unit is stockpiling series under the "Primetime Live" banner as potential fill-in programming and is preparing as if the newsmagazine could return to the schedule.

"We have a lot of series in production," said "20/20" and "Primetime Live" exec producer David Sloan. "In the event of a strike, we would fast-track them."

A prolonged writers strike could take primetime back to the '90s, when "Dateline NBC" ran five nights a week and the newsmagazine was king.

Reality programming replaced the newsmag as cheap ratings fodder starting with CBS' "Survivor," and the networks have spent most of this decade cutting back their longform units, which makes coping with a writers strike more difficult than in the past.

"There are many less newsmagazines on the air with many less people working for them, so it will be that much harder to crank out stories with little time to prepare," said former NBC News prexy and "Dateline" exec producer Neal Shapiro, now president of New York PBS station WNET.

This fall, ABC left "Primetime Live" off the schedule entirely; NBC is airing one episode a week of "Dateline" at 8 p.m. on Tuesdays. CBS cancelled "60 Minutes II," but still relies on its doc unit for Saturday night programming with two hours of "Crimetime Saturday" and one of "48 Hours Mystery."

Sloan said that while "Primetime" could return for multiple hours a week, he would have to bring in freelancers to get it done.

CBS News could be further hampered by a scheduled strike vote on Nov. 15 for its guild-repped newswriters who have been working without a contract since 2005.

The upside for the networks is they own all the content produced by their news divisions and could dig deep into the archives and freshen hours that have already appeared. NBC's longform unit, Peacock Prods., produces two hours a night for MSNBC, some of which could air on the network.

A prolonged walkout would start hitting network primetime schedules in early 2008, and some network veterans predict "Dateline NBC," "48 Hours," "20/20," and "Primetime Live" could make a mass return to weekday prime schedules.

ABC News is developing five separate series under the "Primetime" banner including six episodes of "What Would You Do?" five episodes of "Primetime Crime" and five episodes of "Family Secrets," as well as new episodes of "Primetime Medical Mysteries" and "Primetime the Outsiders."

The networks have enough programming stockpiled to prevent major pain before next year. But in a prolonged walkout, some observers predict networks might air some primary presidential debates in primetime. CBS News' Katie Couric is moderating a debate in Los Angeles on Dec. 10.
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Re: What are you watching this Fall?

#197 Postby lurkey » Wed Oct 31, 2007 9:15 pm

NBC BENCHES 'SINGING BEE,' 'HEROES: ORIGINS'; ABC EXTENDS 'MURDER CLUB'
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- NBC has pulled "The Singing Bee" from its November sweeps schedule, opting for expanded two-hour editions of "The Biggest Loser" in its place on Tuesday nights.

"Bee" posted a 1.7 adults 18-49 rating according to preliminary Nielsen data last night, marking a first-run series low. The newcomer opened to a stellar 5.0 rating in the key demographic on July 10.

The executive producers of "Bee" are Phil Gurin and Robert C. Horowitz.

Meanwhile, the Peacock has also given the hook to "Heroes: Origins," a previously announced six-episode spin-off of Tim Kring's popular drama featuring one-off tales about new characters in the show's universe. It's understood the project has been shelved indefinitely due to financial concerns as the network readies for the expected WGA strike. Kevin Smith, Eli Roth, Michael Dougherty and John August were among the names set to be involved with "Origins," which was still in the early stages of pre-production.

And finally over at ABC, "Women's Murder Club" has been given the go ahead to pen three additional scripts. The news leaves "Cavemen" as the only ABC newcomer without some sort of extension.

James Patterson, R. Scott Gimmell, Elizabeth Craft, Sarah Fain, Brett Ratner and Joe Simpson are the executive producers of "Club," a 20th Century Fox Television production.
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Re: What are you watching this Fall?

#198 Postby Brent » Wed Oct 31, 2007 10:37 pm

:cry:

Hollywood writers, producers end talks

By LYNN ELBER, AP Television Writer

LOS ANGELES - Hollywood writers and producers broke off contract talks Wednesday night without a new deal, allowing the Writers Guild of America's current pact to expire at midnight.

It's not immediately clear whether the writers will walk off the job. A call to a union spokesman was not immediately returned.

Members of the guild recently voted to authorize their first strike since 1988 if necessary.

The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said no new talks were scheduled for Thursday.

If and when they strike, expect late night TV/comedy shows to shut down immediately(Leno and Letterman, Colbert, Stewart, SNL etc.), and then the talk shows and soaps in daytime. Primetime will be unaffected... for now, but it will be if it goes on too long.
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Re: What are you watching this Fall?

#199 Postby GalvestonDuck » Thu Nov 01, 2007 12:53 pm

"I was just thinking what an interesting concept it is to eliminate the writer from the artistic process. If we could just get rid of these actors and directors, maybe we've got something here. " ~ Tim Robbins as "Griffin Mill" in the motion picture The Player (written by Michael Tolkin, son of writer Mel Tolkin and brother of writer Stephen Tolkin).
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Re: What are you watching this Fall?

#200 Postby x-y-no » Thu Nov 01, 2007 1:01 pm

lurker_from_nc wrote:NBC BENCHES 'SINGING BEE,' 'HEROES: ORIGINS'; ABC EXTENDS 'MURDER CLUB'
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- NBC has pulled "The Singing Bee" from its November sweeps schedule, opting for expanded two-hour editions of "The Biggest Loser" in its place on Tuesday nights.

"Bee" posted a 1.7 adults 18-49 rating according to preliminary Nielsen data last night, marking a first-run series low. The newcomer opened to a stellar 5.0 rating in the key demographic on July 10.

The executive producers of "Bee" are Phil Gurin and Robert C. Horowitz.

Meanwhile, the Peacock has also given the hook to "Heroes: Origins," a previously announced six-episode spin-off of Tim Kring's popular drama featuring one-off tales about new characters in the show's universe. It's understood the project has been shelved indefinitely due to financial concerns as the network readies for the expected WGA strike. Kevin Smith, Eli Roth, Michael Dougherty and John August were among the names set to be involved with "Origins," which was still in the early stages of pre-production.

And finally over at ABC, "Women's Murder Club" has been given the go ahead to pen three additional scripts. The news leaves "Cavemen" as the only ABC newcomer without some sort of extension.

James Patterson, R. Scott Gimmell, Elizabeth Craft, Sarah Fain, Brett Ratner and Joe Simpson are the executive producers of "Club," a 20th Century Fox Television production.



Ack! This headline had me freaked until I saw it's "Heroes: Origins," not "Heroes" which is being shelved.
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