What are you watching this Spring?

[Miss Mary]

FYI - new Desperate Housewives episode tonight!

[Brent]

FYI - new Desperate Housewives episode tonight!

Yep, last new one til January.

Also a new Brothers and Sisters, and the finale of the Amazing Race on CBS.

[Brent]

TV Ratings: CBS, FOX Split Sunday
Viewer crown goes to CBS while FOX wins the demo derby

December 8, 2008

Fast National ratings for Sunday, Dec. 7, 2008

A made-for-TV movie helped CBS hold off FOX and take the overall ratings title Sunday night.

CBS averaged a 7.6 rating/12 share for the night, a little better than second-place FOX's 6.7/10. ABC was a close third at 6.6/10, and NBC came in fourth with a 6.1/9. The CW, as usual, was way off the pace at 1.0/1.

FOX led the adults 18-49 demographic with a 4.6 rating. ABC took second at 3.7, just ahead of NBC, 3.6. CBS averaged 2.8 and The CW 0.5.

FOX's late-afternoon NFL coverage and "The OT" scored an 11.5/18 at 7 p.m., easily topping "60 Minutes," 8.9/14, on CBS. ABC got a 3.5/6 from the special "Ty Pennington: Behind the Scenes," which was good enough to beat the 3.0/5 for "Football Night in America" on NBC. The CW aired a "Jericho" rerun.

"Sunday Night Football," 7.0/11, moved NBC into the lead at 8 p.m. The season finale of "The Amazing Race" drew a 6.3/10 for CBS, edging the 6.2/10 for "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on ABC. FOX dropped to fourth with the "BCS Selection Show," 5.8/9, and "The Simpsons," 3.8/6. The CW went with the movie "The Cutting Edge."

"Desperate Housewives," 9.9/15, moved ABC into the lead at 9 p.m. NBC's NFL game improved to 7.7/11. The CBS movie "Front of the Class" took third at 7.1/10. Reruns of "Family Guy" and "American Dad" kept FOX in fourth, while The CW's movie finished with a 1.1/2.

At 10 p.m., "Front of the Class" moved CBS to the front of the pack with an 8.0/13. ABC's "Brothers & Sisters," 6.9/11, narrowly beat "Sunday Night Football," 6.7/11, for second.

http://www.zap2it.com/tv/ratings/zap-ra ... 2553.story

[Brent]

The bad news about Grey's never stops...

T.R. Knight Walks From Grey's Anatomy

Details are emerging from the set of Grey's Anatomy that co star T. R. Knight has walked off the show. Knight has played Dr. George O' Malley since the shows conception in 2005.
More information to follow as it becomes available.

UPDATE: So, I got a little more information from my source and they say, "He hasn't attended table reads since episode 2. He is pissed and miserable and thinks his story line is stupid. He said goodbye to his hair and makeup people last week. He says he is done and has quit. ABC has not released him. Shondra Rhimes, the producer called him and he told her he had nothing to say. He has packed his dressing room." That is all the information we have at this time.

http://www.crazydaysandnights.net/2008/ ... pdate.html

[lurkey]

prima donnas all of them. . gonna be downfall of the show. .. that is the fastest way to kill the show. . .




Zucker says NBC may scale down programming hours

NEW YORK (AP) - A terrible fall season at NBC is forcing the network to consider scaling back the number of hours it airs programming, Chief Executive Jeff Zucker told an investor conference Monday.

While NBC will continue to fund the creation of pilots, Zucker told analysts at a media investor conference sponsored by UBS that NBC is considering cutting the number of hours or perhaps even the number of nights it provides programming.

"Can we continue to program 22 hours of prime-time? Three of our competitors don't. Can we afford to program seven nights a week? One of our competitors doesn't," Zucker said. "All of these questions have to be on the table. And we are actively looking at all of those questions."

Zucker's comments came after the company last week laid off 500 employees—about 3 percent of its work force of 15,000—as part of a plan to trim $500 million next year.

Part of the problem at NBC has to do with the economic crisis and slowdown in advertising revenue in a market that is "as difficult as any we've seen," Zucker said. "Businesses are just afraid to commit."

Zucker said he did not blame the poor ratings at NBC on NBC Entertainment co-chairmen Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff.

"We have not had a good fall at NBC. I don't think that's lost on anyone," he said, adding, "but in no way have we lost confidence in either one of them."

Zucker also said there needs to be a major change at its 10 owned-and-operated local TV stations, which have been hard-hit by a decline in advertising, especially from the auto sector.

"We're in an era where if we don't change the models of these local TV stations, we will be newspapers, we will be car companies," he said. "I don't want to be a company that files for bankruptcy."

NBC was doing stronger on the cable network front, and Zucker said he expects revenues from its cable channels, which include Bravo, USA Network and MSNBC, to grow in the double-digit percentages next year.

In 2009, double-digit growth in cable advertising and single-digit growth in affiliate fees will lift the division, which accounts for 60 percent of the profit at the company, a unit of General Electric Co., he said.

"Every one of our cable networks ... are going to enjoy their best year ever this year both from a financial standpoint and a ratings standpoint," Zucker said. "We believe that will again be the case in 2009."

[Miss Mary]

All new CBS Monday night sitcoms - Big Bang, Mother, Two and a Half Men, Worst Week (yawn)......and over on NBC, Chuck.......

More new shows I'm sure but that's our Monday night viewing.....

[Brent]

NEW YORK (AP) - A terrible fall season at NBC is forcing the network to consider scaling back the number of hours it airs programming, Chief Executive Jeff Zucker told an investor conference Monday.

WOW. NBC is in terrible shape. They'll be competing with The CW soon at this rate. With 5 hours less to program each week, a bunch of shows are going to get canceled.

NBC moving Leno to 10 p.m. slot
'Tonight Show' host to stick with network
By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER
Jay Leno is sticking with NBC after all.

Peacock is prepped to announce that the "Tonight Show" host will take over the 10 p.m. slot starting next fall - a move that had been rumored as a possibility for months, but something NBC had told reporters wasn't likely to happen.

In a reversal of fortune, it now appears that Leno is set to sign a deal with the network that would give him a pay bump - and move the host into primetime. Deadline Hollywood Daily first broke the story late Monday.

Such a move was always discussed as perhaps the best option the Peacock had to keep Leno in the network fold. But NBC U topper Jeff Zucker had shot down that speculation earlier this fall, arguing that Leno's heart was still with the 11:30 p.m. spot - partly because of the "Tonight Show"/Johnny Carson legacy with the spot.

Insiders have suggested that Leno could make between $40 million to $50 million a year with a 10 p.m. slot.

The idea of stripping a series at 10 p.m. is nothing new: NBC toyed with the idea in 1992 as a way to keep David Letterman at the network; its believed the network also considered stripping "Dateline NBC" on the network back during a period of earlier ratings woes.

The benefits of stripping Leno include having to now program only two hours a night with original fare. Such a move may mean now that NBC's development needs may be less going into next season.

News comes as NBC was set to announce today that Jimmy Fallon will take over Conan O'Brien's chair on "Late Night" beginning Monday, March 4. Peacock was forced to hold off on that announcement, however, due to today's restructuring announcement.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997051.html

[JonathanBelles]

I'm very happy Jay is coming back, but at 10pm....eww!

[Cyclenall]

What on earth is NBC thinking! Putting Jay Leno at 10:00 pm is very dodgy at best . This is strange, Jay Leno kept making jokes about himself leaving NBC and he sort of had a rough attitude towards the network based on his tone. Is this just coming out today?

When I heard Jimmy Fallon was taking over Conan's show, I thought it won't be long before that show maga-flops. I never laugh at him and I never found him to be good at any comedy material. I don't see him on SNL anymore either. It's going to get even worse for NBC!

Now I'm confused, what is going to happen to Conan with the "Tonight Show" and what show is Jay Leno doing at 10:00 pm? The last question is what is going to be on at 11:30 pm?

[Brent]

What on earth is NBC thinking! Putting Jay Leno at 10:00 pm is very dodgy at best . This is strange, Jay Leno kept making jokes about himself leaving NBC and he sort of had a rough attitude towards the network based on his tone. Is this just coming out today?

When I heard Jimmy Fallon was taking over Conan's show, I thought it won't be long before that show maga-flops. I never laugh at him and I never found him to be good at any comedy material. I don't see him on SNL anymore either. It's going to get even worse for NBC!

Now I'm confused, what is going to happen to Conan with the "Tonight Show" and what show is Jay Leno doing at 10:00 pm? The last question is what is going to be on at 11:30 pm?

Conan will still host the Tonight Show at 11:30. This 10pm show with Leno will be something separate(it's still a ways off and was just announced tonight).

I see this as a bad move, Leno will pull in awful numbers for primetime(he gets roughly 4 million each night, that's CW numbers, great for late night but terrible for earlier) plus it makes NBC look like a netlet and not like ABC/CBS, and there's a reason no show airs more than 2-3 times a week, because it gets old fast in primetime if you do(look at Millionaire back in 2000/2001).

Oh... and this should really help out ABC and CBS at 10pm.

[Brent]

On Super Bowl Sunday, football fans will have a choice: the Boss or the Big Balls.

ABC plans to counterprogram NBC's game-day entertainment telecasts with a sports-star-studded episode of the summer obstacle-course hit "Wipeout."


The Disney-owned network will air a brief football-themed "Wipeout" special against NBC's official halftime show headlined by Bruce Springsteen. Then, during NBC's post-Bowl presentation of "The Office," ABC will air an hourlong "Wipeout" in which cheerleaders compete against male "couch potato" sports fans.

The strategy will mark the first time in five years a major broadcast network has gone after a rival's Super Bowl momentum with original entertainment programming.

"It's broadcast's biggest day, and this is a big mass-market show, and it's fun to be able to participate and be a part of it," said John Saade, senior vp alternative programming at ABC. "This will put 'Wipeout' back in the public's consciousness between runs, and we plan to have a lot of fun with it."

The two-part ABC special -- dubbed "Wipeout Superball Sunday" -- pulls out all the stops to cater to NFL fans: Hall of Famer Michael Irving will lend sideline commentary, the Navy's Blue Angels will perform a flyover, the USC marching band will storm the course, contestants will run a gantlet with quarterbacks pelting them with footballs, NFL luminaries will stop by the commentary booth, and the show's signature Big Balls obstacle has been converted into jumbo-sized footballs.

The special is one of the most ambitious Super Bowl Sunday programming plans ever mounted by a non-host network. Yet for the reality show's producer, Endemol, it's familiar territory.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/con ... 6d316b0583

[CajunMama]

Final episode ever of boston legal. I'm going to miss denny & alan. I always loved their balcony scenes.

Chang, Poole & Schmidt

and the real supreme court judges!

[lurkey]

:eek:

The bad news about Grey's never stops...

T.R. Knight Walks From Grey's Anatomy

Details are emerging from the set of Grey's Anatomy that co star T. R. Knight has walked off the show. Knight has played Dr. George O' Malley since the shows conception in 2005.
More information to follow as it becomes available.

UPDATE: So, I got a little more information from my source and they say, "He hasn't attended table reads since episode 2. He is pissed and miserable and thinks his story line is stupid. He said goodbye to his hair and makeup people last week. He says he is done and has quit. ABC has not released him. Shondra Rhimes, the producer called him and he told her he had nothing to say. He has packed his dressing room." That is all the information we have at this time.

http://www.crazydaysandnights.net/2008/ ... pdate.html

the drama continues. . .

'Grey's' Denies T.R.'s Walk-Off
By Brigid Brown

What is going on over at Seattle Grace Hospital? First Brooke Smith is fired and now T.R. Knight is said to be walking?

A spokesman for Grey's Anatomy has denied reports Knight is set to leave the hit TV series.

The internet was blowing up Monday night, Dec. 8, after an entertainment lawyer posted on his personal website, CrazyDaysAndNights.net, that Knight, who plays Dr. George O'Malley on the medical drama, had stormed off the set and quit.

The entry read: "So, I got a little more information from my source and they say, 'He hasn’t attended table reads since episode two. He is p**sed and miserable and thinks his story line is stupid.”

The entry continues, "He said goodbye to his hair and make-up people last week. He says he is done and has quit. ABC has not released him. Shonda Rhimes, the producer, called him and he told her he had nothing to say. He has packed his dressing room."

But a representative for the show insists the actor has no plans to leave the show, telling Usmagazine.com, "T.R. has never walked off set in the middle of filming. He attended the table read today and will be shooting this week, like any other week of production."

His character’s storyline has been going downhill since failing the final intern exam.

[Brent]

TV Ratings: Comedies Carry CBS Monday
'Two and a Half Men,' 'Big Bang,' 'HIMYM' all solid

December 9, 2008

Fast National ratings for Monday, Dec. 8, 2008

CBS cruised to a ratings victory Monday night, as "Two and a Half Men" and the rest of the network's comedy block put up solid numbers.

CBS averaged a 7.9 rating/12 share in primetime and second-place ABC (6.4/10) by close to 2 million viewers. NBC finished a distant third at 3.9/6. FOX, 3.3/6, was fourth, and The CW drew a 1.7/3 for fifth.

In the adults 18-49 demographic, CBS' 4.1 rating led the field by a comfortable margin. ABC, 2.9, came in second, followed by NBC at 2.6. FOX averaged 2.0 and The CW 1.2.

CBS led in households at 8 p.m. with "The Big Bang Theory," 6.7/10, and "How I Met Your Mother," 6.4/10. ABC, however, had more total viewers thanks to its annual showing of "A Charlie Brown Christmas," 6.3/10. "Chuck" scored a 4.4/7 for NBC. FOX took fourth with "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," 3.4/5, while The CW trailed with "Gossip Girl."

"Two and a Half Men," 9.6/14, and "Worst Week," 6.8/10, gave CBS sole possession of first place at 9 p.m. The series finale of "Boston Legal" earned a 6.2/9 for ABC, beating the 4.7/7 for "Heroes" on NBC (which did at least finish second in adults 18-49). "Prison Break" held steady for FOX. "Privileged" could muster only a 1.3/2 for The CW.

"CSI: Miami," 8.8/14, held the lead for CBS at 10 p.m. The "Boston Legal" finale improved to 6.7/11, while "My Own Worst Enemy" managed only a 2.5/4 for NBC.

http://www.zap2it.com/tv/ratings/zap-ra ... 9162.story

[Brent]

The revolving door at Grey's Anatomy has taken another shocking spin.

Multiple sources confirm that T.R. Knight has asked to be released from his contract, a request that both ABC and Grey's show-runner Shonda Rhimes appear poised to grant. "They're working out the details now," whispers an ABC insider. (A network rep was unavailable for comment.)

There's no word on when Knight would make his final appearance, but, contrary to a report on the gossip blog crazydaysandnights.com, he has not walked off the show. "He's still working," maintains my Grey's mole.

Rumors of Knight's unhappiness at Grey's date back to the early days of Isaiahgate. Per an insider, the actor was disappointed that it took Rhimes so long to publicly condemn Washington's use of the F-word, even as his co-stars (Katherine Heigl, Patrick Dempsey, etc.) rallied to his defense. (The incident led Knight to come out as a gay man.) The boss lady eventually released a statement denouncing Washington's behavior, but word is, it was too little, too late. Nonetheless, my Grey's source insists Knight does not want out of his contract for that reason, adding, "He just feels it's time to move on."

A spokesperson for Knight declined to comment for this story.

Knight's probable exit comes at a time when his character, George, has been given little to do, save for express concern over Izzie's mental state. There's no word if he'll be given a big on-screen send-off or be banished to Seattle Grace's parking garage with fellow gay Dr. Hahn. (I smell a spin-off!)

Got an exit scenario of your own you'd like to pitch? Shocked by Knight's ouster? Given his lack of screen time this season, can you blame the guy for wanting to move on? Do you hope he takes his real-life BFF, Katherine Heigl, with him? Is Grey's cursed? Comment below!

Oh, and I saved the biggest surprise for last: Knight was not -- I repeat not -- the subject of my "fired actor" blind item last week.
http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2008/12/post.html

[Cyclenall]

All of the late night shows that I watch (Leno, Jimmy, and Conan) all mentioned the news that was released Monday night about what Leno is doing at 10:00 pm.

[Pburgh]

My favorites Big Bang and The Mentalist. I'm starting to like the Mentalist more and more every week.

[Brent]

TV Ratings: FOX Throws 'House' Party Tuesday
CBS reruns take the overall title, but FOX rules demos

Fast national ratings for Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2008

A night full of reruns on CBS still brought in a pretty large number of viewers Tuesday, while FOX and "House" held sway among adults 18-49.

CBS drew a 7.9 rating/13 share for the night, averaging just over 12 million viewers. FOX, 6.4/10, beat out NBC, 6.0/10, for second. ABC came in fourth with a 3.6/6, while The CW's rerun lineup managed only a 0.8/1.

In the adults 18-49 demographic, FOX's 4.1 rating led the way. NBC took second at 3.6, followed by CBS at 2.4. ABC averaged 1.7 and The CW 0.5.

A repeat of "NCIS" earned a healthy 8.9/14 for CBS at 8 p.m. FOX was a close second with "House," 8.4/13, which also scored the night's best 18-49 numbers. "The Biggest Loser: Families," 5.0/8, put NBC in third, ahead of "America's Funniest Home Videos," 4.3/7, on ABC. The CW went with a "90210" rerun.

CBS held steady at 9 p.m. as a "Mentalist" encore delivered a 9.0/14. NBC moved up to second with the conclusion of "The Biggest Loser," 6.0/9. A "Fringe" repeat on FOX drew a 4.3/7, beating out an hour of "According to Jim," 3.3/5, on ABC. A "Privileged" rerun wrapped up the night for The CW.

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," 7.2/12, won the 10 p.m. hour for NBC. A "Without a Trace" rerun, 5.8/10, kept CBS in front of ABC and "Eli Stone," 3.2/5.

http://www.zap2it.com/tv/ratings/zap-ra ... 5771.story

[lurkey]

Strike Vote Timetable

[Brent]

TV Ratings: Crime Pays for CBS Wednesday
CBS also claimed victory among adults 18-49

December 11, 2008

Fast National ratings for Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008

Good numbers for "Criminal Minds" and "CSI: New York" gave CBS the overall ratings win and demographic crown for Wednesday night.

CBS led the night with a 7.8 ranting/13 share, handily beating out NBC and ABC, both of which were tied for second place with a 3.9/6, just ahead of FOX's 3.8/6. The CW trailed with a 0.9/2 average.

In the adults 18-49 demo, CBS nabbed the top spot with a 3.2 rating, followed by FOX's 2.1. ABC took third place with a 1.9, just ahead of NBC's 1.8. The CW finished with a mere 0.5/1.

CBS kicked off the night at 8 p.m., leading with a 5.4/9 average for its comedies "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and "Gary Unmarried." FOX's "Secret Millionaire" was still going strong in its second week out with a 4.6/8 for the hour for second place.ABC's "Pushing Daisies" came in third with a 3.2/5, while NBC's "Little Spirit: Christmas in New York" got a 3.0/5 for the hour. A repeat of "Stylista" brought up the rear.

At 9 p.m., CBS' "Criminal Minds" snagged the highest ratings for the night with a 9.4/15, well ahead of second-place ABC's "Private Practice," 4.9/8. Following were NBC's "Life," 3.5/5, FOX's "Bones" repeat, 2.9/5, and a new episode of "Stylista," 1.0/2.

"CSI: NY" kept the CBS domination on track with a 8.7/15 at 10 o'clock, followed by ABC's "Dirty Sexy Money," 3.7/6, and NBC's "Law & Order," 5.1/9.

http://www.zap2it.com/tv/ratings/zap-ra ... 8518.story