Television News

Well, CW had made their new series pickups (Cult, Arrow, Beauty and the Beast, Emily Owens, MD (formerly 'First Cut'), and Carrie Diaries (the one which should've gotten the name change, but oh well), after cancelling freshman shows Ringer, Secret Circle, while renewing Hart of Dixie.

And to fit all the new shows, and sophomore series, along with the top rated shows Vampire Diaries,, Supernatural, 90210, and the struggling Gossip Girl and Nikita and the lone reality show that survives on the young network, America's Next Top Model (Which, the ratings have gone way down on that too), some drastic changes were made to the schedule.

Some are actually simple time changes, like Gossip Girl airing at 9pm on Monday instead of 8pm, and 90210 moving to Mondays to fill that 8pm slot. Hart of Dixie will make a move to Tuesday at 8pm, and lead into the new series, Emily Owens, MD. Surprise change comes from Supernatural, which, after having moved the Friday night death slot, didn't die (neither did Smallville either, it just ended after 10 seasons last year, and despite being on Friday, with a weaker lead-in, Supernatural managed to be the CW's 2nd highest rated series for the year), it will take it's loyal viewers to Wednesday at 9pm, and share its night with a new series leading into it, Arrow. The Vampire Diaries is the only series to not move, and for good reason, it's the highest rated and no one would want to mess with it. Instead, have it lead into Beauty and the Beast. Nikita will shift to 9pm on Friday to make room for Top Model moving to Friday. Cult and Carrie Diaries are on hold 'til midseason; Carrie Diaries, being the teen drama of the new shows, will take over Gossip Girl's spot in January.

It's surprising a show that was moved to Friday, would move to another night, but it looks like CW is trying to get a working Wednesday, and have gone with an action theme, more likely to target male demos, and get an overall better adult demo rating than half the other shows on the CW.

The big question, where is Cult gonna go? I've been looking forward to that show back in its first development stages with the WB. Then the merger happened and the show never made a pilot.

Also, am I the only one to see that the new series premiering in the fall share some commonality:

Emily Owens, MD has Justin Hartley who played the Green Arrow on the long running series, Smallville, which Kristin Kreuk starred in for (I think 8 seasons), and is now in Beauty and the Beast. Call me crazy, but maybe the CW has some other thought with their programming: getting Smallville viewers back???

CW Schedule - TV By The Numbers

Part III: CW...You Need Help

In early 2006, UPN and theWB announced they were merging to become the CW. The first season of the net (2006-2007) consisted of programming between the two nets. Right now, only three shows are still airing from that year: former UPN's America's Next Top Model, and theWB's One Tree Hill and Supernatural. As we know it, One Tree Hill is ending, and Top Model is returning, so Supernatural stands as the last series of theWB era. And with current ratings, and can be renewed for next season, and might as well be. If it is, then it should be noted as the last, and this season should be about capturing what theWB had, which had a better mix of programming than what people typically think. Now, the CW might want to try out having a comedy block, but they are the network with the fewest hours to program since they don't do Sundays, it's just Monday through Friday, 8-10pm, that's only FIVE hours. So, it needs to be tight.

Here's what I think you should do, or consider, in my opinion:

Get rid of Gossip Girl, plain and simple. It's the lowest rated veteran series on a non-Friday day. The show represents the young female audience Dawn Ostroff was all about. She's gone, let's move on. Keep the higher rated The Vampire Diaires and announce a 8th and final season for Supernatural (not just because I'm a fan, but b/c it is currently the 2nd highest rated show for the net, and it's on Friday, but it is aging, and the plug needs to be pulled at some point). To have some form of a teen drama, go ahead, you can renew 90210, but it doesn't have long to live. As the highest rated new show for the net, The Secret Circle can stay. And I'll admit, Ringer's ratings are TERRIBLE now, though it is a show that should've helped the CW, it didn't. But, given that Hart of Dixie has to be among the cheaper ones, and that it rates higher than their darling Gossip Girl, I say renew it since it has some amount of drama/comedy charm that made Gilmore Girls fun to watch. It also is part of the solution to broadening the appeal, though so is Nikita, people can say there's a Friday-factor all they want, but then explain Supernatural's position, not to mention last year, Smallville was high (though it was in an announced last season, but still, Fri. 8pm, never went less than a .8 demo, Supernatural now, in the 9pm slot, has never gone below .7). With one reality (Top Model) already going to be back (though, it's ratings are REALLY bad for it now), and One Tree Hill ending this year, that leaves 4 hours open:

ARROW - drama on the DC Comics Green Arrow. Despite having heavy hitter David Nutter directing the pilot (most often, his pilots get picked to series), I DON'T want this and neither should the CW. Smallville hasn't even been off the air for a year, and the Green Arrow was a major character. They already said this will NOT be part of the same universe, as Stephen Amell has been cast as Oliver Queen (where Justin Hartley portrayed him in Smallville). I just think it is a BAD idea.

BEAUTY & THE BEAST - drama remake of the 80s CBS series that starred Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman, not a fairy tale story of the Disney movie. Therefore, given that the Disney movie is more popular that the great TV series, there would be too much confusion to allow this (and that ABC is planning their own, the fairy tale variation kind, 'cause one fairy tale show isn't enough for them). Though Kristin Kreuk has been cast as Catherine, I just can't stand by it. Plus, I doubt it'll have the same or similar tone of the 80s series.

THE CARRIE DIARIES - drama prequel to Sex and the City, with Josh Schwartz as EP, it has a good shot at getting picked up, though I don't care for it too. If anything, with 90210 aging, and hope for a Gossip Girl cancellation, this would be CW's new teen series, following Carrie as a high school student. True CW needs to move from the teen drama image, but I didn't say they couldn't have any. They would, however, need to change the name. We already have a show with "Diaries" in the title, and we very much like it.

CULT - drama - about a production assistant on popular television show who teams with a blogger to investigate the rabid fans of the series who might be re-creating crimes seen on the program in real life - First, I wanted this show six years ago when it was part of the WB slate, which was eventually the CW slate b/c of the UPN/WB merger, which caused no new shows to come forth. This has Rockne S. O'Bannon (Farscape) as the mastermind behind this, now with it back into the TV development phase, it has Josh Schwartz as EP as well. Cast includes Alona Tal (Veronica Mars, Supernatural) and Robert Knepper (Heroes), you bet your ass I WANT THIS SERIES, and the CW needs this series. It'll be a good Supernatural replacement when the time comes.

DAKOTA - dramedy - a young documentary filmmaker travels back in time in order to prevent the death of her '90s musical idol and finds that the story is even more complicated than she thought - um, honestly, I'm gonna just say no. The idea that it's a time travel to go ALL THE WAY BACK to the 90s (I say this sarcastically, BTW) shows you'd continually be targeting younger people, 'cause remember, some who turns 18 this year, was born in 1994, yeah, seriously. So while a lot of networks are having some amount of period-ness, mostly the 60s, your show would pick the 90s. Plus, it doesn't sound like a real multi-season storyline, this would be more of a mini-series thing. Now, the only good thing, is Mark Harmon is is EP (you know, he plays Gibbs on NCIS). Maybe the 'complicated' part is interesting, but I doubt it.

FIRST CUT - drama - female medical student who sees that being an intern at a hospital is like being in high school - cue the young adult, but let's get a little high school element in it. It does have Justin Hartley (Smallville), but I think if Hart of Dixie can see some stable up-ticks and ultimately see renewal, we have a medical show already (even though it's in the form of a small medical practice in a small town, not in a hospital).

THE SELECTION - drama - 300 years into the future about a poor woman who is picked by lottery to be queen of a war-torn nation - Future, that's a little different for the CW, but based on comments regarding it, people are saying it's like 'The Hunger Games.' Since I'm not a teenager, I have no idea what that is, other than the movie that's coming out soon based on some book.

SHELTER - drama - all we know is it's a character drama about staff and guests in a Maine inn - very vague, but J.J. Abrams is EP on this, and CW hasn't ever had any of his stuff before. Though, the WB did have Felicity, just to note. Since it's a very vague summary, it's hard to grasp anything else about it.

Now, CW has no comedy pilots, so, if I pick say three (assuming Nikita survives, with 3 spots freed from One Tree Hill's exit and ending of Gossip Girl and Ringer), then Cult, Shelter, and Carrie Diaries, simply to have a mix [unless Shelter is noted as a supernatural series or not, I'm assuming that it's not], so we have the supernatural drama, the regular drama, and the teen drama. If Nikita is axed, then CW may want to add The Selection, just to get a future drama that may benefit from a potential 'Hunger Games' audience, but if Hart of Dixie gets the axe instead, they may want First Cut instead, simply to have a medical drama in the mix. If either of those shows are canceled to save Gossip Girl, then there's potentially no hope for the net, but they'd have to ditch Carrie Diaries for sure.

Again, these are my opinions. Information regarding the pilot season I learn from a great TV resource: the futon critic, and ratings info can be learned from that site, but is more in depth at TVByTheNumbers.Com

Part two, FOX and NBC, the two with the big singing shows, with NBC now taking the crown in terms of ratings, but only for that show, as NBC has been continually taking a major fall in ratings. Smash is sure to be back, but being after The Voice and with the heavy promotion it had during the Super Bowl, it was expected, unless A LOT of people stopped watching, it's coming back. The surprise for NBC is Grimm. I recorded the first month of episodes onto DVD first to see where ratings go before I commit myself to it. Why? It's a sci-fi/fantasy series, it's on Friday, and it's on NBC. But, being a Friday show, it's managed to maintain about a 1.5 in demo, which, on any given night is terrible, but on Friday, it's not far from CBS's CSI:NY which it ran against and typically got about a 1.7. Also, Grimm's ratings were also better than quite a bit of NBC's non-Friday shows, including that Kathy Bates one (Harry's Law).

But, let's talk about the pilot orders from these two networks, that's why I'm writing.

Given that these are just pilot orders, and it won't be until the May upfronts that we'd know what will ultimately be ordered to series. Given that, despite me trying to be more selective of shows, I may choose some based on any current known casting, in some cases, more than what the show is about. I'll revisit the 2012-2013 season in May when we know what happens, and with that, some I may pick now, I may re-think (like with Undercovers in the previous season, which I thought I'd watch, but once seeing the trailer, I backed from it, and sometimes trailers make me want to watch a show I originally was not gonna watch, which is rarer).

Let me stress, when I mention anything regarding cast, these are cast as of the pilot, there can be changes, so it doesn't necessarily mean they are indeed regular if (and I mean IF) it should go from pilot to series.

FOX

UNTITLED - drama - about a heinous serial killer who uses technology to create a cult of serial killers, and the FBI agent who finds himself in the middle of it - Honestly, just to pick at least one drama pilot for FOX, I'd go with this, b/c it's more bound for pickup, with a cast that includes: Kevin Bacon and Kevin Williamson as the creator/EP (EP for The Vampire Diaries).

LET IT GO - yet another relationship comedy, but Zachary Levi (Chuck) is attached, so...

LIKE FATHER... - comedy about a widowed father who moves into his son's campus apartment - Colin Ferguson (Eureka) and Bill Lawrence serves as Creator/EP dude (Cougar Town, Scrubs)

---just a note, at this point, as I've been scrolling through the Pilot lists over at the futon critic, I can't help but notice quite a bit of comedies where the basis for the main character is that his/her wife/husband/fiancee has died, 'cause nothing says comedy like death.

NBC

MOCKINGBIRD LANE - The Munsters remake being brought to us by the two Bryans (Bryan Singer as EP/Director (he directed the first two X-Men movies) and Bryan Fuller as Creator/EP (he gave us the wonderful Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls)

REVOLUTION - drama on a group of people who look to reunite with loved ones after all forms of energy mysteriously cease to exist - Let's see, we got the pilot being directed by Jon Favreau (he directed the first two Iron Man movies), we got J.J. Abrams as EP (Lost, Alias, Fringe, Person of Interest, Alcatraz & probably more in the future for the guy who also adds directing the 2009 Star Trek movie and last year's Super 8 to his impressive resume), and of course, the Creator/EP is the one and only Eric Kripke (he's the most beloved TV creator, having given us the wonderful Supernatural). NBC better pick this up or hear the wrath from Lost and Supernatural fans.

DOWNWARDLY MOBILE - think of it as Roseanne for the 21st century, a comedy with a middle class family living in a mobile home community. I mention Roseanne, b/c not only is Roseanne Barr the creator/EP and starring in it, John Goodman is also starring in it as well. I just want to see this make it to air, and see how it does

GO ON - comedy about a sportscaster who tries to move on from loss and finds solace at his mandatory group therapy sessions - Matthew Perry (say it with me), NEED I SAY MORE

SUSAN 313 - comedy with Sarah Silverman and Jeff Goldblum, and EPs Brian Grazer and Ron Howard

So, FOX doesn't honestly have a lot, in my opinion, and with House already set to exit, and Terra Nova canceled, maybe there's hope for Alcatraz and even, maybe a final ultimate season for Fringe??? I know their ratings are extremely low, but, they are smart dramas that, yes, I want back because I like, but come on, they are GREAT shows. [Watch Alcatraz on Monday nights, but a nice ratings boost can make this an easier decision]

Sadly, there were a few shows in development that I was interested in (both CW ones, a TV adaptation of 'the Hollows' and the Eric Kripke 'Deadman' series based on the DC Comic), but they were unfortunately not picked up for a pilot. I'm gonna quickly note the shows I, personally, would love to see on each of the five networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and CW). Given that this is about the 5 broadcast networks, I'm breaking it up into three parts, ending with the CW, which will take an entire post because I'll be noting all series pilots (not just the ones I skimmed and chose as potentials for me), pros and cons, because this little network, needs a serious overhaul.

Given that these are just pilot orders, and it won't be until the May upfronts that we'd know what will ultimately be ordered to series. Given that, despite me trying to be more selective of shows, I may choose some based on any current known casting, in some cases, more than what the show is about. I'll revisit the 2012-2013 season in May when we know what happens, and with that, some I may pick now, I may re-think (like with Undercovers in the previous season, which I thought I'd watch, but once seeing the trailer, I backed from it, and sometimes trailers make me want to watch a show I originally was not gonna watch, which is rarer).

Let me stress, when I mention anything regarding cast, these are cast as of the pilot, there can be changes, so it doesn't necessarily mean they are indeed regular if (and I mean IF) it should go from pilot to series.

ABC is the annoying broadcast channel of the bunch. I have followed development seasons in the past, and maybe it's just me, but it seems this network tends to order the most pilots, and typically, therefore, orders a hell of a lot of pilots to series, those these weird midseason squeezes of the schedule (Last Man Standing has been a repeat for the last 2 weeks, bringing down a series, Cougar Town, which is in its third season, down in ratings because they held it off to midseason, simply b/c of a lack of room during the fall.

But, no more bitching from me, let's start with dramas then comedies:

666 Park Avenue - drama - a couple takes an offer to manage a historic apartment building in NYC, and experience supernatural occurrences. - it has Terry O'Quinn (Lost) and having supernatural elements put this in my, 'give it a try if it were ordered to series' column.

THE GILDED LILYS - drama - revolves around a family who owned New York's 1st luxury hotel, the hotel staff, and the hotel customers - John Barrowman (Torchwood), need I say more

LAST RESORT - drama - a crew of a nuclear submarine who disobey a suspicious order and become fugitives, declaring themselves an independent nuclear nation - it has Dichen Lachman (Sierra from Dollhouse), Robert Patrick (Terminator 2), and Scott Speedman (Underworld 1&2) and a pretty interesting plot to go with it.

HOW TO LIVE WITH YOUR PARENTS FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE - comedy -a divorced, single mom, who moves in with her eccentric parents, a couple who's full of life but knows no boundaries - This is mostly for the cast (Brad Garret (Everybody Loves Raymond), Sarah Chalke (Scrubs), Elizabeth Perkins (Weeds)) and having Brian Grazer as EP

ONLY FOOLS AND HORSES - comedy - two streetwise brothers and their aging grandfather as they concoct outrageous get-rich-quick schemes in their quest to become millionaires - Christopher Lloyd (aka Doc Brown), need I say more

PRAIRIE DOGS - comedy - uncool cubicle worker at a cool company that becomes a victim of ID theft and engages the conman to help change his life - Cary Elwes, Dan Fogler, and Kal Penn, but could be a pretty good concept in addition to a decent cast.

CBS

GOLDEN BOY - drama - guy going from uniform cop at 26 to being a police commisioner at 34 - Just another crime drama, but a good cast: Chi McBride (Pushing Daisies), Kevin Alejandro (True Blood), Theo James (Underworld: Awakening).

UNTITLED - drama about a cowboy turned sheriff in Vegas in the 60s - No title yet, but it has Carrie-Anne Moss (aka Trinity), Dennis Quad, and a 2nd TV outing post the Shield for Michael Chiklis

PARTNERS - comedy about two architects (one straight, one gay), with a relationship that resembles marriage - CAST: Brandon Routh (Superman Returns), David Krumholtz (Numb3rs), plus the director for the pilot is James Burrows (dudes done a lot of comedies, having directed pilots for the likes of Big Bang Theory, & back in the 90s the pilot to Friends).

SUPER FUN NIGHT - comedy with three nerdy girls looking to have fun nights every Friday - Conan O'Brien is EP

Now, ABC is gonna have to tighten up and tone down what it orders. Just because a certain kind of comedy works for one network, doesn't mean it's gonna work for you. ABC had a hit this season with Once Upon a Time, so, naturally, that means they want to try at a fairy tale series with a TV version of Beauty and the Beast, and no, not a remake of the former TV series from the 80s (that one is for CW), more of a re-telling of a Disney fairy-tale like variation more people are more familiar with. Maybe they'd go for it and pair it with Once Upon a Time and everything will be fine, or maybe people would be so turned off by ABC bringing in more fairy tales that they become turned off by the new series, or even both. There's no way to know. The audience is very fickle. You have it where Part one of a two part episode sees a 3.2 demo, but part two the very next week with the conclusion gets a 2.9. It doesn't make sense, but it happens. Part one, they felt like watching live, part two, ehhh, not so much.

CBS, on the other hand, they tend to be more tighter, getting a hand full of new shows, and they are a bit stricter to follow where the viewers are (except with the Good Wife, which was recently announced as one of the many shows renewed for next season, which has piss poor ratings for the network, but it's got the Emmy love and critic appeal that CBS can boast about). They can cancel a comedy that averages above the entire network average, which would normally call for a renewal, but since it's the lowest rated comedy, they axe it in favor of getting something new. It's the typical game they play, just look at Shit My Dad Says from last season, which didn't have the pitiful ratings that are easy to cancel, it was just the lowest of the comedies.

But, there is no way to know what a network decides to do. Stay tuned for about mid May with the Upfronts, but right now, we know that 18 shows currently airing on CBS now, are indeed safe (including 2 which were part of multi-year renewals, The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother, adding to it are the two news shows (60 Minutes & 48 Hours Mystery, three reality shows (Amazing Race, Undercover Boss, & Survivor), 2 comedies (Mike and Molly, 2 Broke Girls), and 9 dramas (NCIS, NCIS:LA, CSI, Person of Interest, The Mentalist, Hawaii Five-O, Blue Bloods, The Good Wife, and Criminal Minds). That's 18 CBS shows that are safe.

In my search to once again find a LEGAL way to watch the Canadian series, The Listener, I have stumbled unto an article from the CTV official site from October 2011, which says the ION has acquired the rights to the first two seasons for airing in 2012 with option for future seasons (season three seems to have already finished filming up on Toronto).

I copied/pasted section of article:

U.S. entertainment network ION Television has acquired the first two seasons of “The Listener” from Shaftesbury Sales Company for broadcast in 2012. The deal was finalized by Shine International, which distributes “The Listener” internationally.

I went to the official ION site, but nothing shows on that yet, so hopefully it'll be soon. NBC originally had the US rights to air it, but ultimately canceled it (as well as opting to not continue broadcast for the British series, Merlin, which premiered the same summer of 2009. Of course, Merlin went onto Syfy (4th season currently airing on Fridays), but there was never any news to how the US audience would see The Listener.)

Ever since ION had taken over the US broadcast of another Canadian series, Flashpoint, from CBS (which treated it like shit), I was hoping they would do the same for The Listener, or even stiull hoping Syfy take on the reins as they did for Merlin, or even their current deal for the Canadian series Lost Girl (awesome show, BTW). ION has definitely made a name for itself acquiring syndication rights to great series such as Criminal Minds, Psych, Monk, and coming in fall of 2012, Leverage and House, and are living up to their slogan, which plays on the word "ion," as "Positively Entertaining."

ION Television

The Listener news: Production of Season 3 has begun - CTV.ca