Rosie to leave "The View". Now.

You’ve seen the headline before, only this time it’s now instead of June. This comes after Rosie got into a very heated argument with her “good friend” Elisabeth Hasselback on the show Wednesday on a quite decisive topic. Can’t say I told you so…

Bachelor’s is a hit again…. Aw, hell naw!

Last night’s finale of The Bachelor: Officer and a Gentlemean finished No. 1 in the ratings last night (in its time period) with 13 million viewers and beat the much-hyped 24 and Heroes season finales. Well, here we go…. -Who’s watching this crap? Cubs fans? They’re used to watching mediocrity…. -Given this nation’s obsession with Anna, Paris, and Britney, nobody’s […]

ABC announces new fall schedule

ABC announced its fall slate of programming today at its upfront presentation. The alphabet network picked up seven new dramas, four new comedies, and a new reality show from Oprah Winfrey, which will debut midseason. With the exit of According to Jim and The George Lopez Show, this marks the first time since the 1970-71 season that there will be […]

Lost to get lost in 2010

Starting in January, ABC’s “Lost” will air 16-episode arcs for three years straight with no repeats. Last time they granted a three-season renewal to anything was to the inane Drew Carey Show. Will the quality continue to suffer? Stay tuned right here on Lame Duck Theater.

Rosie to leave "The View" (Updated)

Rosie O’Donnell announced that she is leaving The View today, after failing to come to contract agreement with ABC. She is expected to leave in mid-June. Her arrival to the talk show brought increased ratings for ABC, but also controversy, as she has feuded with Donald Trump, and has frequently criticized the Bush administration. O’Donnell is weighing many options, including […]

‘Betty’, ‘Grey’s’ hit season lows

And October Road hits a 4.2 in adults 18-49. With Grey’s Anatomy idiotic ferry boat death arc and Ugly Betty’s angling to become the next Will & Grace (as in too many long-faded guest stars), October is stepping up to the plate and deserves a second season renewal.

Get a grip

Parents are upset at a teacher for appearing in the current installment of The Bachelor – and the fact that she lied to school administrators in the Houston suburb of Sugarland – particularly during students’ testing period (which were given by a substitute.) Scenes were even filmed in the classroom. Get a grip, people. It’s not like they found a […]

Wasted opportunity?

Arthur Greenwald of TVnewsday says that many ABC affiliates are passing up a chance to promote Dancing With the Stars locally. He compares the promo efforts of ABC-owned KABC-TV in Los Angeles, Tribune’s WGNO-TV in New Orleans, and Hearst-Argyle’s WTAE in Pittsburgh (which won in his book for its promo efforts over the Tribune station and the network O&O website.)

Ugly Betty in trouble?

The bloom may already be off the rose for Ugly Betty, which slipped in the household ratings and among adults 18-49 last night against Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? on Fox. But perhaps the real question we should be asking is, how will this affect My Name Is Earl and The Office, two well-received shows that’s popular in […]

You’re kidding. Right?

There is a sitcom in development at ABC that is based on – get this – The Geico Caveman.The copywriter behind those ads would also create and write the sitcom. Alright, which TV executive stepped into a time machine and went back to 1967 to get this inane idea? Next thing you know, The CW will develop a sitcom around […]

It’s official: Grey’s Anatomy has jumped the shark

After the stunt in which Grey apparently drowned while rescuing people from a ferry boat accident, she “survived” on Thursday Night’s episode. Wow! It’s a miracle! It’s amazing! It’s a bunch of crock. Thursday’s episode was about as predictable as Mayor Daley winning next Tuesday’s election. We all knew they weren’t going to kill off the lead character of a […]

ABC in trouble?

While nobody would notice here in Chicago since everybody (except when American Idol is on) watches ABC 24/7, TV Week is reporting that ABC’s ratings nationally have dropped from first to third in thirty-five days. The network is now tied with NBC in the money demo (adults 18-49). While ABC’s core shows are still strong (though Grey’s Anatomy and Ugly […]

Touchtone Television becomes ABC Television Studio

In a move that will also likely mean the end of the Touchtone and Buena Vista names (as far as television is concerned,) The Walt Disney Co. has renamed its network TV unit ABC Television Studio and its Buena Vista Games video game unit to Disney Interactive Studios. This comes as Disney wants to streamline its media properties to fall […]