Marvel Television’s Comic-Con and TCA presentations for anticipated series fall way short of expectations In the words of Kramer from Seinfeld… “You blew it, boy!” That’s the message Jeph Loeb received recently during the Television Critics Association press tour, as Marvel’s The Inhumans – ABC’s eight-part series – was critically panned with a ridiculously unprepared presentation and unfinished footage, actually rivaling […]
Ratings don’t seem to matter much as ad buyers remained committed to primetime TV This season, the television business has had its share of negative headlines: notably declining ratings for many shows, especially in the key 18-49 demo. But this isn’t deterring buyers from investing their advertising in primetime TV. And nowhere more this was evident than last week as […]
It looks like another TV series has fallen victim to the Friday Night Death Slot. The Amazing Race – winner of ten Emmy Awards over its long run, moved to Fridays to make room for CBS’ new drama Madam Secretary. And as a result, ratings have plunged accordingly. Race averaged a 1.1 rating in the adults 18-49 demo Friday night – […]
While Friday night television has become a former shell of itself, it still has some decent programming options – though it still have the stigma of the “Death Slot” (Hello, Hawaii Five-O!) All ratings numbers are those for adults 18-49, unless noted otherwise. The premiere of Fox’s Junior Masterchief won its time slot with a 1.6 rating, beating CBS’ Undercover […]
The last time I’ve seen this much hype for a Friday night television show was during the days J.R. Ewing strutting around Dallas in his cowboy hat and Crockett and Tubbs fighting crime in their flashy clothes on South Beach. But give WTTW – yes, that WTTW – credit for making this work to their advantage. After a months-long search […]
In a rather sly move, NBC released its 2011-12 schedule to the press on Sunday, a day before their upfront presentation in New York City to advertisers. So without further ado, here it is (all times are Central). New shows are in CAPS: MONDAY 7-9 p.m. The Sing-Off 9:00 p.m. THE PLAYBOY CLUB TUESDAY 7-9 p.m. The Biggest Loser 9:00 […]
Remember two weeks ago when yours truly made up a “tweets” page for Ugly Betty as a response to her “blog”? Here’s the newest tweet from Ms. Suarez: – Mode closing. Sad. Readership fell off; ad pages dropped. Out of work like a lot of Americans. :-( Yes, even fictional Mode magazine isn’t immune from the problems plaguing the media […]
ABC is bringing eleven new shows to prime-time for the 2009-10 season, with four comedies, six dramas, and one new reality show (Shark Tank), the network announced today at its upfront presentation. The big news here is new sci-fi drama Flash Forward gets the Thursday lead-off position at 7 p.m. Central, replacing Ugly Betty, which moves to Fridays at 8 […]
MAD TV got the ax today (see post below); now NBC cancels Lipstick Jungle and My Own Worst Enemy. Ratings troubles are to blame for the demise of both dramas, with Jungle recently being relocated to the Friday Night Death Slot.
As you’ve heard by now, Chicago comedian Bernie Mac passed away early Saturday Morning at Northwestern Memorial Hospital due to complications of pneumonia. He was 50. He has had some health problems over the years, including a bout with sarcoidosis, which went into remission in 2005. Born Bernard Jeffrey McCullough on Oct 5, 1957, Bernie Mac broke into comedy in […]
In the Chicago area, a lot of people wonder how the mayor, the governor, and the Cook County Board President keep their jobs. In television circles, people pretty much feel the same way about CW network chief Dawn Ostroff. Ostroff recently held an executive Q&A with reporters during the network’s portion of the TCA Press Tour. And in the true […]
The CW has pulled the plug on WWE Smackdown after nine seasons, after failing to come to an agreement on renewal. The program’s final CW airing is scheduled for September 12. The program began on April 29, 1999 as a one-shot special on UPN, and joined that network’s lineup on August 26, 1999. Smackdown originally aired on Thursday nights, but […]
Is NBC getting ready to dump original programming on Fridays? NBC entertainment co-chairman Marc Graboff says in an interview with Fortune that declining ratings and increasing costs may force the network to dump original programming on Fridays, where HUT levels on that night have been declining for years. Friday nights are the second-least watched of the week, behind Saturday, which […]