The bubble busts for borderline shows 

Pickups, renewals take place before upfront week. As has been the case the last few years, the major networks are clearing the deadwood and making last-minute renewals on many shows the week before upfront presentations take place in New York. From the looks of things, Fox is likely to overhaul its lineup: five shows so far have gotten the ax: Rosewood, […]

TCA: Fox comes out swinging

The Fox presentation during TCA was quite feisty as Entertainment President Kevin Reilly touched on a number of subjects from the death of Glee’s Corey Montieth to audience measurement: – Reilly – like other network chiefs – was frustrated about how little respect broadcast network shows get compared to their cable counterparts. He pointed out The Mindy Project was the […]

Comic-Con is back for another round

It’s that time of year again as people in superhero costumes and stormtrooper suits invade San Diego. Yep, I’m talking about Comic-Con. For the 44th consecutive year, fanboys and fangirls descend on the home of the Padres, Chargers, and Aztecs to see their favorite comic book artists, video game developers, and TV stars – especially TV. As you should know […]

“Check, Please’s” new host finally checks in

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 […]

NBC unveils 2013-14 schedule

After a season which went through extremes (first place in November 2012 in adults 18-49 to fifth in February 2013), NBC is completely overhauling its primetime slate in 2013-14, with eight new dramas, five new comedies, and three “alternative” reality series. The new schedule was announced Sunday afternoon, a day before NBC’s upfront presentation. Only eight series from this past season […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: A Boatload of Renewals

– Good Friday was a month ago, but it was really a Good Friday for several bubble shows on network schedules as eight shows were officially picked up for next season: NBC’s Parenthood, Chicago Fire, Revolution, Grimm, and Law & Order: SVU; CW’s Hart Of Dixie and Beauty And The Beast; and CBS’ Two And A Half Men, though without […]

TCA: NBCUniversal unveils many big projects

The Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour kicked off last week from Pasadena, Calif. and up first among the Big Media companies were the networks of Comcast/NBCUniversal, which includes Bravo, E!, and NBC itself. This portion covers two days (Friday and Saturday), and what’s listed here is not listed chronologically, but by order of network: NBC – The fourth-place network’s […]