Longtime cultural icon passes just two and a half weeks before she turned 100 In a week filled with devasting deaths, here’s another one: Betty White – a beloved television icon and wonderful all-around person, died Friday, December 31 at the age of 99 – just two and a half weeks before she was to turn 100 on January 17. […]
Man of the People latest to strike out as viewers head to streaming services on weekends (Editor’s Note: This post has been updated to reflect recent changes in programming schedules.) Funny thing as this person was watching the final Man Of The People Monday night via DVR as in the next-to-last segment, Bill Kurtis said “Tonight we look back at […]
Tim Allen? Vicki Lawrence? The once edgy Fox brand is history as the network retools to attract older audiences Fox announced its 2018-19 schedule and it is a radical departure from what it was in years past. In the 1990s, Fox was synonymous with “hip, edgy programming” with The Simpsons, Beverly Hills 90210, In Living Color, and Melrose Place dominating […]
As the major networks go all in on rebooting familiar television shows – even using the same stars, they risk becoming irrelevant Over the last few weeks, you’d think network television executives were taking cues from those who run Chicago radio: over the last few years, we were treated to “reboots” of Jonathon Brandmeier, Mancow, Steve Dahl, Bob Sirott (and […]
CBS unveiled its 2014-15 primetime schedule at an upfront presentation in New York Wednesday and introduced eight new series to the world. Among the announcements made at the conference call was the (not-so-surprising) end to Two And A Half Men in May 2015 after twelve seasons – the longest running live-action sitcom since My Three Sons, which also lasted twelve […]
For the first time in many years, syndication is going to have an original sitcom – or two. Entertainment Studios announced Monday it has finished casting its new sitcom Mr. Box Office, one of two first-run sitcoms its planning to launch in syndication this fall. And the talent appearing in these shows are not no-name actors – no, these are […]
The National Association of Television Programming Executive – or NATPE convention begins Monday in Miami and as always, there’s syndication news to report on. Here’s the latest: – CBS-owned WBBM-TV in Chicago and twelve other CBS markets have cleared TNT’s Leverage for weekend off-network syndication beginning next fall from Trifecta Entertainment, which acquires the syndication rights from executive producer Dean […]
I guess celebrity deaths come in threes. Just a week after Gary Coleman and Dennis Hopper passed away, now comes word on the death of Rue McClanahan, who died this morning after complications from a stroke. She was 76. McClanahan’s TV credits include Maude, Apple Pie (a two-episode ABC sitcom clunker from 1978), and Mama’s Family, but McClanahan is best […]
The best and the worst in media for the week ending May 9: Winners: – Perfect. The City of Oakland and the word “perfect” often goes together as Playboy models and science-fiction conventions. But the city gets to celebrate for one day as Dallas Breaden pitched a perfect game Sunday for the hometown Athletics against the Tampa Bay Rays. Now […]
(Note: This is a refurbished and retooled version of a post yours truly wrote on July 1, 2009 – updated to include more recent information, including today’s announcement of “The Game” returning to television. Yes, I’m now recycling posts!) BET announced today at its upfront presentation to advertisers in New York that canceled CW comedy The Game will make a […]
Disney/ABC’s weekly action-adventure hour Legend of the Seeker is going to have an adventure of its own – trying to find new outlets after a major station group carrying the show declined to renew it. In a memo obtained by TV By The Numbers, Tribune Broadcasting said it would not renew the sci-fi/fantasy action hour after two seasons. Tribune is […]
Could canceled CW comedy The Game make a return? According to TV Guide, CBS Television Studios (formerly CBS Paramount Television) and Black Entertainment Television (BET) are negotiating a lower license fee so CBS can produce the series for cable. If negotiations are successful, The Game would become the first former live-action network sitcom to be revived on basic cable since […]
Here’s another award The Jerry Springer Show can proudly put on its trophy case: People in a Chicago Tribune poll voted the rabid show the worst show on TV with 19.8 percent of the vote. Gee, what a surprise! A few years ago if you recall, Jerry Springer was voted The worst show in history by TV Guide – and […]
With the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Finals, two events that also tanked in the ratings, at least you had teams compete for a championship. But the Chicago White Sox aren’t even close to doing that this year – and games on Comcast SportsNet are averaging a 1.6 Nielsen rating – down 40 percent from last year (last item). It’s […]
It looks like Kansas City viewers aren’t the only ones who prefer repeats of the Vicki Lawrence sitcom over whatever is on that new network created by Fox — My something, or whatever it is. Mediaweek’s Marc Berman is watching them too, and why not? He prefers it and Growing Pains to most of the swill that passes off as […]
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