Tag Archives: ABC

ABC takes back ‘No Ordinary Family’ episodes, cancellation in our midst?

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Well this is a real bummer. ABC’s take on the superhero genre isn’t fairing well in the ratings and for that reason they’ve decided to cut two episodes from its previously increased 22-episode order. In October the alphabet network granted No Ordinary Family the safety cushion that is known as the back nine, increasing its episode count from 13 to 22. It’s all about the ratings game in TV land, and unfortunately Family is not winning. The so-so pilot attracted about 10.7 million viewers in late September, and that number has significantly dropped since. The latest episode “No Ordinary Love” which aired this past Tuesday garnered a measly 4.77 million viewers, despite hotties Tricia Helfer and Lucy Lawless making special guest appearances. The next two weeks ABC will air repeats of the show, and then it is set to return March 23 and will air its last three episodes of the season (the season finale falls on April 5).

Why I am telling you all of this? Because if happen to be a fan of this show like me (rocky start but recent surge in intriguing mythology), I thought it’d only be proper to prepare you for the inevitable. I hate to say it but ABC’s lowest-rated scripted program is likely to get the axe come this spring.

[Via TVSeriesFinale]

‘No Ordinary Family’ to feature a Jim Powell tune

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If you’ve been following ABC’s new superhero show No Ordinary Family, you would know that Jim Powell is a fictional character played by the show’s male lead and executive producer Michael Chiklis. The actor best known for his role as Vic Mackey in FX’s The Shield will soon contribute to his new show in a way you would likely never expect. According to EW, the March 1 episode titled “No Ordinary Love” will feature a song recorded by Chiklis and his band. “Till I Come Home” is described as a sentimental tune that will during a “tender moment” between Chiklis’ TV daughter Daphne Powell (Kay Panabaker) and her boyfriend Chris. Interestingly the song was originally produced by Chiklis to pay tribute to U.S. troops and his cousin’s service. “I’ve been a musician my whole life,” he told EW. “I’m really enjoying making music again and this is a real band! Also, this was written and recorded in my house! This is not a product of the machine … it’s just heartfelt, homegrown music. More to come too.”

If you’re not watching No Ordinary Family, you should be. After a rocky start, the characters have settled into their roles and the bubbling plot is overflowing with strong mythos-driven intricacies. Though the initial 13-episode order was extended due to decent ratings early on, a season 2 renewal is far from a sure thing. Check it out, and tell your friends about it. It would be too sad to see a show of this (sci-fi) caliber to fall by the wayside.

Update: The song’s landed on iTunes.

[Via EW]

TV Reminder: Jeopardy champs face off against Watson supercomputer this week! [Update: results]

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Here’s a healthy reminder that Jeopardy champs Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter will face off against each other and the supercomputer known endearingly as Watson this week. The man vs. machine 3-night competition begins tonight and will run through Wednesday the 16th. Jeopardy airs at 7PM ET on ABC. Fill your brain with knowledge about Watson’s abilities before tuning in tonight, then let Judgment Day the games begin!

Update: No surprise here; Watson dominated and destroyed the species that created it. After the three-day, two game competition the scores tallied like this:  Rutter scored $21,600; Jennings $24,000; and Watson a whopping $77,147. In the end, these amounts were wiped away and replaced by fixed scores of $200,000, $300,000, and $1 million, respectively. The two human contestants agreed to share half their winnings with their charity of choice. All of Watson’s earnings will find their way to a charity selected by IBM called Skynet World Vision and World Community Grid.

With Watson on board, Jeopardy received its biggest jump in ratings since May 2005’s Ultimate Tournament of Champions (which featured Jennings and Rutter). It’s being reported that Monday night’s show posted an 8.8 rating and that spiked 9% on Tuesday to a 9.6 rating. All in all, Watson proved that machines are certainly getting smarter and more sophisticated. But at least we don’t have to expect world domination just yet; it thought Toronto was a U.S. city! Side note: How cool was it to watch Watson’s avatar “sweat” during the heated competition? When it was confident about a response green swirls swooped to the top of the display, and when it was unsure about one (or–gasp!–answered incorrectly) the swirls would change to a yellow hue and sink to the bottom. Watching the computer “think” was fun to watch.

Regis Philbin to leave ‘Live with Regis and Kelly’ after 28 years of hosting

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Today Regis Philbin announced on his daytime talk show Live! with Regis and Kelly that he will be stepping away from the show later this year.  “I don’t want to alarm anybody … but this will be my last year on the show,” he said. “There is a time that everything must come to an end for certain people on camera, especially certain old people … It’s been a long time — 28 years since I’ve been here — and it was the biggest thrill of my life.”  Regis started his daytime run in 1983 back when Live! was called The Morning Show.  Cindy Garvey was his co-host until 1985 when Kathie Lee Gifford stepped into the position. Three years later ABC syndicated Live with Regis & Kathie Lee.  Then soap opera actress Kelly Ripa replaced Gifford in 2001.  One heart bypass and hip replacement later, a lively and spirited Regis made the big decision.  Luckily he assures us that he’s “not retiring. I am just moving on.”  At age 78, there’s nothing stopping Regis from participating in bigger and better things…I mean c’mon!

The network confirms that Live! will remain on the air after Regis leaves.  So the question remains, who will fill his role?  My guess: Ripa’s husband Mark Consuelos, who has co-hosted before.

[Via Deadline; TVLine]

ABC grants early renewals to six series

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At this week’s Television Critics Association press tour ABC officially renewed six series and they include comedies Modern Family, The Middle, and Cougar Town, drama Grey’s Anatomy and crime dramedy Castle.  Sunday nighters Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters are noticeably absent from the early renewal lineup; the former is expected to be picked up later this spring while the latter remains on the bubble.

New ABC president Paul Lee shared his thoughts on the network’s current lineup.  On Cougar Town: The comedy “has found its voice.”  On Detroit 1-8-7 (which has yet to be picked up for a second season): It’s “a gritty, brilliantly written show which we’re very proud of”, a “very, very high-quality show” that “gets better.”  On freshman comedy Better with You: It’s “a really funny show.”  On V: The network is “very pleased” with the season 2 premiere ratings.  “We made sure it was ten episodes so we could quality control those episodes.  And we also brought a whole load of new ideas into it, so we’ve tried to really amp up the level of adrenaline in that show.”

And lastly, Lee talked about how he hopes to pave a successful future for ABC by granting showrunners additional freedom: “My real ambition is to make ABC Studios and ABC a real showrunner culture. From my perspective, the ability to allow showrunners to take risks, and for us to give them the air support that they can do that, is one of the most important parts of my job… So from my perspective, that combination between a potent brand and empowered showrunners can really give us a chance to succeed going forward into the future.”

We can expect to receive renewal/cancellation news about the freshman slate of ABC programming, including No Ordinary Family, within the next two to three months, according to Lee.

[Via Deadline]

‘V’ returns tonight at 9PM on ABC [Update: Visitor skin revealed]

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“Red Rain” is about to fall out of the “Red Sky”.  Anna’s vengeful act at the end of season one will be addressed head on during tonight’s one hour season premiere of V.  We’ll also be introduced to Anna’s mother Dianna who is played by Jane Badler, the original V baddie from the 1980s miniseries.

In an interview with EW star Elizabeth Mitchell promises that the season two 10 episode arc will be grander than the first season.  “If you were frustrated by the last season, which you probably were — I was, a little bit — I think that this will be far more satisfying,” says Mitchell. There is far more action and there is far more of what you want in an alien-invasion story, where the aliens are out to use us as food and take our technology and do everything bad you can think about. There’s more of that wonderful thing of “Us-Against-Them” stuff, which is always so satisfying in a fictional sense. And also, there’s some good sexy stuff!”

“I think the last three episodes [of season 1] were a good indicator of where this season is headed,” Mitchell continues. “Instead of people sitting around talking people were actually accomplishing things. I wanted to be an action hero, not an exposition hero! I spent all that time training, learning to kick ass, and then all I did was talk. I was like, “I’m so bored! I wanna hit people and kiss boys!” The first one comes in quickly, and it’s eerie, what happens and the way they go about it. It starts just like a movie, which is the way that you want it to. The effects in it are just gruesomely good.”

Less talk, more action.  I like it.

THEY RETURN tonight at 9PM ET on ABC.  Peer into the galleries below to view stills from the episode and character profiles.


Update: If you watched the fantastic season premiere (spoiler alert), then you know that the producers finally decided to reveal more of what’s hiding underneath the V’s human skin.  First we saw Anna take her long, scaly tail out of hiding and kill a disloyal V ship captain, and then we caught a glimpse at Ryan’s alien/human hybrid baby.  USA Today managed to get their hands on an image coming directly from executive producer Scott Rosenbaum that shows what the Vs look like if you found them on their home planet stripped of their human skin.  If you think that V skeleton featured in the episode was revealing, you haven’t seen nothing yet.  Note: USA Today reports that the V’s physical appearance will be revealed piecemeal over the 10-episode second season, and the full alien body will show up in the season finale.  If you don’t want to spoil the surprise, don’t look after the break. Otherwise, click here: Continue reading ‘V’ returns tonight at 9PM on ABC [Update: Visitor skin revealed] →

2011 Midseason TV Preview

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Doesn’t it feel like you were just reading my 2010 Fall TV Preview back in mid-September?  You know what they say–time flies…when you’re watching so much TV.  I’m going to run through the new network shows that I’m most anticipating and I’ll let you know which returning shows you should be watching.  In addition, I will comment on the new shows that debuted this fall and let you know when they return from holiday hiatus, as well as say goodbye to the ones that prematurely got axed.  Cable TV gets some love down there, too.  Feel like skipping past my opinions and want to see the midseason schedules for the big four networks?  They’re right here: CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC.

CBS: The most watched network is introducing two new dramas with Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior and Chaos, a comedy in Mad Love, and marking the the return of Paula Abdul with her reality series Live to Dance.  If you’re a fan of Criminal Minds, you’ll likely want to tune into the new spinoff series starring Forest Whitaker.  Chaos is being described as a “comedic drama about a group of rogue CIA spies” and it stars Eric Close (NCIS), James Murray (UK’s Primeval), and Kurtwood Smith (That 70s Show).  Sounds like a typical CBS procedural to me.  Mad Love is hoping to break out in CBS’ Monday night comedy lineup; it stars American Pie‘s Jason Biggs, Judy Greer (Arrested Development), and Sarah Chalke (Scrubs).  Do you find yourself obsessing over reality shows like So You Think You Can Dance? Abdul’s Live to Dance will be right up your alley.

This fall saw the premiere of a handful of new CBS series, but the one I was most looking forward to was Hawaii Five-O.  The explosive and highly entertaining pilot led into many other exciting episodes.  It did not take very long for me to realize that a CBS procedural had become my favorite new network series.  Alex O’Loughlin does a fine job at playing Steve McGarrett, but it’s Scott Caan’s Danno (who recently received the Best Supporting Actor nomination) who steals the show with quick wit and perfect compatibility with his partner O’Loughlin.  With Victor Hesse pulling strings behind bars and the introduction of the infamous TV villain Wo Fat at the end of the latest episode, there’s much to look forward to when Hawaii Five-O returns with all new episodes Monday, January 3 at 10PM.

NBC: This network is still trying to find its feet after last year’s Jay Leno Show fiasco.  Midseason premieres include David E. Kelly’s Harry’s Law (starring Kathy Bates), America’s Next Great Restaurant, Perfect Couples, and The Cape.  I am most looking forward to the latter two programs.  NBC actually ran a preview episode of the comedy Perfect Couples last week and unfortunately it didn’t fare so well with me.  The jokes it tried to make were rather bland and the interesting assortment of characters did not share much in common.  If you can think back to the fantastic Modern Family pilot, that is what I was sort of expecting here; three distinctly unique couples with a common thread tying them together in a way that makes you care about their relationship to one another.  This was, however, a preview and I’m hoping that the actual pilot contains a spark to keep in interested in these characters and their lives; also, let’s hope the jokes get funnier.  Perfect Couples premieres January 20 at 8:30PM.

Next up is The Cape.  If you watch TV you’ve likely seen many commercials promoting the superhero drama.  David Lyons (ER) stars as Vince Faraday, a cop who is framed for a series of murders and sets out to become “The Cape”, a comic book superhero, and he “takes the law into his own hands.”  The most recent preview I saw on TV revealed a wide range of villains Faraday will be fighting against; James Frain is Peter Fleming, The Cape’s nemesis.  And don’t forget about Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) who stars as Orwell, an investigative blogger and The Cape’s ally.  It looks like a spooky action-packed drama that should take the place of the ill-fated Heroes and the sub-par new series The Event while it’s on hiatus.  The Cape‘s two-hour premiere airs Sunday, January 9 at 9PM; it’s regular time slot is Mondays at 9PM.

Parks and Recreation finally returns January 20 at 9PM.  After an admittedly lackluster first season, Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) and the entire Pawnee Gang picked up the slack and contributed toward a stellar second season.  No sophomore slump here!  Every single character is flawed in one way or another, but they also each have rewarding qualities that make you want to cheer them on.  Knope, for example, may come off as a dimwitted, idiotic political figure, but at her core she cares about her friends at the Parks Department and she’s willing to fight against all injustices within the town of Pawnee.  With the departure of fan favorite Mark Brendanawicz (Paul Schneider), season three will more prominently feature Rob Lowe and Adam Scott, two characters with much potential who were introduced late last season.  The fourth episode is titled “Ron and Tammy II”, and if it plays out anything like its season 2 counterpart (stellar performances by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally) I have full faith Park and Rec will continue to shine for years to come.

I had high hopes for The Event, but it’s quickly becoming the next FlashForward.  (In fact, I enjoyed ABC’s sci-fi drama a whole lot more.)  The network hyped The Event to be the next big hit, but in doing so it attached it to two other high profile series and the comparison made was ill-advised.  A commercial boasted, “If 24 and Lost had a baby, it would be The Event.”  The Event certainly tried to become the next Lost, with intermittent flashbacks for storytelling purposes but it failed to do it right.  After the first few episodes it started to feel like the show was trying to mimic Lost instead of branch off in a new direction.  With that said, I am happy to report that the show has learned from its early mistakes and is attempting to make good on them with intriguing character stories and mythos-packed action sequences.  The seemingly random flashbacks have been scrapped and replaced by detailed and emotional stories that shed light on the prominent characters; the Simon Lee and Blake Sterling stories proved to be the series best episodes thus far.  And speaking of mythos–as much as I am interested in Sophia’s plan for her people, one can only watch a show called The Event for so long without having an inkling as to what the event is.  Also, Sean and Leila have been on the run for way too long; here’s to hoping that the producers give them something more to do when The Event returns from an extended hiatus on March 7 at 9PM.  I admit I am hooked to the series, but only by a few weak threads. Continue reading 2011 Midseason TV Preview →

ABC announces midseason schedule

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ABC is moving forward into the midseason landscape with only minor additions and scheduling changes compared to competitors FOX and NBC.  But in a similar fashion to the latter network, ABC is going to expand their Wednesday night comedy lineup past the usual 10PM mark and run it all the way to the 11PM news.  On February 9 Cougar Town goes on hiatus and freshman comedy Mr. Sunshine, starring Matthew Perry and Allison Janney, will take its place in the 9:30PM slot.  New one-hour medical drama Off the Map will follow at 10PM.  This will remain in effect through April 6.  Beginning April 13 Cougar Town returns to its regular 9:30PM spot and Off the Map will be replaced by Happy Endings starring Elisha Cuthbert (24) and Zach Knighton (FlashForward).  Since this will run as a standard half-hour comedy, ABC will run Modern Family “fan favorite” episodes in the 10:30PM slot.

In other scheduling news, reality show Secret Millionaire will occupy Extreme Makeover: Home Edition‘s Sunday 8PM position starting March 6, new medical drama Body of Proof starring Dana Delany and Jeri Ryan premieres Tuesday March 29 at 10PM and V returns Tuesday January 4 at 9PM.  Look after the break to see the new ABC Wednesday comedy block.  And click here to read synopses and watch previews of all the new series.

[Via EW; Deadline] Continue reading ABC announces midseason schedule →

Carlton Cuse’s next project is ABC civil war drama ‘Point of Honor’

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With fellow Lost collaborators J.J. Abrams (Odd Jobs, Alcatraz, M:I3) and Damon Lindelof (Cowboys & Aliens) having found work post-Island duty, it was only a matter of time before Lost co-showrunner Carton Cuse spilled plans about his next exciting project.  In a simple tweet today Cuse pointed his followers to a Variety news article that details his upcoming ABC series Point of Honor.  According to Variety, ABC is “eyeing it as a major event series”, so this is definitely something to get pumped about.  Cuse has teamed up with Randall Wallace (Secretariat) to write and executive produce this Civil War-based drama.  “The two are keeping mum on details other than to say it will be a story focusing more on fictional characters than on historical figures,” says Variety.  Cuse confirms it will be a serialized show with a clear-cut “beginning, middle and end.”  Cuse describes it as “very different from anything on TV right now.”  Both Cuse and Wallace share a deep interest in Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War era; Cuse admits that he and Wallace “just clicked” during early meetings about conceptualizing the show.  Time will tell if this new partnership can live up to the Cuse/Lindelof success story that came out of Lost.  With Cuse’s knack for smart, engaging storytelling and Wallace’s past experience working on Braveheart (there he proved he could use “historical events and connect them to fictional characters”, Cuse points out), I have little doubt Point of Honor will impress when it airs at an undisclosed time on ABC.  Cuse and Wallace are currently writing the script.

While we’re here talking about Carlton Cuse, do yourself a nice favor and read this fantastic interview that takes you on a journey through his interesting and fascinating career thus far.  It’s a great read!

[Via @carltoncuse; Variety]

ABC picks up Lost writers’ ‘Once Upon a Time’ tale

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Rumor had it that former Lost writers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis were shopping around their next TV project to former Lost home ABC.  That proved to be true.  According to Variety, ABC has picked up their “top secret fairy-tale-themed drama series” and now it has a title: Once Upon a Time.  How fitting.  Technically speaking, ABC is only picked up a pilot episode; but with Team Horowitz/Kitsis and Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof signed on as show consultant, I have little doubt the pilot pickup will manifest itself into a 13-episode (or potentially full season) order.  Now it’s time to see who they choose as the female lead…

[Via Variety]

ABC picks up ‘No Ordinary Family’ & ‘Better With You’

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Another network drama and comedy can breathe a sigh of relief.  ABC has decided to grant full season orders to No Ordinary Family and Better With You.  Michael Chiklis, Julie Benz, and the rest of the Powell gang  average 9.5 million viewers per week and Better gets 7.3 million viewers.  The latter show remains the lowest rated comedy in ABC’s comedy Wednesday block (no surprise there with powerhouse Modern Family plus The Middle and Cougar Town drawing in larger audiences).  ABC has picked up five additional scripts for the cop drama Detroit 1-8-7 and four for returning drama Brothers & Sisters (rounding out the episode total to 22).  No word on the fate of The Whole Truth, starring Rob Morrow and Maura Tierney; the freshman legal drama is receiving a dismal average of 5.3 million viewers per week.  Truth will likely join ABC’s ill-fated My Generation in the cancellation bucket.

Update: Well that was quick.  Shortly after announcing the back nine for Ordinary and Better, ABC axed The Whole Truth.  A producer shared the somber news via Twitter and reports that they will only produce 13 episodes and then close up shop.

[Via EW, here & here; THR]

Network TV says HALT! to Google TV

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Didcha get yourself a new Sony Internet TV or Blu-ray player or are you thinking about impulse buying the Logitech Revue powered by Google TV?  If you’re contemplating such a purchase did you think you’d have the ability to watch network TV content off their respective websites using the built-in Chrome browser?  Well you thought wrong, unfortunately.  Today the Wall Street Journal confirms that CBS, NBC, and ABC have blocked TV programming on their websites from being accessed on the Google TV platform.  NBC and ABC are allowing select promotional content to be viewed, but if you attempt to stream a full episode of The Office you will fail miserably.  And to top all this off, Hulu is blocked too; and not because it’s Flash-based–Chrome runs Flash content just fine–it’s the networks’ fault.  So what’s Google going to do about this?  In a word, nothing.  In more words: “Google TV enables access to all the Web content you already get today on your phone and PC, but it is ultimately the content owners’ choice to restrict their fans from accessing their content on the platform,” said a Google spokeswoman.  News Corp., for the time being, has not opted to block FOX content.

Why is this happening, you ask?  Well in the end it all comes down to making money.  And networks know TV ads bring in a whole lot more cashola than Internet-based ads.  Right now we’re stuck in this weird transition state where TV has snuck into bed with the Internet and just doesn’t know what to do next.  Here’s to hoping that something is figured out real soon.  Because I want my on-demand teevee streaming content this very second.  Boxee, good luck.

[Via WSJ]