Tag Archives: NBC

New featured player Kate McKinnon joins ‘SNL’ next week

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Well that was fast. In under two months Saturday Night Live honcho Lorne Michaels has found a replacement feature player for NBC’s late night sketch comedy show. One Kate McKinnon will be filling the void that Paul Britten left vacant when he rather abruptly left the show in early February. An active member at New York City’s Upright Citizens Brigade theatre since 2008, McKinnon for her time spent playing Fitzwilliam, a young British boy who wishes to be a girl on the LOGO program The Big Gay Sketch Show. She also has experience voicing animated characters on shows like Venture Brothers and Robotomy on Cartoon Network and Ugly Americans on Comedy Central. Interestingly, McKinnon will become SNL‘s first openly gay cast member since Terry Sweeney in 1985. The plan is for McKinnon to make her debut next weekend when Modern Family‘s Sofia Vergara has hosting duties on April 7.

[Via Deadline; UCB]

NBC renews ‘Smash’ for a second season

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Unlike CBS, NBC is taking their time when it comes to announcing their program renewals. On Thursday March 22 the peacock network granted the Broadway musical drama Smash a deserved second season. Though the scale seemed to tip the other way during its run thus far (with so-so ratings and high production value meaning it’s likely expensive to produce), NBC ultimately decided to keep the flashy drama on its radar at least for another year. Though the show’s ratings are not extraordinary (it averages  7.7 million total viewers and a 2.6 demo rating in adults 18-49), Smash does rank as the network’s highest rated drama this season in those aforementioned categories. Season 2 will consist of 15 episodes (that’s up from this season’s 13) and Smash‘s creator/showrunner/executive producer Theresa Rebeck will be returning in a lesser capacity. Deadline reports that she will keep her executive producer title and might write a few episodes, but she will no longer be involved in the oversight of everything else. It still hasn’t been determined who will step in to take over the reigns from Rebeck. Before the news of renewal, Rebeck shared with the press that Smash season 1 would “take Marilyn to an out-of-town tryout, her first really public presentation,” and that a potential (and now set in stone) season 2 would tackle the question “how does Marilyn fare in New York?”

Also renewed at NBC? The Friday night sci-fier Grimm.

[Via Deadline 1, 2; TVLine]

TV reminder: ‘Community’ returns tonight to NBC! [Update: solid ratings]

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Human Beings, rejoice! After an extended and dreadful three month hiatus, Community is back.

The 2+ minute trailer embedded above shouts “One community will rise again and everything we know will Chang.” It also previews what’s in store for the second half of the cult comedy’s third season: so much funny.

Hailed as “the entertainment event of the year” by the deep-voiced trailer narrator, Community makes it big comeback tonight (3/15) at 8PM on NBC. For the sake of all that is good in this world, do tune in, tell your friends, and make an effort to support a season renewal of this smart and refreshingly unique sitcom.

Update: The Community comeback episode was up a solid 47% in the ratings from its last original airing on December 7 in the all-important 18-49 demo (2.2/7); that’s a season high. 4.9 million total viewers were accounted for, and that’s up 36% from the last episode. A couple of accolades have been awarded to last night’s airing: it’s been crowned the #1 program in adults 18-34 and men 18-34 during its 8-8:30PM timeslot among the other big networks, beating out FOX’s juggernaut American Idol. Keep in mind, however, that all this went down when CBS aired March Madness in place of their own ratings monster The Big Bang Theory. Still, if Community stabilizes around these numbers and doesn’t drop too far from here a season renewal might be in the comedy’s future.

TV reminder: ‘Awake’ premieres tonight at 10PM on NBC

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From creator Kyle Killen (Lone Star) and executive producer Howard Gordon (24) comes an inventive new series starring Jason Issacs (Lucius Malfoy from the Harry Potter films) as Michael Britten, a detective who lives a double life in two separate realities. In tonight’s pilot episode, Britten will survive a tragic car accident while his wife played by Laura Allen (Terriers) and son Dylan Minnette (Lost) will go on to distinctly define the alternate realities Britten experiences after the crash.

If this sounds confusing to you, after you watch the pilot things should become clearer. Recently at the Winter TCAs Gordon casually explained the concept: “[Britten]’s a guy who goes to sleep, wakes up, he’s with his wife, goes to sleep, wakes up, and he’s with his son. And he’s a cop who sees clues and details that crossover from one world to the next, and he uses that insight to solve crimes.” There you go. In each reality Britten has a different partner–Steve Harris (The Practice) in one and Wilmer Valderrama (That ’70s Show) in the other; and he also sits down with a therapist in each reality (Cherry Jones, 24 & BD Wong, Law & Order: SVU) to deal with the ramifications of his dual existence.

Killen has confirmed that the show will not be taking the easy way out and wrap up by saying “it was all a dream.” One (or potentially both, or neither?) of these realities is in fact real and over the course of the series the mystery behind that pivotal car crash will reveal itself.

I say take a chance and tune into the series premiere of Awake that airs tonight (3/1) at 10PM on NBC.

NBC announces ‘Community’ comeback: March 15 is the big day

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Long overdue, the Peacock finally blinked its eyes and realized it had a decision to make. Fellow Human Beings, listen up: Community will return to NBC’s Thursday night comedy lineup on March 15 at 8PM! The benched cult show from Dan Harmon ready to make its hotly anticipated comeback. The remaining twelve episodes from season three begin airing just three weeks from today! Now here’s what happens to the Thursday lineup with Community in the mix. It will return to its 8PM timeslot, bumping 30 Rock to 8:30PM, The Office to 9PM, and Up All Night to 9:30PM, taking Parks and Rec out of the equation for the time being. Parks will rest on the bench until April 19, the week after Up All Night ends its 24-episode first season run.

In addition to announcing the return of the wildly entertaining, ferociously smart and witty Community, NBC also let slip the premiere dates of three upcoming comedies Bent, Best Friends Forever and the unscripted program Betty White’s Off Their Rockers. Bent, starring Amanda Peet, David Walton, and Jeffrey Tambor, premieres Wednesday March 21 at 9PM. The network will air back-to-back episodes over the course of three weeks. When Whitney and Are You There, Chelsea wrap their seasons, BFF and Betty White’s reality series will start Wednesday April 4 and they will be paired at 8PM and 9PM, respectively.

NBC prez Bob Greenblatt on all this: “We are happy to have an unprecedented amount of original content on NBC this spring. Bent, Best Friends Forever and Betty White’s Off Their Rockers are welcome additions to the Wednesday schedule, and we know that the loyal fans of Community will be pleased with its return to its home on Thursdays at 8PM.”

[Via Deadline]

This week in NEW TV: ‘Smash’ & ‘The River’

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MONDAY

Smash — NBC — 10PM

I’m sure you’ve seen ads everyone for NBC’s upcoming musical drama Smash starring Katherine McPhee of American Idol fame. The question remains: is this show worth checking out? With a talented ensemble cast including Debra Messing (Will & Grace), Jack Davenport (FlashForward), Anjelica Huston, and Megan Hilty (of Broadway fame in 9 to 5: The Musical), exciting musical numbers, and a compelling plot that’s expected to captivate viewers quickly, Smash is definitely a new series you don’t want to miss out on giving a try. It’s easy to compare this show to FOX’s Glee since both of them include characters bursting out into song multiple times per episode, but you should know that it will be immediately apparent that the two don’t share all that much in common. For one this show tells a grander story of two aspiring artists vying for the lead role in a Broadway musical; Rachel Berry has time before she makes it that far. This story will encourage competition, backstabbing, and everything else that comes with a dramatic rise to stardom. From the commercials you should have an idea that Smash will try its best to weave a character-driven story with an extraordinary cast consisting of real-life singers and talented veteran actors. That should be enough to get you started on the pilot and from there we’ll see where it takes us. My prediction? NBC has a Smash hit and home-run with this one.

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TUESDAY

The River — ABC — 9PM (two-hour premiere)

Lots and lots of hype is surrounding The River, ABC’s fright fest from the creator of Paranormal Activity Oren Peli. Is all of it justifiable? I scream with a resounding yes. As you know I was fortunate enough to screen the pilot at Comic Con and I must say this show is not for the faint hearted. This show is genuinely scary and the strong pilot will make you forcibly jump out of your seat, I can promise you that. The eight episode first season will play like a miniseries, taking you on an adventure through the Amazon River in search of wildlife expert and TV personality Dr. Emmett Cole (played wonderfully by Bruce Greenwood). The rescue team consists of Cole’s wife played by Leslie Hope (24) and son Joe Anderson (Across The Universe). Paul Blackthorne (24) leads a camera crew that documents all the craziness that goes down during the mission. Though The River will frighten you at the same time it will grip you and keep you engaged from the start. The Amazonian backdrop and the various plot devices utilized to their advantages (including shaky cam, docu-style taping and elements of supernatural surprise and edge-of-your-seat it’s too quiet…SCARES) will hook you in the first hour and it’ll be hard to drop this show from your weekly schedule. The mystery of Cole’s disappearance will keep you guessing at who in the ensemble cast may be part of a larger conspiracy. The stars have aligned leading up to the premiere of this show; the cast is great, the plot is intriguing, the pedigree is there with Peli and executive prouder Steven Spielberg. And if FX’s American Horror Story proved anything, it’s that US audiences are drawn to TV experiences like they’ve never witnessed before. I can say without hesitation that The River is excitedly different from anything produced for the small screen sitting in your room.

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[Images via IGN 1, 2]

NBC picks up J.J. Abrams’ next sci-fi drama ‘Revolution’, The CW takes ‘Shelter’

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NBC is allowing J.J. Abrams to stir a Revolution by greenlighting his new sci-fi drama from Warner Bros. TV and Bad Robot. Eric Kripke (Supernatural) will pen the script and together he and Abrams will tell a story described back in September as “an epic adventure thriller.” Since then, however, two new and fuller loglines have surfaced that help generate a grander buzz for the project:

A high octane action drama from J. J. Abrams following a group of characters struggling to survive and reunite with loved ones in a world where all forms of energy have mysteriously ceased to exist.

In this epic adventure thriller, a family struggles to reunite in a post-apocalyptic American landscape: a world of empty cities, local militias and heroic freedom fighters, where every single piece of technology — computers, planes, cars, phones, even lights — has mysteriously blacked out … forever.

Now it’s got your attention, yes? With a pilot pickup, it won’t be long until we get our first glimpse at some of the action. Expect an extended trailer to hit the ‘Net this summer when NBC officially unveils Revolution at the network’s Upfronts presentation.

And for the J.J. diehards, you should also be aware that the CW picked up another new project from the mastermind behind Lost and Fringe. He and One Tree Hill creator Mark Schwahn are developing Shelter, a drama “set at a historic New England summer resort where the new and returning staff attend to the practical, emotional and often comical needs of the guests while navigating friendships, rivalries and romances of their own.”

Update: Deadline reports that Jon Favreau (Iron Man) will direct the Revolution pilot.

[Via EW; Deadline]

SNL’s Paul Brittain exits the show midseason

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Just when Lorne Michaels was starting to utilize the underused featured player Paul Brittain the comedian decided to part ways with Saturday Night Live. EW scooped that he left the show “effective immediately” as of January 31. A source close to Brittain spilled to EW that “he had the opportunity to pursue other projects, and he and the show parted ways amicably.” And so when you tune into tonight’s new episode of SNL you won’t be surprised when the opening title sequence doesn’t look Brittain freely riding his bike in the Big Apple. But don’t mourn the loss of talent; instead celebrate Brittain’s contributions. After the break you’ll find hilarious installments of his original characters “Sex Ed” and Lord Wyndemere.

[Via EW] Continue reading SNL’s Paul Brittain exits the show midseason →

‘The Office’ spin-off starring Dwight Schrute in the works at NBC?

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Yes, a spin-off series to The Office is in development at NBC. According to Deadline, Office showrunner Paul Lieberstein (who also executive produces and plays Toby) and star Rainn Wilson are imagining a new show with Dwight Schrute at the center of it. The spin-off would take place at Dwight’s beet farm, which also serves as a bed & breakfast. “Paul and Rainn have been joking for years about Dwight’s life on the farm, his family and how ill-suited he is to run a B&B,” spills a source to Deadline. “A while ago, it started to feel like a show to them. NBC agreed, it’s been further developed to include multiple generations, many cousins and neighbors. At its base it will be about a family farm struggling to survive and a family trying to stay together.” If this all comes together, Lieberstein and Wilson will executive produce along with Office producers Ben Silverman and Howard Klein; Office creator Ricky Gervais and developer Greg Daniels will not be involved with the project.

Once NBC gives the green light, viewers will soon become aware of Dwight’s departure from the Dunder Mifflin Sabre office. Per Deadline an episode will air later this season set at Schrute Farms that will introduce the spin-off. Dwight will be featured in season nine (if The Office is renewed for another season, of course), and he will make his grand exit just in time for a 2013 midseason spin-off premiere. Wilson recently told critics that “We’re talking about a Dwight spinoff that could be really cool.” He added, “It would have a crazy menagerie of characters. It would be even more far out and weird than The Office.” Mose better be one of those characters.

The Office has been admittedly lackluster since Steve Carrel left the show last year. With a major character such as Dwight potentially leaving next year, does this spell the beginning of the end for the long-running series? Office fans, sound off in the comments below.

[Via Deadline; TVLine]

Fall 2011 network pickups & cancellations (UPDATED 1/15)

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This is an “evolving post.” This means that I will be coming back to it throughout the fall TV season and updating it accordingly when news breaks concerning the fate of new programming. Get it? Got it? Good.

*Bolded shows denote the latest updates

CBS

Pickups: 2 Broke Girls, Unforgettable, Person of Interest

Cancellations: How to Be a Gentleman

Other: A Gifted Man (received 3 additional scripts on 11/15, season will contain 16 episodes total)

NBC

Pickups: Up All Night (episode count increase to 24 on 11/21), Whitney, Grimm

Cancellations: The Playboy Club, Free Agents, Prime Suspect

Still waiting on:  (received additional 6 scripts on 10/12)

Sophomore status: Harry’s Law (received full season order on 11/15)

FOX

Pickups: New Girl, Terra Nova (before the season started FOX committed to do 13 episodes), The X Factor

Cancellations: Allen Gregory

Still waiting on: Napoleon Dynamite, Alcatraz

ABC

Pickups: Suburgatory, Revenge, Last Man Standing, Once Upon a Time

Cancellations: Charlie’s Angels, Work It

Still waiting on: Pan Am* (received 5 additional scripts on 11/3, 1 additional script on 11/29), Man Up! (pulled from schedule on 12/8, 8 of 13 episodes produced have aired)

*ABC released this statement: “Pan Am will wrap production on its first season in early January after completion of its 14th episode. A decision about about a second season will be made in May.”

*At the 2012 TCA winter press tour ABC said regarding Pan Am: “We have new and original shows right through February.”

Sophomore status: Happy Endings received full season order on 11/3, season will contain 22 episodes total; Body of Proof received full season order on 11/18, season will contain 20 episodes total

The CW

Pickups: Ringer, The Secret Circle, Hart Of Dixie

Cancellations: H8R

Paul Rudd sets his sights on Leslie Knope in upcoming ‘Parks and Rec’ guest spot

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Paul Rudd is headed to Pawnee, Indiana! So you know how Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope is running for city council? Well guess what? It’s been confirmed that the Knocked Up, Role Models, I Love You, Man star is going to play her opponent. Imagine that? It’s going to be hilarious on an epic scale. But isn’t Parks and Recreation already? Rudd will guest star in multiple episodes later this season (his first episode is set to air January 19) and Katherine Hahn (Free Agents) will be his adviser. Like Paul Rudd needs one! On second thought, maybe he does. Have you see Knope’s campaign banner? It’s after the break. Parks and Rec season 4 resumes this Thursday the 12th on NBC.

[Via Vulture; EW] Continue reading Paul Rudd sets his sights on Leslie Knope in upcoming ‘Parks and Rec’ guest spot →

This week in NEW TV: ‘The Firm’ & ‘House of Lies’

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Last year I posted my Midseason TV Preview. This time around I’m breaking that idea in pieces with a new kind of post called This week in NEW TV. Essentially they will serve as expanded versions of my usual TV Reminders. These posts will crop up through January and February as new TV shows premiere this winter. I will recommend new, buzz-worthy shows for you to watch. If you want a broader overview of all the new series airing on the big four networks, check out 2011-12 Upfronts coverage.

::SUNDAY::

The Firm — NBC — 9PM

NBC’s latest drama The Firm is based on the 1991 John Grisham novel of the same name. The show continues the story of attorney Mitchell McDeere and his family 10 years after the events of the book and film. (In 1993 Tom Cruise stared in an adaptation of the legal thriller.) On TV Josh Lucas (The Lincoln Lawyer) plays McDeere and it’s his intention to “homage Tom Cruise’s performance” from the movie rather than mimic it. The modern day McDeere will see that his past (as laid out in the movie) will come to haunt him. A brief summary: As a young associate, McDeere brought down the prestigious Memphis law firm of Bendini, Lambert & Locke, which operated as a front for the Chicago mob — and his life was never the same. After a difficult decade, which included a stay in the Federal Witness Protection program, Mitch and his family now emerge from isolation to reclaim their lives and their future — only to find that past dangers are still lurking and new threats are everywhere. It’s certainty not necessary for viewers to have seen the movie or read the book before watching the TV series, but those who are fans of the previous works should be anticipating this return to the trials and tribulations of Mitchell McDeere. Though I don’t exactly have the highest of hopes for it, I will be giving this legal drama a try. I do believe that next month’s Smash has a better chance at lifting the Peacock’s spirits out of the gutter. The 2-hour pilot airs tonight at 9PM and The Firm lands in its regular Thursday 10PM slot next week.

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House of Lies — Showtime — 10PM

Here is another show premiering that is based on a book: Martin Kihn’s House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Then Tell You the Time. Shortened for obvious reasons, House of Lies is a dirty sexy black comedy set in the world of corporate management consulting and it follows a team of cut-throat business people who are willing to go extremes to make deals happen. Movie star Don Cheadle transitions to TV in the lead role, and he is surrounded by a cast of incredibly funny people. Veronica Mars’ Kristen Bell returns to TV at long last (her stint on Heroes was OK, I guess) and Ben Schwartz has brought his infectious sense of humor with him from Parks and Recreation. Josh Lawson, Dawn Olivieri (Heroes) and Richard Schiff (The West Wing) are also involved. It’s on Showtime so you know what that means: profanity will fly and nudity will define itself. The premise and cast alone, however, should draw you to at least watch the pilot.

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[Images via IGN 1, 2]