February is all about quality over quantity in terms of appealing premieres to look out for. The new month packs two specials, one highly anticipated series premiere, and the return of the show that popularized the art of binge-watching. It’s all after the break. Continue reading TV reminder: 4 premieres to look out for in February
Days before AMC premieres the fifth season of its ratings juggernaut The Walking Dead, the network renews the zombie drama for a sixth season. It’s no surprise, really, since the show continues to perform spectacularly in the ratings and its popularity never seems to die down.
“We could not be more excited for October 12th as we share new episodes of The Walking Dead with fans around the globe,” said AMC President Charlie Collier in a statement released this past Tuesday. “In advance of Sunday’s season five premiere, AMC proudly confirms a sixth season order of this extraordinary series. Thank you to Robert Kirkman, Scott Gimple, the terrific executive producers, and the entire team who brings this compelling world and these rich characters to life. There’s plenty more Dead ahead thanks to their impressive, collective effort.”
At last, it seems as if the series has found a showrunner it’s sticking with. Following the abrupt exits of Frank Darabont and Glenn Mazzara, Scott M. Gimple is here to stay. Season 5 premieres this Sunday, Oct. 12 at 9pm.
Elsewhere, CBS is bringing back its summer dramas Under the Dome and Extant for a third and second season, respectively.
“We’re committed to delivering our viewers and advertisers year-round programming with a wide variety of storytelling,” said CBS Entertainment Chairman Nina Tassler in a statement today. “We continue to see summer as a great place for unique concepts, innovative business models, and passionate television audiences.”
Update (10/13): Following tradition, the Walking Dead season premiere opened to record recording on Sunday: 17.3 million viewers tuned into it (11 million of which are part of the 18-49 demo), making it the most watched episode to date. The previous record holder was the season 4 opener which drew 16.1 million viewers (10.4 million in the 18-49 demo). These are huge numbers for cable; not only do they rival network TV viewership, they exceed it. AMC might as well renew Dead, at this point, for life.
And just like that, arguably the greatest show to air on television has come to an end. Breaking Bad went out on its highest note, both creatively and in the ratings. The finale–or should I say “Felina”–drew 10.3 million viewers, a series high spanning all five seasons. Among the coveted group aged 18-49, 6.7 million people watched the final episode live. Thanks to streaming outlets like Netflix and iTunes, the show was able to break out not only as a critical darling but also as a pop culture phenomenon.
In an informative interview with EW, mastermind creator/producer/writer/director Vince Gilligan shared his feelings about ending on top. “Every story has its running time, and it’s just hard in television to know what that running length should amount to, and I feel very happy and satisfied by the fact that we’re wrapping up now. I can’t even believe that the ratings have increased with each episode — I just think it’s wonderful — and people have asked me, ‘Does it make you want to go on and do a bunch more episodes now?’ Just the opposite. It makes me think, through quite a bit of good luck being involved, we really did pick the right moment to exit the stage, and I feel even more confident of that now than I did before.”
In a statement AMC president Charlie Collier expressed his gratitude to the successful series. “Breaking Bad is simply unique. It all starts with Vince Gilligan who really only ever asked for one thing – the opportunity to end the show on his own terms. That is exactly what Vince did last night and, as always, brilliantly so. Congratulations to Vince and to every single person involved in this remarkable journey. We’re proud that AMC will forever be known as the birthplace and home of this iconic show and, at the same time, we tip our Heisenberg hat to the fans who made this a truly shared experience.”
The final episode proved to be the perfect ending to the perfect series. In fine Gilligan fashion, all loose ends were neatly tied up; it was supremely satisfying. In a TV landscape where many shows these days like to leave things up to the viewer’s imagination, it felt so refreshing to watch a story close with all the i’s dotted and all the T’s crossed. It concluded unapologetically and peacefully and right. Rock out to Badfinger’s “Baby Blue,” the best song to come along since “Crystal Blue Persuasion,” and remember it was all in the chemistry. Bitch.
In case you’re putting off watching all 15 episodes of the new season of Arrested Development, I’ll be careful not to spoil things here.
And so it came and went. On May 26 Netflix released an entirely new batch of Arrested Development episodes that played out quite brilliantly; I consider them to be some of the most complex, layered & brilliantly designed episodes ever produced for any series spanning the drama and comedy genres. Even more so than the original three seasons, these new installments beg to be rewatched again and again.
The consensus is like this: the majority of long-time AD fans absolutely loved the new episodes while critics gave mixed reviews. The New York Times bashed the whole experiment starting with the line, “Chalk one up for the Internet: It has killed Arrested Development.” But in my opinion, the NYT review must be taken with a grain of salt since the piece’s writer had only watched the first 8 of 15 episodes before “deadline” arrived. Fans would ferociously argue that all 15 must be screened before an appropriate review could be conjured; jokes set up in episode 1 are not unlocked until the final episode, in fact. A more delicate review can be found over at The Atlantic; “Hurwitz et al. have bequeathed to us something that doesn’t really have a name, or a meaningful precedent: not a series, or a movie, or even a mini-series, but rather a single, eight-hour work of dada televisual art,” writes Christoper Orr. It’s true–what creator Mitch Hurwitz did here is something so unusual and unique that it’s hard to categorize it into a single genre or type.
No matter which way you see it, Netflix has confirmed that the May 26 launch Arrested Development was a great success. “It’s been huge, just as we had hoped,” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings told CNBC in a televised interview. When pressed about sharing numerical results, Hastings held back. “Netflix is about being able to watch when you want, not having to watch at a certain time like linear TV is. So we’re really not focused on the day one ratings, it’s really over the first year.” So perhaps by next May we will have a better idea as to how the new episodes performed for the streaming service in terms of how many people watched and how many new subscribers the company picked up along the way.
This brings us to the big question fans ’round the world are wondering: is there more where this came from? AD season 4 ends with many plot points still up in the air, but this shouldn’t have come as a huge surprise for most. Leading up to the launch star Jason Bateman spilled that these new installments serve as “simply just the first act of what we hope to continue and complete in a movie, which would [serve as] Act 2 and 3. These episodes set that up. One does not work without the other.” He added, “There is certainly a satisfying conclusion to these episodes, if for some unfortunate reason the movie does not happen. But [the episodes and the movie] are all meant to work within each other as a hybrid package of Arrested Development stuff.”
Since the new season launched, Netflix’s Hastings and someone high up in the AD camp commented on the series’ future. “Arrested is unique, because that’s really up to the talent. If the talent were willing to do more, and interested in that, I’m sure we would be willing,” said Hastings to CNBC. And then in an interview with Deadline, Imagine Entertainment co-founder Brian Grazer said, “It’s up to [Netflix Chief Content Officier] Ted [Sarandos]. If Ted is into it, we would be very excited to pursue it.” Added Imagine TV president Francie Calfo, “It’s also up to Mitch, who is probably resting right now as he put everything he had into these episodes and hasn’t had a chance to think beyond that.” When asked about the potential of the long-imagined AD movie Grazer simply stated, “We’re hoping that we could do that; the popularity of the series will inform that decision.” So in sum, Imagine (the producers) and Netflix (the content distributor) are certainly interested in bring the gang back together to make more Arrested whether it’s another season or a movie. First, Mitch must do what he does best and come up with more character arcs and interweaving plots to continue the story; and second, the actors must make time in their busy schedules to reunite again.
As we wait (again) to learn the fate of Arrested Development, don’t lose sight of what’s right in front of you and available now.
The Walking Dead season 3 finale on March 31 managed to break a new ratings record for the cable hit. 12.4 million viewers tuned into the final episode of the season which saw the death of a major character. The previous record-holding episode was the February 10 midseason premiere which garnered 12.3 million viewers–the finale just beat it out. 6.8 million in the coveted 18-49 demo watched this episode, another all-time high for the series.
AMC president Charlie Collier: “Two words: Grateful. Dead. It’s a joy that we get to work with such tremendous talent to makeThe Walking Dead and Talking Dead come to life for audiences that continue to engage and grow. In just three seasons, The Walking Dead has become a pop-culture phenomenon, entertaining millions of passionate viewers and obliterating traditional lines between cable and broadcast television.”
Now check out this preview of season 4 which is set to debut on AMC in October. Though you won’t find new footage, you will hear tantalizing tidbits from the show’s producers and stars. “There’s a broader, bigger world out there. Now that we’ve introduced that there are more survivors out there, it’s only going to get more and more interesting,” says EP David Alpert. “We will be getting into more world building, more civilization being brought back, more of a bigger sense of community,” spills EP and Walking Dead comic book creator Robert Kirkman. “The Governor is still out there. The war is not over,” shares EP Denise Huth. Fans can also expect more transformation out of trigger-happy Carl. “Is Carl going to be Rick? Or is Carl going to be The Governor? Right now it can go either way,” posits Huth.
War is brewing. It’s Rick and his Prison pack versus The Governor and the wily town of Woodbury. Before The Walking Dead‘s midseason break, Rick infiltrated Woodbury to rescue Glenn and Maggie who had been kidnapped by Merle. Rick’s ambush was a success and his nemesis The Governor (who he hasn’t even met yet!) came out of it all with vengeance on his mind. Michonne killed his zombie daughter Penny right in front of him and then she gauged one his eyes out. (I think it’s now safe to say that The Governor will never see eye-to-eye with anyone from here on out.) The major cliffhanger, of course, was the surprising reunion of the Dixon brothers under not-so-ideal terms; The Governor blames Rick’s attack on the one-handed Merle, after all, because he had lied about taking out Michonne in the woods.
What will be the fate of the Dixons? What is Rick’s next move and will he continue to lose his mind during a strenuous time when he needs it most? Which side will Andrea end on when the dust settles; will she choose to stick with the one-eyed (don’t-call-him-Phillip) Governor or return to her original group at the Prison? After her battle with The Governor Michonne’s wasn’t acting like herself–has she gone soft? How will the latest addition to our group Tyrese factor into it all? The Walking Dead resumes the second half of its 16-episode third season tonight (2/10) at 9PM on AMC. Watch a preview here. The Talking Dead–now in a one-hour format airing immediately after TWD with special guests Steven Yeun and Kevin Smith–follows.
Note: Since Dead has been on hiatus, news broke that for the second time the series’ showrunner is departing. Like Frank Darabont before him, Glen Mazzara is leaving the show due to creative differences. However, you should know that Mazzara had his hand in the making of the back half of this season. His successor Scott M. Gimple (the show’s supervising producer/writer) takes the reins during the production of season 4.
Update (2/11): Back from another break and The Walking Dead reaches a new series high in ratings. Sunday night’s midseason premiere drew 12.3 million viewers, besting the previous record holder that was the season 3 premiere (that episode garnered 10.9 million viewers). Across the first 9PM airing and the three encores that AMC showed Sunday night, the midseason premiere attracted a grand total of 16.6 million viewers. That’s huge people.
“When you look at numbers like this, the first thing that comes to mind is how grateful we are to the fans of this show,” said AMC president Charlie Collier. “They embrace The Walking Dead in a way that we wanted to believe was possible but we never take for granted.The cast and crew put everything they have into making this show. They’re a phenomenally talented group who truly give their all. We congratulate everyone involved.”
After the extremely dismal ratings the Do No Harm pilot received, it is no surprise that the Jekyll and Hyde-esque medical drama was canned after its second airing. NBC’s midseason effort debuted to 3.1 million total viewers and a meager 0.9 rating in the 18-49 demo, making it the the lowest-rated in-season broadcast scripted series debut on any of the Big Four networks in history. Sealing its fate were its second week numbers: only 2.2 million viewers came back for more and its demo rating dropped 22% to a 0.7. This show had zero chance of survival from the get-go. Since the pilot wasn’t all that stimulating, here’s hoping that those who did tune in didn’t get too attached to this short-lived cast led by Steven Pasquale.
Not too long ago at the TCAs Do No Harm‘s executive producer David Schulner said, “I think ultimately you can only write the show that you want to watch, and this was a show that I wanted to see on TV. I wanted it to be fun. I wanted it to be thrilling. I wanted it to be a roller-coaster ride. And I wanted it to have stakes. I also wanted there to be a love story at the center of it. Hopefully those ingredients will make it different than what has come before.” Fail. And want to know the saddest part of all? All 13 episodes have been produced and the remaining 11 may never see the light of day.
Elsewhere on NBC, 1600 Penn is getting benched this week in favor of a double airing of departing comedy The Office. Now, Deadline reports that the move was made because the upcoming Valentine’s Day themed episode of The Office came in supersized and needed the extra schedule space to fit. However, you cannot shake the fact that the at-times uproariously funny, stuffed-with-heart White House sitcom is performing poorly in the ratings (most recently it scored a low 1.1 in the 18-49 demo); such a sudden pull from the schedule is certainly not a good sign.
Power outage and all, Super Bowl XLVII proved to be an exciting game after all. Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens dominated the game early on and the San Fransisco 49ers used the approximately 35 minutes of dark downtime to reenergize and make an unexpected comeback that nearly ended the game in their favor. When the fourth quarter came to a close, however, it was the domineering Ravens and MVP Flacco on top besting the 49ers 34 to 31.
Unlike previous years, last night’s Super Bowl did not break ratings records to become the most watched telecast in history. 108.41 million people tuned into the big game making it the third most watched TV program behind Super Bowl XLVI (111.3 million) and Super Bowl XLV (111 million). (And if you’re curious, the hyped post-Super Bowl episode of Elementary attracted 20.8 million viewers with a 7.8 rating in the 18-49 demo. These numbers are huge for the CBS freshman procedural, but they do not match the 37.6 million viewers that tuned into The Voice‘s post-game telecast last year.) Maybe we’ll see another record-breaking explosion in eyeballs next year?
Moving onto the ‘mericals. This year companies had to fork over a whopping four million dollars for a 30-second spot. I’ve posted a bunch of my personal favorites after the break, including those from Volkswagon, Oreos, Doritos, and Taco Bell and trailers for anticipated movies like Iron Man 3 (see the extended cut!), Star Trek, and Fast and Furious 6. You can rewatch nearly all of them at YouTube’s Ad Blitz center. Which are your favorites? Continue reading Super Bowl XLVII: the not quite record ratings and the commercials
Bet you weren’t expecting to hear this news before the TV season started. Today ABC handed out back-nine orders to Shonda Rhimes’ Scandal and (wait for it) Dan Fogelman’s The Neighbors. Scandal, starring Kerry Washington, is currently in its second season but the Alphabet network was hesitant and only gave it a 13-episode order to see how it would fare following its so-so rated first season. Averaging 8.1 million viewers and a 2.5 ratings share in the adults 18-49 demo, the political drama has proven itself to be a worthy contender on Thursday nights and will get to play with a full season consisting of 22 episodes this year.
Also given a full season is the alien-family sitcom The Neighbors. Before it premiered critics widely panned the pilot, and following the episode viewers flocked to Twitter to discuss how bad it really was. I guess the word of mouth actually helped it because it has been performing modestly in the ratings, good enough for ABC to let it finish its first season with 22 episodes aired. The bizarre Wednesday night comedy averages 6.8 million viewers and a 2.0 in 18-49 and on the schedule it shall remain for now.
We are still waiting on the fates of Last Resort and 666 Park Avenue; ABC recently upped their script orders. The network has more time to decide on Nashville since it got a late start.
If you were anticipating the bold Munsters reboot from Bryan Fuller, I have some bad news to report. NBC has decided not to go ahead with making the series. However, the network will air the pilot that was shot. The Peacock did not specifically state why they ultimately decided to pass on the show; instead the network’s Entertainment President Jennifer Salke released the following statement:
“This exciting new take on a memorable series will definitely blow out conventional wisdom and create its own legacy. Teaming this new show with a terrifying episode of Grimm makes the perfect pre-Halloween fright-fest.”
Mockingbird Lane stars Jerry O’Connell as Herman Munster, Portia de Rossi as his wife Lily, Mason Cook as their son Eddie, Eddie Izzard as Grandpa, and Charity Wakefield as Marilyn.
Tune into tonight at 9PM to catch an hour-long glimpse into Bryan Fuller’s imaginative, contemporary take on the classic 1960s sitcom. Rumor has it that if it does well in the ratings NBC may opt to pick it up for next season, but by planting it on a Friday night (aka where most shows go to die) I don’t see that happening. With Mockingbird Lane off his plate, the Pushing Daisies creator is now focusing solely on his upcoming midseason drama for NBC Hannibal.
Watch a trailer after the break.
Update: The ratings are in and they look like this. The pilot Halloween special drew 5.4 million viewers and scored a 1.5/5 rating in adults 18-49. Not too shabby. But is it enough for NBC to continue production on more scripts that have already been written? Don’t hold your breath. Continue reading TV reminder: NBC airing Bryan Fuller’s ‘Munsters’ reboot ‘Mockingbird Lane’ as Halloween special tonight at 8PM [Update: The ratings are in…]
Today NBC cancelled the Justin Kirk/Crystal the Monkey comedy Animal Practice due to poor ratings. The Peacock did everything it could to promote the series, including airing a special preview during the Olympics this summer. That effort fared well for the Matthew Perry sitcom Go On, but for Practice it couldn’t do the trick. The most recent episode wrangled 3.8 million viewers scoring a low 1.0 rating in adults 18-49. Five episodes have aired, and NBC will show three more. Come Wednesday, November 14, Whitney will fill the vacant spot at 8PM. Community fans will sneer at this scheduling move, but it makes sense for the network; both Whitney and its soon-to-be lead out Guys with Kids are multi-camera shows so they go well together, stylistically at least. Community remains on the bench for the time being. And Guys with Kids is safe for now, having most recently attracted 4.3 million viewers and a 1.4 demo rating.
Animal Practice is the second show to get the axe this fall. Last week CBS cancelled legal drama Made in Jersey after only two episodes had aired; the premiere attracted 7.7 million viewers with a 1.1 demo rating and then things dropped in its second outing to 5.8 million viewers with a dismal 0.8 rating. Starting November 2 Undercover Boss takes over CBS’ Friday night at 8PM slot.
[Via EW]
The wait is over. Tonight is the night you commit yourself to American Horror Story: Asylum. As you already know, the second season of the Ryan Murphy/Brad Falchuk production will play out as an entirely different show than season one. Many familiar faces are returning (namely Jessica Lange, Zachary Quinto, Lily Rabe, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters) but they will be portraying brand new characters this time around. Joining them are Adam Levine, Jenna Dewan, Chloë Sevigny, Clea Duvall, Joseph Fiennes, and James Cromwell. Today, Murphy revealed that Dylan McDermott is also coming back at some point this season; he played lead Ben Harmon last year. Asylum goes back in time to the 1960s and replaces the haunted Harmon house with an east coast mental institution called Briarcliff Manor.
To reiterate, AHS is an anthology series meaning each series will feature new characters, a new setting, and an original story with a beginning, middle, and end. So if you happened to miss out on season one, you can absolutely tune into tonight’s premiere without a problem. However, it is highly recommended you watch the first season because it was very good.
American Horror Story: Asylum premieres tonight (10/17) at 10PM on FX. If you want a taste of the season’s frights, jump after the break to watch a one minute trailer and catch some behind-the-scenes footage with the cast and creators. In the galleries below, browse creepy character profiles and check out the varied key art…if you dare.
Update: Nothing record-breaking to report here, but AHS: Asylum got off to a strong start, both creatively and in the ratings. 3.85 million total viewers committed themselves to last night’s season two premiere “Welcome to Briarcliff;” that’s up 21 percent from last year’s series premiere. In the important adults 18-49 demo the episode attracted 2.78 million viewers (a 2.20 rating, up 37 percent), trailing only CBS’ CSI for the night. In adults 18-34 the ep attracted 1.78 million viewers (2.63 rating, up 50 percent) making it the highest rated program at 10PM across cable and broadcast networks in that demo. The episode managed to rank higher in the ratings than every episode from the first season. Are you committed? Share your thoughts on the season premiere in the comment section below.
