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Lionsgate Searching for New Mad Men Showrunner? October 29, 2008 12:55 pm

Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in AMC, Cable, Lionsgate, Mad Men, News, Television.
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It seems like a joke, no? Why would Lionsgate be looking for a new showrunner on a series which just had its best ratings ever (while admittedly still low) and became the first basic cable show to ever win an emmy for best drama? But, apparently that’s exactly what the studio is doing. According to Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood Daily, Lionsgate execs are calling around various Hollywood agencies looking for a showrunner to replace Mathew Weiner, the creator of AMC’s Mad Men. The reasoning, according to Finke’s sources, is that they think Weiner’s agents are asking too much money for him. CAA, the agency that represents Weiner, is reportedly asking for Weiner to be paid $10 million a year. He also wants control over promotion and advertising.

While that type of money is common place for hit shows on premium cable, the economics almost never make sense to pay some one that much for a basic cable television show and Lionsgate is balking at the asking price. From DHD:

“The ‘ask’ was insanity,” one insider tells me. “It’s preposterous. AMC is a basic cable network. The economics don’t support this. It’s why Lionsgate is throwing their arms up in the air. And, remember, they got a two-year pickup for the show with or without Matt Weiner.”

When asked by a Lionsgate source about this situation, Finke was told, “We’re negotiating with Matthew Weiner. But we want him back…” If that’s the case, then it seems very odd for them to go out and look for a new showrunner just in case.

As I prefaced earlier, Mad Men just concluded its best season. Sunday’s finale drew 1.75 million total viewers, an improvement of 89% over the first-season finale (926,000). Compared to season one, season two saw an increase of 63% among total viewers (1.5 million vs. 925,000) as well as gains among the key demos adults 18-49 (+109%–705,000 vs. 338,000) and adults 25-54 (+81%–780,000 vs. 430,000).

Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily

The Ex List Canceled October 28, 2008 11:38 pm

Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in 2008/2009 Television, Cancellations, CBS, News, Television, The Ex-List.
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After a run of just four episodes, CBS has decided to cancel its low-rated new drama The Ex List. This Friday’s episode, which will be its fifth, will be the end of the line. Nine episodes are in the pipe, and while the remaining four may be run off some time in the future, CBS has not announced when that might be. In the mean time, repeats of NCIS will fill in the Friday 9pm time slot.

The Ex List is actually the first new drama this season to be canceled and continues CBS’s unfortunate slump of failed TV dramas that don’t involve crime.

Source: Variety

Chelsea Lately Renewed Through 2009 October 28, 2008 11:13 pm

Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Chelsea Lately, E!, News, Renewals, Television.
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Chelsea Lately, the late-night talk show on E!, has been renewed by the network through 2009. Hosted by Chelsea Handler, the show has done very well for E!, averaging around 600,000 viewers in its nightly 11:30 p.m. time slot. That performance has boosted the network by 21 percent in the third quarter versus the comparable year-ago period.

“Chelsea Lately is a breakout hit that has significantly grown our late night audience,” said Lisa Berger, E!’s executive vp of original programming and series development. “Our viewers are enamored with Chelsea’s unique comedic approach and hilarious commentary on the world of entertainment. She is truly one of Hollywood’s fastest rising stars and we look forward to having the show on our air through 2009 and many years to come.”

Source: MediaWeek

Broadcast TV Ratings for Monday, October 27, 2008 October 28, 2008 5:19 pm

Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.
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Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, October 26, 2008 October 27, 2008 4:55 pm

Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.
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Whedon Talks “Dollhouse” October 27, 2008 12:01 pm

Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Dollhouse, Fox, News, Television.
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It’s been quite some time since Joss Whedon updated fans on the status of the upcoming Fox show, Dollhouse, but that’s just what he did yesterday in a post over at Whedonesque. Whedon discusses various aspects of the show, including the shut down of production and some other behind-the-scenes tidbits. Here are some highlights from the post:

Yes, we’ve had to make adjustments. Yes, it’s been hard and I’ve been depressing to be around for awhile. Basically, the Network and I had different ideas about what the tone of the show would be. They bought something somewhat different than what I was selling them, which is not that uncommon in this business. Their desires were not surprising: up the stakes, make the episodes more stand-alone, stop talking about relationships and cut to the chase. Oh, and add a chase. That you can cut to. Nothing I hadn’t heard before on my other shows (apparently my learning curve has no bendy part) but frustrating as hell given our circumstances – a pilot shot, scripts written, everybody marching together/gainfully employed… and then a shutdown. Glad I was for the breathing room, but it’s hardly auspicious. So back into the writer cave I went, wondering why I put up with this when I can make literally dozens of dollars making internet movies.

As for what’s been changed, well, some things I obviously can’t tell you. Some I can, for the record: The original pilot was in fact thrown out. Again, at my behest. Once it became clear what paradigm the Network was shooting for, it just didn’t fit at all, even after I’d reshot more than half of it (see above re: despair). To get a sense of how completely turned around I was during this process, you should know there was a scene with Eliza and the astonishing Ashley Johnson that I wrote and shot completely differently three different times, with different characters in different places (actually I wrote it closer to eight times), and none of it will ever see air. Which is as it should be (though I’m determined to get Ms. Johnson back in the future). The scene just didn’t belong anymore. Similarly, the character of November has fallen out of the mix, because the show simply moves too fast now for me to do what I wanted with her. Season three, anyone…? Happily, Miracle Laurie is still with us in a new role, playing against (and pining for) Tahmoh’s character, Paul Ballard. Their chemistry is deeply nifty. The only other major cast shift is that the Dollhouse head of security, Laurence Dominic (played by Reed Diamond), who was written just for the now-defunct first ep, has stuck like fly-paper, and Reed is very much in the family for the present. (Most of my problems seem to involve my actors making themselves indispensable. This is the good problem kind.)

Click here to read the rest of the post. Dollhouse is still scheduled to air on Fox this January.

Source: Whedonesque

SCI FI Greenlights New Ghost Hunters Spinoff October 27, 2008 12:56 am

Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Ghost Hunters, Ghost Hunters: College Edition, News, Sci Fi, Television.
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The SCI FI Channel has given a green light to yet another spinoff of its popular Ghost Hunters franchise. The network ordered a pilot of the new show, titled Ghost Hunters: College Edition (working title). The series will feature a group of college students, led by seasoned investigators, searching for the paranormal in haunted hot spots around the country and world.

Ghost Hunters remains as strong as ever for SCI FI and is currently celebrating its best season ever. The show will air its third-annual live investigation on Halloween night this year at the historic Fort Delaware from 7 pm ot 2am ET.

Ghost Hunters International premiered this past January and aired a successful run of seven episodes.

Source: SCI FI Wire

Doctor Who Preview Will Be Shown During Children in Need Special October 27, 2008 12:49 am

Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in BBC, Doctor Who, News, Sci Fi, Television.
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The yearly charity event Children In Need will have a special treat for viewers this year. The first two minutes of the Doctor Who Christmas special, titled “The Next Doctor”, will be shown on the BBC special this November 14th.

Source: BBC

“Lost” Season Five Trailer October 27, 2008 12:37 am

Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in ABC, Lost, News, Television, Trailers.
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A trailer for the fifth seaosn of the ABC series Lost has been found online. Check it out below.

Lost returns to the air in 2009.

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” Continues in December October 27, 2008 12:17 am

Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO, News, Television.
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Finally. After being off the air for nearly a year (the last episode aired on November 11, 2007) HBO’s has announced that Curb Your Enthusiasm will resume production on 10 all-new episodes this December. The new episodes will premiere sometime in 2009.

I guess HBO gets a kick out of extremely long hiatuses.

Source: Variety

Showtime Renews “Dexter” for Two Seasons October 27, 2008 12:08 am

Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Dexter, News, Renewals, Showtime, Television.
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Showtime has announced that they have renewed its hit drama series Dexter, for not just one year, but two more seasons consisting of 12 episodes each.

Dexter’s third season finale airs on Showtime this December 14th, while production on season four will begin in spring 2009.

CBS Cancels “EliteXC Saturday Night Fights” October 26, 2008 11:58 pm

Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Cancellations, CBS, EliteXC Saturday Night Fights, News, Television.
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EliteXC Saturday Night Fights is coming to an end. The show had aired three installments on CBS, with the most recent airing on October 4th and had plans to air one more match, but Pro Elite, the company that ran the program, shut down for unspecified reasons.

Source: NY Times

‘Knight’ Riding Out A Full Season October 26, 2008 11:35 pm

Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in 2008/2009 Television, Knight Rider, NBC, News, Renewals, Television.
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It’s the season of surprising pickups. Following up on Fox’s somewhat surprising full-season order of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, NBC has gone ahead and ordered the back-nine of Knight Rider, clearing the series to air a full season of 22 episodes.

It’s the first freshman fall NBC series to be ordered to a full season, joining CBS’s The Mentalist, Fox’s Fringe and the CW’s 90210.

Source: THR

Amy Acker Downplays “Dollhouse” Production Issues October 26, 2008 11:25 pm

Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in 2008/2009 Television, Dollhouse, Fox, News, Television.
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Amy Acker, co-star of Joss Whedon’s upcoming Fox series Dollhouse, told SCI FI Wire that all the publicity surrounding the recent production shut down was blown out of proportion:

“You know, we did take a little break,” Acker said in an interview earlier this month. “And I feel like it’s coming back, and everyone is just excited to be there. The first show that came back was a Steve DeKnight show; he was directing it, and it’s just really, really great. I think we just kind of had that time, because it doesn’t air until January.”

“Instead of rushing to make episodes, they thought, ‘Well, we’ve already made four, and they’re all going to be done before the first one airs,’” Acker said. “So we have the luxury to take the time and make them the way they want them.”

Source: SCI FI Wire

Fox Gives ‘Terminator’ Full Season Order October 26, 2008 10:59 pm

Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in 2008/2009 Television, Fox, News, Television, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
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Despite only average ratings, Fox has decided to give a full season order to its freshman sci-fi drama series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. The back-nine order brings the show to a full 22 episodes this season, eight more than aired in last year’s strike-shortened season.

The show’s most-recent episode drew 5.7 million viewers and had a 2.3/6 rating/share among the coveted A18-49 demo. The network had recently ordered two additional scripts from producers.

Source: THR