PBS has scheduled the eight-week run of the hit English period drama to run through the end of February, Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca Eaton said today during the PBS Annual Meeting. Downton Abbey is the highest-rated drama in PBS history after its third-season finale drew 8.2 million viewers on February 17, a 50% increase from the Season 2 ender. The timeframe for the PBS airdates falls similar to last year, coming after the fall run of the series on ITV in the UK. The big ratings bumps in the U.S. were notable given the high-stakes spoilers that were parading around the Internet while the show was airing across the pond ahead of its U.S. broadcast. ITV doesn’t announce its schedule until a couple of weeks before shows debut, but a September run there is likely again for the Carnival/Masterpiece co-production.
‘Downton Abbey’ Season 4 To Bow Jan. 5
2013-14 NBC Schedule
NBC FALL 2013-14 SCHEDULE
(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET)
MONDAY
8-10 PM – “The Voice”
10-11 PM – “THE BLACKLIST”
TUESDAY
8-9 PM – “The Biggest Loser” (New Day and Time)
9-10 PM – “The Voice” (New time)
10-11 PM – “Chicago Fire” (New Day and Time)
WEDNESDAY
8-9 PM – “Revolution” (New Day and Time)
9-10 PM – ”Law & Order: SVU”
10-11 PM – “IRONSIDE”
THURSDAY
8-8:30 PM – “Parks and Recreation” (New time)
8:30-9 PM – “WELCOME TO THE FAMILY”
9-9:30 PM – “SEAN SAVES THE WORLD”
9:30-10 PM – “THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW”
10-11 PM – “Parenthood” (New Day and Time)
FRIDAY
8-9 PM – “Dateline NBC”
9-10 PM – “Grimm”
10-11 PM – “DRACULA”
SATURDAY
Encore programming
SUNDAY
7:00-8:15 PM – “Football Night in America”
8:15-11:30 PM – “NBC Sunday Night Football”
NBC MIDSEASON 2013-14 SCHEDULE
(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET)
MONDAY
8-10 PM – “The Voice”
10-11 PM – “THE BLACKLIST”
TUESDAY
8-9 PM – “The Voice”
9-9:30 PM – “ABOUT A BOY”
9:30-10 PM – “THE FAMILY GUIDE”
10-11 PM – “Chicago Fire”
WEDNESDAY
8-9 PM – “Revolution”
9-10 PM – ”Law & Order: SVU”
10-11 PM – “IRONSIDE”
THURSDAY
8-8:30 PM – “Parks and Recreation”
8:30-9 PM – “WELCOME TO THE FAMILY”
9-9:30 PM – “SEAN SAVES THE WORLD”
9:30-10 PM – “THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW”
10-11 PM – “Parenthood”
FRIDAY
8-9 PM – “Dateline NBC”
9-10 PM – “Grimm”
10-11 PM – “CROSSBONES”
SATURDAY
8-10 PM – Encore and specials programming
10-11 PM – “Saturday Night Live” (Encore)
SUNDAY
7-8 PM. – “Dateline NBC”
8-9 PM – “AMERICAN DREAM BUILDERS”
9-10 PM. – “BELIEVE”
10-11 PM – “CRISIS”
2013-14 NEW SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
New Comedies
About A Boy – Based on the best-selling Nick Hornby (“High Fidelity,” “An Education”) novel, … Read More »
Live-Blog: Fox’s Upfront Presentation

Fox decided to shake things up in its upfront presentation today. After talking about the increasing portion of viewing of Fox shows being time-shifted, Fox entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly threw out the traditional night-by-night lineup presentation for the first time in favor of introducing the network’s new shows by genre.
First off was comedy, which made for unfavorable comparisons to the comedic banter with which Reilly and head of sales Toby Byrne opened the presentation. Among the more serious exchanges, Byrne acknowledged that after eight seasons on top, “we slipped a bit,” with Reilly responding that “I’m confident we will be back at No. 1 next season.”
Related: Fox 2013-14 Schedule
Always high on star power, the network brought onstage the stars of all of its new comedies and actors from all returning ones to a big applause. After a shtick between New Girl‘s Max Greenfield — who found an opportunity to show off his biceps — and Reilly, Reilly screened trailers for the network’s five new comedy series, with Andy Samberg’s cop show Brooklyn Nine-Nine getting very big applause.
NBC’s 2013-14 Schedule: ‘Revolution’ Moves To Wednesday, ‘Parenthood’ To Thursday, ‘Blacklist’ Gets Post ‘Voice’ Slot

Family comedies and action dramas dominate NBC‘s new series additions for next season. NBC is introducing six series in the fall — comedies Welcome to the Family, Sean Saves the World, and The Michael J. Fox Show; and dramas The Blacklist, Ironside and Dracula; with five more set for midseason– comedies The Family Guide and About A Boy, and dramas Believe, Crisis and Crossbones. (Dracula and Crossbones were carried over from last upfront/off-season). Not scheduled yet are newly picked up dramas Chicago PD and The Night Shift and comedy Undateable as well as last-minute renewal Community. On the returning series side, missing from the announcement are long-time reality staple Celebrity Apprentice and well reviewed freshman drama Hannibal as NBC is yet to make a pickup decision on both. Here is NBC’s fall and midseason schedules with analysis and new series descriptions underneath. As expected, the network is spreading its launches between the fall and spring, tied to its Winter Olympics coverage:
NBC FALL 2013-14 SCHEDULE
(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET)
MONDAY
8-10 p.m. – “The Voice”
10-11 p.m. – “THE BLACKLIST”
TUESDAY
8-9 p.m. – “The Biggest Loser” (New Day and Time)
9-10 p.m. – “The Voice” (New time)
10-11 p.m. – “Chicago Fire” (New Day and Time)
WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. – “Revolution” (New Day and Time)
9-10 p.m. – ”Law & Order: SVU”
10-11 p.m. – “IRONSIDE”
THURSDAY
8-8:30 p.m. – “Parks and Recreation” (New time)
8:30-9 p.m. – “WELCOME TO THE FAMILY”
9-9:30 p.m. – “SEAN SAVES THE WORLD”
9:30-10 p.m. – “THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW”
10-11 p.m. – “Parenthood” (New Day and Time)
FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. – “Dateline NBC”
9-10 p.m. – “Grimm”
10-11 p.m. – “DRACULA”
SATURDAY
Encore programming
SUNDAY
7:00-8:15 p.m. – “Football Night in America”
8:15-11:30 p.m. – “NBC Sunday Night Football” Read More »
BAFTA TV Awards: ‘Girls’ Top International Show; Olivia Colman Scores Two Prizes
BAFTA handed out its TV prizes tonight in London with Olivia Colman taking two awards, one for supporting actress for BBC miniseries Accused and the other as actress in a comedy program for Olympics sitcom Twenty Twelve, which was also named best sitcom. Colman will soon be seen by U.S. audiences in ITV’s recent hit drama Broadchurch. Ben Whishaw was best actor for Neal Street Productions co-production with NBC Universal and WNET Thirteen/BBC Two, Richard II (Hollow Crown), and top comedy actor was Steve Coogan for Sky Atlantic‘s Welcome To The Places Of My Life. The best drama series was the BBC’s Last Tango In Halifax while HBO‘s Girls was named best international show. Coming into the evening, the BBC and HBO’s Hitchcock film The Girl was among the most nominated programs, but went home empty-handed. Downton Abbey had no nominations. A full list of winners follows: Read More »
Christopher Walken, Helena Bonham Carter & More Join David Hare’s ‘Page Eight’ Sequels
Downton Abbey producer Carnival Films and BBC Two are partnering on the final two TV movies in writer/director David Hare’s The Worricker Trilogy. The first installment, Page Eight, aired in 2011 on BBC Two and PBS and starred Bill Nighy, Rachel Weisz, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon and Judy Davis. Nighy will reprise his role as British intelligence officer Johnny Worricker for parts two and three, respectively titled Turks &
Caicos and Salting The Battlefield. Fiennes also returns for both. Turks & Caicos is adding Christopher Walken, Winona Ryder, Helena Bonham Carter, Ewen Bremner, James Naughton, Dylan Baker and Zach Grenier. Davis, who was nominated for a supporting actress Emmy for Page Eight, will return for Salting The Battlefield as will Bonham Carter and Bremner along with Saskia Reeves, Kate Burdette and Malcolm Sinclair.

Page Eight, which closed the Toronto Film Festival in 2011, saw Worricker uncover a plot to turn control of MI5 directly over to the prime minister after the head of the organization’s death. Part two will pick up after Worricker leaves his MI5 post and heads to Turks & Caicos where the CIA forces him to deal with a group of ambiguous Americans who are on the islands for a high-level conference. At the same time, an old girlfriend is being asked to betray her boss in London in order to establish an illicit connection between the prime minister and dark goings-on in the war on terror. Salting The Battlefield sees Worricker and the girlfriend on the run from MI5 until Worricker returns home to confront the prime minister in a duel of wits. Read More »
Jim Broadbent To Star In BBC’s ‘Great Train Robbery’ Serial
Oscar winner Jim Broadbent will play Tommy Butler, the detective who relentlessly sought to bring the gang behind the infamous August 8, 1963 robbery of a Royal Mail train to justice. The BBC‘s two-part drama The Great Train Robbery kicks off with The Robbers’ Tale, the story of how the heist was planned and executed. Luke Evans will play Bruce Reynolds, the mastermind behind the heist. The second part, A Coppers’ Tale, will feature Broadbent leading the Scotland Yard team Butler assembled to bring the thieves to justice in a race against time. Also joining A Coppers’ Tale are Tim Pigott-Smith (Downton Abbey, Alice In Wonderland), Robert Glenister (Law & Order: UK, Hustle), Tom Chambers (Waterloo Road), Tom Beard (Salmon Fishing In The Yemen), James Wilby (Titanic) and James Fox (W.E., Utopia). Read More »
‘Downton Abbey’ Adds Gary Carr As Jazz Singer For Season 4
Downton Abbey executive producer Gareth Neame said today that Gary Carr‘s addition to the ITV show “will bring interesting twists to the drama.” The actor has most recently been seen in BBC series Bluestone 42 and Death In Paradise. His Downton character, Jack Ross, is a jazz singer described as “a charming and charismatic” young man. The addition marks the first time Downton has had a black character. The show has in the past faced criticism that it lacks cultural diversity. In the fourth season, he’ll join previously announced new cast members Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Tom Cullen, Julian Ovenden, Nigel Harman, Joanna David and Dame Harriet Walter. Shooting is currently underway for air later this year. Carr is repped by Markham, Froggatt and Irwin in London.
Lily James Fitted For Glass Slipper In Disney’s ‘Cinderella’

BREAKING: Disney searched as hard for its Cinderella as the fairy tale prince who canvassed the kingdom lugging one glass slipper. Downton Abbey‘s Lily James has been set for the role in the live-action re-imagining the classic tale. Kenneth Branagh is directing, and Cate Blanchett plays the nasty and manipulative stepmother. Allison Shearmur, David Barron and Simon Kinberg are producing.
James is repped by Charles Collier at Tavistock Wood in the UK and UTA in the U.S.
Global Showbiz Briefs: ‘Mr. Selfridge’; Rose D’Or Nominees; Films Without Borders
‘Mr. Selfridge’ Adds Cast For Season Two
Clash Of The Titans actress Polly Walker and The Awakening‘s Cal Macaninch have joined the cast of season two of Mr. Selfridge. The ITV period drama that’s currently airing on PBS Masterpiece has just begun shooting the second season of 10 episodes in London and Kent. Jeremy Piven stars as Harry Selfridge, the American entrepreneur who revolutionized the way women shopped in early 1900s London. Also joining the cast are Killing Bono‘s Aidan McArdle and The Bible‘s Sean Teale. The first season was a ratings winner for ITV in the UK where it aired in the Downton Abbey Sunday night slot. The second season picks up in 1914 as Selfridge’s department store is celebrating its fifth anniversary. As talk of war intensifies, Harry prepares the staff for challenging times ahead. An airdate will be scheduled for next year in order to coincide with the centenary of WWI. Read More »
Global Showbiz Briefs: K5 & ‘Cutie’, ‘Khumba’, Monte Carlo TV Fest, RealD In Rio, ‘Shield Of Straw’, NBCU International, Pinewood Indomina, ITV & More
K5 In The Ring With ‘Cutie And The Boxer’
K5 International has boarded director Zachary Heinzerling’s Cutie And The Boxer which is screening this week in Tribeca. Heinzerling won the U.S. Documentary directing prize in Sundance for the film which is his feature debut. The movie is a New York love story about life and art that explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of renowned boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife and artist Noriko. It will be released Stateside by Radius-TWC in August. King Records will distribute in Japan with Parco and Madman in Australia.
Steve Buscemi, Anika Noni Rose Join ‘Khumba’
South Africa’s Triggerfish Animation Studios has added the voice talent of Steve Buscemi and The Good Wife’s Anika
Noni Rose to its 3D animated feature, Khumba. They join Liam Neeson, Laurence Fishburne, AnnaSophia Robb, Jake T. Austin, Loretta Devine and Richard E. Grant. Khumba tells the story of a half-striped Zebra who is blamed for a severe drought by his herd. He teams up with a sassy wildebeest and a self-obsessed ostrich to go in search of the magic waterhole where legend has it the first zebras got their stripes and meets an array of wacky characters on the adventure. Edward Noeltner’s Cinema Management Group has international sales. Millennium Entertainment will release in the U.S. later this year. Buscemi and Rose’s deals were brokered by WME and Ned Lott on behalf of Triggerfish Animation. Buscemi is also repped by The Gotham Group. Read More »
Global Showbiz Briefs: European Film Awards, Bollywood, Karlovy Vary, MPA Pitch Competition, Core Media & More
European Film Academy To Honor Comedy
Amour was the big winner at last year’s European Film Awards, and that was no joke. But the European Academy will add a bit of humor to the proceedings in 2013 with a new prize for European Comedy. The award is designed to “pay tribute to a genre which has proven that it is able to unite and entertain audiences across Europe and beyond,” the EFA said. Some of the top-grossing films and crowd-pleasers that have crossed European borders of the past few years have been local comedies including Intouchables and Welcome To The Sticks. A special committee will select three nominees from across Europe and the winner will be voted for by the full membership. The EFA also said today that it is relaunching prizes for European Sound Designer and European Costume Designer. The 26th European Film Awards will take place in Berlin on December 7.
Cut-Uncut Festival To Screen Censored Bollywood Films
A new film festival in New Delhi will celebrate scenes from Bollywood movies that have been deemed too racy for Indian viewers. According to AFP, the Cut-Uncut Festival is an attempt by the ministry of information and broadcasting to bolster a new, more open-minded approach to cinema. Until recently, long kissing scenes, nudity and scenes of rebellion against the government could all be censored, an official told the news agency. “We want to be more liberal, stop enforcing the old rules and instead recognize artistic endeavor,” the person said. The festival runs from April 25-30 and kicks off with a screening of the classic Karma starring Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani, whose onscreen kiss – the first in a Bollywood film – was cut in 1933. Documentary The Final Solution, about Hindu-Muslim religious rioting, will also be shown after it was previously banned. Bollywood is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year with India the country of honor at May’s Cannes Film Festival. Read More »
ITV Orders More ‘Broadchurch’ As Drama Grips Britain Ahead Of U.S. Debut
Broadchurch has often been referred to as Britain’s answer to The Killing; it’s also ITV‘s biggest new drama since Downton Abbey. But there are no dinner jackets or Dowagers here. In a reversal of established thinking that period dramas are the major game in town, this contemporary drama has gripped Britain since it debuted in March. ITV has just ordered a second season of the show which concluded its first season on Monday night. Anticipation for that finale episode was so high, it was worthy of “Who shot J.R.?” comparisons. BBC America has U.S. rights to the eight-part murder mystery that stars David Tennant and Olivia Colman at the head of an ensemble cast. The first season’s story explored what happens to a small coastal community when a media frenzy comes to town after a young boy is murdered.
At launch, Broadchurch drew 9.1M viewers for a 31% share and continued to pull strong numbers throughout the run. The mystery surrounding the death of little Danny Latimer kept Britons in thrall until it was resolved in Monday night’s closing episode, and reviews have been largely positive. BBC America will air the series later this year and Shine America holds the format rights in the U.S. Production on season two starts in 2014, although plot details and returning characters are being kept under wraps. Read More »
EMMYS: Why The TV Academy Reversed Its Decision On Merging Longform Categories

The timing of last year’s decision by the TV Academy to consolidate the four longform acting categories into two was baffling as it came a couple of days after the record-breaking debut of History’s miniseries Hatfields & McCoys and the network premiere of HBO’s Hemingway & Gellhorn, which had opened at the Cannes Film Festival. The TV Academy moved to cut the categories in half amidst a renaissance of the longform genre with such programs as British imports Downton Abbey, which
started off in the miniseries field, Sherlock and Luther; History’s Hatfields & McCoys and FX’s American Horror Story, which was submitted as a miniseries. At the time, TV Academy’s SVP Awards John Leverence explained the decision by saying that the decrease in longform categories “corresponds to their primetime presence.”
But this week, just as the consolidation was about to take effect, the TV Academy reversed its decision, keeping the lead and supporting acting fields intact. “What a difference 13 months make,” Leverence said yesterday. He said the May 2012 vote “was based on how the longform (programming) was trending — the patient was on the table getting last rites.” But now “there has been a major revival of the longform. The consolidation was based on last year’s reality, not based on this year’s reality; what we thought was happening reversed itself.”
TV Academy Reverses Consolidation Of TV Movie & Miniseries Acting Categories

This year’s 65th Primetime Emmy Awards were supposed to introduce a smaller longform field after the Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences last year voted to consolidate the Best Lead and Supporting actor and actress categories for miniseries and TV movies, reducing the total number of longform acting categories from four to two starting with the 2013 Emmys. But tonight, the TV Academy Board voted to reverse the consolidation, reinstating the longform lead and supporting categories in this year’s competition. The TV Academy cited “the unanticipated resurgence of television miniseries and movies” for its decision to keep the existing number of longform categories. The backtracking is surprising since reducing the those categories was the first major Emmy rule change under TV Academy chairman Bruce Rosenblum.
The consolidation decision had been driven mainly by the dwindling pool of longform programming on TV, especially miniseries, which led to the merging of the best TV movie and miniseries categories in 2011 following two consecutive years of only two best miniseries nominees. But miniseries/limited
series have enjoyed a resurgence in the past couple of years, ranking as the most watched cable entertainment telecasts of 2012 (History’s Hatfields & McCoys) and ever (2013 (History’s The Bible). The field also was joined by such hits as Downton Abbey, which started off in the longform category before moving to drama series, and FX’s anthology American Horror Story. And with Fox and FX making a major push in limited-event series, there will be even more contenders joining traditional longorm Emmy frontrunner HBO, which just saw its original movie Behind The Candelabra selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. While the consolidation of the longform acting categories is being nixed, the best longform category (movie/miniseries) remains combined. Read More »
Global Showbiz Briefs: ITV’s ‘Breathless’ Adds Cast; K5 International; Reprieve For Bollywood’s Sanjay Dutt; ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ In Finland; A+E UK & More
ITV’s ‘Breathless’ Rounds Out Cast
Six-part ITV drama Breathless has added cast to join the previously announced Jack Davenport-starrer. Natasha Little (Vanity Fair), Oliver Chris (One Man Two Guvnors), Zoe Boyle (Downton Abbey, Sons Of Anarchy), Joanna Page (Gavin & Stacey), Shaun Dingwall (Above Suspicion) Catherine Steadman (The Tudors, Salmon Fishing In The Yemen), Sarah Parish (Hatfields & McCoys), Pippa Haywood (Mr Selfridge) and Iain Glen (Game Of Thrones) have all boarded the ITV Studios drama about a group of doctors and nurses working in a London hospital in the 60s. Shooting is underway this month on Breathless which is produced by Jolyon Symonds with Kate Bartlett and director Paul Unwin exec producing. Read More »
Hot Trailer: ‘Romeo And Juliet’
Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes penned the script for this newest adaptation of William Shakespeare’s classic Romeo And Juliet which stars Hailee Steinfeld and Douglas Booth as the doomed teenage lovers. Cast also includes Ed Westwick, Paul Giamatti, Natascha McElhone, Stellan Skarsgard, Damian Lewis and Lesley Manville. Carlo Carlei directed. Check out the trailer:



