Search Results for: “Parks & Recreation”

UPFRONTS 2013: The Overachievers

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday May 17, 2013 @ 7:18pm PDTTags: Chuck Lorre, J.J. Abrams, Seth MacFarlane, Upfronts
Nellie Andreeva

First off, congratulations to all writers, producers, actors and agents who landed new series this week. I know it wasn’t easy. Here is Deadline’s annual list of those who excelled at the upfronts. I tried to be inclusive, but if I’ve missed anyone who’s had a banner week, let me know. I’ve also compiled a list of pods and independent producers with multiple broadcast series.

Cougar Town co-creator Bill Lawrence and his Doozer banner had three new series unveiled at the upfronts this week: comedies Undateable on NBC, Surviving Jack on Fox and Ground Floor on TBS. Also, TBS recently renewed Cougar Town for a fifth season.

Related: 2013-14 Schedule Grid & Top Face-Offs

J.J. Abrams‘ Bad Robot claimed one of the top new drama series last season with NBC’s Revolution and one of the hottest sophomore shows with CBS’ Person Of Interest. The company is keeping the momentum with two new series orders for next season: Almost Human at Fox and Believe at NBC.

Independent producer Aaron Kaplan of Kapital Entertainment received two new series orders from the broadcast networks: Back In The Game at ABC and Friends With Better Lives at CBS. Additionally, his freshman ABC comedy The Neighbors was renewed and his ABC pilot Bad Management is in serious contention for a series pickup. Kaplan also received two cable series orders in the past month, for Chasing Life on ABC Family and Instant Mom on NickMom, and also has comedy series Wendell & Vinnie on Nick at Nite and pilot HR at Lifetime.

Writer-producer Julie Plec also landed two new series this week, both at the CW: She wrote/executive produces the planted Vampire Diaries spinoff The Originals and executive produces The Tomorrow People. Additionally, she executive produces TVD, giving her three series on the air next season. (Fellow Tomorrow People executive producer Greg Berlanti has two, including returning CW hit Arrow.)

Another drama writer-producer, former ER showrunner David Zabel, saw both of his pilots picked up. He is the writer/exec producer on ABC’s Betrayal and co-writer/exec producer on ABC’s Lucky 7. Read More »

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2013-14 ABC Schedule

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday May 14, 2013 @ 9:03am PDT

ABC FALL 2013-2014 SCHEDULE
(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET/PT)

MONDAY
8 PM – Dancing With The Stars
10 PM – Castle

TUESDAY
8 PM – MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
9 PM – THE GOLDBERGS
9:30 PM – TROPHY WIFE
10 PM – LUCKY 7

WEDNESDAY
8 PM – The Middle
8:30 PM – BACK IN THE GAME
9 PM – Modern Family
9:30 PM – SUPER FUN NIGHT
10 PM – Nashville

THURSDAY
8 PM – ONCE UPON A TIME IN WONDERLAND
9 PM – Grey’s Anatomy
10 PM – Scandal

FRIDAY
8 PM – Last Man Standing
8:30 PM – The Neighbors
9 PM – Shark Tank
10 PM – 20/20

SATURDAY
8 PM – Saturday Night College Football

SUNDAY
7 PM – America’s Funniest Home Videos
8 PM – Once Upon A Time
9 PM – Revenge
10 PM – BETRAYAL

2013-2014 NEW SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Dramas

Betrayal — A chance meeting between photographer Sara Hadley (Hannah Ware) and Attorney Jack McAllister (Stuart Townsend) leads to an instant and undeniable attraction. Sarah’s husband, Drew (Chris Johnson), is a successful prosecutor with political aspirations, while Jack is married to Elaine (Wendy Moniz), the daughter of his boss, Thacher Karsten (James Cromwell). When Karsten’s brother-in-law Lou is murdered, all evidence points to Karsten’s son, T.J. (Henry Thomas). Jack, the company’s lead counsel, will have to defend him, but for Sara’s prosecutor husband, Drew, this is the kind of high-profile murder case that can secure his political future. Just as Sara and Jack’s affair is starting, the lovers find themselves in an impossible situation — on opposite sides of a murder investigation. “Betrayal” stars Hannah Ware (“Shame,” “Boss”) as Sara, Stuart Townsend (“The … Read More »

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ABC 2013-14 Schedule: Rebel Wilson Gets Post-‘Modern Family’ Slot, ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ On Tuesday, ‘Dancing’ Shrinks To One Night

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday May 14, 2013 @ 9:00am PDTTags: ABC, Dancing With The Stars, Super Fun Night
Nellie Andreeva

ABC is launching eight new series in the fall and taking some big swings, including a Tuesday lineup of all-new series, anchored by Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Rebel Wilson’s hot streak continues, with the rising star landing the post-Modern Family slot for her comedy Super Fun Night. ABC is looking to stem Dancing With The Stars‘ ratings decline by eliminating the Tuesday edition, with the Monday 8-10 PM show incorporating both performances and results. Dancing, as well as The Bachelor, Shark Tank and The Taste have been formally renewed for next season. Here is ABC’s fall schedule, analysis and descriptions of all 13 new series for next season, including newly picked up adventure reality series The Quest from The Amazing Race creators Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri:

Related: ABC To Air Some Dramas In Two Batches Of 12 Episodes

ABC FALL 2013-2014 SCHEDULE
(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET/PT)

MONDAY
8 PM – Dancing With The Stars
10 PM – Castle

TUESDAY
8 PM – MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
9 PM – THE GOLDBERGS
9:30 PM – TROPHY WIFE
10 PM – LUCKY 7

WEDNESDAY
8 PM – The Middle
8:30 PM – BACK IN THE GAME
9 PM – Modern Family
9:30 PM – SUPER FUN NIGHT
10 PM – Nashville

THURSDAY
8 PM – ONCE UPON A TIME IN WONDERLAND
9 PM – Grey’s Anatomy
10 PM – Scandal

FRIDAY
8 PM – Last Man Standing
8:30 PM – The Neighbors
9 PM – Shark Tank
10 PM – 20/20

SATURDAY
8 PM – Saturday Night College Football

SUNDAY
7 PM – America’s Funniest Home Videos
8 PM – Once Upon A Time
9 PM – Revenge
10 PM – BETRAYAL

From ABC’s returning series, left off the schedule are comedy Suburgatory and reality series The Bachelor, which comes on in midseason, and The Taste.

Read More »

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2013-14 NBC Schedule

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Monday May 13, 2013 @ 3:31pm PDT

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 »

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2013-14 Fox Schedule

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Monday May 13, 2013 @ 5:08am PDT

FOX FALL 2013-2014 SCHEDULE
(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET/PT)

MONDAY
8-9 PM Bones (fall) / ALMOST HUMAN (late fall)
9-10 PM SLEEPY HOLLOW (fall) / The Following (midseason)

TUESDAY
8-8:30 PM DADS
8:30-9 PM BROOKLYN NINE-NINE
9-9:30 PM New Girl
9:30-10 PM The Mindy Project

WEDNESDAY
8-10 PM The X Factor (fall) / American Idol (midseason)

THURSDAY
8-9 PM The X Factor Results (fall) / American Idol Results (midseason)
9-10 PM Glee (fall) / RAKE (midseason)

FRIDAY
8-9 PM JUNIOR MASTERCHEF (wt) (fall)
9-10 PM SLEEPY HOLLOW encores (fall)

Late Fall:
8-9 PM Bones
9-9:30 PM Raising Hope (late fall)
9:30-10 PM ENLISTED (new; late fall)

SATURDAY
7-10:30 PM Fox Sports Saturday
11 PM-12:30 AM ANIMATION DOMINATION HIGH-DEF

SUNDAY
7-7:30 PM NFL Game (fall)
7:30-8 PM The OT (fall)
8-8:30 PM The Simpsons
8:30-9:00 PM Bob’s Burgers
9:00-9:30 PM Family Guy
9:30-10 PM American Dad

Schedule TBAs: GANG RELATED, SURVIVING JACK, US & THEM, MURDER POLICE

2013-2014 NEW SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

New Comedies — Fall

Brooklyn Nine-Nine — From Emmy Award-winning writer/producers Dan Goor and Michael Schur (“Parks and Recreation”), and starring Emmy Award winners Andy Samberg (“Saturday Night Live”) and Andre Braugher (“Men of a Certain Age,” “Homicide: Life on the Street”), BROOKLYN NINE-NINE is a new single-camera ensemble comedy about what happens when a talented, but carefree, detective gets a new captain with a lot to prove. Detective JAKE PERALTA (Samberg) is a good enough cop that he’s never had to work that hard or follow the rules too closely. Perhaps because he has the best arrest record among his colleagues, he’s been enabled – if not … Read More »

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Fox 2013-14 Schedule: Comedy Block And ‘Bones’ On Friday, ‘Sleepy Hollow’ Monday

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday May 13, 2013 @ 5:00am PDTTags: Fox
Nellie Andreeva

Male-friendly new comedy and drama series dominate Fox‘s new series picks. Fox is launching six new series in the fall — comedies Dads, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Enlisted and dramas, Sleepy Hollow and Almost Human — and one reality series, Junior Masterchef. Midseason will be as important with six new shows slated to unspool then: comedies Surviving Jack, Us & Them and animated Murder Police, dramas Rake and Gang Related and event series Wayward Pines, from M. Night Shyamalan. Without further ado, here is Fox’s 2013-14 schedule, with analysis and new show descriptions below it:

FOX FALL 2013-2014 SCHEDULE
(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET/PT)

MONDAY
8-9 PM Bones (fall) / ALMOST HUMAN (late fall)
9-10 PM SLEEPY HOLLOW (fall) / The Following (midseason)

TUESDAY
8-8:30 PM DADS
8:30-9 PM BROOKLYN NINE-NINE
9-9:30 PM New Girl
9:30-10 PM The Mindy Project

WEDNESDAY
8-10 PM The X Factor (fall) / American Idol (midseason)

THURSDAY
8-9 PM The X Factor Results (fall) / American Idol Results (midseason)
9-10 PM Glee (fall) / RAKE (midseason)

FRIDAY
8-9 PM JUNIOR MASTERCHEF (wt) (fall)
9-10 PM SLEEPY HOLLOW encores (fall)

Late Fall:
8-9 PM Bones
9-9:30 PM Raising Hope (late fall)
9:30-10 PM ENLISTED (new; late fall)

SATURDAY
7-10:30 PM Fox Sports Saturday
11 PM-12:30 AM ANIMATION DOMINATION HIGH-DEF

SUNDAY
7-7:30 PM NFL Game (fall)
7:30-8 PM The OT (fall)
8-8:30 PM The Simpsons
8:30-9:00 PM Bob’s Burgers
9:00-9:30 PM Family Guy
9:30-10 PM American Dad Read More »

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NBC’s 2013-14 Schedule: ‘Revolution’ Moves To Wednesday, ‘Parenthood’ To Thursday, ‘Blacklist’ Gets Post ‘Voice’ Slot

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Sunday May 12, 2013 @ 2:15pm PDTTags: NBC, Parenthood, Revolution, The Blacklist
Nellie Andreeva

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 »

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UPFRONTS 2013: NBC’s Scheduling Challenges

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Saturday May 11, 2013 @ 5:51pm PDTTags: Big Deals TV, Community, NBC, Parks & Recreation, TV Pilots
Nellie Andreeva

NBC faces the task of scheduling six new comedies for next season with only two returning half-hour series: Community, which received an eleventh-hour 13-episode renewal, and Parks & Recreation. The network may just have the right man for the job. This is head of scheduling Jeff Bader‘s first turn at bat after moving to NBC last summer. As a long-time scheduling topper at ABC, he was presented with a similar challenge four years ago when the network picked up five new comedy series and returned two. Like Parks & Rec and Community, those two returning comedies, Scrubs and Better Off Ted, were quirky cult shows and not anchors that could launch new series. What Bader and ABC brass did back then was let Scrubs and Ted be, pairing them together for what became both series’ final season. Then they took four new comedies and launched a new two-hour comedy block on Wednesday. It worked – three of the four comedies are still on the air: Modern Family and The Middle on ABC and Cougar Town on TBS. (The fourth, Hank, was quickly cancelled.)

Bader may take a similar approach at NBC. Like at ABC in 2009, the two returning NBC comedies are workplace, while most of the new series are family or family-esque (Michael J. Fox, Welcome To The Family, The Family Guide, Sean Saves The World, About A Boy). Coincidentally, the last new comedy series this year, Undateable, is a multi-camera show about dating, which was also the case at ABC in 2009 with Romantically Challenged, which was scheduled behind Dancing With The Stars. Read More »

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UPFRONTS 2013: The Big Comedy Reboot

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Saturday May 11, 2013 @ 2:46pm PDTTags: Comedy Pilots, TV Pilots
Nellie Andreeva

Clues had been coming in for the past couple of weeks. After last fall failed to produce a single breakout new comedy series, the networks stepped up their comedy development efforts. That resulted in a glut of hot comedy pilots that made network executives giddy. It was clear that, with the nets fawning over their comedy development, they would likely bet heavily on new half-hour series. But they went further — an almost complete redo of last season on the comedy side, as if it never happened. Out of 16 new comedies picked up last May, only one, Fox‘s The Mindy Project, has been renewed. Another one, ABC‘s The Neighbors, is expected to join it after a deal is completed. Compare that to 7 freshman half-hour series who made it to Year 2 last May.

So far, 19 new comedy series have been picked up for next season by the broadcast networks. One to two more will likely be added by Monday, with NBC‘s Craig Robinson and CBS‘ Friends with Better Lives among those talked about. (Fox’s To My Assistant and NBC’s Assistance also have a shot down the road after possible retool.)  Not surprisingly, NBC leads the pack with 6 half-hour series already ordered. With The Office leaving, NBC pretty much wiped the slate clean, only bringing back Parks & … Read More »

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NBC’s ‘The New Normal’ Cancelled

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday May 10, 2013 @ 5:54pm PDTTags: NBC, Ryan Murphy, The New Normal
Nellie Andreeva

The last piece has fallen into NBC‘s comedy puzzle, with the network canceling Ryan Murphy‘s freshman comedy The New Normal. To recap, of all current NBC comedy series, only two, Parks & Recreation and Community, made it to next season as the network is betting heavily on its half-hour pilots. The New Normal has garnered a lot of attention (and some controversy) with its subject of a gay couple having a baby. It recently won a GLAAD Award but largely failed to gain traction with viewers.

Related: NBC & Sony Make Deal: ‘Blacklist’, ‘Night Shift’, ‘Welcome To The Family’ All Picked Up, ‘Community’ Renewed

Related: NBC Pilot Update: Projects That Are Not Going Forward Get Notified

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NBC Pickups Update: ‘Chicago Fire’ Spinoff, ‘Ironside’, ‘Undateable’ Ordered

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday May 10, 2013 @ 11:05am PDTTags: Ironside, NBC, Undateable
Nellie Andreeva

Refresh for latest…

2ND UPDATE 11:05 AM: The Chicago Fire franchise is expanding on NBC as the network has picked up Chicago PD, a spinoff from Chicago Fire, to series. That brings Dick Wolf’s series on NBC next season to 3, including the recently renewed Law & Order: SVU and Chicago Fire. Chicago PD originated as a back-door pilot in the first season finale of Chicago Fire. We’re still waiting for the resolution of the NBC-Sony TV negotiations that involve three pilots in contention, dramas Blacklist and Night Shift and comedy Welcome To The Family, as well as bubble comedy Community.

UPDATE, 9:54 AM: Also getting a pickup is drama Ironside, a reboot of the 1967 series, with Blair Underwood in the title role. Ken Sanzel is in negotiations to serve as showrunner on the project, written/exec produced by Mike Caleo. Universal TV is the studio.

Related: NBC Pickups: Sean Hayes, DJ Nash, ‘Crisis’, ‘About A Boy’, ‘Believe’

PREVIOUS, 9:35 AM: I’ve learned that NBC has kicked off the second day of new series pickups with an order to the Bill Lawrence-produced comedy Undateable, written by Adam Sztykiel. It stars Chris D’Elia, who became officially available yesterday when NBC cancelled Whitney. This marks the second pickup for Lawrence, who also is producing new Fox comedy series Surviving Jack, and the second new series at NBC for Warner Bros., which also has J.J. Abrams’ Believe.

Here are the network’s descriptions of the new series: Read More »

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RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Idol’ & ‘Office’ Rise, ‘Scandal’ Hits Series High, ‘Glee’ & ‘Two Men’ Finales Down, ‘Community’ Finale Even

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Friday May 10, 2013 @ 9:05am PDTTags: American Idol, Community, Glee, Scandal, TV Ratings

There was big drama both on and off the stage for American Idol (2.8/9) last night after longtime judge Randy Jackson announced he was leaving earlier in the day and the finalists were voted down to the final two. Now Kree Harrison and Candice Glover will face off in next week’s Season 12 finale along with, according to Ryan Seacrest, a “surprise duet” performance featuring Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert. Coming off a string of all-time lows, Idol was up last night from last week’s results show. The Fox series rose 12% from its May 2 fast nationals and 8% from last week’s final numbers. ABC’s Scandal (3.2/9), meanwhile, surged up 23% from its May 2 show to not only beat Idol again in the key demo in fast nationals but also hit a series high for the political drama.

Related: Seacrest Jokes With Jackson On-Air About ‘Idol’ Departure Read More »

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UPDATE: NBC’s ‘Guys With Kids’, ‘Up All Night’, ‘Whitney’ & ’1600 Penn’ Cancelled, ‘Parks & Recreation’ Renewed

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 9, 2013 @ 2:45pm PDTTags: 1600 Penn, Big Deals TV, NBC, Parks and Recreation, Whitney
Nellie Andreeva

2ND UPDATE, 2:45 PM: More cleanup at NBC. Freshman comedy Guys With Kids and sophomore Up All Night also are gone. It comes down to Go On, The New Normal and Community on the comedy side, on which NBC is yet to make a decision… Hannibal looks promising on the drama side, and people are cautiously optimistic about Community among half-hours. The cancellation of both Whitney and Guys With Kids means that NBC won’t have an existing multi-camera companion for the only multi-cam new comedy series it has picked up so far, Sean Saves The World. It may be paired with another multi-cam comedy project that is awaiting word on a pickup, pilot Undateable. As for Up All Night, the cancellation is a formality as the series died when the plan to convert it from a single- to multi-camera format fell apart. The axing gives CBS the free and clear to pickup its untitled Greg Garcia comedy pilot, starring Up All Night‘s Will Arnett, to series.

Related: NBC’s New Series Pickups

UPDATE, 1Whitney Cancelled NBC:58 PM: The axe has begun to fall on NBC’s bubble comedies: Whitney and 1600 Penn. The cancellation of Whitney frees up two comedy pilots to get series orders — NBC’s Undateable, which stars Whitney‘s Chris D’Elia, and CBS’ Friends With Better Lives, which stars Zoe Lister Jones. Whitney has been a lightning rod since its launch, drawing polarizing reactions and getting mostly panned by critics. It started off OK in the ratings last season but gradually fizzled. It returned late last fall and did decent business on Wednesday but its long-term prospects remained dim. Not much to say about freshman 1600 Penn, whose cancellation was a mere formality after a dismal midseason run. Read More »

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NBC New Series Pickups: Sean Hayes, DJ Nash, ‘Crisis’, ‘About A Boy’, ‘Believe’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 9, 2013 @ 10:13am PDTTags: About A Boy, Believe, Crisis, NBC
Nellie Andreeva

2ND UPDATE: Joining the group of newly picked up NBC series is DJ Nash comedy The Family Guide. This is it for NBC’s first batch of new series pickups. Waiting word are several top contenders, including Sony’s drama Blacklist and comedy Welcome To The Family.

Related: ‘Whitney’ & ’1600 Penn’ Cancelled, ‘Parks & Rec’ Renewed

UPDATE, 10:15 AM: Also picked up are the Sean Hayes/Victor Fresco comedy, titled Sean Saves The World, and J.J. Abrams’ drama Believe. That means two series each on NBC next season for Hayes/Hazy Mills and Abrams/Bad Robot, who also executive produce the recently renewed Grimm and Revolution, respectively.

PREVIOUS, 10:13 AM: After cleaning up house yesterday, passing on seven pilots, NBC just started handing out their new series orders. Rand Ravich’s drama Crisis and Jason Katims’ comedy About A Boy were among the first to get the happy call. Like Hayes and Abrams, Katims too will be pulling double duty on NBC next season as his Parenthood also has been renewed. About A Boy stars the little boy from 1600 Penn, so in case anyone was wondering, that series is dead. NBC, of course also has the Michael J. Fox comedy series with a 22-episode order. I’ll keep updating with pickup information as it comes in.

Related: Full Primetime Pilot Panic Listings

Here are credits and descriptions for NBC’s newly picked-up series: Read More »

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Fox Picks Up Andy Samberg & Chris Meloni Comedies, ‘Us & Them’ And ‘Enlisted’, Almost Doubles New Series Volume

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday May 8, 2013 @ 7:15pm PDTTags: Andy Samberg, Big Deals TV, Chris Meloni, Fox, TV Pilots
Nellie Andreeva

Having just ordered its new drama series for next season, Fox also has made its comedy pickups, ordering four new shows in addition to the previously ordered Dads, executive produced by Seth MacFarlane. They are the Andy Samberg starrer, now titled Brooklyn Nine-Nine; Surviving Jack starring Chris Meloni; Enlisted starring Geoff Stults; and Us And Them starring Jason Ritter and Alexis Bledel. All have received 13-episode pickups. Additionally, the order for the Seth Green-Giovanni Ribisi starrer Dads, originally for 6 episodes, has been upped to 13. The new comedies join newly picked-up dramas Rake, Gang Related, Sleepy Hollow, and Almost Human. That is five new comedy series and four dramas, almost double the number of new scripted series Fox picked up last year (three comedies, two dramas). With American Idol on its last legs, the network clearly is stocking up on the scripted side and expanding its push in live-action comedy. Studio-wise, four of the new shows came from Fox sibling 20th TV, two each from Warner Bros and Sony and one from Universal TV.

Fox’s four new half-hour series choices came out of the five half-hour pilots that had been in contention from the get-go. Over the past week or so, the fifth, To My Future Assistant, began to fade as I hear it came in below exceptions. Meanwhile, Surviving Jack (formerly I Suck At Girls) has been steadily rising, buoyed by what I hear were stellar testing results for Meloni. The former Law & Order: SVU star originally turned down the project, and it took a lot of effort on the part of the producers to get him to do it. It was all worth it as the actor helped secure the pilot a series pickup. Also playing in the pilot’s favor is the fact that Surviving Jack comes from veteran comedy showrunner Bill Lawrence. It is shaping up to be a strong pickup season for Lawrence, whose NBC comedy pilot Undateable also looks very good to get a series order, along with Second Floor on TBS. Fun fact: Fox is reuniting Cougar Town co-creators Lawrence and Kevin Biegel, who is behind another newly picked-up comedy series, Enlisted.

With the pickups, Fox has a total of eight new and returning comedy series on tap for next season. Four of them are guy half-hours — cop show Brooklyn Nine-Nine (formerly Schur/Goor), Army comedy Enlisted, Dads and Surviving Jack — and female/family series New Girl, The Mindy Project, Raising Hope and Us And Them. While Us And Them, about a couple navigating their family and friends, would fit seamlessly into Fox’s existing Tuesday comedy block, it is unclear what the network would do with its guy shows, which could stand on their own as a block or get scheduled around Fox’s male-skewing Sunday animated comedies. Fox’s comedy pilots that didn’t make the cut are Assistant, Two Wrongs and The Gabriels. Overall, Fox didn’t throw curve balls in its series orders this season, largely sticking with pilots that had emerged as frontrunners. Here are descriptions of Fox’s new comedy series along with first-glimpse photos:

Related: PRIMETIME PILOT PANIC: Rumor Mill

Related: Fox Picks Up Dramas ‘Rake’, ‘Gang Related’, ‘Sleepy Hollow’ And ‘Almost Human’
Read More »

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TV Weekly Warfare: CBS Ties Fox In Demo, Wins Viewers As ‘NCIS’ & ‘Big Bang Theory’ Top Show Rankings

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Tuesday May 7, 2013 @ 5:19pm PDTTags: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, TV Ratings

The first full week of the May sweep saw Fox’s supremacy at the top of the weekly network demographic heap come to an end. After two weeks in second place, CBS moved up to tie the News Corp-owned broadcaster in adults 18-49. For Week 32 of the 2012-13 TV season, both Fox and CBS received a 1.9/6 in the key demo, according to Nielsen. That’s even with the last two weeks for Fox, and a lift up from the previous frame’s 1.7/5 for CBS. It’s actually kind of a win and a half for CBS for the April 29-May 5 frame as it took the No. 1 viewership spot for a ninth week in a row with 9.128 million watching. Pushing NBC’s The Voice into second place, CBS also had the top show last week in the demo with May 2’s The Big Bang Theory (4.9). April 29 and April 30’s The Voice came in second and third with 4.3 and 3.9, respectively, in the demo. After moving The Voice out of the top viewership spot the previous week, another new NCIS easily held on for another week with 18.289 million viewers for its April 30 broadcast. In fact, besides ABC’s April 29 Dancing With The Stars taking third place among viewers for the frame, CBS had the top five most-watched shows in Week 32.

CBS boss Les Moonves told CNBC last week that the network was feeling “pretty cocky” about their ratings and viewership results this season. That’s understandable: As I pointed out a few weeks back, it seems pretty certain that CBS will see yet another viewership win this year and that it will also end Fox’s almost decade-long hold on the demo title. With just a couple of weeks left in the season, CBS will win 18-49 for the first time since George H. W. Bush was President — the 1991-1992 season. With the Winter Olympics on the network that year, CBS finished with a 7.8 in the demo, with ABC close behind with a 7.7. As the loquacious Moonves and others at CBS will undoubtedly brag about during the upfronts next week, this season will see CBS become the first network to simultaneously top viewership and the key demo since Fox held the twin prize back in 2007-2008, the year of the writers’ strike. It should also be noted that the duel win five years ago for Fox was during a season when American Idol was a ratings Goliath and the network had both Super Bowl XLII and NFC Championship Game. Along with its robust dramas and slam-dunkers like BBT, CBS had the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl XLVIII this season. Before anyone uses the word “streak,” let’s not forget Fox has the Super Bowl in February 2014, with NBC broadcasting the big game in 2015 before CBS gets it again in 2016.

Related: Pilot Season: The Rise Of The Limited Series Read More »

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Jennifer Lopez To Perform On May 16 ‘Idol’ Finale As Fox Chases Her For Next Year; Mariah Carey Blames Network & Producers For “Perpetuating” Nicki Minaj Feud

By NIKKI FINKE AND DOMINIC PATTEN | Monday May 6, 2013 @ 2:27pm PDTTags: American Idol, Big Deals TV, Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon, Nicki Minaj

UPDATE (new Jennifer Lopez details below): American Idol’s Mariah Carey is one unhappy diva because of the drama between her and fellow judge Nicki Minaj, according to Carey’s husband Nick Cannon. “She didn’t sign up for that,” he said today to LA’s KTLA-TV morning show host Sam Rubin (video below). On air, Cannon accused “someone behind the scenes perpetuating” the conflict. Once the camera was off, Cannon blamed Fox Alternative Entertainment chief Mike Darnell for bringing Minaj onto the show. “No one thought it was a good idea then and no one thinks it is a good idea now,” Cannon said. (See related Falling ‘Idol’ Fuels New Mariah-Minaj Feud.)

Meanwhile Deadline has learned new details about Idol and Jennifer Lopez. The singer will use Season 12′s May 16th finale to debut her new single Live It Up from her 8th album. It is being released through producer RedOne’s 2101 label that is distributed by Capitol Music which signed her to a big new record deal. Also Fox is desperate to bring back Jennifer Lopez to the show next year after its feeble attempt to replace Mariah with J-Lo on Idol didn’t go anywhere. An insider tells Deadline’s Nikki Finke about Lopez: ”Fox is chasing her. They want her back. She has not made her mind up about it. She is on the fence. They wanted her to replace Mariah. There was no way she was going to do that. They started talking to her hard about next year. She really liked doing it but big question if she should do it again.”

Related: ‘American Idol’ Briefly Considered Replacing Mariah Carey With Jennifer Lopez

Cannon was doing publicity for his own show, America’s Got Talent, which he hosts again starting June 4th. Today he also raised doubts that Carey would be coming back to the once-dominant show next year if asked. “If they get it stable she might relook at it, but she doesn’t want to be a part of anything unstable,” he told KTLA’s Sam Rubin. This season has set record lows.

Here’s Cannon’s KTLA appearance:

Cannon today also said Carey predicted problems between Minaj and her before the two were even brought on board as new judges this season. Read More »

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UPDATE: RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Idol’ Still Low But Viewership Up In Finals; ‘Big Bang Theory’, ‘Parks & Recreation’ Finale, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ & ‘Two & A Half Men’ Rise

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Friday May 3, 2013 @ 3:14pm PDTTags: American Idol, Parks and Recreation, Scandal, TV Ratings, Wife Swap

UPDATE, 3:14 PM: The final results are in and American Idol has adjusted up in the numbers. While the 2.6/9 rating (up from the 2.5/8 of fast nationals earlier today) is still a new all-time low for regularly scheduled show in the Fox series, the rise in viewership does offer some good news. Idol’s total viewership went up to 11.3 million in the final numbers. Unlike the indication from this morning’s fast nationals, the final number now show that the show has not hit its lowest viewership since August 2002. Today’s final numbers match the final numbers for the two-hour May 2 Idol broadcast. The highest rated and most watched show of the night earlier and still now, CBS’s Big Bang Theory went up in final numbers. The sitcom was up three tenths to a 4.9/17 from its 4.6/16 of fast nationals. That’s up 4% from last week’s finals. BBT was also up to 16.29 million viewers from the 15.69 million of preliminary numbers. While down 6% from last year’s finale in final numbers, last night’s Parks and Recreation season ender was up 23% in the finals from the week before with a 1.6/4. Hannibal, The Vampire Diaries, Grey’s Anatomy, Glee and Two And A Half Men were all adjusted up a tenth in the final numbers.

PREVIOUSLY, 9:12 AM: A full week into the May sweep, there was almost nowhere to go but up for most shows last night after the lows and the NFL Draft last Thursday. That however ended up not being the case for everyone, and especially not for American Idol (2.5/8). There wasn’t any more bickering between judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj, but Idol still fell to a new regularly scheduled show low. Even though the episode pulled out all the stops on “throwback Thursday,” as Ryan Seacrest called it, Idol still was down more than the previous all-time adults 18-49 low of last week. The show dipped 7% from April 25’s fast nationals and 11% from last week’s final numbers. Fox’s long-running competition series slipped 4% in viewership from last week to 11.0 million, the lowest viewership the series has seen since August 7, 2002 — during its first season. Following Idol, a a Stevie Wonder-themed Glee (1.8/5) was even with last week.

Related: Falling ‘Idol’ Fuels New Mariah-Minaj Feud Read More »

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PRIMETIME PILOT PANIC: The Latest Buzz

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Sunday April 28, 2013 @ 4:54pm PDTTags: Primetime Pilots, TV Pilots
Nellie Andreeva

It’s pilot screening time. CBS just started viewing its pilots, with the other networks slated to follow over the next few days. Feedback from the screenings and extensive focus group testing inform the networks’ series pickup decisions and are capable of catapulting a pilot from an also-run to frontrunner status overnight, as it happened with CBS’ Blue Bloods three years ago. Here is what I hear as of this weekend, with information still missing on a few late pilots.

Related: Complete Primetime Panic Pilot Listings

Drama Lucky 7 may live up to its name. The blue-collar ensemble about gas station employees who win the lottery seemed a little off brand for ABC and its glitzy dramas. But I hear the project based on a British format, which hadn’t drawn much attention, came in above expectations, making it a contender in what’s shaping to be a very tight race. It’s tight because two slots have already been penciled in for Marvel‘s S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Once Upon A Time spinoff, whose early footage I hear ABC brass liked. Also boosted by corporate synergy is major contender Big Thunder, based on the Disney ride. Word is ABC may choose one of its two soapy pilots, Westside and Betrayal, with Westside having the edge at the moment. (However, Betrayal‘s David Zabel has two irons in the fire as he is also behind Lucky 7.) The gothic soap Gothica has cooled off a bit while high-concept The Returned, about deceased coming back to life as their old selves, is heating up after another great pilot directing performance by Charles McDougall who, in his typical fashion went over on filming days (by 4 I hear) but delivered a strong pilot. Among the character procedurals, Murder In Manhattan, Doubt, Killer Women and Influence all seem in the mix. Read More »

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