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Season Finale Of CBS’ ‘Mike & Molly’ Pulled Over Tornado Storyline

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday May 20, 2013 @ 4:42pm PDTTags: CBS, Mike & Molly
Nellie Andreeva

Mike & MollyCBS has pulled tonight’s Mike & Molly third-season finale out of sensitivity to the victims of the devastating tornado in Oklahoma. Titled Windy City, the season finale features Mike and Molly confessing important news to each other as a tornado descends on Chicago. The episode will be replaced by a rerun tonight and broadcast at a later time. Mike & Molly is not on the fall schedule but has been picked up for a 22-episode fourth season.

Related: NBC To Air Tornado Special In Tuesday’s ‘Voice’ Recap Slot

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‘Mike & Molly’ Creator Mark Roberts To Exit, Al Higgins Upped To EP & Showrunner

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday May 17, 2013 @ 5:30pm PDTTags: Al Higgins, CBS, Mark Roberts, Mike & Molly
Nellie Andreeva

Mark Roberts, the creator of Mike & Molly, will be leaving the CBS comedy series, which was recently renewed for a fourth season. Roberts “will be stepping down from his showrunner and executive producer roles … Read More »

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FX Lands Off-Net Rights To ‘Mike & Molly’ For Bargain Basement Price Of $750,000

By NIKKI FINKE AND NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday July 4, 2012 @ 12:35am PDTTags: Big Deals TV, FX, Mike & Molly, Warner Bros. TV

WEDNESDAY 12:30 AM UPDATE: Insiders tell Deadline that FX as recently as last week wasn’t even going after the off-network cable syndication rights to the CBS comedy Mike & Molly from Warner Bros Domestic Television Distribution. … Read More »

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UPDATE: TBS Lands ’2 Broke Girls’ Off-Net Rights For Record $1.7 Million; CBS Stations Pick Up ’2 Broke Girls’ And ‘Mike & Molly’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday June 20, 2012 @ 9:00am PDTTags: 2 Broke Girls, Big Deals TV, CBS, Mike & Molly, TBS
Nellie Andreeva

UPDATED: A week after the deadline for bids on Warner Bros. comedy series 2 Broke Girls, the hot CBS freshman has found a buyer in TBS in a deal that sources said is setting a new cable record for an off-network sale. I hear the license fee is a record-setting $1.7 million per episode, eclipsing the previous record of $1.5 million an episode set by The Big Bang Theory, which also went to TBS. (Modern Family was sold for close to that to USA in 2010.) Additionally, CBS TV Stations has acquired both 2 Broke Girls and the other comedy series Warner Bros has been shopping, sophomore Mike & Molly, for debuts in 2015 and 2014, respectively. Final cable bids for Mike & Molly are due tonight, with a sale expected next week. Warner Bros. TV Distribution took out 2 Broke Girls and Mike & Molly early in part to secure station sales before another multi-camera sitcom, Charlie Sheen’s Anger Management, hits the marketplace. The latter has been aggressively promoting its availability to stations in face of competition from 2 Broke Girls and Mike & Molly.

The high price for 2 Broke Girls at TBS stems from the scarcity of marquee multi-camera sitcoms for basic cable networks to acquire. TBS, a sibling of Warner Bros, is riding high on the ratings success of another young-skewing CBS/Warner Bros off-network comedy acquisition, The Big Bang Theory, the No. 1 sitcom on basic cable, and word is the network was very aggressive in pursuing 2 Broke Girls, which was put on the market after only one season. It will join TBS’ lineup in 2015. “When 2 Broke Girls premiered last fall, it immediately found its audience and appeared to us to be a perfect fit for TBS,” said TNT and TBS programming head Michael Wright. “We believe 2 Broke Girls is poised to enjoy a long, successful run, and we look forward to adding it to the TBS lineup.” Read More »

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EMMYS: Chuck Lorre Of ‘Two And A Half Men’, ‘The Big Bang Theory’, ‘Mike & Molly’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Saturday June 16, 2012 @ 4:34pm PDTTags: Awardsline, Chuck Lorre, Emmys, Mike & Molly, The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men
Mike Fleming

Boardwalk EmpireChuck Lorre has experienced the lows and highs of network TV situation comedies, from the challenging situation with Grace Under Fire (1993-98) and Cybill (1995-98) to his current status as co-creator and driving force behind a trio of CBS comedies: Two And A Half Men, The Big Bang Theory and Mike & Molly. It doesn’t sound like it’s gone according to any kind of plan, and in fact that’s the case, as the sometimes fiery, always funny, veteran showrunner makes clear. If he deserves at least a humanitarian Emmy for surviving the ordeal of Two And A Half Men star Charlie Sheen’s three-and-a-half men meltdown the previous season, he’s been in the game long enough not to expect much.

AWARDSLINE: Let’s start with Two And A Half Men. Why was it important to you to keep it on the air even after part of that eighth season got scratched?
CHUCK LORRE: It wasn’t simply my decision. There were a lot of people involved and so forth. Including, you know, you’ve got Warner Bros. who had a Chuck Lorregreat deal with it, economically, at stake. But by and large there was a family of people that had worked together for eight years and a lot of people were counting on the show continuing for a number of reasons. One was it was a livelihood for a lot of people and we had a great time on it and had a lot of fun doing the show all the time. Read More »

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Melissa McCarthy Says ‘Bridesmaids’ Sequel Without Kristen Wiig Is “Terrible Idea”

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday January 11, 2012 @ 11:17am PSTTags: Bridesmaids, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly

Ray Richmond is contributing to Deadline’s TCA coverage.

Melissa McCarthy continued to deny that there is any plan at present to go ahead with a film sequel to the feature smash Bridesmaids without co-star and co-writer Kristen Wiig. Appearing in Pasadena … Read More »

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Ratings Rat Race: ‘Hawaii’, ‘Charlie Brown’ & Country Awards Up; ‘You Deserve It’ Dives

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday December 6, 2011 @ 9:40am PSTTags: 2 Broke Girls, Castle, Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie, Hawaii Five-0, How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly, Ratings Rat Race, Rock Center With Brian Williams, The Sing-Off, TV Ratings, Two and a Half Men, Univision, You Deserve It
Nellie Andreeva

Against mostly atypical competition, CBS’ regular Monday lineup dominated every half-hour in its return to originals last night after a week of repeats. ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, a huge draw among total viewers, sucks out (mostly older) audiences from the competition. As they didn’t face Dancing with originals for the first time this season, CBS’ comedies boosted their viewership. How I Met Your Mother (4.5/12 in adults 18-49, 11.7 million total viewers) was up a tenth in the demo vs. two weeks ago and drew its largest audience with a regularly scheduled episode in almost three years. (since January 12, 2009). Rookie 2 Broke Girls (4.6/11, 12.8 million) was flat in 18-49 and logged its largest audience since the premiere, which followed the Ashton Kutcher debut on Two And A Half Men. Speaking of Men (5.0/12, 15 million), it was down two tenths in 18-49 from its last original, while Mike & Molly (4.2/10, 12.8 million) was even. Men ranked as the top program of the night in 18-49 and total viewers, as did CBS as a network. The net’s wins were solidified by Hawaii Five-0‘s 3.0/8 in 18-49, up 7%, and 10.8 million total viewers. In the 10 PM hour, the CBS procedural easily topped ABC’s Castle (2.0/5, 8 million), which was down 13% from its last original two weeks ago to hit a season low. Castle was hurt by its underwhelming lead-in, new game show You Deserve It (1.0/2), which continued its rapid ratings descent, down 29% from last week. ABC’s best ratings came from the holiday specials in the 8 PM hour: A Charlie Brown Christmas (2.8/8, 9.1 million) was up 8% from last year’s telecast in 18-49, while Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice (2.2/6, 7 million) was even with its premiere last year. Read More »

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RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘You Deserve It’ Off To Soft Start, ‘Rock Center’ Hits Series Low

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday November 22, 2011 @ 9:22am PSTTags: 2 Broke Girls, Castle, Dancing With The Stars Ratings, Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie, Hawaii Five-0, How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly, Rock Center With Brian Williams, Terra Nova, The Sing-Off, You Deserve It
Nellie Andreeva

With Thanksgiving trips and meals on viewers’ minds, watching TV is taking a back seat as most programs last night were down week-to-week. Additionally, ABC’s lineup is headed to a downward adjustment in the finals as its fast nationals … Read More »

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RATINGS RAT RACE: CBS Series & NBC’s ‘Rock Center’ Rise, Fox Dramas Slide

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday November 15, 2011 @ 9:39am PSTTags: 2 Broke Girls, 20/20, Dancing With The Stars, Hawaii Five-0, House, How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly, Monday Night Football, Ratings Rat Race, Rock Center With Brian Williams, Terra Nova, The Sing-Off, TV Ratings, Two and a Half Men
Nellie Andreeva

CBS’ Monday lineup posted across-the-board gains for a second straight week. How I Met Your Mother (4.5/12 in adults 18-49, 10.4 million total viewers) was up a tenth in 18-49 from last Monday, 2 Broke Girls (4.8/12, 11.7 million) was up 7% from its fast national last week to post its best 18-49 rating in the 8:30 PM slot, Two And A Half Men (5.3/12, 14.6 million) was up 4% to once again rank as the top program of the night in 18-49, and Mike & Molly (4.4/10, 12.2 million) was up 5%. Hawaii Five-0 (3.3/8, 11.5 million) flourished without scripted broadcast competition in the 10 PM hour, up 10% in the demo from its fast national last week to post its best demo and total viewer number since the season premiere. Hawaii will likely tie its season-high opener in the finals if it’s adjusted up a tenth as it normally is. CBS (4.2/10, 12 million) easily won the night in 18-49.

NBC’s Rock Center With Brian Williams (1.3/3, 4.5 million) last night boasted the biggest news “get” of the moment, an exclusive interview with former Penn State football coach and accused child molester Jerry Sandusky. The one-on-one with Bob Costas boosted the struggling newsmagazine to its highest rating to date, up 30% from the 1.0 Rock Center posted in its first two weeks. Still, the show was dwarfed in the 10 PM hour by another newsmagazine, ABC’s special edition of 20/20 (2.8/7, 13.4 million) featuring Diane Sawyer’s interview with recovering shooting victim U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, as well as CBS’ Hawaii Five-0. Rock Center also ranked as the lowest-rated program on the Big 4 networks, and its fast national numbers may have been inflated by a local NFL pre-emption in Minneapolis, so an adjustment down is likely. Read More »

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RATINGS RAT RACE: Series Rebound From Halloween Drops, ‘Rock Center’ Stays At 1.0

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday November 8, 2011 @ 9:26am PSTTags: 2 Broke Girls, Castle, Dancing With The Stars, Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie, Hawaii Five-0, House, How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly, Monday Night Football, Ratings Rat Race, Rock Center With Brian Williams, Terra Nova, The Sing-Off, TV Ratings, Two and a Half Men, Univision
Nellie Andreeva

After Halloween festivities pushed TV usage and ratings down last Monday, most series rebounded last night. Fox’s family-friendly Terra Nova (2.6/6 in adults 18-49), which was hit hardest by trick-or-treating, posted the biggest week-to-week gain, 24%. House (2.7/6) was up 8%. (The two dramas also led all series in Live+3 increases for their Halloween episodes, up 48%.) Fox finished third for the night in 18-49.

Topping the night in that demo was CBS (4.0/10 in 18-49, 11.4 million viewers). How I Met Your Mother (4.4/12) and 2 Broke Girls (4.5/11) were both up 7% from their fast nationals last week, Two And A Half Men (5.1/12) was up 9% to rank as the top program of the night in the demo, and Mike & Molly was up 11%. Hawaii Five-0 (3.0/8) was up a tenth from its fast national, flat with the final. Read More »

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RATINGS RAT RACE: NBC’s ‘Rock Center’ Starts Low, ‘Castle’ Up In Sea Of Declines

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday November 1, 2011 @ 8:44am PDTTags: 2 Broke Girls, Castle, Dancing With The Stars, Hawaii Five-0, House, How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly, Monday Night Football, Ratings Rat Race, Rock Center With Brian Williams, Terra Nova, TV Ratings, Two and a Half Men, Univision
Nellie Andreeva

UPDATED: Brian Williams’ new primetime newsmagazine Rock Center appears not to be the answer to NBC’s ratings woes. Halloween played a ratings trick on the new show, which opened with a low 1.0/3 in 18-49 and 4.1 million viewers at 10 PM last night. That is below the average for the canceled The Playboy Club that Rock Center replaced (down 38% in the demo from The Playboy Club premiere last month) and lower than the performance of NBC’s veteran newsmagazine Dateline on the less-trafficked Sunday night. It marked NBC’s lowest Monday debut ever. Rock Center‘s lead-in, The Sing-Off (1.4/4), was down 7% from last week to log its lowest rating ever. NBC (1.2/3, 4.3 million) once again finished fifth on Monday among adults 18-49 behind the other major English-language broadcast networks and Univision. Read More »

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Ratings Rat Race Update: ’2.5 Men’ Reverses Downward Trend As All CBS Comedies Gain

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday October 25, 2011 @ 2:55pm PDTTags: 2 Broke Girls, Castle, Dancing With The Stars, Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie, Hawaii Five-0, How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly, Prime Suspect, Ratings Rat Race, The Sing-Off, TV Ratings, Two and a Half Men, Univision, World Series
Nellie Andreeva

UPDATE 2:45 PM: As expected, most CBS series were adjusted down in the finals after a bump in the fast nationals from a NFL pre-emption in Baltimore. But even with the adjustment, all CBS comedies posted gains vs. last week. The news is especially important for Two And A Half Men, which had been sliding every week since its hugely rated season premiere. Last night, Men logged a 5.5/13 in 18-49, up 4% from last week, and 15.3 million viewers, up 1%. The comedy starring Ashton Kutcher is still comfortably ahead of the performance the same week last fall with leading man Charlie Sheen, up 25% in 18-49. Mike & Molly (4.2/10 in 18-49) was up 8% week-to-week, 2 Broke Girls (4.5/11) was up 2% and How I Met Your Mother (4.3/12) also was up 2%. Hawaii Five-0 (3,1/8) was flat. For the night, CBS (4.1/10) edged Fox (3.9/10) in 18-49. Fox’s coverage of Game 4 of the World Series stretched beyond primetime, averaging a 4.2/11 from 8-11:40 PM. Read More »

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RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Two And A Half Men’ Slides As Most Series Rise, CBS Wins Night

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday October 18, 2011 @ 9:36am PDTTags: 2 Broke Girls, Castle, Dancing With The Stars, Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie, Hawaii Five-0, House, How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly, Ratings Rat Race, Terra Nova, The Sing-Off, TV Ratings, Two and a Half Men, Univision
Nellie Andreeva

Broadcasters largely rebounded last night after being hit by a double whammy last Monday with a big NFL game on ESPN and baseball playoffs bleeding into primetime on Fox. The only series to buck the upward trend was CBS’ Two And A Half Men (5.2/13, 14.9 million), which is still finding the bottom after a blockbuster fall relaunch with new star Ashton Kutcher. The comedy was down 10% from its fast national last week when all CBS series hit season lows (down 12% from the final) but was still the highest-rated program of the night in 18-49. Veteran How I Met Your Mother (4.1/12) continues its rocking seventh season, up two tenths from its fast national last week (a tenth from the final). 2 Broke Girls was up a tenth from the fast national (flat with the final), and Mike & Molly (3.9/9) was also flat with its final last Monday but down a tenth from its fast national. Male-centric 10 PM drama Hawaii Five-0 (3.1/8), which was the hardest hit last Monday with a 19% decline, posted the biggest rebound this week, up 15%. Its time-slot rival, ABC’s Castle (2.6/7), was also up — 8% from its fast national and 24% from the final (the series’ fast nationals are often inflated by Dancing With The Stars overruns, so fast national-to-final comparisons are always skewed). Read More »

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Holly Robinson Peete Books First Gig Since Leaving ‘The Talk’: Arc On CBS Comedy ‘Mike & Molly’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday October 13, 2011 @ 11:40am PDTTags: CBS, Holly Robinson Peete, Mike & Molly, The Talk, TV Casting
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: No hard feelings? Two months after her surprising ouster from CBS’ daytime show The Talk, Holly Robinson Peete is returning to the network for her first major post-Talk gig: a multiple-episode arc on CBS’ sophomore comedy Mike & Molly. … Read More »

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RATINGS RAT RACE: Broadcasters Hit By Baseball Overrun/Football Double Whammy

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday October 11, 2011 @ 9:42am PDTTags: 2 Broke Girls, ALCS, Baseball Playoffs, Castle, Dancing With The Stars, Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie, Hawaii Five-0, House, How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly, Monday Night Football, Ratings Rat Race, Terra Nova, The Sing-Off, TV Ratings, Two and a Half Men
Nellie Andreeva

This was supposed to be Fox’s strong baseball postseason year as it’s the network’s turn to carry the American League Championship Series, a big audience draw with marquee teams the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. But both the Yankees and Red Sox were eliminated early, and now the ALCS has been hit with bad weather. Game 2 was rained out Sunday, leaving Fox scrambling to fill primetime with repeats at the last minute. And then a 52-minute overrun from the rescheduled Game 2 wreaked havoc on the network’s Monday primetime lineup, with both rookie Terra Nova and veteran House significantly impacted. The currently available non-time-zone-adjusted fast nationals for 9-10 PM (2.6/6), where most of Terra Nova aired, and 10-11 PM (2.3/6), where the bulk of House ran, are both expected to rise in the finals.

It was a rough night all around as the broadcast networks had to deal with baseball overrun as well as a strong Monday Night Football game on ESPN, where the Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions posted a 11.3 metered market average, the second-best rating so far this season. ABC’s Dancing With The Stars (3.1/8, 17 million total viewers) was flat with last week but may end up being down in the finals. ABC’s fast nationals were possibly inflated as the network’s Detroit station carried the football game. That doesn’t bode well for Castle (2.4/6, 10.2 million), which currently runs 8% below its fast national from last Monday. ABC (2.9/7, 15.1 million) seems on track to top the night in total viewers, while CBS (3.9/9, 11.1 million) is projected to win in 18-49. Read More »

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RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Terra Nova’ Holds In Week 2, ‘House’ OK In Return, CBS Rocks

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday October 4, 2011 @ 9:16am PDTTags: 2 Broke Girls, Castle, Dancing With The Stars, Hart of Dixie, House, How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly, Ratings Rat Race, Terra Nova, The Playboy Club, The Sing-Off, TV Ratings, Two and a Half Men, Univision
Nellie Andreeva

After its lackluster debut last Monday, there has been a series of encouraging news for Fox’s Terra Nova in the past 24 hours. First, the prehistoric drama yesterday rose to the top spot in 18-49 among all new drama series premieres in Live+3 ratings. Then the data from the international markets came in, showing a strong launch for Terra Nova in almost every territory. In Canada, the two-hour opener drew 1.4 million viewers on CityTV to become the most-watched drama in the network’s history. And then the first ratings for last night were released this morning with more good news for the rookie drama: In its second outing on Fox, Terra Nova (3.0/8) matched the fast national for its two-hour premiere despite airing from 8-9 PM vs. 8-10 PM last week. (Last week, the premiere was adjusted up in the finals, which will probably happen again today, so the 100% hold will likely carry on in the final ratings.) UPDATE 9:25 AM: Fox just released final numbers for Terra Nova, and it indeed rose to a 3.1 rating. This is the best Week 1-to-Week 2 retention for a new series this fall. At 9 PM, veteran House (3.9/9) was down a modest 7% from last fall when it aired in the more challenging 8 PM hour. Read More »

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Ratings Rat Race: ’2.5 Men’ Still Big, ‘Terra Nova’ Premiere Just OK, ‘Playboy’ Dives

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday September 27, 2011 @ 8:31am PDTTags: 2 Broke Girls, Castle, Dancing With The Stars, Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie, Hawaii Five-0, How I Met Your Mother, Mike & Molly, Monday Night Football, Ratings Rat Race, Terra Nova, The Playboy Club, The Sing-Off, TV Ratings, Two and a Half Men
Nellie Andreeva

PREMIERE WEEK: Comedies In Comeback, Dramas Mixed While NBC & CW Struggle
CBS’ comedies stayed red-hot in Week 2 of the season. Two and a Half Men (7.2/17 in adults 18-49, 20 million viewers) was down 30% from its gigantic season premiere for a demo number that is still way higher than any scripted series can score in Live+Same Day these days. It boosted the second-season premiere of Mike & Molly (4.9/11, 14 million) to series highs in 18-49 and total viewers, up 26% from its series premiere last fall. At 8 PM, How I Met Your Mother (4.4/12, 10.6 million) continues to excel in its seventh season, down only 6% from its biggest season premiere ever last week. 2 Broke Girls (4.5/11, 11.6 million) settled nicely in its new 8:30 PM slot. It was down 37% from its big debut behind Men last week but did something that CBS hammock shows have rarely done — build on its HIMYM lead-in. At 10 PM, Hawaii Five-0 (3.3/8) was down only a tenth from its season premiere last week. CBS (4.6/11, 13 million) won every half-hour in primetime in both 18-49 and total viewers.

The two-hour premiere of Fox’s dinosaur drama Terra Nova drew a 3.0/7 and 9 million viewers, which was OK but slightly below expectations. In its defense, the male-skewing drama had to face the Washington-Dallas Monday Night Football game on ESPN. And it stayed consistent throughout the night, logging a 3.0 rating at 8 PM, 8:30 PM and 9 PM and climbing to a 3.1 at 9:30 PM. Speaking of the MNF game, it drew a 11.9 metered market household average. UPDATE: In the finals, Terra Nova was adjusted up to a 3.1 rating in 18-49.

NBC’s Monday lineup already started very low last week. It dropped even further last night. The Sing-Off (1.7/4) was down a relatively modest 11%, but The Playboy Club (1.3/3) plunged 19% to reach Lone Star ratings levels and join fellow new NBC series Free Agents on the cancellation block. Read More »

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Backstage At The Emmys: Martin Scorsese, Kate Winslet, Melissa McCarthy And More

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Sunday September 18, 2011 @ 5:09pm PDTTags: 2011 Primetime Emmy Awards, Bertram van Munster, Boardwalk Empire, Downton Abbey, Emmy Winners, Eric Stonestreet, Game of Thrones, Guy Pearce, Jeffrey Richman, Jim Parsons, Julian Fellowes, Julie Bowen, Justified, Kate Winslet, Mad Men, Margo Martindale, Martin Scorsese, Matthew Weiner, Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly, Mildred Pierce, Modern Family, Rebecca Eaton, Sarah Hyland, Sofia Vergara, Steve Levitan, The Amazing Race, The Big Bang Theory, Ty Burrell

Emmys Live-Blog; Emmys By The Numbers; Emmy Analysis: Broadcast TV’s Big Awards Comeback; Red Carpet Executive Arrivals

Deadline’s Diane Haithman and Ray Richmond were backstage at the Primetime Emmy Awards tonight to hear what the winners had to say.

Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell came backstage together after winning the awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress and Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. The Modern Family stars were asked first about being part of a show that is breaking ground for gays. Burrell said, “I don’t know, in terms of America, it feels very, very good to be on a show that seems like it’s slowly changing a lot of minds. Eric [Stonestreet] and Jesse [Tyler Ferguson] deserve all of the credit for that, and our amazing showrunners. It’s a great thing to just peripherally go to events and just basically start to talk about those characters like any other characters, relating to their life — it’s pretty cool.” Bowen joked, “As a straight woman, and part of a straight couple on the show, I feel marginalized.” On a more serious note, she added: “It’s absurd that it’s even an issue, but where it’s an issue, I’m glad that we are part of helping change minds.” Using the word “straight” in a different context, Burrell praised Bowen: “It’s even greater credit to what Julie does that the straight-person wins an Emmy, I don’t think that happens very often. In a couple there’s usually a straight-man and a wilder character. It’s due to her resourcefulness as an actor.” On going back to the set with an Emmy when other cast members were also nominated, Burrell said: “Eric won last year, and Ed [O'Neill] actually just said something really sweet right before the award, ‘whoever wins deserves it.’ I feel like we’re trying to enjoy this moment more than anything — we know this doesn’t last forever; we’re having a lot of fun.” Bowen said about her surprise win, “I kinda thought it was a lock on Betty White. If I didn’t have a dog in this fight, and I had two, I would have voted for Betty White. Claire is not necessarily fall-down funny every time.” She credits the writers for having found ways to make her character have many dimensions and “not just be the mom.” …

Later, Steve Levitan and Jeffrey Richman, winners for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, were asked how it feels for Modern Family to be sweeping the awards so far, with wins in every category they’ve been eligible for. Levitan: “We’re beyond thrilled with the way things have gone, obviously. It’s an embarrassment of riches, and from the bottom of our hearts we feel that Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen deserved to win. (Outstanding Director in a Comedy Series winner) Michael Alan Spiller, not so much. To tell you the truth, it’s a little surreal.” They were then asked what they did to ramp up the stories and quality of Modern Family in Season 2. Levitan: “We feel like we know the characters a little bit better this year. There was such dedication this year to keeping the quality up. We all live in fear of the quality dipping so we work extra hard to make sure that doesn’t happen. … I’ll also tell you that our kids are the unsung heroes of the show. What they do on this show is amazing. We ask them to do such complicated turns and they nail it constantly. They’re playing at the same level as the adults and that’s a rare thing.” … Read More »

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Ratings Rat Race: ‘Dancing With The Stars’ Leads ABC Against Finales

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday May 17, 2011 @ 10:25am PDTTags: 90210, Castle, Chuck, Dancing With The Stars, Gossip Girl, Hawaii Five-0, House, How I Met Your Mother, Mad Love, Mike & Molly, Ratings Rat Race, TV Ratings

ABC’s Dancing With the Stars spoiled the party for a slew of shows offering their season finales Monday in primetime, drawing a preliminary 21.4 million viewers and a 4.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic. It provided a solid lead-in for the season finale of Castle, which got a 3.3 rating … Read More »

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