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MGM Buys ‘Modern Family’ Producer Ben Karlin’s ‘Things I’ve Learned From Women Who’ve Dumped Me’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Thursday May 23, 2013 @ 1:16pm PDTTags: Ben Karlin, MGM, Modern Family, Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: MGM has acquired screen rights to Things I’ve Learned From Women Who’ve Dumped Me, the best-selling humor anthology edited by Ben Karlin. Script will be written by Kyle Pennekamp & Scott Turpel, who scripted the upcoming Get A Job. Karlin is the Emmy-winning former executive producer of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. In the book, he drew on his own experiences and those of many other men to share that shame walk that has happened to every guy: getting dumped and trying to get over the humiliation.

The film will be produced by Karlin and Kevin Misher, who’s readying the MGM remake of Carrie that Kimberly Peirce directed with Chloe Moretz playing the title character and Julianne Moore as her mother. Andy Berman will serve as executive producer. They’ll cull the Dumped book for the ingredients to a male-oriented comedy. Karlin, who co-wrote America (The Book) and edited the satirical newspaper The Onion, produced the feature 50/50 and co-wrote and produced the upcoming A.C.O.D. (Adult Children Of Divorce). He is co-executive producer on the Emmy-winning ABC sitcom Modern Family.

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RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Modern Family’, ‘Law & Order: SVU’ & ‘Criminal Minds’ Hit Finale Lows, ‘Masterchef’ Down In Season Debut

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday May 23, 2013 @ 9:07am PDTTags: Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, MasterChef, Modern Family, TV Ratings

The final night of the 2012-2013 TV season saw six finales and one season debut. On ABC, Wednesday marked the Season 4 finale of Modern Family (3.6/11) at 9 PM. In a season that saw the comedy post its first adults 18-49 win over American Idol, last night’s episode dipped 3% from its May 14 show. While the highest-rated show of the night by far, Family also fell 12% from its Season 3 end on May 23, 2012 to hit an all-time season-finale low. That result could change a bit in the final numbers as the extra minute of Family is factored in. Last week, the show went up from its 3.5 in fast affiliate rating to a 3.6 later in the day. The Season 4 finale of The Middle (2.0/7) started ABC’s primetime last night, with the sitcom was up a slight 5% from last week and even with last year’s May 23, 2012 finale. A Modern Family (1.6/5) encore followed at 8:30 PM. How To Live With You Parents (For The Rest Of Your Life) (2.2/6) was the only non-finale original on ABC last night. The newbie comedy was up 10% from its May 14 show. Nashville (1.9/5) wrapped its freshman cycle with cliffhangers-galore show that saw a 12% rise from last week.

Related: CBS Wins Season; ABC Tops Adults 18-49 In Final Week

A two-hour Criminal Minds (2.7/8) finale was the only original on CBS last night. Literally ending with a bang, the Season 8 ender of the recently renewed procedural series was up 4% from its May 14 episode but down a hard 25% from last season’s two-hour finale on May 16, 2012. Though the most watched show of the night with 10.80 million viewers, that’s a finale low for the series. With 8.982 million watching, CBS won the night in total viewers and tied with ABC (2.2) in adults 18-49. Read More »

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‘Vampire Academy’ Adds ‘Modern Family’s’ Sarah Hyland, Gabriel Byrne & More To Cast

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Saturday May 18, 2013 @ 11:32am PDTTags: Gabriel Byrne, Modern Family, Sarah Hyland, The Weinstein Company, Vampire Academy, Vikings

EXCLUSIVE: The Weinstein Company‘s Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters has added the final pieces to its casting puzzle. … Read More »

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‘Modern Family’ Gets Cable Makeover For Launch On USA Network: VIDEO

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 16, 2013 @ 7:53pm PDTTags: Modern Family, Steven Levitan, Upfront, USA
Nellie Andreeva

How would hit ABC comedy Modern Family look and sound like if it aired on cable? The show’s writers offer a peek in a promo for the Emmy-winning series’ upcoming off-network launch on USA Network in September. The video was a highlight at today’s USA upfront presentation, where … Read More »

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Latest On The Future Of ‘Happy Endings’, ‘Paging Dr. Freed’ And ‘Psych’ At USA

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 16, 2013 @ 7:10am PDTTags: Happy Endings, Modern Family, Upfronts, USA Network
Nellie Andreeva

Comedy is expected to take center stage at USA Network‘s upfront presentation this afternoon as the cable network touts to advertisers the fall launch of its big off-network acquisition, Modern Family, and unveils its newly picked up original comedy series Sirens and Playing House. The cable network has been getting extra attention from comedy fans in the past week following ABC’s decision last Friday to cancel cult series Happy Endings. Talks between USA and leading Happy Endings producer Sony TV continue. At this point, I hear a pickup appears unlikely but the network is carefully exploring the opportunity to migrate a show with some success on broadcast TV and a dedicated fan base the way ABC’s Cougar Town moved to TBS.

Related: ‘Happy Endings’ Cancelled At ABC, Will USA Step In?

Of its three comedy pilot/presentations it had in consideration, USA picked up two, Sirens and Playing House. The third, Paging Dr. Freed, which was the first one ordered almost two years ago, is still in contention. I hear USA brass liked the pilot for the family medical comedy but thought it felt more like a season finale and didn’t properly introduce the characters. I hear the network approached Paging Dr. Freed creator Michael Feldman and studio Fox 21 about redeveloping the project and writing a new pilot script. If USA likes the new script, I hear it is intent on picking up the project straight to series. The options on the Paging Dr. Freed producers have been extended while those on the cast have lapsed. I hear USA is keen on bringing Annie Potts back if she is available. (Her ABC pilot Murder In Manhattan did not get picked up but is being considered by cable networks.) Read More »

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‘HIMYM’ EP Stephen Lloyd Inks New Overall Deal With 20th TV, Will Join ‘Modern Family’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday April 23, 2013 @ 4:01pm PDTTags: 20th Century Fox TV, Big Deals TV, How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family, Stephen Lloyd
Nellie Andreeva

How I Met Your Mother executive producer Stephen Lloyd has closed a new two-year overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television. Under the pact, Lloyd will continue as executive producer on the upcoming final … Read More »

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UPDATE: AMC Says Zombies To Blame For Error-Filled ‘Walking Dead’ NYT Ad

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday April 4, 2013 @ 3:00pm PDTTags: AMC, Modern Family, The New York Times, The Voice, The Walking Dead

UPDATE, 3 PM: How did AMC get wrong what networks air The Voice and Modern Family in its full-page The Walking Dead ad that ran in today’s New York Times? It was the undead’s fault, says the network. “It appears our fact checking department was overrun … Read More »

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RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘American Idol’ Hits New Low, ‘How To Live With Your Parents’ Debuts Solid, ‘Modern Family’ & ‘Dateline’ Up, ‘Survivor’ Matches Low

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday April 4, 2013 @ 9:08am PDTTags: American Idol, How To Live With Your Parents (For The Rest Of Your Life), Modern Family, Survivor, TV Ratings

It was an all-new night on the networks on Wednesday — no repeats at all. On Fox’s American Idol (3.0/9), it was Rock Night with the remaining finalists belting out Rolling Stones, Queen and Bon Jovi songs among others. Coming off last week’s all-time Wednesday low, the live two-hour show again hit a new Wednesday low in the adults 18-49 demographic. However, as Idol tends to see upward movement in its final numbers, the low might not hold. Last night’s Idol dipped 3% from last week’s fast nationals result and 6% from the final numbers. With 11.48 million watching, Idol also dipped to its smallest Wednesday audience since August 7, 2002, during its first season. Fox still won the night in total viewers and the demo.

ABC aired the series premiere of How To Live With Your Parents (For The Rest Of Your Life) (2.9/7) in Suburgatory’s old 9:30 PM slot. With ABC slipping a minute of lead-in Modern Family (4.1/11) into the slot, the new sitcom about a divorced Mom who moves back home was even with the last year’s April 11 debut of the now-cancelled Don’t Trust The B— In Apt 23. It was also up from the season average Suburgatory saw in the slot, resulting in the network’s best performance in the time slot since November 7. Read More »

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‘Modern Family’s’ Steven Levitan Says Streaming Won’t Change TV Stories: Video

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Thursday March 14, 2013 @ 3:17pm PDTTags: Big Deals TV, Bloomberg Television, Modern Family, Steven Levitan

When a show creator thinks about distribution methods “then you’re not doing your job,” the executive producer told Bloomberg Television’s Trish Regan on Street Smart. ”At the end of the day you have to be truthful to the characters and the story.” But Steven Levitan recognizes that platforms have different demands. … Read More »

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Ratings Rat Race: ‘American Idol’ Hits New Low, ‘Modern Family’ Tops It For First Time, ‘Chicago Fire’ Posts 1st Victory Over ‘CSI’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday February 28, 2013 @ 9:29am PSTTags: American Idol, Chicago Fire, Modern Family, TV Ratings
Nellie Andreeva

Fox’s American Idol continues its slide, logging a third consecutive week of in-season Wednesday lows. Last night’s two-hour show posted a 3.8/11 among adults 18-49, down 7% from last Wednesday, and 13.1 million viewers, down 8%. Last night’s 3.8 demo rating (which will likely be adjusted up to a 3.9 in the finals), last Wednesday’s 4.1 and the Wednesday before’s 4.3 now rank as the three lowest in-season Wednesday results for Idol. Overall, it was Idol‘s worst Wednesday performance since the show’s very first cycle, which aired in summer 2002 — the smallest audience since August 14, 2002 and lowest adults 18-49 rating since July 3, 2002. It also matched all-time Wednesday lows in adults 18-34.

Meanwhile, ABC’s Modern Family (3.9/10) matched its fast national from last week to post its first 18-49 win over Idol. (Both series will likely go up a tenth in the finals, leaving Modern Family as No. 1 for the night.) Read More »

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RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘American Idol’ & ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Down, ‘Modern Family’ & ‘Criminal Minds’ Hit Lows, ‘Arrow’ Up

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday February 7, 2013 @ 9:09am PSTTags: American Idol, Criminal Minds, CSI, Modern Family, TV Ratings

Four weeks into its 12th season, American Idol (4.6/13) started Hollywood Week Part 1 with contestants gathered from all over the country. Last night it was male contestants only for the first time. Down 15% from last week’s fast nationals, the Fox series was still the night’s most watched show with 14.18 million viewers. Fox won Wednesday overall in total viewers and adults 18-49

In the first part of a Super Bowl-promoted crossover with spinoff CSI: NY, the original CSI (2.4/7) was down from its last original two weeks ago. The long-running series slipped 8% from the season-high match for its January 23 airing. Still winning its 10 PM time slot, CSI pulled in 10.93 million viewers, down from the 11.49 million who watched two weeks ago. The two-parter ends on Friday’s CSI: NY. CBS started the night with an encore of Person Of Interest (1.2/4) followed by a new Criminal Minds (2.7/7), which was the night’s second-most-watched show with 11.83 million viewers. It was down 13% from its last original January 23 to tie a series low. Read More »

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RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘American Idol’ Down, ‘CSI’ Hits Season High, ‘Modern Family’ Hits Season Low

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday January 24, 2013 @ 9:03am PSTTags: American Idol, CSI, Modern Family, TV Ratings

American Idol Ratings Nicki MinajIn the second week of its 12th season, American Idol (5.4/15) last night saw Nicki Minaj storm off after a squabble with fellow judge Mariah Carey as the show took in auditions in Charlotte, NC. Although watched by 16 million viewers and dominating in all demos, the two-hour episode was down 10% from last week’s premiere. It also was down 16% from Season 11’s second-week Wednesday show a year ago. Still, the rating was better than the 29% year-over-year decline Idol’s second-week Wednesday suffered last season compared with Season 10.

A Criminal Minds (1.5/4) repeat started Wednesday night on CBS followed by a new Criminal Minds (3.0/8) at 9 PM, which was up 3% from last week’s winter break return. Taking its 10 PM time slot, CSI (2.7/7) rose 17% from last week for a season high among adults 18-49. The procedural was the second-most-watched show of the night, pulling in an audience of 11.49 million. An NBA game caused preemption in San Antonio for CBS, so the adjustment for final numbers later today could be greater than usual. Fox won the night in total viewers and the 18-49 demo. Read More »

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PGA Awards TV: ‘Homeland’, ‘Downton Abbey’ And ‘Louie’ Enter Series Fray

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday January 2, 2013 @ 5:01pm PSTTags: 30 Rock, Louie, Modern Family, PGA Awards
Nellie Andreeva

PGA Awards‘ weird eligibility window on the TV side made for another field with an outdated feel, like the comedy series nomination for HBO‘s Curb Your Enthusiasm, which has not aired originals for the past year and a half. The PGA Awards follow the Primetime Emmys calendar despite taking place six months later, honoring programs that aired between June 1, 2011-May 31, 2012.

With that in mind, there were only minimal surprises in the series nominations this year, most notably the omission of HBO’s freshman comedies Girls and Veep and last year’s best drama series winner Boardwalk Empire. Modern Family has a shot at a third consecutive PGA Award with another best comedy series nom alongside returning nominees 30 Rock and The Big Bang Theory as well as FX‘s Louie. This extends Louie‘s momentum. After largely flying under the radar for the first two seasons, the series’ third season earned a first Emmy award in September, its first SAG and Golden Globe nominations last month and now a first PGA nomination. Missing the cut this time are last year’s nominees Parks & Recreation and Glee, though Glee co-creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk landed a TV movie/miniseries nom for the first season of American Horror Story. Read More »

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RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Barbara Walters’ Dips, ‘Modern Family’ & ‘CSI’ Hit Lows

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday December 13, 2012 @ 9:29am PSTTags: Barbra Walters, CSI, Modern Family, The X Factor, TV Ratings

With former CIA chief David Petraeus topping the list, ABC aired Barbara Walters Presents The 10 Most Fascinating People Of 2012 (2.1/6) at 9:30 PM last night. Ben Affleck, outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and upcoming Oscar host Seth MacFarlane also were among the chosen, but the 90-minute special was down 9% from last year, pulling in 7.66 million viewers Wednesday. Earlier on ABC, The Middle (2.2/7) was down 4% from its December 5 show for a season low. The Neighbors (1.6/4) slipped 16% for a series low. Modern Family (4.2/11) was also down, dipping 11% from its last new show November 28 and tying its season low.

On CBS, Survivor: Philippines (2.8/3) was down 3% from last week’s show. Criminal Minds (3.1/8) actually got a little bump in the other direction from last week: The most watched show of the night with an audience of 11.92 million, the police procedural was up 3% from its December 5 airing. CSI (2.2/6) was down 15% from its last original episode two weeks ago despite its 9.52 million viewers; the rating marks a series low for the 12-year-old procedural. The show’s previous low was a 2.3, which it has hit four times — most recently November 7 of this year. With 10.549 million viewers overall, CBS won the night in total viewers and the adults 18-49 demo. Read More »

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SAG Awards TV: ‘Modern Family’ Leads, ‘Homeland’ Lands First Noms, Alec Baldwin And Betty White Keep Rolling, Edie Falco Ties Record

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday December 12, 2012 @ 8:14am PSTTags: Alec Baldwin, Betty White, Homeland, Modern Family, SAG Awards
Nellie Andreeva

More than any other awards race, the SAG Awards have proven to be a popularity contest. Alec Baldwin and Betty White have won the best actor/actress in a comedy series SAG Award every year their current shows have been on the air — a whopping six consecutive times for 30 Rock‘s Baldwin and two for Hot In Cleveland‘s Betty White. Both are nominated again, with Baldwin having a chance to complete his streak with a seventh statuette for the seventh and final season of the NBC comedy. With Baldwin and White having a stronghold on the comedy categories, awards darling Modern Family is yet to win an individual award. (It won for best comedy ensemble the past two years). The ABC comedy has three more chances this year as it once again leads the list of series nominees with four noms: best ensemble and best actor/actress mentions for Emmy winners Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet as well as Sofia Vergara. Two-time Emmy winner Julie Bowen, nominated last year, did not make the cut this time.

Related: SAG Awards Nominations Announced

There was very little fresh blood in the series SAG nominations — no Lena Dunham or the Girls cast, no Emmy winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus of Veep, no mention of any new broadcast series. The only first-year shows to land nominations were HBO’s The Newsroom for star Jeff Daniels and USA’s short-lived Political Animals for Sigourney Weaver in the movie/miniseries category.

But the SAG Awards did correct some anomalies from last year. The guild had many scratching their heads last December where it completely ignored Showtime’s drama Homeland, which would go on to dominate the Golden Globes and Emmy Awards. No snub this years as Homeland landed three noms — best ensemble and best actor/actress for Emmy winners Claire Danes and Damian Lewis. Despite four Emmy nominations and two wins, The Big Bang Theory‘s Jim Parsons had never received an individual SAG nomination until today. (His show nabbed its second consecutive ensemble nom.) Also, FX’s Louie finally got on the board with a first nomination for creator/star Louis C.K.

Related: SAG Awards Film: What’s Surprising About Who’s In And Who’s Out Read More »

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‘Breaking Bad’ & ‘Modern Family’ Dominate 2013 Writers Guild Awards TV Nominations

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday December 6, 2012 @ 10:22am PSTTags: Breaking Bad, Girls, Modern Family, WGA Awards
Nellie Andreeva

Last year’s WGA Awards winners for best drama series and best comedy series, AMC’s Breaking Bad and ABC’s Modern Family, are back in full force this year, leading the list of TV nominees announced today. Breaking Bad landed five writing nominations — for best drama series as well as four of the six noms for individual drama episodes. Modern Family followed with four — best comedy series and three of the six episodic noms. The new series field, topped by Emmy winner Homeland last year, includes HBO’s Girls, Veep and The Newsroom, as well as Fox’s The Mindy Project and ABC’s Nashville. Girls snagged both best new series and comedy series nominations, the only new show to land multiple noms. Another freshman cable series, USA’s Political Animals, got a mention in the long-form category for Greg Berlanti’s pilot. The WGA Awards are set for February 17 at ceremonies in LA and New York. Here is a full list of the TV nominees:

TELEVISION NOMINEES
DRAMA SERIES
Boardwalk Empire, Written by Dave Flebotte, Diane Frolov, Chris Haddock, Rolin Jones, Howard Korder, Steve Kornacki, Andrew Schneider, David Stenn, Terence Winter; HBO

Breaking Bad, Written by Sam Catlin, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, George Mastras, Thomas Schnauz, Moira Walley-Beckett; AMC

Game of Thrones, Written by David Benioff, Bryan Cogman, George R. R. Martin, Vanessa Taylor, D.B. Weiss; HBO

Homeland, Written by Henry Bromell, Alexander Cary, Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, Chip Johannessen, Meredith Stiehm; Showtime

Mad Men, Written by Lisa Albert, Semi Chellas, Jason Grote, Jonathan Igla, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Brett Johnson, Janet Leahy, Victor Levin, Erin Levy, Frank Pierson, Michael Saltzman, Tom Smuts, Matthew Weiner; AMC

Read More »

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‘Modern Family’ Casts Mom & Sister For Sofia Vergara, ‘Cult’ Adds Recurring

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday November 2, 2012 @ 2:43pm PDTTags: Cult, Modern Family, Sofia Vergara
Nellie Andreeva

Elizabeth Peña (La Bamba, Rush Hour) has been cast to play Gloria Delgado-Pritchett’s (Sofia Vergara) Colombian mother, Pilar, on hit ABC comedy Modern Family, while Stephanie Beatriz has been cast as Gloria’s sister, Sofia. The … Read More »

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Comedy From ‘Modern Family’s Ty Burrell & His Brother Lands At ABC With Penalty

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday October 10, 2012 @ 4:34pm PDTTags: ABC, Modern Family, Ty Burrell
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Modern Family star Ty Burrell is expanding his relationship with ABC. In a competitive situation, ABC has bought a comedy, written and co-executive produced by Emmy winner Burrell and his younger brother Duncan. 20th Century Fox TV, the studio behind Modern Family, is producing the single-camera project, which has received a script commitment with penalty.

Based on the Burrell brothers’ childhood, this is a comedy about two city families who buy the only store in a tiny rural community in Oregon. In a world where everyone is overly stressed and reliant on technology, this group works together, without every modern convenience, to make a better life for their family. Read More »

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PREMIERE WEEK: DVR’s Power Grows, NBC Tops, ‘Revolution’ Leads Drama-Heavy Fall

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday October 1, 2012 @ 3:52pm PDTTags: Modern Family, Ratings, Revolution, The Mindy Project, Vegas
Nellie Andreeva

Premiere Week used to be the ultimate make-it-or-break-it test for the broadcast networks, a barometer for which new shows will be hot that season and which will likely die. Today, more and more networks schedule their fall premieres outside of premiere week, diminishing the importance of the season’s opening week. Last year, some of the strongest new fall series — ABC’s Once Upon A Time and Suburgatory and NBC’s Grimm — all launched outside premiere week. This year, the list includes NBC’s Revolution and Go On, which premiered early, and ABC’s highest-profile new series, drama Nashville, which debuts next week.

Related: Fall 2012: As Broadcast Season Kicks Off, Where Do Networks Stand?

And then there is the rising power of DVRs, especially for returning series. During Premiere Week last year, four series — Two And A Half Men, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother and The Middle – were up double-digits from the previous fall’s premieres. This year, only one returning show, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, posted year-to-year gains, a testament to the series’ masterfully crafted cliffhangers. But many series are expected to make up ground in Live+7 as pundits point to this season as the one where shifted viewing reaches critical mass for a major impact on ratings reporting. So far, only Live+3 ratings for series that aired Monday-Wednesday last week are in. They show an average of 26% lift in adults 18-49, up from 20% last fall, as DVR contribution has crossed the one-quarter mark only three days after the shows’ original airing.

Not surprisingly, top-rated comedy Modern Family is the biggest ratings gainer for now, adding 1.75 in 18-49 (31.6%) for a stellar 7.3 Live+3 demo rating. Somewhat surprisingly, as viewers tend to overwhelmingly favor returning shows for their season passes, Modern Family‘s gain is tied for No. 1 with that for new NBC drama Revolution. Overall, the 1.75 Live+3 increase for Revolution represents the largest percentage gain for any Monday-Wednesday series (50.6%) and vaults the futuristic series to a 5.19 demo rating, the second-highest behind Modern Family last week. It edged the series that helped launch it, NBC’s The Voice (5.18). The big DVR jump on top of already strong ratings (with a 3.5 Live+Same Day rating in 18-49, Revolution was already the highest-rated freshman series of Premiere Week) is an indication that the big premiere for the JJ Abrams/Eric Kripke drama the week before was not a fluke; viewers liked what they saw and put the series on their DVR lists. Read More »

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