CBS Wins Season & Ties Sweep In Demo; ABC Tops Adults 18-49 In Season’s Final Week

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Tuesday May 21, 2013 @ 2:59pm PDT

As everyone knew they would, CBS has taken the top spots for the 2012-2013 TV season for the first time in over 20 years. However, ABC topped adults 18-49 for the final full week of the season and is tied for top spot in the May sweep.

Strong showings from veterans NCIS and The Big Bang Theory, sporting events like the NCAA Tournament and The Masters plus airing the Super Bowl this year, put CBS on top for the season in both viewers and among adults 18-49 for the first time since 1991-1992. With just a couple of days until the season wraps, that breaks Fox’s eight consecutive season hold on the prized demo.

Related: ‘American Idol’ Hits All-Time Finale Low

There were a numbers of factors that contributed to Fox slipping into second place among adults 18-49 but certainly the network was plagued by a sharp more than 20% decline for American Idol, which hit an all time finale low last week. Add to that disappointing X-Factor season 2 numbers, Mob Doctor cratering, a lack of traction among its comedies, a lackluster baseball post-season and plethora of preemptions in the fall and Fox was lucky it was muscular enough to only tumble to second place. For all that change, some things have stayed the same. This season is the second year in a row that sees ABC in the fourth place spot despite a second-season surge for Scandal, which was more than offset by a declining Dancing With The Stars and soft freshman series. With a rare November sweep win pushed by NFL Sunday Night Football and The Voice and then a terrible winter that saw it fall behind Univision for the first time, NBC also ended up again in third place among adults 18-49. This season’s results also see CBS as the first network to simultaneously top viewership and the key demo since Fox took the double Gold back in 2007-2008, the year of the writers’ strike. CBS’s victory this year was in part due to the network running Super Bowl XXLVII but as Les Moonves has bragged and other networks concede, CBS would have won the demo even without the big game this year as its schedule was the only one to deliver multiple night victories week after week. Having said that, the Super Bowl moves over to Fox next year so we could see a swing result from this year in the key demo. In terms of its viewership win, CBS was easily No. 1 this season with a 4 million spread between it and second place ABC in total viewers. That’s the biggest total viewership difference between the two top nets since the 1988-1989 season.

BROADCAST NETWORK PRIMETIME RATINGS
SEPT. 24, 2012 TO MAY 19, 2013

ADULTS 18-49
1. CBS 2.9/8 (Down 3% from 2011-2012 season)
2. FOX 2.5/7 (Down 22% from 2011-2012 season)
3. NBC 2.4/7 (Down 4% from 2011-2012 season
4. ABC 2.2/6 (Down 8% from 2011-2012 season)
5. Univision 1.5/4 (Even with 2011-2012 season)
5. CW 0.7/2 (Down 13% from 2011-2012 season)

TOTAL VIEWERS
1. CBS 11.85M (Up 1% from 2011-2012 season)
2. ABC 7.85M (Down 6% from 2011-2012 season)
3. FOX 7.06M (Down 21% from 2011-2012 season
4. NBC 6.96M (Down 6% from 2011-2012 season)
5. Univision 3.7M (Up 2% from 2011-2012 season)
6. CW 1.780M (Up 4% from 2011-2012 season)

ADULTS 25-54
1. CBS 3.8/9 (Down 3% from 2011-2012 season)
2. FOX 2.9/7 (Down 19% from 2011-2012 season)
3. NBC 2.8/7 (Down 3% from 2011-2012 season)
4. ABC 2.8/7 (Down 10% from 2011-2012 season)
5. CW 0.8/2 (Even with 2011-2012 season)

MEDIAN AGE
1. CBS: 56.2     (Up from 55.6 in 2011-2012)
2. ABC: 53.2     (Up from 52.3 in 2011-2012)
3. NBC: 49.5     (Up from 49.3 in 2011-2012)
4. FOX: 46.6     (Up from 46.2 in 2011-2012)
5. CW: 41.7      (Up from 37.1 in 2011-2012)
6. Univision: 39 (Up from 36 in 2011-2012)

CBS may have won the season but it got knocked off the top demo spot for the final full week and was matched by ABC among adults 18-49 in the May sweep. Fueled by strong results from Modern Family, Shark Tank, the Billboard Awards and a series high for Scandal, Week 34 of the season saw ABC take the demo prize for Week 34 of the 2012-2013 season. That result saw ABC becoming the first network to beat Fox during the Idol finale week since 2003. With ABC’s rise of 5% in the demo over the previous frame and a 2.0/6 result, Fox (1.9/6) remained in second place while CBS and NBC tied for the third spot with a 1.7/5, according to Nielsen. The CW stayed even with Week 33 with a 0.5/2. That’s the best ABC has done in the key demo since the 3.4 it got during the week of February 18 to 24 when it broadcasted the Academy Awards and the 2.1 it received during the week starting November 26 last year.

Unlike the full season, the May sweep is a tight race in the core demo. With Monday’s ratings taken into account, ABC and CBS are essentially matched with a 1.8 rating for No. 1 with two more nights to go in the 25-night period that started on April 25. CBS has a 1.8/6 with ABC garnering a 1.8/5 among adults 18-49. Fox and NBC are tied for a close second with a 1.7/5 each. Unlike the other broadcast nets who are down double digits from last year’s sweep, NBC is actually even with its May 2012 result right now. And those numbers could see some shifts in the rankings with the Dancing With The Stars season finale on ABC tonight and the Modern Family season finale on Wednesday, a live Voice results show on NBC, the second week of a new season of So You Think You Can Dance on Fox and CBS showing NCIS and NCIS: LA repeats

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Warner Bros TV & ‘Smallville’ Co-Creators End Legal Battle

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Monday May 20, 2013 @ 2:33pm PDT

Warner Bros Television and the creators of Smallville are not taking their multimillion-dollar legal battle to a jury after all. Lawyers for WBTV and co-creators/writers Miles Millar and Alfred Gough announced in a hearing today that they have reached a settlement in their breach of contract and conflict of interest dispute. No details of the settlement were made public. LA Superior Court Judge Michael Johnson told the parties today that they now have until August 30 to file a formal request for dismissal. Millar and Gough along with Tollin/Robbins Productions claimed in their initial $100 million vertical integration suit, first filed in March 2010, that WBTV signed low-balling licensing deals with the WB and later the CW that were nowhere near the requisite arms-length nor conducted with the good faith that they should have been. Tollin/Robbins came to a settlement with WBTV back in early January. Read More »

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2013-14 Schedule Grid & Top Face-Offs

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 16, 2013 @ 3:09pm PDT
Nellie Andreeva

With the broadcast networks done unveiling their schedules, here is the full fall grid (see below) and some intriguing matchups for next season:

Tuesday 8 PM: This is shaping out to be the biggest fall battleground, especially for male viewers. The Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC are going against the agents of NCIS on CBS. Also joining the fray is another younger-skewing new genre drama series, the CW’s Vampire Diaries spinoff The Originals. Fox has new male-centered comedies Dads and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. All these shows (or those who survive) will have to go against the biggest broadcast reality show at the moment, NBC’s The Voice, in midseason. Will anyone blink?

Related: Tuesday “Comedy Sigalert” Back

Thursday 9 PM: Robin Williams vs. Sean Hayes. The comedy vets are returning with new series (Williams in CBS’ The Crazy Ones, Hayes in NBC’s Sean Saves The World) and will face off in one of TV’s highest-profile slots. In another male comedy star showdown, Michael J Fox will take on Ashton Kutcher and Jon Cryer at 9:30 PM. Read More »

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CW’s ‘Amazon’ Pilot Redeveloped With New Writer, Net Eyes ‘The 100′ & ‘Carrie Diaries’ For Limited Run, Mulls Return To Comedy

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 16, 2013 @ 11:15am PDT
Nellie Andreeva

She may rise again. The Wonder Woman origin drama Amazon is in active redevelopment at the CW. The project was originally written by Allan Heinberg last season. Despite doing some preliminary casting on the lead while the script was still being written, the network ultimately didn’t give it a pilot order, instead rolling it to off-season. A new writer, Heroes alum Aron Eli Coleite, was brought in. Now “we’re waiting for the script to come in,” CW president Mark Pedowitz said following the network’s upfront presentation today. “We do not want to produce something that doesn’t work for that character. It is the trickiest of DC  characters to get done.” If the network likes the script, the project will be ordered as an off-cycle pilot. As for The Selection, it is “unlikely” the property will be re-visited again after two failed pilots, the second of which came close to a series pickup, CW brass said.

Related: CW New Series First Looks: Video Read More »

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CW New Series First Looks: ‘The 100′, ‘The Originals’, ‘Reign’, ‘Star-Crossed’, ‘The Tomorrow People’ – Video

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday May 16, 2013 @ 9:36am PDT

The CW has just released teasers or clips for its new fall and midseason series, which it unveiled this morning ahead of its just-concluded upfront session for advertisers in NY. Check them out:

The 100 — Midseason Drama (clip)
Produced by Bonanza Productions Inc in association with Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros Television and CBS Television Studios. From executive producers Matthew Miller, Jason Rothenberg, Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo and director/executive producer Bharat Nalluri:

The Originals — Drama
Produced by Warner Bros Television, CBS Television Studios, Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with My So-Called Company and Alloy Entertainment. From writer/executive producer Julie Plec and executive producers Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo:

Read More »

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Live-Blog: CW Upfront Presentation

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 16, 2013 @ 8:17am PDT
Nellie Andreeva

The CW gets points for originality. After three days of marathon presentations, it’s hard to surprise weary upfront goers. But the network found a way to cheer them up when everyone’s attendance bracelets lit up and began to pulsate to the dance music of presentation’s opening act, Swedish DJ duo Icona Pop (and the following music intros).

CW president Mark Pedowitz doubles as a couples counselor today, walking onstage hand in hand with recently broken up Vampire Diaries stars Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder. “Last year, I told you this would be a transformative season at the CW and it has been,” Pedowitz says.

Related: CW Expands Streaming To Apple TV

The CW’s new Wednesday lineup of Arrow and newbie The Tomorrow People is showcased as an Amell family affair as the two series star cousins Stephen and Robbie Amell, respectively. The Amells come out to show off their shared good-looks genes and a childhood photo that draws a big “awww” from the audience. Also on hand is the star of new teenage Mary Queen of Scots costume drama Reign, Adelaide Kane, who felt a little awkward walking onstage in full regal attire. The trailer was well received though.

Related: CW New Series First Looks: Video Read More »

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CW 2013-14 Schedule: ‘Hart Of Dixie’ & ‘Beauty And The Beast’ Move To Monday, ‘Supernatural’ To Tuesday, ‘Carrie Diaries’ To Friday, ‘Reign’ To Follow ‘Vampire Diaries’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 16, 2013 @ 6:00am PDT
Nellie Andreeva

The CW schedule features far more sweeping changes than any network this year. Like last fall, the CW is introducing three new series this fall — The Vampire Diaries spinoff The Originals, costume drama Reign and sci-fi drama The Tomorrow People — with three more series — dramas The 100; Star-Crossed; and reality show Famous In 12, from the TMZ team — on tap for midseason. For a second year in a row, the CW will hold its fall launches until October to avoid the blitz of new shows and allow for more uninterrupted originals. Here is the schedule, followed by analysis and descriptions of the CW’s new series:

Related: CW New Series First Looks: Video

CW FALL 2013-2014 SCHEDULE
(New programs in UPPER CASE; NN=New Night)

MONDAY
8-9 PM – Hart Of Dixie (NN)
9-10 PM – Beauty And The Beast (NN)

TUESDAY
8-9 PM – THE ORIGINALS
9-10 PM – Supernatural (NN)

WEDNESDAY
8-9 PM – Arrow
9-10 PM – THE TOMORROW PEOPLE

THURSDAY
8-9 PM – The Vampire Diaries
9-10 PM – REIGN

FRIDAY
8-9 PM – The Carrie Diaries (NN)
9-10 PM – America’s Next Top Model

The CW is shaking up its schedule big time, with changes on every night. In all, only the network’s two top series, The Vampire Diaries and Arrow, are staying put. They are being used to launch two of the CW’s highest-profile new series, the Mary, Queen of Scots drama Reign and the Greg Berlanti-Julie Plec produced futuristic The Tomorrow People. CW brass has high hopes for female-centered reign, so it opted to launch the series behind the network’s series with the highest concentration of female viewers, Vampire Diaries.

Related: ‘Nikita’ To End Run With Final Six-Episode Installment Read More »

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It’s Official: ‘Nikita’ To End Run With Final Six-Episode Installment

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 16, 2013 @ 6:00am PDT
Nellie Andreeva

As expected, the CW announced today that the six-episode renewal for Nikita will mark the spy drama’s final installment. The pickup came after Nikita creator Craig Silverstein, who has a hot new pilot, Turn, at AMC, closed a deal for one last short order. Nikita‘s final chapter, which is yet to be scheduled, will bring the series full circle, with Nikita (Maggie Q) once again on the run as a hunted rogue for a murder she didn’t commit as she attempts to clear her name as well as spare the people she loves. The pickup is part of CW president Mark Pedowitz’s efforts to give the network’s long-running series a satisfying ending for fans. Nikita, a very modest performer on Friday night, has had solid digital play and ranks as one of the CW’s top series on social media. It also has been a strong international seller for producing studio Warner Bros TV.

Related: CW 2013-14 Schedule Read More »

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CW’s ‘The Carrie Diaries’ & ‘Nikita’ Renewed

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 9, 2013 @ 3:33pm PDT
Nellie Andreeva

And just like we predicted a month ago, the CW has renewed all of its existing series. The last to get the nod today are The Carrie Diaries and Nikita. The network is not confirming the sizes of the pickups, but Carrie’s is automatically a 13-episode order as it is a midseason show, and I hear Nikita will return for a six-episode cycle. I had heard that could be the final chapter for Nikita, though if the limited event series format works, the CW may leave the door open to additional installments. The network had been looking to break into the limited series format for the last couple of seasons. Carrie Diaries and Nikita join previously renewed Arrow, The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, Hart Of Dixie and Beauty And The Beast.

Related:
CW Picks Up ‘The Tomorrow People’, ‘The 100′, ‘Reign’ & ‘Oxygen’
‘The Selection’ Dead At The CW Read More »

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‘The Selection’ Dead At The CW

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 9, 2013 @ 3:22pm PDT
Nellie Andreeva

After two development cycles and two pilots, the CW is throwing in the towel on bringing Keira Cass’ book The Selection to the small screen. By all accounts, the second pilot, which was shot in Budapest, … Read More »

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UPDATE: CW’s ‘The Tomorrow People’, ‘The 100′, ‘Reign’ & ‘Oxygen’ Ordered To Series

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 9, 2013 @ 2:17pm PDT
Nellie Andreeva

UPDATE: Reign and Oxygen from CBS TV Studios also just got picked up, bringing the total number of new CW series for next season for five, including The Vampire Diaries spinoff The Originals. The only remaining question is whether The Selection, which never found its footing, is dead. (UPDATE: It is. Click here for more.)

PREVIOUS: The CW also entered the pickup fray with series orders to drama pilots The Tomorrow People and The 100. Both have been frontrunners, coming from Warner Bros TV. The Tomorrow People is executive produced by Julie Plec and Greg Berlanti, meaning that Plec will have three series on the CW next season, The Vampire Diaries, spinoff The Originals and The Tomorrow People. Berlanti will have two, The Tomorrow People and Arrow.

Related:
‘The Selection’ Dead At The CW
CW’s ‘Carrie Diaries’ & ‘Nikita’ Renewed

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

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PRIMETIME PILOT PANIC: Rumor Mill

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday May 8, 2013 @ 11:28pm PDT
Nellie Andreeva

It was a busy day in pre-upfront broadcast network land, with Fox deciding the fate of all of its pilots (nine picked up to series, six dead) and NBC narrowing down the field by passing … Read More »

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PRIMETIME PILOT PANIC: Screening Edition

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday May 2, 2013 @ 11:11pm PDT
Nellie Andreeva

It’s pilot screening week, with the networks’ executives huddled in rooms watching the fruits of their development teams’ labor. The networks are still going through the process, with testing results just starting to pour in, but here is the latest pilot buzz I’ve compiled from various sources around town.

Related: Complete Primetime Panic Pilot Listings

NBC had the breakout new drama of last fall, Revolution, and now the network has what could be the strongest drama pilot this season with Blacklist. I hear Blacklist and Crisis (aka untitled Rand Ravich) are considered front-runners on the drama side at NBC, buoyed by very strong testing. In fact Blacklist might be the highest-testing drama pilot at NBC in about a decade, and I also hear the male lead played by James Spader is one of the highest-testing characters ever for producing studio Sony TV. Also in the running are the J.J. Abrams-produced Believe; TV star vehicles Ironside, with Blair Underwood, and I Am Victor, with John Stamos; as well as medical drama Night Shift (aka After Hours). Also possibilities are late deliveries The Sixth Gun and the Chicago Fire spinoff. Read More »

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CW Picks Up ‘Originals’ To Series, Renews ‘Hart Of Dixie’ And ‘Beauty And The Beast’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday April 26, 2013 @ 1:25pm PDT
Nellie Andreeva

So-so ratings for the planted Originals spinoff episode of The Vampire Diaries last night didn’t deter the CW from proceeding with the project as a series. The network just gave its first new-series order for next season to The Originals, which had enjoyed strong support among CW brass. Additionally, the network has given early renewals to sophomore drama Hart Of Dixie and freshman Beauty And The Beast, which join previously picked up The Vampire Diaries, Arrow and Supernatural. Missing from the list are Nikita, which still appears likely for a final 13-episode cycle, and The Carrie Diaries, also likely to get a renewal despite tame ratings. Beauty And The Beast too has been lagging in the ratings department, but the reboot of the 1980s series was a pet project for CW president Mark Pedowitz, and its renewal assures that there is one returning show on the CW schedule next season that hails from CBS TV Studios, one of the two studios that supply the network. Additionally, digital play weighs much heavier on the CW brass’ renewal decisions than other networks because of the CW’s rich deals with Netflix and Hulu.

Related: Pilot Panic: Streaming Deals Boost Chances Of CW Bubble Series Read More »

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The CW Pulls ‘Cult’ From Schedule; Remaining Episodes Could End Up Online

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Wednesday April 10, 2013 @ 3:38pm PDT

The CW already unofficially cancelled low-rated Cult when it sent the mystery drama from Tuesdays to Fridays after its first two episodes drew a miniscule 0.3 rating in 18-49. Today the network made it official by … Read More »

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Pilot Panic: Streaming Deals Boost Chances Of CW Bubble Series; Will They All Return?

Nellie Andreeva

Carrie Diaries Renewal Chances CWThe CW‘s midseason drama The Carrie Diaries wraps its 13-episode freshman season tonight. With its pedigree as an offshoot from one of most recognizable media franchises of the last 20 years, Sex And The City, it was expected to be a slam-dunk. Instead, Carrie Diaries started slow and is finishing its run on the bubble. But while its TV ratings alone would’ve likely pushed the series toward cancellation, Carrie Diaries‘ very strong online play including on Hulu is making the renewal a possibility. What’s more, besides the three shows the CW already cancelled this season — veteran 90210 and freshmen Emily Owens MD and Cult — there is a chance that the CW returns all of its other series including Hart Of Dixie, Nikita, Beauty And The Beast and Carrie Diaries in some shape or form, including limited runs. (The CW’s strongest series, Arrow, The Vampire Diaries and veteran Supernatural, were already renewed in February.)

Related: PILOT PANIC: NBC Eying Early Renewals?

More than other networks’ series, the online performance of CW shows, most of which are serialized, plays an important part in the net’s renewal decisions. After all, episode streaming provides a key revenue stream for the CW. In addition to commercial-loaded play on the the network’s website, the CW’s current series are available on Hulu under a five-year, $75-million deal, while previous seasons of CW shows are on Netflix as part of the eye-popping four-year, $1 billion pact the two companies inked in late 2011. The Netflix deal in particular represents an incentive for the CW to keep shows on the air longer because that raises interest in previous seasons as evident by such current serialized cable series as Breaking Bad, whose older seasons became blockbuster hits on Netflix. Read More »

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The CW Sets Summer Premiere Dates

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday April 1, 2013 @ 1:24pm PDT
Nellie Andreeva

The CW has slated new unscripted series Whose Line Is It Anyway?, a reboot of the improv comedy series; game show Perfect Score; and competition The Hunt as well as returning Breaking Pointe. After experimenting with Canadian scripted shows 18 To Life and L.A. Complex the last couple of years, the network is keeping its original summer slate all-unscripted this year. Whose Line, hosted by comedian Aisha Tyler and featuring the return of cast members Ryan Stiles, Wayne Brady and Colin Mochrie, will be paired with Perfect Score, hosted by Arielle Kebbel, on Tuesdays. Breaking Pointe will air on Mondays, The Hunt on Wednesdays. All shows will premiere late in the summer to help launch CW’s fall slate. Here are the dates: Read More »

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TV Weekly Warfare: CBS Sees Return To Demo Top Spot; ABC Second In Viewers

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Tuesday March 26, 2013 @ 2:42pm PDT

There are two take-aways from last week’s network ratings. One, boosted by the dependable NCIS, NCIS: LA, CSI and strong NCAA Tournament numbers, CBS is back on top in the 18-49 demographic for the first time since the week ending February 17, when the Grammys were on. Two, the frame marked the calm before the game-changer with The Voice’s return to NBC this week. During the week ending March 24, NBC inched up to 1.2/3 from the previous frame’s 1.1/3 but still took a whooping. It found itself behind Univision among adults 18-49 and adults 18-34 for an eighth week in a row and was down 29% last week from the comparable week in 2012. Of course, with strong numbers from The Voice‘s Season 4 premiere last night, steady results from the just-returned Revolution and the fact that Voice is on tonight as well, the weekly ratings pictures will likely look very different next week.

Related: Ratings Rat Race: ‘The Voice’ Premieres Up, ‘Revolution’ Returns Steady

But until we get there, let’s stick with what we have: With 22 hours of primetime programming and a 2.1/6 in 18-49, CBS averaged 8.449 million viewers over the 26th week of the 2012-2013 season. ABC stepped over Fox to move into the second viewership position with 7.459 million. That’s 1.6 million over Fox and 3.3 million over NBC.

Related: ‘The Voice Returns With ‘Revolution’ Tonight; Can Spring End Winter Of NBC Discontent? Read More »

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Arielle Kebbel To Host CW Summer Reality Series ‘Perfect Score’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday March 19, 2013 @ 11:00am PDT
Nellie Andreeva

The CW has tapped a familiar face as host of its summer dating game series Perfect Score. Arielle Kebbel, who has been recurring on the network’s The Vampire Diaries and 90210, will make her unscripted … Read More »

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